Sloane gave her a tiny smile offset by a sad, pitiful look as she pulled the jacket tightly around her body to cover her tattered clothes. It was just like Anya to be there exactly when Sloane needed her. Sloane’s mind was still a mess, having not fully come out of the shock that she had been in, finding it easier to focus on the mud on Anya’s shoes than on the people around her. She huffed a little air through her nose, the best she could muster for a laugh, to Anya’s dry retort to her question, before nodding her head gently at the suggestion that Anya take her home, her nod freezing as Anya suggested Drake join them. Her body tensed further as Jack appeared, offering to teleport them to wherever they wanted to go. She grimaced. Please god no, she already felt sick enough as it was.
Another pair of shoes approached, “Stick with Sully for a minute Sloane, heal up. Feel better, okay?”
Sloane’s mouth ran dry as her body completely turned to stone, the only sign of life being her fast-beating heart that had jumped up to the top of her throat. Besides Anya she was suspicious about all these people caring for her, and then of all people Jasper actually came over and said something to her that wasn’t absolutely awful? If she didn’t know any better she would’ve believed that she was still hallucinating. She felt like she should say something, anything really, an opportunity to prove that his preconceptions of her were misguided, the thought that she even cared about how he viewed her terrifying, the sudden sickness in her stomach misdiagnosed as anger. She remained like a statue until she caught sight of him turning and then subtly raised her head, watching him go.
The others were starting to depart now. Normally this would be the moment where Sloane would point out that they needed to formulate some kind of plan of action to handle 8th Street instead of immediately dissolving into their own cliques again, but she was pretty much fried and didn’t even consider the thought. She just wanted to go home, take a long, hot shower, and have a cup of tea. Sloane held onto Anya as she settled herself to her feet, staring after Drake as he moved to confront Luna. When had she returned? Sloane couldn’t believe that the woman had the nerve to even show her face. Unlike Sloane or even Greyson, Luna was guilty beyond a doubt for working against the Coven back in the day. Perhaps Sloane should’ve felt a kind of sympathy for her fellow reject, but there was nothing there but ice. She didn’t know whether to be proud of Drake for showing restraint and backing down from confronting her or disappointed that he didn’t give her the welcome she deserved.
”Know what? Let's just scram,” said Drake as he returned.
“Yeah, let’s go,” muttered Sloane.
She moved to leave with the others, pausing momentarily to turn back and look at Auri. Sloane did need her. Or rather, she needed something of her’s. The next time 8th Street attacked them all she refused to be defenseless. Petty differences aside, she knew that Auri would be smart enough to do the right thing. However, it could wait. Sloane would contact her once she gathered herself. For now she just turned and stuck to Anya, hanging her head once more.
The bar was going in full swing by now as Sully, hunched down in the mud, tried to uncrush paper cups and fill it up with the elixir. He hummed to himself a variant of “99 Bottles of Beer” as he passed out the cups, trying to ignore his shaking hands as well as the blood underneath his fingernails. It never got any easier seeing someone hurt as badly as Sloane had been. He could tell himself that he had saved her by being there, but really all he had done was bear the cup. Sully couldn’t think of himself as being the one who had saved her. If Anya hadn’t pulled Sully out of his hallucination then Sloane would’ve been on her way to having a closed casket funeral.
He couldn’t help but think of what would be if he had tripped, or been a little slower to come to, or if he’d lost the Chalice somewhere in the shuffle. There was a reason he had given it to her for “safekeeping” in the first place. Sully couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. He didn’t like bearing the weight of responsibility, knowing that one momentary choke on his end could determine if someone woke up in the morning or not. He might’ve joked about being the “Chosen One” after all those Recollections centered around the Chalice, but the idea of being the only one capable of saving his friends from dying didn’t make him feel special. It made him feel scared.
One of the crumpled little cups ended up being filled with some good ol’ fashioned brown instead of the healing elixir blood red. Sully downed the double of whiskey and then followed it with a second just to be sure, closing his eyes as the burn slid all the way down his throat. His hand was steadier for the next pour.
Tayla’s arrival with Luna was a sudden reminder of the other problems going on in his world. Sully needed to talk to her about Dean. Specifically, he needed to convince her to swallow her pride and recruit the help of the others to beat his damn ass so bad that he’d leave both of them alone. While he would never sell Tayla out to Dean, there were only so many times Sully could get jumped by a guy before he would spill someone else’s tea. If not to Sycamore then at the very least to Greenwood, because while they likely didn’t even know who Tayla was they wouldn’t tolerate someone messing around with one of them. Sully stood up from where he had established his pop-up bar and started to saunter over to Luna and Tayla.
“Hey, Tay—”
“We have an emergency at 7 o’clock!”
“—huh?” Sully blinked, pretty sure it was closer to six in the evening, as his eyes looked over towards the bushes. “Oh shit!”
Aislin and Layla had emerged from the bushes, appearing as if some had replaced their bong water with gasoline. Sully jogged over, his face heavy with concern that twisted into shock as he got close enough to see the severity of the burns, too worn out by all the excitement to remember his bedside manners. He didn’t recall seeing them in the melee, but then again he had been too busy trying to stay alive and not to shit himself. Had they been engulfed in one of Emily’s fireballs?
“Don’t worry, don’t worry, y’all don’t look too bad,” said Sully, breathing heavily through his mouth to avoid the stench of burnt flesh.
Aislin groaned as she crawled out of the bush on her hands and knees, “Y-you’re a terrible liar, you know?”
He flicked the contents of his solo cup out into the grass and filled it with elixir, passing it to Aislin who of the two looked like she could manage to drink on her own. A little burn of the whiskey might still be present and if she was worried about getting Sully cooties then tough luck, but the elixir would be as potent as ever. Aislin took it, sitting back with a wince, before downing the contents. Cooties didn’t even cross her mind.
For Layla, who barely seemed to be with them, he moved to put the Chalice to her lips and to help lift her head so that she could drink. A bit dribbled to the sides before Layla managed to open her eyes and get her esophagus working, sipping like a child, weakly and messily.
Luna could be seen watching carefully, before nodding to herself, spreading her wings, and taking off.
Bit by bit, the burns receded away from both Aislin and Layla. The elixir patched over the remainder of their high as well, bringing both back into their senses. Eventually, the skin had healed over completely, the only evidence that they had been blasted to kingdom come the burn holes evident on their charred clothes.
Aislin clapped Sully on the back, a grateful grin on her face. “You’re a lifesaver, my friend. You get first dibs on my next run. You want the kush, you get it.” She said, trying to make light of a dark situation.
Sully’s eyes brightened. He was so used to being around Ruby and her bogarting ways that he had forgotten there were kind, caring people like Aislin who would happily give weed away. Sure, he could’ve just gone to the dispensary, but that meant waiting in line and having disposable income…or any income, come to think of it.
Aislin’s eyes moved across the remains of Kari’s charred house, to the destroyed front lawn and foliage. “It’s good they left when they did. We uh…” She grimaced. “We didn’t really stand a chance, did we?”
“Hey from where I’m standing we’re all still here and they all ran away. At worst that’s a draw!” Sully watched as a support beam gave out and collapsed another part of Kari’s burning house. “Er, unless we’re counting property loss. Then yeah. They clowned us.”
Layla scowled, half-sitting up from Sully’s hold so she could better see Aislin. “Those losers cheated. I didn’t even get a chance.”
“Hey, you’ll get them next time, killer, now upsy daisy,” said Sully, hefting Layla up to her feet.
He brushed a bit of ash off of her shoulder, which turned out to be the bit of ash that had held the sleeve to the rest of her shirt, and frowned as the charred sleeve slipped down to her wrist like a bracelet. Layla made a face, picking at the fallen sleeve before shrugging it off entirely.
“Good thing this is last year’s fashion…” She said awkwardly.
He glanced between Aislin and Layla. He would’ve offered one of them his jacket to cover up with but he’d already given that to the kid (and frankly he needed it a little more). Fortunately, there were still plenty of Sycamore left behind who could keep them from catching a cold.
“Hey, anybody got an extra jacket?” He turned around to see that almost the entire Coven had already bailed. “Oh, cool. Later then, I guess. Fuck.”
He rubbed the back of his head and turned to Aislin and Layla, “Well, looks like we’re scooting before the police show up and bust us for arson. Did either of you need a ride? I got room in MY TRUCK!!! Sully slapped his forehead so hard that it sounded like a crack of thunder, echoing around the clearing so loudly that for a moment it seemed as if Vashti had returned and restarted her storm. “I left my windows down! They’re cloth seats, Aislin! Cloth! Seats!”
He pulled his beanie down over his face to muffle a scream.
Aislin's jaw dropped before horror overtook her face, “Don’t panic! Uh, fans! lots of fans and wet towels - Do you need to borrow some towels?!”
Layla just stared at the two of them with mild disdain, before she walked in between them pointedly, heading towards her motorbike. “I think it’s time to leave, then.”
She half-turned towards Sully, “I owe you one. You need a favour done, just let me know.”
Before she hopped on her bike, slid on a helmet, and drove off.
That just left Aislin and Sully. Aislin checked her clothes, or what was left of them, before sighing and turning to Sully.
“Uh, listen… I got a few spare fans and towels I can lend out.” Her head perked up a bit. “Could see who else is free and hang out a bit, what do you say?”
“I say we’re gonna have to bum a lot of towels, but fuck it, we’re already soaked anyway. Some buddies of mine had invited me to hit up this local taco truck a little bit, some joint called Los Agavez. I told them I was gonna be busy but if we leave now I think we’ll have enough time to catch them there. And, I dunno, if that bong survived, maybe we could…”
Sully’s voice trailed off as he reached into his pocket. A look of confusion crossed his face as he gave himself a quick pocket patdown: phone, check, wallet, check, keys? His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his jaw dropped, remembering throwing his keys towards a non-present Tayla and then getting too distracted by the bunch of jolly assholes trying to murder them to pick them back up. The beanie came fully off his head now as he stuffed it in his mouth, packing it in with his fist, gagging the followup string of curses. He spat the beanie out and gave Aislin a sad look, his shoulders dropping.
“Maybe we could rain check it,” he sighed, kicking the ground. “You go on ahead without me. I’ll catch up once I figure out where I left my keys. Plus, the storm might’ve put out a lot of the fire, but somebody should probably make sure it’s died down enough that it doesn’t spread…”
Aislin gave a sympathetic look, “A rain check it is... If everyone in Sycamore was as thoughtful as you, we’d have progressed by leaps and bounds by now, just saying.”
Sully smiled sheepishly. He wasn’t so sure about that.
Aislin sighed, giving a little stretch to her arms as she spied her car parked down the way. Unlike Sully, she had triple-checked the windows and doors were closed and locked. It wasted precious minutes, but it was her artistic OCD, she supposed.
She offered a smile, tapping her bag, “I got a hoot with your name on it, don’t forget.”
With one last glance, Aislin headed to her car, set her bag on the passenger seat, revved the engine once, before peeling out of the vicinity.
Sully watched the red taillights disappear around the bend and then slunk his way back into the woods. He pulled out his phone to use it as a flashlight and laughed miserably to himself as he saw the massive spider web of a crack in the screen, crunched by his own body when he’d dived to take the shots for a kid who’d turned out to not even need his help. Sully shook his head and put the broken phone back in his pocket. He got down on his knees, squinted his eyes, and began the long, tedious rummage through the tall grass where he was pretty sure he had thrown his keys, blissfully unaware of the crow looking down on him from a branch up above, cocking its head as if in confusion, the set of shiny car keys held in its beak jangling too softly for the man below to hear.
Linqian looked at Britney’s car, then down towards the road. She really didn’t want to leave her own here… that would be a pain. Even if she was a bit more relaxed now that she knew she wasn’t going to be spending the rest of the evening alone, it would still be another thing to worry about. ”I’ll follow in my car, since I brought it, just-” Linqian went to put a hand in the pocket of Edict’s jacket, immediately realising that it wasn’t hers. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. ”My fucking car keys were in my fucking coat that got destroyed in the fucking fire! Fuck!”
Deep breath. Don’t kick a tree. Linqian clenched her fists, trying to stay calm, and turning towards both Edict and Britney. She decided to go the slightly more diplomatic, not targeting the mafia member among them, approach. ”Neither of you happen to know how to break into and hotwire a car, do you?”
Greyson took a deep breath. ”Oh fuck, I love hearing that. Yeah, that’s fine. Let’s go, I don’t want to take any longer than we have to. Thankfully we just need to get into it.” With the ice wall gone, there was only rain water and a smoldering wreck of a Cadillac where his beloved car had once been. What a fucking shame. His hands started to shuffle across Linqian, nowhere they hadn’t been prior, but on the hunt for the pocket his phone was in.
”Ummm….” Britney put a fist to her chin as she thought for a moment, pivoting her upper body from left to right as she thought about a solution. ”Is it like a fancy new car? I practiced picking locks with my plants a lot back in the day...”
Getting his phone finally, Edict nodded. ”That should work. There’s a spare key in the glovebox, unless you gave it to someone else Linqian… At least you won’t be up shit’s creek.” he concluded, looking over at Britney and smiling. ”I love when you say shit like that out of the blue, y’know?”
”Just letting ya’ll know I can get in,” Britney laughed.
Linqian rolled her eyes, grimacing at the grossly sappy words coming out of his mouth. ”Fucking hell, Greyson, tone that shit down.” Linqian sneered, gesturing to them both to follow her. ”It’s just a bit down the road… I didn’t even know there was a fucking spare key, you think I have time to rifle through the glovebox? Thank fuck there is.”
As Linqian had said, her car wasn’t really that far away. She’d parked it along the road, not hidden in a bush like Britney’s. She pointed to it, and turned to Britney. ”Do whatever you have to do, I promise I won’t get pissed if you damage anything.” Because she’d probably make Edict foot the bill.
”I can get in without breaking anything, just hold on…” Britney walked over to this fancy car, and then put her finger against the lock, and out of her finger came a thick wooden vine that wormed its way in through the mechanisms. There was a series of clicking, and grinding before the lock popped up. Britney smiled. ”... Still got it!” She laughed.
”Voilà…” Britney gestured for Linqian to get in.
Linqian couldn’t help but grin at her. ”Shit, I’ve gotta learn that some day… Let me check if Greyson wasn’t making up shit about the spare keys.”
She got in, leaning over into the passenger side to pull open the glovebox. It was pretty empty - she pulled out the owner’s manual and threw it in the back, before finding a suspicious plastic bag. Thankfully there weren’t any drugs in it, just the spare keys and registration. She really should’ve looked in here earlier. ”All good,” she popped back out, shaking the spare keys. At the same time, she unlocked the trunk, tilting her head towards Greyson. ”I’ve got a change of clothes in there, want your coat back? Otherwise… I’ll follow you wherever we’re going, Brit.”
”Fuck the coat for now, lets just get where we’re going. I’ll…” he turned to his burning wreck one last time, then to Britney. ”I’ll be in your passenger seat… Fuck, man…” he mumbled, unclipping his bulletproof vest so it dangled loosely as he skulked to the truck.
”So, um…” Britney looked around, awkwardly shuffling in her feet. ”Do you want to get some actual clothes first? I know Bean will hook you up for free if she isn’t busy.”
”Don’t worry about it, I got some,” Linqian popped open the trunk, rummaging around and pulling out what looked to be a pair of shorts and a plain t-shirt. She shuffled around to pull on the shorts underneath Edict’s jacket. ”Gotta be prepared in case I ever need to change before work, so I’m all good. Let’s get going.”
”Bet,” Britney laughed, before looking down at her soaked sweater. ”... Maybe I need to hit up Bean. Or stop by my house. I’m soaked.”
”You won’t hear me complainin’.” By then, he was on the phone in earnest. ”Richie? Yeah, I’m gonna need a wrecker. — Yep. It’s a sad one, so just ping me and take it from there. And be careful! You may see some shit you don’t wanna see.” he babbled on toward the truck.
Linqian rolled their eyes once again at Greyson’s back, leaning against her open car door as she looked at Britney and lowered her voice. ”The fuck did you see in him? Y’know what, don’t answer that- Let’s go to your place or Bean’s, whatever’s fastest, then hit somewhere up for food. I’m fucking starving after all that shit… or I can cook for us?”
Her eyebrows raised slightly, winking teasingly as she joked, ”then we wouldn’t need to worry about clothes at all.”
”My house is booby-trapped,” Britney awkwardly laughed, before she pulled out her phone - which was also soaked, but it was still functional. She called Sabrina, and near immediately, she answered.
“Brit, how are you?” Sabrina asked.
”Good, good,” Britney said, ”Are you busy right now?”
“... You need an outfit change?”
”... I need an outfit change.” Britney sighed. ”Do you mind if Greyson and Linqian come over, too?”
“Sure,” Sabrina began. “But, I have Messiah with me, so… no cursing, no drinking, you know…”
”That’s fine, I’ll let them know,” Britney said, before she covered the microphone with her hand and said, ”Bean said it’s fine, but she’s got her younger brother there if that’s cool! He’s like, ten, I think.”
”All fine by me, I’m great with kids,” Linqian said, flashing Britney a thumbs up. She got into her car and poked her head back out. ”I’ll just follow behind you.”
The time spent driving between the sticks and where Sabrina lived was spent with plenty of Greyson being aggressively passive about his car being destroyed for nothing in between him rattling off text messages to people in Minnesota. He wasn’t even considering that he could’ve killed anyone in the fight, mostly assuming that George had been the one to catch the majority of direct hits. Wrong guy to shoot at, really.
By the time they arrived, it was well after noon. The cold sun was shining in this part of town, far from the influence of 8th Street’s Stormlizard. Edict let Britney go in first if she wanted, or if not the two of them would be waiting for Linqian who ended up getting a little separated by traffic. When she did arrive at the Vanburen manor’s little parking area, Edict had a cigarette in his hand and another in his lips. One, of course, was for her. ”Figured you’d want one of these before we went inside. Unless you’re too cold, but I think I’d laugh if you said that.”
”Fuck yes,” Linqian took the offered cigarette, and held it up for him to light. She’d taken an extra moment in her car to awkwardly get changed, coming out with a fresh t-shirt tucked into shorts and Edict’s coat over her shoulders. It wasn’t ideal for the weather, but she wasn’t a wimp who couldn’t handle that… plus, she subtly raised her temperature to offset it. ”I was trying to quit, but that shit isn’t easy… lasted two days. Wait. One. Well, whatever, today started and absolute shitshow and only got fucking worse. Fucking hell.”
”Well, what’s the scoop here? The fuck did I drive into?” After swearing, he ducked a little bit and a grimace slipped across his face. ”Ahhh… Sorry. But, still you know what I mean, Linqian? Like, the house being gone? You mean to tell me you left your shit in there and it’s all gone?” he asked her with a serious, but very quiet intonation.
”I left my shit in there to stop it being fucking setting on fire. But yes, it’s all fucking gone.” Linqian waved her free hand in exasperation. ”It wasn’t like I just stripped for fucking fun. We went to the house, searched, then Emily and her gang turned up. She demanded Britney and Lila- fuck knows why she wanted Lila- and I wasn’t just going to stand by for that shit. You remember that spell me and Aryin used to do back in the day? Puts us at clothing burning temperature, so I sensibly stripped before punching Vashti in the face. Didn’t work out so well.”
Linqian held up her hands in a shrug, before taking a long drag of the cigarette. Fuck, it was nice after all of that shit. ”Emily set the house on fire while I was wrestling with Vashti… Everything gone. Fuck. At least I still have some cash at home. At least no one died, huh? They might’ve gotten Brit or someone if I’d stayed clothed and cool, hah.”
”Listen, don’t worry about the money. I owe you, you really just don’t know it yet. So, reach in the left inside pocket. Take everything that’s there. That’s yours, and for putting yourself in harms way for the people who can’t. Split that shit with Thorne, for going all out like the ‘Coven Anime Club’ used to say. Y’know… Good ol’ CAC.”
He laughed through his cigarette, flicking the ashes and taking a final drag before moving toward the door. ”Now hurry up, cuz we’re gonna need to stay on alert and I don’t want 8th Street targeting Sabrina’s house for Britney’s sweet sweet-... Presence.”
Linqian looked down at herself, then at Greyson, then down at herself again. ”I appreciate the money, but where the fuck am I supposed to put it? If I walk in with the pockets at my ass full of cash it’s going to look a little fucking suspicious. I’ll take it when we leave, alright?” She also quickly finished off her cigarette, rolling her eyes at his back and following him towards the door.
Edict had left his gun and vest in Britney’s car thankfully, as he wasn’t so disrespectful that he’d bring a loaded firearm around for a kid without at least providing a fake one to entertain them. There was a distinction in the wetness of his shirt from where the multi-face carrier blocked the heavy rainfall and soaked it up.
Walking in, he held the door open for Linqian as she made her way in. ”Hey, back again. Twice in a week, living in the lap of luxury at Casa de Vanburen.”
Sabrina was sitting down on the sofa, wearing a red sweater and some blue jeans and some loafers. She kept her legs together as ahe looked at them, before a warming smile formed across her face.
“Yes, it’s always a pleasure,” Sabrina said, before she gestured to the little boy sitting next to him. He had to be around four-eleven, and had a curly afro on his head. He wore a green hoodie, jeans, and some black and red Jordans.
“... And this is my little brother, Messiah,” Sabrina said. “Say hi, Messiah.”
Messiah raised his hand, “... Hi.”
”Hi Messiah,” Linqian waved to him, walking over to the couch. She took of Edict's jacket before she sat down, careful to keep it off the pristine white surface (since it had gotten rained on). ”I’m Linqian, nice to meet you. Good to see you again too, Bean.”
She made sure to drag out her name, saying it slow enough that the pronunciation should be obvious without being patronising. She smiled gently - likely surprising Edict when just a moment ago she'd been swearing about losing all of her shit. ”How old are you, Messiah? You look like you must be… about twelve? When my brother was your age he was much shorter… absolute nightmare too. Wouldn't sit still, he'd be bouncing off the walls right now.”
“I’m ten,” Messiah answered.
“I made sure that he was raised to be very well mannered,” Sabrina answered. “And behaved.”
”... Right.” Linqian smiled, a little speechless. Was that a dig? It felt like a dig. She didn't have it in her to continue after that.
Edict simply waved at the young boy, not wanting to make too much of a stir. He looked around for Britney, clearing his throat before making way for the kitchen to be out of the way of the child; no need to get yelled at for saying the wrong thing. As he walked, he peeked down the hall and saw a light on. ”Brit? You down there?” he called.
It wasn’t a tremendous amount of fun acting like he was a lapdog, and moreover he felt like at this point it may’ve been somewhat smothering for the freedom loving woman he knew… But nobody was in danger quite like Britney. Except maybe Kari, but… Well, she was dead. Right? Definitely dead. No doubt about it.
”... Yeah, I’m in the guest room changing!” Britney shouted. ”What are you trying to watch?!”
“Britney!” Sabrina shouted.
”Oh,” Britney shrugged. ”Sorry!”
Edict laughed in turn, shaking his head. ”What’d you say before we got here? Something about behaving?” He sauntered down the hall further, but didn’t turn into the room. He just wanted to speak lowly. ”No… Just, making sure you’re safe. Never know, some fucker-” he stopped, clearing his throat. Swearing wasn’t even a habit, it was vocab. ”-Some dude like Jack could pop up at any time, right?”
”True,” Britney calmly answered. ”But if someone teleports in here, they are getting the machineel.”
He shook his head. ”Hopefully after the meeting I had this morning, we can at least stop worrying about House of Cards. We have some mutual friends who I think can convince Phantasia that the game she’s playing is for keeps, and she’s the sucker.” he offered her the idea and listened for some sort of reaction. ”I was thinking maybe we could celebrate? Or do you think it’s too early?” he half joked.
”... Oh?” Britney asked. ”Who are these friends? I would love to celebrate to get my mind off that clusterfuck…”
”Some curated uh… Business associates. House of Cards and I both dip into their pockets on occasion, so out of anyone I think they’d be fairly beholden to their profit margin. Does it make sense when I say that, as a Pink Luxer who knows the way the cookie crumbles, they’re people who I desperately want to tell you about but know I can’t? Not until everything is over.” he intoned with a great deal of secrecy in his inflection.
Britney was silent for a moment.
”... I understand.”
She took a few steps towards the door and opened it, revealing to be wearing a blue checkered button up shirt, some jeans, and some dress shoes. Britney smiled and posed.
”... How do I look?”
Greyson grinned genuinely and warmly. ”Like a lifetime’s worth of happiness, Babe. Everytime.”
Britney smiled, a redness filled her face.
”Thank you,” Britney began before she started teasing. ”... But what if I was wearing a diaper? Would you feel the same way?” She stuck her tongue out.
He walked a little closer to her, still half soaked from the rain and mud. ”Not this game again… You know how I feel about you?” He cleared his throat, speaking quietly. ”I saw you in that hallucination. You were on my mind from the moment I woke up in it until I got pulled out. We had rings, and kids. I saw some beautiful shit in that dream that I want to make real. I’m gonna change my life, Brit…”
Britney grimaced, before she smiled, she took a few moments before she stepped over and grabbed Edict’s hands.
”Maybe we can, once all of this blows over…” Britney said. ”I ‘m willing to try again… If you’re serious-serious… but pump the breaks, just for a moment, thank you.”
He tilted his head back with a slight exasperation before nodding. ”You’re right. It was just intense, is all. Did it hit you? Or… Some trick up your sleeve?” he asked.
”I held my breath!” Britney laughed. ”Almost passed out until I came up with something - I felt sooo smart… Until it went away.”
She coughed, ”... What exactly did you see? Because everyone wasn’t doing so hot afterwards…
He furrowed his brow at the question, thinking about what she had said. ”Well, like I said, I saw you. Really, it was… A warm, inviting dream. Like a real lucid one? I knew immediately we were living in Louisiana. On my tobacco plantation. You, me, two kids, a third on the way. Our son had Kindled the night before. Killed someone. You were taking it hard, and I was trying to console you over it. Understandably.” Shrugging his shoulders he chuckled. ”Sounds like a lot of people want shit they don’t have a chance of getting back.”
He let the thought linger for a moment before clearing his throat again. He got real quiet. ”You meant, like, Linqian? She did look pretty bad…”
”I mean Sloane almost died,” Britney awkwardly laughed. ”But Linqian, yeah, Adora, Jack…”
Greyson grimaced at the memory of Sloane. ”Oh, yeah… But I mean, if it was that bad? Baggage galore. The cast says it all, I think.” he shrugged, clearly not as concerned about the others. ”I’m kinda glad you missed it; I’d hate to see you down on yourself over something you wished was true. Now, come on, let’s go see if Sabrina won’t mind helping Linqian and I out. Unless… Something else on your mind?” he asked, eyebrow rising to question her.
”... You know she will,” Britney smiled. ”Let’s go!”
When the two of them came back, Linqian twisted around to give them both a look that clearly said ‘save me.’ After a very lacklustre response from the child and what felt like her parenting of Henri being questioned, there'd been an awkward silence. And with a silence came thinking, and with thinking came feeling fucking shit. She hid it a bit better this time - she didn't look that much different than the normal slightly annoyed Linqian. Shoulders tense, lips in a thin line, eyes slightly narrowed. Except she wasn’t annoyed she was spiraling towards the state she'd been in before.
”You took so long I thought you were-” Linqian paused, glancing at Messiah, and quickly switching what she was going to say. It'd be pretty obvious to them what she's planned to say. ”Eloping. Oh hey, Brit, you look good.”
She smiled slightly as if everything was still totally alright, fiddling with the wedding rings on her fingers (which escaped being melted because they were her channeller). ”So, we staying here and hanging with Bean and… Messiah, or we hitting up somewhere else?”
”Um, before we do anything,” Britney began as she sat down. ”Bean, can dry off Greyson’s clothes?”
“Oh, gladly,” Sabrina said, raising a hand, as she manipulated the fibers in Edict’s outfit to wring out the different liquids that were in it. “All better… do you need anything else? Maybe some clothes? I don’t mind at all.”
”I’m al-” Linqian paused, stopping herself from going with her normal answer of not accepting things for ‘free’. This was fine, right? It wasn't money. She could view it as an advance payment for her bringing up Sabrina to the coven when they had a meeting that didn't involve getting attacked in some way almost right away. ”Some kind of thick, winter jacket? I… lost mine.”
Sabrina pinched her fingers together as if she was holding something, and fiber by fiber she created a thick, hooded puffer jacket. It was all black and had a fur lined hood. Sabrina gave Linqian a warming smile.
“Ta-da!”
”Has anyone told you you’re the best lately, Sabrina? We really appreciate the help…” Edict grinned, taking his coat back finally.
”Sh- Wow. Thank you so much, Bean.” Linqian just resisted letting out a torrent of swears, though she muttered a couple under her breath in Chinese. It looked… amazing. Was that real fur? What the fuck. Shit. She almost forgot the cash in Edict’s coat she hadn’t taken yet cause she’d had nowhere to fucking put it.
“It’s no problem,” Sabrina said, “I’m here to help.”
As Edict leaned down to take his coat she caught his wrist, saying in a low voice, ”remember to pay what you owe later, yeah?”
Then she let him go and stood up, taking the new jacket from Sabrina. With the closest to a genuine smile she’d had she put it on, almost tempted to give a spin… but that would be fucking embarrasing. ”This is amazing… I won’t need to worry about freezing to death anymore. I’ll repay you with that thing we talked about last time.” She smiled at Sabrina, before turning to Britney and Edict with a thick bravado to properly cover the cracks that had been forming. ”How’s it look? Wait, not sure I need an answer, I already know I suit anything.”
”You look fine. I’ll pay outside, Mèimei.” Edict’s voice echoed out of his mouth in an incredibly unlikely string of syllables stretching out into very clear, pronounced and pitch perfect Mandarin Chinese. He cleared his throat, but his head nodded at her, as if what he’d just said was typical or normal for him. ”Just covering.”
He subtly nodded toward her, as if he was still complimenting her and covering the agreement at the same time.
Linqian went from being slightly impressed that Edict could talk a little Chinese, if peeved because it reduced the languages she could secretly shit talk him in, to pissed. Meimei? Oh that fucking asshole knew exactly what he was doing with that. She wasn’t smiling much to begin with, and it turned cold. Just covering? Right.
”Meimei? You want some fucking respect or something? Keep that shit out of your mouth.” Linqian let out a rapid torrent of Chinese, but at a perfectly reasonable level. For anyone that couldn’t speak the language, it didn’t appear that aggressive. But she was clearly agitated, fists clenching at her sides and trembling slightly. It was wrong. She’d heard it from the right person not that long ago and he was fucking gone. And this asshole was ruining it. ”There’s only one person I’d tolerate calling me that, and he’s dead. Thank you for reminding me, asshole… Fuck you- fuck your ancestors to the eighteenth generation, you bastard.”
Edict’s eyes went wide. Right… The hallucinations. Must’ve been something to do with Jinhai, which made him nod and grimace slightly. But, rather than the typical vindictive “burn your favorite bar down” Mobster Prince, he simply accepted it. He remembered that one of the pictures in his own hallucination was of himself, Britney, and Linqian awkwardly holding their daughter. He distinctly remembered the sensation of a strong friendship.
Of trust and love. Like it was somehow finally okay to call her that.
”Okay, yes. That’s probably deserved. Thank you.” Slipping his coat back on over himself, he dusted the sleeves off. ”I’ll uh… See myself out. Be waiting for you both when you’re done.” As he turned, he shot Britney a quick glance, eyebrows wiggling as if he knew what he was leaving behind.
“... Should I note that Messiah has been taking lessons in - what is it again? Mandarin Chinese?” Sabrina noted.
“Yes,” Messiah nodded.
Britney almost broke out laughing.
Edict heard them as he hit the door, and found himself unable to hold back a burst of air from between his lips. The door opened, a cold wind swept, and then it shut behind him.
”... You couldn’t have said that earlier?!” Between Edict actually, well, admitting to having fucked up and the kid having overheard a shit ton of the worst Chinese swears she could muster, Linqian’s anger disappeared just like that. The other feelings were more difficult to ignore, but she pushed them down just as she held back laughter. She turned to Messiah and Sabrina with an apologetic smile. ”Please forget everything you just heard. Hopefully you didn’t understand half of it. And if you ever need a conversation partner- well, it’s my first language!”
Messiah just nodded his head. Leaving it open how much of it he understood.
Linqian then turned to Britney with an awkward laugh, jerking a thumb towards the door. It was just like it always was - quick to a volcanic eruption, but always brief if deadly. This time it had been forcefully stopped and now Linqian just felt a mixture of shock and despairing amusement. ”Should we go after him? I may have cursed eighteen generations of his ancestors and honestly, they probably don’t deserve it, even if he does.”
Britney kept laughing, as she got up and gently grabbed Linqian by the hand, ”Yeah, let’s just get out of here! Thank you for having us, Bean!” She gave Sabrina a wave of her hand.
“Anytime,” Sabrina nodded her head. “Let me know if you need anything else”
”Yeah, thanks again,” Linqian smiled awkwardly, more than happy for Britney to grab her hand and gently drag her out. The moment they got outside she couldn’t hold back anymore, raised one hand to the air in frustration (still holding Britney’s with the other, it was warm), keeping her voice low just in case it traveled. ”How the fuck was I supposed to know he knew Chinese?! Now if he starts cursing out his teachers or whatever I’ll be to blame… If I’d used that in China I probably would’ve gotten killed- oh fuckkkk.”
Linqian wasn’t actually that caught up in it, cause all kids learned swearing eventually. But it was a good way to ignore all the other lingering feelings that had come swarming back up after she’d desperately buried them. How she hadn’t even been that annoyed when Jinhai called her that in the hallucination, how she’d let him call her anything he fucking wanted as long as he was back- fuck. Stop thinking about it. She turned slightly towards Edict with something closer to exasperation than annoyance. ”Greyson, don’t call me that shit again and we’re good, okay? I’m just-” She raised a hand to her forehead. Why the fuck was she explaining? He’d been the dick in the first place- right but he was a dick that was paying her and one of her only friends still around. Fucking hell, was this maturing? No, not particularly. ”I’m real fucking touchy about it. But your ancestors didn’t deserve that-”
Greyson had his hands up before Linqian even finished. ”Hey, I get it. Bad time for a joke, that’s my life. And as far as my ancestors, I’d say you just give it a few days and you’ll probably change your mind again.” he giggled to himself, finally reaching into his pocket. He looked a bit surprised at the large wad he pulled out, furrowing his brow before unfolding it and looking at it for a few moments.
”I didn’t think I grabbed this much when I left my place this morning…” He started to thumb off hundred dollar bills until he decided to stop at a nice round number before effortlessly forking the small stack over. ”Though, I’ve gotta ask… Because I’m curious about the power, not about digging into your personal trauma… What’d you see in the Pink Haze?”
”Yeah, we’ll keep going round in this fucking circle, till one of us dies,” Linqian said drily - which was just about her saying that she’d stick around Greyson even if he was a massive dick and she continued to blow up at him. She took the stack with a slight smile and shoved it in the pocket of her new jacket. Split with Aryin there should be enough for a new phone and a little extra. It was enough that she was at least willing to answer the question.
”Yeah, I get it, we gotta figure it out to beat it. I saw the apartment we lived in until I moved back.” The one he died in. She spoke monotonously, as if from a book, pushing down the raw pain at just thinking about it and embracing an emotional numbness. ”Obviously Jinhai was there, and Henri. There wasn’t really much to it. We talked. It was as if he was alive and everything was fine. Oh- I also had a partner, I believe. That bit was fuzzy. It changed too, to back when I was… nineteen I think. Just cooking for my brothers. I guess it's something I missed or wanted. I really fucking didn’t want to leave.”
Greyson scrunched his nose up. ”I saw a future, not a past. I definitely saw something I wanted. So, that’s the easy part… Hard part is how you get it to be that strong but that physical.” He rifled off another grand and practically pushed it into her free hand with the money already in it. ”If it makes you feel any better, I’m certain my ancestors probably deserve it. Just leave my descendents alone, God forbid I ever have any.” he shook his head, laughing through his nose.
”I won’t curse them to be born with hemorrhoids then,” Linqian laughed, seeming to go back to her… more normal self just like that. She shrugged, turning to Britney (who’s hand she was still holding, because why wouldn’t she until Britney let go). ”Dunno about the strength part. Britney’s the brains- uh, magical expert.”
”Clearly,” Britney said, still holding onto Linqian’s hand for no reason. ”That haze pulls out some type of subconscious want or need. I’m not sure if it was the result of an Adept, or some concoction Greta made…” She tapped her chin a few times.
”Greta? God, is every nightmare from the past still skulking around this fucking city?” He shook his head. ”Oh… Shit…-” he looked between the two of them. ”-Did either of you see George? Or, that black monster thing? I was just shooting, I don’t really know if I hit anyone in the rain. But, you think they’ll be back soon?” he looked a bit concerned at both of them.
”Yeah, who could miss George?” Britney chuckled. ”Black monster? Didn't see that, are you sure it wasn't some undead minion?”
Then Britney sighed. ”But, I’m not sure… It's obvious they want Lila… And Emily doesn't know when to quit…”
”Black monster…” Linqian narrowed her eyes, thinking. The whole situation had been pretty chaotic, and she hadn't seen much beyond the start. Oh, maybe- ”It couldn't be the kid, could it? Ashley’s cousin. When he offered to keep an eye out I saw he had this fucking wound on his stomach- no blood, just black. I figured I was just seeing things after the fucking hallucination.”
She shrugged. Could be him, could not be. ”They’ll definitely be back, Emily’s even more of a raging bitch than before. They're fucking strong too… if it wasn't for the fucking rain I could've hurt Vashti more, but its the one fucking thing that weakens mine and Aryin's spell. I gotta figure out some fucking cold defensive shit… really regretting not working on my spells all these years. Or I'll just shoot her- oh wait. Lost that too.”
”Damn, my pistol!? That's it man, that's it. This time they had me, but next time is grenades and fuckin’ car bombs. I'm not gonna sit and let 8th Street ruin our shit because people feel bad about what happened. And I'm definitely not gonna let them hurt you.” Greyson growled, making eye contact with Britney directly.
”Technically you gave it to me, so it was my pistol,” Linqian muttered, for once not rolling her eyes about Greyson doing something she’d view as ‘sappy’. She also tilted her head towards Britney. ”Yeah, I’ve got your back too. I fucking fought them today, i’ll fucking do it tomorrow- maybe just be a bit smarter about it.”
”Yeah, tear those bastards a new one, Greyson,” Britney grinned, before she turned to Linqian. ”I mean… you did the best you could, I think almost everyone turned their back on magic, even me...” She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly laughing, before she clapped her hands together.
”But, I mean, your Lux is red, riiiiiiiiiiight?!” She smiled at Linqian.
”One of them,” Linqian laughed. ”Honestly, I’m not so good at the side. I struggle with shit if I’m not using my body- fucking not like that- and the little I’ve developed since is green Lux. Jinhai did more cause he had time. You should’ve seen it, Brit, he learned how to turn himself into crystals and was suddenly dropping that shit all round the house. Would’ve been great if it was valuable, but nooo.”
Linqian gave a rueful smile. ”So I might… need a bit of help with that shit.”
”Don’t worry!” Britney said. ”I got you, sis! I just need to teach you to connect to Gaia, and channeler her-” She paused for a moment.
”... I sounded crazy as fuck right there, didn’t I?”
”A little bit,” Linqian smiled, holding her hands up. ”If we're gonna do this we should invite Aryin- I need that bitch to teach me some kinda durability shit, and they'll be down to connect with Gaia too.” She winked, then glanced at Greyson.
”I guess Greyson can… watch, if that's the shit he’s into.”
Greyson shrugged, giggling a little bit. ”She’s not wrong. Even in principle, Britney helped me when I was learning how to deal with my own spells. It's about the roots.” he tugged at his hair. ”That’s what the Pink Lotus is all about. Now, we were gonna go celebrate some good news. Are you coming?”
”The fuck you got to celebrate?” Linqian looked at them suspiciously. Had they gotten back together? Nah, that didn't seem right. Well, whatever. ”Yeah, I'm coming, when would I say no to celebrating shit? I can't drink too much cause I got a ten hour shift tomorrow, but plenty of fun can be had without that.”
”C’mon, girl,” Britney grinned as she put a hand on her hip. ”You tellin’ me the great Linqian Han is defeated by a hangover?” She stuck her tongue out, before turning to Edict.
”... What did you have in mind, Greyson?” She began. ”C’monnnnnnnn, the suspense is killing me!”
Greyson looked a little thoughtful at first. Don't say the worst thing, don't say the worst thing. Taking a deep breath, he tapped his finger against his chin before grinning widely. ”Let's go to fuckin’ Christiansands tonight. I can get us in, we can party, get fucked up, head back to my place after since its close by there?”
”I mean there are better clubs,” Britney shrugged. ”But, let’s par-tay! It’s been a lil’ while since I clubbed.”
”No idea where the fuck that is, but sounds perfect,” Linqian smiled, before tilting her head towards Britney. ”Since now I gotta get fucked up to prove that a hangover doesn’t do shit to me- I can work those shifts feeling like shit just fine. So long as you’re not too precious about the furniture in your fancy as fuck place, Greyson.”
”What? Are you gonna piss all over his crib?” Britney laughed, sticking her tongue out.
”Can’t rule it out,” Linqian shot back.
Greyson just laughed at the two of them, slowly rotating around and wrapping his arms around Britney before putting his chin on her shoulder. ”Hey, if there’s better clubs? Show me. Because honestly, I’m pretty homesick for *my* club. Some lights and sweat are enough for me, I don’t care where.” And then he looked back at Linqian. ”Just call off your fuckin’ shift. I got’chu.” he grinned.
”Eh, let’s just go to Christiansands,” Britney shrugged. ”Or at least start there. Most of the clubs are on the same block or in walking distance anyway!”
”My boss- the other one- is going to fucking kill me, but I won’t turn that shit down,” Linqian grinned. She didn’t actually have any way to contact Andre right now but… She’d figure that shit out later. ”Hey, gotta start with the shit clubs, then we can go to a better one . If you start with the best it’s gonna be fucking disappointing later, right?”
”Butttt…” she pointed a finger at them both, eyes narrowing slightly. ”If we go back to Greyson’s and you two go fuck or something while I’m left twiddling my thumbs, I’ll be real pissed.”
”Awwwww… If that happens you can hold my hand so you won’t feel left out!” Britney stuck her tongue out again.
”You mean you’ll make me watch without letting me join in? Now that’s just fucking cruel!” Linqian laughed, gesturing in mock exaggeration.
Greyson couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer, pulling away from Britney and letting one of his hands climb to his forehead. He playfully smacked Britney on the thigh as he slightly staggered away. ”Girl you’re rude as hell!” he laughed aloud. ”Come on, you know I ain’t ever been worried about nobody else in the room.” his eyebrows raised playfully, his giggling mostly subsiding.
”Fucking hell, be more sappy, why don’t you,” Linqian rolled her eyes.”Can we get going? I need a few drinks to deal with this shit.”
”I need to change into something more appropriate, and make myself even sexier,” Britney laughed. ”But let’s meet at Christiansands arooound, then?”
Greyson grimaced a little bit. He definitely had to freshen up again, even with dry clothes he wasn’t clean anymore. But they could probably get some other things done in the meantime. ”Yeah, fine. I’ll take our friend here out and get her hooked up with some replacement shit. Like your phone, maybe we can hit the Warehouse and get you a new bag and shit.”
”Yeah, thanks, I need at least a fucking phone before hitting a club,” Linqian nodded, putting a hand on the top of her head and frowning. Her hair felt horrible but that would take hours of washing to fix… thank god it was tied back at least. ”We’ll go do that then while you’re getting ready, Brit.”
Tayla couldn't be happier to have her feet on the ground again, until the smell of rot from Sloane hit her in the face. Holy shit. A lot happened over here and she'd taken her headphones off awhile ago, so she didn't know what went on. She didn't care to find out. Tsukino didn't get the warmest welcome. She knew she wouldn't, but she hoped that would change after her plan to get her help in exposing Greyson for the snake he is.
She'd just caught Sully about to call her name, when Tsukino pulled his attention towards other members that were injured. Whatever he wanted to say, they could talk about later. For now, she needed Tsukino's number. She didn't ask for it, until Drake and Auri left. Last thing she needed was Drake jumping down her throat.
The Coven members broke up and left in groups or one by one. She stood close to Tsukino and pulled out her phone. She handed it to her with the contacts open to NEW CONTACT to get her information. "I got something I want to talk to you about. Give me your number. I'll text you later."
She pocketed her phone once she got it back. "Thanks for the save. I'll see you tomorrow, maybe."
She kept their conversation quick, before moving on to Sully. She figured he had something to say, since he's approach her twice already. Most likely something about Dean, but at least there weren't many Coven members around to hear them talk about him. She followed Sully back into the forest. He was looking through the grass for something.
"What are you doing?" she asked him, arms crossed and shivering. The adrenaline of the day wore off and now she's cold from being soaked through. She's skin and bones under her baggy outfit. She's prone to the cold going right through her.
”But, I'm looking at the fact that you were spying on us, and nothing else. So, get lost.”
Luna closed her eyes shut, hating the image in front of her. Her perfect plan was falling away, bit by bit. Nothing ever got under her skin, but this- this did. Silently, she drew in a slow, long breath, reminding herself that Drake was headstrong, always was and always will be. It would take more than a day’s effort to win him over, but she was nothing if not persistent. She wouldn’t give up.
"I understand how you feel, Drake, but we should leave. There is no way all of that went unnoticed!"
Her eyes cracked open to see Auri talking down Drake, and the electric gun dematerializing. A flicker of hope burned in her chest as she stared at Auri, slowly dropping her hands. Auri didn’t specifically say Luna was or wasn’t welcome. She kept it vague and didn’t address it. That meant… maybe there was hope for Luna after all.
She watched Auri and Drake walk off, and blinked as Tayla approached, holding up a phone.
"I got something I want to talk to you about. Give me your number. I'll text you later."
Luna, with about as much hesitation as a thirsty horse does eyeing up a river, plugged in her details. Hers was a burner phone, yes, but one she planned on keeping for some time. It would work.
"Thanks for the save. I'll see you tomorrow, maybe."
Luna nodded, her face hiding the inner glee of making a connection within the Coven. Hope was not lost, after all. “Don’t mention it. Tomorrow, then.”
Her eyes fell on Sully in the process of healing Aislin and Layla. She blew out a quiet sigh of relief, then, with a stony look on her face, her white wings appeared once more as she took to the skies, disappearing into the horizon.
November 2nd, Evening, Before the Kari House Incident
Hearts Club Casino Warehouse, Industrial District In collaboration with @NoriWasHere
Isabella's cool gaze glanced at the crumpled man on the floor, before inspecting her watch. They were set to move in five minutes. That meant getting the sacrifice ready for transport.
Isabella glanced at the suited men surrounding her, and waved her hand to the warehouse door. The men nodded, one reaching down to grab Bruno by the collar of his bloodied shirt.
“Wait.”
The garage door slid open, the piercing headlights of an SUV illuminating the men and Isabella. One suited figure stepped out of the passenger seat, door slamming shut behind her as she approached the group.
“Let me inspect him first.”
It was none other than Valencia Vorpal, the consigliere. Isabella's face gave nothing away as she stared for a moment, then stepped to the side, letting Valencia get up and close to the target. Valencia ran a finger down the man’s cheek, before grabbing his chin roughly, forcing him to look up at her.
“Mr. Arno, do you know what's happening to you?”
Bruno trembled under her gaze. “N-no ma'am…”
Valencia huffed a strand of hair out of her face. “‘Ma’am.’ What bullshit.” She wrinkled her nose, like she was touching the scum of the earth, and let the man's face go.
“You're about to pay for your crimes against the innocent women you killed, Mr. Arno.” Her silhouette against the headlights darkened the cold smile on her face. “By the time we're done with you, you won't even be recognizable!”
The man whimpered. “Please, no, d-don't hurt me…”
Valencia cockily grinned. “That's what your wives said before you mercilessly killed them, isn't it?”
“That's not-”
“Isn't it?!” She slugged Bruno across the face.
The man was reduced to muffled whimpering. Staring with a look of disgust on her face, she nodded to Isabella and whistled. “Get him outta here, gentlemen.”
Bruno was roughly hauled to his feet, ziptied as he was, and thrown in the back of the SUV. The rest of the men, Isabella, and Valencia, piled into two other SUVs, and the convoy moved out, disappearing into the night.
The Cards convoy rolled to a stop in front of the designated place, men filing out and dragging the whimpering Bruno into the open. Isabella led the group, Valencia at her side, as they entered the building.
Inside the building, a long way away from the physical home of the 317 Faith, Octavia, and Sypha stood ready to do what was needed to ensure the survival of their collective. Around the room were Summer, Jordan, Jason, and Alex. They each knew that this dirty work was needed once again to ensure that they had the supplies to continue building more automatons, and the money to continue their expansion through the old industrial district. The three had selected an old, formerly abandoned building on the edge of town for the site of their ritual, and the supplies were ready and the location was secure. What the mafia did not know was that there were monsters that lurked in the dark corners of the house, and if they tried anything they would learn just how monstrous Faith’s spellbook could get.
“Welcome,” Sypha said, “let’s get this over with,” she whispered briefly to her two coven mates.
“Hope we didn't make you wait.” Valencia smirked, thumb brushing against her lip as she appraised the group gathered in front of her. From her information pull on the 317, she recognized the leadership in front of her. All three were present. Four more helpers on the other side, though she didn't pull up anything on their names or abstractions.
They were here for business, and appeared ready. Maybe even sincere. But Valencia wasn't taking any chances, and signaled to her men. They filed out, filling the entrance of the room, many carrying briefcases, others with their hands clasped cooly in front of them. Their eyes were watchful, appraising the movements of the 317 and the dark corners of the house with vigilance.
Last to file in were two suited men dragging Bruno Arno by the arms, unceremoniously dumping him in the center of the room. Bruno weakly crumpled to his side, movement inhibited by the zipties.
Isabella’s eyes glanced to Bruno, before crossing the room slowly, her gloved hand extended out for a handshake. “Sypha, it is a pleasure to see you again.”
Her face was set in a neutral visage, ready for business just like any other day.
“We've brought the remaining amount we owe you, as well as the proofs you requested.”
She waved over one of the men, and presented a briefcase filled with all of Bruno’s dirty little secrets. Intercepted texts, emails, diaries detailing how and why he was murdering his wives, and how to hide it so he could live his extravagant life.
“How would you like to proceed?” Isabella asked.
Faith rubbed her temple. “Take his shirt off, and strap him to the table,” Faith said as she lazily pointed towards a table. This would not take long but Faith had already regretted taking this deal.
“Once he’s on the table you all will wait in the side room until the ritual is finished,” Sypha responded as she pointed towards a room off to the side.
“This service is off limits to all but my crew. There will be no video recording, and no outside presence allowed,” Octavia crossed her arm, “we’ll know if you try.”
Isabella glanced at Valencia. They exchanged a look, before Valencia's eyes narrowed the slightest. She glanced at her men, and jerked her chin toward the table. Bruno gave a surprised whimper as he was dragged towards the table.
“Don’t move.” One of the men said in a disinterested tone, pulling out a knife. One could see the uneven breaths shaking Bruno’s chest as he tried to stay as still as possible. The sound of a knife sliced through cloth, and Bruno’s dress shirt was removed in shreds. More men placed their hands on Bruno, hauling him onto the table, slicing his cuffs to pin his hands to the table. By the time they were done, Bruno was a sad, sniffling mess strapped to the table.
Isabella glanced at Valencia again, and the silver-haired woman whistled, gesturing for the men and Isabella to follow her.
“We’ll be waiting for the good news, friends.” Valencia bit out as she stepped into the side room with Isabella and her men. The door slid shut.
Faith watched with anticipation as the mafia left the room..
“Okay,” Jordan said with a sigh, “let’s get it over with yeah?”
“Agreed, Faith?” Octavia said as she began to bite her nails.
“Someone stuff his mouth with a sock,” Faith sighed as she moved to her bag and began to pull out her jars filled with the salve that would change the man on the table forever. “Summer, verify their information.”
“On it,” Summer said with a sigh, “Bruno I’m about to either save you, or be the one to sign your death certificate.” Summer paused as she plugged her laptop into one of her homunculi. “I really hope their intel was wrong, Bruno, I really do.”
Jordan began to move towards the sniveling man with a ball gag. He could not look the man in the eyes.
“I’m innocent, you gotta believe me!” Bruno whimpered on the table, watching with strained eyes as he went white, seeing the ball gag. “Please!”
Unfortunately, as Summer looked, the information kept checking out. There were five wives: Lorenza Ordo, 21, cause of death: poison made to look like a heart attack; Talia Bueno, 25, cause of death: locked in a car while a train T-boned it, made to look like an accident; Evelin Dwight, 29, cause of death: pushed off a building, made to appear like a suicide; Amelia Armstrong, 22, cause of death: Negligence to frail state, died of ongoing medical conditions, made to look like it was her own fault; Olivia Johnson, 24, cause of death: murder, made to look like Bruno hadn’t hired the assassin.
“One final chance Bruno,” Summer said as she sighed. She knew he was guilty, she knew the law failed all those women when they let the killer walk free. It did not make what was to come any easier. Summer reached into her bag and pulled out a butterfly homunculi. A golden glow extended from her hand to the butterfly and it spurted to life in an instant. It took off from her hand, and flew across the room to Bruno and landed on his chest.
“Did you kill Lorenza Ordo?” Jordan asked as he took another step forward.
“N-no! I didn't, I swear!” Bruno said, trying to keep the lie out of his throat.
The butterfly erupted with flashing red lights. “Did you kill Talia Bueno, Evelin Dwight, Amelia Armstrong?” Jordan took three steps forward.
“I-I don't wanna answer!” Bruno squeaked out, sweating on the table, his eyes on the flashing butterfly.
“That’s okay Bruno. You don’t have to answer any more questions. We’ll make this quick at least,” Sypha responded as she pulled out her knife and cut across her palm. A moment later several tendrils of blood shot out and impacted Bruno all across his body. Sypha infected Bruno with her fast acting blood based disease. In an instant he would feel chills, and have a cold sweat break out across his body. A second later, he would feel dizzy and disoriented.
“F-fuuuck….” Bruno moaned on the table, his eyes rolling in their sockets.
Jordan walked over and put the ball gag in Bruno’s mouth. He strapped it on the back of his head holding it tight. Bruno only gave a muffled whimper in reply, too dazed to resist. He gave Faith a thumbs up as he did. The butterfly flapped its wings and took to the air and flew back to Summer. Summer pulled back the golden energy from the butterfly. She grabbed a ball from the bag and transferred her energy and it took to the sky.
“Light Out ready,” Summer said as she had the ball fly directly into the center of the room and a low hum filled the air. Any electronics, cameras, and even peeping eyes would suddenly go fuzzy, and any listening ears would only hear a jumbled mess.
“Who are you calling out,” Sypha asked as she grabbed a few containers of the salve.
“Tralvo, the horror of the deep,” Faith responded with a fit tone as she opened the first jar of the salve and began to paint it on his skin. She worked fast but the line work was precise. “He killed his wives in life, and she’ll probably kill more in this next life. But poor Bruno won’t go on to the next place, so I don’t think he’ll care.” Faith knew that there was a powerful ingredient in the creation of a monster and that was the soul of the person who was used in the creation of it. Bruno would be no more, and Tralvo would be born to wreck havoc on the world.
“Failsafe,” Octavia asked as she chewed at her nails.
“Always,” Faith asked as she grabbed the artifact from its carrying case, “a monster will always listen to their mother.”
Faith gave the signal and the rest of the 317 seven began to chant. “Tralvo, horror of the deep rise through our offering. Rise, rise, Tralvo horror of the deep. Tralvo, horror of the deep we compel you to rise to the land of light, rise rise horror of the deep” The group kept chanting. As they did, lights began to flicker and an unnatural wind began to spin through the room.
As the coven chanted Faith raised up the sword slowly and with purpose. She walked over to the head of Bruno and brought the sword to its zenith. She held it there for a moment before it began to vibrate, signaling that it was time. Faith spun the blade in one quick motion, pointing the tip towards Bruno’s heart and plunged it downward.
Bruno tried to scream, but the gag muffled his cries. Instead, his muffled cries subsided to gurgling, as his eyes slowly grew glassy. A blessing in disguise, for what was to come next…
As the blade pierced his heart the sigils drawn across Bruno’s body seemed to constrict at once and begin to pull inward second by second forcing Bruno’s skin to give way inch by inch. Faith twisted the blade and pushed it in deeper which caused the sigil to move all across Bruno’s body. Seemingly moving faster and faster, causing the skin around the sigil to begin to crack and flake away into the wind. As it spun more and more of Bruno was lost to the wind, and as more of Bruno was lost the faster the wind became. Soon, as Bruno’s skin was completely gone a form began to form in the center of the wind. At first it was nothing more than the decayed remains of his skin just forming together but soon, as the entirely was connected a sick sight began to take form. Tentacles, and lots of them. They began to take form using the sacrificed remains of the serial killer himself. Soon, Bruno’s internal organs, bones, and every last fabric of the being that was became pulled away and the true form of the monster took shape.
Several tentacles shout out and grabbed Jordan, pushing him through the wall, sending him into the room with the mafia members. Jordan tried to fight through the strength of the monster but no matter how much he pumped his magic into his muscles he could not push away the the raw strength of the monster.
“Faith,”Jordan eked out as his veins began to bulge and a terrifying rage began to fall across his face. His stature began to change, and he began to move some of the tentacles away from his body. His strength surged as the calm, collected man that was Jordan was forced aside in this sudden, and unexpected moment of fight or flight. The tentacles simply gripped down harder on Jordan in response. An instant later more tentacles shot out from the room targeting all the male members of the mafia.
“Oh shit.” Valencia exclaimed, pulling Isabella to the side as a tentacle shot past them, constricting around one of her guards.
Isabella's eyes betrayed a hint of fascination, “This is the monster? Our monster?”
Valencia grit her teeth, staring at her men gasping for air under the tentacles. “Oggle later, we gotta do something about this!”
Valencia summoned one, two, ten, twenty needles from the blackness, The slivers of metal shining as they hovered about her.
Isabella yanked on Valencia's shoulder. “Don't hurt it, are you mad?”
Valencia shrugged her off, eyes locked on Jordan. “Why do you think I'm going in so small? Minimal damage, maximum pain, yeah?”
With a wave of Valencia's hand, the needles shot forward. Some stabbed deep into the meat of the tentacles constricted around Jordan. Others stabbed the tentacles holding her men. Just enough to make the monster twitch, to release her men so the ones attacked could try to escape…
A groan could be heard but the monster still pushed to constrict all of the men present before, as suddenly as they appeared, the tentacles released their victims and was pulled back into the other room. A moment later Sypha, Faith, Octavia, and Alex emerged unscathed but shaken by what they had just seen. Behind them, walking on the writhing mass of tentacles that made up the creatures arms and legs, the monster followed. It chittered, clicking its teeth as its face scared the men in the room. It began to drool with hunger.
“Tralvo seems to have an intense hatred of men. Do well to remember that,” Faith said as she held out the artifact. The artifact was a well crafted, balanced, and sharp gladius styled sword. “She will obey the commands of anyone who wields this but,” Faith said with a dry tone, “no men.”
Valencia lowered her stance, needles disappearing as the situation de-escalated. She stepped forward, accepting the artifact with a nod, “Duly noted.”
Jordan looked to the monster with a magical rage in his eyes. He wanted to rush it, he wanted to to kill it, he wanted to eat each tentacle while the light left the monsters eyes. But he was able to pull back. His muscles returned to normal, his height did too, and moved towards Sypha as he grabbed his head. “You never know what they are going to do at first.”
“I did not know it would hate men,” Sypha responded.
“The soul can affect how a monster is born. The kind of evil that permeates it. For Bruno, his evil was directed towards women, and the new monster’s rage is directed towards men in response,” Faith paused as she titled her head and listened to the chittering response from the monster, “no, no that’s not it. She just hates men.”
“Interesting.” Valencia said in response, her gaze on Faith. “You can communicate with her?”
She moved her gaze upward, and addressed the monster. “Pleasure to meet you, Tralvo. I will ensure I have everything I need from Faith to take care of you.”
Valencia weighed the sword in her hands, admiring it for a moment before her gaze flickered to Faith. “Does she need any special care, besides ensuring she never takes commands from men? What does she eat?”
Valencia’s eyes flickered to Isabella, “We’ve paid up, right?”
Isabella nodded. “I believe we have, the briefcases have been handed over. They can count it while we wait.”
“Don’t feed her after midnight,” Faith chuckled, “she’s a monster, she does well on any source of red meat. She won’t eat much more than a normal person but she does like her meat a bit more,” Faith shrugged at the next word, “decayed.”
Summer pulled another device out of her bag. It appeared to be a metallic monocle with a yellow glass frame. Summer transferred her power to the monocle and examined the briefcase. “We’re good,” she said as she pulled back her power.
“We’re good,” Faith said as she looked back at the destruction and sighed. She’d have to fix this mess herself.
Valencia nodded, then offered a half-grin. “Well, it’s been a pleasure, ladies.”
She gestured with the sword, looking up at Tralvo. “Time to go home, honey.”
And with that, the House of Cards and Tralvo made their way out of 317’s building and into the night.
”Thank you, Jack, but we’ll take my car,“ Anya smiled at him as he offered his teleportation services. She didn’t want to leave her car behind, and she’d rather take the less disconcerting mode of transport. There was no way Sloane could handle the teleportation anyway, with the state she was in. That would just be cruel after she nearly dead.
Anya carefully supported Sloane, with one arm around her back without gripping onto her too tightly. If Sloane, for some reason, decided she could walk entirely on her own, Anya didn’t want it to become a thing.
”Yes, leaving is for the best,” Anya’s slight smile didn’t waver, gaze flickering between the remaining coven members and slowing on Luna before she disappeared. Ah, Luna, such an idiot. What use was a spy who always got caught? As much as Greyson had seemed concerned about the House of Cards, how strong could they be with someone like her among their ranks? ”My car isn’t too far away.”
Still supporting Sloane as much as she’d allow it, Anya led her and Drake back down the path. She knew that Sloane wasn’t too happy with Drake’s involvement but… she was being good willed enough to give them an opportunity to talk. More to the point, for Drake to apologise. Anya didn’t care for him, but he could be useful - and if Sloane wasn’t talking to him, she wouldn’t be either.
”Here we are.” Just a bit down the road was Anya’s small, but sleek, car. She opened the passenger door for Sloane with a smile, and turned to Drake.
”Before we go anywhere- well, I imagine you just want to go home, Sloane- I believe you have something to talk about,” Anya said with a pointed look at Drake, smile unwavering. ”Now’s a good time.”
It was left unspoken that if he didn’t apologise he wouldn’t be going anywhere with them.
"Lynn!? It's Ken! I'm real, it's... It's all an illusion, come on! We've gotta get the others and get out of here before something worse happens!"
Ken’s words forced Lynn further into the depressive pit. She knew she was out of the illusion, she knew she was back in her reality. She knew that everything she just saw, felt, and was teased was nothing more than a cruel joke that was an 8th Street get-out-of-jail-free card. And it worked. Lynn did not know what words could be used to describe how she felt in this moment, and she knew that was the point. How can a group fight back if they are trapped in their most wonderful desire? How could they have any hope of finding Kari? Would every fight from here on out play out like this? The group starts to get the upper hand, 8th street deploys their pink mist, and runs away like fucking cowards. The Future was already clear in the present, there would be many more fights to come their way.
“I know Ken,” Lynn said as agree buried her head in her arms, “I can’t help the others right now, I can’t…I can’t do anything,” Lynn choked out.
Lynn needed to get out of here. Everything was beyond fucked with no hope of it getting better. She needed a drink. She needed to get so drunk that feelings became dull, so drunk that the painful memories faded away into blissful peace, so drunk that she gets that sweet free trial of death where one moment she’s somewhere and the next she’s waking up somewhere else. She needed to get far away from the headspace she was in currently, and she needed to get there right now. Her hand, trembling, shot to her pocket and grabbed her flask. She quickly pulled it out, feverishly twisted the cap open, and pressed it to her lips ready for the sweet relief that it promised. She felt the tears fall harder as nothing came out. It was empty. Her eyes went wide as she held it in front of her and shook it to confirm. No, no, no no this couldn’t be. She was always so careful to not leave it open after a drink, how could it be empty? She pressed it to her lips again in some vain hope to manifest a single drop more but the flask did not yield to her wishes. She must’ve left the cap open just enough that the flask was leaking, or the explosive force that rocked the house jostled it loose, or the various falls must’ve pushed it open. There were a million reasons why Lynn did not have alcohol in this moment, and none of them made a difference.
“FUCK,” Lynn shouted, her voice suddenly angry, as she stood up and cocked her arm back. She turned her body and launched the flask into the inferno that still ragged. She looked at Ken, back to the fire, and back to Ken. “We find Kari, and we make those fuckers pay,” Lynn said as she looked over and caught Lila being carried, “They think their fucking safe, the future will prove them wrong,” Lynn paused as she began to grip her fingers together, balling them into a fist before releasing them and repeating that process. Her breathing was sharp, quick, but that did not stop the steady stream of tears from falling. “We have to find Kari and-” Lynn paused as her words finally broke through the anger that filled her mind, “we have to find Kari.” Lynn looked towards Ken again as she chuckled. It was a nervous chuckle, but it still caught Lynn by surprise. “I’ll need your help Ken.”
Aryin was on top of the world. There was nothing that she couldn’t do. There was no one she couldn’t fight. No scarcity, no troubles, and nothing but one good time after another. And it was all a lie. When Aryin came back from the twisted vision she nearly fell to the ground in shock. Gone were the bright lights, the adoring fans, and the ability to enjoy the life she was destined to live and back was the mud, the grime, the pain, and the suffering that her life was rife with. Her eyes saw much happen quickly with the group, she saw Linqian reacting as expected, she saw the crowd gather around Sloane, and she saw that everyone was hurting like she was.
She gagged, and then vomited up some blood. The blood left its mark around her face, and mixed with the muddy water beneath her. She was hurt, extremely bad. She felt her whole body start to radiate as such. Her joint cast with Linqian had weakened her durability, and while she was still able to tank George’s hit and keep fighting it seemed that it did not prevent massive damage to her body. She looked down her chest and noticed a massive red and black spot that ran the entire length of where he had connected the strike. She coughed again and more blood came out. She needed a healer, but she couldn’t look weak right now in front of the coven. Her vision was her at the strongest, and she wanted her former crew to not see her as wounded as she was. She needed the chalice, but she also needed them to always know she’ll be able to take a hit and keep fighting. Aryin was not weak, Aryin was tough and strong and always willing to put herself in the face of danger. She could not let them worry about the potential that she’d never be strong, and durable enough to keep going. As such, she quickly began to limp away from the scene and towards her car, her arms holding the jacket closed to make sure none got a look at her wounded form.
“Sypha,” the door to Sypha’s office was thrown open as Jason quickly entered. His head shot back around and locked onto Jordan as he carried Aryin into the room. Aryin was clearly not completely present, her eyes were nearly completely closed and her arm dangled and swayed as Jordan maneuvered the room and placed her down. The bottom half of her face was caked in blood as was the jacket that now failed to hide the wounded, naked body underneath it.
“What the fuck happened,” Sypha shouted as they grabbed their knife and quickly cut their palm. Several tendrils shout out in an instant but hung in the air harmlessly.
“Don’t know,” Jason responded, “we were outside as she drove over the curb to get here.”
“I’ve never seen her this hurt before,” Jordan said as he rubbed his temple.
“I can’t heal her in this form,” Sypha said as they retracted the tendrils, “we need to get her to swap.”
“We’ve tried,” Jason responded back as he ran over to Aryin’s side and leaned next to her ear, “ARYIN, come on I know you can hear me. You need to swap, man, you’re in a bad spot right now. You need to get healed.”
Aryin simply groaned in response as their eyes flickered a few times at the light.
Sypha walked over and looked at Aryin and sighed. They then slapped Aryin right across the face with every ounce of strength they had but their hand simply hit the brick wall that was her jaw.
“Let me try,” Jordan responded as he channeled a lot of his magic to his strength. He raised his open palm, high into the air as he crossed the distance to Aryin, and with a sudden move he brought the slap down connecting with the jaw. The room, hell the whole building, shook as the couch exploded as the force of the impact moved through Aryin’s body and into the ground below. The paintings hung in the room shook violently, as any hidden dust that escaped the relentless perfectionism that was Sypha’s cleaning entered the air.
”Why did you hit me I’m trying…trying to sleep,” Aryin groaned as their eyes finally opened a hair more.
“ARYIN,” the trio shouted as one, “SWAP.”
Aryin’s eyes blinked three times before understanding kicked in. They swapped their form back down to Aaron. As a result, their covering now had Aaron shirtcocking it right in the middle of Sypha’s office. Jason quickly took off his shirt and tossed it on the offending sight before him. The blood tendrils once again shot out from Sypha, impacting all across the site and the healing process began. Jordan sighed as he rubbed his hand. His healing factor had already healed the damage the slap had done to his own hand, but he never quite got used to the pain hitting Aryin brought.
“Okay, I got this boys,” Sypha looked up, “they’re really hurt though and they’ll be here a while. Get a spare change of clothes for them, and grab Octavia.”
“Where am I,” Aaron weakly asked as he tried to lean up but a new blood tendril shot out and hit his head, and forced it back down. Life was already returning to his eyes, his face, and his body in general. He groaned as the pain radiated ten times as strong as his internal body began to let itself back together again.
“Your back at the 317. The better question,” Sypha said as she shooed Jordan and Jason away to their tasks, “What happened to you?”
“I,” Aaron paused as he sighed. Fuck. He was about to reveal he joined up with sycamore again. His breathing began to increase as the crushing realization of a sudden trip down poverty lane was ahead of him.
“Hey don’t worry, we know who you were with. Rules are going to be changing so you’re good,” Sypha smiled. They did not like the rule change but it was needed, and if they were going to join up they needed all the able bodied soldiers they could muster. “Just tell me what happened.”
“I joined up with sycamore,” Aaron groaned in pain as his broken ribs continued to move inside his body, “wanted to figure out what’s killing us, you know? And we were at a dead friends house when 8th street,” Aaron paused as Octavia entered the room with a set of clothes that should fit in hand. She had a concerned look on her face. “When 8th street attacked us unprovoked,” Aryin pointed towards their wounded chest, “courtesy of George once again,” he coughed up some more lingering blood.
“Twice in one week, you’re crazy,” Octavia responded as she tossed the clothes onto Aaron’s feet. “How did George get you this bad though, last time was not like this.”
“A good friend and I used to do a duo spell,” Aaron started.
“A joint cast,” Sypha responded.
“Yeah, it’s called a joint cast,” Jordan responded as he entered the room again.
“A joint cast,” Aaron rolled hood eyes, “gave me some more power but,” he paused as he sighed, “I may have forgot the downside to my durability.”
The blood tendrils retracted from his body as Sypha steadied herself. Octavia ran over and held Sypha upright. “You’re out of the scary zone but you need much, much more healing. I’m tapped. Let’s take a quick fifteen, let you get dressed, let me regenerate” Sypha paused as she pointed towards the door. Octavia began to help walk her towards it.
“What’s changing, what’s changed,” Aaron asked with a smirk.
Jordan looked to Octavia with a grin, and Octavia returned it before the duo looked to Aaron. “Rest up big man,” Jordan joked as he left the room. “We have much to talk about tonight,” Octavia smiled as she did the same with Sypha in tow.
Clancy had kept his silence as Britney had subtley rejected his offer on Linqian's behalf. He doubted she wanted him keeping tabs on her, given his expressed opinion. If she hadn't before, she likely knew his nature. They all did, most likely. He'd nearly torn out a man's entrails in response to being shot, and had doubtless left a few un-animated corpses after being punted into the water-logged crater, a sight not unlike something his grandad would've seen in the war, out past the snaking line of trenches, barbed wire and unexploded shells.
Or so he assumed. He'd never been there himself, and his family seldom spoke of such things while they were around to tell the tale.
Instead, he watched a bunch of them disappear down the road, filing into Britney's SUV and taking off. Elsewhere, they'd seen off a white-haired, almost fae-like girl by the name of Luna, a former spy. Spying for who he didn't know, nor did he care. She wasn't anyone of consequence to him. Yet.
The night was a bust, and the rest of the group were disappearing into their little silos. That left him with a newfound anger for 8th Street, given their antics...
... and the hunger was gnawing at him again, that biting agitation tugging at the seams of his consciousness.
He wouldn't find anything of substance here, not anything or anyone that he was willing to expend. Pacing away from the smouldering remains of the cabin, he caught Sully still marauding through a thicket of overgrwoth, and returned the favour offered earlier.
"Thanks."
By the time Sully had turned to hear where the voice had come from, the boy was gone. But the jacket had been folded and left just a few feet away.
On account of losing most of his worldly possessions, he had almost been out of luck save for a spare phone he'd left near his old stomping ground. It was no means top of its line, and while he didn't care to keep up with the latest innovations, he guessed it would've been worth less than the cost of a family meal even without the cracked screen and scratches across its lime green frame. But it worked for what he needed.
As it stood right now, he was out a place to stay. The RV had been trashed in a way that would've got him noticed, and he didn't want to surprise anyone doing a night patrol of the lot. There were a few underpriveleged projects, but they had people living there as-is, and not all of them needed to be bothered.
Instead, he'd lined something up with a local. Some lonely fourty-something holed up in an apartment not too far from the area that he'd come to view as his preferred stomping groun, with an interest in the welfare of young boys like himself. That much, he was certain about the man.
Clancy had taken steps to ensure there was no ambiguity about that.
With this, at least, he'd have a place to stay, a change of clothes, and a warm meal. The latter, he needed more than anything else.
A few characters cropped up across the phone's display, slightly distorted by the crack snaking across the center.
looking forward to seeing u bud ;)
Moments later, Clancy keyed the words back in a well-rehearsed motion, then hit send.
see u soon
By the time the night was done, he wouldn't be hungry anymore.
Back in Paris, Bé found himself replaying that night at Madame Angelique's over and over in his head. It rattled and tugged at his attention viciously despite his best efforts to put the memory out of its misery. Had it really gotten so bad? How had he let it get to that point? He was leaning against the railing of his Juliet balcony, gazing down at the inner-city streets below, alit by torch fire and camera phones. Another protest, he assumed, the ruckus of the ceaseless noise bombarding his psyche. He'd thought he'd come out for a bit of fresh air, but perhaps tonight, he was more in tune for the quiet solitude of his third story abode. He took a puff of his vape pen and blew a ring, watching it drift off into the moonlight.
[In English, because of Tito]
When he returned inside, placing the device of soothing mint into his silk-sewn pocket, his manager Tito, cousin Gisèle, and his oaf of a bodyguard, Marceau, were waiting for him in his living room. Tito had a glass of wine in hand and was leaning against the nearest wall. Gisèle was sitting on his sofa with one leg crossed over the other, while Marceau was in his kitchen rummaging through his fridge. Bé sighed, acknowledging none of them. Instead, he walked over to his wine rack, picked out a glass flute, and poured himself a bit of bubbly. He took a sip, turning to face them with a deadpan expression, "What are you doing here?" he asked cooly, taking another sip. His eyes met each of them before settling on his cousin.
Gisèle looked at Bé with a nervous gaze before standing up to meet him where he was. She placed a hand on his arm to try and comfort him, but with little hesitation, he softly pulled away from her and crossed the room to sit in an accent chair. Gisèle seemed hurt by the recoil, but did not follow him and instead, continued where she stood, "Your mother wants you to leave Paris, for your own safety."
"I will do no such thing." Bé said, hushed venom leaking from his lips, his tone so dry and cold it could freeze the entire room into silence. They knew he would respond this way. It was inevitable. Bé had too much at stake right now; with his career just starting to gain traction, how could he possibly bunker away to God knows where over a few inconvenient incidents? And that warning Auri gave him before obviously had not come to fruition, so as he saw it, he was better off taking his chances within the familiar than the foreign. But mother was...mother. Bé understood as much but was unwilling to comply all the same.
His cousin continued, "Bé, please. You know your mother. She affords you great freedoms in this life, but be realistic for your own sake. You know as well as I that severe reprecussions await should you defy her."
Bé rolled his eyes, "I can, and I will."
"Then you will throw away your livelihood? The comfort and luxuries she has blessed upon you? Can you make those sacrifices? I'm warning you Bé. She will strip them from your flesh if you protest."
Bé crossed his arms, stepping closer to Gisèle to emphasize what he was going to say next. With furrowed brows, he glared at her coldly and continued, "Don't tell me about my own mother. And I'm warning you, cousin. Do not patronize me. And as far as I'm concerned, I will have to make those sacrifices regardless, no matter where I might lie. My life is here, in Paris."
Gisèle shook her head, looking up at him fiercely betwixt the corporeal tension that polluted the air, "Oh, for heaven's sake! Just listen! It's only temporary, at least until she is sure you're safe. Tito will manage your flat while you're away." She looked toward Tito for reassurance, and when their eyes met, he gave her a cursory nod. Bé was not convinced by this feeble gesture of assent.
"We speak in circles, and yet my answer remains the same. No."
Bé and Gisèle quarreled a bit longer. It seemed like a never-ending carousel of reality and rejection. The cousins never got into it like this in all of their years of knowing each other, not once, which was rare for Bé because even as an adolescent, he was known for having a rather aloof and austere demeanor. He was not the friendliest child, and his peers often found his cold personality agitating and lofty. Gisèle had been one of the select few to break through the ice. And it made sense. Bé was an only child who was spoiled and lived an opulent life. But he was lonely and bored, and his cousin served as a companion, as he did for her. So they understood each other better than anyone else. But in this instance, Bé was quite frustrated by how acquiescent Gisèle expected him to be toward his mother's demands. The longer the discussion went on, the more disquieted he became.
Meanwhile, Tito was patiently watching them bicker, his shades down at the crook of his nose so he could overlook the conversation with clarity and intercede should things get out of hand. He had hoped he wouldn't need to intervene, perhaps so Bé wouldn't feel as though everyone was operating against his wishes. But once it seemed that the sibling-like cousins had reached an impasse and Gisèle had uncharacteristically screamed at him to stop behaving like a petulant child, Tito finally decided he should step in with some degree of authority as the oldest figure in the room.
"Enough!" he croaked, coughing haggardly as Gisèle and Bé fell mute and looked at him. He continued once he was sure he had their attention, but focused mostly on Bé, "Here's the deal. If you don't agree to this, you won't have a career to come back to."
Bé took a deep, weary breath, grazing his fingers through his thick, curly black locks. His ocean eyes seemed to illuminate with a tinge of fire beneath the surface. He'd be fuming brimstone and smog if he had not been working overtime to maintain his composure. So instead of yelling as he truly desired, he instead, in a tempered tone, asked Tito, "Has my mother really gone so far as to mangle all my prospects if I do not comply? Has she truly?"
"Afraid so, kid. She's good. Real good."
"Then my mother is a real tart isn't she..." Bé murmured, finishing up the flute of bubbly. Gisèle, on the other hand, was foaming at the mouth with anger, "Don't talk about your mother like that, Bé! She has gone to great lengths to protect you and give you a good life..." She paused for a moment, a queer expression upon her face that Bé couldn't quite place, "A new life..." she said softly.
"A new life? What is that supposed to mean?" Bé asked, eyebrow raised.
Gisèle shook her head, "Nothing. Just know that she has done unimaginable things for you, things you can't begin to understand. And she only wants what she believes is best for you. Show her some grace."
A heavy silence filled the room after that. Bé was lost in stilled contemplation, his gaze frozen on a framed photo of him and his mother from when he was a young boy. Tito looked at them both, back and forth, taking it all in. He hated getting in the middle of family drama. He was just the manager, after all—an employee. He deemed it best to keep his contributions to the discussion minimal at best. Gisèle was left to do the heavy lifting.
Finally, Bé asked, "Where am I to be shipped off to then? Boston? Montreal?"
Tito grunted, "Errr, no. Somewhere near Portland, Oregon. She's got an acquaintance you can stay with for a while until the dust has settled, if you will."
Bé's eyebrow twitched. Oregon? Was it a coincidence? What were the odds that the very place he despised the most was located in the same state? Over the years, he had tried so hard to disassociate himself from that place, from that past. The only person he kept semi-communications with was Sloane, and even then, it was not enough to draw him back. And yet...
A heavy blanket of silence filled the room. Bé seemed lost in his mind once again as Gisèle and Tito shared glances with one another, unsure of what to say next. Bé was dreadfully introspective. The way he could get lost in his thoughts mid-conversation without pause was uncanny.
Just then, there was a loud clank from the kitchen, and everyone, except Bé, turned to look. Marceau had royally decimated Bé's kitchen but somehow managed to cook an Italian supper popular in Marseille. When he finished setting out four dishes and plating them with the aromatic cuisine, he plopped a tomato cherry into his mouth, threw a dirty cloth over his shoulder, and, through eager chews, said to the group with a grin, "Who's hungry?"
No one said anything. The sour mood seemed to have doused everyone's appetites, Bé most of all. Never had he felt so much of his agency stripped away. He was no child, and being treated as such was unimaginably distressing to his ego. Truly humiliating. When he couldn't bear to look at their faces any longer, Bé stormed out of the room and entered his sleeping quarters, slamming the door behind him. He took off his top and tossed it onto the nearby velvet chaise lounge, revealing his glistening, chiseled body. If nothing else, Bé was a masterpiece unto itself, a beautiful Grecian effigy made flesh. Even his face, twisting with disgust and anger, brought the moon to cower in shame.
Running his fingers through his thick, curly hair, Bé fell back on his bedside and let out a deep, weary sigh. He laid there, motionless, only mired thoughts and memories filling the void. He fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist, an inconspicuous accessory that had once been a person. Quite the macabre bit of jewelry. This pretty little secret hung upon him daily, perhaps a counterintuitive thing to wear, though, for someone who wished to forget their past. But in some ways, maybe he didn't want to forget. There was someone back in Oregon that he sometimes thought about in passing. It wasn't Sloane, or hell, even Anya, for that matter. At least, no in THAT way. Someone else stole those quiet moments from him. Rent free.
Finally, when he heard the last vestiges of Tito and Gisèle leaving his flat, Bé fell into a deep, troubled sleep—a slumber full of beautiful wonders and nightmares. But before dreams took hold, Bé wondered. Who was this acquaintance in Oregon? Why hadn't he heard of this person? What were the odds that he'd run into the old coven members? He wouldn't, right? The idea was like barbs beneath his skin.
But alas, these were thoughts for the sunrise. For now, he'd relinquish himself willingly so that the moon and night might take him peacefully.
Tito, Bé Manager
Gisèle, Bé's Cousin
Marceau, Bé's Bodyguard
Summary
1: After the incident with the stalker back in Monaco at Madame Angelique's home, Bé has returned to his flat in Paris. He is confronted by Gisèle and Tito (Marceau is cooking). They inform him that his mother is ordering him to leave Paris and stay with an acquaintance of hers for his own safety. If he refuses, she will basically fuck over his entire livelihood and career. Obviously, Bé does not want to do this. Bé and Gisèle argue over this. Bé discovers from Tito that he will be staying in Oregon, which makes him feel disquieted. With nothing else to say, he storms out of the room and goes to sleep, but not before lulling over his past and some of his old connections from the Coven.
A cigarette was pressed in her lips as she walked up to the establishment. An old nightclub in the seedier parts of the city, once upon a time having a proper name lit in neon signs that had since been vandalized, leaving the building unmarked. Word on the street had it go by a different name - the Devil's Den. Where partygoers came to let loose and under-table deals happened in the VIP lounges. You could get anything you wanted here, if you knew where to look.
Valencia gave the front doors a long look before she grunted under her breath, stamped out her cigarette, and walked in.
The music thumping off the subwoofers hit her first. The bouncer eyed her as she walked up to the curtain, and he pulled it aside, revealing a lounge and a dance floor lit up with dim neon lights and strobes.
Valencia didn't care for the floor or the bodies moving to the beat. She made straight for the bar, ordered a shot of vodka, and sat in one of the stools.
Her eyes glanced around the bar and lounge. Her contact would know she was here, had probably already spotted her, and meant she could get down to business quicker.
She took her shot stone-faced, and waited.
“... Ms. Vorpal,”
The information broker, Isaac Allen Kane, walked up to her, tapped on the bar, and took a seat next to Valencia. “... What can I do for you today? I didn’t imagine you showing up in a place like this.”
He dug into the pockets of his brown suit jacket and pulled out a cigar. "Do you want one?”
Valencia held up a hand, pulling out a pack of cigarettes instead. “I’m good, Boss. But there is something you can help me with…”
She pulled out a fresh stick with her teeth, shoving the pack back in her pocket and popping a light. Blowing out a thin trail of smoke, she paused a moment before fishing into her suit jacket. She pulled out a small envelope and, with the cigarette smoking between her lips, she opened it and pulled out a small picture of a girl.
“Know anything ‘bout a Kari Wilson?”
Isaac took a puff of his cigar, put it back in his mouth, as he grabbed the picture. He looked at it for a few moments, rubbed his chain, before he said, “...Doesn't ring a bell. She’s cute, though.”
He gently set the photo down, before he grabbed his cigar, “Tell me who she is… And who she is to you. Maybe I can do some digging for the right price.”
“Some Sycamore who died, apparently. Got into the wrong sorta crowd, but no one seems to know who.” Valencia said, flicking her cigarette off to the side. “Mother is very interested in her. Or, more exactly, what she represents. That girl has a secret, and Mother wants her hands on it.”
She smirked. “Are we talking the regular fee, or a little something extra?”
“Just the fee,” Issac took a puff of his cigar. “I take tips, though.” He smirked.
Valencia nodded at that, biting her cigarette a bit as she sifted through her inner jacket pocket again, pulling out a thickly padded envelope. See placed it on the counter, sliding it towards him, before adding one more to the pile.
“The tip,” she explained, the end of her stick glowing cherry as she inhaled.
Isaac grabbed it, opened it up, and laughed.
“… Mother Cards must really want her,” He contained his laughter. “Give me… two days. And I’ll see what I can dig up.”
Valencia nodded. “Good, good. But, since you’re here, I have one more I need looking into…”
She pulled out another small photo and laid it out on the counter. She propped up on an elbow, side-eyeing the broker. If he dropped any hints of surprise, or recognition, she’d catch it.
“Lionel Hunter, anything you can tell me about ‘em?”
Isaac laughed.
“Lionel, my boy… He was a client of mine,” Isaac began. “He was waging a one man war against all the crazy bastards that roamed into the city. He fought the Elite, 8th, even those crazy skinheads. Though, not surprised he got axed. Everyone was gunning for him ”
Isaac awkwardly laughed, before taking another puff of his cigar. “Anything specific you need knowing?”
Valencia gave a nod, “So he had skin in the game.” She was silent a bit before her gaze caught Isaac’s. “Know anything ‘bout the circumstances around his death?”
“I heard he was tracking a serial killer… Downtown you know,” Isaac scratched his chin. “He got stabbed to death outside of the Port-AWE club? Maybe he was just trying to get his freak on and tried sticking his dick in crazy…” Isaac laughed, taking a puff of his cigar.
Valencia let out a half-chuckle before her eyes narrowed, and she asked. “Any of his personal files survive?”
“Not sure,” Isaac shrugged. “8th ransacked his office and house.”
Valencia grinned at that. “My man, you have made my day.” She slipped a hand in her jacket pocket again, pulling out one more fat envelope and sliding it across.
“I think that’s all the questions I have for now. Unless you want to stay for a couple of drinks?”
Isaac smiled.
“Of course,”
Valeician’s smile twisted, and she turned to the bartender. “Couple ‘o drink this way, Boss. Make ‘em strong.”
Two women sat at the bar stools in the center of the Apothecary, dark and ruffled dresses a contrast against the rich mahogany and red plush accents of the speak-easy. Mr. Roosevelt stood behind the counter, idly polishing a glass. The patron seated on the left seemed agitated, though kept this behind a mask of placid calm - Isabella Blackthorne. The one on the right, recognized as Phantasia Vorpal by her wide brim hat, stared hard at the e martini set in front of her, hand rimming the crystal.
Her chin turned towards her Under Boss. “Then it’s back to business as usual, Isabella.”
She glanced behind her. Some of her men were idly smoking, playing cards in the booths near the steel front door. But even they could feel it. The ominous clouds that hung over the House of Cards ever since Phantasia made that deal with Edict.
What would come of this?
The doors were thrown open.
“... HOOOOOOOOOOWDY!”
Natalie screamed as she threw the double doors open. She had a wide grin on her face.
Behind her was Shaquita, and besides her was Luis on one side… and the enigmatic third in command of the Dollhouse organization: Heinrich Thormer. Appearing as a tall mannequin-doll-like thing, he stood over twelve feet tall and barely looked as if he could stand up straight.
“Ding, ding! A surprise visit from Dollhouse!” Natalie shouted. “Would Phantasia kindly have a talk with us? We have to discuss everyone’s favorite Coven!”
The suited men in their booths immediately snapped to their feet, unholstering guns, pistols gleaming silver. But they froze the moment Phantasia raised a hand. She turned in her seat, only the lower half of her face visible as she appraised them.
“Isabella, take a walk.” She said in a low tone to her number two. As Isabella bowed her head, Phantasia half-turned her head to the Cards bartender.
“Mr. Roosevelt, we have guests. Please make them comfortable.”
Mr. Roosevelt stood a little taller, “Yes, Mother.” He moved to the side door, holding it wide for Phantasia and the Dollhouse. Phantasia slowly got off her stool, patted down her dress, and gestured to the back room.
“We can discuss matters with a little privacy, yes?”
Luis looked to Shaquita, who gave him an affirmative nod. He clapped his hands together, as he said,
“Gladly,” He said before he walked in, followed by Natalie, Heinrich, and Shaquita.
Phnatasia followed closely behind them, hand hovering on the handle of the door. She turned back to the main lounge, and eyed her men, chin jutting to the front. With hurried nods, the men left out the front door.
Mr. Roosevelt pulled out the cushioned seats around a poker table, now cleared with only the lingering scent of alcohol and cigarette smoke. The room was dimly lit, not as polished as the front, yet held all the privacy in the world. Not a window in sight. Mr. Roosevelt hovered by the last chair, waiting for Phantasia to take her seat before he pushed it in slightly.
Phantasia pulled out a cigarette and her holder, lighting it quick as cherry smoke suffused the room. Her hands, momentarily busy, hid the slight tremor.
Mr. Roosevelt stood courteously to the side, “Any drinks for the young masters and ladies?”
“Some whiskey, please,” Luis said, taking a seat at the poker table, before he looked at Natalie.
“... I’m good,” Natalie rolled her eyes, taking a seat. Heinrich and Shaquita remained standing…. Not saying a word. Mr. Roosevelt nodded, leaving for a moment. It was only about a minute later that a whiskey was placed on the table in front of Luis, and Mr. Roosevelt took his leave.
Phantasia kept silent, taking another inhale of smoke before leaning forward at the poker table. “I imagine you want to get straight to business. I’m all ears.”
Luis grinned.
“... A little birdie told me that there is a little… Issue,” Luis began, taking a sip of his whiskey, “An issue between the House of Cards, and Sycamore… Would you mind telling me what that's all about?”
Phantasia thought long and hard about not giving Dollhouse the scoop. They had no business trespassing and sticking their nose where it didn’t belong, after all. But something kept her mouth from running off. That little seed of trepidation, that dry throat, that metallic taste in her mouth. There was House of Cards, large, fearsome. And then there was Dollhouse. A group so secretive even she had no idea what their aim was, or what they wanted here.
Instead, she relented, her voice dropping a note. “Some thought it wise to seal a close friend of mine - an apparition, goes by the Void Heart. I was prepared to enact due revenge but… I’ve recently been told there’s a way to recover said apparition. As long as they keep their word, Sycamore and I have no issue.”
As she spoke, there was a faint rustling in the vents above.
“I heard about the Void Heart, and his late host…” Luis began. “I also heard plenty about their last hurrah at Veni Vedi Veni.”
Shaquita leaned in and whispered something in his ear and he grinned. “Maybe you can see why we find the Void Heart… problematic.”
As Phantasia connected the dots, her lips curled into a frown. “I see how it is… Edict is your little birdie, isn’t he?” She leaned back in her seat, palm running across her mouth as her face darkened. “...That son of a bitch.”
A pause, before dropping the hand to her lap. “So what, you're gonna intimidate me into not pursuing this? Is that it?”
“No, no, no…” Luis shook his head, putting his hands together. “Here at Dollhouse we don't intimidate, we don't threaten, we don't menace… We understand.”
He paused for dramatic effect, “So help us understand each other. Then we can come to a mutual solution for this issue. No blood spilled, no bullets fired.”
Natalie rolled her eyes as Shaquita and Heinrich stood in silence.
“So, maybe you want to hear our perspective and maybe understand why we would want to keep the Void Heart sealed?” Luis asked.
Phantasia couldn’t help but bare her teeth a little at that. There was a long silence, Phantasia eyeing the vent through the brim of her hat for a brief moment before her head lowered once more.
A sigh. “Very well… Let’s hear your perspective.”
“Well, the best way to put is; the Void is…” Luis trailed off.
“... Bad for business, serial killers always are,” Natalie added, shaking her head and staring Phantasia dead on with her arms crossed. “Having something running around sucking people dry without giving a fuck who it is….?”
She shook her head as she said, “... Yeah, I can’t see why anyone would want a motherfucker like that running around. I know he’s your buddy, but he’s also a liability. And here at Dollhouse we don’t like problems like him. We remove similar Apparitions from the equation every chance we get.”
“Because… you heard about what started the whole mess at Veni Vedi Veni, right?” Luis added. “I ask myself: what if that had been a Dollhouse employee Alizee and Void Heart attempted to kidnap?”
Natalie laughed.
“Mr. Meatball would regret all the choices that led him to that point,” Natalie snorted.
The muscle in Phantasia’s jaw clenched a bit as she listened. This would be when things would start to get serious.
She leaned forward, every inch of skin a livewire.
“Let’s say I listen to you, and forget about the Void Heart… There’s still a debt to be paid by the Sycamore, by the Temple. Their involvement in Void’s sealing, betraying its new host… Someone has to answer to that.”
“And… how do you expect that debt to be paid? With blood?” Luis asked, taking a sip of his whiskey, and putting it down. Touching his fingertips together, he gave Phantasia a very flat look. “You do realize that this has a chance to escalate further?”
“And not in a fun way,” Natalie rolled her eyes. “We know you have interest in Sycamore, but have you ever considered that they won’t take too kindly to you icing their membership when they’re already getting iced?”
A pause. Phantasia’s hand slipped under the brim, squeezing the bridge of her nose. The slightest sniffle. Dollhouse painted a vivid picture of the future. Was she really going to walk them there?
Did she really have a choice?
Her voice was low. “Did anyone consider the Void Heart before sealing him away? Did anyone consider the ripple effect on his new host?”
Her palms pressed against the table. “You say you want to understand, but I feel you’re whitewashing the real victims here, and I refuse to sit here idly and listen to any more of this.”
Her eyes snapped to the vent.
“Long live the fighters.”
The moment she spoke, a boot was heard smashing through the horizontal grating of the vent over head. A small canister was thrown down, suffocating the room in a smokescreen as men started jumping down.
Phantasia stood, edging towards the door.
“... Holy shit!” Natalie coughed, as she hopped to her feet. However, in a flash of a light-purple light, an AA-12 popped into her hands. “You crazy motherfucker!”
“We really have to ask who did the architecture,” Luis said in between coughs. “... Shaquita.”
“Hmph,” Shaquita shook her head, pulling an M1911 out of her suit jacket. “... That wasn’t wise, Phantasia.”
Shaquita raised her hand in the air, and suddenly every one of Phantasia’s men began convulsing… as Shaquita puppeted their bodies with her special brand of magic. They turned all their guns toward where Phantasia was attempting to flee…
… Before they opened fire.
Phnatasia saw it coming, and could only smile. Her eyes, a lifeless grey, stared glassy-eyed at the ceiling as she fell.
The Boss of the House of Cards was no more.
The men turned their weapons on themselves, pulling the trigger.
“... Awww, fuck!” Natalie hissed. “... I wanted to have some fun.”
“Let’s go,” Heinrich said in a whisper.
“Fiiiiiiiine!” Natalie rolled her eyes, as she stuck her hand out, and a portal opened.
All four of them fled through it.
It was after a few minutes the door to the backrooms opened, and there was an audible gasp. Mr. Roosevelt knelt beside his Mother, surveying the damage with a trembling lip. He gently laid a hand over her face, closing her eyes.
Britney was the first to approach the neon-lit street, wearing a black dress that fit her plus sized body well with a purse hanging off her shoulder. She stood in front of the line to the club, and naturally, it was huge because it was a Friday night, and people wanted to par-tay. Though she wondered where Edict and Linqian were, she forgot the unspoken rule among black people: never show up on time for something. There was no way they would miss her in high hell, so she pulled out her phone and started scrolling Instagram.
”Heyyy, what’s someone as good looking as you doing out here alone?” After about ten minutes of waiting, Linqian finally appeared (with Edict in tow), awkwardly trying to put an arm over Britney’s shoulder and giving up because of the height difference.
Linqian was obviously in a good mood, grinning up at Britney. Edict had replaced all of her shit - the most important being her phone, which had allowed her to take most of her shift tomorrow off (and make sure her brother wasn’t causing trouble anywhere). She’d also changed, again on Edict’s dime, now wearing a lowcut black crop top and tight black shorts. ”You been waiting long? Traffic was a fucking pain.”
”Eh, not that long,” Britney shrugged, before she smiled at Linqian. ”It’s Friday, you know all those fishermen gotta try to dive in a different kind of ocean, if you catch my drift.” She laughed at her own joke.
Edict had gone for some nice, freshly pressed slacks and a button down shirt with a fairly interesting, if not a bit gaudy, repeating print on it. It was kind of hard to discern that it was all roman numerals for some reason, cascading down the shirt like the fall of a mathematical empire. In the lights of the neons, the multi-colored shadows cast by them, you couldn't tell what they were at a glance.
He had his coat on still, and a pair of wing tips that matched his shirt in color. “Y'know, this city does fucking suck for parking. Old cities usually, like Boston. No parking, no room for big lots, just density.”
He took his spot at Britney's side, craning his neck slightly to kiss her cheek. “Wassup Goddess? Ready to go shot for shot?” He asked, grinning at Britney.
”Goddess? That’s new.” Britney chuckled as she let Edict kiss her on the cheek, before she gestured at the long ass line. ”Yeah, I am, but we’re going to be in line for hoooooooooours at this rate.”
She laughed, ”I would have said we should gotten here sooner, but we didn’t want to sit in a dry-ass club.”
”Maybe I can flirt with the bouncer a bit so we can cut the line,” Linqian suggested, twisting around to try to eye up whoever was on the door.
Edict grinned, popping his collar in a comical way. He was here to entertain as much as he was here to enjoy himself, so acting like the sad clown wouldn’t be so hard. Especially not for the clientele. ”Ladies? I know it’s kind of tough to keep up with what I do. Because, y’know, I just do so much. But, don’t worry. Edict’s got you both. Come on, let’s go, fuck-a-line.”
As they walked, he made sure to make a big thing of it to the Blinds who had clearly been waiting for quite a while now. There were jeers and stares, but it only served to inflate the man’s ego as he made it to the front of the line and locked in in front of the VIP ropes. ”Well well well! You boys miss me?” he asked, seeing familiar faces on the door crew. ”Or am I gonna have to call the Boss like last time?”
The two men, clad in black suits with red ties, looked at each other. Then, they pulled the stanchion’s hook, unclipped it, and gestured for them to go inside.
”... Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks, ya’ll!” Britney excitedly said as she strutted inside. She loves it when Edict pulls through! As expected, the club was bouncing, and they could hear the music blaring inside far more clearly. The only thing on her mind was the bar, so she grabbed Edict’s hand and Linqian’s hand with the other. She was briefly curious about the VIP section up the stairs, but a tall lady was staring at her with crossed arms that Britney didn’t recognize, but Edict wouldn’t mistake.
”Shit, you banging the boss or something, Greyson?” Linqian teased, very easily allowing herself to be dragged by the dick towards the bar. To her, this place was fancy as fuck. When she went to clubs - which wasn’t often with how busy she was - it was the shittest, cheapest ones. She narrowed her eyes as they reached the bar, squinting in an attempt to figure out the prices of things. ”So, shots? I’ll drink fucking anything, so one of you choose… If I do it’ll be the fucking cheapest shot on the menu.”
Edict laughed when Linqian mentioned fucking the boss, but his enthusiasm quickly diminished as he looked up the VIP at a glance and saw the most irate face imaginable staring back at him. She was ghastly, and obviously unmistakable as the bodyguard who, just that morning, he’d been making some pretty Greyson-Core passes at. He could only pray that she wasn’t going to make his life miserable tonight. He figured that things were going to go just fine between Dollhouse and HoC, but… He didn’t want to speculate further and ruin the night, so he was happy to get back to the bar.
”Come on, Linqian, I own a club myself! You think people in my line of work don’t talk? I know the owner personally, he’s been a great mentor.” He leaned across, calling for the Bartender whenever they were able. ”Now, I’m getting a couple bottles. Brit? You want your wine? Or something else?” he asked.
”Yeah, let’s pop some bottles!” Britney stuck her tongue out. ”Get tequila! Just don’t get that nasty shit!” She looked over her shoulder, and she swore she could see that lady that was staring at them by the VIP entrance for a second.
Maybe it was just nerves?
Getting terribly close, Edict whispered into Britney’s ear. ”You’re so cute when you’re having fun.” He was a sappy leech, and doing his best to put the thought of Shaquita out of his head. The bartender arrived finally. ”Getting a couple bottles; Patron, the Platinum. And a D’Yquem, white, as old as you can get me for a thousand.”
The bartender looked a little taken aback by Edict’s candor and, more precisely, the request itself. “Oh, Sir, if you want bottle service, you’ll have to buy Up for the VIP. There are tables available for walk-in, and if you’re asking for a thousand dollar bottle of wine, I can assure you that you don’t want to be drinking down here.” ”Woah, uh… What if I do?” “I mean I’m happy to take your money down here, but we’re not cracking open a fifteen year old bottle of wine so you can foam the crowd like it's a music video. We’ve got more class here at Christiansands.”
Edict looked flatly, then turned his head to look at Shaquita, then back to the bartender. A nervous laugh escaped from his throat. ”W-well, yeah! I mean if there’s tables open, by all means!” The bartender, with instant professionalism, slammed the card reader on the counter and grinned. “Alright! Eighteen-hundred and forty four dollars after tax, go ahead and slide or tap.” He did his absolute best to hold back the grimace as he pulled out his phone and tapped the payment. When it confirmed, the bartender reached down and grabbed a ticket that he handed to Edict. “This is good for three bracelets! Head over to the VIP stairs, show this to Ms. Shaquita, and you’ll be all good! The bottles will be waiting at your table, and I believe… Marcos? Will be your server? Shaquita will know, so ask her if you care! Enjoy!”
And like that, he was gone, receding into the claxon of drink orders around them. Edict cleared his throat, shot another look at Shaquita, and then did his best “I’m not worried” impression. ”You know? Special night, special place, special ladies in my life? Sounds like a VIP moment to me, lets fuckin’ gettit!” he grabbed both of them around their waists and jostled them all back and forth in a playful manner before forging ahead toward doom.
”What the fuck?” Linqian damn near exploded at the price, staring at the bar like it’d killed her parents. That was almost what she earned in a month… she could cover most of the mortgage with that… Fucking hell.
”My no-no square!” Britney shouted.
But it was pretty clear Linqian wasn’t suddenly, out of nowhere pissed at Edict when she didn’t throw his hand off her waist or get super hot over the jostling. In fact her exposed skin was slightly cool to touch - she was semi actively casting to balance out how sweltering that actual club was. ”And here I was thinking about flirting with the bartender to get us some cheaper drinks- fucking thousand dollar bottle of wine! VIP section! Fuck… please tell me the tequila ain’t worth that much.” Wait, why was she so worried about that? ”You know what, fuck it, sure! I won’t fucking complain.”
”C’mooooooooon, Greyson…” Britney placed her hand against his chest as she said, ”You don’t gotta do all that… it’s just a night at a shitty club, you don’t gotta blow all this dough...” Her face dropped a bit as she looked Greyson head on.
”Let him waste the fucking money if he has it, Brit,” Linqian interjected.
”Listen, whether I got it or not ain’t the question. I’m about to spend a lot of money at a lot of places; it’s customary to be polite when you’re patronizing someone else’s club. My own reputation’s on the line. Hell, depending on how long we stay here? I may blow through another ten or fifteen. The owner of this place, last time he was in my Club, spent forty large between pickin’ up tabs and blastin’ the house.” Edict spun and shrugged his shoulders as they made their way to the stairs for the upper floor VIP section.
Of course, there she was. In all of her looming figure, Shaquita was there. He could only hope she didn’t mention the morning as they entered. ”Oooh, Shaquita! It’s bumpin’ tonight, what’s goin’ on up here?” he chattered, handing over the ticket for their VIP bands.
Shaquita stared at him with a blank expression. It seemed like it had been ages… before she cracked a smug grin and took them.
She followed that statement with a short laugh as she grabbed the stanchion rope, unclipped the hook, and held it. “The bosses aren’t in right now, so it’s dead up there….”
Shaquita stepped aside, “... However, the bar is fully staffed and stocked. So, enjoy yourselves….”
She paused for a moment.
“... Just don’t have too much fun,” Shaquita said.
”Dead?” Linqian whispered (though it was closer to a hiss). ”What’s the fucking point if it’s dead- guess we can get fucking wasted then hit the downstairs dance floor.”
At the thought of all the alcohol waiting for them, Linqian quite happily began to make her way up the stairs, pausing as she got out of earshot of Shaquita. Her voice was still kept to a low whisper. ”Just me or is she fucking hot in a could easily kill me kinda way?”
”She’s definitely built. I uh… I don’t know, I like wider curves, y’know?” he commented back, safe in his secure omission not becoming an issue.
Edict did his best to laugh off what Shaquita had said, quickly coming to the realization that, yes; it was fucking dead up here. No, Luis and his crew weren’t here. ”Shiiiit… Bunch’a broke motherfuckers down there - Ain’t nobody poppin’ bottles lookin’ for the good life?”
Their server was already waiting for them, as were their bottles at a table. ”Alright! That’s what we’re lookin’ for. Can we get a couple shot glass-” Getting closer to the table, he found them already waiting. Three, even! And three glasses for wine. ”-Damn, y’know that just makes me want to go home and get my own shit squared away! I like my VIP like I like my wrestling matches, but this is so organized!”
“Well, it’s a little slow up here. Not too tough to cover four or five covers, Mr. Devola!” Edict’s ego inflated as the man knew his name. His hands swept toward the booth for the girls to slide in.
”Fucking hell, I’ve never even been in a VIP section before.” Linqian slid into the booth first, forcing herself not to look around as if she was in a zoo or something. How dead it was wasn’t really her thing but… it could be nice for a while, let them catch up and get a bunch of alcohol in them before hitting the drunken masses.
”I worked in a real fucking fancy club four years back, but they only let you serve up there if you’d worked there a year or more. One of the worse places I worked at too, fuck, they expected you to bend over backwards just cause the clients were rich, while paying fuck all. I only stuck with it cause my ex recommended me-” Fuck, why did she go and mention him. Whatever. ”Then I got fired anyway.”
As she talked, she automatically poured two glasses of the wine, pushing them towards Britney and Edict, then filled the three shot glasses… rather than waiting for the server to do it for them.
”Today’s a first for everything, I suppose!” Britney playfully said, grabbing her glass of wine and downing it. ”But I wouldn’t count that as a loss. Maybe I can get you into modeling.”
Then she snorted, ”I mean, you clearly don’t have a problem with going around booty-out naked. So why not get paid for it?!”
She laughed, before glancing at the entrance… She saw Shaquita standing guard by it. Though, Britney swore that she was staring at them. She just shrugged.
”Let’s bump it up to something a little bit stronger.”
Edict raised his shot glass up. ”As hard as you wanna go, Babe! Lets get smashed and go back downstairs before people think we’re squares!” He knocked the two hundred dollar tequila down like water, hardly feeling it even as it hit his gut to sit like a slick atop the acid.
”You really give a fuck what people think?” Linqian snorted, downing her own tequila shot, and trying not to think about how much it cost. It was pretty fucking good. She then turned to Britney, lips pulling up into a slight smile. ”Hey, you really think I could make it in modeling? That shit must pay more than bartending… Cause you’re right, I really don’t give a fuck about getting it all out in front of whoever.”
She waved a hand. ”But fuck thinking about money, let’s drink to forget the mundane shit.”
Britney smiled.
”Now that’s what I want to hear!”
Some time later.
Britney was thrown out on the street outside Christiansands. Followed by Edict, then Linqian. All by Shaquita who stood in the doorway, all eyes were on them…
”... Bish!” Britney slurred as she tried to push herself to her feet, only to stumble forward and end up back on her hands and feet. ”... The fuck?!”
“... I’ve had enough of your shenanigans,” Shaquita shook her head. Before turning to Edict, “Mr. Devola, you set a bad example.”
”B-bish!” Britney hiccupped as she turned around, aiming her backside at Shaquita. ”Only thing bad here is me! Tell her Greyson!”
“I-” Shaquita tried to say before Britney began shaking her ass at her, sticking her tongue out.
Which left Shaquita in a state of stunned silence.
There was nothing quite as disorienting as being thrown out onto her ass while drunk. The world was fucking spinning and it took Linqian a moment and Britney's very sexy shaking ass for her to reorient herself. She pushed herself to her feet, stumbling, and pointing a finger at Shaquita.
”Heyyyyy we didn't fuckin' do anything you hoe,” Linqian bit out, getting louder with each word. It was incredibly clear to anyone that knew her that she was well on the way to explosive, pissed off Linqian. Not only had this bitch thrown them out, she'd fucking thrown Linqian onto her precious ass! ”I’ll fuckin'... burn your fuckin' hot ass off…”
Linqian stumbled forward, hand rising and clenching into a fist as she tried to get super hot. Except she was just soooo hot already and her magic wasn't responding properly. Her body temperature ticked up until she was… like a toasty human hot water bottle, squinting angrily and very visibly gearing up for a swing.
Edict had, for the last few minutes, been doing his absolute best to sober up for the occasion, blasting himself with a quick Power Word before things got out of hand. As it turned out, the VIP floor bottle rule could be circumvented with one cheap trick: Walking behind the bar like you own it (preferably after spending thousands of dollars on floor shots for the entire club) and just handing shit out. At the time, he figured that so long as he paid afterward, there wasn’t going to be a major issue.
But people must get rowdy. People must get handsy. The same shit that was a nightly occurrence at his club was being treated like a crime by the security crew, and the perps were getting thrown out. Truly, a high-end place. Now he was standing up after being tossed out, and nearly back to a functioning headspace. His limbs were still ropey, however, and he took a gating step toward Linqian, snapping her up before she could throw any big blows.
”Woah woah WOAH! N-no fisties. Capice?” he said calmly and quietly to her, his brain at least able to properly dictate his actions and follow through on a basic level. ”Now… Yes. Shaquita is right! I’m a bad influence.-” Linqian still in his arms, he patted her back as he looked toward Britney breaking it down. ”-But she is… A certified Baddie! Look at that ass, Shaquita! Go Brit-ney! Go Brit-ney!” he laughed finally, looking back at Shaquita with a smirk.
Linqian pretty pathetically struggled against Edict's hold in an attempt to continue on her self righteous path to revenge over her poor ass hitting the cold hard floor. Except she was drunk as fuck and she needed her magic to overpower Edict anyway, and it wasn't fucking working! ”I’m not a fucking child,” she muttered when Edict patted her back like she was some kid need placating… except it actually worked. She stopped awkwardly flailing limbs that weren't quite listening to her, scowl turning into a pout and going completely limp. She was only still standing by virtue of Edict holding her up.
”You… you fucking show her, Brit,” Linqian slurred, managing to find focus on Britney's ass in an otherwise spinning world, uncomfortably twisting her head around to look at it.
Shaquita was stunned into silence. Wordlessly slinking back into the club, where she probably reevaluated her life choices. Britney managed to force herself to her feet and hopped around so her back was facing the club.
”.... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!” Britney screamed as she shook her behind again. ”Showed that bitch! Let’s go to your place, Greyson! This place is corny as fuck anyway.”
Edict laughed aloud at Britney’s antics, and he wondered for a moment about where the connection was between the reserved and regal woman and that same aggressively energetic young lady was. He fell in love with a different Britney for sure, but this one… She was shaping up to still be his type.
All the more reason to make things right. His sobering brain echoed the sentiment, and he let go of Linqian up to the wrist, which he gently grabbed to keep her wrangled. He managed to tangle her up into an actual holding of hands. ”Alright, c’mon… Troublemakers.” His other hand reached out and took Britney’s, wrapping their fingers together tenderly.
”We’re hittin’ the most exclusive Club in this entire city.”
Thankfully it was a short walk to the Cabstand, and Edict was able to wrangle a cab back to his place. It was only a few blocks, but he figured his fine company would find some sort of trouble in that amount of time walking down the street. This part of the city was always high energy on Fridays and Saturdays, and all it took was one Blind giving a drunk Witch a reason to cast a spell. Piss the Warlock off, he’ll make you dance. Piss the Witches off, you end up being branded like a cow or… The Manchineel…
The elevator climbed directly into the entry foyer of Greyson’s apartment, the dim lights and warm wood floors giving it a cozy cabin vibe despite being a penthouse suite overlooking the Bay and the Old Town. All masks came off across the threshold, and Greyson immediately went for the liquor cabinet. ”Aaaanything you want, Ladies. All yours. There’s still food in the fridge, Linqian, if you… Y’know, felt like cookin’.” He grinned, doing his best to look cute as he turned back to look at her.
His hand pulled up a tall, thin bottle of amber colored booze. Whatever container it came in initially was gone, instead this strange and fancy looking slender decanter glowed like a vial of Godly nectar. ”Twenty-five year vintage rum. Technically like, twenty six.” he bragged, pulling a glass out and filling it up, only to summarily begin taking long draws from the decanter itself.
”You’re fucking pushing it… you’re lucky I’m so fucking good natured,” Linqian rolled her eyes at Edict, but there was very little bite to her tone. She’d both sobered up slightly and calmed down on the way over. She brushed past him, playfully smacking his arm on the way past and leaning over to snatch up the glass he’d poured then not drunk from. She took a sip on her way towards the kitchen, opening up the fridge and crouching down. She swayed slightly, eyes squinting at all the ingredients without being able to process it. It was fine, she wasn’t that drunk! She’d cooked feeling worse, and she was fucking hungry.
”What do you guys want?” Though she asked, her hands and mouth didn’t quite sync up, as she started grabbing random ingredients. Shit that looked appealing. ”Eh, I’ll just do whatever. Fucking anything I make is great.”
And with that she started hunting for a knife, stumbling from drawer to drawer.
Without a second thought, Britney snatched another bottle tequila, popped it open, and shoved it into her mouth. She downed as much as she could, pulling the bottle away from her mouth, then wiping her mouth. She loudly burped before saying…
”... You really gonna cook right now?!” Britney laughed, before she leaned over the sofa, bracing her hands against it. ”What I want is to party! Play some music!”
Then began shaking her behind again.
”Hey, it ain’t a party without some party food!” Linqian turned around brandishing a knife she’d finally found, laughing. She was really a pretty functional drunk, had to train herself to be at old workplaces… And the swaying of her legs was definitely just her shaking her ass along with Britney and not struggling to stay standing. But even though she was unstable, she turned around and started chopping up vegetables like she was completely sober. It was like a full autopilot mode, veg chopped, oil heating up, ass properly shaking along as she just about managed to stay standing.
”Don’t knock the Han special drunk noodles till you try em!”
Greyson was still laughing. It was almost too much energy, but he was so used to a different pace of life. His private places were usually private for a reason. But, these two were fine. It was fine. So, he made his way to the stereo system and began to pick through everything.
Taking another swig of his own, Greyson made his way to Britney. ”Don’t even act like you ain’t gonna be hungry in thirty minutes. All that dancin’ you doin’... Got an ass that’ll get a dude kicked out the club, my Lord…” he laughed his ass off, getting into the groove with her. ”Come on, lets dance in the kitchen… Be gatekeepin’ the dancing and shit.” He attempted to slowly manipulate Britney by the hips toward the kitchen so the three of them would be together.
”... It’s DARE!” Britney loudly, and obnoxiously screamed as she, as Edict wanted, moved into the kitchen. She ceased shaking her asss until she got in there, then she placed her hands against the counter and continued. She turned towards Linqian, and asked, ”... Whatcha’ makin, bacon/”
”The most amazing fucking noodles you'll ever eat,” Linqian grinned. She'd finished chopping a bunch of vegetables and had moved onto chicken, moving over to playfully bumping her hip against Britney before continuing. In reality she was just making simple Lo Mein noodles - something she could do in her sleep… or while drunkenly swinging her hips along to the music. She mixed most of the sauce ingredients and threw some ginger into the hot pan, not reacting at all when some of the hot oil splashed across her wrist. She tilted her head back towards Greyson. ”You got any dry Sherry- really any dry white wine will do.”
She then took a step back, fanning one hand in front of her face, grimacing. ”Also, why’s it so fucking hot in here? You got the heating on full blast or some shit?” It would be obvious to anyone with a single, sober brain cell that the reason Linqian was overheating was she’d forgotten to lower her body temperature back to normal rather than toasty warm after trying to attack Shaquita. Gentle heat still radiated out from her. She glanced between the two of them, shrugged, and decided, fuck it. They’d seen more.
Before just straight up pulling off her top, revealing the black, lacey bra underneath.
”Oh but I’m the only one who can’t control my powers…” he leered, moving away from the countertop to pull a bottle of shitty dry from a nearby cabinet. ”Good cooking families keep the shit wine with the oils.”
But when he turned back around, Greyson realized that Linqian was already taking clothing off. He wasn’t worried about her burning herself; more worried about the gradual escalation that Britney would be queued toward. She’d been staying pretty modest while he was at her house, but Greyson was well aware of her proclivity toward nude living. Now, Linqian was just opening the door to naked drunken noodles.
He didn’t mind necessarily; only that he had to keep his hands and his magic to himself unless otherwise prompted… And that was hard. Extremely hard.
”Good cooking families normally know how to cook,” Linqian shot back, grabbing the wine and pouring some into the sauce she was mixing up.
Greyson put his hands up playfully. ”Ayyy, you don’t know my Momma. She got the curry goat in the pot, and the jollof… Y’know, cookin’ is sexy isn’t it?”
Linqian laughed, throwing the chicken, lightly coated in sauce, into the pan. ”Oh, sure is, especially when I’m the one doing it,” Linqian winked, giving a little booty shake towards both Greyson and Britney, still laughing. ”Though I only bring out the sexiness in certain company.”
Britney loudly smacked Linqian’s behind, then laughed as she put her hands on her hips. However, she started playing with the tag on Linqian’s bra.
”... Viiiiictoria’s Secret! We had a shoot with them awhile back, you know!” Britney laughed. ”See, you’d make a great model!”
”You think? I do make even Target bras look hot,” Linqian grinned, easily moving her arms to toss the vegetables in the pan with the chicken without shifting the rest of her body. She flipped the ingredients a few times before spinning around, leaning back and to the side on the counter. She put one hand behind her head with her elbow on the counter and the other on her hip, which she shoved out to one side. ”You gotta pose all sexy and shit, right? How’s this?”
”You look like- I mean it’s alright, gurl!” Britney laughed, releasing her hands from Linqian’s hips. ”We can work on it! Greeeeeeeeeysoooon! What do you think?”
Greyson was, obviously, staring without care as to who was looking. It wasn't like Britney didn't know he and Linqian had been together; his only hope at this point is that he'd be able to scrape together the best of both worlds at once. ”Tha'ss a loaded question, ain't it? You gonna hit me for answering?”
”We turnt,” Britney said with a grin. ”Everything I say is going to be loaded.”
Edict grinned, sliding away from the counter and skulking off for a moment before coming back with a couple more sealed bags. ”It don't help, she picked the lamest looking set.”
Slapping the bags down on the counter, he slid one to Brit and one to Linqian. ”Bordelle. These are like six hundred bucks a set. I bought ‘em cuz I like looking at ‘em… But when they shipped, they shipped here. Not my house in Minnesota, so I ain't seen ‘em yet.”
He’d also pulled his jacket and shirt off, exposing his chiseled arms and neck muscles, as well as the tattoos on his arms - and Britney purred. Looking between them, he grinned for a moment. ”If y’all wanna put ‘em on for me, I’d love that… Hate to think I wasted money.” As he leaned in across the counter, one hand went for the bottle of tequila and dragged it closer, the other tapping the set he put in front of Britney. ”Big tiddies… I can’t lie, I was thinkin’ about you when I bought this one.” he leaned in, staring into her eyes. ”And, maybe I sent it here cuz of that… But, you’ve got no evidence that it’s true.” he bit his lip finally.
”Fuck, six hundred?!” Linqian had flipped back round to continue cooking, something she was both unable to leave unfinished, but regretted slightly. Whatever. She threw in the noodles, flipped it all together, turned off the stove and turned back around. She decided to ignore the whole… sort of romantic vibe that was going on. Sort of. She picked up the bag near her and peered inside, eyebrows raising. Shit, it looked fucking good quality - obviously. Her gaze moved up from what was in the bag, to Britney, with a smirk.
”Well…” Linqian leaned forward so that she was pushing into both of their space without interrupting their eye contact. ”I’ll put it on if Brit does.” It was pretty obvious she wasn’t planning to do it for just Greyson.
Britney returned the eye contact… wrapping her hands around Edict’s waist.
”... I know, you remembered my fuckin’ measurements!” She laughed. ”I’ll put it on… just for you, though, one time thiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!.” Britney followed that statement with another laugh as she broke eye contact and walked over to the bag, grabbing the bag.
”To the back, friiiiiiiiend!” Britney said, slapping Linqian on the behind again. ”We gotta build excitement! If we change our here Greyson might bust!”
”Girl, I ain't bussin nothin’ unless you tell me to. Actin’ like I don't see naked women every night of my life… Go on, get sexy for the Don.” Greyson split between them, slapping a cheek of each on their way toward changing.
”... Ooooh,” Britney purred.
Linqian just whistled, smirking and snatching up the bottle of tequila on the way out.
”Anywhere but the locked room. You don't wanna see the bodies.” he laughed, moving over toward the pan with the noodles. He opened a cabinet to get some plates and cutlery before trying to dish out portions for everyone to eat if they wanted.
”You mean the plant fertilizer?!” Britney laughed as she disappeared.
It took them a while to get changed - probably because both women were drunk (Linqian’s cooking induced soberness quickly wearing off). When they came back out, they’d changed into the lingerie like promised.
Linqian was pretty comfortable in it, even if the sheer lace and embroidered wave design didn’t leave much up to the imagination. There were lots of extra straps, giving it a slight BDSM look without actually being anywhere near it. Linqian would know.
She leaned in against Britney, wrapping an arm around her waist, fingers lightly rubbing her skin. ”How’s it compare to all those naked women you see every night, Greyson?” Linqian smirked, gaze equally playful and taunting.
”Guuuuurl, that’s a loaded question, ayyyyyyy!” Britney laughed, sticking her tongue out. ”You know we’re better! We’re us!”
Greyson was half-tucked into a plate of noodles with a fork in one hand and a cloth in the other. He didn’t look up until he heard Linqian speak, at which point his attention was taken entirely by the beauty and grandeur before him.
His mouth opened wide with the grin of a kid getting a new Playstation for Christmas. It was the surprise new car look, the profit at the end of a long night look. The work was worth the reward, and it would be rendered unto him. In that moment, every empire in his bloodline coursed with power. Pink Lux filled the room, the veins in his throat turning bright pink as the Lotus’ roots spread across the room. A hand slipped into his pocket, desperate for his channeler as the Lux escaped through him in a great choking pain.
A pain he was used to. A pain he liked. But a brush of the metal rim on his finger was all he needed to direct a shot directly at a poor Blind on the next floor below them. The hand still holding the rag wiped his mouth, and he blew out a curl of pink smoke from his mouth. Wordlessly, he rounded the counter.
”Y’all wanna ask me stupid questions? How’s it compare? How about rather than telling you, I just show y’all.” he bit his lip, a hand now resting on his belt while the other one pointed down the hall toward his bedroom. ”I’d run… Cuz if I catch you before the room, it’s goin’ down in the hallway.”
”Ohhh, is that a challenge?” Linqian’s eyes narrowed seductively, and she shifted towards Edict so that she was facing Britney. Both arms went around the other woman. ”Why not here? Maybe you’re the one that needs to run, before me and Brit have so much fun you’re no longer needed.”
”Before we do anything!” Britney said to Edict, as she approached. ”I know this coochie gon’ make you you fall in love but don’t ramp up on that lame-ahh lovey-dovey shit you been on before!”
Britney laughed, as she stuck out her pinky, ”Piiiinky promise?”
Greyson’s face shifted from lust to sentiment. Actually, a little embarrassment. His hand reached out, about to wrap his pinkie around hers before he paused. His forehead pressed forward, into her own. ”We’re talking more about it tomorrow, and I pinky promise I’ll leave it tonight.”
”Yes, we’re going to talk about how good it was and how it changed your life!” Britney laughed, wrapping her pinky around Edict’s harder. ”Can’t lie when I say I haven't been thinking about it - but broooo you gotta let it happen naturally!”
What else could he do but smile? ”Then I can’t be drinkin’ no more girl, get yo’-” Still holding her tight by the pinkie, he lifted her arm up and spun Britney in place so she was looking back at Linqian. His free hand smacked against her ass with a loud clap. ”-ass in that bedroom… Talkin’ mad shit like I ain’t about to rock the both of you. Go! Go!” he cackled.
Linqian snorted, walking backwards at a leisurely pace. Her narrowed, suggestive gaze moved from Edict to Britney, then she smirked. ”Fucking acting like you’re the centre of this shit… So, Brit. Is that cactus available?”
”Of course! It comes in spineless and spine-y assortments!” Britney laughed as she did a dramatic high-kneed run towards the bedroom. ”But run Linqian! He gon get us!”
Then she disappeared into it, followed by Linqian and Edict...
"Greta" Faust.
Featuring Luca!
Interactions: None
The night after the fight at Kari's House. The Boardwalk.
The waves were Adora's only company out here... she stood at the edge of the boardwalk, the full moon shining above her, with her arms crossed. She had on a blue hoodie blue sweatpants, and some running shoes, and she had her ears wide open. She took in a deep breath, then exhaled; the boardwalk was completely empty at this hour because it was technically closed. However, she was out here for a reason.
She heard footsteps that ended at the bench behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Greta Faust. Instead of her usual punk attire, she wore a grey hoodie (which she had up), grey sweatpants, and sneakers.
Just like Adora. Almost made her crack a smile.
"... I'm here," Greta said, both hands on the bench, and she sneered, as she said, "I'm surprised you answered 'the call'," Greta said, finger quoted, chuckling.
”Why's that?” Adora narrowed her eyes.
Greta was silent, a mocking smile creeping up on her face.
"... I think you know why," Greta answered. "Now, let's cut to the chase, I have work to do."
Adora sighed.
”I wanted to hear it from you,” Adora began, pivoting on her foot to face Greta head on. ”Why are you following Emily around? How can you be okay with that shit she pulled at Kari's house? How can you be okay with her trying to kill Lila over some bullshit she started?” She narrowed her eyes at Greta, taking a step forward.
”We... we used to fight alongside each other. We used to be friends. How can you help her be a piece of shit?!" She hissed the last words out, before letting out a sigh and putting a hand on her chest.
Greta sighed, looking at the boardwalk underneath her feet.
"We used to be friends, but you left," Greta said before raising her head and facing Adora head-on.
”... I had to,” Adora weakly said.
"Did you really now?" Greta said as she raised an eyebrow.
”This isn't about me!” Adora shouted, slamming a foot on the ground. ”Answer my questions, Gretchen.”
Greta sighed.
"Honestly, these days; I cannot give you an honest answer, Appie," Greta began, chuckling at the nickname. "Ten years ago, I could tell you I rolled with Emily because I was so hurt... Oh, did you know the details of my departure from the Old Coven? Or did you just not care."
”They accused you of running around St. Portwell, making monsters,” Adora said. ”Turned out you weren't, but you left for some reason.”
"... Do you want to hear my perspective, then?" Greta gave Adora a sinister grin. "I'm sure it'd help you with everything."
”Yes.”
"You remember all those potions that you drank that made you strong enough to fight the Stygian Snake? Drive it off a few times?" Greta tilted her head, maintaining that sinister grin. "Or all those healing potions that saved countless lives?"
”... Yes,”
"... Did you know that I'm the only person that could make them?" Greta began. "Did you know I slaved away in my own lab near endlessly, making potions that would help in the fight? I know before I thought it was the best way to save my own ass, but in time I began to..."
She sighed.
"... I developed a soft spot for you all. It was the first time I had friends or people I cared about. You, Lisa-" The mention of Lisa made Adora's skin crawl, but she remained resolute and did not so much as flinch. "-Luca, Olivia, Britney... You all at least tried to be my friend, instead of treating me like a potion factory. So, I made sure to go all out, no longer because I just wanted to keep myself alive, but as many of you alive as possible. I had help sometimes, but I hardly got any sleep most nights because I was working so hard."
Greta narrowed her eyes at Adora, before she continued, "... How do you think I felt getting accused by the people I did so much to help? Getting treated like a monster that hurt people...?"
She gritted her teeth before shouting, "... How do you think I felt having all my hard work - that I did from the kindness of my heart - just thrown away because some stupid cheerleader jumped to conclusions instead of using her goddamn head!?"
She exhaled, slinking back on the bench. "You'd be hurt by it, too, Adora. You'd feel betrayed."
Adora laughed.
”... You sound so cute when you shout with that nasally, high-pitched, voice, you know?”
"... Don't diminish my feelings, Appie," Greta growled.
”I'm not, trust me,” Adora began. ”But, none of that explains how you fell in with an open hate-criminal.”
Greta sighed.
"Look, I was angry, lost, confused; many things," She began. "Emily gave me solace with her new Coven, one I thought would be better - though, I thought anything would be better without those three dumbasses around. She gave me something that I was missing... 8th Street wasn't all that bad at first. We just practiced magic. Had adventures. We were something that Sycamore should have been."
Greta turned her head away from Adora. "However, in time, Emily got worse. Vashti, too. They started turning us into their footsoldiers in their game. Lynette tried to stop them, but there was only so much she could do, and she had no choice but to leave for her own sake. Other people left, too, including Luca and Olivia, and I don't blame them."
Adora silently stared at Greta.
”So, why didn't you leave?” She asked.
Greta grinned.
"... And go where?" Greta said. "I made the sad, sad, mistake of making my entire life this Coven... but I know your little Coven would never agree with this, but we are only fighting the worst threats in St. Portwell."
”... Like us?” Adora said, putting a hand on her hip. ”A group of people who are only trying to stop a literal serial killer.” She raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't agree with any of that," Greta said. "We had better things to do. I have better things to do."
”... But, you still went along with it anyway,” Adora spat out. ”By enabling Emily, you're just as bad as she is! Matter of fact, you're worse.”
Greta sighed.
"... Is this all you wanted to talk to me about?" Greta said. "You only came out here to shame me?"
”I came here for an explanation,” Adora began. ”I know you're better than that. Better than her. You are easily one of the most useful people I know. So why don't you drop Emily's sorry ass and make yourself something?”
"I-"
”... And don't give me that 'this is all I know' bullshit because it's just an excuse,” Adora said. ”You... you have power. You have control. You have the ability. We all do. So, that's all I want to know.”
Greta was silent.
"... 8th Street is more of a Coven to me than Sycamore ever was, or ever will be," Greta said, tears rolling down her face. Her voice cracked "I... I just can't turn my back on them now, you know!"
”Tears aren't going to sway me, Gretchen,” Adora firmly said. ”Emily and 8th Street are all toxic. You. Are. Better. Than. This.”
"... Do you really think you know everything, Appie?!" Greta shouted. "You're still the same self-righteous bitch that you've been ten years ago!"
Adora grit her teeth, putting a hand on her chest.
”'Self righteous?' Gretchen, I'm trying to help you! That's not fair!”
"You know what's really not fair?" Greta sobbed, "How you, our strongest, abandoned the Old Coven - boxed us out - and now you're acting like you can just come back and act like everything is fine! I looked up to you, Adora. Because you were everything I wish I could have been! Confident. Strong. A fucking anchor. Instead, I was just the potion-gal that was to be used and tossed away when it stopped being useful! I was just a tool! You and everyone else always treated me like that."
Adora sighed, taking a step toward Greta, and putting a hand on the side of her face.”Gretchen-”
"Greta." She corrected.
"Greta." Adora said, surprised by Greta's interruption. ”Girl, I never knew you felt that way... I can't speak for the rest of them, but, you know, you were never a tool to me. I valued everything you did because, without you, that... memorial would be way longer.”
"I should have done more to help Li-"
”... Look, don't say it,” Adora interrupted. ”I know I hurt you by leaving. I know it looks like I'm just waltzing in here, but I'm not acting like shit's cool. I know it isn't. I'm just trying to help you. The others are bunching you up with the rest of those monsters, and I don't want you to go down with the rest of them.”
"... Do you really think I want to be with 8th Street, Emily? Under Emily and that psychopath Vashti?" Greta sighed, wiping her tears away. "I would want nothing more than for them to be gone. For better people to take their place. But, they're all I have. I have no family. I have no friends. I have nobody."
”No,” Adora said, shaking her head. ”... They're all you're familar with.”
"Maybe you're right," Greta said, looking off to the side. "I'll... have to think about it."
”... And you don't have to have it all figured out right this second.” Adora added.
Greta kicked her feet back and forth as Adora took a seat next to her. However, Greta faced the opposite direction.
"... How is Luca doing?"
”I'm honestly not sure,” Adora said with a shrug. ”Didn't get a chance to talk to the lil' guy...”
"I'm certain he hates me now," Greta continued to kick her feet back and forth. "I wouldn't blame him for it, though."
”Why would he?” Adora asked.
"I told him I wasn't going to help him if he left 8th Street," Greta sighed. "I... I wish I hadn't said that to him. I have been secretly working on something. Just for him."
”Wait, what does he need help with?” Adora asked, and Greta looked blank.
"... You don't know?" Greta asked. "Well, I imagine you wouldn't...."
”About what? Get to the point.”
Greta pushed her glasses up her nose as she said,
"Well... our favorite Britney was going around adjoining people to Apparitions to Shanghai them into the Coven," Greta answered. "I was mad about it at first, but I understand that things got a little... desperate. That memorial is proof of that. I know my Covenmates hate her, but I can understand some of the logic behind her decision."
”You...” Adora trailed off. ”... You are joking, right?”
"I'm serious."
”I don't believe you.”
Greta pulled out her phone, went through her contacts, found Luca, and said, "I can call him right now."
”Do it,” Adora said with a nod, and Greta called Luca.
”Greta?!” Luca picked up immediately, sounding surprised. ”What’s up? Has something happened?!”
“Um, no, dork,” Greta laughed. “I’m with Adora right now… She wants to ask you a question…”
Greta put it on speaker and Adora sighed,
”... Heeeey, Luca,” Adora began. ”I know we ain't talk much, how you doin’, buddy?”
”Oh yeah, I'm good! Got a lil sick again, but that's just life…” Luca trailed off, coughing. ”How bout you? What did you want to ask?”
Adora was silent. She honestly didn't know how to ask thi-
“... Adora wants to know what Britney did to you, Luca,” Greta chimed in. “She doesn't believe me, so she wants to hear it from you.”
”Oh…” Luca didn't say anything for a few moments. ”Yeah, she adjoined the Rot to me. But I really don't hold it against her anymore! It’s been years, after all…”
”I…” Adora put a fist to her mouth as she held her mouth. How could Britney do this? Why did Britney do this? ”... I’m at a loss for words, sweetie. I… trusted Britney. I am so sorry. I can’t believe it.”
”We all trusted her,” Luca said softly. ”It looked like she saved all of us, y’know? Technically she did- I can understand it a bit. So there’s no need to be sorry, I’m really as fine as I can be… But…”
There was silence on the other end of the line, as if Luca seemed to be deciding whether to continue or not. Eventually, he spoke again. ”Since you’re with Greta, she’ll just call me out on my bullshit. So I’ll be honest. You just have to promise to not tell anyone else in the coven. Especially not Jasper, Lila, and Lynn, alright?”
Greta stared at Adora head-on. Her look told Adora that she knew exactly what he was going to say next.
”... Come now, Luca,” Adora awkwardly laughed. ”Do I look like the type of person to run around airing out people’s business like that?”
”Welllll… it’s just pretty shocking!” Luca laughed. ”I’ll just come out with it then. I’m dying. The Rot is killing me. I found out a few years ago. It’s- it’s gotten a lot worse recently. Some days I struggle to get out of bed. Magical healing doesn’t help. I’m rotting inside, and that can’t be reversed. I’ve accepted it.”
He spoke as if he was just talking about the weather, rather than his own death. ”All the people who care in 8th know- I couldn’t hide it from Greta, haha, but I’ve kept it from everyone in Sycamore. Almost everyone… including Britney. I don’t want her to know.”
“You couldn’t hide anything from me even if you tried, Luca,” Greta laughed.
”... You… I…” Adora trailed off, at a literal loss for words. That was beyond fucked up. And somehow it got even more fucked up. ”... Britney is going to fix you. I’m going to make her.”
”No, no, no, if Britney finds out, everyone will find out!” Luca said, with a hint of panic in his voice. ”I doubt she’ll be able to. I’ve tried everything - we even tried to use the Apparition Killer ten years ago to cut the Rot out. It didn’t work. Even if we get rid of it… well… the damage is already done. I’ve made my peace with it. But I’m sorry for burdening you with it.”
”What do you mean you made your peace? You are literally dying,” Adora scoffed, putting a hand on her hip as she couldn't believe it. ”It's her mess to fix. I’ll do-”
“... I’m still working on something,” Greta interrupted, putting her glasses up her nose. “If he doesn't want you to do something; you have no choice but to respect it, Appie, regardless of how much you disagree with it.”
”Thank you, Greta,” Luca said warmly. ”When I say I’ve made my peace I mean I’ve accepted that I don’t have long left. I’m at peace with it. I just want to make the most of the time I have left, alright?”
He paused, before saying, ”Wait, Greta, I thought you said you stopped working on that when I left?”
“... Do you think I’m dumb enough to say that in front of George and Carol?” Greta asked.
”Ohhhh… Of course! You’re the best, Greta.” Luca’s grin was practically audible through the call. ”But I’m sure Carol would just say a bunch of shit but not actually care- ah, well, she probably wants me to come back. Either way… Thank you both. I might need your help in the future, Adora, when I get worse.”
”... What do you need, Luca?” Adora asked, pinching her nose. ”Please tell me it's not what I think it is….”
”No! It's not,” Luca said immediately. ”It’ll just get to the point where I'll struggle to leave my place… Jasper, Lila and Lynn are living with me for safety just now, but they'll probably move out when this thing with Father Wolf is solved! Just like, some company then… maybe bringing round some food. And a bit of help keeping it hidden from the others if it gets it more obvious! Nothing major…”
Another sigh escaped Adora.
”... I got you, Luca,” Adora said. ”But, trust, I’m going to do something about it. I have to.”
”... alright, I can't stop you,” Luca laughed slightly. ”Maybe you'll find something I haven't managed to!”
Adora sighed. She knew that the best bet was Britney, but Luca clearly didn’t want her involved - there wasn’t much that she could do on her own. She wasn’t a magical expert, she hardly had magic herself!
”I’ll be damned if I don’t try,” Adora said. ”I’ll find something. I promise.”
”Mm, I’m sure you will,” Luca replied cheerfully. ”... ah, I should let you know, Sloane also knows. She found out during the… hallucinations.”
”Ye-yeah… don’t remind me,” Adora sighed, wiping her head. She knew Sloane probably didn’t give a shit no how. ”But, can you trust her not to say anything…?”
“… He can’t,” Greta chimed in.
”And I don't,” Luca laughed awkwardly. ”She’ll definitely tell Anya… but I didn't have a choice! She overheard me saying about it when we were- well we were near enough she heard. I didn't tell her like I told you. But nobody trusts them. Hopefully they just won't believe it…”
”Look,” Adora sighed, ””If they bring it up to the Coven - I know exactly what to say. Trust me.”
”Alright, I will!” Luca said. ”Thanks again… I know it's a lot to take in.”
An exasperated sigh escaped Adora’s lips, because Luca was right; it was a lot to take in. She took a few steps forward, ”Yeah, let me know if you need anything.”
”Will do! You can get my number from Greta!” Luca said cheerfully. ”Also, Greta? It was nice to hear from you again.”
“It was great to hear from you again, too, dork,” Greta said. “You have my number.”
Adora put a fist to her lips as she said, ”Luca… just… hold on… I’ll find something to help you.”
”Thanks again, Adora,” Luca said quietly, before his tone turned more cheerful again. ”Catch you guys later!”
”Yeah,” Adora sighed, as she hung up the phone, and sat down next to Greta.
“So…” Greta asked. “What do you want to talk about now, Appie?”
Adora shrugged.
”Let’s just sit here,” Adora began. ”And watch the wave.”
Greta was silent for a moment.
“... I’d like that.”
Interactions: None
Adora’s House > The Salty Seagull
Oh what the hell did Greta know?
Adora internally seethed as she lay down on her bed. In the privacy of her own home, Adora dresses far less conservatively, as she has nobody to leer at her. She wore just some booty shorts and a tank top, and she played on her phone as that meeting with Greta played in her head over and over again. She just shook her head as she decided not to think about it. She was just making herself angry. Adora put the phone down and crossed her arms.
Greta was right. I have boxed people out.
While she would rather show up to the next Coven meeting naked than ever admit it, she was lonely. The life of a forced recluse does that, but she so desperately wanted something… it didn’t even have to be a romantic connection; she just wanted to talk to somebody. Anybody. Right now, Adora was stuck in a paradoxical contradiction: the only social group she had right now were the same people that were mildly triggering to her.
She should get out more, find a hobby, find the first guy she sees, strike up a conversation, or start clubbing. Being stuck between a rock and a hard place was terrible, but she had to stop. She had to think. Before she sighed, pulled out her phone, and sent Auri a text…
Moments later, she had Stormy’s number… and she stared at it for a few moments. Before she just mustered the courage to just up and hit call, and it was too late to back out then. She was going to face this.
After a brief moment, the call went through.
”Adora?”
Adora gulped. It was the moment of truth. That quelling anxiety in her chest was something she had to ignore. She sighed… before she realized that she had just signed into the phone.
”... Stormy! Stormy! How are you doing today, buddy?” Adora just spat out. Oh God, he probably thinks I’m weird. She thought to herself, her hand shaking as she worried that he was going to hang up.
”I’m as fine as I can be, after yesterday,” says the voice on the other end. ”And you? That entire thing was horrible.”
”I’m… fine,” Adora scoffed. She tried her best to play off how useless she was in that confrontation. ”I was wondering what you were up to today? If you wanted to grab something to eat.”
”I was going to take it easy today, so that sounds like a good idea. Where?”
”Are you by the boardwalk? Have you ever heard of the Salty Seagull? Very good sandwiches… On me.”
The line is silent for a moment. ”Give me thirty minutes, and I can be there. That doesn’t sound familiar to me, though. Was that after the disaster?”
”It opened up a few years after…” Adora tried to say before chills crept down her spine. ”... Yeah. I’ll be there. Food’s real good, I promise.”
”I’ll be there.”
”See you soon,” Adora said, sighing as she finally hung up. She sank back into her bed, relieved but realized that she would have to interact with people. One of the people who brought up bad memories, but the feeling of loneliness was more overpowering than those feelings. She hopped off the bed, and while Stormy might appreciate the show, she had to get dressed. There was that part of her that wanted to dress cutesy, but she filled her cutesy attire quota from the Halloween festival.
She also didn’t want Stormy to get it twisted and think she was trying to date him (An idea that she had to take baby steps with). Though, Adora quickly threw on some grey sweatpants, a red hoodie, and some white Air Force 1’s. She quickly maneuvered outside until she made it to her car, and then to The Salty Seagull.
It was a relatively short and peaceful drive to the Salty Seagull. She parked, and got out - but before she walked up, she took in a deep sigh. Adora wondered if Lihn would approve of this, but Adora saw that it was a sign of strength, and getting her power back - even with bloodied hands. She threw her hood up, and walked up to the front door, and she was immediately assaulted with the smell of fried food, seafood, bread, etc. She sighed, as she looked around for Stormy, only to see that he wasn’t there… thus, she helped herself and sat in a booth as she waited for him.
An old, off-white Cadillac rolled up into the parking lot. It wasn’t the kind of car people drove very often these days, and there was a bit of a story to it, attached to the story of the Sycamore Coven itself through Stormy. He hadn’t been to this part of the city in, well… A decade. Not since he was fighting for his life, and the lives of others. He stepped out in a dark buttoned shirt, and a cargo jacket. Nothing particularly extravagant, and it was getting colder out. He liked to dress practically.
He walked in, looking at the place before spotting Adora, and walked over to sit down.
”Something smells wonderful in here.”
Adora cracked a half-smirk (not a full one, just a half).
”What are you talking about the food- or, uh, me?” Adora tried to flirt but there was that stumble that probably made it come out more awkward than it sounded in her head.
”I’m not sure yet, I just sat down,” he said, without hesitating or missing a beat.
Smooth.
”Let’s, uh…” Adora’s eyes drifted to the side. ”... Forget about that.” She punctuated that with a cough.
Stormy nodded. ”Forgotten.”
Adora blushed… thankfully, her skin tone made noticing that harder. Backpedal. Think girl, think! Something! Anything! Adora thought to herself as she tried to come up with something to make this less weird, and awkward. There had to be something.
”... Why didn’t you say hi to me at any of the meetings?” Adora asked. She couldn’t blame him for not approaching a clearly unapproachable person—or for looking like she was ready to throttle Sloane at the first meeting she went to (another regret of hers).
Stormy leaned back in his side of the booth. ”Well… At the first one, I almost killed Britney, so I suppose I was too busy seeing red to say hi to anyone, but I don’t think you were there for that. The second one, you were occupied. And then I wanted to apologize for nearly turning Auri’s shop into a war zone.”
”And then 8th Street happened at the third.”
”Ehhhhh, yeah, weird shit follows us where ever we go, right?” Adora said, resisting the urge to say that Stormy would have been justified in putting Britney down for what she did to Luca and the others. However, she felt a pang of regret for making a scene at the second meeting without even saying hi to anyone herself. What a hypocrite she was. Not that she was ever going to admit that. ”I wasn’t at the first meeting anyway. I… had work.”
She shook her head, hoping Stormy wasn’t perceptive enough to see through her lies. ”But, the first thing I thought of was getting my rings back from Sloane-y so we’d have some type of edge…” She rolled her eyes. ”... Having Trinity back would be great, would it not?”
”It would, but is it that simple? Just get all three, and carry on like last time? I don’t think I remember exactly how it works, did they need three people for each thing?”
”You do,” Adora awkwardly laughed. ”But, I don’t think it’d be hard to find three people to use them in the Coven, right?” She kept it to herself that she was not going to share her rings with anyone that are not Vanessa and Clem. Adora then laughed as she decided to add a joke.
”We could have shoved Emily’s monster right up her crazy snatch!”
”True,” he nodded. ”Maybe we can find them, I could possibly guess to how. Another time, though.”
”I mean…. No time like the present,” Adora shrugged. ”What is your ‘guess’, if you don’t mind me asking?”
”You’ve been in St. Portwell longer than me, right? How many people outside the coven can you think of that would want the Trinity Rings? There are groups of people outside the city that would love those, too. I mostly stick to mundane history these days, but I’ve always been good with paranormal history as well.”
”None that come to mind, ho-” Adora tried to answer before it hit her and she got it. No one outside the Coven should even know that the Coven has the Trinity Rings.
”Every now and then, some paranormal near where I work will contact me and ask me about things. Usually, it’s to check facts about an artifact or a big event that happened in the past. Like the Necromancer Purge or the Oni Wars,” he explained. ”Sometimes, I hear about artifacts that I actually recognize. I might be able to ask them about the rings, if they’re willing to talk.”
Adora raised an eyebrow.
”Please tell me if you get anything from them,” Adora asked, before curiosity got the best of her. ”... And Necromancer Purge? Oni Wars? Sorry, I turned my back on magic a long time ago - what are those?”
”The Necromancer Purge was recent, more or less. By that I mean we and our parents were alive for if. Louisiana used to be the United States’ capital for Necromancers, they were everywhere down there, and then someone with a vengeance purged all of them, to put it politely. Very few people made it out. If any.”
”And the Oni Wars happened centuries ago. The latest of them taking place in the early 1500s. They were a series of campaigns by demonic Apparitions looking to take over Japan. Most of them were during the time when samurai were common, and they failed every single time,” Stormy said. ”Sometimes they would win ground, other times the old demon hunters of the era would win it back. But they never found any footholds that lasted more than a few decades. That’s why there were multiple. The Oni Wars weren’t very well documented early on, so the best records are from the later ones when most of the Oni Clubs were accounted for in what is today the outskirts of Osaka.”
”... Didn’t that one girl have something like that?” Adora tapped the side of her head a few times as she tried to remember. ”Shit, forgot her name. You know... The short Japanese girl - well, no. The real tough-looking one with the short hair.”
”Amy Nakamura? I remember. Most of the Clubs were kept hidden by paranormal families throughout the centuries. Feudal lords, certain samurai who earned the right… Anyone who knew what they were doing in terms of magic. I’m not surprised she had one.”
”Yeah, her!” Adora confidently said - even though she wasn’t confident that was the correct person. ”Whatever happened to her?”
Stormy thought about it for a second. ”I’m not sure. Maybe she never returned Auri’s call. I hope that’s all there is to it. Someone like her would be very hard to kill, considering the way the Clubs work.”
”A lot of people never answered Auri’s call, it seemed like,” Adora chuckled, and almost Adora herself was one of them. Though she was curious as to why. Did that many people not like Auri? Or were they that disillusioned with the idea of a Coven?
”Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, she didn’t seem like a bad person, you know.”
”I don’t think I remember her much. It would be nice if she suddenly appeared again, deciding to help us figure everything out. But wherever she is, hopefully she’s fine.”
”... Hope so, too,” Adora laughed. Though, with all the murders going on, Adora couldn’t help but assume she’s been murdered. Not much she can do about it, either. Though, there was a question on her mind. ”What do you think of the Coven’s current lineup?” She couldn’t help but end that question with a chuckle.
”I mean… I know people probably have strong opinions of me there.”
”To be completely honest with you, it worries me,” Stormy admitted. ”As kids, we beat a god into submission. But there were over a hundred of us. Most of us didn’t come back, and I’m worried the ones who did are going to get themselves killed.”
”I mean, it’s obvious a lot of people just don’t give a shit,” Adora said with a roll of her eyes. ”Either they’re acting like this is some pow-wow, or just care about themselves - Auri is hardly doing anything to keep anyone in check or focused.”
”It’s not entirely her fault, when some of us just refuse to take this all seriously. There’s a difference between having a life and acting like what’s currently happening doesn’t mean anything.” He was willing to let a lot of things slide, but what really got under Stormy’s skin was the way some people just didn’t give a fuck about the serial killer hunting them all down.
”You’re right but,” Adora awkwardly laughed. ”Tweedle dee, and tweedle dum rushed out there, tits-out, and dragged the whole lot of us into a fight - and Auri just sat on her ass.”
”True. But I can’t blame people for that. That’s what I would’ve done, and I damn sure wouldn’t let them drag anyone away just because they had a giant flesh… Thing with them.”
”I…” Adora stopped herself because there was no way that she could see herself disagreeing with that response. Especially since, if she had the ability to, she would have shoved Vashti’s head up Emily’s ass. She sighed. ”You’re right. It wasn’t Auri’s fault. It wasn’t even those two goof-balls fault for not wanting to be pushed around by Emily.”
He nodded. ”It would be different if they walked up to us and… Politely asked to settle something with those two,” Stormy had to suppress the urge to laugh at the notion. But let’s be honest, “polite” isn’t in Emily’s or Vashti’s vocabularies. And maybe we could have handled the fight better, made less mistakes. But a lot of us were done with magic entirely. I think we did the best we could with what we had.”
”... Me included,” Adora chuckled, as she never intended to put the Trinity Rings on again. ”I’m glad to see that Emily hasn’t changed at all… she’s still a complete bastard, but I, uh, can you keep this between us, okay?”
”What is it? I’m listening.”
”I convinced Gretch- Greta, to come meet me at the boardwalk last night,” Adora began. ”I tried to convince her to leave 8th, but I can tell what happened hurt her. She is in too deep with 8th St.”
”Too deep? What’s stopping her?”
”She claims 8th St is ‘all she knows’ but I told her ass it was all she was familiar with,” Adora began. ”I was trying to get her to realize that she’s better than this. But she said she was going to think about it.”
”I think that’s about all you can do in that situation. Didn’t most of her coven choose it?” Stormy asked.
”I don't know them,” Adora shrugged. ”Who knows what their situation is.”
”I’m sure someone does. If you’re trying to convince some of them to turn their backs on Emily, we could try to ask the others. Some of them have been here longer, after all. Drake and Sloane never left, Luca’s always been close by.”
”Hey now, let’s take a step back,” Adora put her hands up. ”I’m not trying to convince them to turn their backs on Emily; I was trying to help an old friend see the light before someone hurts her.”
”Right. Okay,” He metaphorically backed up. ”You know her better than me. What do you think it would take for her to leave? What did she have before 8th Street?”
”From what she claims, not a whole lot,” Adora awkwardly laughed, ”She saw me, Luca, and… You know who, as her true friends.”
She sighed, ”... She may just have to find out the hard way how bad 8th St is.”
”Hm… Back in the old coven, Emily rounded up Britney’s victims, promising them an outlet for everything that happened,” he said. ”Did Emily offer her something in return for loyalty?”
”None that I am aware of, but to me it sounded like Greta was more pissed at Daisy than anything.” Adora answered.
”I think I’d be angry too, if someone accused me of making apparitions after what we all went through. That lab was expensive, wasn’t it? I remember driving some of us around to find things for it when Greyson couldn’t source anything with his connections. But Daisy isn’t here anymore… I think you’re right,” he concluded. ”I don’t think there’s an easy way to convince her.”
”... Well, sounds like there is nothing we can do about it right now,” Adora sighed. ”But what have you been up to lately? You said you left St. Portwell… Where did you go? go?”
”I moved to Reedsport, half a day from here. I’m a college professor, as of four and a half years ago. History. American, world, and others depending on the year.”
”Sounds… Fun,” Adora said, she was a little bit jealous, she had to admit. ”I work as customer support for some computer company. I spend all day trying to teach oblivious old people how to unfuck their computer… At least they let me work from home.”
”I haven’t ever tried that, working at home. I usually enjoy being there in person, it keeps me distracted. Though, I moved everything to online classes so I could come back. Is it difficult, trying to get through phone calls with people over something like that?”
”Eh, it’s annoying,” Adora shrugged. ”... It works best for my situation. That's what matters to me.”
”That’s always the important part,” he said, grateful she didn’t notice that he mentioned being distracted. ”I take it you don’t get out much, because of that?”
”I’m…” Adora trailed, ”... A homebody.”
”Mm. That must be perfect, then,” he says.
”I wouldn’t say its perfect…” Adora said, before throwing back up her walls. ”... But, it works.”
There was an awkward silence.
”... I just realized we haven’t ordered anything.”
”...Right. I forgot we were here for a reason,” he chuckled. ”I’ve never ate here before, I hope it’s good.”
Interactions: None
The Boardwalk > Sloane's Apartment.
Amara liked to tell herself she could take on anything that life had to throw at her. Mundane life? Manageable. Armed combat? Just had to keep your head down and your eyes open. Solving a murder mystery? Well, she had help for that.
But after that tragedy of a fight a few days ago, with those punks that made Britney’s problem everyone’s problem, She came to the conclusion that this was going to be a challenge. The coven wasn’t really a coven anymore. Hell, it wasn’t even organized. Auri wasn’t experienced enough with this like Ashley was. And Ashley might’ve been a nepotistic ass at times, but at least she could keep people on the straight and narrow. But Ashley wasn’t here, and neither was Daisy. So Auri had to fill those shoes.
And Amara’s memories hadn’t gone so far to hell that she forgot how she contributed back in the day. If no one else was going to step up, then she’d fill the shoes herself. And, she thought, maybe she could help Auri with that.
And that started by taking some initiative. After asking Auri for a few phone numbers, she dialed the first one on her list. After a few rings, someone answered.
”… H-hello?” Adora answered.wered.
”Adora? Remember me? It’s Amara, from the shitshow at Kari’s house a few days ago?”
”… Describe yourself,” Adora began. ”My memory ain’t that good.”
”Bitch who made plans back in the old coven? Whole army of ghosts for an abstraction?” She explained. ”You and I worked together a few times back then.”
”… I meant what you looked like, goofball.” Adora laughed. ”Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t remember you. The Coven gave me a lot to forget.”
She awkwardly laughed before she added, ”… But, from the way you’re talking, you’re definitely one of us. So how can I help you?”
”After what happened, I figured it would be a good time to try and get things into some kind of working order. So I’m calling around, touching base with people about things. Trying to help make everything easier, y’know?”
”Sure,” Adora began. ”… Do you want to meet in person?”
”If you don’t mind, yeah,” Amara said. ”Doesn’t matter much to me where.”
”I was just hanging out with Stormy,” Adora said. ”I’m not too far away from the boardwalk. Is that good?”
”Yeah, I’ll be there in… A bit. On my way.”
”I’ll be there chilling, take your time,” Adora answered. ”See you soon.”
Adora was sitting at the bench, staring at the waves, hands in her pockets and a hoodie up. She was blissfully unaware that Amara’s greatest desire was her yams.
Amara walked down the boardwalk in sweatpants and a light gray hoodie. The boardwalk felt odd to her. In that strange area between familiar and foreign, where a lot of things seemed to find themselves these days. There weren’t many people out, with the days getting shorter and the weather getting colder, so Adora wasn’t very difficult to spot.
Amara walked up to her, hoping she didn’t scare the girl off by doing so. ”Didn’t keep you waiting too long, did I?”
”Oh no, not at all,” Adora said, ”I hardly have anything going on, anyhow”
She gave the spot next to her a few pats. ”… Have a seat.”
Amara nods and falls into a seat on the bench. ”So, like I said, I’m trying to pitch in around the place. Trying to reconnect some so I can do that. So I’m just gonna ask the hard question and you can reel it back if you don’t feel like answering.”
She paused, and then gently asked, ”Why’d you give the rings to Sloane of all people?”
Adora was silent for a moment.
”… I didn’t,” She succinctly answered. ”’Nessa and Clem did when they left the Coven.”
Adora then shook her head, ”I tried to get ‘im back before all this craziness went down, but Sloane didn’t want to give them up. Probably already lost them.” She shrugged.
Amara didn’t fully remember Vannesa and Clementine. Blurry faces in a mirror that was cracked to hell. ”But there were three of them. You handed yours in?”
Adora just raised her hand, revealing the ring she kept on her finger.
”Well… Okay. That’s a start. Ever try finding the other two? I heard that Sloane lost them.”
”I mean… Where do I fucking start?” Adora laughed, leaning forward and putting her hands on her face. ”St. Portwell is a bigass place - if they’re even in St. Portwell!”
”There are ways, girl,” Amara said, thinking about it. ”I’ve got at least two ways to start. One, I use abstraction to figure it out. The other… Promise not to freak the fuck out?”
”Well, long as you’re not torturing kittens…” Adora chuckled.
”Well…” She began. ”I was in the PRA for most of the last ten years. Quit around a year ago. I knew people that could probably find the rings easier than me… And I could keep them quiet about it.”
Adora smiled.
”... You were expecting me to flip out over that?” Adora scoffed. ”You got the wrong idea about me. Though, I don't trust them.”
She crossed her arms, ”They ruined one of my hoodies.”
”Yeah… They ruin shit. It happens. But they know a lot about paranormal things. I was kind of a big deal, and I never heard about your rings. Not once.”
”... Good, we shouldn’t be airing out all our secrets to the Feds anyhow,” Adora said. Before she signed, ”I’m not sure if I want their help though…”
”If they know I’m the one asking, I’m sure I can get them to mind their own business. I was around before the guy currently running the place was. They take whoever they can get, since they’re always underfunded. That means I had to keep people from doing stupid shit more times than I can count. As long as it’s not someone like Liao or Keagen, I can likely handle them.”
”... I’m still not comfortable with the idea,” Adora answered. ”How about we see what Sloane knows, then we hit up the feds.”
”Yeah, that’s fine if you’d rather do that.”
”... She has me blocked.”
20 minutes ago, Amara shot Sloane a few messages, asking if she was free for some in-person conversation. She made sure to phrase it as “coven business” and “proactive planning,” which was neither a lie nor different from Amara’s idea of the whole thing. Sloane was allegedly the last person to know the whereabouts of the rings, after all.
An elevator ride with Adora later, she knocked on Sloane’s front door.
”... You told her I was coming, right?” Adora asked.
”Well yeah.”
A moment later, announced by the sound of a series of deadbolts being unlocked, Sloane opened the door. She was dressed bizarrely casual for herself, wearing an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt from the Halloween Festival, her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. There seemed to be a small, thin streak of paint on the edge of her tightening jawline as her tired eyes looked from Amara to Adora then back to Amara.
“You didn’t say she was—whatever, come in,” said Sloane with a huff, her eyes rolling as she turned to lead the two into her penthouse’s living room. A silver platter with a porcelain teapot , two cups, a saucer of cream, a few cubes of sugar, and a handful of tiny sandwiches made with smoked salmon and cream cheese sat on her coffee table. Tea for two. Two. Not three, two. Sloane glared at it. “Have a seat wherever. Help yourselves. Just…just…just give me a second.”
Sloane loudly sighed and stormed off to the kitchen. Her practice of having “proper hosting etiquette” echoed down the hall—the rattling of condiment bottles on the door of the fridge, a quiet “shit”, the opening and shutting of cabinets and cupboards, the hissing of a tap, and the clicking of a stove followed by a whoosh of flames.
”Huh… I thought that second text went through,” Amara said, checking her phone after Sloane stepped away.
”Oops. Forgot to hit send.”
Adora facepalmed.
Sloane returned with an opened bag of potato chips and a third tea cup. She carefully set the empty teacup down on the platter, turning the little handle ever so slightly that it lined up more aesthetically with the entire presentation, and then unceremoniously dropped the big bag of chips onto the table next to it, likely smashing up a good chunk of the chips.
“I’m out of bread,” Sloane said matter-of-factly, then poured herself a cup of tea. She sat on the edge of an armchair, looking ready to rush back off to the kitchen the moment she heard the kettle whistle. She gestured to Amara, letting her know it was time to start explaining why she was being bothered. “Well?”
”Like I was saying earlier,” Amara began, sitting down gently across from Sloane. ”I’ve decided to be proactive about the state of the coven. Talking to everyone, fixing the little problems that add up into major ones. First on the list was the Trinity Rings. And you were the one to have them last. Adora thinks discussing that with you was the better idea, so we’re here.”
Adora sat down next to Amara,grabbed the teacup, and sighed, ”... And I was hoping to apologize for my behavior at the second meeting.”
“I believe you owe an apology to Anya, not to me. If anything I found your behavior…typical,” said Sloane.
”... And my actions were not directed at her at all,” Adora narrowed her eyes. ”So, she’s unimportant right now.”
Sloane turned to Amara, “I take it this list has yet to be properly organized? As I’ve already told Adora, the two Trinity Rings given to me were stolen alongside the rest of my collection. If I had any leads or information on where they might be I would have them already.”
”You’ve been sitting on a whole system of leads since your collection was taken,” Amara retorted, blunt and concisely. ”I asked around, to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. The way I heard it, you had more than just the Trinity Rings. You even had mock versions of most of the big name artifacts we all used. You’ve always been meticulous,” She continued. ”So it’s only natural you’d keep everything locked up tighter than the Pit.”
She leaned back in her seat. ”You were robbed, and there’s a pattern when people get robbed. Sometimes it’s as simple as realizing they got in through the window by hitting the latch with a screwdriver. Sometimes the locks can be tripped with a high powered magnet. It’s no different when you’ve got magic involved. So the way you have your vault set up is a clue to how it was breached. You following me?”
“I understand how theft works,” said Sloane, hiding a sneer by taking a sip of tea. “I didn't just have a vault. I had my collection spread out and reinforced by my hexmarks to protect them–at home, at work, at the bank. There was no sign of forced entry, no prints, no hair, no…anything. My hexmarks were gone, but none of the effects had been triggered. If not for the missing artifacts it was as if nobody had been there.”
”Which means whoever was there was the type of person who can one, leave no trace when they rob someone, two, nullify magic in some way, and three, gather up a lot of information,” Amara said, thinking. ”Magic isn’t just raw power. It’s rock paper scissors, attack and counterattack. So the logical jump there is it’s likely you were robbed by multiple people coordinating. How many people knew about your collection before it was taken?”
“Apparently too many,” said Sloane. It wasn’t like some grand secret. A handful of former covenmates had taken up her offer on storing their unwanted artifacts, and many more had refused her but were aware she was asking around. A kettle hissed in the background. “But you’re wrong about magic, Amara. It plays by the rules until suddenly it just doesn’t. Sure, logic would dictate that it was likely a group of people working together, but it’s also possible that it may have been one person working with multiple versions of themselves. Excuse me.”
Sloane returned moments later with another pot of tea. She sat back down in her chair, “Let me ask something before we get ahead of ourselves. Say we get the rings back. Who do you plan on having them?” She gave a dismissive glance towards Adora. “Surely not her?”
”... Oh yes, not the person they belonged to,” Adora rolled her eyes. ”Now, Sloane-y, I know you’re not taking these murders - or even that fiasco at Kari’s house - seriously, but we need every asset we can get right now.”
Sloane choked on her tea. Yeah, she was notorious for not taking things seriously.
Adora narrowed her eyes, ”... Britney - as hard as it is for me to say her name right now - said that the rings are one of the most powerful artifacts in the All-Verse: what good are they sitting around in your house, your job, or where ever, right now?”
”They might not be of any use sitting around in your vault, but that goes for anyone whose hands we keep them out of as well,” Amara said. ”That’s the point of locking them down when they’re not needed, right?”
“Something like that,” muttered Sloane.
Sloane didn’t like the idea of Adora having the Trinity Rings, and she wasn’t the only one: there was a reason Clem and Vanessa had given them to her instead of Adora. Adora couldn’t handle the responsibility. She shutdown in the face of pressure. It was ridiculous that she even had the nerve to bring up Kari’s house—Sloane didn’t recall Adora doing anything to stop 8th Street from overrunning them. The temptation to verbally smack Adora down was enticing, fueled further by her having the nerve to call Sloane “Sloaney”, but there was something holding her back. An annoying, filthy four-letter-word: tact.
“You two make a fair point. We need every asset we can get, and we need to keep them out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them,” said Sloane. She gently set down her cup of tea, held her palm out, and stared blankly at Adora. “Give me your ring.”
”... Hell. No.” Adora sharply responded.
Amara… Laughed. This didn’t surprise her.
“Calm down, you’ll get it back. But with it I can remake my Counterfeit which will destroy the previous one. An asset for us, less useful toys for our thieves,” said Sloane. She curled back her fingers, closing her hand. “Or is that not what you want?”
”Would you be able to make three of them, to fake the whole set?”
“Not quite. Well, not always,” said Sloane. “Again, magic doesn’t always do what you think it should.”
Adora was silent for a moment. Before she sighed, ”... How long will it take?”
“Long enough that we should probably order an actual lunch,” said Sloane, frowning at the untouched sandwiches. “So? I’ll even pay.”
”I can pay half if you’re gonna insist on it,” Amara said. ”And I figure that since we’ll be here that long, we can talk about what else needs to be unfucked in this town.”
”I just ate so you don't have to worry about me,” Adora shrugged. ”The list of St. Portwell’s problems is so long that we’ll all be old ladies by the time we make some headway.”
“You two can talk, just keep it down,” said Sloane, putting down her phone after quickly ordering some Indian food for the three of them. Despite what Adora said, she’d definitely want some once she smelled the garlic naan. “I’ll need to concentrate. And I’ll need that ring.”
Adora sighed as she took the ring off and presented it to Sloane. She took it, then left, then Adora awkwardly smiled at Amara. Before she leaned in and quietly,
”... I didn't want to say it front of her ass,” Adora asked. ”But, do you know any ways to get the Rot out of Luca?”
”…Not off the top of my head,” Amara admitted, quietly. ”I know there are some Agents, capital A, that work solely with sealed Apparitions. Binding them and unbinding them whenever they need, but I’ve never met anyone like that. It’s… It’s not impossible to force an Apparition out of someone, but… We can’t do that with what we have.”
”There has to be a way, something, anything,” Adora threw a hand up, ”I told the lil’ guy I’d do something but I don’t know where to start…”
”Speaking from experience, us paranormals usually do better in groups. It sounds pretentious coming from me, but you can’t really do everything alone. You could try asking some of the more bookish members of the coven. The ones who did all the research back then. Like that guy with the magic hand… I forgot his name.”
”... Jack,” Adora shuddered. ”Is there anyone else? So I can just do a full sweep?”
”Britney. Anya, if she can be bothered. Maybe you could ask Linqian if she has any of Jinhai’s books and promise you’ll treat them right. That’s the best I got.”
”Anya’s an automatic no. I’m certain Linqian still doesn't care for me, and Britney…” Adora shook her head. ”... This is her mess to fix. So best start with her.”
”I don’t think she appreciates me being around, but I can come with, if you prefer that.”
”Sure,” Adora said.
Amara nodded. ”Maybe Britney can tell us a thing or two about 8th St we don’t already know while we’re at it.”
Interactions: None.
On Mellon Collie Hill.
Amara was at Adora's side.
They reached the top of the hill and reached the Stone Altar that rested at the end of the pathway to Mellon Collie Hill. It was a touristy spot where witches met and shit, but now Adora wondered how much of it was bullshit. Legends say it was neutral grounds for witch Covens and other groups in the past, but it had nothing to do with Sycamore far as she could tell. This was a location where Britney suggested that they meet as a sort of symbolic "neutral area" for the two parties to meet. Adora wasn't happy with Britney right now, but she was also the best bet to solving the Luca problem - even though he didn't want her getting involved. Of course, there had to be a way to help Luca before he fucking died.
Once they made it to to the alter, they found Britney. She had a blue bonnet on her head, her skin was moist, and it looked like she just tossed on a grey romper and hauled ass over here... just sitting there on the steps. All by herself, and Adora couldn't look her in the eye. she just turned away as she said,
”... Why are you sitting here by yourself?” Adora shook her head. ”Are you trying to die?”
”Jack's watching over me,” Britney responded. ”You just haven't noticed him yet.”
Amara looked around, through the trees and down the path behind them all. She usually had a good sense about this sort of thing, when it came to getting the lay of the land. But she couldn’t see the edgy fucker anywhere.
”…So, is he gonna show himself or- Oh.” Amara turned back around and saw Jack sitting on top of the stone altar, above and behind Britney. Jack wasn’t there a second ago, so he must’ve been making another one of his stupid entrances. He stood, and dropped down to the ground, landing on his feet with a dull thunk, walking over to the other.
”I saw you two on the way here, we are alone, and no one is searching for us here, that I know of,” he said. Jack was in his usual outfit, with a long wool coat thrown over dark Autumn-appropriate clothes… Did he ever change that style up? Probably not.
Adora kept her arms crossed as she stared at Jack, a scowl on her face. She sighed as she said, ”Let’s get this over with.” She looked up at Britney. ”... We need to help Luca, and you’re, at the moment, the best option to do that - even though you created this mess in the first place.” She rolled her eyes.
”I did, there’s no getting around that,” Britney sighed. ”Let’s cut to the chase… It’s incredibly difficult to force an Apparition to unadjoin from its current host, but there are some ways.”
”... Lemme guess,” Adora put a hand on her hip. ”We don’t have access to those ways.”
Britney nodded her head.
”Typical.” Adora crossed her arms.
”If we had a Black Lux user, they could devise a spell to torture the Apparition out of its host, unfortunately we don’t have one.”
”She’s dead.”
”It is what it is,” Britney shrugged. ”There’s a sort of artifact that can do something similar… but last I heard it fell into The Pit.”
Britney shook her head.
”Thus, we should cross that off as an option.”
”Nothing in magic is truly impossible, though…” Jack trailed off for a second. ”There are other options. More feasible ones. Yellow Lux could, in theory, guard one’s soul against the bond of an Apparition. Black Lux could bind it into something other than Luca. But my understanding is that we have neither in sufficient form.”
”So… Some other artifacts we could look for?” Amara asked.
”Kenshiro and I have been thinking of making trips out of Shimmer to look for artifacts that we know the definitive locations of. But we want to discuss that with Auri first.”
Adora slid her hands into her hoodie pockets. ”That’s swell, but I came out here to talk about helping Luca.” Adora shook her head. ”... Ain’t Stormy a yellow-Adept?”
”I am, but I don’t think I’m that powerful.”
Stormy made his appearance behind everyone, wearing faded jeans and an old gray jacket. ”Got here as soon as I was able. The thing about Apparitions is that they can usually choose to unadjoin themselves to someone, but sealing them is an entirely different subject.”
Adora turned towards Stormy, and grinned, ”... It’s been a long time, Stormy. How have you been?” She chuckled to herself.
”Didn’t we just meet up yesterday?”
”... That was a joke, sweetie,” Adora rolled her eyes.
”That is also true,” Britney said, ”It was… a fucked up thought, but maybe we can goad the Rot into adjoining to something like a rat, or perhaps even a blank homunculus. Most Apparitions would rather be Abscised than Adjoined.”
”The hard part is getting it out, though,” Amara said. ”It’s one thing if we could do that, but we can’t do anything while it’s trapped. And what if the Rot likes being trapped in Luca? Some Apparitions have a preference.”
Adora turned towards Stormy, and asked, ”... Can you make it not like being trapped in Luca?”
”Technically, I could make any Apparition not like being in any host. Phantombane makes Apparitions feel like they’re submerged in lava, burning alive and slowly dying. Back at the festival on the island, Babylon started screaming in agony when she got caught in it,” Stormy explained.
”But… The Rot’s different, somehow. It was winning during that thing with Emily. It got through Luca’s walls and had him right where it wanted, dead to rights and ready to take over. I stopped it, and it just gave in. I don’t think it just “likes” being sealed in Luca. I think Luca is ideal, or outright perfect for what it wants.”
”... So, our only option is to find some type of artifact to get rid of it?” Adora asked, turning to Britney. ”C’mon, Brit, this is your fault. You gotta know something.”
”Right now, we don’t have a lot of options, if I knew one, I would have helped Luca by now..” Britney just shrugged. ”I don’t suggest we go to the Pit under any circumstance. Our only Black-Adepts are dead…”
Adora bared teeth, ”... You’re an ‘expert’-”
”Yet, like Jack said, nothing with magic is truly impossible,” Britney cut her off. ”There is a way. There is always a way.”
”I will name a few. One: We convince Sloane well enough to develop an orange Lux spell capable of producing artifacts of that magnitude, rather than counterfeit versions. Two: We outsource the problem to someone, anyone who comes to mind, capable of acquiring or fabricating an artifact that powerful, or an Adept with appropriate spells. I knew one such Adept long ago, so that may be possible, but I would not count on that.”
Jack continued. ”Three: We find a way to strip Luca of his Emotional Field, which he benefits from through the Rot. By extension, the Rot would be vulnerable to magic that can target it without targeting Luca. If we can access such magic.”
”Most of that sounds damn near infeasible.”
”Who’s this Adept?” Adora asked Jack, uncomfortably shifting in her feet. ”More importantly, will he or she do it without hurting Luca or putting another target on our backs?”
”There are organizations beyond St. Portwell,” Britney noted. ”Like, St. Portwell ain’t the only supernatural hotspot. There’s… LA, Las Vegas, Mirage Springs, Miami, Philly… and so on. It might be a stretch but maybe we can reach out to one of them?”
”Mortimer Zapata. An orange Adept who could create virtually any artifact he wished. In theory, he would never need to even know Luca. Either by name or by meeting him. He works, or worked, by selecting specific materials relative to what he made.”
Jack reached into the collar of his shirt, and pulled out a small prism of something black, connected by a chain of small dark beads. ”I owed him a great deal of paranormal research, in exchange for this once. But that was years ago,” he said, holding it up where the others could see. ”I don’t know if he is still alive, but it would not be difficult to confirm.”
Adora shrugged.
”... Well, what other options do we got right now?” She asked.
”The Army might be able to reach out to other places outside Shimmer, see if there’s any extra-dimensional shit we could exploit. But that might take awhile to get back to us.”
”... The Army?” Adora tilted her head, saying in astonishment before she smacked herself on the forehead. ”Oh, wait, your ghost thing, right.”
”... And I know this might be an unpopular opinion,” Britney added on, staring at Adora. ”But, first and foremost, we should worry about stopping Kar- Father Wolf. It won’t matter if we help him if he just gets axed in the end anyway...” Britney sighed.
”And that won’t matter if the Rot gets him killed,” Stormy cut in. ”And there are already enough lunatics in this city who would love to wring our necks, so what is stopping us from protecting everyone from both?”
”... That is true,” Britney sighed. ”Speaking of lunatics, that reminds me… ” She awkwardly chuckled.
”... I think worrying about one lunatic trying to kill us made me forget about the other group, but Greyson told me that the House of Cards mafia is after us - well, after everyone that participated in Voidy’s sealing…” Britney sighed. ”Like dead, they want us dead.”
Jack and Stormy stared at Britney silently for a moment.
And then Jack sighed, breaking the silence. ”I knew I should have killed them all before the coven disbanded.”
”What?”
”You heard me.”
”I’m not sure if it’s Greyson being… Greyson,” Britney shrugged. ”But, it’d be stupid to blow them off.”
”Who the hell are they again?” Amara asked. ”The big ass artifact hunters? Wait, no that in Arizona… Remind me.”
”I’m fucking lost myself!” Adora laughed.
”... Do you remember Luna Inuoe?” Britney asked.
”Don’t ring a bell,” Adora shrugged.
”Well, the House of Cards is a mafia that operates out of one of the casinos downtown,” Britney explained. ”They were led by some lady named Phantasia Vorpal who had a hell of a hard-on for us back in the day, but Voidy saved her life back in the day, and she harbors some fondness for the bastard. Though she got iced the other day, I’m unsure if they are still after us - we have to assume they are….” Britney shook her head.
”They were the group that Luna sold us out to - Layla’s selling us out, too… which is one more person who’s pushing someone else’s agenda when we’re fucking getting murdered.” Britney ended it with a huff.
”You have got to be fucking kidding me. What are we doing about Layla, then? Is this a double-mole thing? Are we waiting to kick her out? Using her to lure us to them? What’s happening?” Amara asked, more than a little tense about being spied on.
”Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to talk with Auri about it,” Britney shook her head. ”If it was up to me, she would have hit the door by now…”
”Look, fact is, if what you’re saying is true,” Adora shook her head. ”We need to get rid of her soon as possible. No if’s, and’s, or butts.”
”When we went to search Kari’s house,” Stormy said. ”We found Luna spying on us in the trees. I had to keep Drake from vaporizing her. They have more than just one person keeping tabs on us.”
”We need to cut the dead weight. It’s one thing if someone in the coven can’t contribute a lot, but it’s a whole other ballgame if they’re actively working against us. That’s not good for the whole “let’s save our lives” thing. Get her, and anyone else we think has an ulterior motive against us, and toss them, in my once-professional op-”
”No.”
Amara stopped and looked at the edgelord. ”What?”
”Let’s assume, for just a moment, that Layla is not the only “traitor” in the coven.” Jack’s whole demeanor seemed to shift, at the notion of booting people. ”Linqian, Anya, Drake. Or even our “leader,” Auri. Anyone you can think of who might have a reason to defect, I don’t care. Then what? Do we throw half of our surviving members to the wolves? Let them fend for themselves when we are already spread thin? Layla will have nowhere to turn to, other than a criminal organization that only cares for her abstraction, if we remove her.”
He crossed his arms and looked around at the others. ”Should we vote Auri out of the coven because she has a life in the mundane world? Linqian, because she cares more for avenging Jinhai than solving a murder?”
”I think you’re getting ahead of yourself just a little, there.”
”Jack, I get what you mean, but let’s use our heads here,” Britney poked hereself on both sides of her forehead. ”There is a world of difference between Linqian wanting to avenge her brother, and Auri having a life outside the Coven, and someone actively working against us. Yes, there are probably other traitors, but we’ll be better off without the liabilities.”
”Yeah I mean…” Adora shrugged. ”... It seems like Layla picked her people. And if it don’t work out for her? That’s her problem.”
Adora gave Jack a narrow look as she said, ”Fuck around and find out, that’s what I say.”
”We are playing a dangerous game by making those choices… Fine,” He relented. ”I won’t object, but I do not approve of this.”
Adora rolled her eyes before she turned to Stormy and asked, ”So what happened to Luna? Did you and Blackmore run her ass off or what?”
”She ran off on her own when 8th Street decided to make a move on us. I don’t know where she is now.”
”Hopefully she just fucked off,” Adora shrugged. ”Any other information ya’ll holding onto? Any other burning questions?”
Jack had something on his mind, actually. ”We haven’t had the chance to do this, but Greenwood suggested an alliance between them and us after I thought they stole Sully’s Chalice.”
”Greenwood…” Adora mused. ”... They seemed cool.”
”I mean,” Britney shrugged. ”We can use as many friends as we can right now.”
”I told them I would make it happen, if Auri or the others wanted. I’ve been keeping contact with them when I have the opportunity.”
”Before we forget,” Amara interjected. ”We need to talk about 8th Street. Britney, you know more about them than me. I know a lot about one guy in particular, so before we leave, why don’t we get each other up to speed- I can’t remember everything about them. Some of them grouped up because they were pissed at you, right?”
Britney sighed.
”... Yes, but I don’t have a whole wealth of information on them, unfortunately. I know the people who were in the Old Coven, and that’s it,” Britney answered. ”I do know who the former third-in-command was for them, Lynnette Domingeuz.”
”Doesn’t ring a bell. I’m listening.”
”We can hit her up and see what she knows.”
”Can we? They didn’t exactly seem willing to play nice the other day,” Amara noted.
”I can be on standby, or be there in person. If they try anything,” Jack offered.
”... Lynette isn’t with 8th Street anymore,” Britney flatly noted. ”And she’s my girl. We can trust her.”
”If you’re sure. Just don’t go alone. I wouldn’t put it past them to tail her after she defected. Or quit. Whichever.”
”I’ll have Auri there with me,”
”Good. Good.. Not trying to make a big deal out of it. Just…” She trailed off for a second. ”Dealt with plenty of assholes like them. Back in the PRA.”
”You can come if you like,” Britney said, ”I hung out with Lynette plenty of times, and I haven’t seen a single member of 8th Street.”
”Then…” Adora shrugged. ”We know what to do next.”
Adora nodded her head, as everyone went their separate ways.
Lynette Domínguez.
Interactions: None.
Downtown St. Portwell.
Night had fallen.
Adora's day began with feeling lonely, followed by hitting Stormy for lunch, questioning Sloane about the Trinity Rings, brainstorming ways to help Luca, and meeting with the previous third in command of 8th Street. At the very least, Adora doesn't feel lonely anymore! The three rode with Britney in her giant Sedan - rich bastard. Adora threw her hoodie up as she climbed out of the car. She tailed behind Amara as Britney led the way through the park downtown. They walked over to the section with the outdoor chess tables and chairs... and sitting there was Lynette Domínguez. She wore jeans, a blue hoodie, a New York Knicks baseball cap, and... some timbs. Aggressively, New York, if Adora had never seen it herself. But Adora didn't know much about the gal; she was glued to Britney's hip in the Old Coven. They hung out a few times, and Lynette ain't change in appearance much - still got her poofy ass hair.
Lynette smiled as they walked up.
"... Hello, hello," Lynette said before she looked up at Britney. "Big butt!"
”Lynette!” Britney said as she walked over and hugged Lynette; after a moment, she released her.
"You know, I thought it was a little late for our usual chess matches, Big Butt," Lynette laughed.
”We're not playing chess tonight, Lynette.”
"Aw." Lynette feigned disappointment. "Though, we never had spectators before... Amara, Adora, it's been so long... I'm glad to see you, especially Adora. How have you two been?" She laughed.
”I’ve been okay,” Adora shrugged, standing over the chess table.
”I’m afraid I don’t remember you, if we’ve met before.” Amara took a seat across from Lynette at the chess table. She could, in theory, whip Lynette’s ass at it if they had the time. But alas, they didn’t.
”Have we?”
“Wow, rude,” Lynette laughed. “We were both in the Old Coven… How could I forget ‘General Amara’?”
”I dunno,” she shrugged. ”Probably the way I forget things all the time.” Not that anyone knew just how much she was forgetting things…
Yet.
”Anyway- We came by to talk. You were in 8th Street for a while. Britney told us you’re out now.”
“Yes, and yes,” Lynette said. “I was the… ‘third-in-command’ of the 8th Street Coven for awhile. Had a lot of good times with them… I kept Emily and Vashti in line. At least before they went full supervillain!” She laughed.
“... What do you need to know? And why?”
”We need to know about them,” Amara said. ”Things we can use against them. How their magic works. Where they go to lick their wounds. Whatever you can tell us. And we need that because, well, I’m pretty sure you were there when they damn near killed us all recently.”
Lynette was silent momentarily as she leaned forward and put her hands on her face.
“... Now, Amara, are you accusing me?” Lynette simply asked. “Because I have nothing to do with whatever Emily does with the 8th Street Coven. And as long as she and Vashti are in charge, I want nothing to do with them either.”
”If you weren’t involved with that,” Amara pressed. ”Then you have to at least know about it. Something like that doesn’t go unnoticed when you hang around them. I’m not here to throw blame around, but we need to know what we’re dealing with.”
“Again,” Lynette shook her head. “I’m more than willing to help you all out. But I don’t hang out with them anymore. The only people I still have contact with in 8th are Emily’s little sisters - now the new third in command. This is the first time I heard about Emily attacking ya’ll… but it isn’t out of character for her.”
”Then do you know anything about her sisters’ abstractions?” Amara asked, not letting up. ”Anything at all that you know about them helps. The more we know about them, the easier it is to put up a fight if they try that kind of thing again.”
“Well, her one sister, Miranda, is a healer,” Lynette began. “She has a super strong regenerative factor. I saw her regrow her arm in seconds one time. She’s next to impossible to kill. As for her other sister… Jacqueline….”
Lynette paused for a moment, rubbing her chin. “She has an Agent that let her shoot lasers; each has a different effect. Freeze. Heat. Teleport to different locations. Et cetera.”
”That is a weird abstraction to have, but alright… Some sort of artifact? Apparition she’s got sealed?”
“Sealed Apparition,” Lynette answered.
”Cool, cool… Are Emily’s sisters as batshit psychotic as her?”
“No, in fact, they are not,” Lynette answered. “They are sweet girls… Like less melanated sisters to me. They are just blind to how horrible and toxic Emily is.”
Amara’s eyes narrowed substantially at the sound of someone in the Reed genepool being a functioning member of society. ”How does that add up? Third in command, not aware of the shit Emily gets up to?”
Lynette gave her a blank look.
“Now look, Amara,” Lynette began. “You asked me to come out here to help you out, but all you seem to do is second-guess what I’m telling you.” Lynette narrowed her eyes.
“... It's obvious you don't trust me. And still think I’m with 8th St despite that phase of my life being over. So, I’m done talking to you. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
”... Look, Amara, let me do the talking,” Britney stepped in. ”This is going nowhere.”
“Awwww,” Lynette smiled. “Big butt coming in for the clutch, how can I help you?”
”Look, let me start from the top, and explain everything,” Britney began, putting her hands up, taking a brief moment to pause to explain this. ”It starts at the Halloween Festival with Lila, Lynn, and Emily and her sisters - now, it’s beyond me why they were engaging with Emily in the first place. Still, Emily said some fucked up, bigoted bullshit, and Lila flew off the handle and beat the tar out of her.”
“I heard about that,” Lynette said with a laugh. “I would have made a video!”
”Lila humiliated Emily and George, and now they’re back for blood… We went to Kari’s house, and they ambushed us. They had this giant ass undead monster which fell out of a portal. Emily and Vashti, Carol, and George were there too. This chick with an Aegis Piercer, this Asian girl, and then this fine-ass guy… wish he wasn’t with 8th, hehe....”
Britney laughed before awkwardly tugging at her romper.
”They threw up this ice fortress in the background. It was… kinda crazy, so I didn’t get to see everything that happened, but they opened a portal, and zombies fell out of it. Then they threw up this pink mist it made everyone see things they made them happy...”
Adora winced, awkwardly grabbing her other arm, and shuffled in her feet.
”What can you tell us about 8th Street?” Britney said. ”How can we beat them? How can we stop them? Because I’ll be damned if they hurt Lila...”
“Hmmm….” Lynette paused for a moment. “Well, a lot, but since ‘General Amara’ over here wants intel about them, I’ll start with the members. You know about Emily, Vashti, Carol, and George, so I don’t need to review them. I have zero idea about the pink mist, the chick with the Aegis Piercer, or that fine boul - but if you want me to get his number, I can get it from Miranda and Jacqueline.” Lynette whispered the last part, and Britney gave her a thumbs up.
“The undead monsters were created by a woman named Nadine King… you may remember her from the Old Coven - I’m not saying she was a member, but we ran her out of town when she came trying to scam people after the Stygian Snake. Emily plucked her up, and, for some reason, she works with 8th Street. She’s their resident Necromancer. She’s dangerous and cunning… might be among their most powerful members.”
”That tracks. That thing smelled nasty.”
”... Sure it wasn’t your upper lip?” Adora laughed.
“Most undead things typically do, ‘General Amara,’” Lynette cracked a grin. “The Asian girl is Maya… She can shoot sand and manipulate sound, but not all that bright. She is easily tricked, distracted, and-or manipulated. She usually doesn’t follow instructions, but don’t underestimate her. Usually, she hangs around her bestie Phoebe… who was probably the one that threw up the ice wall. Green-Red Adept, she can create and transform into ice. She may seem stupid like Maya, but it’s all an act. She’s way smarter than she appears.”
”Okay. Good to know, I’m guessing they’d stick close in a fight.”
”I didn’t see them together,” Britney noted.
“She’s like a… tallish, skinny, black girl, she has yellow and green dreads,” Lynette explained. “Definitely couldn’t miss her - but to my knowledge, Maya and Phoebe have some joint casts, I just forgot what they were. Oh yeah, Greta and Brianna are also in 8th, and, uh, yeah…. There’s Cynthia… she’s, um, a monster from the Pit that someone else took, turned into their personal attack dog, and we convinced her to turn against her previous “pack leader,” and I still have nightmares about it!“
She awkwardly laughed, “Cynthia is a man-eating monster; she’s strong, fast, tough, and worst of all she’s capable of attuning her Emotional-Field to your abstractions, which can make them half effective. She tanked a full-forced punch from George before… but she also has a perfect sense of smell - before I forget! Glamour is applied to her, so she typically appears as a lil’ black girl with a blonde afro. Cynthia is extra dangerous when the other members of 8th are backing her up.”
”I didn’t see her out there with Emily,” Britney noted.
“So she was probably guarding Greta and Brianna like she typically does,” Lynette raised a finger. “There’s Stanley - well, we call him Lee - he’s a white guy that's average heightened, well-built, has a golden gauntlet on his left hand. The Hero’s Gauntlet.”
”Heard of that…” Britney mused.
“So, you should know everything he can do, Big-Butt,” Lynette smiled.
”He can create different weapons, swords, a bow and arrow that explodes into fire, a dagger that can summon powerful winds, a hammer that can cause an earthquake, and a barrier that reflects any magical projectiles…” Britney explained to Amara.
“There’s Malik, the tall black guy with the glasses… last I heard, he can shoot stars and fly,” Lynette said. “Then… last member I know about is Annabelle Heart, an Agent that could control birds and teleport - but… I saw her recently, and um….”
Lynette awkwardly laughed.
”What’s up?” Britney asked.
“She’s cursed,” Lynette said. “Something has happened to her; I’m not sure what.”
”I’m not really a curse expert,” Amara said. ”What happened?”
“Not sure,” Lynette shrugged. “All I was told was that 8th got into a fight with Greenwood, and Annabelle got cursed in the crossfire.”
”That’s rough,” she commented, without any sympathy. ”But… That’s useful to know. All of this helps, thanks.” “You’re welcome,” Lynette said. “I know we got off on the wrong foot, but maybe things can be better from here on… do you know when the next Coven meeting is? I may go.”
”No idea. But we can ask Auri.”
”I mean, I don’t think it should be that long,” Britney shrugged. ”We have some type of a lead, and for once, we didn’t get knee-deep in some shit but….” Britney loudly yawned.
”I’m getting sleepy,” Britney began.
“Do you want my number, in case you have any other questions, ‘General Amara’?” Lynette cracked a grin.
”Sure.”
Lynette stuck her hand out, “Phone, please.”
Amara reached into her pocket, pulled her phone out, and handed it to Lynette.
“Well…” Lynette asked the group, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”with?”
Adora turned to Amara, then Britney.
”Nothing I can think of,” She said with a shrug. ”Thank you.”
Then Lynette turned to Britney,
“Big Butt…” Lynette laughed. “Would you like to play a game of Chess?”
”Another time, I’m sleepy, I’m not sure if I should take another shower or not...” Britney said, before she turned to Amara and Adora. ”Let’s go.”
Luna came crashing through the double doors, then the back doors, holding her phone in her hand. It still had the text she received from Valencia, calling for an ‘emergency meeting’. Luna saw most, if not all of the heads of the Family had gathered, speaking in hushed tones over a room covered in white cloths, and a gaping hole in the vent.
“You better explain this shit or-”
Luna froze, noticing the cloths covered something…
Her stomach twisted in a knot, eyes glancing around the heads of the Family for anyone to give her an in, an explanation. None returned her beseeching eyes, until she finally turned to Valencia, at the head of the room.
“Val, the fuck is going on?”
Valencia glanced at Luna, gave a long sigh, and gestured her head towards the cloth. The one in the center of the room.
“See for yourself.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed, before pursing her lips, and approaching the table. She pulled the cloth back, and sucked in a sharp breath, visibly recoiling. It was Phantasia Vorpal, cold as ice.
“Fuck.” She glared hot at Valencia. “The fuck happened?”
Valencia stared cooly back, before lolling her head to the side, in the direction of Mr. Roosevelt, who was still dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief.
“Mr. Roosevelt heard the whole thing. Apparently, Dollhouse came sniffing around, determined to box Mother in. Mother, as tradition would serve, refused, attempted to flee, fight back… Hell, it doesn’t really matter.
“They killed her, Luna. Her and four of our men. In cold blood.”
“W-well we gotta fuckin’ do somethin’.” Luna exclaimed, but Valencia simply raised up a hand.
Instead, Valencia turned her attention to the group gathered around Phantasia Vorpal - Mother Cards. She placed a hand on the table, addressing the heads of the Family.
“You know why I’ve called you here. In the absence of our Mother, we are in need of a new Boss.”
Isabella Blackthorne, hat lowered to her chest, side-eyed Valencia. “By way of hierarchy, you are in place to become the new Boss, Valencia.”
Valencia nodded, crossing her arms before regarding each face in the group. “I need to hear it from each of you. I doubt I’ll have to wrestle any of you for the chair, but let’s follow Mother’s formalities…”
A new voice spoke up, growling as he chewed on a cigarette. “Let’s just be fuckin’ honest about this.” He tossed back his blond hair and pointed a hand at Valencia. “This has always been your power play, hasn’t it? Lying in wait - hell, you probably caused Mother to die, huh?!”
“Silence!” A voice on the other side of Valencia spoke, a white-haired man with ice in his eyes. He lifted a hand, and a tiny speck of darkness appeared in front of the blond man, tugging him dangerously into its infinite depths. “You will not speak to my wife, the new Boss of the House of Cards, like that, Lorenzo.”
Lorenzo grumbled, sweating a bit, before he held up his hands in waved surrender. “Fine, fine.”
The speck threatening Lorenzo disappeared, and the white-haired man lowered his hand. His eyes slid over to Valencia. “Please continue, Mother.”
Isabella spoke up next. “You have my vote, Mother.”
Luna grimaced, before she nodded her head. “I’d follow you anywhere, heir of the Cards.”
Other voices rang out. “Here, here!” “I’ll follow Mother!” Before every head and capo had, in turn, pledged their allegiance.
Valencia nodded, her face serious and resolute. Her eyes glanced to Isabella. “Isabella, I’m promoting you to consilierge. Please serve me well.”
Isabella nodded.
Vanelcoa then turned her gaze across the room of capos, before her eyes settled on Luna. “Luna, step forward.”
Luna did as she was asked, sweating a bit. Valencia ignored it, staring through half-lidded eyes. “You have a little Boss in your head, loyal to our cause. Your plans and advice always hit their mark. I’m promoting you to UnderBoss.”
Luna’s jawdropped, before she forced a neutral gaze on her face, and nodded. “I’ll serve you well, Mother.”
Valencia nodded back, before tilting her head back and sighing. “Someone get me the orphan. Layla needs to be informed.”
A deadly glint appeared in her eyes.
“We have… much to plan…”
Valencia Vorpal
Saturday, 10:00 AM
The Hearts Club Casino Interactions: None.
Layla found herself standing in front of none other than the Hearts Club Casino, the lights shining bright, promising a place where you could forget your pain.
Yeah. Definitely something she could use. Though she wasn't sure how effective gambling would be compared to the itch growing in her mind, the sting of withdrawal from Mr. Devola's medicine.
Trying to wipe away the haggard look from her eyes, Layla entered the establishment. She wore a blue sweater dress, attempting to look put together for the meeting. Attempting to look like she simply wasn't just trying to keep her head above water.
A hostess approached her. “Miss Hyacinthus?”
“Y-yes?”
“Right this way, please. You're expected.”
Layla was led past the shiny slot machines ringing with enticing jolliness, some promising fantasies, others promising fortunes. She could see the enraptured of the guests, well-dressed and enthralled with every pull. Layla was brought up to the second floor, where she could see guests wholly focused on card games, hollering with glee if they happened to win. Finally, Layla was taken to the third floor, where a yawning, long hallway with bold colors beckoned her. The hostess opened a side door, and Layla saw an empty conference room.
“Have a seat. They'll be with you shortly.” The hostess said, before softly closing the door behind her.
Layla blinked, before she walked up to one of the leather swivel chairs in the center of the large oval, and took a seat. Several minutes of biting her nails went by, before the conference door opened again.
In walked Valencia, white hair swept back, earrings gleaming and suit looking trim. two body guard in matching dark suits, lapels shining, took up the rear. They stood behind Valencia as she took a seat opposite of Layla.
“Layla… You look like shit.” Valencia stated plainly, head tilted at the girl.
Layla narrowed her eyes. “Things haven't been easy for me, thanks.”
Valecnia's head rolled slightly, eyes never leaving the girl, before she leaned back in her seat, head propped on a palm.
“Phantasia's dead.”
Layla sat there, blinking a few times, the shock evident on her face. When words failed her, Valencia continued.
“She was found shot in the back of the Apothecary. Which means I've taken over the family business, and your business.”
Valencia looked bored at her, inspecting a nail as she spoke. “Now, I don't care much for revenge, or magic-stuff. It's not what makes us money, or at least hasn't for many years…”
“But…” Valencia leaned forward. “I'm nothing if not loyal to my Mother, and that means seeing out her vision to the end. What she wanted for you…
“She didn't want you involved with the Void Hard thing, but I beg to differ. I think we can use you, and I think you want to be used, yes?”
Layla blinked in silence, before slowly nodding her head.
“Good. Now, nothing’s for free, but I think you’ll be willing to make the trade if all goes well... Meanwhile, here's what I want you to do. It's essential for phase two. And who knows, you might get lucky. Lucky enough that we don't have to get things messy…”
It’s midday and Tayla sat in the Nautical Cafe across the street from Coastal Harbor Mall. It’s the day after 8th Street attacked them. She took the day off to handle business. Earlier that day she met with Greyson to kill him. That didn’t go as planned, but his death is still the first thing on her list if shit goes wrong. For now, she’s meeting Tsukino. She set the date and time the day before after they flew away from the conflict.
She had a plain bagel with plain cream cheese. The food here was big and she definitely wouldn’t finish it, but she hadn’t eaten that morning so call her eyes bigger than her stomach. She paired it with hot green tea. She sent a text to Tsukino saying she was there and waiting.
It was then Luna walked up from behind, dressed well for the occasion in an elegant black dress with matching silver adornments. It was always best to be well-dressed for situations like these, and Luna was no stranger to business.
She took the seat opposite of Tayla, placing her phone back in her clutch and setting it to the side on the table, “Good to see you again, Tayla.”
She blew air through her teeth, recounting how they met last. In the middle of a shit storm of a fight. “I hope you’re well. Not sore or hallucinating still from the fight, I trust?”
Though she didn’t have any food, she had a small bottle of water with her, which she took a sip from. “You got a look in your eye. What’s on your mind?”
Tayla gave Tsukino a once over. Girl’s dressed like she’s on a date. Tayla was still in her overalls she wore when out on the boat, a black long sleeve shirt, a baggy white jacket, and her headphones. Nothing special. She made a show of touching the side of her headphones twice to ‘pause’ whatever she’d been listening to.
She broke off a piece of her bagel and spread cream cheese on it, taking a bite of it. She ate slow, her stomach never did well when she rushed, before she answered.
“Greyson’s been into some serious shit lately and I want to reveal that to the group. The original plan was to have you out him for his shit by saying you’ve been stalking him. Drake, Sully, Stormy, and I would’ve been the ones to say that it’s plausible considering how you were in the tree watching us, but things have changed. It’s a lot more dangerous than I thought and we need as many people aware as we can get. More than just Father Wolf is out to get us.” She paid close attention to her thoughts, hoping that what she’s about reveal wouldn’t backfire.
“What do you know about the Dollhouse?”
Luna stared for a moment, before her lip twisted in a frown. She tried to keep it off her face, but her mind immediately became a hurricane of raw emotion. Quickly, thoughts flashed in her mind, retro in style, but still fresh. A cellphone in her hand, reading about an ‘emergency meeting.’ Flying like a mad women to her second home. And, in the dimly lit back rooms of the House of Cards' sanctuary, white cloths, blood and bodies strewn about, all cold as ice. Screaming at a short-cut white-haired woman about ‘what the fuck’ was going on. Pulling aside one of the cloths to see none other than a woman with dark hair, who no longer had her signature hat. A woman Luna knew as Phantasia Vorpal. How the white-haired woman, Valencia, explained how forced negotiations had gone wrong. Horribly wrong.
And Dollhouse was to blame.
“...I know they’re a bunch of bastards that think they control the city.” Luna said in a cold tone, her voice laced with venom. “What about them?”
Tayla bit into her bagel to quickly hide her shocked expression. Phantasia was dead? But she just met with Greyson a week ago. Holy shit. The Dollhouse works fast. They need to come up with a way to get both her and Greyson off their roster of cronies.
“Greyson’s in hot water with them. They think he can restore our memories of where the Sycamore Tree is, but he can’t. He’s stalling for time. Once they find out he’s useless, they plan to kill him. Don’t get me wrong, normally I wouldn’t care, but I’ve seen the truth of him. And try as I might, I’m not heartless enough to leave him hanging. Can you help us?”
There was a long pause before Luna leaned on her elbows, resting her head on interlaced fingers. Her eyes had a hungry glint to them. “You know you’re proposing suicide, or mutually assured destruction… right?”
More thoughts raced through her head. The thought that she was being used for her connections. The sick pleasure in feeling used by her objects of affection - they didn’t know she’d happily die for the sake of the Coven.
She felt sick to her stomach going toe-to-toe with the Dollhouse, and she knew Valencia would need coaxing to get on board, but this suicide mission would be do-able with everyone’s help. Dollhouse was the monster that would eat them all up eventually. That’s how power-hungry madmen operated.
Tayla ate her bagel again. The chewing helped her school her expression from hearing Tsukino’s thoughts. She got pleasure from being used for the Coven’s sake? She’d die for them? That’s fucked. She’s seen fucked shit during her stint with the Wolfpack. This isn’t like any of that, but whatever floats her boat. At least she’s willing, despite feeling nauseous at the thought.
There was just one thing she needed in return for going ahead with this.
“Well… I’m going to be honest with you, it’s fucked you wanna do this. But Greyson is a friend, even if his work is messed up.” She leaned forward a little more, her voice dropping to a whisper. “But I’ll need a favour. Help me make good with the rest of the Coven, and my connections and I will do everything we can to help.”
Her head tilted. ”Deal?”
“I was going to offer that anyway, so deal. I’ll let Greyson know, but don’t do anything towards them yet. We don’t have a solid plan in place on what to do, and I don’t want them tipped off too early. Poking around before we’re ready will raise alarms. Getting you in the Coven won’t matter if they come for all our heads prematurely.”
Luna leaned back, waving her hand dismissively, “Relax, we’ve suffered a heavy lose from those bastards already. Anything we do will be done with at least a hundred hours of planning put into it first.”
Her lips pursed, before her shoulders slumped a bit, and she exhaled a string of curses in Japanese.
“...Alright.” She leaned forward a bit. “I’ll let you in on something I learned. Why going toe-to-toe with ‘em monsters is literal suicide unless we can find a way to counter it.”
Her gaze went cold, eyes sharp as flint. “They got body possessors. All done with the mind, from what my associates said. Nothing you can do about it, either. Like a puppet on strings.”
She leaned back, eyes half-lidded. “Still thinking of a way around it. Otherwise whatever you or I do will result in an untimely death.”
Kinda hard for her to relax when if this all goes belly up, she’s dead and her son will be without a mom. She kept her expression chill. Didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention by seeming distressed. That was harder said than done with Tsukino dropping a massive bomb like them having something that can possess them. What the fuck? She should be safe with the headphones on. Dollhouse assured her nothing can get through. Everyone else is for sure fucked. She broke off a piece of her bagel.
“We lay low. Continue on like we know nothing, then they won’t feel the need to use those possessors. Maybe we’ll find something out about them with the Coven still looking into Kari. A lot of weird shit happened at the house.” She’d gotten some information during the battle. A lot of it was jumbled up and didn’t make much sense to her. Whatever they uncovered in the house will probably be the main topic in the next Coven meeting.
“We’ll worry about that later. For now, let’s work on how I’m going to get you good with the Coven. I can vouch for you all I want, but Drake and Auri didn’t want anything to do with you yesterday. It’ll cause a fight when I bring you next time. We need to give them some type of information to butter them up. I’ve felt your intent with my Lux, but that might be a hard sell. I’m not as good at it as Greyson.”
Luna’s mind burned with a vivid possibility. The Sycamore, sitting around a table. Luna across from Drake, passing over some type of information, and him actually cracking a smile across his stony face.
It was possible. And because it was possible, she wasn't adverse to getting her hands a little dirty.
“There's one way…” Luna started, head tilting slightly as she sat there. “From the visions, it's obvious 8th Street knows something. If I were to get ahold of one of them…the information I could get could prove to be incredibly valuable. Enough for everyone to realize I'm a boon, not a bane.”
Tayla’s eyes widened. She wants to interrogate or infiltrate 8th Street? Considering she fought them yesterday and left running, she’s not sure if that’ll be the best thing to do. Not that she had a better idea, ‘cause anything else she knew would be the things they can’t tell them yet.
“Jesus Christ. And how will you do that without ending up dead? From the way you turned tail yesterday, it doesn’t seem like that’s a good idea.” She held her hand up. “Not to say you running was cowardice. You were outnumbered. That’s why I’m concerned.”
Luna looked at Tayla for a moment, studying her face. Concerned? Was she really… concerned?
A hint of a smile crept on Luna’s face. “I appreciate the concern, but you don't need to worry. This time it would be done proper, with the right firepower.”
She leaned back in her seat, uncapping her bottle to take a sip. “I’ll see if home base can’t figure anything else quietly about Dollhouse. Just intel…”
Her eyes slid over to Tayla. “I’ll do everything I can to help Greyson. He don't deserve it. They're a bunch of-” Her gaze darkened. “-bastards.”
There was a pause, before Luna tilted her head. “Anything else you wanted to get off your chest, Tayla?”
She wasn’t a fan of Tsukino poking around or about her hitting 8th Street, but if she can get some intel, why not.
[color=DE198A]“You’re cracked,” she said with a straight face. [color=DE198A]“Be careful with both 8th Street and Dollhouse. I’ll let you know when Greyson and I have a plan. We gotta figure out how we’ll tell the gang about Dollhouse. Once you get info on 8th Street, hit me up. We’ll plan on how to present what you found out.”
She read Tsukino before she asked her if she wanted to get anything off her chest. “Nope,” she answered, short and sweet. “We’re done for now.” There’s not a thing about her she wanted to share with Tsukino. There’s already three people in the Coven that know too much; one she volunteered information to, one went rooting through her head, and the other had the unfortunate opportunity of meeting her ex. That’s more than enough.
Luna nodded, before she gently stood. “It's been a pleasure, Tayla. I appreciate your help. And your trust.”
She picked up her clutch and her bottle, before half-turning away. “Let's keep in touch, yes?” Before she waved, and walked away.
Tayla waved goodbye and watched her go, wondering if this would all work out or if they were working themselves to an early grave.
An unmarked letter with elegant cursive arrives at Edict's door.
You have been cordially invited to Phantasia Vorpal's Funeral To be held on November 4th, 2:00PM, at Saint John Baptist Church, St. Portwell
Edict, still unsure of his footing in the situation involving his Mafiosa counterpart, opens the bespoke letter with a feeling of fear and dread. Unfolding the paper, revealing the contents, his hand trails up to his mouth as he's brought back to the conversation with Luis. "Dollhouse doesn’t jump to the nuclear option unless strictly necessary…"
Thats what Luis had said... So... ”Phantasia... What the fuck happened over there?" He took a deep breath, folded the letter back up and stuck it in his pocket before heading for his phone. Calls needed to be made. Condolences.
The House of Cards Edict Devola and the Devola Family
November 4th, Saturday, 2:00 PM
Saint John Baptist Church In collaboration with @AtomicEmperor
The clouds were a dull, grey mist overhead, hung heavy and low. At the Saint John Baptist Church, black vehicles, slicked with rain, filled the stalls in front of the church. In the back, where the cemetery spread out with its pegs of stone and mounds of earth, a small group had gathered in front a casket, held by ropes over a freshly dug plot.
Valencia stood there, black suit and a thin veil over her face, as the priest began talking about the afterlife, and giving the deceased their funeral rites. A man with white hair held her umbrella, Isabella Blackthorn stood on her other side, Luna Inoue a bit behind her, and many of the Cards men loosely clung together, heads bowed though no tears were shed.
Edict was almost sure it was a plot to get him away from Britney as a confirmation, but when it wasn’t just Valencia there, he was a bit more sure that the worst had really come to pass. He had been under the impression from the getgo that Luis only wanted to set them straight: It was actually a bit surprising that he hadn’t sent anyone to represent their interests and show face, which only made Edict feel more at odds with what had happened.
But he knew how to mourn, and arrived much like the others draped in black. It was cold, and he’d taken the shawl he got at a thrift shop as it matched the austere occasion with its equally dark woolen fabric. His Uncle, who knew of Phantasia and their crew but stayed well out of their way, as well as over a dozen of the Devola family’s top earners and soldiers were there to recognize her death. Edict stood at the head of the pack next to his Uncle. They didn’t say anything, but the dark-skinned pudgy man hung his head low as the priest spoke. He couldn’t help but shake his head slowly as he stared out at the coffin. What the fuck happened? What’d you do that got Luis to kill you? You… Really wouldn’t bend even a little? He knew what the score was: Revenge wasn’t going to end. It was just going to transfer from group to group until everyone’s heads were gone, or until they got exhausted and couldn’t swing anymore. His eyes narrowed at Luna Inoue, vaguely remembering her presence during the 8th Street Raid earlier that week. He wondered if she was like him… If she struggled as badly with how things ended.
He decided he’d try and connect. Another person on the outs wanting back in could mean trouble, but it could also mean a stronger bond. Even if the outward impression of the two of them working together was anything but a good thing. But still, he listened to what the priest had to say, wondering if the Holy Father even knew a lick of what he was talking about.
Luna’s eyes glanced at Edict, feeling his gaze on her for a moment. He was special, she knew that. A fellow mafioso, but with a unique connection. A connection that changed everything - Sycamore. And due to that reason, Luna held a quiet admiration for him, like she did for all of Sycamore. An unreasonable, illogical obsession that her Mother had quietly nurtured.
Now that her Mother was dead, Luna struggled to hold onto that admiration. Was Valencia right, after all?
Valencia, in question, briefly glanced towards the white-haired man before gesturing towards the newcomers with her chin. As the priest spoke, Valencia and the man slowly made their way over to Edict’s side of the coffin, and Valencia stood on the other side of Edict, staring solemnly at the coffin.
While the priest spoke, she spoke in a low, neutral tone. “Heard a lot about you, Mister Edict. Heard some of Mother’s last words too. Not all of it kind. She said something along the lines of… ‘Edict… that son of a bitch.’”
Valencia side-eyed him, her face showing no hint of malice, but also showing no hint of warmth. “Kind of strange, isn’t it? After calling you a friend, too… Any reason why she’d be cursing you in her final moments…?”
Edict stood straight, taking a deep breath as he listened to the new Capi speak in an accusatory tone. ”Let’s take a walk, Val… You and me.”
His hand reached into his pocket, pulled out his cigarette case, and offered one to Valencia after taking his own. If she took one, Edict would in turn light it as the two of them made way away from the ceremony proper. The trees had given up their leaves, and the ground was cluttered all around them with gold and brown. ”I told your Mother the same thing I’m going to tell you. We live by a code. Fuck the magic, fuck the craziness, fuck the magical testicles, fuck it! La. Cosa. Nostra. Does that track? You can ask my Father: This was a hit from outside, and I have a good idea of who it was and why it happened. Not that I think you’re gonna like it, but it’s just a hunch at the end of the day anyway.”
Valencia took a puff on the offered light, smoke curling around her face. The smoke helped settle the anger she held tightly behind a visage of neutrality. She was interested - a morbid curiosity, really - if Edict would be the man to dig himself a deeper grave.
“You really think we were born yesterday, huh?” Valencia paused in her step, eyes focused ahead on the road paved between gravestones. “We had a man on the inside when it happened. We know who targeted Mother, where, and why.”
She turned to Edict, her sharp eyes wholly focused on him. “Real question… is why a pretty birdie like you sang…”
Edict shook his head slowly, not wanting to make this a bigger problem. It was already solved, fixed, finished. Why dredge up more feelings? ”I'm not sure if you're hearing me, Val. I don't know what you mean, there are no birds, there is no singing. There's a dead Capo and a very dangerous group of people out there who are trying to kill us.”
Valencia watched him for a moment before sucking on her cigarette, staring out at the gravestones. He shook his head again, exhaling a long drag from his cigarette and stuffing his thumb into his eye to rub it. ”Now, if you want to talk about inside men and things like that, you may as well be candid. Luna over there saw me yesterday morning… I know she did because we were at the same Coven event. Have you asked her about the 8th Street Members I killed defending Sycamore?”
Valencia bit down on her cigarette a bit, staring out at the colours of grey skies and grey stones. She knew it. There was no point interrogating this man on a hunch withot Mr. Roosevelt here. It was dangerous to make any more of a fuss over it. Not like she was looking to fight Dollhouse and the Devola Crime Family.
No, she needed far more tact.
Valencia blew out another stream of smoke before gazing at Edict. “My apologies, I’m a little high-strung ‘bout my Mother, you know?”
She rolled her head slightly, feeling the little droplets of face on her face. “I thought I’d have a lot more years of being under her shading wing ‘fore all this.”
Valencia sighed, before side-eyeing Edict. “So, Boss man? Did you figure out an in for us for getting Mother’s Void Heart back?”
Edict’s nose scrunched up tightly at the mention of Void Heart. ”Jesus Christ, Val… You don’t know how to put two and two together without her, do you?” His whole posture shifted, body turning to face her directly. Both hands reached out, gently gripping against her shoulders. ”Whatever happened to her… I don’t doubt it had to do with this ridiculous fucking obsession. You are not doing her memory justice by trying to let that fucking monster back out. Stow it. Lock the memory up, throw away the key. Sometimes it's better to do that… Take it from me, Sis. Please. Stick to what we’re all meant to be doing: Making money for the Firm. Let’s just be rich, and fuck the problems of yesterday. Capice?” he asked, shade covered eyes being opened to an unobstructed view as he pulled them up to look at her properly.
Icy amber eyes met striking green as Valencia looked up at Edict. She listened, trying to keep the flicker of resistance off her face. Before she smiled. Smiled wide, revealing bright teeth. Sharp teeth. A slight wrinkle around the eyes, a resignation.
“Capice.”
She waited for Edict to look away and let her go.
He let her go, but wouldn’t make the mistake of looking away. His face was serious, in a rare way. ”They’re going to kill us all if we don’t do things right, Val… All in due time.” Regardless of her suspicions, he knew they had at least one agent that could hear direct thoughts. Best not to give a second one any chances… But the allusion was fairly direct. It was only because he didn’t want any of this to happen; he wanted Valencia to back off and get the hint, because if she didn’t, business was only going to get worse. It would make things move faster, and he couldn’t see a world where things move any faster than they already do.
It would be a nightmare if they did. It can’t happen. You won’t take her from me. You won’t.
Valencia’s cold smile only widened. “I’m a businesswoman, Edict. I’m concerned about the same things as you, overhead, assets…”
She took one savoury pull of her cigarette before tossing it, grinding it under her heel as she shoved her hands in her pant pockets. “We should get back, huh? Don’t want to miss throwing my rose on Mother, all that..”
“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.” Said the soft words of the priest.
“Amen.” echoed around the funeral congregation, Valencia and Edict having made it back to the fold just in time.
Demos eyed Valencia, returning to his position of holding an umbrella over her head. “Everything okay?”
Valencia nodded, her face a careful mask, before a flicker of sadness washed up over her features. Demos passed her a rose, and she approached the casket first. It was nearly time to say goodbye, and bury Mother under the earth. Before that, roses were being passed out, allowing people to say their piece.
Valencia hovered in front of her Mother’s casket, her face flashing with unwilling emotions. Gruffly, she pushed them down, and cleared her throat. “Mother always had her people in her heart. Even her enemies, she tried to understand them, give them the respect and dignity they deserved. We have lost someone near and dear in our hearts, and she will be missed.”
Annoyance crossed her face. ”No. No. I’ll be a bit more frank with you. Today we all lost a Mother, but I lost my mother. But she left me with an example, how I want to lead the Cards moving forward…”
Her eyes looked up from the coffin, looking over the group, lingering on Edict, before she looked to Mr. Roosevelt, dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief. She spoke, words coming out strong. “Mr. Roosevelt had the honour of hearing her last words. The words we live by as a Family: ‘Long live the fighters.’ That only means one thing. She went down with a fight, and that is the best death any mafioso could ask for. She died with honour, something we can only hope to achieve in this lifetime. Today, we honour the bravery of my mother.”
She placed the rose in the center of the closed coffin, and slowly stepped back.
Edict headed the Devola procession, each of them leaving a rose on Phantasia’s grave until the very last man. The typically soft spoken Mario Devola, acting boss of the Devola Family as his brother Luigi sat at the apex of their world. A King on his throne couldn’t be bothered to make the event knowing his son was there.
But Mario came. And as he shuffled at the back of the procession, he held a large bundle of flowers; carnations, white lilies, roses of all sizes and colors, gladioli and of course forget-me-nots. See, Mario was an old school gangster, and one who had gone through some terrible courses in his life. There were people out there whom he cared for like blood. Not least of them being Phantasia Vorpal, who had run with the crews since she herself was a young girl.
He’d known her so long now, it was hard to think that someone he saw like that was gone. She was a niece, or a sister even at the best of times. And he was truly mourning a loss the cause of which he would probably never fully grasp. And he stood in front of the woman’s casket, and he let a tear slip. “Oh, you poor fuckin’ Bambina…”
Turning to the crowd, he cleared his throat. “Boy she… Really was magical, wasn’t she?” he tried to chuckle, his vague understanding of the spiritual world around him tenuous at best. But still, a joke was a joke. “I met Phanny when she was ten years old, runnin’ dice with a bunch of little scooters by the Shore. At the time, we were just told that there were games we wasn’t cut in on. We were the little guys then, and we pull up to bust heads. But we find this little Queen. Sharp as a knife, she had us wonderin’ how she got all the kids in the neighborhood hooked on gamblin’...”
The old, portly man paused himself for a moment. He took a deep breath and shook his shoulders a bit.
“I was there when she was Made… I was there when we toasted to the first Casino. I was there when it burned down. The Agreeable Night, the merging of the Castle and the House… It was my voice that spoke up, that weighed where her’s wouldn’t… Because I believed in her. I still believe in her. And I believe that we’ll figure out who the fuck did this to her. I swear by the Code.”
Greyson’s jaw clenched tightly. He had a lot of respect for his Uncle, and he hadn’t realized they knew one another like that. It certainly didn’t make him feel any better about what's been done. If anything, he felt his carefully cultivated shell crack ever so slightly… It’d be better not to think about, however, so he stowed the emotions for later use. For now, respect and care; after all, he knew it wasn’t his problem unless he really wanted to make it his problem.
Valencia bowed her head a bit as Mario spoke. An old face that she knew Mother was familiar with. She wasn’t aware they were that familiar, however. It begged the question why they didn’t have a formal alliance.
She noticed the flowers, of course. Mother had taught her that. From Mario’s bouquet, he had pulled meaning in a thoughtful way. ‘We remember the innocent Phantasia as she departs, we are grieved, and we are your friend in this time. We are devoted to Phantasia, now and forever.’ Valencia pulled the veil a little further down her face to hide the dust in her eye.
After a few moments of silence, one more figure approached the casket with a single rose. None other than Luna, her face an unreadable mask. She stood there in the rain, her hair matting to her face. She seemed unbothered by it, perhaps as a way to hide any tears being shed.
“Mother… was my grace, and my salvation. She understood my obsession with the Sycamore. How they’re unique in the world - no one else exists that are like them. She understood that. Supported me. Held me up when I was kicked out. Kept me busy with jobs so I wouldn’t cry.”
Luna pressed a hand to her face, wiping down in a slow manner, wiping the rain and the tears away. “...I have lost the light in my life. Mother, I will always miss you… Anata ga tsuchi ni mamirete iru no o miru no wa tae raremasen. Te o nobashite, izen no yō ni watashi o kangei shite kudasai. Onegaishimasu... (I can't bear to see you covered with soil. Just reach out your hand and welcome me like you used to. Please…)”
Luna hovered a moment longer before placing her rose on the casket, and turning away. She moved past the House of Cards and left the ceremony, too torn to bear seeing the rest.
The priest watched with sad eyes. ”If there’s no more flowers to be placed, we will commence with lowering the casket.”
When the congregation was silent, the priest nodded and gestured to one of his helpers. The young boy, dressed in black, pressed a button on one of the rollers that held the rope. Silently, the ropes began to unroll, slowly lowering the casket into the grave.
Valencia, Demos and the rest of the House of Cards watched with silent, sad eyes. Mr. Roosevelt was beside himself, continually wiping tears away.
Eventually, bodies slipped away, until all that was left was a grave and a slight drizzle.
The Elder Lamb, with its hide-away atmosphere, comfort fare and solid drinks, had struck Valencia as a good place to do business, despite the fallout her Mother experienced not that long ago. The Devola’s had it right. No one would come sniffing around that wasn't suppose to. Just a good neutral place to discuss business.
Valencia reclined in one of the booths, chin propped on a hand as she surveyed the smokey room. She was dressed for the occasion, a formal suit tailored to her figure. Silver dripped from her ears and neck. She blended in with the other up-do’ed patrons nicely.
House of Cards men were dispersed in a few of the other booths, mainly for Valencia’s own protection. Lord knew she needed it with the attack recently.
Her other hand idly rimmed the crystal of her double shot of vodka, eyes staring at the door. A new business opportunity, a Sycamore, no less, would be walking through those doors any minute now.
Exactly on time, the doors to the Elder Lamb opened, and Anya stepped inside. Dark eyes skimmed over her surroundings, taking note of everyone there. Her gaze paused on Valencia, alone and clearly waiting, and her crimson lips pulled up into a smile. With a slight nod, she made for the bar first. As she walked the light caught off the black, halterneck dress she wore, showing off the subtle, gold embroidery threaded through it. The tight bodice flowed into a loose skirt that fell below her knees, swishing as she walked, high heels making a pleasant tapping sound across the floor.
It was always best to dress to make an impression, and Anya made sure to do so, choosing out something both formal and well suited to her. She quickly ordered a glass of red wine at the bar, pleasantly surprised by the speed of service, before making her way over to the booth Valencia sat in.
”Valencia Vorpal, I presume? I’m Anya Baksh, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person.” Anya smiled, sliding into the booth opposite Valencia, and holding out her hand. Valencia mirrored her smile, grasping Anya's hand in a firm shake.
“Pleasure, Anya.” Valencia said in a cool alto.
Of course, they’d already spoken over the phone, but it was best to be polite when it came to first in person meetings.
After all, they were giving Anya the in she needed. ”You’ve chosen a lovely location for our meeting. I appreciate the privacy.”
“Good drink here, and everyone keeps to themselves.” Valencia said, pulling out a cigarette.
She offered one to Anya. “You don't smoke, do you?”
”I don’t, but thank you,” Anya smiled.
Valencia took a long drag, smoke curling around her. There was a tactful, intrigued look in her flinty eyes.
“I hope you don't mind me getting right to business, Anya. I understand you run a dreams gig. Can you tell me a little more about that?”
”Of course.” Anya was more than happy to get straight down to business. It was, after all, part of why she was here. ”At its basic, I run a highly qualified dream interpretation business. People come to me with their dreams, and I help them understand more about themselves thanks to that. I also offer a service where I give people the dreams they would like to have. It’s a complicated science, primarily done via subtle manipulation of electrical impulses to the brain via a device I programmed, to control what the brain will show someone while they’re asleep.”
Valencia ran a thumb across her lip as she listened. She leaned forward slightly. “By any chance, are you able to see these dreams yourself?”
”Under specific circumstances, yes.” Anya's smile widened slightly, watching Valencia with a genuine expression that didn't give much away. Of course, the circumstances weren't that specific. She just needed to meet someone, and then for them to be asleep and dreaming. But giving the illusion she couldn't just slip into anyone's dreams was much more beneficial in most situations. And without magic being explicitly mentioned… well she'd keep toeing the line between it being that and a scientific process. ”I need the… target, let's say, to have a specific object near them when they sleep, and preferably to be someone I know. This allows me to tap into their dreams. Since I cannot just slip in, it tends to be a consensual process… after all, I have no ability to slip something into someone's room.”
She lied easily, near impossible to non magically tell that behind every small bit of truth was a lie covering her true capabilities. She reached into her bag to pull out a small, black cube. It was unassuming, without much to it - in fact, it was just a metallic square infused with a dream inducement spell. She put it on the table between them. ”Something like this.”
Valencia was quiet for a moment, eying the cube, but not touching it. She swirled the vodka in her glass before taking a sip, and setting it down. “...Hmm.”
Her head slightly rolled to the side, eyes narrowing. “...So, say I were to get you to see someone, and I managed to slip this device into their room. Would you be able to tell me their dreams?”
”I could, quite easily. Getting the device in place is the most difficult step for me alone, as it's outside of my expertise.” And entirely unnecessary. But it would prevent them from requesting too many dream visits from her, while ensuring Valencia didn’t know Anya could visit her dreams. She took a long drink of her wine, eyeing her over the top of the glass. ”For a price, of course.”
“Price is no issue,” Valencia stated, propping her chin on a fist again. “However, I would like to test your… science. How do you feel about giving me a sample. Traversing my dreams, and we meet again here tomorrow to see your accuracy.”
”Of course, I wouldn’t expect you to buy a ‘product’ with no guarantee that you’ll see results,” Anya agreed easily. It was to be expected when it came to business meetings with any of the… smarter possible clients, rather than the ones who would gladly buy crystals and believe they worked magic. She tapped the small cube. ”If you take this with you, I’ll easily be able to prove the accuracy to you tomorrow.”
Valencia stared for a moment before nodding, picking up the cube and slipping it within her inner suit's pocket.
“Feel free to order whatever you like from the menu, Anya. I'll have them forward the bill to me. Can't have my potential help work on an empty stomach.”
With a small, wolfish grin, Valencia stood from the table, downing the rest of her glass and setting it against the wood. The cigarette was between her lips once again as she half-turned towards the door.
“Until tomorrow, then.”
She gave a low whistle, and men stood from their booths, forming a group around her as Valencia walked out the front door.
Ken had brought Luca closer to Lynn, ensuring that they’d be close enough to hear. At first, all he could do was wrap his arms around her in an attempt to give some sort of comfort. But the fire in her eyes matched the flames that were still raging in the remains of Kari’s home.
”If that’s your passion, then I think we can make things happen, Sister… We find ourselves at a unique crossroad. I need to know what you saw.” He looked back at Luca, patting the bubble with his arm. ”Let’s get you both where you need to go. We’ll talk on the way.” he offered his hand to Lynn.
”Oh, we’re going back to the same place,” Luca said from inside the bubble, voice slightly hoarse. ”Lynn’s been staying at mine… safety in numbers and all that.”
“I will,” Lynn said with a sniffle. “And yeah, safety in numbers.. Father wolf is still on the prowl,” Lynn sighed as she moved closer, “I’m good to go. We have much to discuss.”
Ken scooped her into a bubble similar to Luca’s, linking them together with a thinner membrane that the two would be comfortable to talk through without the risk of infection. Still remembering Luca’s place from Halloween, he forced the three of them high into the sky and gave a lazy bump. Traveling at the speed of a car on the highway through the air, this was a lazy cruise compared to the speeds he usually hit. Assuming the Rot would simply be blown away by the wind, Ken opened up a few sections near the front, where he sat and looked down at the two non-fliers.
”Sometimes I like to fly like this and get my thoughts cleared out…” he called over the din of the wind. He had angled everything to push most of the air away, but the noise was still considerable.
”Whoa, everything’s so tiny down there,” Luca said, head tilted down to look underneath him, smiling slightly. He was still clearly not quite himself, curled up into a tight ball with his legs against his chest in the bubble, but the views were nice. ”Thoughts literally cleared out by the wind, it’s a good technique, Ken!”
“Your thoughts are cleared by this?” Lynn shouted as she wrapped her arms around her body. She was really high up. Like really, really high up. And she was moving fast. And she was too sober to truly enjoy the view. She instinctively reached for her flask and groaned when she remembered that it was gone. She would need to make up for this grave injustice later on tonight. “Ken we’re going to have our discussion over a drink.”
He grinned at both of them. But he could take a hint occasionally, and decided he’d do his best to help Lynn out as well. ”At least Luca gets it! We’ll do more flying; I think it’d be therapeutic for you, Dear Brother! Just relax, and enjoy.” Closing them both back in, he jostled them slightly to ensure there were no weak points, and formed a blast that accelerated them to the point that the trees and the eventual streets below them flew by in blurry greens and greys. It wasn’t long before they were decelerating just as fast.
The scariest part, at least for passengers, was the fact that they were in zero control at the end. It was ominous to hear the noise simply stop as you approached the ground at terminal velocity. But just like ninety-five percent of the time, the landing was devoid of accident or injury. ”Destination arrival!”
Lynn was immediately released from her bubble, and he pulled Luca in to look at him. ”Would you like to be let out? Or are you still weakened?”
Luca stretched out his arms and legs, wincing slightly. He still hurt, the energy expended in rotting away someone else and being rotted in turn was… a lot. But he was also used to it. He grinned at Ken from within the bubble. ”I’m good! You can let me out, I’m not going to collapse or anything.”
“That was something,” Lynn said when a chuckle as she took a few wobbly steps to regain her balance. “Thank you for the ride, Ken.,”
The support slowly faded around Luca as he was stood upright by the unseen hand. ”Of course… Now, this alcohol? Upstairs?” he asked. ”Or, should I return at a later point? I know things got… Strange. But, I’d really love to uh… Well…” He gave a sad look to them. ”I guess I don’t want to go back to my boat alone. Tennogama is there, sure. But, he’s strange. He’s not a lover, really. He gets why I’m sad, but he can’t relate. I’d like to be around people who may.”
”Oh, of course, you’re welcome to come over, you can even stay the night if you want- Wait, do we have any alcohol left in my apartment, Lynn?” Luca turned to look at Lynn, furrowing his brow thoughtfully. ”Didn’t you complain last night we were out?”
“I may have said something,” Lynn paused as she looked to Luca and smiled through the emotional pain, “Ken, there is a store around the corner,” Lynn paused as she rubbed her arm, “I could use a drink, walk me to the store and we can talk about what I saw?”
Ken was covered in swords and gear and mud. He’d been blasted through a floor’s worth of dirt at the end of things, and crawled his way out mid-hallucination. He shook his body. ”Right, right. Wait here. I’ll be quick; I should go get clothes.” The man bubbled back up into the sky until he was high enough up that launch wouldn’t damage anything. Then he was gone like a UFO into the afternoon sun. It left Lynn and Luca enough time to idly chat before he rocketed back with some very comfortable looking clothes. Loose pants of a foreign material, a scarf that seemed to hum a little tune, clacking wooden sandals, and a North Face hoodie that Kari had gotten him for his birthday one year.
He hit the ground with a clacking noise, readjusting his ponytail as he approached. ”That was good. Tennogama was shocked at the speed. Come now.” he waved. ”We shall journey to the liquor.”
Lynn motioned for Ken to follow. “I saw several possible futures at Kari’s house,” Lynn started with a sigh. How to explain what she saw without sounding crazy? “There were a few possibilities that were shocking, but I want to tell you them all the same. There was one where we learned that Lyss was wrong, and summoned the wrong Kari. Another where Kari swapped bodies with another universes Kari to save herself, another one where she swapped to live the life she always wanted away from all of this, another where she accidentally swapped and is stranded, Lynn paused as she looked around, making sure no one could hear how crazy she sounded, “one where Kari was father wolf, one where she was father wolf but doing this to stop a great evil, one where she was being controlled by the snake. A few more like those and lastly,” Lynn looked to Ken and let her eyes linger in his, “I saw Kari alive and she faked her death to stop a monster,” Lynn exhaled finally and took another deep breath.
As Lynn went on about the futures she saw, Ken simply listened. Shiro-Nin were always listened to in his culture, no matter the potential depravity in their visions. Students of the Ten Paths were taught to cut through what was impossible and what was truth. But, so often were the portents of potential future marred by the veil of insecurity; one simply took it all for face value after a while. It was the only way to not panic. He’d seen what he wanted in the pink mist. His course was, somewhat, readjusted. It was just good to hear there were so many options where Kari was alive.
”How many futures was she dead, Lynn?” His eyes hadn’t really met hers until her head shifted. He felt comfortable, which probably wasn’t good: Tension needed to exist to keep him on the razor’s edge of anticipation. It was the only way he could keep his Murasaki soul alight with the flames of war. So asking the worst possible question placed him upon a tall cliff with crumbling rock beneath his feet. He was ready for the bottom to fall.
“Very few, she’s killing us in more futures than ones where she’s dead,” Lynn Lynn sighed, “If she’s alive, she’s either killing is for the greater good, killing us because she’s fallen victim to the snake, killing us because of a grudge, or she’s trapped somewhere else, left for somewhere else, or is actively trying to stop whoever or whatever is killing us. If she’s alive, she probably watching us right now” Lynn paused as she looked at Ken again, “the question is,” Lynn looked around and down to the ground, “If she’s alive, what’s the end game?”
Ken found it incredibly difficult to imagine that there were actually less futures where she was dead. Surely, it had to be her wanton desires running amok and affecting her visions. ”I usually tried to time my investigations with upswings in her mood. But the last time, there was… No way, really. She was so down, she kind of told me to just go. Like, in that loving way she does. Like she didn’t want to be a burden to me.”
He fiddled with a coin in his pocket, footsteps clacking against the concrete sidewalk. ”If I know her, she clammed up to save herself. But, I doubt she’d do anything to hurt us, but… She’s a real control freak these days. If things aren’t going perfect, it gets dodgy.” There was an unconscious grin that came over his face. ”I’m not talking too much shit, am I Darling? I’d hate for you to get the wrong idea.” he said into the air, doing his best to give off the tough guy attitude he liked to put up for her when she was feeling low.
”Don’t worry; we’ll get you back. I’m floating in anticipation.” The clacking suddenly stopped, Ken’s wooden footsteps replaced by gentle pops that pushed dust away on the sidewalk. A smirk drew across his face as he ceased the playing and impacted the ground again.
”Truthfully, Lynn, I can’t rule any of them out except the accidents. She’s too sharp for accidents, even these days with her attitude. Too tight laced. There’d have to be serious duress for her to make a mistake.” He nodded as they came to a stop at a crossing. ”Now, the one where she’s killing us? Not on her own. She’s not Batman; she doesn’t have a plan to kill everyone. She’d need serious backup, which means she’s somehow being empowered by a force that’s probably not her, or she’s found a crew of like minded individuals without asking me. Which would be cool, but also shitty.”
“We need to find her, Ken, and the two of us together,” Lynn pointed between them, “will draw her attention, you know? She’s really smart, and if she is killing us I’ve just made us both targets. If she’s not? If she’s out there trying to protect us from the sidelines,” Lynn paused as a tear welled in her eyes, “If she’s protecting us, i just want her to know that she’s not alone in this. She can have help. I know a spot, and if Kari is paying attention she’ll know exactly where my safe space is,” Lynn smirked, “maybe she’ll come say hello.”
Ken thought about where exactly Kari could be led to that she'd actually go to free of her own will. She wasn't exactly a traveler or much of an adventurer. ”We'll do what we have to…”
He started to think about what it was that he was really chasing. It wasn't easy for him to separate his feelings into different categories, and they simply lived in a squalid pit together. Only Pride and Anticipation were standouts, the constant Lux exposure truly coloring his emotional spectrum in swaths of purple and gold. ”You know… Where I come from, we don't date. Arranged marriages, targeted breeding and intermingling of the clans; rarely do people like me choose who to love.”
Targeted breeding? Lynn knew that Ken came from an interesting backstory, but that…..
He stared up at the light for a moment, anticipation for the sign to cross welling inside him. ”When I came here, I was fascinated by th social dynamics. Like, I never saw two Feminine-presenting people kissing, or being accepted as a pair. It was strange to me, and I couldn't understand.”
He frowned at Lynn. ”Being here so long now, I understand that you're simply free to love who you come to love. So, I guess… You still love her? Probably just like I do? And you're free to, and obviously if it helps finding her that's good. But…” Trying to think of all the things she'd explained to him, Ken tried to imagine what Kari would say.
”I… What I mean is… That is to say, hoping, or knowing…” The light switched, and Ken quickly pushed across the road as he stammered to find his footing in his own mind. ”I am… Insecure. She's told me so. I am not quick to jealousy, so much as I am quick to despair. And she would be upset at me for even considering this. But I have to ask: Do you wish to remain with her? When we do inevitably find her, and ensure her safety and the safety of our Coven, will you pursue her?”
Lynn thought long and hard about the final question. There was a part of her that so very much loved Kari. A part of her that was very much in love with the idea of potentially getting back together. “No,” the tears welled a little more, ”no, our ship has sailed,” Lynn said as she wiped a tear from her eye, ”long ago. I stayed on the docks and watched her steam away from me. I had so many chances to get on board with her, you know? I could’ve stayed with the most amazing person I have ever known.” Lynn paused as she looked at the ground, “I won’t stand between you two, Ken, that’s not why I want to find her. I still love her, but I want her to be safe,” Lynn paused as she held back more tears. In truth she wanted nothing more than to be back with Kari, but too much had happened. Too much had changed. Too much had changed, but not Lynn. Lynn was still the very same person that ruined that relationship.
Ken took a long, deep breath. ”Until this return, I don't remember speaking much to you. We hardly know each other, so you probably don't realize how useless I am…” he admitted. ”Honor binds me to a duty: To hunt the Fiends who slaughtered my family and left me empty. Eight years ago, I had a wife. A child on the way. I… Can never give myself to her in a way that she deserves. I'm full of pain and loss. She needs someone dedicated to her, Lynn. Not to vengeance. And I've said that to her countless times, but she cares so deeply that she won't… Won't let go.”
Clearing his throat, Lynn would easily be able to tell that Ken was also getting emotional. ”But she's no safer with me. No better off. I've even brought up… What is it? Polywog Love? Where, multiple people are in the relationship? I just feel so wretched… So, maybe now's your chance to make things right?” he finally suggested.
“Polywog Love,” Lynn eyes were suddenly bright but confused. What could it mean? Lynn thought long and hard about the context of Polywog Love before a single loud, sharp gasp filled the air. “Do you mean polyamory,” Lynn asked with a bemused tone, “If so, that’s a whole beast in and of itself,” Lynn smiled. “I’m a lot alike you I’m coming to learn tonight,” Lynn cleared her throat, “some evil apparition is out there ensuring that my bloodline is cursed. I’ve lost my entire family to this fucking thing. My parents, my siblings, my cousins, my aunts and my uncles, and grandparents, great grandparents, so on and so forth going back to when my ancestors made a deal with a devil,” Lynn looked at Ken, a thought entered her mind forcing her to both smile and shake her head, “what I’m hearing is Kari has a type. Emotionally damaged, emotionally unavailable,,” Lynn chuckled as she began to count the traits on her fingers, filled with so much anger for what the world took away from them but still kind enough to want to make a difference anyway.”
Ken was a bit shocked to hear it. He wondered if it was really an apparition, or some trans-dimensional monstrosity towing the line between that and true creature. It was difficult to know without experiencing it.
But what she was saying held weight. Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, Ken spun and wrapped his arms around Lynn. ”She never told me…” he held her tight. ”But, who knows? Maybe this is our chance to do better. And when she's back, and everything settles down, maybe we can show her that she can have the best of both worlds? I'm not opposed, really, to… Polyamory. I think she has that kind of love to give. Don't you?”
Why admit he didn't feel like he was enough? It paid, Ken assumed, to brighten her spirit more than it paid to imagine the nerves and hurt that would come from knowing that he had to share… But he was desperate to please without breaking his oath. Settling meant that it was all over. But this could be a loophole. They may all be able to have their cake and eat it, if he just let go even a little bit.
“The future is, as always, uncertain,” Lynn said with a genuine laugh, “I’ve had my chance and I blew it, I don’t want to step in and ruin it again. I don’t think it’ll be pretty for anyone involved, and I don’t want to ruin it for you. I’m not opposed either, but I am not trying to push my way back in at the expense of you,” Lynn hugged Ken back all the same, “but I guess we’ll greet the uncertainty of tomorrow in a drunken stupor tonight” Lynn pointed to the store that was just up ahead, “do you want to get drunk and reminisce about the ones we’ve lost,” Lynn asked with a raised eyebrow.
”Too drunk, I begin to summon my allies from Gama. This is bad for multiple reasons, so I will exercise a modicum of restraint.”
He touched his pockets weakly. ”Shimmer is a bureaucratic hellscape-” Pulling one of his gold coins out, he held it up. ”-Just about anywhere magical, you hand someone gold and they give you what you want. Here? You hand someone a gold coin and they have a conniption…”
“Plastic is king here,” Lynn said with a smirk, “drinks are on my friend.”
After a quick trip through the store, Lynn emerged with two twelve packs of a strong IPA in hand and several bottles of vodka in two bags hanging around her wrist. As the duo approached the apartment complex she spotted two familiar souls. “Hey,” Lynn spoke to Jasper, and Lynn, “you guys just….” Lynn paused as she saw Lila’s wings once again, “just get in?”
“Yeah, yeah we did,” Jasper said with a fake smile, “I’m going to run up real quick and talk to Luca, can you give me a five minute head start?”
“Sure thing.”
Lila simply nodded her head. Jasper turned towards Ken and threw a quick wave as he headed into the building.
Watching Jasper head in, Ken gave a big wave. But, he was more happy that Lila was okay. He moved toward her, wrapping his arms around her and wobbling back and forth for a moment.
Oh this is nice. Lila allowed Ken to embrace her and in that moment she forgot about the maiden, the vision, the claws, and the wings. Instead she let her head rest on his chest, wrapping her wings around him for a prolonged moment before she released them. This was nice.
”I’m happy to see you too… It was a little scary hearing Emily calling you out like that; so it’s good to see you in one piece. I’m only sorry we didn’t end it for good.” he said calmly, his hand rubbing her shoulder as he pulled out of the hug.
“It’ll take more than Emily to bring me down,” Lila thought as her mind flashed images of Emily’s mangled corpse, “Thank you though, Ken, it’s so good to have you back,” Lila finished with a smile.
”It’s good to be back in the presence of friendship. I often miss everyone’s antics, but your memories do help me. Occasionally, I pop back into the shimmer if I’m close to a door, just to see if anyone is using the land. The camping is year-round, so I always encourage people to use it!” he expressed to her, his lux sending little bubbles of telekinetic energy through her feathers. ”But, I’ll be here for the foreseeable future. I find it so strange that now all we can do is wait.”
“Well at least the waiting is better with company, right?”
Luca had gone up to the apartment as soon as Ken and Lynn went off for some drinks. His thoughts were calmer now after the time he’d spent with the two of them, and the time in that little air bubble. He pushed back down the Rot’s influence and began to feel a bit more himself.
It was difficult to get over what he’d done to Sloane. It wasn’t something he could view in any positive light. While he could understand while Jasper shot Carol, as much as he disliked it, and accepted that he and Sloane would be better for each other… There was nothing good that would come from how much he’d hurt Sloane. Apart from it bringing her and Jasper closer together, maybe.
Something he was fine with. Completely fine with. There’d been no chance with Jasper anyway. He was straight, and why would he want to be with someone he couldn’t even get close to? Luca was happy enough being friends and keeping the warm, fuzzy feelings he had to himself.
He sighed softly, pulling his legs up to his chest where he sat on the worn couch. He’d need to reach out to Sloane later to make sure she was alright and properly apologise… But not right now. His head drooped onto his knees, hair messily falling across his face as he closed his eyes for a moment. He just needed to rest a bit, and everything would be fine.
After what felt like an eternity Jasper was walking up to Lucas’s door. He had driven Lila here, which was difficult given her newfound wings, but left her outside with Lynn and Ken.. Jasper knew that Luca was more than likely feeling a thousand terrible feelings and he also knew the reason he left early and without him was because of them. He needed space, he needed alone time, so Jasper did his best to accommodate them. But he did not want to leave Luca alone all day. For that reason, Jasper had made sure to stop at the store on the way home and grabbed a bag full of Lucas’s favorite snacks and a giant tub of ice cream. As Luca taught him so many weeks ago, when someone is sad there’s nothing like ice cream. Jasper grabbed the key to the apartment and opened the door.
“Hey,” Jasper said as he walked through the door, “I brought you the snacks that you like.”
”Oh, hey,” Luca looked up with a smile - it wasn't quite as bright as normal, so it was obvious he still wasn't feeling great. The time alone had let him at least gather his thoughts a bit, and get everything under control… but seeing Jasper again was a different thing. He'd brought Luca all of his favourite snacks. He was so thoughtful. Of course, it was what you'd do for your best friend. He shouldn't let it give him more false hope.
”Where are the girls? You didn't leave them behind, did you?” Luca asked, quickly moving to a topic that wasn't him as he stood up. He awkwardly hovered a distance away, looking at the bags, then at Jasper. There was an awkwardness that hadn't been there before. Things Luca had to talk about but wasn't sure how to… Carol, what happened with Sloane. A lot. ”They both… didn't look so great.”
“They needed a moment to talk about what they saw,” Jasper said as he rubbed his head. So did he, but how to speech approach that conversation? “They’re in my car, and should be up in a few minutes. They’re better but nowhere near good, that whole fight was messed up,” Jasper sighed. He quickly scanned over Lucas’s body, checking for signs of injury or pain and smiled when he saw neither.
“How are you feeling by the way, Luca?”
”I’m… well I'm as alright as I can be! What happened with Sloane was…” he grimaced. It was difficult to not still see it. To not imagine it happening to all the other people he cared about. He knew it was always possible. A risk he'd tried to avoid until the coven got back together. ”It was bad. But I'll reach out to her and make sure everything's alright!”
He smiled again, moving to the kitchen - making sure to give Jasper a wide berth - to grab himself a plastic bowl and spoon for the ice cream. ”A lot happened, huh. I saw you… managed to make the rifle useful.”
Shit. “I, uh,” Jasper started as he rubbed the back of his neck. He walked towards the counter, giving Luca a wide berth as well, and began to pull things from the bag. He knew that Luca was very fond of Carol and he knew that Luca would not be happy that he semi-murdered his friend. “I did yeah, I did get it to be useful and I think…I think I was the one who took Carol down. Did you want to talk about that?”
”Yeah,” Luca said softly. He reached out for the tub of ice cream, quickly heaping it into his bowl, then also took a big chocolate bar. He broke up the pieces and mixed it into the ice cream - easier to carry, less risk of losing some of it to his abstraction. He then went back to the couch with the bowl, rotting fizzling at the plastic exterior slowly, and turned to look at Jasper. He wasn't sure how to word things. He wasn't mad at Jasper. He understood. But it didn't mean it didn't upset him.
”I’m not- I'm not really upset at you… I understand. Carol can heal any of them, but…” Luca trailed off, shoving a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth to give him a moment more to think. ”It still hurts her, and she didn't ask to be like that. Unlike the rest she's there because she has no other choice… Emily promised to help her. I just don't like seeing one friend hurting another, you know? I still hope we can settle things by talking…”
“No I get that,” Jasper said as he turned around and leaned back on the counter, crossing his arms as he did. “Normally I would never do something like that, you know? And I didn’t want to kill anyone who could actually die. I figured that if I took out their biggest healer, we could force them to run away. In the moment I did not think of how Carol would feel, and you’re right. She did not ask for this, she’s just trying to get fixed and Emily is stringing her along because she’s more useful broken.” Jasper paused as he rubbed his temple. “and I know you two are really close so I know it must’ve hurt you too. I am sorry Luca.”
”Its alright, I'm not the one you should be apologising to…” Luca smiled slightly. ”I understand that you just did what we needed to, and that I'll need to get used to it if 8th Street keeps coming after Lila… I'm going to try talk to Emily’s sisters as well, see if there's anything we can do. But, would you mind apologising to Carol? I have her number.”
“I know, I know,” Jasper paused as he checked the time, “it was midnight right? When Carol respawns? I can shoot her a text in the morning that way she can have her night without the chance of fuming over her killer, you know? But I will apologise, give her the ‘hey, I murdered you and I’m sorry’ and see if she’ll forgive me. I can do that.”
”Yup, midnight, I'm surprised you remembered,” Luca said, smile widening. It was difficult to stay upset at Jasper… not that it was really at Jasper. More the circumstances. They really sucked, and the main person at fault was Emily… ”Thanks for being willing to do that! She'll probably call you a motherfucker a few times but that's just Carol…” he trailed off and laughed, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. Jasper really was a great… friend. ”How was Sloane after I left?”
“I did not stick around Sloane as much as I could’ve,” Jasper trailed off. She had Drake, Sully, and a few others to look after her. “I spent a lot of time with Lila and Lynn. Lila needed a few rounds of the chalice to close her wounds, and I did my best to lighten the mood for her,” Jasper paused as he leaned his head back, “Lynn needs a lot of support right now after what the mist made her see,” Jasper paused as he looked over to Luca, “You can say no to this, but do you mind if I ask what you saw in the mist?”
Luca's eyes widened for a moment, cheeks darkening slightly as he remembered what he saw - it was enough to temporarily push away his worries. Of course he couldn't tell Jasper… even if Jasper did somehow like him back, the hallucination had been way too embarrassing! That painting… with the heart cloud and the rose arch… it was too much. ”I didn't have the rot with me anymore, and everyone was happy. You were there- uh, and so were Olivia and Carol! They didn't have their apparitions either. It was just really nice and calm…” Definitely didn't involve Jasper pseudo proposing to him. ”What did you see? You don't have to answer either!”
Please don't say Sloane.
“I saw…..” Jasper trailed off, his eyes shooting to the ceiling to think of the words, “something I’ve been wanting for a while, something I didn’t ever really think would be around again you know? I thought that part of my life was well and truly closed, but since I’ve been around you.... all again it’s become clear that I have a lot of introspection to do, you know? So it showed me what’s at the end of that journey.”
”Oh…” Luca smiled, even as his thoughts raced. Something Jasper had been wanting for a while, that was around again? That had become clear after being around everyone? Around the coven? That he needed to do introspection for? It must be Sloane. He'd realised his feelings - seen a future with her - and it was pushing him to think about why he ‘hated’ her. Of course. That made sense. Who else could it be about? Definitely not him… haha, that would be too nice. ”Well… I'm glad you got something out of it! Sounds like we both had good visions, at least. Something for us both to work towards. Me towards being rot free,” and able to touch Jasper, even if that wouldn't happen even without the rot, ”and you with that… something you want. I'm glad.”
“Yeah…Something,” Jasper said as his eyes shot over to Luca and he flashed a warm smile. Jasper knew he wanted to talk to Luca about these feelings but right now was not the right time. With everything that happened with Sloane, Lila, and everyone else he wanted to wait venue he brought them up. He had his suspicions about Luca, and he was certain he felt the same way, but he did not want the worst day of Luca’s life to be overloaded like that.
“How about a chill ending to this day. I think the girls will be down. I can cook us all dinner, we can watch movies together, and we can rest up all weekend long and recover,” Jasper said with a smirk.
”Sounds good to me… I think we all need it after that,” Luca smiled softlya at Jasper, seeming to relax more. He ate another spoonful of ice cream. ”Let’s just put on something easy to watch… maybe another bad one? Something we can chat and laugh through. Oh, we might need to think about sleeping arrangements if Lila still… has the wings.”
“She’s still got them….. how do we go about making her feel better? Do we pretend the wings aren’t there, acknowledge them, I don’t know what to do,” Jasper said in response, “What would the sleeping arrangements look like what do you think?”
”I think we should pretend they’re not there,” Luca said, thinking about his own situation. He didn’t want certain issues brought up. ”I don’t enjoy the rotting being brought up, myself… And sleeping wise, I don’t know. I don’t think she can share Olivia’s bed with Lynn anymore. Maybe Lynn can take the couch and you…” sleep in my room, is what Luca wanted to say. ”I don’t know.”
“How about-” Jasper started but was cut off from the sound of the girls and Ken entering the apartment. Lynn lead the way and turned back to make sure Lila got through fine. Lila, still not fully in control of the wings, struggled to fit through the door without catching the door frame. She sighed as she turned to the side and shimmied into the room in full. Once inside she flapped the wings twice on accident and sent a gust of wind through the apartment. “How about I grab Lynn and Ken and go get my camping set from home, my sleeping bag and mattress pad. Maybe I can camp out in your room tonight?”
Luca was glad he was sitting down, because the gust of wind was strong enough it might have knocked him over… since his legs were once again feeling weak. He stood up after, one hand on the arm of the couch to support him, with a smile towards the girls. As if he hadn’t almost killed someone, and Lila wasn’t stuck with wings. ”That sounds like a good plan, Jasper… there’s plenty of space in my room, you should be able to sleep outside of my aura!”
Though having Jasper sleeping in his room was… something Luca really wanted, but also didn’t. He wanted it under different circumstances. Would he be able to sleep with his crush right there?! Maybe being so sick would be a blessing, since he’d eventually pass out anyway. He pushed the thought away, cheeks slightly red, and looked over at Lila. ”Me and Lila will pick out the movies while you’re away… but if you take too long there might not be any ice cream left!”
“I’ll have Lynn check if we need to stop,” Jasper said as he shot a wink Lucas’s way, “Lynn, Ken, you’re with me.”
Lynn looked every part of a person who had just stopped crying. Her eyes were bloodshot, swollen, and her makeup had run completely and there was no salvaging the kind of damage her tears had done. She looked to Luca and flashed the weakest smile, then back to Jasper and simply nodded. Lynn led the two out of the room, and Jasper turned around and faced Luca once more. He flashed him a big smile as he closed the door and left with Lynn and Ken to hopefully begin the night of recovery for everyone.
When it was just the two of them, Luca sat back down. He went to suggest that Lila sit next to him, but after a moments thought realised it… wasn’t really feasible. She’d have to properly stretch out her wings, and then they’d touch him and… he didn’t want to find out if they could rot too. ”Do you… want to talk about it? I understand if you don’t. But I’m happy to listen. I understand how shit dealing with an Apparition is.” As if to prove his point, he accidentally rotted another hole in the arm of the couch.
Lila found a chair and tried to sit down near Luca and struggled to figure out how to actually do it. The wings seemed to get in the way of a comfortable position no matter how she tried to avoid it. She had been given a white tank top that did little to hide the feathered chest beneath them but for whatever reason it made her feel less exposed to the world. Eventually she simply wrapped the wings around herself and leaned forward in the chair to get the stem off then pressure point. “For whatever reason all of this,” Lila paused as she looked around her visit, “is only like really really scary,” Lila paused as let out a nervous chuckle. She was terrified. She did not know how to properly communicate this and instead tried to deflect with humor. “I thought I was done, you know? I thought that Britney would be able to help me and steal away the apparition before it got to a bad spot,” Lila paused as she hugged herself tighter with her wings, “but she still here. She still is in my head, her body is coming out of mine, and that mist…. That fucking mist, made it perfectly clear that she wants to bring death and destruction to the world. I thought Britney would be able to help me,” Lila paused as she looked down to the ground, “and I got her drunk and let her try to do the sealing anyway,” Lila paused as she felt her tears coming to life once more. “I don’t know what to do Luca.
”I’m sorry, Lila,” Luca said softly, looking at her with a knowing sympathy. He understood too well. He’d spent ten years trying to get rid of the Rot as he destroyed everything around him, and it ate away at him. But at least he still looked normal. He couldn’t live normally, but for now he looked… mostly human. ”I wish I had an easy answer. I’ve spent years trying to look into a way to get rid of the Rot. They don’t make it easy, do they? I’d hoped you’d been able to seal her but… I guess not.”
He shook his head, smiling at her and wishing that he could offer some kind of comfort. If only he could at least hug her. ”Even if Britney didn’t help, maybe someone else can. I know you won’t want to, but Greta was working on something for me before I left 8th… maybe once things die down we can talk to her? Either way, I’ll do all I can to help you… We’ll figure it out.”
“Let’s make sure you get the cure first,” Lila joked, “one month in and I’m going crazy, I can’t imagine ten years,” Lila cuddled her wings into her even tighter once more. “I have fucking wings that can glow green, I have fucking wings man. I could get rid of them but the bitch didn’t tell me how.
”You get used to it… and hey, worst case we get a little cottage in the middle of the forest and become the local cryptids,” Luca joked in return, trying to alleviate the… shit situation. Even if that wasn’t something he could do, because he wouldn’t be around there for it. ”If there’s a way for you to get rid of them… maybe it’s like how I can suppress my rotting touch. I had to figure that out myself too. Its… hmm. How do I describe it? I have to put all of my energy into willing it away, and concentrate on not rotting things… Aha, that isn’t very helpful, is it?”
“That was…. One of my hallucinations. I had one, and the maiden had one. In mine, I was in the middle of the forest. I had a home, a life there and I never really stayed in one spot for long. Everyone still came to see me though. No matter how I looked, they still came and treated me like a friend. You tackled me. So yes. We could become the local cryptids, maybe cause a bridge to collapse on Emily who knows,” Lila joked as her wings no longer hugged her as tight, “what did you see in the mist?”
”That one sounds a lot nicer than the death and destruction one… I’m sure we can make that happen. And no matter what, you’ll always be my friend, and hopefully one day I can tackle you,” Luca said. Then, his face turned bright red when he thought about what he’d seen. It was just so embarrassing! But at least he could tell Lila about it… maybe it wouldn’t feel so bad if he did? ”Well, obviously I didn’t have the rot. Jasper was there and we… hugged. Fuck. This is so embarrassing, but he got out this painting! It was of us and I had a literal sunbeam smile, there were roses everywhere, and even the clouds were in the shape of a heart! He got down on one knee with it and asked me to be his boyfriend… Lila, it was so cringey! I can’t believe my mind came up with that.”
“Oh my,” Lila said with a smirk as her wings unfurled completely and spread out, “that’s the cutest one yet! Do we know what Jasper’s was? He didn’t look too beat up like Lynn so probably wasn’t with his friends again,” Lynn paused as she tried to lean back in the chair but stopped when she hit the base of her wings. “Luca that is so cute though,” the conversation pulled her away from the doom and gloom for at least the moment, “You should tell him,” Lila crossed her arms with a satisfying smirk across her face.
”No way!” Luca’s eyes widened, and he waved his hands in front of him, clearly very flustered. ”Jasper’s straight! He said his was about something he’s been wanting for a while so… I think it must’ve been someone else. We’ve only been in each other's life again for, what, a month? I can’t- imagine! ‘Hi Jasper, the mist made me see you pseudo propose to me with a sappy painting and a ring you pulled out of it, do you actually like me?’ I think I’d die of embarrassment before I even finished speaking!”
“Honestly…. Yeah I’d rather out the maidens plan to raze St. Portwell then tell a guy that now that you mention it,” Lila chuckled, ““I can talk to Jasper for you, if you are okay with it? I won’t tell him how you feel, but I can see if his wrist is a little limp you know what I mean?
”Yeah, it's super embarrassing,” Luca groaned, covering his face with a hand. He peaked at Lila through his fingers with a half smile. ”I mean maybe… test the waters. Nothing too extreme! I don't want him to get suspicious, in case it ruins our friendship. That's more important than anything… imagine how awkward it'd be for all of us.”
“Don’t worry Luca, I am sneaky,” Lila paused as she looked around, “I will be like “Yo, bro what’s up? You like men right? What’s that like?”
Luca’s shoulder started shaking as he tried to hold back laughter, but he couldn’t help it, bursting out into a laughing fit that ended in a series of harsh coughs. ”That’s- Fuck, Lila, haha that’s not subtle at all! You can’t just… say that to a straight guy!”
“Trust the process my friend,” Lila joked as she couldn’t contain a laugh. “I won’t be that direct. I’ll take him out in the next week, once we’re all recovered from the attempted hate crime, and work my magic,” Lila laughed again, and as she did she accidentally extended her wings out. She did not freak out this time. Instead she looked at them in detail for the first time with clear eyes. “Fuck the maiden and all but these are beautiful,” Lila took in a deep breath. Her wings were indeed beautiful.
”They are,” Luca agreed with a smile. They really were nice to look at, and he was glad Lila could at least see that a little bit after the pain she’d gone through when they came out. ”Maybe you can see if you can keep them when you deal with the maiden… But like, wings you can just pop in and out as you like. It’d be a cool party trick!”
“Only if they don’t break my back open every time. Like, imagine you’re the unlucky person who stands behind me at a party. Just a face full of blood and skin,” Lila gagged at the thought. Her eyes went wide. “Oh fuck I totally got a few of us with the wings arrival,” she placed her hand over her mouth. “I need to text them and say I’m so so so so sorry for splattering them.”
”It probably smelled better than those Zombies, so really it isn’t so bad?” Luca tried to joke, rubbing the back of his neck. ”But yeah, we both have apologies to make… Bit of a shitshow, huh? We really can’t catch a break.”
That’s putting it lightly. Lila pulled her wings in as she closed her clawed hands into a fist. “I’m going to get Emily back for all of this,” Lila paused as she looked at Luca, “this shit show is entirely on her shoulders,” an idea entered her head. She reached out to the murder and began to issue commands. As she did, her eyes went black in an instant. She commanded dozens of them to monitor the 8th street from afar. Just to see if Emily made the fatal mistake of leaving her mansion. They would be spread out all across the town and in the countryside. Once one spots Emily, a second murder would converge on her location and shit all over her. She commanded her crows to stay safe, away from those who could hurt them, but to cover Emily in shit. Then, another idea entered her mind. She sent out a third command, to the murder at large not in the second group. Once a day they would shit all over the mansion, on the steps, on the roof, in the bushes, and on any car parked nearby.
Lila’s eyes returned to normal as she severed the command. “Don’t worry Luca, I will make the transphobes afraid again,” Lila joked.
”Oh yeah, they’ve been way too confident lately,” Luca laughed, hiding his concern at Lila’s eye change. She was in control right now, that much he could tell so… he put it to the back of his mind. ”Emily’s… a bitch. She deserves whatever comes her way. But… I’m going to try and talk to her sisters about some stuff. They’re nothing like her. I want you to know, because, well, Emily’s clearly targeting you.”
Lila smirked at the words. Emily was targeting her, but Lila knew she had much more versatility. Lila hoped that her murder would prove to be quite the thorn in Emily’s side. Lila would need her murder to do much. A war was declared, and Lila would do well to keep the bitch in her sight. “She’s going to get a lot coming her way,” Lila said with a smirk, “I don’t want to hurt them, though, they seemed lovely and tried to stop Emily.”
”They are. I honestly don’t know how they’re related to her… At least they didn’t come along today. They always tried to help me back when I was in 8th… Greta and Carol too. They’re not all bad but-” He coughed, smiling awkwardly. ”While I hope we can talk it out with most of them, Emily and Vashti… well, while they’re in charge, 8th won’t improve.”
“How are you feeling,” Lila added to change the subject. They had talked enough about her problems, it was time she returned the favor for Luca.
”I’m alright, just a bit tired after everything,” Luca smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. It wasn’t really a lie, because he did feel alright. Upset that he’d hurt Sloane, but it had happened and he was moving forward from it. He just had to not let it happen again. ”I’m really hoping that something like that doesn’t happen again… Or that next time no one tries to hug me, haha.”
“Yeah,” Lila knew that the best way to ensure that it never happened again was the painful death of Emily, “I hope that we never have to experience something like that again. It was cruel,” Lila paused as she looked at Luca, “I hope you know that none of that was your fault though, hug included. Emily is the one who holds responsibility for Sloane getting hurt, and Emily is the one who will be paying for it. You had no control, and neither did Sloane. I know you, and I know it’s eating away at you, but just remember that. For me. Okay?”
”I know, it was part bad luck from me being so close to Sloane when it hit…” he shook his head. What Lila said wasn’t quite right. He wasn’t entirely blameless. If he hadn’t been there Sloane wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Just going out he risked hurting people. He should have control. ”I can’t really pretend it didn’t suck, but I’m not going to let it get me down. I’ll talk to Sloane tomorrow, apologise, and move past it. It’s just after managing to avoid it for so long… Well, you’re right. Emily’s fault.”
“Let’s find the movie for the night, do you need anything? I can do my best to scoop out some ice cream,” Lila offered.
”Some more ice cream would be great, but don’t push yourself! Grab some as well… or other stuff, Jasper got loads of snacks!” Luca grinned. He slowly pushed himself up and went over to get his desktop turning on stick. It took a moment to control the rotting, but once he did he used it to turn the computer on. Once it was on he brought his keyboard and mouse over to the couch. He didn’t have much time before he’d rot through them, so he started searching immediately… he’d hand it over to Lila if he didn’t find anything before.
”Ooo, what about this? I bet Ken will love it.” The cursor hovered over a movie called ‘Samurai Cop.’
“Oh I don’t think I have ever seen that one,” Lila said as she walked into the kitchen. She grabbed the tub of ice cream, and attempted to pull it open but her claws simply sliced through the lid. “Fuck. Well how about we wait until the lover boy is back,” Lila said as she used her palms to grab the tub and place it back in the freezer.
”Lilaaaa,” Luca jokingly groaned, once again holding his head in his hands.
The door opened after a few knocks, and in came Jasper, Lynn and Ken, who in tow had a bubble full of camping stuff. ”Arigatooooo, thank you for having me Luca!” Ken’s face was a little flushed. Clearly he’d given into Lynn’s earlier suggestions and had, at the very least, a few sips of something between leaving and returning.
”Ken! It’s no problem!” Luca looked up at the three entering with a grin. ”The more the merrier! There’s plenty of space… Me and Lila were just choosing a movie- oh, Jasper, mind helping with the ice cream. Me and Lila… well, apparition problems, y’know.”
He stood up with a slight grimace, gesturing to the large livingroom-kitchen. It was mostly an empty space, though there were a few more undamaged chairs since Ken had last visited, courtesy of Luca ordering them for the other three. He’d made sure to avoid everything but his ‘side’ so the rot didn’t start destroying immediately. ”Just put the camping stuff anywhere, Ken. We’ll figure out where everyone’s sleeping later!”
”You’ve got it, my friend. LUCA! My Brother; I may not be able to help Sister Lila with her… Apparition issues… But! Yours, I can potentially assist with. It will keep my mind off of utilizing my Kin abilities. And I would like to test.” he offered, putting the camping things in a secure and out of the way corner of the open space.
“Apparition problems,” Jasper raised an eyebrow as he walked over to the freezer and opened it, noticing that the lid was sliced cleanly. “That’s not a problem, I got you Luca,”
Lila walked to Luca and mouthed a “I got you” with a grin.
Lynn took a big drink from her beer as she found a nice spot to sit. She looked at the movie selection and smirked. A fun choice.
”Thanks Jasper, bro!” Luca grinned, shaking his head at Lila with a laugh. She really didn’t need to do anything, it was fine. But with the ice cream (and possibly his love life) being sorted, he could give Ken his full attention. ”Of course, if you have something you think will work… Well, I’m willing to be the test subject. It’s not like it can get worse?” He laughed.
Ken shrugged. ”If I remember, the Bastard’s trouble is radial… But, I wanted to see if I could force it back. I didn’t know if concentrating it in a Lux shell would concentrate it upon you, or if it would just… Let us be close to you for once. I’ve made a way to hug you at any distance, but… How tight can we get it?”
As he finished, Ken lifted his right hand and directed a great deal of Purple Lux into a phantom hand that closed itself around Luca’s arm. He could feel the weak particles being rotted in the air, and he started to close the gap tighter and tighter. ”Tell me if it hurts you or anything… If it doesn’t, we’ll spread it across your body. See how it goes.” he said, tugging the rot closer and tighter toward the center of it’s infection.
Luca watched as the phantom hand wrapped around his hand, and started to squeeze inwards. At first, it was just tight and uncomfortable. Like an intensified prickling against his arm and a squeeze from the pressure itself. Then, as it got closer, it started to hurt. Like sharp nails were scratching across his skin, then they became burning hot. It was a pain he felt when the rot went more rampant, or the days where he wasn’t doing so well physically. Not quite the constant background ache that came with his condition, but not to the level of the rotting of his insides either.
Luca’s scale of pain was incredibly skewed. On a scale of one to ten, he’d rate a badly broken bone at a five. Yes, it hurt, but being able to let people close was worth suffering through it. Maybe not risking hurting others, only himself. ”It feels fine, you can spread it, I think,” Luca smiled, no signs of pain visible across his features. He was well practiced at hiding it.
Ken grimaced as he felt a great deal of the particles slipping around from one edge to another. He was certain they were bounding directly through Luca with little care as to the thickness or shape of his flesh. Microscopic holes. But Luca was telling him it was fine. So Ken faked a smile, and let the sleeve of telekinesis wrap around Luca, slipping its way under his clothes and coating him until there was a strange sensation of suction. The layer disappeared, slipping just under the first few layers of skin.
The result was a seamless subdermal coating, trapping the rot just below the skin and leaving Luca the freedom to see, hear and breathe at the cost of a constant low powered vibration echoing through his body. And more pain… Whether or not he could handle it on such a scale, Ken waited with baited breath to see.
”Whoaaa,” Luca held out his hands, turning them, before touching the couch without rotting it away. He grinned. ”Ken, this is awesome.”
Of course, it was also incredibly painful. The rotting aura was trapped and pressed against his already rotting skin, all of the decay that affected around him suddenly trapped. It was bad. The vibration through his body amplified it as it forced straining joints to move slightly. But… it still wasn’t the worst pain he’d been in. This was the level of pain where he could still get out of bed, to eat and go to the toilet and maybe watch a movie. He wasn’t doing much more tonight. He could bear it. It was worth it.
”Thanks, Ken!” Luca said cheerfully, pushing to his feet and going over to hug his friend. It was the closest to a proper hug they’d had, different from the normal ones that Luca had always appreciated too. Standing was more difficult. His legs felt like they were being ripped apart, his muscles slightly trembling. But he was already in so much pain, he reached this level of pain while destroying everything.
Letting go of Ken, Luca spun around towards the kitchen, eyes locking on Jasper. ”Jasper, look, I can actually get close to people!” Luca’s smile was bright as he went towards Jasper, slightly faster than the sluggish walk he’d made towards Ken. His chest constricted, breathing difficult as the rotting penetrated through his skin. Another step, and his leg went out from underneath him, sending him falling in Jasper’s direction.
Jasper was stunned. Luca was walking, and he could actually move without worry of the rot. Jasper put the bowl filled with ice cream down on the counter and crossed his arms. It was incredible, the power of Ken, and Jasper wondered if this meant… “Oh shit,” Jasper thought to himself as he saw Luca start to fall. He reached out, shot his hands under Luca’s arm, and pulled him steady. However, he pulled him a little too hard and brought him in nice and close. They were practically hugging.
“Well how about that?”
”Pretty… neat…” Luca panted out, chest heaving up and down. He automatically leant in towards Jasper, furrowing his brow. Maybe he couldn’t handle this after all… no, he’d just exerted himself too much by walking. It was just a bit… a whole lot of pain. Really hard to breathe. He could feel the rotting underneath his flesh, scraping away at his insides. No, this was getting worse. It still wasn’t the worst because… he was in control. There was no visible damage.
Just his heart’s weak thudding slowing down. His lungs being scraped by shards of glass. The distinctive feeling of his organs rotting. A feeling he was accustomed to and in tune with enough to know when it was worse, when it was killing him faster.
It was bad. He’d made a mistake.
”Ken…” The single word came out as a weak whimper. Shit, this was really bad. Now everyone was going to be worried.
“Ken, take it away,” Jasper said to Ken with a panicked tone in his voice.
Panicked, Ken instantly released the spell to a comfortable distance, being sure to bump Jasper and anyone else away from being too close. He’d been extremely happy to see Luca so excited, but now it was far more sour. He opened a hole in the bubble and began to circulate air through it to try and give Luca some extra comfort as the Rot’s influence expanded again. ”I knew it! I felt it, the way everything was so weak… Like it could all crumble! I should not have kept going… I’m so sorry, my friend… What do you need? Can I make it better!?” he pleaded against the barrier.
Luca had slouched to his knees, not able to keep himself up, one hand on the plastic flooring beside him as he took deep, heaving breaths. The intense pain subsided, and the pressure on his lungs and heart reduced. Blood, already rotten, pumped around his body again. It still hurt. It still hurt a lot, but it had reduced back down from a level of actively damaging… At least, just the normal amount of internal damage he was constantly suffering. ”It’s alright, Ken, it wasn’t your fault,” he said when he finally had enough air in his lungs to do so, holding up the hand not supporting it and shaking it slightly. He didn’t want Ken blaming himself. He was the one who’d said it didn’t hurt and decided to risk it. He hadn’t expected it to be so fast or deadly. ”I just need a bit of time to recover… It’s not that bad. Just a bit of rotting under my skin- aha, I’ll have to hit the gym again to get those muscles back.”
He coughed rather than laughing at the poorly made joke, holding up an arm that clearly hadn’t had much in the way of muscle strength in the first place. Of course, it had rotted much more than that. Luca knew that of all the people here, unless Lynn had peered into his future, Ken had the best idea of how bad it was. It was difficult for Luca to hide fully from one of the few people that had visited him over the years. But, still, the internal damage wasn’t so obvious. He’d like to keep it that way. ”What I really need… is to lie down on the couch when I can move, with some ice cream, and a movie, and friends.”
”Don’t move! I know I’ve got tricks that won’t… Won’t hurt you.” His hands flicked between one another again, and Luca’s body simply floated. It didn’t cover him in the same way, and having been affected by Enlighten before, Ken figured Luca wouldn’t struggle. With a phantom hand, he patted Luca’s head and floated him to hover in place just over the couch. He touched him down softly, half smiling as the whole situation settled. ”There… I wish there was more. Jasper, maybe, will feed you ice cream so you can save the spoon.”
”Thanks Ken, you’re the best,” Luca smiled brightly, as if he hadn’t been dying moments ago, and it hadn’t taken a further toll on his life. His cheeks darkened slightly at the suggestion, furtively glancing over at Jasper. ”That would be… nice. Y’know. My best friend helping out.”
Lila simply found a bar of chocolate, broke off a small chunk as best she could, and ate the chocolate with a smile on her face. She looked at Luca, flashed her eyes over to Jasper, then back to Luca and simply raised her eyebrows twice in quick succession. Lynn, meanwhile, downed another beer and watched the scene unfold in real time for the first time. This was apart of one of the possible futures she’d seen, and she knew that Luca and Lila were going to try and sus out Jasper. She could spill the beans ahead of time, but she much preferred letting everyone take it at their own speed. She turned to Jasper and tapped her fingers on an imaginary watch.
“I gotchu bro,” Jasper said with a wry smile. He grabbed the bowl of ice cream, a spoon, and walked over near Luca and sat down to his side, just out of range of the rot, and scooped a small dollop of ice cream and held it out.
”Thanks, man,” Luca blushed slightly but tried to play it out with a casual response, leaning forward to eat the spoonful of ice cream. He smiled at Jasper afterwards. It wasn't like it meant anything… Jasper was just helping him out! Totally straight friend ice cream feeding. Ken had suggested it too so that just made it a normal friend thing.
”Oh, does someone want to start the movie? I already picked one out with Lila,” Luca pointed to the keyboard and mouse sitting on the floor some distance from the couch. He turned his head slightly to look at Ken. ”I think you'll really enjoy this one, Ken, it's… got some kind of Samurai in it.”
Ken clicked his tongue between his teeth, settled up on the floor with his sandals off and his legs twisted into a pretzel. He sat upright like a board, and had pulled his sweater off to sit in a tank top with his abnormally toned shoulders and neck on display. As well as what looked to be a tattoo; the curse mark in the shape of the Fiend’s Teeth. ”Samurai? Poor guy. What do you mean by some kind?” he questioned flatly.
”Well, the movies called Samurai Cop and,” Luca forced himself to look away from Ken's muscular shoulders (it was a respectful look) towards the large screen, which was showing the movie title and poster. He gestured to the white guy with long hair prominently in it. ”I’m pretty sure that guy is the Samurai so it's… not very traditional? But it looks fun!”
As soon as the shirt was off Lila’s eyes went black. Her vision focused on the muscular definition, getting a much more clear visual thanks to her enhanced vision. She immediately shook her head, returning her eyes to their normal color, and looked away from Ken. As she did, she fumbled with the chocolate bar in her hand and dropped it to the ground. She struggled to pick it up with her talons. Lynn just took a sip from her beer as she reached over and hit the play button. Jasper meanwhile had his eyes lingering on the muscular frame of Ken. He did not let them linger for long, returning them back to Luca with a smile, but he did enjoy what he saw.
“I’ve watched so many interesting movies since I started being around you Luca,” Jasper chuckled as he looked over to the screen with a schule, “I think this one will continue that trend.”
For once, Ken found himself silently staring in awe as this movie played out in front of him. The warning and everything, it all just passed by as he listlessly stared into the screen as though he was taken in by it all. He was a cop, mostly. Ken failed to see how he was a samurai, mostly because it didn’t really go over his financial or social situation beyond being a cop. He trained, sure, but Ken was just waiting to see what was going to happen. The truth was, he wasn’t exactly a high-minded individual. Concept building, subtext, implication; they didn’t sit well with his straight forward brain. Most of the time, rather than getting hung up on it, he just let it roll away.
So he found no reason it couldn’t be the same here. He was a samurai simply because he had a sword, and that was all the audience needed. Sure. Ken found himself laughing aloud, not thinking about anything besides being entertained by the goofy spectacle. A phantom hand popped the fridge door open, bringing over a bundle of beer for everyone to have. ”Kanpaiiii!” he took one and raised it up as the cap magically peeled away.
Luca wasn’t quite as engrossed in the movie as Ken, turning towards Jasper to get spoon fed more ice cream here and there, but he was enjoying it enough that it was easier to ignore his aching body. He laughed quietly - because some of it was so ridiculous, rather than a good comedy. But it was fun… and it was fun because he was watching it with his friends.
”Oh, Ken, mind grabbing me a soda?” Luca asked, grinning brightly over at him. Then he looked back at the screen in time for yet another amazing reaction from Frank, now his favourite character. He pointed. ”Y’know, I think I should start just pulling faces like that in the back of coven meetings… I think it’d really improve things. Whenever someone says anything stupid…” He laughed.
“Compared to me, you’re all nothing,” Lynn did her best Anya impression and pointed to Luca for the face.
Luca pulled his lips into a thin, slightly downward pointed line, eyebrows raised and eyes slightly narrowed. Then he turned his face more towards Lynn, eyes widening and lips forming a silent ‘oh’ of disbelief.
A can of soda lazily slid into Luca’s point of view, snapping open and pouring itself into a little canless bubble for Luca to slurp it through, courtesy of Purple Lux’s most useful of Telekinetic principles. All Ken could do was smile as he held one hand in position to channel the spell. His headband, and channeler, was tied tight around his right bicep, which it mostly hid from view.
“Can I get another, another beer Ken,” Lynn asked with a slight hiccough.
“Me toooooo, I would get one myself but,” Lila moved her clawed hands and sighed.
”Having you around is great, Ken,” Luca grinned, drinking from his little canless bubble… It was nice not having soda mixed with rust. ”I think we’ll all forget to walk if you keep doing things like this for us.”
Ken was fixated on the movie before him, just giggling at the absurd banter and actions found within. In his head, he found himself being strung along by anticipation’s strength. This translated into his Purple Lux manipulations being strongly on-point. The beers floated about the room now, dancing their way from the fridge to be popped open cold and fresh before the requesters.
”You know…-” Ken shifted on the floor to a kneeling position. From his sweater pocket, he produced a sheathed Tanto blade covered in strange, reptilian motifs crawling up and down its scabbard. Another beer floated on, and as Ken placed the knife down, he cracked open the beer. ”Tennogama will like this movie.”
His hands flicked, and from the sword, a faded figure grew more and more solid in the room. It got a little humid even, as through the mist, Tennogama’s figure and form were scaled down to sit perfectly alongside Ken. Those who had seen the massive toad previously on Ken’s property would recognize that he was, unlike usual, clothed in what was some incredible robes that resembled the pants that Ken was wearing.
Big golden eyes blinked around the room, and he cleared his throat before letting a croak rumble through the living room. He did not speak, but the sides of his mouth curled up into a slight smile, and he raised one padded hand to wave at the attendants. ”Did you see, Tennogama?” Ken asked, putting the beer down in front of the sword as an offering. Magically, a tankard appeared in Tennogama’s hands. He simply croaked again in response. Ken’s head spun around to smile at the others. ”See? Very excited reaction.”
Luca twisted around slightly to look at Tennogama with slightly wide eyes, raising a hand to wave. He’d seen him before the few times he’d been able to visit Ken’s, but had always made sure to keep his distance. His touch may not be so deadly for an Apparition, but it weakened them. ”That’s-” Luca didn’t want to say that the croak didn’t sound excited at all, just like… a normal croak. Well if Ken said it was an excited reaction, it must be. He grinned. ”Good to have you, Tennogama! Glad you’re enjoying it too.”
A light tap at the window caught Luca’s attention. It was the perfect volume that only he and Jasper, closest to the window, would be able to hear it. He carefully turned his head away from Ken towards the window. At first all he could see was a single, skeletal finger. Then, glowing eyes. When they caught Luca’s eyes, another hand raised to wave. Luca’s heart started thumping in his chest. They were back- but why now. Wait. This was an opportunity to show everyone else, even if they couldn’t talk about it!
”Jasper,” Luca whispered, nodding towards the window. Jasper would understand. He’d know what to do.
Tennogama, without true physicality, was little more than a presiding ghost among the group. But he was keen, and still ready to read aura. Eyes twisted in the socket, moving toward the window in the search for prey. After all, though many may not recognize, Toads are predators in their environment. In the microcosm on which they most often feed, they are behemoths. Goliath, threatening with their ear shattering war cries as they amble and trudge through the mud toward whatever insect they’re eating.
He felt an insect rattling at the window now. There was another croak, but Ken was already too distracted by the movie and the beer to come about. His phantom-like frame stood, trudging toward the window slowly. Thankfully for Luca, the projection was just a projection. The rot couldn’t do what it wished to the deific creature, for all of its physicality lay within the blade that sat on the floor with a beer. Rather, he stuck his ethereal form through the wall without struggle, eyes narrowing at the intruder outside.
Skelly’s eyes narrowed as what would’ve been lips curled downward. They pointed to the giant toad and quickly pointed behind themself with their thumb. They then pointed to Jasper, and Luca, and used their thumb to point to their own chest, showing the giant toad that those two were theirs. Using their top two hands Skelly showed the giant toad that he wanted to strangle them.
Tennogama’s throat was consistently growing the entire time that the entity tried to mime out what it wanted to say. By the time it was finished, his upper body had practically doubled in size. The fabric of his robes was pulled taut against his frame, and he began to shake slightly. Eyes glazed over, padded hands tightened their grip on the wall.
The croak that he released would’ve shaken the building if he had physicality… But then the tongue flew out of his mouth, causing Skelly’s mouth to go wide with fear.
Sloane eyed joggers with suspicion as she made her way to the entrance of Tranquil Haven Park. She had been one of them once, dressed head to toe in pricey athleisure, running in motion at a crosswalk waiting for the hand to become a little green guy while checking her fitbit, enjoying the fresh air while feeling the burn, just annoying the piss out of everybody else who woke up with an aching hip and a bad back. Since Father Wolf she had condemned herself to the treadmill, suddenly finding the prospect of going out alone and running through parks with heavily obscured sightlines a bit more terrifying than before. It’d be a lie to ever say that she had felt safe, but back then she had at the very least felt prepared. Now uncertainty clouded her mind, making everything grayer like the autumn skies above.
Sloane wrapped her arms around her as the wind blew, the brown leaves rustling past her through the iron bars of a creaking gate, as she posted up against a stone pillar next to the entrance. Slow anxiety gripped her stomach, a feeling she thought would go away when she saw Luca round the corner and half-raised her hand to get his attention, falsely believing that company would be the cure. The feeling didn’t vanish; if anything, the sight of Luca amplified it. She was scared, actually, a natural response to seeing something that had almost killed her, but it wasn’t instinctual self-preservation that put her on pins and needles. She wasn’t scared because of Luca, she was scared for Luca.
“Hey,” said Sloane, managing to steel herself enough to make eye contact.
They should probably move out of the entrance, if only to keep Luca away from the Blind. Tucked away off to the side of the park, in the opposite direction of the gazebo where they had their first meeting, was a small amphitheater where occasionally local actors would recite Shakespearan sonnets or a ten-person folk bands would perform covers of Wagon Wheel to a crowd of mostly empty stone stands. Sloane only knew about it because she had attended what she had been told was going to be an auction there before, realizing quite quickly by the amount of people in denim overalls that it had really been more of a rummage sale and having to excuse herself after becoming involved in a heated discussion that just because something had belonged to a grandparent and had sentimental value didn’t also immediately mean it had any kind of material value. Given the weather, it was probably unbooked for the season.
“Thank you for sa—” she started, wincing ever so slightly as she pivoted what she was going to say and turned abruptly, heading off in the outdoor theater, as she said, “Thank you for coming. Let’s find somewhere that’s not so busy.”
When Luca appeared at the entrance of the park and spotted Sloane, he smiled warmly as if the last time they'd met hadn't nearly killed her. He ignored the anxiety eating away at his stomach - or perhaps it was just the rot. The tingling pain was difficult to differentiate, sometimes, as was the harsher breathing. He wasn't entirely sure what they were going to talk about. He'd apologise as much as he had to, of course... And make sure she was alright. She did look fine, at least.
”Of course! I'm always happy to meet up, and have plenty of time,” Luca said cheerfully. It was obvious at first glance that he'd dressed to cover as much skin as possible. A worn jacket which revealed skin-tight long sleeves underneath it as it moved, and gloves sealing any gap. His pants were almost too long, ragged edges occasionally brushing the ground, and the light scarf around his neck was stifling in the autumnal weather. Underneath his chin was a surgical mask - just in case.
He followed Sloane towards the amphitheatre. It was quiet - very few people would choose to sit around in the colder weather, and even less on stone seats when there were slightly more comfortable benches dotted around. Luca found a spot on one of the lower steps. He glanced at Sloane, and tried to figure out if he should stay standing to take a seat... Well, he wouldn't be able to stay standing for long. Even after some healing from Sully, yesterday had taken a toll on him. It was thanks to Sully's healing that he was able to get out of bed at all.
”Mind if I sit down? My knees aren't great these days,” he shrugged, still smiling, and took a seat on the stone steps anyway. It was a good material - more difficult for him to get through, though he wasn't so concerned with the amount of layers he was wearing. He couldn't quite hide the grimace as his legs protested under the sudden bending, his arm moving out to support himself on a higher step on the way down. He straightened them out when he was sat, alleviating the aching slightly, and looked up at Sloane. ”I'm really sorry about nearly- for hurting you so badly. I should've been more careful. Are you feeling better now? I know it's a lot of pain to deal with, even if you got healed after...”
“Stop,” said Sloane, dismissively waving her hand. She stood away from Luca, arms crossed, staring at the empty stage. She chewed on the inside of her lip, having noticed the pained expression on Luca’s face as he sat down. “You don’t owe me an apology. What happened wasn’t your fault.”
It wasn’t entirely true. They could easily blame 8th Street or even go as far back to rightfully point a finger at Britney, but the Rot should’ve been sealed a long time ago. She didn’t understand how after all of these years Luca still carried the Rot with him. She lowered her head, wondering if she maybe just did not care until it had affected her. She shifted uncomfortably and glanced sideways at Luca.
“In fact, I’m sorry. I should’ve been the one to have reached out, and I definitely should’ve been the one being careful,” said Sloane, turning towards Luca. Her hand tightened on her sleeve, remembering how much of a burden she had become once 8th Street had unleashed the undead horde. She hated how useless she was in a fight. “I’m only alive now because of you, so thank you. Seriously. You saved my life. Anyway…”.
Sloane sighed, a genuine look of concern breaking through as she asked, “Are you okay?”
”It's what anyone would've done, but... You're welcome, I'm glad I was able to help you out." Even if it had resulted in him hurting her afterwards... Saved, and then nearly killed. Ironic, wasn't that what Britney had done for him? But he was grateful for the ten extra years he'd gotten.
Luca tilted his head, a hint of confusion crossing his dark eyes at Sloane's question and concern. Had he been obvious about the pain when he sat down? Or did she... Figure it out? No, he was good at hiding the reality. Maybe she was worried he'd be upset that he found out she liked Jasper? No, it wasn't like he made his feelings obvious either.
”Yeah, I'm good! Having a reason to go outside always makes it a good day,” Luca smiled, lying easily. It didn't feel so much like a lie. This was just how his body was - constantly hurting and deteriorating. Since he'd accepted his death he'd really become alright with it. Maybe his 'okay' wasn't the same as other people's, but that was fine, right? He'd learned it was better not to dwell too much on the negatives. Today, he was outside. He was able to walk. He truly was okay.
But... Sloane's genuine, visible concern confused him. He wasn't entirely sure where it had come from. And for someone as expressionless as her to show it, she must be really concerned. But why? Unless... ”You, uh, didn't hear anything I said while affected by the mist, did you?”
“I don’t know. I thought you were—well, it doesn’t matter,” said Sloane. “Look, there was some concerning stuff I noticed when we had all met up at Auri’s, and then last night I thought I heard something.”
Sloane took a seat on the same stone stand Luca was on, giving him a generous amount of space. She recalled the off things she had noticed at the first meeting: Luca’s aversion to hospitals, the prescription pill bottles he had dropped when his bag had disintegrated. Honestly, given all of the burner phones she had at first thought he’d just decided to deal drugs and perhaps even sampled some of his own supply. At the time it had been the easiest way to explain why Luca had seemed so chill when his wrist had been broken.
”When I asked if you were okay I didn’t mean if you were good. I’ve known you long enough to know that you always just say that you’re good. Let’s pretend that I didn’t hear anything you said while confused by that mist,” said Sloane, blinking away the sudden panic she felt at the realization that if she had actually heard Luca then that meant Luca could’ve heard her. “Given your question, I now refuse to believe that there isn’t something else. If it’s none of my business you can just tell me it’s none of my business, but I want a real answer this time.”
“Luca, are you okay?” asked Sloane, staring at him, looking for any signs of further lies.
”I…” Luca’s smile wavered slightly. Technically it was none of her business - but it was also coven business. He was like this because of Britney… Which was part of the reason why he didn’t want anyone to know. They’d pity him and hate her more. So, he’d tell a different half truth. He didn’t want to just brush off Sloane’s concern. He glanced away as he continued. ”Not always. I’m basically chronically ill. I have good days and bad days, but it's manageable-”
”Shut up. I know that you’re dying.”
Luca froze, lips slightly parted around his next words and eyes widening. She had heard… and she knew. Something that he’d managed to hide from everyone in the current coven, and nearly everyone in his life. Shit. He hadn’t wanted it to get out at all. "Yes, I’m dying. The Rot’s killing me slowly… I haven’t known for long. Not properly, at least."
He looked back at Sloane with a peaceful smile. There were no signs of distress or blame in his expression. Since she already knew, he would be completely honest. Sloane could… probably take some of the details he generally tried to withhold. "I managed to keep the Rot suppressed long enough to get a short checkup at a hospital. They couldn’t figure it out, because I’m rotting from the inside. But they could tell me that I’m dying… They said I probably only have a few years left. But with the rate things are going, I think I’ll be lucky to have one."
Luca looked up towards the sky, letting out a soft sigh. In a way, it was nice to talk about it. The only person he’d really spoken to was Greta, who’d figured it out before he could even try to lie about it… and then it had spread a bit in 8th Street. But he’d hidden it from even Olivia. "The real answer isn’t so nice, is it? But I’ve accepted the inevitable, after doing what I could to get rid of the Rot."
“Sounds more like you gave up,” said Sloane mechanically.
She exhaled in frustration and leaned forward with her hands folded and her elbows resting on her knees. A curtain of black hair fell over her face and hid her expression from Luca as she angrily stared at the ground, grinding a dead leaf into dust with the toe of her boot. While everyone else was banding together to take down Father Wolf out of the hope of securing their own future, Luca was doing it knowing that he had none. It was admirable. It was unfucking fair. If anybody deserved to be rotted alive from the inside it was the psychopath that had adjoined the apparition to Luca. Sloane sneered. No, nobody deserves something like that, not even Britney. She wiped her eyes and tucked her hair behind her ear, staring forward, unable to look at Luca.
“Sorry, I’m being a bitch. Don’t listen to me. That just…sucks. I have no idea what you must be going through,” said Sloane. She scoffed and shook her head, almost as if she were laughing at herself. “What am I saying? Last night wasn’t the first time I’ve almost died, but it was the most pain I’ve ever been in. To have something like that drag out for years…”
She covered her mouth with a hand, trying to comprehend how long he must’ve been in pain, becoming indignant that he hadn’t said anything sooner, rather frustrated with herself that she hadn’t spoken to him sooner. Her eyes darted around the amphitheater as if she was searching for a solution that someone had carved into the stone. The others had sealed Apparitions before, but as far as she was aware the first step in the process was coaxing the Apparition out of its host. She couldn’t recall a time she had ever even seen the Rot.
“Yeah the real answer is not so nice, but being nice usually doesn’t come to a real solution either, ” said Sloane, sitting back up and turning her head to Luca. A hint of heat radiated off of her words. “How long have you known?”
"Two years."
“Two…two years? And you didn’t tell us? Luca you’re a…you’re a fucking idiot!” yelled Sloane, punching her own leg for emphasis, idiot, idiot, idiot echoing off of the amphitheater. “You’re not dying from some terminal illness. You’re being poisoned—murdered—by something Britney Williams did to you and you haven’t said anything? Why?”
"Was anyone around?!" Luca snapped, eyes flashing with uncharacteristic anger and flecks of green around the edges. He grimaced, twisting away and raising a hand to massage his forehead. Taking a deep breath, he was able to push down the sudden irritation. It was getting harder to keep a hold of his emotions… shit… it was progressing faster than he’d hoped.
When he turned back towards Sloane, he was calm again, the normal Luca with a smile and optimistic outlook. "I understand why you’re angry, Sloane, but what’s the point in telling anyone? I’ve spent ten years looking for a way to get rid of it. I know people would help even without this… detail. I don’t want to worry the people I care about… and I don’t want everyone to turn on Britney even more. We don’t need that.”
While he hadn’t forgiven her, he didn’t want to hold onto that resentment either. He had for a while and it had only fueled the Apparition inside of him. "I just want to live the rest of my life peacefully. If I told people, they’ll spend the whole time worrying and treating me like an invalid. I don’t want that."
Sloane had recoiled in surprise when Luca snapped at her. She couldn’t recall a single time she had seen him get angry before. It was the only thing that had kept from immediately opening her mouth again to retort. The words settled in instead. Was anyone around? Certainly. Probably. Just not her. Ten years and outside of a chance run-in or Merry Christmas text she had never even bothered to check in or even think about Luca. She was a bad friend.
Hell, until now she wouldn’t have even considered Luca to be a friend. Sloane had dehumanized him by identifying him only as a victim. On occasions she had worried about him but only in the pitying way one worries about a dog locked inside of a hot car with the windows rolled up on a summer day but takes no action to help, immediately forgetting about the sad sight the following day, only ever thinking about it on some restless nights where it’s three hours before her alarm and she still hasn’t fallen asleep, mixed in with a storm of other past regrets that fade once more by the morning time. She had been doing everything he was afraid people would do to him if they found out before she had even found out. It made her feel gross.
But the thought of letting him continue talking like this felt even worse. Any further silence and she would feel as if she was condoning his behavior. Maybe she was doing the wrong thing here, but the other option was inconceivable.
“You’re full of shit. You are so unbelievably full of shit,” said Sloane, jumping up to her feet. She approached Luca, stopping just as the hairs on her arm began to tingle. “You wouldn’t be here if you wanted to live the rest of your life out peacefully. You’re not that selfish. I saw the look in your eyes last night when Sullivan was putting me back together. You were terrified. You didn’t want me to be hurt. You don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“Let me explain something to you. Earlier I said that last night was the worst pain I’ve ever been in. I lied. The worst pain I ever felt is a recurring one that comes whenever it wants, regardless of where I am or what I’m doing,” said Sloane, shoving a trembling hand into her coat pocket, her voice breaking for a second. “It’s the pain that comes whenever I think about Jade or Jinhai , knowing that not only will I never see them again, but that I never even really had the chance to say goodbye. It’s funny. I’ll eventually learn to accept that they are dead and never coming back, but I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that I didn’t have a chance to tell them how much they actually meant to me.”
“You said you don’t want to worry people who you care about. If you actually care about those people then you’d do the right thing and tell them what’s happening to you,” said Sloane. “Because that pain I feel is chronic. I’ll have it until I die.”
Luca’s eyes widened, and he shuffled backwards when Sloane approached him. There was that fear in his eyes again - the fear she’d get too close and he’d hurt her again. He didn’t want that. His hand shot up to his mask, going to pull it over his face but pausing when Sloane stopped just outside of his aura. ”Of course I didn’t want you to get hurt… or anyone else. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
He looked away, recoiling as if Sloane’s words had wounded him. His fingers dug into his pants, scrunching up the fabric. He knew, deep down, that she was right. The kinder thing would be to tell people and let them prepare. Was not telling them selfish? Yes, probably. He didn’t want to deal with it. The crying, the worrying, the coddling. Having to deal with everyone else’s preemptive grief while his own mental state deteriorated. ”But isn’t it cruel to make them suffer for longer? Do you feel like by knowing, my death will be easier?”
Luca turned back to Sloane with a sad, sympathetic smile. ”The pain would still be there. Maybe you’d have more closure, but the pain would always still be there. That’s just grief… and I’m sorry you have to carry that.”
”I know you’re right. I should tell everyone. And I will, eventually. But there’ll come a point where I can’t be around anyone. You know what I’m more scared of than dying? Losing this,” he tapped his head. He felt that he owed it to Sloane to at least be as honest as he could be, when she was being so honest with him - even if it was in a rough manner. He got it. He could see it all came from a place of concern. ”And I will. My body isn’t the only thing that’s rotting. Eventually, I’ll lose myself, and I don’t want anyone to be there when it happens. If I tell everyone… it’ll be more difficult to just disappear.”
A heavy silence fell between the two as Sloane held her tongue. The first thought she had was to hit Luca with a harsh counterpoint: if he had already given up and accepted that he was going to one day lose his mind, then what did it matter what he wanted seeing as how he wouldn’t even remember it happening? The second thought was that she was a terrible person for even thinking about saying that. She imagined that if she was in his situation she’d do the exact same thing. She wouldn’t bother telling anybody too, knowing that she’d be driven insane by the pantomime of people pretending to care about her just so that other people would think they were kind.
Of course, she would never be in his situation. It was just one of the many privileges that came with having access to Lux. Her fingers brushed against the frayed edge of her old tarot card channeler. The pain would still be there. Her brow furrowed ever so slightly, an almost imperceptible change in her expression as she balled up her channeler as if it were a piece of rubbish. Sloane scoffed to herself, realizing that for a moment she had almost let someone suffering from brainrot to convince her to listen to him. Luca was wrong. Her pain wasn’t grief. Grief was inevitable. The deaths of Jade and Jinhai had been preventable. She suffered from regret, and she knew that she would regret it forever if she allowed Luca to make her believe for a second longer that his rotten end was inevitable.
“Luca,” said Sloane, sharply slicing through the silence, her face softening as she stepped back to her spot and took her seat again, giving Luca more than enough personal space. “I’m sorry. I want to say that I understand, but that just would be belittling. I doubt that I could truly comprehend all that you are going through. All I really know is that you don’t deserve this. Sometime ago I may have suggested that sealing an apparition to never use it again was an act of cowardice. Given what I know now, I think it’s safe to say that I was extremely, horrifically wrong. As an apology, I promise to stay silent about this. You may tell the others when you think it is right.”
Sloane fished the crumpled tarot card out of her pocket and smoothed it out on her lap, the wrinkled Queen of Swords looking as if she got a fresh injection of counterfeit Botox. She shifted herself to sit cross-legged and turned so that she was directly facing Luca. She gave Luca a soft, almost shy smile.
“No, that doesn’t feel like it’s an appropriate enough apology, especially considering that I still owe you my life. What if I just make it so that you don’t have to talk to anyone about it at all?” asked Sloane rhetorically. “So, how have you tried to get rid of our Rot problem? I don’t want to go down any paths that you’ve already found to lead nowhere.”
”Thanks, Sloane, I appreciate you trying to understand, at least,” Luca smiled warmly at her, feeling relief when she promised not to tell anyone. He had never been hung up on her implying that many years ago - in fact, he’d understood where she came from. It was reasonable to see magic as a gift when to many it was, and to see it as something they should use to help others. He would if he could. He’d come back in the hope that he could help.
”Hey, I’d hardly say you owed me your life, after I almost ended it right after- surely that makes it even?” Luca waved his hands in front of him but, at the end of the day, he couldn’t really say no to her offer of help. Because he did want rid of the Rot. He’d spent ten years trying to figure that out, with help here and there. He didn’t want to be a burden on others by making them help him, but he’d also gladly work with them. Sloane seemed to genuinely care and want to help… Well, of course she did. She was a good person, even if she was a little rough about the way she went about things.
”I won’t say no to your help.” Luca smiled, the slight tension still held in his frame disappearing as he relaxed. He didn’t have to defend himself anymore, or talk about his inevitable death. Even after accepting it, it didn’t get easier. ”The most obvious method is sealing, but that requires the Rot coming out of my body. It never does that, and it never takes over if there’s a risk of that. It’s too smart for it to be that easy. Back… before the coven dissolved, after you left, we tried using the Apparition Killer on me to get it out. It started to rot the tip of the blade as soon as it touched me. Since then I’ve mostly been looking into methods to drag it out. Talking to people, researching… Kari was working on something before we fell out. Greta too, before I left 8th. She’s made me potions but none of them have worked yet. I’ve been looking for any kind of artifact that would help, and I’ve tried asking around the friendlier factions. It's been difficult with limited resources and movement.”
”Basically, it needs to be something that will force an Apparition out in a way that it can then be sealed.”
Sloane leaned forward, elbows on her knees, fingers bridged in front of her lips, and listened. It was news to her that Ashley had tried to help Luca back in the day. She had always assumed their old leader was so far up her own ass that she was unable to even see the problems that others were having. Ashley had never bothered to bring it up when Sloane had demanded she hand over the Apparition Killer a few days before the woman had been murdered, arguing that it was wasted in her incapable hands. The corner of her mouth twitched as if it had been hooked by a feeling of guilt, thankfully hidden from Luca. As for Kari? Well, it wasn’t a very big surprise that she had turned out to be a disappointment. Sloane had a similar experience where Kari had suddenly shut her out of her life, too.
But that wasn’t what mattered now.
“The Rot being strong enough to tarnish an artifact like the Apparition Killer is…quite something,” said Sloane, unable to say what she truly thought: it was absolutely terrifying. She spoke softly, thinking out loud, “Perhaps something could be crafted with Orange Lux to remove the Rot, but I don’t know what that would be…”
Sloane wasn’t a creator. She was a plagiarist. Her magic took something someone else made and corrupted it. Even with Anya’s help she doubted they would be able to craft a spell, let alone then create an artifact, in the time Luca had left. Sloane’s face soured. There was the slightest possibility that Sloane’s mother might know something, but the door for learning from her had been closed, locked, sealed over with brick and mortar and followed with the slaughtering of the masons to keep its location a secret so that it would never be unearthed many years ago. It would be nothing but a painful waste of time.
“The likeliest of ways to exorcise the Rot would be with Black Lux. Maybe Lyss—” Sloane suddenly stopped and glanced away. Another preventable loss. Sloane shook her head.
“I don’t know. I’ll think of something. It’s not like you’re actually an idiot. If the solution was so simple you would’ve already found it.” It was pretty much the closest to a complement Sloane was typically capable of making. “In the meanwhile we can focus on taking preventative steps. Slow the Rot down. Keep you being you. Stormy might be able to keep an abjuration aura on you, although he’d basically have to be attached to your hip the entire time. Plus, he’d undoubtedly ask questions. Sullivan, then? A daily dose of the Chalice could greatly extend the time we have, and he’s so thick he would believe any excuse you feed him.”
“Would you be willing to do that?” asked Sloane.
”I would be, as long as it can be done safely,” Luca said, nodding. He decided to ignore the derisive comment she made towards Sully - who was also his friend, but there was no point starting an argument over it. “I can’t drink directly from the Chalice without damaging it too, but we had our methods… I’m sure they still work! I’d rather that over Stormy… I think he’s already a bit suspicious, and he has his own life to live.”
He smiled genuinely at Sloane. While he hadn’t wanted her to find out - because he didn’t want anyone to find out - he was glad she’d been willing to hear him out and help. Some of the others would only panic, or get overly sympathetic. He appreciated actions more than words. “Thank you, Sloane, seriously. It's been quite lonely looking for a solution by myself after Olivia left… and then I’ve been too sick to do it at all recently. Something the Chalice will help with. It’s mostly physical, thankfully. The mental symptoms… are minimal. Memory loss, and the like.”
Luca put a hand on one of the higher steps, bare fingers peeking through fraying gloves. As they came into contact with the stone it started to visibly erode beneath them. Grey dust formed and was quickly carried away by a light breeze. Luca didn’t even notice as his fingers sank down into the rock. Sloane stared at the step, her pulse quickening, but she did not say anything.
“If you find anything you have my number- oh, but since I have to change phones a lot I’ll sometimes miss messages. If I don’t respond… Well, Jasper’s probably your best bet,” Luca gave a knowing smile, ignoring the knife stabbing into his chest at the thought of them being in contact. “Maybe you can get closer too.”
“W-w-what?”
Sloane’s eyes snapped back to Luca, wider and more alert than he would ever have seen them, as her cheeks reddened. Why would he say something like that? Had Jasper asked him to—a wave of horror swelled over Sloane, her pupils tiny like pinpricks, as the crashing realization flooded her private beach, the undertow dragging her out to sea. If she could hear Luca in his hallucination, it only stood to reason that Luca had been able to hear her. It felt for a moment as if she were truly drowning. A shaky hand rubbed at her flushed throat.
“O-oh, shoot! I’m going to be late for my meeting with Auri,” said Sloane, glancing down at her wristwatch. She sprung up to her feet, frighteningly animated for someone normally so reserved. She looked as if she was a deer about to bolt, but then the reality of their situation set in. The park was a nice place for a private conversation, but the secludedness was a double-edged sword.
“Walk me to the gate?” she asked. Requested, really. How could Luca not oblige?
The pair left the amphitheater the way they came, separated by a healthy amount of space, although as they walked back a peculiarly lively Sloane protested all a bit too much.
“I can tell you right now that Jasper is anything but my best bet, I mean, I swear, he just has it out for me for no reason, it’s absolutely ridiculous, he probably wouldn’t even answer the phone if I called and, anyway, I don’t know what you think you heard but it’s was probably just part of a hallucination, or even if I did say anything it’s not like what I said actually means anything, like it did with your situation but that doesn’t necessary mean it would with my situation, not saying that I’d have a situation, honestly, if anyone has a situation it would be Jasper, I mean, did I tell you how he painted a painting about me, like who even does that, he’s got like some weird kind of obsession, I mean get this last night I’m like,”
She finally took a breath, “Almost completely naked, not by choice (not to bring up a sore subject, but anyway) and he just waltzes over after not saying anything to me at this meeting or the last one and just goes, feel better, okay, like why would he even do that, and besides, my point is that I don’t understand why you would think we should get closer, like even if hypothetically I was interested in him, which I am most certainly not, but let’s say that if I maybe was it isn’t like he’s single anyway.”
“Is he?” she finished, having blabbered the entire way to the gate, a hint of hope in her voice.
”Sloane, you obviously like him,” Luca said bluntly, laughing slightly. He tried to ignore the tightening in his chest as it got a little more difficult to breath. It was just an ache that came with his decaying body, that was all. He'd accepted last night that Jasper was more likely to like Sloane than he was to ever like him. They'd look good together... And as a friend of them both he should help with that, right? ”I heard some of what you said in the mist… don’t worry, I won’t judge you, I get it. I’m rooting for you guys.”
Jasper had even painted something about her. That hurt more than anything else. Jasper had painted Luca when they became friends again as a gift but… it had been stolen by the skeleton haunting them. But it wasn’t about him, it just was him. He was sure the one about her came from deeper in Jasper’s soul. Maybe it showed his true feelings? ”He said that because he was concerned for you… And yeah, he actually is single.”
Luca smiled tiredly - hopefully Sloane would just figure it was from his sickness of the body rather than the heart. He pulled up his surgical mask to cover it up anyway. ”Well, I won’t keep you from Auri. Thanks again, Sloane.”
“Nuh-uh, thank you, Luca,” said Sloane, smiling slightly, her defenses immediately shattered by his bluntness, her silence serving as admittance, the bubbling anxiety eased by his support. Jasper was concerned about her? She wanted to believe that was right, and for the first time wanting that didn’t make her feel so perplexed. “See you later.”
The two parted ways, Sloane feeling a little less weight on her shoulders despite choosing to bear some of Luca’s burden and walking with a bit of spring in her step. Luca was a really nice guy, a good friend, and proof that she needed to curb her growing indignation to the rest of the Sycamore Tree Coven. Sloane came to a crosswalk and turned to look back at Luca, watching him go away from her in the opposite direction. Her good mood shifted as he turned the corner, disappearing from her sight. She realized something. She didn’t want to see him go. No, no, no, that wasn’t quite it.
She was afraid Luca wouldn’t come back, or that he would come back but it wouldn’t actually be him. Sloane rubbed her hand where the Rot had eaten through her flesh the other night, reimagining the pain coursing through her body. Luca had said something that in the moment she had glossed over it, but in hindsight it terrified her: ”My body isn’t the only thing that’s rotting. Eventually, I’ll lose myself, and I don’t want anyone to be there when it happens. If I tell everyone… it’ll be more difficult to just disappear.”
Her hand tightened into a fist. It didn’t make any sense why he would want that. If his mind was destroyed, then what took over his body? She clenched her teeth, her jaw firm, her eye twitching. Running away when the Rot could take over his body at any moment was absurdly dangerous. An Apparition strong enough to resist the artifact that had allowed them to take down the Stygian Snake? Something like that just couldn’t be let loose in the city. Her whole body burned as visuals of a rotted city flashed before her eyes. She told herself that she shouldn’t even waste her time thinking about it because it wouldn’t come to that. She would save Luca. The little red hand became a green man. Yes, she would save Luca, she knew she could, there had to be a way, but if that failed, if it was what he wanted against the safety of everyone else…
She’d cross that bridge when she came to it. She would cross it without a moment’s hesitation. For now, however, she just simply crossed the street.
After what happened at Kari’s house, and setting up yet another new phone, Luca got back in contact with Jacqueline to meet up. After a bit of back and forth they agreed to meet at Dairy Queen on Saturday. There was enough outdoor seating that there wasn’t a major risk of Luca accidentally touching a Blind.
Luca had arrived a bit early, finding a table away from anyone else who’d chosen to sit outside on a cold November day eating ice cream. Thankfully, it was just a few people here and there. He’d dressed as if it was twenty degrees colder - hat, scarf, gloves and most of his skin covered. He even wore a mask on the lower half of his face, which he pulled down to his chin as he took a seat. Better to be safe, after what happened with Sloane.
”Was it her that did it to you?” A familiar voice spoke up from the booth behind him. The boy was tucked into the corner, wearing an oversized raincoat and baseball cap that just barely fit, with no sign of the
”Huh?” Luca spun around, thin frame tense until he spotted who was talking to him. He let out a soft sigh of relief. The ‘it’ was obvious, the her… just as obvious. But as Luca smiled at Clancy, he didn’t quite give a direct answer. He didn’t know why he was asking. ”If you mean the person that adjoined my Apparition to me… I have no hard feelings towards her, so it depends why you’re asking.”
”And you're okay with that?” Clancy's expression crinkled, betraying his confusion.
The last time they'd met, he’d been a smoldering patchwork of charred rags and jagged flesh, with several punctures that bled into an emptiness within him.
Now, he was back in clothing, not even a scraped knee to show for it. ”Anyone even try to help you?”
”I grew to be okay with that,” Luca said softly, smiling at Clancy. He genuinely looked fine with it. And he mostly was, after all these years. He assumed that Clancy’s… sympathy came from being in a similar situation. Luca hadn’t figured out exactly what he was, but adjoined was one of the possibilities.
He could tell the Rot knew, but it refused to tell him. ”Some did, at first. When I was part of 8th Street, people there were trying to help. As for Sycamore… well, most went back to their normal lives and I never asked for help. Now some are helping - Sloane, Adora. Ah, but-”
His expression turned slightly more pained. ”Your cousin tried to remove it using the same knife we used to kill the Stygian Snake, before the coven dissolved. It didn’t work.”
”I'm sorry, for what it's worth.” Clancy said, like aome distant guest at a funeral offering formal condolence, but there was a subtle indicator of sadness in his tone, ”I thought she could help me too.”
With what he needed help was left unanswered, for now.
He shifted the conversation quickly, ”I've heard about the knife. Where is it now?”
Luca tilted his head. So Clancy was similar to him, the way that he needed help with however he was. But he wasn’t going to press about something the kid clearly didn’t want to talk about. ”Lost, I think. I’m a bit out of the loop, but no one found it after Ashley was killed. It’s worrying that it’s missing.”
”Who would know?” Clancy slid out of the booth, paced over and inserted himself adjacent to Luca, keeping to the corner. The bagginess of his clothes suggested they weren't made for him. ”Those assholes following that cheerleader?”
”I’m not sure,” Luca shook his head, brow furrowing as he thought about it. Who’d last seen Ashley? He wasn’t sure. ”There's a chance Emily or her coven has it. They’ve been stealing Artifacts for a while… but I think if they did she would’ve rubbed it in our faces. Sloane might know something. She kept track of a lot of our Artifacts- but she also lost a fair amount of her own.”
”Got the feeling she won't be much use anytime soon…” Clancy's remark wasn't intentionally pointed at Luca or his part in the incident that had led to Sloane's injury, but it was a careless one nonetheless.
Judging by the skinny latino's tightened expression, the boy realised this too late.
”I didn't mean like that,” he bristled, awkwardly correcting”Not judging you. Hurt more people than your parasite ever will. It sucks. But that's… tough luck, I guess.”
”It’s alright,” Luca shook his head, expression relaxing. He hadn’t felt like Clancy was attacking him with his words, rather it just reminded him of the danger he posed to others. ”You’re right that it sucks. If I could control it, that would be one thing, but I just destroy everything I touch. I’ve… managed to avoid something like that for years, until yesterday. So yeah, tough luck, I suppose! I won’t be letting it happen again.”
”You control what you can,” Clancy's leaned forward, his gaze locked on the latino, ”You remember who you are and hold onto it with everything you have, because the other way things go is that you lose yourself and…” he trailed off, holding the thought for a moment.
“I've been there. It sucks.”
Their conversation was interrupted by Jacqueline and Miranda entering the Dairy Queen. Jacqueline wore a brown leather jacket, a white tank top with her pink bra exposed, and blue jeans and brown cowboy boots. Miranda wore a mini-skirt and a T-shirt with Gorillaz album Demon Dayz over her chest with black boots. They both sat on the booth across from Clancy and Luca, and Miranda waved at him.
Jacqueline placed the Expert’s Book on the table, before asking, “Luca, it’s great to see you again.”
”Jacqueline, Miranda!” Luca grinned, waving to them both. He pushed the conversation with Clancy to the back of his mind - losing himself, and just how possible it was, wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on. ”It’s so nice to see you both… It’s been a while, huh? How have you been? And oh, thanks for the heads up yesterday!”
He then looked at Clancy, and back at the two of them. ”Uh, this is Clancy, Ashley’s cousin. He… tagged along.”
Both Miranda and Jacqueline grimaced.
“... It’s great to meet you,” Jacqueline broke the awkward silence, smiling at Clancy as she said. “No, problem, but we have been… good.”
“Busy,” Miranda said. “I guess we owe your Coven an apology for what happened at the Halloween Festival...”
“... And Kari’s House,” Jacqueline sighed.
“... Yeah,” Miranda began. “... And Kari’s house.”
”You're sorry.” Clancy said, tone bristling with sarcasm, ”So why are you wasting your time with that Prom Queen?” he pointedly asked, his crinkled eyes fixated on Miranda, ”She obviously doesn't give a shit about any of you.”
”Hey, hey, let’s not be like that,” Luca held out a hand towards Clancy, trying to diffuse things a little. He hadn’t exactly been invited, and Luca had wanted it to be friendly. ”Emily’s their older sister, you know how it is with family…”
”Knew.” The boy corrected him, unfaltering in his withering gaze. ”That's all gone, now.” It was true. His family were gone, save for the daughter that Ashley left behind, and she was better off away from the lot of them.
“And we weren’t talking to you,” Jacqueline told Clancy.
Luca smiled at Miranda and Jacqueline, mouthing an apology, before continuing. ”And she should be the one to apologise… Though I know she won’t! You guys shouldn’t have to clean up after her mess, but… I’m glad. Hopefully we can talk it out sometime. Britney I get, but Lila… is it really just for what happened at the festival?” “Yes, but-” Miranda sighed before she was interrupted.
“... You never said you were bringing a kid along,” Jacqueline said, pointing at Clancy, “We shouldn’t be talking about this in front of him.”
Luca laughed awkwardly. ”I didn’t invite him, he just kind of turned up! Funny, that… If I was going to bring anyone along, I would’ve told you- and it probably would’ve been Lila herself!”
He then turned to Clancy with a questioning smile, asking in a surprisingly upbeat but blunt tone, ”You weren’t following me, were you?”
The boy shrugged his shoulders, dismissive. ”Making sure your favourite serial killer isn't finding an easy mark.” There was more to it than that, but he hadn't wanted to elaborate at that moment, ”I have my reasons.”
”... I live with three other people just now, I’m rarely alone.” Luca’s smile didn’t waver, even though he found it strange. He rubbed the back of his neck, turning to the Reid sisters. ”He’s been sort of coming along to the coven meetings so I guess… he’s sort of part of it? I already, uh, told him about the Expert’s Book before Emily attacked us.”
Jacqueline’s jaw dropped.
“... You did what?” Jacqueline asked, tilting her head to the side.
“Luca… Luca…” Miranda rubbed her temples, shaking her head before she said. “... Who else did you tell about the Expert’s Book?”
“Look, you remember I’m the only person who can use it?” Jacqueline asked. “Right? Right?”
”I, uh, yeah, course I remember that,” Luca’s fingers dug into the back of his neck as he looked upwards, the picture of someone who’d realised he’d fucked up. ”Kind of… everyone? Who could hear, uh… Jasper, Lila, Lynn… Ken, maybe? I was explaining 8th Street to him and, y’know, saying how you guys are part of this whole Father Wolf thing without… being Father Wolf.”
His smile finally wavered as he struggled to not just dump everything on them. ”I brought it up cause we had a recollection about Kari, and we were trying to figure out… literally anything about Father Wolf. I thought I could talk to you about it and see if you knew anything just, I kinda said it out loud. Big mistake, I know, I’m sorry! Hopefully no one-” he glanced at Clancy, ”-else comes after you for it.”
”I remember you now,” Clancy’s crinkled eyes tightened a little further, cold condemnation boring back at their disapproving faces, ”Why are you all so obsessed with stealing from some dead slut?”
He’d echoed, word for word, what Emily had said while 8th Street had picked apart Kari's cabin.
”That’s what your sister said, right? While you were trying on a dead girl’s panties like a couple of high schoolers.” For a moment, a joyless grin formed across his lips - almost hideous in the way the lighting cast across it - before straightening out, ”That, and the part about affording shit a million times more than what that whore could afford.”
”That wasn’t Miranda and Jacqueline, that was Maya and-” Luca tried to interject, but was quickly cut off by Clancy slamming a palm on the counter, hard enough that the latino might’ve noticed the crack forming just across from him, at the edge of the table.
”And no, it’s not his fault I’m here. But Ashley is dead. She was family. So are others that were supposed to be her friends. Some are assholes. Some-” and for a moment, Clancy's gaze shifted back to Luca, ”-are not. But that list of dead people is growing, and forget Britney - all while this happens your sister is trying to kill someone because... high school crap?”
”So-” he continued, ready to speak over anyone who tried to interrupt, ”Unless you want to be seen as one and the same, or you just want to get stuck like a pig by the asshole that’s doing it, it makes sense to use this magic book of yours. Help us find this asshole, before he kills you and your ‘friends’.”
Jacqueline and Miranda looked at each other before Jacqueline shook her head.
“We weren’t members of the Old Coven,” Miranda corrected him. “He’s not coming after us, anyway… And we aren’t responsible for what other people do...”
“... You think we haven’t tried?” Jacqueline said with a roll of her eyes, before she grabbed the book, put it in her lap, and continued, “You think we aren’t worried for Em? Vashti? Greta? Luca? Lynette? You think we wouldn’t help if we could?”
Jacqueline opened the book, looked down at it, and said, “Oh, wise and all-knowing Expert’s Book, tell us everything about Father Wolf.”
After a few seconds, Jacqueline slid the Expert’s Book across the table. It had reduced from a comprehensive lexicon to a one-page leather pamphlet.
“This is all we can get from Father Wolf,” Jacqueline said.
Warily, Clancy leaned forward with an outstretched palm to turn the binding cover over and view the book's contents.
The singular page was blank on both sides. Just a white sheet of paper.
“... I don’t know how, but the book doesn’t know anything about Father Wolf,” Jacqueline shrugged. “Which means he has some information-denial abstraction, or….” She sighed. “... He doesn’t exist.”
Luca just stared at the blank pages, then back up at Jacqueline. Shit. This wasn’t good. If he didn’t exist… well, that just didn’t make sense. He had to exist. How could he not? ”If Father Wolf is only an identity he uses for this murder, the book would know, right? It… has to be the former. Shit. I’m sorry, I thought you might have information and… wondered why you didn’t share it. Because I know you both care.”
He rubbed the back of his neck again, grimacing. ”But this isn’t good… another dead end.”
”You're not the only ones with access to this, are you?” Clancy asked, his tone only just softened compared to before, ”Someone else in your.. crew, maybe?”
“I’m the only one who can use the book,” Jacqueline said. “As in, if someone else tries to use it, the pages will go blank.”
”Cool.” Clancy shrugged, betraying no particular emotive response one way or the other, ”Convenient too, I guess. You trust her, then?” he addressed the question to Luca.
”I trust her,” Luca nodded without hesitation, shocked expression relaxing slightly as he smiled at Jacqueline and Miranda. ”I trust them both more than I do a lot of Sycamore - not that I don't trust them either. Thank you for showing us, Jacqueline… and I'm sorry that I only got in touch with you for this after so long… I should've been better about it! I miss you guys, yknow.”
He absentmindedly rested his hand on the edge of the table, immediately pulling it away when bare fingers started to erode through it, adding to the already formed crack. ”Uh, do you know anything about Kari? I- we- know that you guys got her notes.”
Miranda and Jacqueline looked in between each other before Miranda turned to Luca.
“We don’t have the notes anymore,” Miranda began. Clancy seemed ready to pounce on that, lips parting, but Jacqueline cut him off, “Yeah, someone paid us to get them. But, what do you want to know about Kari?” Jacqueline asked, “We… know a little bit.”
”Not much, she… cut me off after I joined 8th,” Luca sighed. It was difficult to stay positive thinking back on a friendship he’d ruined. ”Please keep this from Emily, but Lyss summoned her ghost… except it was a different world’s Kari. That’s why we started looking into her. Otherwise, all I know is that Emily wanted her to join, and she went to someone else instead.”
Miranda leaned forward “We don't know anything about her ghost being different, but…”
“... Why are you acting we care about what happened to that rich asshole?” Jacqueline rolled her eyes, then laughed.
“... Well, Kari went to Blake Schmidt’s organization, the Elite,” Miranda explained, “With her help, they were tracking down sealed Apparitions and artifacts and giving them to his associates.”
”Blake who?” Clancy asked, briefly glancing towards Luca. ”Whatever, they sound like another group of assholes who think they’re any better than the assholes who throw gang signs and smack.” He was starting to fit the pieces together, and he was not amused at the mosaic they formed, ”And when you’re talking about artifacts, you’re talking about stuff like the axe, right? Or maybe just that knife Ashley used to kill the snake thing, right? I know your sister wouldn’t leave her alone.” He pulled in the claws, leaning back into his corner of the booth, ”If it’s not with her, what’s the magic book say?”
“Well, allow me to explain how the book works because there are a few assumptions here,” Jacqueline laughed, as she put her shoulders on the table. She opened the book, looked, down at it, before looking up at Clancy. “It’s not quite an ‘artifact-artifact’-” Jacqueline finger quoted, “-it’s a Sealed-Apparition inside of the book with a personality and whatnot. It works in weird ways sometimes.”
Jacqueline shook her head, “So, to get to the point, sometimes when I ask the book the same question too many times, it will go blank. Like refuse to give me information on that subject ever again… I asked it that question too many times...” She shook her head.
“And look,” Miranda shook her head, “It was our fault that Emily started harassing your cousin. We… need the Apparition Killer.”
“To help our friend, Annabelle,” Jacqueline shook her head. “She’s… been cursed.”
”You're saying you don't know where it is, then? Maybe he trusts you,” Clancy fingered towards Luca, ”But I had a shitty first impression of your crew. Who even paid you for the notes?” Again, he turned his attention back towards Luca, ”Do you even know some Annabelle?”
”Yes-” Luca didn't get more than a word in before he was interrupted.
“... Well, I guess you’re going have to figure that out for yourself then,” Jacqueline said as she stood up, “I don't know who you are, but we came to talk to Luca. Not you.”
She grabbed Miranda’s hand, and she followed behind Jacqueline, however before the two left, Jacqueline paused. She spoke to Luca, “It's great to see you again, but this is too much. Bye. We’ll talk to you later!” She waved Luca off.
Then they were gone.
Luca waved after them, mentally making a note to just invite them round to his place next time… if he could make sure Lila was out at the time. He turned to Clancy with a half smile. Most people would be annoyed or blaming, but Luca seemed… fine about it. Visibly tired, but fine. ”I can help you find the Apparition Killer, if you’re looking for that. I don't have much to go on but… I'm sure the rest of the coven will want to find it too.”
”I don’t-..” Clancy almost shot back, but he gave some thought to it, his tone softening, ”You said it didn’t work on you, right? Did it hurt that thing in you, at least?” The boy was annoyed that the girls had left almost as quickly as they’d arrived, before he’d got the answers they needed. 8th Street had things to answer for after their business at the cabin.
”Not really,” Luca grimaced slightly, before returning to something closer to a smile. ”It didn't work because of the rotting. When they tried to use it the tip started to rust and then disintegrate when Ashley tried to force it through. It didn't even get to it. It's why I've accepted I'm probably stuck with it, y’know? Even artifacts can't get through. It might work on others… Ashley refused to try it on my friend Olivia after I destroyed the tip, so I don't know.”
”It still works on other monsters, right? Your ‘apparitions’?”
”Yes, far as I'm aware. It worked on the Stygian Snake, and the monsters it summoned,” Luca nodded. ”Those of us with ones attached to us are a bit of a… special case, I guess.”
”Can't fix me, either,“ Clancy chortled, barely concealing a bitterness in his tone, ”But it'll settle a score.”
”Ahh…” Luca rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit awkward about it. ”Well hopefully we find it soon, if someone like Emily got it…”
He didn’t really want think about what would happen in that case. ”For score settling.”
”With or without her sisters, she needs dealing with..” Clancy tugged at a phone in his pocket, ”You have a phone number?”
”Yeah, I do… I have to change phones a lot, but I always get it swapped over. Might just miss some messages because of it.” Luca smiled, before rattling off a set of numbers when Clancy seemed ready for it. ”Feel free to get in touch anytime! I really don't do much.”
”Same,” the boy nodded, a thin, weary smile forming for just a moment as he keyed the numbers in beneath his coat, ”Don't usually keep the numbers, though. Makes it easier when….” he trailed off, stood tonleave, then reconsidered as he exited the booty, ”.. you know.”
He offered Luca a weary nod.
”Yeah, I know,” Luca laughed lightly. Not that he'd ever had to… but it was a plan for the future, when he got worse. He smiled tiredly at Clancy, also starting to get up. ”Well, I'll see you at the next meeting? And next time… maybe give me a call before turning up outta nowhere, yeah?”
Sully turned but the kid was already gone, his jacket left neatly folded on the ground behind him. Sully called out for Clancy but there was no response except for the wind rustling the branches. He pulled on his jacket and turned back to his arduous task of hunting for his keys.
It was down in the mud, dirty fingers haphazardly rifling through shoots of grass, knees begging him to give up and get up, that Sully realized he had a history of making unwise choices. Worse, he had a history of repeating them. It was little less than a week ago when he’d wandered off into the woods to take a private leak and instead got his ass beat by a peeping tom. Yet here he was again: in the dark woods, away from his friends, practically defenseless. A shiver ran down Sully’s spine as the real danger of his failure to learn his lesson the last time set in. Lyss had just been killed the other day. Father Wolf was still out there. Stalking. Hunting. Waiting for the right time to strike; a time like this.
Sully stopped rustling through the grass just in time to hear a twig snap behind him. He spun around, still on his knees, with his hands out in front of him like a martial artist ready to deliver a mighty karate chop, bellowing out a loud “Yah!” as Tayla asked him what he was doing. Sully immediately threw his hands up as if in surrender, exhaling a sigh of relief. He was glad to see Tayla, just like he was glad to have the cat-like reflexes of a taxidermied calico. He would’ve been devastated if he had actually thrown hands at her.
“You know I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately,” said Sully, propping his hand against a tree to support himself as he stood up. “You don’t happen to have my keys, do you?”
Tayla looked at him questioning his odd response to being sneaked up on. Like what the hell would that have done? She snorted and shook her head. “No, I don’t have your keys. Last I saw them you were handing them to me, then a monster fell out the sky.”
It was getting dark out; the sun on the horizon. If his keys were in this forest, they weren’t going to find them in the dim light. “Want me to hotwire your car? I still need a ride if the offer’s still on the table.” She had no desire to ride the bus wet like a drowned rat. She’d have to walk to the stop, get off at the next stop, get on another, get off, walk to the daycare, pick up Siwan, then catch a boat ride home from the ferryman. It’d be easier to get dropped off at the ferry, then get Siwan and go home.
“Yeah offer is still there but…” Sully frowned at the idea of someone hotwiring his baby, having seen his fair share of jacked up cars in the past during a failed stint as an auto mechanic. Tayla would probably be a bit more gentle than a car thief, and he could always patch it back together with a bit of duct tape and gum. His face brightened up with forced enthusiasm. “Fuck it! Let’s go steal my car!”
Tayla didn’t need her headphones to notice Sully didn’t seem enthusiastic about her hotwiring his ride, but it beat being stuck here for longer than she wanted.
“Now the good news is that I left my window down, so we don’t have to break any glass. The bad news is that I left my window down, so, well,” said Sully, leading Tayla to where he had parked his junker. He grew nervous as he saw a downed tree halfway in the street, a casualty of the storm. Miraculously, the exterior of the rusting pickup truck was unharmed outside of a few loose branches on the hood or bumming a ride in the bed. The interior was not so lucky. A couple of leaves and twigs had hopped in through the window, but the real nightmare was the inch or two of the rainwater pooling around the floor mats, straw wrappers and crumbled receipt papers floating in it like icebergs. “Oh, man, this sucks…”
She followed him to his truck and whistled at the state of it. The outside was fine. The inside though, yikes. It was completely flooded. She wasn’t sure if she should be doing any type of wire work with water everywhere.
“Big sucks.”
Sully reached in through the window and popped the lock, opening the driver’s side door so Tayla could do her thing. He leaned against the side of the car, elbow’s resting up on the bed, and chewed on his cheek. Now probably wasn’t the best time to ask, but he felt like if he waited until they were in the car going fifty miles per hour and then broached the subject it would’ve felt too much like a gotcha.
“So, uh, this Dean cat? Crazy stalker? Jealous ex? What’s the deal?” asked Sully, sounding unsure about the line of questioning.
She stood out of the way when he opened the door. Most of the water came out, leaving the floor soaked, and the rest that didn’t pooled in the mat. She pulled that out and dumped it on the ground. She wouldn’t work in dirty water. She’s wet and dirty enough as is. She sat on the floor and pulled out her house keys. Attached was a mini multipurpose tool kit. She pulled out a flathead screwdriver and jammed it into the piece under the steering wheel for the wire panel. She’s glad his truck is old. She wouldn’t be able to do this with anything new. Dean only knew how to hotwire old shit. New cars came with tracking and apps that could deadlock cars. Too risky to bother with the technology. Speaking of Dean, Sully had questions. Ones she didn’t want to answer, but they’re here and Dean beat the shit out of him twice. It’s whatever at this point.
“He was technically my pimp and dealer. Went to him for oxy soon after James died. Got passed around to whoever was willing to pay for my habit. We started dating when I turned 18. More of the same shit, except he loved me or whatever.” She rolled her eyes. She never believed his feelings for a moment. She still had her Lux then. She knew the truth of him, but he made her feel less alone and funded her drug of choice.
She rubbed her hands together to get them dry. She wasn’t touching the wires with wet hands. She got back to work. “I OD’d two years ago. Decided I would get clean, and have done my best to stay off his radar ever since. I haven’t heard anything about him, until y’all fucked around at the club.” She gave him a pointed look. “That’s pretty much it.” She won’t tell him about her son. She didn’t know what Dean could beat out of him the next time they met. She wasn’t taking that risk. Bad enough he wants to find her.
“Oh,” was about all Sully could manage to say, caught off guard by Tayla’s candid response. Back in the day he would’ve called James a friend, and like the rest of his friends that had died in those final days against the Stygian Snake James hadn’t been forgotten. Rather the memory of him had been drowned in cheap beer, like a body disposed of in a lake, except instead of stones in its pockets to keep it down it was Rolling Rocks, and when it resurfaced in his memory it sent ripples of old pain felt anew across the surface. Sully frowned and looked down the street.
As sad as it was to be reminded of James, what was even more painful to hear was what Tayla had gone through. He had watched plenty of people have their entire lives nuked because of a little pill or some powder. Sully distinguished himself from being an addict by qualifying it as him being a problem drinker (often accompanied by some lame, rib nudging line like, “but the real problem I got is how I ain’t currently drinking, har har har”), but still, it wasn’t anything he had the right to judge. He realized he should probably say something supportive to Tayla, but what could he say that she probably wasn’t already tired of hearing?
“Well, shit.”
Good. Fucking Shakespeare, Sullivan. He should probably say more than that.
She snorted. “Well, shit indeed.”
“In my defense, I was with the crew trying to get people to stop fucking around at the club. We just wanted to see some boobs,” said Sully in a joking tone, having never been able to approach a serious subject without first trying to deflect it with humor. He felt like a jackass the moment the words left his mouth. Sully sighed. ”Look, man, I ain’t even going to pretend like I could understand what you went through, but I’m sorry it happened. That sounds, uh, fucked,” he laughed nervously. “It sounds really fucked. Sorry for digging up the past like that.”
Sully loudly cleared his throat.
“I know it sounds weird, Tayla, but thanks for telling me. I can get why you don’t want me running my mouth about that dickhead in front of the others, but I think you’re underestimating the rest of the squad. They’re good people. They’d want to help. They’d want to hear about how you’re kicking ass by being two years clean. I mean a few of them are dicks but those ones don’t matter,” said Sully. Then, tugging at his collar and almost mumbling under his own breath, he added, “Plus, Dean is stalking me now too and I’m pretty sure he’s going to cut off my balls or something if we don’t handle this sooner rather than later…”
Tayla stopped what she was doing and peeked at him from under the wheel. She sat up and looked him right in the eyes. “I’ll level with you Sully, it’s because of the dicks that I don’t want to say anything. With the way the Coven takes personal digs at each other when they don’t like someone, I don’t want any of that. I can’t remember if you were there for when our supposed new hideout got burned down by the Feds. That one girl that had the nerve to say Linqian deserved to have her brother die, is the reason I’m not saying anything. I don’t like getting emotional about shit, but the moment one of them says I deserved what happened to me when I was a kid. Or disrespects Jamie’s memory to get at me, all bets are off. I’m walking or I’ll kill ‘em or hell, I don’t know.” She got a little misty eyed and sniffed. She wasn’t going to cry. She’d done enough of that for a long time already.
“I’m proud of what I’ve done to keep myself clean, but it’s hard not to back slide in all of this. The new stress and anxieties got me antsy lately. I can’t go back to Dean looking for a new fix. I’ll figure something out about Dean. You don’t deserve to be stalked because of me.” By figuring something out she means asking Shayton what the hell he’s doing letting Dean shake down a Coven member for information. Him trying to find her is the opposite of the Dollhouse trying to keep him off her ass.
She got back under the wheel. A few seconds later the truck came to life. “Mind dropping me off at the ferry?”
“Yeah, I got you,” said Sully, sliding into the driver’s seat once Tayla moved over.
Sully swung the truck out of the parking spot and carefully guided it around the fallen tree. He mulled over what Tayla had said. Sure, the Coven had been petty before in the past, but he’d figured they would be able to set everything aside and focus on getting the job done. He was shocked to hear that someone would be so cruel to tell Linqian that she had deserved to have her brother die. It sounded like something only Sloane would say. Sully decided not to ask. Pushing for gossip now was so obviously the wrong call that even he was aware of it.
Tayla slid over into the passenger seat. Somehow sitting on top of wet was worse of a feeling.
“Tayla, if you want to be the one who handles this, then I’ll let you be the one who handles this, but I want you to know that I got your back. Dean’s been trying to get me to give him the scoop on where you are and what you’re doing and I haven’t said a thing and I will keep on not saying a thing. But listen,” Sully lowered the radio so that his point was undermined by Jimmy Buffett singing precisely about how he liked his cheeseburgers made, glancing at Tayla as they came to a redlight. “I’m not getting stalked because of you. I’m getting stalked because of Dean. He’s the only one to blame. Just because you were once close to a piece of shit before doesn’t mean you are one.”
“Anyway, you don’t need to worry about me. I got some good people in my corner that can help keep an eye out for Dean if he tries anything with me,” said Sully, talking about Greenwood as the light turned green and the truck started chugging along again towards the ferry. “Actually, if you want, they’d be willing to help you too since I could vouch for you. None of them used to be Sycamore, so you wouldn’t have to worry about them trying to take any personal shots. “
Tayla propped her elbow on the window. She never regretted not remembering her time with the Coven. She’d forgotten faces and names and events. None of it mattered after James’s passing, but maybe she should’ve remembered Sully. He’s a good dude. She knew it wasn’t her fault Dean’s looking for her, but at the same time she felt like it was. If she had stayed with him after ODing, then none of this would be happening to Sully. But her baby probably wouldn’t have been born and if he was he’d be dependent on drugs and being raised by Dean. She’s thinking nonsense now. She’ll regret not remembering Sully, but nothing else about her decisions.
“You’re a good man, Sully,” she said looking at him. “A really good man. Thank you.” She smiled a little bit. She must have looked crazy with her lipstick smeared and faded from the rain. “How about this, you tell your new friends about your situation with Dean. Have them watch your back. Dean doesn’t like trouble that’s more than it’s worth. If you stick with a group of people, then he won’t bother you. He’s smart. He’ll bide his time to get you alone, so never be alone. In the meantime, I’ll do what I can on my side. I’m not looking to join another group. The one we’re in is dysfunctional enough for me.” She’s also part of Dollhouse. Two is more than enough.
“Dysfunctional? Sycamore? Pfft, what do you mean we did…we did great back there,” said Sully with a wry smile.
Tayla made a good point, though. The best thing for Sully to do right now would be to lay low with Greenwood, especially since if he couldn’t fix his phone he’d have no way to contact Dean and feed him some bullshit before the deadline. He had been on a pretty good streak of not getting his asskicked as of late, but ever since the meeting at the flower shop he could never get the “Days Since Last Incident” counter to reach double digits. Even with a supernatural cup of heal juice getting punched in the face still massively sucked.
“Anyway, I’ll tell them,” said Sully, hoping that it would ease any concern and guilt Tayla had. “And while it probably wouldn’t matter to them, I’ll keep your name out of it.Wouldn’t feel right airing out your dirty laundry.” Sully pointed his finger at the top of the vehicle and made a circular motion None of this leaves the truck of trust.”
Tayla laughed. The Truck of Trust. She liked the sound of that. It seemed everything would be okay for now. Sully’s got people he trusts to have his back. That’ll stall Dean for sometime at least.
“Now how’s that for some timing?” said Sully as he turned the wheel towards the docks and coasted to a stop before the arriving ferry. He shifted the truck into park and turned to Tayla. “Now look, if you need anything don’t hesitate to call…oh, except my phone might be broken. Um, just stop by the camp, it’s…oh, well, it moves around a lot, actually, so…find me somehow. I don’t know, call Auri or Britney and they’d probably figure something out. They always do.”
“Anyway, homie,” Sully held out his hand for a fist bump. “Fuck Dean.”
“Sure. I’ll be sure to track you down somehow.” She hesitated before saying the next part. So far she’s not told anyone where she worked, but given that Sully doesn’t have his phone he might need to reach her somehow. She trusted him enough to tell him. “If you need me, I work at the Maritime Museum everyday, but the weekends. Nine to five if you need me. And don’t tell anyone else. I don’t need Coven showing up at my job causing trouble.” She fist bumped him. “Fuck Dean. I’ll be see you.”
She got out the truck. Right before she closed the door she said, “Oh and don’t turn your truck off, before you get to a mechanic. You’ll have to hot wire it to get it started again. I’ll be seeing you. Thanks for the ride.” She closed the door. It’s not until he pulled away and she could no longer see his truck, that she made her way to the daycare to pick up Siwan.
Tayla had dropped Siwan off at daycare an hour ago. She didn't know what information he got out of her head. She wasn't volunteering anything else. She sat in wait for him on a fishing boat. He wouldn't be able to see her, but she could see him. She blended in with all the other fishermen out on the marina in a yellow raincoat and bucket hat. Just like them she ate a sandwich and laughed at jokes. She'd filled them in on everything a Blind would understand. She's fortunate her father wasn't here. That he went further south to follow the fishes migration with some others. He'd be devastated if he thought she was involved in gangs again. Given the violence that went on with 8th Street, might as well be.
It was the morning after the raid, not even an hour after he sent a text message to a particular person, and Edict was out on the Marina front in a low-visibility set of clothes. At first, he figured he’d get no response. But after a quick grilling and letting her know that her preferred haunt was now a coal dump, he was scheduled to meet Tayla Choi here. There were dozens and dozens of fishermen crowding around the spot, just like she wanted. I’ll scream. They’ll kill you. Good thing they wouldn’t be putting that to the test. Even if she couldn’t know his intentions were good, she’d either trust him or she wouldn’t.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t wearing his vest beneath his sweater. An amateur would probably still stuff a gun into the chest before they would blow someone’s face off. If he was real lucky, then all this was going down without a hitch, and maybe he’d at least have regained someone’s trust. A little closer to the goal.
So there he sat, on a bench in wait for his fate. Like all classic Gangsters, he thought for a moment about how if she was going to kill him, he’d have no time to think. No time to react. Just darkness.
When Greyson arrived, they all became alert and moved into a position where everyone could see him clearly. She told the men she was with to hop into a neighboring boat. She wanted to be alone.
She saw Greyson approach the marina. She quickly took off her hat, put on her headphones, then put the hat back on. She got all the fishermen's thoughts and his coming in. It was easy to block out the noise. She grew up on these docks. Knew these men and women. What they thought about, she didn't need headphones to know.
She heard Greyson’s passing thoughts of having good intentions and knowing she didn't trust him. Also that he had a bulletproof vest under his sweater. She didn't think that would work against shotguns and pistols firing at him all at once. And if it did, he wouldn't be moving quite fast. Heard a gunshot still hurt like a bitch even with a vest on. His only way out was back the way he came or to jump into the sea before he got shot.
She pulled out her phone and called him. It was on speaker, the volume low. She didn't need to hear him. Her headphones amplified voices and thoughts. It was so he could hear her. She got straight to the point when he picked.
“First thing's first, you keep one hand on your lap and the other on your phone at all times. I told them to shoot you if you reach for anything in your pocket. You got me with the glasses last time, Greyson. Can't get me with the same trick twice. Second, I told the owner and everyone else here I know who burned down the Drunken Starfish. I also told them that I knew someone that would donate the funds to rebuild it brand new. Part of you walking out of here alive comes with rebuilding what you destroyed, since you've come with ‘good intentions’ and all, right?"
Edict wasn’t one to joke around about a few dozen guns pointed at him. When push came to shove, the bullet beat his magic. Well... Assuming you're fast enough to stop me from taking their minds. I always tried to get you to learn how to cast without your Channeler. Its easy when you get past the pain, Tayla. Pretty neat trick; headphones, right? I think I saw them in a meeting once. Someone else was wearing them. I’m not going to pussyfoot around Tayla. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Because before you could read my mind? The night of the meeting, where I gave everyone a quick vibecheck and stumbled into your defenseless head?
My first thought was that I didn’t want you involved in any of this. What I saw? What you went through? I’ve seen it happen to so many people. Too many. Your Lux is gone, Tayla. And you want it gone. So why the fuck would you make such a dumb decision? Dollhouse!? You can’t possibly know who they are, or how dangerous Luis is, or what they’ll do to you when you’re no longer useful to them! I don’t care what they promised they’d do for you, they won’t… And don’t even ask me why I’m with them or how I know. I’d be lying if I said it was all good. But I’m gonna trust you, and I’m gonna trust that we can work something out together, Tayla. And I’m sorry… I’m sorry about James. I… He didn’t give me shit. Not like some of the others. He didn’t deserve to go, and you didn’t deserve to lose him.
And for my reaction… I was trying to be sincere, but your judgment hurt, and I did what I always do. That’s not an excuse for what I said. Whatever price you want me to pay, it’s done…
The silent man leaned backward, hand on his lap and phone at his ear. But his breathing was a bit ragged, like he was nervous. It was hard to tell, since once he stopped talking through his mind, there was now only a very clear recording of a popular song from their teens. He wasn’t going to let her have any more than he wanted, and did his best to layer thoughts beneath the projected music. It wasn’t a magic trick, but it had everything to do with the years he spent training in Pink Lux. The study of thought structure.
She let him go through his speech. She remained calm even through the parts that would normally get a nasty reaction out of her. She's got the upper hand here. She didn't need to fear with the headphones on. He won't get in. He won't manipulate her. They're on her turf.
“That was long winded I have to say. I assure you Greyson, if you can stop them from shooting you today, you'll have to watch your back for the ones that aren't here tomorrow.” Some fishermen were off in deeper waters. There's also the ones that are retired. She's got quite a few people that would be willing to help her out. Maybe Greyson knew that. She's not sure what exactly he gleaned from her mind. A lot of shit happened to her in the last 10 years.
She pulled out a cigarette and lit it, then relaxed back in her seat. “I'm surprised you don't know why I joined them. You're like them, aren't you? Willing to exploit desperate people for selfish gain. And don't say you aren't. I know you're paying Linqian. For what? I don't know, but she's broke and she needs the money. If it weren't for that, she probably wouldn't have stopped me from busting your head in with that bottle. Can't let her paycheck bleed to death.”
She dumped the ashes on her cigarette into an ashtray beside her. “Given what you've seen in my head, I'm sure you assume I'm working for Dollhouse in part for my baby. I mean, Auri got the clan back together and what do we have to show for it? Fucking, nothing. Father Wolf is out here killing us and we're no closer to figuring out who he is than we were that first night. They'll watch my back as long as I'm in their employ and my baby won't lose his mother to some magical bullshit. The other part…take a guess on who else I need protection from. He's been the star of the show in my memories for eight years. Did you count how many times he beat the shit out of me and raped me? Or had other people do it all for a pill, so I could forget? If you did, you're more fucked up than I thought.” She kept her tone calm and level. She gave nothing away about how she feels in anything she said.
“Let's not bring up Jamie again, yeah? Cause I see what you're doing. Trying to soften me up by bringing up the love of my life. Admitting your fault to make me think you're not such a bad guy. All while talking to me at the forefront of your mind, but burying your true feelings in the back where I can't hear it over your noise. I didn't train with my Pink Lux as much as you did, but I know how it works, Greyson. Shitty song choice by the way. No use trying to hide. I got through your defenses too.” She wouldn't tell him when or how. Not that she had to fight any defense. At the time, he was an open book. She's not sure how much he knows about the headphones. She's not volunteering information.
“Your price is to take a long walk off a short pier. The existence of my baby is only known to those I've told personally. You knowing he exists is a danger to my person. I don't doubt you'd sell everything you know about me out in a heartbeat if it meant protecting someone you love. So unless you can magic that memory so deep down inside you it'll be like trying to remember the day you were born, we'll never be square.” She sounded absolutely serious. She gave him two options. Kill himself or truly forget Siwan's existence.
Edict's chuckle was audible and real. He laughed aloud. The music faded away, and everything came crawling in very slowly. The day before, at the 8th Street raid, everyone had certain visions. He let his trained vivid memory start to wash in through the headphones. The sound of kids playing. Britney's voice was audible in the background. Edict's deepest desire; a family and a legacy. Stability. Love.
You're in pain. Paranoia is all that's left. That's the only thing I can think of, because right now you sound like a paranoid crazy person. Protect you and your baby. From what? Some fucking gutter punk and his jumped up smoke ghost? You're fucking Severed! Do you hear me? You were fucking free! You could've ignored Auri, you could've not risked your life, because in the end it has no meaning here! You can't even regain your memory of the Sycamore Tree… You wouldn't be a target.
Edict's hand with the phone slipped forward and dabbed his forehead.
Like, Jesus Tayla… You think I give a fuck because you're some central figure in my plans? I give a fuck because at one point we were friends, and because you deserve better than this! You don't deserve to get roped back up in the life that you feel only took from you! And honestly, hearing you talk about me taking advantage of Linqian?! When the exact same thing is happening to you? Did you not hear yourself, Tayla?! You are a desperate person ready to do desperate things! But you are not important to them! I'm only important because they know that I was the one who sealed our memories away. They think I can reverse the effect, but I fucking can't, Tayla… And they're gonna kill me for it. I don't have long left to make things right, and I won't get my dream come true. Please, let me fucking help you… I'm sorry… I'm really sorry. But the Greyson you knew isn't here anymore. Not now. I'm here, and I'm going to do everything I can to help the people I love, even if they don't love me back or want the help. I'm done doing the wrong thing.
Tayla didn’t care for Greyson laughing. His little vision of his desires were cute. Something he could still achieve if he wasn’t such an asshole. If he didn’t do terrible shit for the sake of gains. Maybe he should’ve played this good person card from the start. Never let her know that he knew about her son. She still wouldn’t have believed he’s a good person. She knew of his family from back then. Heard rumors about the shit they did and decided she would keep her distance. If he was better at fooling everyone, maybe she’d foolishly give him a chance to redeem himself. That chance was shot to hell now.
“Abuse and sex trafficking tends to leave you paranoid, Greyson. It’s kept me from Dean’s radar for two years. Y’all’s the ones that cucked that up for me. Had to be the dumbasses that went after Wolfpack with nothing but word association,” she whispered the last part. She was still pissed about that and probably wouldn’t stop for the rest of her life. “I never took you for stupid, but damn you’re proving me wrong. No one knows I’m Severed, Greyson! Only you and Dollhouse. That’s it. We don’t know what Father Wolf knows, so as far as I’m concerned I can’t ignore text messages about the Coven dropping like flies. And before you get another stupid idea, no we shouldn’t tell anyone else about me being Severed. I’m the most likely one to be damsel in distress in this group and like hell I’m gonna get kidnapped, so y’all can give enemy number fifty-five a reason to steal me away to be rescued.”
She didn’t care about proving Greyson’s point. Paranoia’s a necessity. The only good thing she learned from Dean about covering her tracks.
“I know exactly how desperate I am. I wouldn’t be here right now if I wasn’t.” She got quite the surprise learning he couldn’t undo their memories. Yikes. To save his own skin, he lied and said he could do it to stall for time. Father Wolf is giving them plenty of it. Dollhouse wants to know what’s going on with the Coven. They believe Greyson can’t undo the memories, until the Father Wolf thing is resolved. They’re not any closer to finding out who he is, so that’s more time to figure out a way to not end up dead by their hands.
“Greyson, you can’t pretend like you aren’t a horrible person. Good people don’t burn down someone else’s livelihood, because they’re butt hurt. Good people don’t take advantage of someone in desperate need. Good people don’t run around doing shady shit behind other people’s backs.” She didn’t know what else he did other than the conversation with Phantasia, but she’s being vague on purpose to A. get him to think about whatever else he did and B. to make him think she knows more than she’s letting on. She can play this game too.
“You wanna be a different person, a good person, then stop being shady. No more mind reading, no more manipulation, no more taking advantage of desperate people. I’ve seen bits and pieces from the ones in the group you’re working with. Let us all in on it. Tell everyone about the Dollhouse and their goal. Tell us everything. Stop keeping us in the dark. Apologize to the people you’ve hurt and make amends with action. For starters, you can give Linqian money out of the deep, deep kindness of your heart. No work on the side. None of that. Maybe I’ll believe you when I see it with my own eyes. And no, you’re not getting me to forget I want you dead by giving you another chance at life to make things right. I might still want your head at the end of it.”
Edict smirked. A gentle pink mist curled from his mouth, Lux building up in the throat and lungs as he held himself back from the gut reaction he always had. It wasn’t easy, in fact it was worse to not let it out. Without a Channeler, it had nowhere to go and disperse, but since he wasn’t casting anything actively, it just pooled up. Before long, he was hacking up a lung, and spat a wad of shimmering pink mucus onto the ground.
You know it’s not gonna be that easy. For starters, Linqian’s been telling me about the meetings I’ve been missing. Because of this kind of treatment. The idea that you all feel like I can’t change, and that I’ll never change, makes it pretty obvious that I’m not welcomed. Auri may have asked for my return, but I know nobody else consented. Say I follow your instructions, right? Come clean to everyone all at once. Blackmore severs my head, or Kenshiro breaks me in half. Do I deserve it? Yes. God, I need a fucking cigarette…
Edict’s thought ended on that, echoing out into the darkness for a few moments, before several images of how he could get to the cigarettes in his pocket without getting shot. Once he went through a thousand iterations and found he didn’t like his odds, he gave up.
But you know that if you want me in the end, I can’t tell the whole group right now. So let me do things quietly. For you, for Linqian who is the only other person that’s given me the time of day besides Britney… For the people who are dead, those affected then and now. Meet me halfway, and I’ll bring you Dean Walker. Not dead. Alive, and Severed. A declawed dog with its teeth bashed in. You get closure, and your boogeyman is gone.
He gritted his teeth, taking one more deep breath. But you don’t want to kill me. I promise you don’t. Because I may not actively be able to reverse the memories, but there’s a surefire way of collapsing the ritual component keeping the tree locked away. It’s me. It’s why I’ve been so careful all this time. Not taking risks, stacking the deck, making the life around me entirely beholden to my own will… If I die, it’s all over. It all comes rushing back to Linqian, to Anya, to Sully and Amara and Auri… And Emily G. Reed. So, at least control that urge until after we’re safe. For everyone else. There was a flood of vivid memories. Lux equation and developmental work he’d done for years to finish the sealing of the Sycamore Tree’s final resting place. Each one, evidently, ending in failure.
“Sounds like there’s a good reason to keep you alive. You can tell the group that when you come clean at the next meeting.” She wasn’t trying to hear his excuses. Facing yourself and the people you’ve wronged, sucks and it hurts. She does it every day her father gets worried when she doesn’t come home on time, because he thinks she might be back sliding. She deserves to be treated skeptically. It’s not been enough time to prove she’s changed.
“Proving you’re a better person is hard, Greyson. You have to earn everyone’s trust back and that can take years. I’ll be honest with you, my father doesn’t trust me. Every time these meetings go longer than my self-imposed curfew, he thinks I’m relapsing. It fucking sucks that he doesn’t have faith in me after being clean for two years, but I did that. I wanted to forget my pain and it cost me more than just my body and mind. It cost me the only constant relationship I’ve had since the day I was born. I’m working hard to get that trust back. You’ll have to do the same. If you love us like you say you do, then you’re going to have to put in the work and that starts right now.” She’s gonna regret offering him a hand, but she’s still that kind girl way deep inside.
“If it helps, I’ll vouch for you. They think I still have my Lux. If I say some shit about you letting me in to prove you’re sincere, they’ll believe it. Especially if you let me ‘in’ right there in front of everyone. It should help with your credibility, considering they know I don’t fuck with you. Be brave and face what you’re afraid of.” She couldn’t keep her unattached tone. She sounded the slightest bit like she wanted to help him. She didn’t, but she’s gotten a second chance at life. She’ll give Greyson that grace. But she swears if he wastes and backslides, she’ll kill him. Consequences be damned.
Tayla learned that Greyson didn’t truly see all her memories. He got highlights at best. The worst and best moments of her life, because he didn’t know Dean like he thought he knew Dean. “If you plan on bringing me Dean alive, you aren’t helping at all. He did everything he did to me without magic. There was nothing magic related about our relationship. All I know is he’s Adjoined. With what, I don’t know. How it works, I don’t know. He has a tendency to handle business with his hands and a smile. It’s rare for him to use his magic. Trying to kill him might put you in hot water with Dollhouse, considering he’s on their payroll. Part of me working for them involves Shayton promising to keep Dean off my ass. Any good that did, since he beat the shit out of Sully looking for answers.”
Greyson grimaced, finally standing up. He turned slowly, looking out toward the lake and the docks. ”You people want your bar back? I’d like a cigarette… So, I’m gonna take one out of my pocket, and tomorrow some guys in hard hats from Capponella Construction are gonna come by… Start surveying. Get everything up and running again. Six months tops, the Anchor’s back in business. So, I’m gonna reach into my hoodie pocket! And I’m going to get my cigarettes! I will move so slowly, you’ll be able to count the hours with my shadow! Capice!?” he called out, taking a deep breath and slowly moving his hand.
It was like a slow clockwork. God I promise its just a fucking cigarette, please aim center of mass you crazy fishermen… What, do you work with these guys or something? If they’ve got your back like this, why the fuck ain’t they at the Veni tearing shit up? Glacially, his hand carefully moved, never slipping more than a couple of fingers in to grip the rough metal surface. A lighter, attached to a small magnet, clung to the little silver box, and he popped it open out far for everyone to see.
He was making it so painfully slow and deliberate… Clear malicious compliance? Or desp- It’s desperation! I’m fucking dying here, I’m trying to talk about emotional shit, my Lux is getting up because I can’t cast because how could I right now!? All it takes is for one person to think they’re saving you from a threat that isn’t there… God… I’ve been so fucking angry this whole time. I’m… I’m so fucking sorry, Tayla. It was never people like you. You didn’t deserve my ire. And, for the record… He let the cigarette hang out of his mouth, flicking the lighter. I think he’s proud. Or, he will be when he can know and understand the struggles you’ve gone through. Your son, I mean. I… Linqian’s brother. Henri? He’s like us now too. Her and Jinhai never would’ve let him around us, but… I’ll have to tell her. I’ll have to admit that making a bond with him is behind this. I’ve been going back through it all with him. Showing him what we saw. What I saw. It’s helped me recontextualize some of this shit. He’s just so positive…
It was the first time in a long time that something more than smoke and bullshit came out of Greyson’s mouth. As much as the headphones could pick up emotional signals, his was filled with sincerity and fear. The lighter flicked, and for an instant his face was engulfed with flames. There was a shimmer of wetness on his cheeks. But I still don’t think telling everyone will be worth it. Not everyone. Key people. Like you, who is going to need to deal with Dollhouse, especially if they get to me first. Or Auri, whose supposed to be leading us. Or Stormy, or fuckin’... I don’t want to tell Britney. Too many people with the info means that too many people become targets. I’m just-
As he drew a long breath, the cigarette mixed with the Lux, and he exhaled a large cotton candy colored cloud. I guess it really doesn’t fuckin’ matter. I may live this meeting, and you may tell me everything I want to hear. But, you’re in my head right now. I’m not in yours. I can’t know that you’re not just going to hightail it back to the club downtown and spill your guts to Shayton or God forbid fuckin’ Luis. If they even knew we met… They’d have both of us locked away, and I don’t know about you but I’m only a step or two above Severed. So, you’re only safe if you go and you tell. My life is in your hands. I’ll call Auri, tell her we need to meet. Put that bit of info out there. Maybe it’ll even paint a target on me, for Father Wolf to focus on… I’m your bait, Tayla. For a happy life. Take your pick on how I get used. Tayla never thought she’d see the day Greyson would cry in front of her. She let him getting his cigarette go. She’s in his head. She knows he’s not bullshitting. It’s weird to have her feelings change from ones of hate and anger to a little understanding. “Fucking A, Greyson. You got her brother involved? She may never forgive you for that. This is a lot, but I have a plan. I’ll hold your hand through all of this if you want me to, but I swear to God if you screw me it's a bullet between the eyes. The Tree be damned. I can assure you, your end won’t be met by the Dollhouse dealing with me. I’m not a snitch and I’m not a user. You’ve been in my head. How much of a liar am I?” Not to say she’s never lied, but she has integrity. She says what she means and she stands on that.
“I will sell you out if Dollhouse threatens my baby, so if they show up at your door and they say I told them everything I know about you, that’s ‘cause of the position they put me in. Short of that, you’re safe with me. For now, let’s get you an outlet. Aim your power at me. With these on, you won’t do any damage and you won’t get more than my favorite color, hobbies, and other random shit. After that, we’ll come up with a plan.”
Instantly every single tendril he could release came directly from his throat like a wretched pink monster. The million roots of the Pink Lotus were on top of the veil that the strange Abstraction provided its host with instantaneous urgency and a vague ferocity. It was like the worst kind of hangover vomit. He was constantly bombarding her with uncontrolled tendrils that smashed and slammed, hungry for more but unable to break through. It was almost as if Greyson’s spells had developed a mind of their own over time, the untapped, unfettered and constant uncapped usage had given his ever expanding mind carte blanche to do as it pleased.
He coughed and choked, hacking up a lung as the buildup spilled out into unfettered hunter’s instinct, but eventually the storm subsided and the pink faded away. ”Y’know Tayla, that really makes me feel a lot fuckin’ better… Maybe we can make a plan to keep that from being an issue? I don’t care how much money I need to drop, we’ll put that baby in a concrete bunker six hundred feet underground if we have to. Because I’m not getting fucked because you feel like you don’t have a choice. This is something we’re in now. And if I’m fighting for you, I’m fighting for that kid, and your Dad, and your future. Please, God, mine too… I don’t really want to die, Tayla, I wouldn’t be spilling my guts like this if I fuckin’ did… Please, let me see if money can’t take care of the problem a little bit.”
Looking down at his ruined cigarette, he immediately popped the pack open for another one and lit it. ”And maybe after all this… I’ll quit smokin’ too.”
His Lux outburst didn’t feel like anything at all. Barely a tickle in her brain. It seemed to help a lot, even though he vomited on the dock. Feels like a withdrawal response. She’s all too familiar with that. She nearly choked on the smoke she inhaled when he offered to do whatever it took to protect her child. She knew it hinged on his survival, but there very few would actually offer that kind of support. Knowing he meant it too, she was slowly hating him a little less. She looked down at the cigarette in her hand.
“Yeah, maybe I should quit too. I have another appointment soon. We’ll talk more about how to help each other out. In the meantime, stay out of trouble.” She called off the fishermen and let Greyson go. She didn’t take off her headphones, until she could no longer hear his thoughts from him getting out of her range.
Featuring the introductions of Blake Schmidt, Phillis Schmidt, Cassandra Schmidt, Angela Schmidt, Jiao-Long Liu, Chunhua Liu, Mika Liu, and the reintroduction of an old foe...
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Blake Schmidt's Mansion.
A butler poured Berlioz a glass of wine... he grabbed it and took a sip. He felt content for a moment...
"... Now, Mr. Auclair, it is a honor to have you here," Until this buffoon,Blake Schmidt, had to ruin it for him. He was seated in this exquisite room, wearing a nice suit with the rest of the New Thule Society sitting around him on the table... except for the Dragonslayer, who stood by the door as if it was a silent sentinel. He was eating a roasted turkey; so much food was presented before him. Unseasoned, the way Berlioz liked it. He placed the glass of wine down.
"I'm glad to be here and meet your family, Mr. Schmidt," Berlioz answered.
"Mr. Liu and his family should be on the way," Blake answered before he gestured towards , a boy who couldn't have been older than eighteen. "So, this my son, Daniel. He's the youngest of my three children."
However, a group of footsteps approached, and Berlioz glanced over his shoulder as he saw two well-dressed butlers lead a group of three… subhumans. One man was the unmistakable head of Liu Pharmaceutical, the revered genius Jiao-Long Liu, and at his side was his wife Chunhua Liu. Jiao-Long was wearing a black suit, Chunhua was wearing a white dress, and that left the last one: an average height Chubby girl that didn’t look anything like Jiao-Long or his wife. Berlioz remembered her as a bastard, a disgrace of Jiao-Long that he was forced to take in because her mother died. However, her jaw dropped when she entered the room and saw the New Thule Society… Berlioz gave her a narrow look.
“Hello, hello, hello!” Jiao-Long said with a smile as he walked over to the table and shook Blake’s hand. “Blake, my old friend, seeing you again is great!”
“You too, Jiao-Long!” Blake said. “Have a seat! Grab a plate! The food’s getting cold.”
Berlioz seethed before he exhaled. The Lius had a seat near the Schmidt Family; he could see their bastard daughter glaring at them occasionally. If he didn’t care so much about this deal, he would have shot her by now…
“These people are our newest employees,” Blake Schmidt said. “Come now, introduce yourselves.”
Hearing that he was working for subhumans made Berlioz’s skin crawl, but he had to keep it composed. He gave him a warming smile.
“We are…” Berlioz looked between each of his followers, from Mabel to William, to his niece, to the Twins, to Conrad, and even the Dragonslayer. "... Sentinel Solutions. We are a private Paranormal investigation and enforcement agency. I am the leader of it, Berlioz Auclair."
“And they’re going to help us so we can stop relying on Emily G. Reed so much!” Blake said with a smile.
"That's right," Berlioz continued, maintaining his forced smile. "Our organization deals with situations that traditional law enforcement can't handle. We've seen our fair share of unusual phenomena and have dealt with many... unique cases."
"Like what?" Jiao-Long asked.
Berlioz took a deep breath, preparing to sell their front convincingly as possible. "We've dealt with everything from rogue Apparitions to ancient curses. Recently, we were involved in a case where an entire village was plagued by nightly attacks from what seemed to be a pack of werewolves."
"Interesting," Jiao-Long said, stroking his chi. "And you were successful?"
"Completely," Berlioz replied, his tone confident. "We not only identified the source of the problem but also managed to neutralize the threat without any casualties."
Blake Schmidt clapped his hands together, breaking the slight tension that had built up. "Well, it sounds like we've brought in the right team. Sentinel Solutions will be an invaluable asset to the Elite."
“I know we talked a lot about working for you all,” Paige finally answered her question. “But, what exactly will you want us to help you with, Mr. Schmidt?”
“Simple,” Blake Schmidt, “Asset protection and acquisition!”
The room fell silent, waiting for Blake Schmidt to elaborate finally. “The city of St. Portwell is dangerous! My people are only trying to survive, but the power balance seems to shift. Alliances are being made as we speak! It’s only a matter of time before they knock on our door demanding what we have! For no reason other than they want it!”
“And you said ‘acquisition’,” Mabel noted. “What does that entail?”
“I believe it’s the same as ‘asset protection’ if you look at it from a certain point of view!” Blake Schmidt grinned. “We are removing dangerous artifacts, apparitions, and whatnot from the hands of unworthy people before they are used against us and putting them in the hands of people who will use them.”
He let his words hang in the air as he took a breath and said, “... You know that Axe those crazy hippies use?! That was taken from my comrade Jason Valos! And look, it's being used against us as we speak!”
Berlioz bore teeth at the mention of that subhuman and his damn axe.
“... Trust me, we are well aware,” Berlioz tilted his head downwards. He could see their daughter glance at him again, and he returned the glance with a glare. The air was thick with barely concealed hostility. Blake Schmidt's words... the implication of a brewing conflict was clear to everyone at the table. Berlioz kept his expression neutral though his mind was racing.
The tension was cut with a knife when Phillis Schmidt said, "Mr. Auclair, can you assure us that your team can handle these... acquisitions?"
"Mrs. Schmidt, I can assure you that Sentinel Solutions is more than capable. Each team member has been handpicked for their unique skills and experience dealing with the Paranormal. We understand the risks and are prepared to face them head-on." Berlioz answered.
As Berlioz spoke, he noticed the Liu family's daughter glancing at him again, her eyes wide. He returned the glance with a steely gaze, quickly causing her to look away as if he didn't already notice her. Foolish subhuman.
Chunhua, quiet the entire interaction, leaned in just slightly. "Mr. Auclair, your confidence is reassuring. But, there are those who won't part with these artifacts willingly; how do you intend to handle these 'uncooperative elements'?"
"We have our methods, Mrs. Liu. Persuasion comes in many forms, and we are well-versed in diplomatic and more... assertive approaches," Berlioz answered.
Jiao-Long raised an eyebrow. "Assertive approaches? Are you suggesting force?"
"Only when necessary," Berlioz replied. "Our primary goal is to ensure the safety and security of our clients. If that requires decisive action, we are prepared to take it."
"Good." Blake Schmidt leaned back in his chair, "Because we can't afford to be passive during these times. The balance of power in St. Portwell is shifting, and we need to be proactive!" He threw a finger into the air.
"It's exactly why we need you. We've been trying to get our hands on a particular Apparition..." Blake trailed off. Berlioz raised an eyebrow as Blake gave him the most devious grin, "... It's known as the Stygian Snake. You know that 'natural disaster' that damn near destroyed the city ten years ago? Well, it wasn't natural at all! It was an Apparition all along! One of unimaginable power! And it's sealed somewhere in St. Portwell!"
Paige's jaw dropped, but she regained her composure before Berlioz - or Blake - noticed. Berlioz had a flat look on his face.
"This... Stygian Snake," He started, "If we do find it, what do you intend on using it for? Are you simply keeping it secure? Or are you going to utilize it?"
"Utilize it, of course!" Blake Schmidt grandiosely said. "It's considered a God. What good would it be rotting away in my private collection?!"
The room was silent.
"With it at my fingertips, we can change not just St. Portwell but the whole world!" Blake threw his hands up into the air.
Berlioz cracked a grin. Blake was really out of his mind, wasn't he? Berlioz knew all about the Stygian Snake, and he knew that Blake's grand goals would not go the way he thought it would. However, if his people found the Stygian Snake, he would not give it to Blake under any circumstance. Maybe he'd find some way to enact his great purge and eliminate all the subhumans as a parting gift once he finds his White Paradise - but the Stygian Snake seemed more trouble than it was worth. Berlioz took a moment to gauge the reactions of everyone present. Jiao-Long's expression was neutral but thoughtful, Chunhua's eyes were narrowed in contemplation, and the Schmidt children displayed varying degrees of surprise and skepticism. Phillis remained composed, her gaze steady on Berlioz, waiting for his response.
"... Mr. Schmidt, while the Stygian Snake's power is formidable, utilizing its power does not come without its risks," Berlioz steepled his fingers and leaned in as he spoke. "It's not just about using its power - but ensuring it doesn't also turn against us."
"... Precisely why we need experts like you. With you on our side, those risks are mitigated," Blake answered.
Berlioz was caught off guard... before he smiled.
"... Sure thing."
Blake Schmidt's smile widened.
"Excellent. With Sentinel Solutions on board, our goals are within reach." He raised his glass, prompting everyone else to do the same. "To new partnerships and future successes."
"To new partnerships!" Everyone echoed, though the enthusiasm... varied. Berlioz's people followed his lead, raising their glasses with the same forced smiles they had worn throughout the evening.
However, their forced camaraderie was interrupted by some approaching footsteps as a strange man around six feet tall walked into the doorframe and leaned against it. He ran his hand through his hair, and Berlioz gave him a queer look.
"... Scott Reese," Berlioz rolled his eyes. “You’re late.”
“I am...?” Scott Reese said before he looked down at his watch. “Oh yeah, I am, in fact, late... the watch is broken, by the way. So, let's get this show on the road.” He laughed as he grabbed a seat and sat down, leaning back with his arms crossed.
“... The show’s already over, you slow bastard,” Paige giggled.
“Aw, shit.”
"Scott, you're just in time for the toast! Let's raise our glasses again, shall we?" Blake said, and everyone complied, lifting their glasses once more. Berlioz took another sip of his wine, masking his irritation with a well-practiced smile.
"Now that we're all here, let's move forward with our plans, shall we? Berlioz, your team's first task will be to secure our assets. We must ensure no one can get close to them without our knowledge, lest we have another incident where Greenwood helps themselves to our artifacts. After that, you will begin our search for the Stygian Snake." Blake explained.
Berlioz finished his glass of wine... and looked between each member of the New Thule Society (or as they present themselves, Sentinel Solutions). Then he placed it back on the table...
"... Understood, Mr. Schmidt. We'll start immediately."
"Johnny" Valos & Mika Liu.
Featuring the introductions of Jason Valos.
Interactions: None.
The Emperor Hotel.
Oooooooooh, back in Dad's old hotel.
Johnny thought to himself as he stepped off the elevator into the private bar one placed here so that the rich people can have a view. And what a view it was! You could see the entire city and the beach from here! Though having some booze wasn't on the agenda for today, it was a familiar face that hated his guts, but still a familiar face! Johnny strutted through the bar, wearing a black pinstriped suit, black dress shoes, his signature cane with a snake, and a wide-brimmed fedora. Eventually, he found the booth where Mika Liu was sitting, wearing a white dress with some sandals and holding a glass of tea. Johnny gave her a wide grin as he walked over to the table and slapped his hand on it. She didn't so much as lift her head up.
"... Valos, you're late," Mika softly said.
"What? No, hello? No how are you? No fuck you?" Johnny laughed. "Just... you're late." He rolled his eyes.
"... By an hour," Mika sighed. "Do you just get off on wasting people's time?"
"Oh, come the fuck on, Mika," Johnny rolled his eyes. "Like you got something to do."
"Meditating, relaxing..."
"Stuffing your face with some fancy-ass cakes," Johnny laughed as he sat down.
Mika adjusted her glasses and stared at Johnny head-on. "You asked me to come out here and talk with you, Valos."
"Yes, I did," Johnny put his hand over the backrest of the booth and grinned.
"How about we have some tea first?" Mika asked.
"What is that?" Johnny asked. "Like your fifth damn cup?" He rolled his eyes, giving her a playful chuckle.
"Seventh."
"Man, you fiendin' over that damn tea," Johnny laughed. Mika got up and walked off towards the bar, and while she was gone, Johnny whipped out his phone and scrolled Instagram for a few minutes. He heard the ceramic teacup hit the table and slid before him. Johnny looked down at the ceramic teacup and saw the steam rise above it.
"This is Da Hong Pao, also known as the 'Big Red Robe.' It's one of the world's most revered and rare teas, originally grown in the Wuyi Mountains of China." Mika explained, taking a moment to (dramatically) blink. "It is known for its rich, full-bodied taste with layers of roasted, mineral, and floral notes..."
"... Thanks for the tea lesson, Mika," Johnny rolled his eyes. "No, really, thank you, I appreciate it. I feel like a sophisticated ninja now..."
"Try it," Mika said. "Maybe it'll show you some class for once in your life."
Classic Mika. Johnny thought to himself as he sipped the tea. "Man, this some good shit... I'm not a tea person, but it's some good shit! But, it's missing something..."
Johnny dug into his suit jacket, pulled out a metal flask, and poured Hennesy into the cup. Mika's jaw dropped as she stared at Johnny, completely silent as he screwed the cap back on and took a sip. He drunk it, and grinned. "Now it's that good shit..." He laughed.
"I, um, what- the- what in the world, why-" Mika stammered, at a loss for words. "... Are you and your family soooooooo uncouth that they can't go twenty seconds without some goddamn alcohol?!" Mika shouted, shaking.
Johnny downed the rest of it.
"... It is one of the rarest teas in the Goddamn world, and you just poured some cheap alcohol in it!?" Mika shouted some mouth, literally frothing at the mouth.
"What's the big deal, Mika?" Johnny laughed.
Mika sighed.
"I don't understand why my sister associates with your boorish family!" Mika shouted. "There are better out there for her than the Valos! I don't know why she can't see that!"
Johnny didn't reply; he just pointed to the side and saw the other patrons staring at them, and Mika sighed, finally calming herself down.
"My 'boorish family'?!" Johnny sarcastically said, feigning offendedness. "What's wrong with Jake? Don't you believe in true love, Mika?"
"Please." Mika rolled her eyes.
"You just gotta accept that we like cousins at this point!"
"Please."
"... I mean, we're in the same boat right now," Johnny grinned.
"What do you mean?" Mika gave him a queer look.
"... You know exactly what I mean," Johnny tilted his head, keeping that shit-eating grin on his face. "You know all about that psycho-slashin' motherfucker that's targeting our siblings."
Mika was silent.
"The reason why I came back to this rathole of a city is because I want to keep my brothers and sisters safe - Lin included," Johnny said, "I don't know shit about this 'Sycamore Tree Coven' they were apart of back in the day but fuck 'im!" Johnny laughed, throwing a hand into the air.
"But, I overheard a conversation they all had the other day..." Johnny trailed. "About Blakey wanting something called a 'Stygian Snake' and how they want to stop him."
Mika immediately facepalmed, then muttered something in Chinese, Japanese, or something - Johnny didn't know!
"My lord, that girl..." Mika lowered her hand from her face and shook her head. "She's going to get us all killed..."
He took in Mika's exasperation with a grin before saying, "I know you don't like me - I wouldn't like me either! But, like me, hate me - whatever - our families are in this together."
"... Unfortnately," Mika sighed.
"Yes," Johnny began. "Unfortunately. But, we gotta get our shit together and figure this out. I have a feeling that Blake has something to do with the murders. I don't know why, but if it's for what I think it is... Then his ass is grass." He grinned.
"And why did you come to me?" Mika asked. "Your boorish father knows far more than I do."
Johnny shook his head.
"Cut the bullshit, Mika," Johnny said. "You think little miss 'I'd do anything for Daddy's approval' wouldn't be in on it?"
"Go to hell, Valos," Mika seethed. "You don't know me."
"In fact, I do..." Johnny grinned ear to ear like a crocodile as he leaned forward. "... I always saw through you, Mika. Beneath all that condescending, judgemental-ass, high-society bullshit you try to present yourself as..."
Mika stared at him wordlessly before Johnny finished.
"... You're just a soft little cuddly-ass girl who wantseveryone to love her - especially ya' pops!" Johnny laughed as he leaned back in her chair. "You love your sister more than anything in the world! And you would never do anything that would hurt her..."
Mika stared at him silently as Johnny placed his arm on the table, looking off to the side.
"So, again, how about we cut the bullshit," Johnny began, shaking his head. "There is a reason why I went to you before my own pops!"
Mika took a deep breath, "Alright, Valos, let's. Why did you come to me?"
"Because I knew I could get you to help me," Johnny cockily said. "You know that whatever Blakey is up to, your sister's flat ass is on the line. I don't know anything about this Stygian Snake nonsense, but if my little bros and sis' think it's bad news..."
Mika sighed heavily, closing her eyes.
"... Fine, Valos," Mika said as she opened her eyes, hissing Johnny's last name like an insult. "I'll help you, but why do you care so much?"
Johnny gave Mika a toothy smile.
"... Because it's what family does! Maybe if you weren't so robotic and self-absorbed all the damn time, you'd know that!" Johnny obnoxiously laughed before he gave her a sinister grin. "And besides, I can't stand that bitch ass motherfucker, Blake. I'd do anything to knock him down a peg."
"Fine," Mika rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you everything, I'll even help you out personally... but we need to be smart about this. And we need a plan. While Blake is King-Boor himself, he is dangerous and unpredictable."
"Unpredictable?" Johnny parroted, laughing. "This is Blake 'I'll do anything to fuck any pretty white girl you put in front of me' Schmidt! And you're calling him 'unpredictable.'" Johnny had to finger-quote.
Mika was silent for a moment.
"... You'd be surprised."
Johnny raised an eyebrow, "Surprised? What do you mean by that?"
Mika leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Blake may come off as a simple-minded hedonist obsessed with orgasming at literally every opportunity, but there's more to him than meets the eye. He's got connections, resources, and most worryingly, ambition. I don't think he's dangerous... he's unhinged. A man-child that thinks the whole world is his playground."
"He's got a few tricks up his sleeve; you're saying," Johnny rolled his eyes. "... Big deal."
"It's more than just tricks, Johnny," Mika began. "He's been... making moves. He's planning something big. It may be bigger than all of us. Recently, I discovered he has employed a certain group of dangerous individuals..."
"Mika, we don't get time for this mysterious drama queen bullshit..." Johnny rolled his eyes. "Who are they?"
"Berlioz Auclair, a high-ranking member of the now-defunct Das Sonnenrad, and his like-minded compatriots..." Mika answered.
"The fuck and the fuck?" Johnny laughed.
"Radicalists. White supremacists. Nazis." Mika elaborated. "Blake and my family are oblivious to their true nature, but I know all about them..."
"Like fucking... Kill all Jews, sieg heil-ass Nazis?" Johnny raised an eyebrow.
"Well, they're more like wannabe Nazis, but..." Mika shrugged. "They don't call themselves that openly, but they're extremists, Johnny. Dangerous, ruthless, unhinged, and above all else completely unpredictable. Working with them can only end badly for all of us..."
"Okay, I knew Blake was a complete dumbass!" Johnny laughed, "But this is..."
"... Beyond the pale, I know." Mika ended the sentence for him.
"So, Mr-Fuckin-Stupid is in bed with some crazy skinheads," Johnny repeated. "But, I'm wondering... like, the fuck? I'm lost here. Maybe we need to take things a step back a little so we can get a good look at this big, fucked up picture..."
Mika was silent, so Johnny finished.
"Who are the Elite, and how do you play in all of this, Mika...?"
"Fine, I'll explain everything," Mika slowly shook her head. "But, this stays between us, okay?"
Johnny grinned.
"Okay!"
So, as promised, Mika explained everything (well, almost everything) to Johnny, and they made a plan to confront Jason Valos...
... Johnny's father.
The Valos Manor.
After an off-screen conversation, Mika and Johnny rolled back to the Valos Manor (after some protesting from Mika) to act out the plan that they had agreed on. They walked over to the balcony, the big fancy one that overlooked the waves, where several sun chairs were set up that gave whoever stood here a great view of the ocean, and it would be perfect in the summer... unfortunately, it was the fall. It was a cloudy day in St. Portwell. Nonetheless, the great and illustrious Jason Valos sat in one of the chairs, puffing a cigar.
The two walked up to him, and Jason didn't even look. Johnny took a step forward.
"So, Pops-" Johnny tried to say.
"Sit down," Jason said, pointing at the chair beside him.
Complying, Johnny sat down next to his father... and Mika remained standing up. Silently, Jason handed Johnny an unlit cigar, and Johnny, on reflex, slid it in between his lips and lit it with his own cigar lighter.
"... Why didn't you tell me you were back in town?" Jason asked.
Johnny sighed.
"I wanted it to be a surprise," He answered.
"No phone call, no text, no email, hell, you could have sent me a damn messenger pigeon," Jason asked. "You never thought to say 'hi' every now and then?"
"... You threw me to the curb," Johnny narrowed his eyes.
"I did," Jason answered, "I did it because you needed it. You needed to toughen up. You needed to gain some perspective. Otherwise, you were going to grow up to be a pussy like Jake or Jaska..."
After puffing his cigar, Jason leaned back in his chair and grinned at Johnny.
"... And look at you now," Jason began. "I hear all about the adventures about The Revolver... you're just like me."
"Hmph," Mika shook her head, "I know all about the Revolver, too...."
"Of course you do..." Johnny rolled his eyes before focusing on Jason. "Well, thank you for abandoning me. I really appreciate it."
"I mean, It wasn't anything personal," Jason shrugged. "You and your little siblings went on a magical rampage, y'know. Caused a lot of damage. While I can throw money at the problem to make it disappear, I had to save face. I had to look like I gave a shit, y'know? You were the ringleader..."
Johnny was silent. Which made Jason grin wider.
"See, Johnny," Jason began. "I always told you to never lie to people's faces. If you ain't shit, then let them know; things work out better that way."
"... I hate to interrupt your touching reunion," Mika rolled her eyes. "But, we didn't come out here for this."
"And look!" Jason said. "You made up with Mika."
"Let's get to the point, Mika. She wants to drink tea, eat cakes, and act like she's better than everyone else," Johnny laughed, making Mika shake her head at him. "I wanted to talk with you about your buddy Blake Schmidt."
Jason was silent.
"First off, he's not my friend," Jason seethed, "I hate him almost as much as I hate James and all his bastard children." He rolled his eyes.
"... What do you want to know?"
"You know about the murders, right?" Johnny asked. "Do you think Blake has anything to do with it?"
Jason rubbed his chin.
"... Yes, and no clue," Jason shrugged. "What? You're trying to play Sherlock?"
"Yes," Johnny replied. "Jake, Gabe, Jaska, and Sylvia-"
"... And my sister."
"... And chubby cheeks' sister," Johnny added to earn another roll of Mika's eyes. "Point is, they're in danger. And I only came to this hole-in-the-wall of a city to protect them."
Jason rubbed his chin some more.
"... I mean, there's a security detail on all of them," Jason answered before laughing. "Don't you think enough is enough? When will you hang up this "The Revolver" bullshit and just relax for once, just chill?"
"Not today," Johnny sharply answered. "We want to know why Blake Schmidt wants the Stygian Snake."
Jason was silent.
"Now, I don't know Blake Schmidt's sudden obsession with that damn Apparition..." Jason rolled his eyes. "But, he's been acting strange lately. He's been gathering power. Allies. Goons. He had this one bitch, but..."
"Kari Wilson," Mika answered.
"Yeah, her!" Jason began.
"What can you tell us about that bitch?" Johnny asked.
"She was going around finding sealed Apparitions for our boy, and his wife was adjoining them to his fellow rich goons with this artifact he bought off Emily's goons. I know Blake tried to fuck her a few times - probably did it once or twice - but she was close to Lin..." Jason answered before he shrugged. "... Well, before she, you know, got iced."
"Like our Lin?" Johnny asked.
"She is not 'your Lin'," Mika seethed.
"Well, she's my future daughter-in-law, so she's one of us," Jason shrugged. "But Lin was her homegirl in the Elite. The two were inseparable. At least, before..."
"I know," Johnny rolled his eyes. "Who the fuck is Kari, anyway? She ain't in our circle."
"She's a nobody," Jason answered, "At least compared to us. I don't know about her; I know she ran to Blakey because Emily and her scissor-sister were bothering her. I didn't get to talk to her much - no one did - but I know Linda and her were tight. Like tight."
"Well," Johnny turned to Mika as he said, "I didn't know about that."
Mika winced before putting that trademark scowl back on her face. She didn't say a word, so Johnny turned back toward his father and said,
"That brings me to thing-two..."
"Maaaaaaaaaaaan," Jason rolled his eyes. "This is the first time I've seen you in over a decade! You immediately start asking me for shit."
"... Can you get me, Gabe, Jaska, Jake, and Sylvia into the Elite?" Johnny asked.
"Don't forget about Sage," Mika said.
"Sage can suck my dick," Johnny seethed.
Jason pointed at Mika.
"She's in the Elite, in fact, of the 'top' members of that topsy-turvy clusterfuck," Jason answered. "Why don't you ask her?"
"Because my father wouldn't induct the Valos into the Elite," Mika answered. "And it's better if you do it, since they're your children. The Schmidts and the Pimms will get suspicious if my father does it."
"What about Sage?" Jason raised an eyebrow.
"You know this. Sage is an outcast among their own family," Mika said. "You bringing Sage up into the Elite wouldn't bring as much suspicion as my father bringing four of his 'rival's' children into the fold."
"Well..." Jason sighed. "... I'll do it... but..."
He narrowed his eyes at Johnny before just cracking a grin.
"I know you're up to something!" Jason began. "Because you wouldn't be my boy if you weren't!"
Johnny cracked a grin.
Jason leaned back and sighed. "Alright, Johnny, I'll get everyone into the Elite. But you better remember this. And don't fuck it up."
Johnny's grin widened, "... Wouldn't dream of it, Pops."
Jason glanced at Mika, standing with her arms crossed, "Mika, I trust you'll keep an eye on him, right?"
Mika sighed.
"... I'll do my best, Mr. Valos."
"Good," Jason said, taking another puff from his cigar. "Now get out of here, both of you. And Johnny, next time you come back to town, at least pretend you missed me."
"Sure thing!" Johnny
Mika and Johnny walked back through the door to the garage. Mika walked up to the passenger-side door of Johnny's Hummer... but he whipped around, placed his hand firmly against it, and grinned at her. There were about twenty seconds of maintained eye contact before he spoke.
"... Why didn't you tell me your sister was in the Elite already?" Johnny asked.
"Because..." Mika trailed off.
"You know the whole damn time, didn't you?" Johnny added.
"... I didn't tell you because I wanted to protect her. Lin is in over her head, Johnny. She's not like you or me." Mika answered with a sigh.
"And protect her from what?" Johnny tilted his head at her. "Me? Jake? The Elite? The consequences of her fucking actions?"
"Both," Mika looked away. "Lin is... fragile. She always has been. She made strides, but even after fighting a world-ending threat, she still is... I never even wanted her in the Elite in the first place, but she just stumbled into things! If I kept her involvement a secret, I could find a way to handle this without dragging you into it..."
"Mika, Mika," Johnny rolled his eyes before he leaned in closer to Mika's face. "I thought we agreed on some transparency here. Some honesty. And now it turns out that you were lying to me about some things."
He was inches away from Mika's face...
"I know it's just little things, but you know," Johnny chuckled. "The 'little things' always have a way of adding up, don't they...?"
"Mr. Valos... Johnny, you have to understand that I wasn't trying to lie to you," Mika said. "I was trying to protect everyone. Me, you, Lin..."
"... How's that working out?" Johnny asked. "Not only is your sister in the Elite, but she was buddy-buddy with Blakey's living radar! That would have been helpful to know, Mika! For all I know, Lin's snapped and is the one icing those Sycamore-douchebags!"
"... Johnny, you know Lin's not a killer," Mika said.
"Doesn't matter what I know," Johnny shot back.
Mika was silent for a moment.
"... I get it," Mika sighed. "But, standing here pointing fingers isn't going to help us, now is it?"
"I'm not," Johnny added. "I just... look, I said I would help her, right? She's practically family at this point - she's my brother's fiance! I can't help her if you're gonna sit here and lie by omission, Mika..." He spat out her name like it was the more vile racial slur he could think of.
"Fine," Mika sighed. "I'm sorry, I won't do it anymore..."
"Is there anything else you want to share?" Johnny asked. "Let's get it out the way now, because if I find anything else out..."
"You're really making mountains out of molehills, Valos," Mika said. "But, no, I'm not hiding anything else."
"Good."
Johnny released his hand from the door.
"Then, let's go."
The "Rich Clique", The Schmidt Children & The 8th Street Coven.
And a surprise guest.
Interactions: An annoying ass Coven.
The Harbor Longue.
The Valos and friends were assembled at everyone's favorite hangout.
Johnny didn't care about this place, but it was a "neutral ground" where their rich parents/family members/whatever wouldn't hear. Hopefully, they wouldn't hang out at a dump like this. The rest of the "rich clique" sat on the sofas on the balcony, with Johnny and Mika standing up, telling them everything.
"... So, Blake was using Kari to find Apparitions?" Gabe said with a shrug.
"I'm surprised she hasn't gone into hiding or something after the Coven dissolved," Sage awkwardly laughed. "I mean, with what Luna did..."
"Do you know if Kari was being used to look for the Stygian Snake?" Gabe asked. "I mean, I think she could do it..."
"Kari wouldn't have done it," Lin added. "I know she wouldn't."
"She's not important, like, at all," Johnny put his hands up. "She's dead. She's probably sucking dick in her next life." He rolled his eyes.
"Johnny!" Lin and Jake said at the same time.
"So, let's get to the fuckin' point instead of musing about some dead hoe," Johnny said, causing Mika to roll her eyes. Johnny jammed both of his thumbs into his chest. "I got us invitations into the Elite! Daddy Valos will induct us into this weird, rich, magical cult that bitch ass motherfucker Blake Schmidt runs. Where, all of us, will join for information and maybe a clean shot at Blakey if necessary."
"Oooooooh, when?!" Sylvia asked.
Johnny was silent for a moment.
"... I have no idea!" Johnny laughed. "I'm hoping we don't do this weird ass ceremony where we gotta sacrifice a goat or something else fucked up."
"I wanna bathe in a goat's blood, Johnny!" Sylvia shouted.
"... Of course, you do," Johnny rolled his eyes.
"So, while you sort that out," Gabe asked, crossing her arms. "What will we do in the meantime?"
Johnny was silent momentarily again.
"Nothing," Johnny succinctly answered. "Ya'll are gonna sit here and chill."
"There is no need to rush," Mika added. "Right now, we all know very little, and acting now would be...."
Mika paused.
"... Unwise."
"I mean, I know, but for all we know, Blake found himself another radar hoe-" Gabe tried to say before she was interrupted by...
"Gabe!" Jake and Lin shouted.
"I mean, that's what she was!" Gabe scoffed before she pinched her fingers together until they were almost touching. "For all we know, Blakey is this close to finding the Snake. The longer we wait, the worst shit's gonna get!"
Their corner of the balcony fell silent after Gabe’s outburst.
Mika took a deep breath. “I understand the urgency, Gabe, but we must be smart about this. Rushing in without a plan will only get us all killed.”
"This is a once-in-a-blue moon thing here, people, so write it down, save it on your calendars!" Johnny laughed, waving his hands in the air. "... But I agree with Mika. We all we know is a lot of irrelevant shit, and I don't know about you, but I've lasted too long just to get whacked."
"Will I get to shove my guitar up someone's ass?" Sylvia asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.
“This isn’t a game, Sylvia. We’re dealing with some powerful people here. We need to focus.” Jake shook his head.
"We need to find out where the Stygian Snake is, what Blake plans to do with it, and how he intends to find it. If we can get ahead of him, maybe we can stop him," Lin said.
"Find the snake?" Sage chuckled. "You haven't been watching movies, have you? Don't you know that cliche where the 'good guy accidentally leads the villain to the MacGuffin'?"
"I mean, leave that damn Snake where it is," Gabe rolled her eyes.
"We obviously need to secure it," Lin said. "Do you honestly think it'll end with Blake?"
"But, yeah, but going around looking for it is not very-"
"Look, we're not going to look for anything," Johnny put his hands up. "If anything, we take Blakey out, then take over his search for the tree. Make sure nobody else finds it... We can just yeet that fucker into the Pit or something and make it someone else's problem..."
"... The what?" Sylvia tilted her head.
"Don't worry about it," Johnny said.
"We can just use your father's connections to learn more about it," Mika noted.
"... And your pops," Johnny grinned as Mika rolled her eyes at him. "But, I can try, but my Pops is real tight-lipped about his business."
Finally, Jaska spoke up, "... What about us? What will we do?"
"I'm glad you asked," Mika smiled at Jaska, "... We just need to keep an eye on things. There are a lot of people looking for the Stygian Snake, and anything unusual can be a lead or at least something that can help us at this point. Maybe contact the Sycamore Tree Coven and see if they know anything."
"Not an option." Gabe immediately answered, crossing her arms. "Fuck them hoes."
"... I know somebody that can help if you just-" Lin tried to say.
"Nope!" Johnny waved his hands in front of him. "I know who you're talking about! And lemme tell you something; I know her and trust me, we do not want her involved."
"Is it Trish-" Jaska tried to ask.
"Nope! I said we're done talking about it, and that's it!" Johnny sighed. "Now, for now, nobody goes anywhere alone. Nobody goes off alone. I don't care if you all gotta take tag-team shits; nobody splits up even for a second - The bottom line is you're all targets. Guys stick with guys, girls stick with girls, and Sage...?"
Johnny's eyes landed on their nonbinary ally and rolled them. "I don't know, you can suck my dick."
Sage smiled.
"... You want it now or later, big boy?!"
Everyone laughed - except Johnny and Mika (who only cracked a grin). Johnny closed his eyes, sighing.
"I'm going to go see what else I can dig up on the low," Johnny began before looking at the group.
"Now, I know you're all adults, but puh-lease don't do anything retarded," Johnny sighed. "Or, at the very least, if you are going to do something retarded; at least fuck it up for everyone involved and not just us."
"Will do!" Sylvia said, throwing a thumbs up.
"... And I have to meet with someone," Mika said with a sigh before suddenly walking away. Johnny just shrugged before he gave them a wave goodbye and left.
They were all silent for a moment.
"... Who else thinks that was a load of bullshit?!" Sylvia shouted, laughing.
Gabe crossed her arms, sinking deeper into this stupid sofa.
"Yeah, I know!" Gabe began. "Sitting on our ass ain't gonna help us!"
"Look, guys," Jake said. "I agree with them; we just need to chill."
"But seriously, sitting around on our asses and doing nothing?" Sylvia smirked. "That’s not our style, Jakey. What happened to your sense of adventure? What happened to your balls?!"
"She's got a point," Gabe added, shrugged. "'Wait and see' ain't us."
Sage sighed, pushing their hair back. "Yeah, but we also need to be careful."
Lin stood up and said, "I understand being cautious, but we must stay proactive. We can’t just hope for the best here."
"Seeeeeeeeeeeeee?!" Sylvia stuck her hands out at Lin. "You get it!"
"What are you suggesting, Lin?" Jake raised an eyebrow.
"We need to gather more information," Lin said firmly. "We need to know what Blake is up to."
"How do we do that without pissing off the parents?" Gabe raised an eyebrow.
"Well..." Sage deviously grinned as all eyes were on them. "I have been talking to Daniel, Cassandra, and Angela since this started...."
Everyone looked at Sage, waiting for their next words.
"... They're going to be at Christiansands tonight."
Lin's eyes shot open in shock, unnoticed because all the focus was on Sage.
"So, we just wait out there and beat up his kids for information?!" Sylvia punched a hand into her opposite fist.
" Or we can just, you know," Jake shrugged. "Talk to them. See what they know."
"I..." Lin raised a hand, speaking before stopping herself.
"'I' what, Lin?" Gabe asked, tilting her head at her soon-to-be sister-in-law. "Got something to share."
Lin sighed.
"... No, I do not."
"They'll be there at eight, right when it opens. Let's try to get there before they get in, shake them down, and see what they know. I mean, they have to know something,"
"And shake some ass!" Sylvia shouted, hopping to her feet.
Jake sighed.
"... Let's not."
"Alright, alright, square," Sylvia rolled her eyes. "We will not be shaking ass, not this time."
"But, let's keep it low-key so Jake doesn't piss himself if we get into a fight," Gabe teased, grinning at her twin.
"We need to be smart about this... Just approach them calmly, gather information, and just go. We don't want to start a fight; we want answers."
Sage nodded in agreement. "I'll scope out the place beforehand and see if I can spot them arriving."
With their plan set (sort of), the group dispersed one by one... Gabe and Sylvia eventually began talking about random bullshit while Sage discreetly slipped out. Jake and Lin tried to keep them focused before giving up, and they filed out to meet at Christiansands.
Outside Christiansands.
"... Pssst, Eagle-One!"
Sylvia muttered... seemingly into nothing, but she had two AirPods in her ears. She was standing down the street from Christiansands, and there was already a line formed. All for this trashy-ass club that hasn't even opened yet! Sylvia was wearing a velvet-red colored satin dress and some thigh-high boots - her guitar strapped to her back. The "rich kids" formed a perimeter around Christiansands, with Sage on one corner, Jake on another, and Lin on the one furthest from Sylvia... Gabe was right by the club's entrance, chilling and telling everyone that "she's waiting for someone," and Jaska was opposite the club's roof.
"... Jaska is on the roof looking like Count Nosferatu!" Sylvia laughed.
"Sylvia, keep it down," Gabe's voice could be heard through the AirPods. "We're..."
"Just keep it down and keep an eye open," Jake shook his head.
"Honestly, talking on AirPods is less suspicious than just standing there..." Lin noted out loud.
"You know..." Gabe mused out loud. "This plan is seeming a little bit half-baked..."
"Oh, when did you get the ability to think about the consequences of your actions?!" Sage laughed.
"Fuck you, Sage," Gabe laughed back.
"I mean..." Lin noted. "What's honestly the worst that could happen here? As long as we're all smart about this, there is literally nothing that can go wrong."
"... Jinxed it." Sage giggled.
"Oh, hush, you," Somehow, Sage could hear the sound of Lin rolling her eyes.
"Wait, I see them!" Jaska pointed at a car pulling up on the corner by Gabe, and the three Schmidt children came out. Starting with the eldest, Angela, then Cassandra, then Daniel, they walked alongside each other towards the club until Gabe stepped in front of them with a warming smile on her face.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeey, there!" Gabe stepped in front of them, waving. "Funny seeing you all here."
All of the "rich kids".
"... Move, Gabe," Angela said, pushing past Gabe and making the girl scrunch her face up. However, the rest of the rich kids started converging on Gabe's location. Gabe grabbed Angela by the wrist and said,
"Heeeeeeeeeeey now," Gabe said to Angela. "How about we catch up? It's been a while, hasn't it, old friend?"
"We're on important business here, Gabe," Angela said, pushing Gabe.
That sent Gabe over the edge as her temper flared.
"Okay, push me again, motherfucker! And I'll-" Gabe tried to say before Jake ran up and grabbed his twin by the shoulders.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here," Jake said to them, holding his twin back from making their lives waaaaay harder. "Hey, Angela, Cassandra, Daniel! It's been too long-"
They walked away from him mid-sentence while Jake tried to tail but keep Gabe in check.
"Let's just drop it; they obvious don't want to talk..." Lin said to Jake in a low volume, shaking her head.
"Um, hey!" Jaska said over the AirPods that some still had in their ears. "... We maaaaaaay have a problem..."
Suddenly, Gabe and Jake stopped as they looked up to the rooftop Jaska was on. He pointed down the street. When everyone looked, it was a very familiar sight. Just not a very welcome one. It was a small group of people that would have been irrelevant if not for a few key figures... ghosts from the rich kid's past, you could say.
"... Well, well, well!"
George said as he walked up, wearing jeans, a white dry-fit shirt, and massive feet. He crossed his arms as he looked down at the group... He had a weird axe in his hand. the Schmidt kids quickly disappeared into the club.
"Didn't expect to see you dickheads here," George grinned. "Or ever again."
"Yeah, no one liked you motherfuckers!" Carol said as she walked up next to George, grinning as she leaned against him.
There were a few people they didn't recognize, but they recognized George, Carol, Amy, and Greta... and old wounds resurfaced.
"That's rich coming from Emily's pet," Gabe spat back. "Matter of fact, you're irrelevant just because you associate with her insecure ass..."
"Oh boy, it's you losers!" Sylvia laughed as she pulled out her guitar. She raised a hand and let off a dramatic riff before she said, "Shouldn't you be whining about your little Hourgl-"
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Jake cut Sylvia off as he stepped in front of her with both hands up. "It's been a while! Hasn't it?! Carol, you look like you haven't aged a day!"
"... Because I fucking haven't, you stupid motherfucker! Go suck your dad's dick!" Carol shouted.
"Don't talk to him like that, you fucking goblin!" Gabe screamed as she pushed back him. "Go find some pedophile and suck him off! At least you'd be useful for once in your damn life!" Her hands began glowing with a vibrant red light.
"We're in Dollhouse territory," Lin flatly noted to Gabe and Sylvia. "Relax."
"I don't give a shit!" Gabe shouted.
"And we didn't come out here for a fight!" Jacqueline and Miranda stepped forward, and Miranda held a black plastic bag. "We don't even know who you people are!"
"... And be happy for that," Greta noted as she walked up to their side and pushed her glasses up her nose; she stood with her hands behind her back. "These people are nobodies. Let's just go around them and stop wasting our time..." She rolled her eyes.
Jacqueline and Miranda gestured for the 8th Street members to come along, and they followed behind them as they walked past the group. It was tense as Jake held Gabe back, Sylvia gently played her guitar, Jaska was still in the room, and Lin and Sage were tense. However, Jake and Lin knew that this was far from over.
"... That could have gone worse," Jake rolled his eyes.
"We need to keep an eye on them. They’re here for a reason." Sage added, nodding their head.
"Agreed," Lin added, glancing towards the club entrance where the Schmidt children had disappeared. "We can't let our guard down."
"Hey, Jaska," Jake said into his AirPods. "Do you see anything else from up there?"
"Not yet, but I'm keeping watch," Jaska responded. "I’ll let you know."
"Okay, let's get the hell out of here," Jake said. "This is a bus-"
"... Who told you you were tough, Gabe!" George's voice, dripping with sarcasm, could be heard meters away from them with his arms crossed. "You were always good at pretending!"
"Let's do this motherfuckers!" Carol said, rolling up her sleeve. "Us two against you bitch-ass motherfuckers! You think you can make fun of what happened to me, you fucking rich motherfuckers!? I'll tear your tits off and make you eat 'im!"
"George, Carol, let's go!" Jacqueline shouted from the entrance.
"You know what?" Gabe bore teeth as her hands began glowing brighter.
"Gabe!"
"Gabe!"
"Gabe!"
"Gabe!"
"Gabe!"
Lin and Jake repeated repeatedly, but Gabe was past the point of listening...
She threw her hands up, and let loose an eye-searingly bright laser-beam directly at George's chest, it hit instantly and burned him severely but he threw his hands up to block.
"Ayyyyyyyyyye! Let's party, bitches!" Sylvia shouted as she raised her guitar over her head and threw it at Carol. However, with how bright the laser beam was, she missed it completely and broke a nearby window. Her guitar floated back into her hands.
"... Son of a bitch!" Miranda hissed, shaking her head. She then pointed down the street as she commanded the rest of 8th Street. "Go help them!"
Amy immediately dropped her gym bag on the ground with a thud... she squatted down, unzipped it, and pulled out her kanabō. She threw it over her shoulder, grabbed it with both hands, and almost sprinted, but Greta stuck her hand out in front of her; she dug into her satchel and pulled out a glowing red potion
"Carol! Get down!" Greta shouted as chucked it surprisingly far.
"Oh shit!" Gabe shouted.
The rich kids had no clue what it was, as Sylvia played a riff on her guitar, suspended in mid-air - before it was launched back at them. Jacqueline and Miranda screamed as they dove for cover. Greta got down too, but from Violet... electricity arced off her body before a copy of her, made out of pink electricity, came out of her, flew into the air, and caught it.
"We gotta get out-" Jake tried to say before George closed the distance and grabbed Jake by the collar of his shirt.
"There ain't no escaping now!" George screamed as he chucked Jake down the street. "Ya'll can have him!"
"Hahahahah! Look at him go!" Carol laughed.
Jake screamed as he flew through the air.
"Jaaaaaaaaake!" Gabe shouted before she aimed one hand at George and the other at Violet's electric copy - she fired two beams off, one that hit George directly in the face and seared his eyeballs and the other hit the potion and caused it to explode in midair. Violet's apparition was instantly destroyed, and she dropped unconscious, and George thrashed around, hoping for his eyes.
"Violet!" Pink screamed as she knelt and grabbed her friend.
"Hold still, you giant motherfucker!" Carol shouted as she ran towards George with both hands out, but she saw Sylvia running towards her, guitar primed to hit her. Carol ducked and shot herself up with an upper cut aimed right between Sylvia's legs, and she yelped as she dropped her guitar and grabbed her ladybits. Carol came in with a right hook and broke Sylvia's nose as she was sent stumbling backward. However, she was hit with a laser beam that singed her clothes, and she screamed as she looked at Gabe.
A focused laser beam went directly through her skull, and Carol dropped dead seconds later.
"We gotta get Jake, where is Jaska!?" Gabe shouted as she ran over to a parked car, opened the gas tank, and used her abstraction to pull the gasoline out, and it floated into the air
"I don't know!"
Suddenly, a pink mist overcame them, and they began seeing their greatest desire...
Jake was pushing himself to his feet, only to have a boot pound him straight back into the sidewalk. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Amy Nakamura with her iron club over her shoulder.
"Ya'll pick a really bad day to pick a fight with us," Amy said, "Don't worry, I'm only going to break your knees, Valos."
However, Jaska came soaring through the air and tackled her to the ground, and Jake hopped up to his feet as he wrestled with her. He looked down at the pink mist and saw Pink and Miranda run into it... but Amy threw Jaska right into him, and the two landed on a car with a bone-breaking thud.
Gabe was hallucinating... distracted by it all. She didn't even notice Pink running up and clocking her across the face. She stumbled backward, but Pink grabbed her by the collar and came in with a punch to her gut before punching her directly in the face again. Gabe's face was oozing blood, but Pink grabbed her collar with both hands and slammed her head into the passenger side window of a parked car. It cracked, Gabe was knocked unconscious, and the pink mist faded. George's eyes were completely healed (while Miranda had received all the burns), and Sage was already unconscious, face battered and beaten...
"Uh, what?" Sylvia said before George snatched the guitar out of her hands and grinned.
"... Yoink!" George said as he tried to snap the guitar in half, but it just wouldn't break.
"That won't break, you dum-" Sylvia said before she was interrupted by Greta hitting her in the back of the head with a lead pipe.
"Oh my God!" Lin said before she left to turn and run... and George was directly in her path.
"... Where you going, sweetheart?" George said with a very devious grin as he took steps towards Lin. "The fun's already-"
A gunshot rang out.
He was hit directly in the back, but the bullet bounced off. He looked over his shoulder and saw Mika Liu with a smoking Snubnose Taurus 856 Revolver aimed directly at him. He laughed.
"You might as well be throwing cotton balls at me, fatass!" He laughed before marching towards Mika, and she let off a few more rounds that did as much damage as the last one. He cocked his hand back to deliver a backhand that would have killed anyone else.
"Mika!" Lin shouted.
The hand collided with Mika's face in what would have normally killed her... normally. The hand stopped immediately against her face as if it were nothing more than a pat. On the other hand, all the impact that should have went to Mika went directly to George's face, and he found himself stumbling backward as she rolled her eyes and said,
"... Idiot." Mika ran over to Lin, and grabbed her hand, then commanded, "We're leaving!"
"But, J-"
A poker card harmlessly fell from the sky directly behind Jacqueline... and in a cloud of smoke, Johnny appeared, wrapped his arm around her neck, and aimed a Taurus 444 Raging Bull Magnum against her head.
"ALRIGHT MOTHERFUCKERS!"
Johnny screamed as he pressed the revolver against her head.
"I don't know what the fuck is going on here!" Johnny kept shouting, "But you motherfuckers are gonna step the fuck back, or the bitch gets it!"
"... What's going on here?"
A voice could be heard from the rooftop... but Johnny immediately froze upon hearing it, expressing pure shock and horror. Before he looked up...
It was Shaquita Walker.
She dropped from the rooftops and landed on the sidewalk as if she had only fallen a foot. She looked to the left and right and said, "You're all causing a ruckus, so Luis told me to tell you to cut it out. You're scaring away the business..."
Johnny stared at Shaquita, jaw dropped, muttering gibberish as he couldn't find the words. Eventually, her gaze met him, and she half-grinned.
"Oh, Johnny," she began. You never told us you were back in town. Why don't you come upstairs? I bet Luis would love to see you again. We can all catch up."
Johnny winced.
".... Noooooooo, thank you!" Johnny said.
"Then let go of Jacqueline here, grab your people, and then get out of here," Shaquita barked at him, her smile vanishing and becoming a scowl. "We have business with them. Not with you."
As commanded, Johnny let go of Jacqueline and took a step back. He grabbed every member of the Rich Clique - conscious and unconscious - and shoved them into his Hummer. 8th Street entered Christiansands, and Shaquita stood out there, staring at him....
Mentions: Edict @AtomicEmperor November 4th, 10:04am. Linqian’s House
It was just past ten in the morning when Linqian dragged herself home. After leaving Greyson’s she had to stop by Andre’s house, suffering some judgmental looks and words, to get the spare set of house keys left with him. She was more willing to go through that than to wake her brother up early in the morning, or risk him sleeping through it and being stuck outside for hours.
She was wearing more clothes borrowed from Greyson - including a hoodie many sizes too big, making it easier to cover up. Not that she was embarrassed about what had happened after the coven meeting, but she looked a mess in general. The hood was pulled up to cover hair pulled back into a tight bun, the only thing stopping it from being a frizzy mess. There were dark bags under her eyes and her skin was a slightly lighter, more ashen brown than normal.
Nothing she couldn’t cover up with makeup. At least the bruising across her face, after taking Vashti’s skull to it multiple times, was minimal… Durability enhancement was no joke, even if it was nowhere near what Aryin was capable of by herself.
She quietly opened the front door, slipping inside and making her way into the hall. With a yawn, she turned straight into the kitchen on her left.
”Morning, Jie.”
Shit! Linqian jumped, spinning around to see Henri sitting at the small table pushed into the corner, phone in his hand and smile far too bright for the time of day it was. Well, it was more of a smirk, as he continued.
”Where’d you get that hoodie, Jie? I’ve never seen it. Ohhh,” he grinned, waggling his eyebrows. ”Did you borrow it from whoever you stayed with last night?”
”What're you doing up so early?” Linqian completely ignored the question.
”It’s not that early,” Henri laughed. ”We said we'd talk, and I couldn't get back to sleep once I woke up thinking about it...”
Linqian felt a stab of guilt. After the chaos of yesterday, from nearly dying to seeing everything she wanted just out of reach, followed by the night with Britney and Greyson, she had forgotten. The worry she'd had over what he had to say had been replaced by the normal, constant fear that she wasn't going to be able to provide for him like Jinhai would have... That she might just be putting him in danger. She'd been so stuck in her own problems, about what couldn't be anymore, she hadn't thought about the one person she still had. Fuck, she was a terrible sister.
”Let me grab some breakfast, then we can talk. You eaten?”
”I had some cereal, but I won't say no if you're cook-”
”I'm just heating up some congee,” Linqian interrupted, holding up the small tupperware she'd gotten from the fridge. Things looked a bit bare in there, with only a couple of single portion meals she'd made earlier in the week left. At least there were plenty of vegetables she could use to make something that'd tide them over until her next day off.
It didn't take her long to get her breakfast ready, making herself some instant coffee at the same time. It was gross, but she wasn't going to waste money on the fancy stuff Jinhai used to buy when she didn't really care and Henri hardly drank the stuff. As she very efficiently ate, Henri was strangely silent. Concerningly so. It only increased the bundle of (nerves) in the pit of her stomach. What did he want to talk about? Was it that bad?
She finished, putting down her spoon and looking at Henri across the table. He caught her gaze and his dark eyes widened, smile slightly panicked. ”Go on, what is it.”
”I- well, you see, Jie...” Henri looked away, wringing his hands together in his lap. ”No, you won't believe me. But I think- I think I might be going crazy. I don't know who else to talk to...”
”Yi-er, what is it?” Linqian narrowed her eyes, chest clenching at the sudden panic displayed across her brother's expression. Had something bad happened? Had someone hurt him? Was someone messing with his mind- fuck, who was she going to have to kill.
”You'll think I'm a freak. I just- I kept it from you because I know you will! But I can't keep it in any longer. I... I...”
”Spit it out.”
”I think I have magic! I started seeing things that werent there before- people who claimed to be mom and dad, and other weird creatures! And I... I keep draining lights near me. I swear, it's real, I'm not a freak. I'm not, I don't know what's going on, Jie. I'm scared... is something wrong with me? Am I going mad, please believe me, Jiejie, I'm not making this up, I really-”
”Hey, hey, Didi, it's alright, listen to me,” Linqian said hurriedly. She quickly covered the distance between them, arms wrapping around Henri. One rubbed his back, the other rubbing the back of his head and gently pressed it into her shoulder. It was how she used to hug him when he was younger - except then she had to crouch down while he stood, and now he was the one sitting. When... Just when had he grown so much? ”Everythings going to be fine. It's okay. It's okay.”
”It's not ok! I'm seeing things and doing things I shouldn't be able to do. There's something wrong with me and-”
”There's not,” Linqian cut him off again. She pulled back and crouched down to be at eye level with him, taking his face in her hands. ”Listen, there's nothing wrong with you. I have it too.”
”You do?”
”Yes, those things you see? They're called apparitions - like ghosts. And you have magic. That's why you can see them all. It runs in the family. Mom and dad had, Jinhai and me too. I hoped that you... wouldn't.”
”Why? Why didn't you tell me?!”
”To protect you,” Linqian sighed. She'd really, truly, hoped that he would never kindle. ”The magical world is dangerous. I wanted to keep you away from it. We assumed that if you kindled- that's what happened when you saw mom and dad- we'd be there, or able to talk to you about it. I didn’t expect… it to be like this.”
In a way Linqian felt relieved. She hadn't wanted her brother to get involved in the magical scene at all - if she had her way he'd still be at university on the other side of the country, safe from it all. But he was here, where (there was a magical murderer close) and people who could magically mess with your mind closer. At least now that he'd kindled he had some kind of protection.
So long as he wasn't reckless about it.
”If you and Ge have magic… if it is magic, when did you get it? Were- were your friends magic too? The ones from ten years ago? Is that why you were always vague about what you were doing?”
Why did he have to be so fucking smart? Linqian went back to her seat, now that he seemed to have calmed down a bit. He’d been quick about it but… This was Henri they were talking about. He always bounced back from things like it was nothing.
”Yes. We were in a coven back then fighting something I’d rather not tell you about. It’s why we didn’t want you involved, because it’s dangerous. Some of my former covenmates are good people, some… not so much. I’d rather you not be around most of them.”
”Okay… what can you do, Jie? Show me!”
Linqian’s lips pulled up into a slight smile. She raised a hand and focused on heating just it up, until it glowed orange and heat could be felt radiating off it. ”Changing my own temperature, mainly. Jinhai could do a lot more. His main spell was turning himself into ice - but he could do the same for crystals, could control those elements, heal himself… he worked on it a lot more too.”
”Whoa, cool! So if I work on it I could do more?”
”If you work on it,” Linqian snorted. ”Show me what you can do now, then.”
Henri grinned. He flicked the switch to turn on the kitchen light before holding up a hand. The light was sucked out of the bulb, entering his body before coming out in his palm as a small ball. “Pretty neat, right?”
”Right. You definitely need to practice, because that’s useless.”
“Aw, Jie, can’t you be nice for once. Wait, that means you’re okay with me using magic?”
”Can I stop you?” Linqian rolled her eyes. ”You can, but there’s going to be some ground rules. One, don’t join any covens. In fact, don’t join any groups. At all. Don’t seek out people from my coven either, please. I might see if some can help you… but otherwise, they’re off limits. You can talk to Louis or Andre if you want - they’ve both got magic too.”
“They do? Was I the only one who didn’t know about magic?! That’s not fair!” Henri jokingly wailed, shit-eating grin on his face before he continued a bit more seriously. ”Will you help me, Jie? We have two types, right, so you’ll be the best to help?”
”I wish I could, but I don’t really have the time.” Linqian shook her head. She wished she did. She wouldn't be the best teacher anyway, after neglecting her own magic for years. ”I have a friend who’s Red and Green Lux too, they might be willing to help. Maybe I can help a little when I have time… Ah, actually, maybe I can help today since I don’t have work tonight.”
”Really? Jie, you’re the best! I’m so excited.” Henri jumped up, punching the air.
Linqian rolled her eyes, but there was a gentle smile on her lips and warmth in her eyes. Seeing him excited like this reminded her of what she was doing this all for. It was worth it, to keep him safe and happy. She could keep going for him.
”Would I lie to you?”
”You lied about having magic!”
”Not talking about something isn’t the same as lying. We’ll-”
Linqian was interrupted by her phone ringing. She looked down at it with a frown. Andre… what the fuck did he want? She’d been round at his not long ago.
”Sorry, Yi-er, it’s Andre.” Linqian sighed, picking up her phone and walking into the living room next door.
Henri watched her go, leaning in slightly to hear (not that Linqian made much of an effort to be quiet).
”What?”
Pause.
”Are you fucking with me? -I’ll use whatever language I fucking want with you. Last night you said I could take the day off.”
Another pause.
”I don’t give a fuck if it’s just Sophie, Brett and Darren. Why hire people you can’t trust? Fuck it being a Saturday night. I’ve barely slept.”
A longer pause. Henri heard Linqian kick the sofa.
”Extra pay, and you give me and Yi-er dinner for a couple of nights.”
The sounds of Linqian pacing ceased.
”Alright, I’ll work it. Yeah… yeah. What else did you want to talk about?”
As Linqian continued talking about less important things, Henri pulled out his phone and sent a quick text off to Edict.
Not long after Linqian came back into the kitchen, expression a lot worse than she’d left. A hand raised to her mouth to cover a yawn. ”Sorry, Yi-er, I have to go to work after all. I’ll try and help you later.”
”It’s alright, Jie!” Henri jumped up, hands going to Linqian’s shoulders and pushing her towards the hall and the stairs leading up to all the bedrooms. ”I’ll be fine training on my own… go get some rest!”
Linqian narrowed her eyes suspiciously, concerned about what he was up to… did he have some sort of plans he needed her out of the way for? But, she really was tired. If she went to sleep now she could get a few hours before she had to get up and ready. Properly washing her hair would take almost an hour with the state it was in… but she had the time for a quick nap. ”Alright, I’m going to sleep. But if you do anything while-”
”I won’t!” Henri interrupted, throwing a thumb towards his own bedroom as they went up the stairs. ”I’ll just be here gaming!”
Linqian didn’t have the energy to figure out if that was true or not. She gave a slight wave, went into her room, and immediately collapsed into bed.
It was the morning after… Britney woke up in Edict’s bed. Naked. Her head was banging, she felt sick, and then remembered she went pretty hard last night on the wine, tequila, and whatever else she could get her hands on. You know what they say? Tequila turns you into a demon. She coughed up some stomach acid and quietly snuck her way out the bed towards the fridge. Greyson was already asleep, Linqian dipped… And yet there was satisfaction with what she’s done. Britney was going to talk to Greyson about it later… She knew Greyson wouldn’t get mad if she helped herself to a bottle of water - or three. Britney then received a text…
” Hey. You free today? I need to talk to you about…all this…preferably once my head stops hurting…”
Yeah, sure. Name a time and place.
How about one? At the memorial? I’ll bring coffee. Maybe. If I can grip it.
Perfect. I’ll be there.
Lila arrived at the memorial fifteen minutes early. She was incredibly hungover, anxious, and very much regretting leaving home at all. Yet she felt something here today that was hard to describe. The air itself felt like it hung heavy around it in a way that Lila has never felt. There were so many names on this mural, and Lila still remembered many of their faces. She was so different back then, and she knew that many hated the person she was. Weak. Spineless. The perfect lamb for the wolf to lead astray. Yet they never got to see the person, the strong woman, she became. She pulled her clawed hands down the list as she searched for three code names. She tapped on them in order as she spotted them.
Seven-spot Ladybug.
Green peafowl.
Blood red glider.
These were Jaspers best friends, and they hated Lila more than most despite Jasper’s best attempts to make peace. They told Jasper that Lila was nothing more than a flakey, no good, spineless coward who needed a protector. And they were right. Now, Lila was strong. If she wanted to she could gouge out their names with nothing more than a flick of her wrist. She hovered her clawed hands over their name, her hands shaking as the thought danced across her mind. They deserved to be forgotten, relegated to just the memory of the only person who actually liked them. But she could not. Their deaths were honorable. They died saving others, sacrificing themselves so many others could live. Lila knew that they were forgotten among the modern coven and that did a disservice to them, and what they did. They didn’t deserve that, and neither did Jasper.
Lila sighed as she walked back to the table and grabbed her coffee and took a big drink from it.
Footsteps could be heard approaching. Then came to a dead stop.
””... Lila, what in the world?” Britney said as she walked over. She was wearing a black checkered shirt, black jeans, and black boots. She gently caressed Lila’s wings, before saying, ”You can’t undo this, can you?”
Lila began to try and speak but the words were stolen from her. She looked at Britney, the mural, the ground, back to Britney, back to the ground and finally back to Britney. She shook her head as she pulled her wings in close behind her back in a vain attempt to hide them. She looked at the ground as she threw her arms out. “No,” Lila paused as she felt a small tear well. “the Maiden told me I could learn how to hide it but she’d been, been missing since Kari’s.”
Britney took a step back before saying,
”... The Maiden should be sealed. Did you tamper with the seal at all?”
“That what I thought,” Lila said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the ornate elephant that they had thought the maiden was sealed into, “but she’s been with me even if she’s sealed in here still,” Lila paused as she put it down on the teller, “this feels empty, Britney, I don’t think the maiden was sealed in this.” Lila grabbed her arm with her free hand as she took a step back. “I’m so confused Britney.”
”I mean Apparitions don’t have weight, so- oh you mean metaphorically,” Britney grabbed the elephant and then threw it on the floor. It shattered and there was an awkward silence.
”... Yeah, she’s not in there.”
“If she’s not in there,” Lila frowned as tears welled and flowed. Lila threw her arms wide before they fell back to her feet, “then where was she sealed?”
Britney looked at the ground…
”She has to be inside you.” Britney said as she raised her head.
Lila scoffed at the thought. How would the maiden be inside of her? She then thought back to the sealing and the copious amount of alcohol they all drank, and the thought of a failed sealing only grew in her mind. “Normally I like it when a women is in me but not like this,” Lila tried to joke through the sadness, “How did she get inside me?”
”... Maybe you were naked and tripped and she sli- Okay, okay, I’ll be serious,” Britney shook her head as she had a seat next to Lila, she grabbed the cup of coffee, and just shrugged as she took a sip. ”I wonder how you got this like that… I mean, the Blind probably interpret you as a normal gal but wouldn’t it be nine different kinds of fucked up if you were a One-Eye-Open and just saw a half-bird, half-woman walk in!?” She laughed before she took another sip, and stared at the cup.
”... I must have made a mistake when sealing her. I mean, I did flip the fuck out when your eyes rolled back and thought she had Abscised for a second there - that’s not an excuse but still...” She shrugged.
“Yeah, I’lol just go around and giving people their kindling at the sight of me,” Lila chuckled as she shifted her footing and adjusted her weight. Why was she laughing, trying to make this conversation easy? Britney fucked her over. Britney took away the simple life she had, maiden and all, and made her into this monster. Put these murderous thoughts in her mind. Britney did this. And she wasn’t even sorry. Britney deserved to… Lila pushed these thoughts down. While she felt those feelings herself, she knew those were not her own once again. The maiden was once again trying to play with her emotions. Lila would not allow it. “I.. want to be mad at you. I want to feel angry,” Lila looked down at her hands, “I suppose… to some extent I am. But I don’t think you intended for this to happen, you were trying to help me and we were drunk. I guess what I’m trying to say is I don’t hate you for trying to help me, I’m a bit upset and I’ll be upset for a while at the end result, but I do not want to hate you for it. Is there anything that can be done to get her out of me?” Lila asked as she looked around at anyone nearby. She watched to see if anyone reacted to her form.
Britney sighed, blinking slowly, before opening her eyes, ”No, I should have been the responsible one there, Lila.” She began. ”First, we gotta figure out the nature of this. Is she still Adjoined to your soul or is she just sealed inside of you? Because if it's the latter, we just gotta break the seal without killing or permanently disfiguring you…”
“I don’t know which way it is, how can we figure that out,” Lila asked.
”We can contact Stormy, and see if he can ward away the Maiden like usual,” Britney shrugged.
“He used it at the festival,” Lila said as she sat down, “I was there, right in the middle of the aura. It was like the maiden just…retreated inside of me. She did not go away.”
”Like she was outside of you?” Britney asked.
Lila shook her head. “She used Emily’s words and actions to come out of me, and as she did I felt myself being pulled deeper and deeper into myself away from the light. When Stormy popped his aura, it was like the opposite. I felt the maiden retreat from the light allowing me full control. She did not leave me, she retreated somewhere deep within,” Lila paused as she began to realize what she was saying. “With that thought in mind I think you sealed her inside of me.”
”Well, if she can leave your body at all, then she’s not sealed,” Britney shook her head. ”But, that’s not important, it is simple; we just need to draw her out again, and then we can seal her, and then we can have Jack chuck her into the Void, and that's that.”
She started awkwardly laughing, ”Maybe we can go on an adventure throughout the All-Verse to find the Booby Maiden.”
“Not leave my body, but like take over it. She wasn’t trying to leave my body, she was trying to control me to bring her sick twisted plans into our realm,”. Lila paused as she thought over Britney’s plan. “I would look good as a Booby Maiden. I love them very much.”
”I mean the booby-bird, you horndog,” Britney laughed, before it turned awkward. ”Look, I’ll do some research and talk to some people and we’ll see if I can devise a way to fix this before it gets out of hand.”
“If that pink mist was a taste of what is to come The Maiden wants things to get out of hand,” Lila said as she flapped her wings on accident.
”… And who gives a damn what she wants?” Britney laughed. ”Certainly not me.”
“Nor I,” Lynn smiled genuinely. The Maiden did give her many useful gifts. She could see so much more, all at once, thanks to the new connection with her crows. As well, she could command them much more efficiently than before. And they reminded her what she commanded them to do this past Friday. “Hey, I feel like while we’re on this conversation I need to have a full disclosure moment with you,” Lila chuckled nervously, “so do you remember back at the festival when I commanded my murder to shit all over Emily? Well,” Lila collapsed one wing while the other stuttered to a close, “I spread a part of my murder out across the entire area, city and countryside, and they’re on the lookout for Emily. If they spot her, another part of the murder…tens of thousands of crows will fly to her and shit all over her again. On repeat…..” Lila paused as she sighed, “and I commanded a third group to shit all over her house, the bushes and trees around it, and every car parked outside. This may make her want revenge. Again.”
”I mean… I doubt she stopped,” Britney shrugged. ”Hopefully, next meeting, we can sit down and talk about how we’re going to deal with her and 8th St.”
“Agreed. I don’t think we can coexist with them anymore,” Lila smirked, “for what it’s worth I won’t let Emily hurt you. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve now. If she comes after us again I’ll help keep you safe”
”You don’t have to worry about me,” Britney said, ”I’m keeping you safe from harm. I promise.”
Britney got up and walked over to the memorial, gently touching her fingertips against the various names carved into the tree.
””... You know, I’ve been trying my best to keep this place looking nice and presentable,“ Britney said as she looked over her shoulder at Lila. ”I mean, I feel like it’s the best I can do for them, y’know? They gave us their all, and look what we have to show for it?”
“It hasn’t gone unnoticed,” Lynn said as she looked over to Britney, checking out the memorial as she did. “It’s weird looking at the names on there, you know? Friends, comrades,” and bullies Lila thought as she looked at Britney. “The hard part is seeing the added names. Lynn is trying to get us a lead on what’s next but it feels…like we’re always one step behind, you know? ”
”I know we’re all trying our best here to get to the bottom of it, but… whoever’s doing this…” Britney’s fingers continued to grace the memorial before they came to a stop. ”... They’re good. Real good.”
She sighed. ”Don’t tell Lynn this, but all things considered, it’s definitely Kari.”
“She’s already seen a future where she is indeed the one taking us out,” Lila sighed before taking a deep breath, “she saw several futures. But I know, deep down, she truly does not want to consider that one. If it is, what reason would she have?”
”It’s beyond me, but a lot of people don’t get that it’s been ten years,” Britney said with a sigh. ”I know some people haven’t changed one bit, but a lot can happen in ten years that can change you for the worse...”
“It’s hard to remember that. It seems everyone left and as soon as we’re all back together again the same cliques formed like no time has passed,” Lila paused as she walked over to the mural. There were so many names here that she could barely remember, the cruel ever marching nature of time pulling their memories away from her. “That’s an understatement. If it is Kari I can only imagine what might’ve driven her to this madness,” Lila paused as she held up all her fingers. “Lynn told me the possible futures. There were a few that involved Kari being actually dead, or in hiding, more where Kari is farther wolf for one reason or another, and a final few where she’s trying to stop this from the sidelines for some reason. I am not in the headspace to try and decipher what may be true,” Lila paused as she lowered all her clawed hands.
”Me neither, and we’re going to drive ourselves crazy trying to figure it all out with nothing to really go off of!” Britney laughed, as she turned to Lila. ”But, my logic is that she has the perfect abstraction to catch us when we’re helpless, cover all the traces, and get away… but....” She trailed off.
”... Actually, let’s just honor our fallen, shall we?”
“Yes. I don’t know how but I’ll follow your lead,” Lila said with a smile.
Britney woke up in her bed; Greyson was beside her like normal after their ‘fun’ a few nights ago, she felt he should be promoted to the bed at the very least. It was cruel to make him sleep in the bed like some bum, after all. Yesterday, she met with Lila, then she met with Stormy, Adora, Amara, and Jack, and then after that, she met with Lynette (in which Amara displayed all the reasons why she gave Britney very bad vibes). It was exhausting navigating their problems, complexities, and the fact that she had to walk on eggshells - which was her fault; she wouldn’t dance around that. Yet, all that was on Britney’s mind was what Kenshiro said at Kari’s house…
"... The Paths are secure: Master Kai's Wardenry was perfected in The Viscous, and he had thousands of equivalent years to perfect their security... Noone outside the Palette Clans have knowledge of their workings. By my estimation, looking at her Coin Collection, there were no broken knots or undone ties, meaning they've remained bundled and nobody found them in the freezer. If she had any sort of hand in this, she was either brainwashed, or forced! But if 8th Street was breathing down her neck, then Emily G. Reed is the first fucking person I'm interested in seeing. Because I already...-"
While Britney admitted that what came afterward was something she didn’t like one bit - and it was something that she could have handled much, much (... You trying to lowkey - but not lowkey - put the blame on whatever you think happened to Kari, on me, Kenshiro? Because you do realize that, considering her abstraction and the pattern in the murders, she is more than likely to be Father Wolf, right? Right?), better. She got defensive when she should have just let Kenshiro and Clancy run their mouths and not give them the time of day. Yet, there was one crucial factor here - one that probably went flying over the heads of everyone present except for Britney. One important thing in Kenshiro’s rant that kept looping through Britney’s head:
"If she had any sort of hand in this, she was either brainwashed or forced."
It was clear Kenshiro didn't trust her, and while she didn't particularly care for his opinion, the implication was clear: if Kari was involved, it wasn't her own volition. But who had that kind of power? And why? She replayed the conversation again in, dissecting every word. Before Britney just sighed and gently grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand, she sent Auri a quick good morning text before asking for Kenshiro's number. A few moments later, she received his number, and her finger hovered over the call button for a few moments. Before she gently slid out of bed and walked down the hallway... then hit call.
”Kenshiro? Heeeey! It's Britney,” Britney tried to say in a chipper tone. ”Can we talk?”
Kenshiro hadn’t been terribly thrilled about a call from Britney Williams, but he wasn’t about to let that get in the way of Coven business. The same situation affected the both of them, so there was little time to bicker back and forth when work had to be done. Like most meetings, neutral ground with Blind witnesses proved to be the most intelligent venue, so Ken wound up wearing some more “typical” Shimmer clothing. Sweatpants and a sweater, which easily hid his jingling and rustling tactical vest full of spell materials in case the worst happened.
Still the wooden sandals, however… And as he clacked his way down one of the Coastal Harbor Mall’s thoroughfare, he kept an eye out for the face he recognized. Though, he got two faces. Ken mostly remembered Greyson Devola as a blank face; many told him and advised him to stay away, as he was involved in some sort of criminal element here in America. But Ken was used to Tennogama, well known as the Emperor of Dirt in their histories for his early life spent as an underworld clan boss.
Pleasantries were exchanged, but it only took them getting to a slightly more private spot before it was down to business. And it was already frustrating, given the topic.
”Look, I know I got defensive back there, and you're right to feel the way you do,” Britney began. ”But, I wanted to discuss the nature of the security you placed on Kari's vault... I just can't get what you said about Kari being brainwashed or something out of my head.”
While Greyson munched away on a soft pretzel, Ken’s sour face turned away and he cleared his throat in nervousness. "W-well… If you must know, I have it on good authority that the chances of Kari being alive are high. So, it’ll just be a matter of finding her. Which means, yes… Mind control. What of our School’s masterwork concerns you in its security features?”
Greyson laughed in his seat, dipping the pretzel into some cheese. ”Holy fuck, you could knock the wind out of an air balloon with syntax like that.”
”Cut it out, Greyson,” Britney laughed, giving him a playful slap on his thigh. Before she put her hands together on the table and looked Kenshiro head on, ”I’m not going to give a thousand theories on what happened to Kari because we’ll be here all day - what I do want to know is exactly how it works. I know you’re confident in it, but, you know...”
Britney shrugged, eyes drifting to the side. ”... Infinite possibilities, and all.”
"I have been considering that…” Ken definitely didn’t look like he wanted to be having this conversation, but ultimately it was Coven business. It had to be discussed. But, he wasn’t going to let Britney Williams have information for free. Not after what he’d learned from Kari. "But, frankly, you’re the last person who I want to go over my business with… We weren’t particularly close during our time together all those years ago; and back then, I didn’t have any inclination as to what you were doing. Didn’t hear anything until after I came back a few years ago.”
Pausing, his hand slipped down into his sweater pocket and lightly brushed against the Emperor’s Tanto, only to grab his water bottle for a drink instead. It made a gentle squealing noise as he chugged away, water replaced in the bottle by air. Greyson’s eyes narrowed, and he cleared his throat. ”Frog in your throat, Ken?”
Ken shook his head in reply. "No, just good sense.” He took another small tug of water, head turning back to Britney. "You hurt a lot of people, Britney. And I don’t think I’ve heard a single person suggest that you could have something to do with what’s been happening.”
Greyson slowly released the last bit of pretzel he had, sliding the paper wrapping and the little cup of cheese wiz on the table they were sitting at. ”Now, I didn’t hear you accuse anyone just now, right?” he asked in a suddenly serious tone.
”Now, hold on,” Britney put her hands up as she leaned back in her chair. ”What do you mean by that, Kenshiro?” Britney raised an eyebrow.
"I merely suggest-” Ken began, his face unflinching under the scrutiny of the duo. "-that you have a great many enemies. People who, a decade ago, may’ve been friends that you took advantage of. Lots of pain spread out unevenly across the board… Someone looking for revenge, because not enough was done to help them.”
Throwing his hands up into a lazy shrug, Ken flicked his fingers and tilted back in his chair. It hovered motionlessly as he sat in it, then started to rock gently. "I’m not saying you’re taking your plants and going around playing Father Wolf… But if we get through this and find out our killer is one of your victims, I won’t be shocked. Does that make any sort of sense?” he cooly asked.
”Oh, yo, fuck this guy, Brit. Come on, don’t fucking humor that shit.” Greyson snarled, throwing up his hand dismissively.
”Yeah, you know what? Forget I asked,” Britney rolled her eyes. ”Let’s circle back to why I even hit you up in the first place: I just want to know the details of the lock. There could have been something you missed, that’s all.”
Kenshiro smiled, giggled, and tilted his head back. "It’s a dark fucking forest… You know? Like, the realm it all exists in is just a great, long set of tunnels between the walls of realities. Something savvy enough, smart enough, or strong enough to claw through reality from a different point could potentially travel outside the beaten path and find the caches. Mine was fairly rudimentary, otherwise unprotected. I hadn’t considered it at the time, because I saw no sign of damage to the structure.”
He had untitled his chair, slapping back down and looking at the both of them. "But I travel through the Hidden Pathways constantly; never once have I found any sort of disturbance from outside or inside. It’s just a bamboo forest. Thick, like, to the point where it’s solid. Some people think it's a bamboo dimension, but I don’t know myself.”
”So, Kenshiro,” Britney began. ”Do you think it’s possible someone ‘smart enough’ could have popped the lock without you noticing or leaving a mark?”
Kenshiro's lips curled inward as his face grew disappointed. "No, I figured I would just waste your time talking…” he responded, one hand making a questioning gesture.
”Sarcasm too? Dude, be happy I'm not-” Greyson glanced at Britney, then took a deep breath and stopped while he still had air around his head. ”W-whatever… Are you serious or not?”
Ken grinned. ”Yes, Greyson… I'm very serious. I saw no damage or disturbances, and my initial summation was that it was untouched. But I'm not a smart man. I've placed a great deal of faith throughout my life in methods created by someone who… I have questionable faith toward now.”
”So, in other words, there is a possibility that someone else could have broken in,” Britney said with a nod of her head. ”It isn’t much to go off of, but it’s now fifty-fifty on whether or not it could be Kari that popped it. Though, we’re going to drive ourselves crazy with the whole ‘is Kari Father Wolf or not’ conversation.”
She sighed. ”And if you don’t mind me asking, who created the seals? And don’t worry, I ain’t got nothing but time today!” She laughed, looking at Edict. ”... Well, not sure about him, though.” ”You know damn well I’m on your time, Girl.” Greyson grinned, gently tapping her arm with the back of his hand before scooping up the last bit of pretzel.
Kenshiro shook his head and smiled. ”Who created the concepts, or who put them there in the first place? The former is an ancient Sage called Kai of the Ten Paths. He was lost in a realm called Viscous for many thousands of years, and it’s said that he perfected mastery over all ten colors of Lux, and when he was done, he opened a hole into the Hidden Path, which he carved through himself to create the interdimensional gateways that we of the Palette Clans use to this day…” His finger had been skirting across the table, leaving a glowing purple and gold trail that luminesced and faded away in an instant.
”But, the latter was me. I put the seals on the wall, made the connection, built the hidden coin slot and the wall scroll that I had plastered to the wall with my own energy. And it wasn’t tampered with.”
”So, again, it can go either way, and we’re just gonna waste our time coming up with conspiracy theories,” Britney laughed before she stopped to roll her eyes. ”So, do you know what exactly is in those notes? An idea? I’m not sure why we should even care that the notes were taken in the first place unless Kari was already in some deep shit.”
Kenshiro shook his head with a frown. ”She was doing a lot of trans-dimensional research. I don’t know why, but certain realms I was in that were more affected by the Stygian Snake were ones that she would… Pay attention to me more? I could feel her watching. Hard not to, like a warm hug.” His eyes narrowed. ”I can only assume her work was important. She’s been in demand from the groups around the city for quite some time now.”
”I mean…” Britney then awkwardly laughed, putting her hands together on the table. ”... It’s not hard to see why. Information is power, more power than everyone in the Coven combined.” She paused for a moment.
”Just the Stygian Snake? What about the other multiversal threats flying around like the Floral Wreath?”
He shrugged again, shaking his head. ”Nothing’s been heavier than that… But I also can’t say for sure because I-” his voice wavered, got a bit smaller, and he turned his head. ”-don’t, really, know what the Floral Wreath’s influence looks like. I mean I can assume, but I’ve seen hundreds of planar jungles.”
”Well, the Floral Wreath looks like a plant-zombie-apocalypse,” Britney explained. ”... Did you know if Kari was smart enough to cipher it all?”
Ken’s confusion turned to gentle fondness. He thought about all the times he came back to Kari waiting for him, knowing he was on his way home, and seeing her buried in some notebook. ”I think she’s smart enough to do anything she puts her mind to…”
Britney nodded her head.
”I think that answers all of my questions, Kenshiro,” Britney said as she climbed up to her feet, and gently grabbed Edict’s hand. ”Thank you for your time… let’s go Greyson.”
She led Greyson out of the mall…. When they received a particular text from Auri.
The Greenwood Coven.
Interactions: None.
The Coastal Harbor Mall.
Aislin strutted around her apartment, phone pressed to her ear as a devious smile spread across her face.
It connected.
“Heyyy, Adora. You free? I got a coupon for free shakes at the mall - you wanna come with?”
”… Sure thing, Aislin,” Adora answered. ”I’m not doing anything right now… I’ll be there in an hour.”
An hour came and went, and Aislin found herself standing in front of the Shake Shack at St. Portwell’s Coastal Harbor mall. She was dressed in a black hoodie and rainbow leggings, sneakers scuffing against the polished floor. In her hands were two shakes, one she was contently sipping on, waiting for Adora to meet her at the designated spot.
”... Hey there,” Adora said as she walked up, wearing an orange hoodie (which she had her hands tucked into the pockets of), sweatpants, a matching facemask and some running shoes. She pulled a hand out of her pocket pointed at the shakes,
”... That's the only one you drunk out of, right?” Adora laughed, her smile hidden behind her face mask. ”... I don't think we that close, ha.”
Aislin laughed, shaking her head. “Nah, nah, I would never, you only get the best. Untouched!”
She held out the other shake, grinning, “I hope you like vanilla.”
”Wow, I feel like you’re calling me basic,” Adora laughed, as she took the shake and pulled her facemask down.
“What? Noo!”
As Aislin sipped on her own shake, she pointed to an outlet down the hall, past the rushing bodies. “I heard Suncore’s got some new games and vinyls in, wanna check them out?”
Unbeknownst to them, there was a grey figure casually leaned up against the railing of the second floor, watching them from above. They had a grey hoodie on, cap and hood pulled over to obscure their face. But if anyone would look closely, they’d realize it was none other than Luna, sneaking around as usual.
Adora shrugged.
”Sure. Lead the way, sis,” She responded.
Aislin gleefully tugged on Adora’s sleeve as they headed into Suncore. Keeping up with the hype of digital downloads, Suncore tried to keep customers coming back with their wide variety of exclusive vinyls, physical copies of games, and merchandise. Lots of merchandise.
Aislin hopped over to the vinyls section, sucking on her shake until her eyes widened. Pulling out a vinyl of one of Erykah Badu’s albums, Mama’s Gun, she held it up for Adora to look at. “Hey? Isn’t this that band you used to like?”
Luna’s grey figure was half hidden behind the mountain of plushies, pretending to examine them oh-so carefully.
Adora chuckled, ”... Erykah Badu ain't a band, she’s a singer!” She grabbed the vinyl, then presented it to Aislin. ”... This album is a classic! Dunno if it's your thing, lots of funk!”
Aislin smirked, “If you think it’s that cool it’d be a crime if I didn’t at least check it out, riiight?”
Two people walked up to them, and it took Adora a second to recognize them.
“... OOOOH SHIT!” James Carmicheal loudly said. He walked up, wearing a matching black Nike hoodie, sweatpants, and Air Force 1’s. He had on a black backpack with the Nike swoosh.
“... James, don’t be so loud,” Naomi said with a roll of her eyes. She was wearing a black romper with a leather jacket over it and some combat boots.
“Oh my bad,” James grinned. “... ooooooh shit.” He whispered, only to get another eye roll from Naomi. He looked at Adora and said, “You’re the one who beat the breaks off that girl at the Halloween Festival!”
Aislin’s jaw dropped a bit as her head tilted.
Adora shuffled in her feet, grabbing her arm. ”... Yeah, don’t mention that.”
“Say less, say less,” James said, “We were hoping to get your number so we can link again sometime, but uh…”
“... Duty calls,” Naomi chimed in.
“Who’s your friend?” James asked.
”... Oh, this is my good friend, Aislin,” Adora answered.
Aislin coughed a bit before she shot a smirk towards Adora.
“You dont think I'd recognize my new friends?”
She warmly extended a hand out to James and Naomi. ”Good to see you two again.”
But then she paused, a lightbulb going on in her head as she side-eyed Adora. ”So thats's why you were covered in blood…”
”... We’re not talking about it!” Adora raised her voice, awkwardly smiling.
“Yeah, I definitely remembered you!” James laughed before getting an elbow from Naomi.
“It's great to see you again, sis,”
A phone had been half propped up by a huge duck plushie as Luna discreetly snapped photo after photo of an interaction between Sycamore and Greenwood.
”Small world, ain't it?” Adora said before she took a sip of her shake.
“We just run into Sycamore everywhere we go! Sycamore! Sycamore! Sycamore,” James laughed.
“How are ya’ll doing?” Naomi smiled, “Have Jack talked with ya’ll, yet?”
“Doing alright. Had a, well, run in with 8th Street, but we’re alright.” Aislin admitted, before her head turned in the direction of Naomi. “Jack? No, not that I think so, nothing special. Why? What’s up?”
Naomi shrugged, “We briefly spoke of an alliance between Greenwood and Sycamore. He said he would bring it up to ya’ll, but it sounds like he didn't get a chance.” She laughed.
Aislin stared for a moment before her eyes grew to the size of saucers, and she sucked in a gasp.
“Noooo waaaay… You mean I'll get to be friends with you guys twice over!?”
She did a little happy dance on the spot, shake swishing in her hands, and Adora just broke out laughing.
“I didn't think this day could get any better! Have you talked with Auri about it yet?” Aislin said.
Naomi shook her head, but couldn’t help but smile.
“I gave Jackaboy my number,” Naomi shrugged. “He hit me up every now and then to touch bases, but that’s it. We haven’t talked to Auri yet. We would like to because of our alliance with the 317. We could have like a whole ass triumvirate!”
“Love it when you use big words,” James grinned, putting a hand on her shoulder.
”I mean,” Adora shrugged. ”Jack mentioned it last night, but the issue is that the Coven is a bit…”
She awkwardly laughed. ”... Disorganized. I mean some people are trying to organize it, but, um, heh…” She laughed.
”... It’s a bit of a lost cause.”
“I mean,” Naomi shrugged. “How bad can it be? You don’t have a goofball like Ruby as a leader.”
”... Auri’s a giant goofball,” Adora’s face went flat. ”I wouldn’t trust her with my life.”
“No worse than Ruby.” Naomi shrugged again. “She shows up to half our fights drunk.”
“Auri may be a bit late on the catch, but she cares about us,” Aislin smiled softly at Adora. “Leadership that cares is always a good thing, though I do totally agree on the whole uh, getting a bit more organized thing.”
Aislin turned to Naomi, speaking up after a sip of her shake. “We should totally talk to Auri about this! Banding together now is such a great idea.” Before Aislin grew a little self-conscious. “I dunno if Auri will listen to me, though…”
Her gaze flicked to Adora. “Who would Auri listen to the best…?”
”Beats me,” Adora shrugged. ”Maybe Amara?”
“I mean, we can just hit her up - ya’ll dying and now ain’t the time to play games,” Naomi shrugged. “Ruby wants a big sit down between the two of us anyway before we decide on anything.”
”Yeah, why wouldn’t she listen to you? Did you piss you off little miss sunshine?” Adora turned to Aislin and laughed.
Aislin smiled, feeling bolstered up from Adora’s comment. “Aha, I didn’t make Auri made, I don’t make anyone mad- at least,I don’t think so.”
She turned back to Naomi, “Well, the sooner the better, I think. Maybe I’ll even talk with Faith and the rest of the 317 about alliance with the Sycamore - can’t hurt, right?”
The muffled thunk of a hard-nosed plushie meeting the ground, caused Aislin to turn her head, catching a glimpse of someone ducking down behind the mountain of merchandise.
“Uhh… guys? I think we’re being watched.”
”Shit…” Adora said under her breath.
Naomi smiled awkwardly before she asked.
“... Where they at?”
Aislin pointed to the duck plushie display, “Uh, pretty sure they’re behind that.”
Meanwhile, Luna was sweating, crouched, back pressed against the wooden display, phone squeezed in her hand and eyes to the door. She still had a chance to run…
“Sweet Jesus… Why did you point?!” Naomi shook her head before her glowing webs appeared on the floor in front of Luna. Creating a net that would catch her if she wasn’t paying attention.
“Sorry, sorry.” Aislin said sheepishly, one palm waving frantically.
“Shit-” Luna gritted her teeth, her gaze on the webs at the last minute. She dove to the side, wings giving her a boost, in an effort to dodge the webs and make it to the door. Thus, Naomi gave both of her hands a wave, as she created a wide net of webs to block Luna in.
And Luna ran right into the webbing, her momentum unfortunately making it much, much harder to dodge the wall of webs. She crashed to the floor, her momentum halted, wings getting tangled up in the webbing. She immediately formed a white knife in her hands, attempting to hack away at the webs, whilst pressing another hand to her hood, trying to keep her identity hidden. The knife got stuck in the webs.
Coming from the floors and ceiling were more webs, intending to bind Luna.
“... One of ya’lls, help out!” Naomi asked as James dropped his backpack and pulled out Shango’s Axe…
Luna tried to reach for a physical knife in her pocket, but found her motion more limited. She stretched against the webbing, ebbing out the knife bit by bit until she had a decent grip on it, pressing the release that flicked the blade out. Tossing it once in the air, she switched her grip so the blade was downward, attempting to cut away at the webs that stuck to her arm-
Before she froze, her sunglass-covered eyes on the axe. The axe. The one Mother had coveted for years before turning her eyes elsewhere… The axe that had the raw power of mother nature…
Aislin had been furiously sucking on her shake, anxious, before she stepped in. Wood from the duck display table bent into ribbons, reaching for Luna's feet and constricting around them. Luna furiously kicked her feet, but to no avail.
Luna cursed under her breath, her wings fizzling out before coming back in full force, temporarily freed from the webs. She flew hard, wings flapping furiously as she tried with all her might to break free, eyes on the door.
Naomi waved her hands, creating more webs - but James grabbed her arm and said,
“Slow your roll!” James said, holding the axe with a grin on his face.
“But-”
“... Not in here!” James laughed. “I remember when we were discreet!”
Then he leaned in, and whispered something in her ear.
Naomi sighed.
The webs disappeared.
“... After her ass!” James shouted.
Aislin watched James and Naomi's exchange with a slack jaw, then shrugged with a grimace, and released the wood ribbons wrapped around Luna's legs.
Luna didn't bother to look back. With her newfound freedom, she took off, an arc of light with her wings through Suncore's metal detector and down the mall's hall.
Aislin exchanged a bewildered glance with Adora before dashing out the front door of Suncore, “She's getting away!”
“That’s the point!” James laughed as he ran past Aislin with a grin on his face. “Too many eyes in here! You wanna interrogate someone in broad daylight? In front of dozens of people?”
“Fair enough!” Aislin said with a matching grin as she ran.
Naomi quickly bolted past Aislin with speed… while Adora downed as much of the shake as she could before she broke off into a sprint - one that was faster than one could expect.
“Ah, shoulda laid off the donuts-” Aislin said, already feeling somewhat winded, watching the others sprint past her.
Luna only spared a half-glance behind her, watching the group give chase. She gritted her teeth and sailed directly for the front automatic doors of the mall, slowing down for a fraction of a second so they would open, before launching herself into the sky outside.
“Perfect!” James laughed as he quickly picked up speed, forgetting all about subtlety as he glided along the ground after Luna. When he made it outside, he made a finger gun at Luna, before letting off a stream of electricity intended to stun her.
Naomi ran over to his side, followed by Adora. Aislin was a few paces behind Adora, but still running at top speed.
Luna quickly whipped out a white shield, but due to it having no insulating ability, she was quickly overcome by James's electrical attack.
Before getting too high in the air, Luna was stunned, hitting the ground hard and rolling to a stop. Smoke and dust fell off her form as she struggled to move, hood still low over her face.
“F-fuckin’ hell, again…?!” Luna could be heard murmuring, still gripping the knife tightly in her hand as she tried to half-sit up.
Naomi quickly stuck her hand out and let out a net of glowing white webs that would bind Luna. James approached Luna, sticking his hand out, which cracked with electricity. He grinned as he said,
“Drop the knife, sweetheart, and I’m saying that for your own sake because it’s conductive!” He commanded with a laugh. “Tell me, why were you taking pics of us? If you wanted us to model for you, all you had to do was ask! We don’t bite!”
Naomi rolled her eyes before she pulled out her cellphone and sent a quick text message to the Greenwood group chat, letting them know what had happened. “Let’s not do anything hasty! We just want to ask some questions.”
Adora walked up and kneeled behind the back of a car, taking cover as she watched the scene unfold. She pulled out her cell phone and took some pictures of her own. Aislin crouched down beside her, slowly sipping on her shake that had somehow survived the run.
“Not how I pictured our shopping spree to go…”
”... I don’t got money like that, anyway,” Adora shrugged.
Luna twisted in the net to no avail - she was stuck. Her shaded eyes glanced from Naomi to James, weighing her options, before she conceded with a low growl, and dropped the knife.
One could almost hear the wry aloofness in her voice as she spoke, little mouth twisting into a grin.
“You got me all mistaken. I wasn't taking pictures of you. I was just lost.”
“Hmph,” James said, “The way you bolted paints a different story, sis...”
“Who are you, then?” Naomi asked, shooting a strand of web to pull the knife away from Luna. “Maybe this is just a big misunderstanding…”
”I’d be damned if this is a misunderstanding,” Adora said. ”I’m going to send these pictures to Auri, Jack, Amara, and Stormy… and Brit…”
Aislin sucked in a breath, “Don't forget Drake.”
”Maaan, fuck Blackmore.” Adora whispered back at her.
Luna's eyes hovered over to the car Adora and Aislin were hiding behind, eyes tightening. A few seconds past, before she grit her teeth, hanging a bit limper in the web.
“Fuck… fine. Luna Inoue. I… was a Sycamore. Burned a few bridges, and now I spy to feel like I'm a part of the team. Happy?”
”Wait…” Adora trailed off.
“... That’s really strange, you know,” Naomi noted, narrowing her eyes at Luna.
“Yeah! Maybe you should get a hobby, lady!” James laughed, electricity still crackling. “Stalking people ain’t healthy!”
“You know phones exist, sis?”
”Luna Inuoe… Brit told me that she was selling us out to someone….” Adora trailed off, tapping her chin a few times. ”Phantasia… Vorpal. She was gunning for Brit, Jack, Stormy, and Auri for sealing the Void Heart…”
“Sooooooooo….” James trailed off.
“Yeah, ‘sooooooooooo’,” Naomi trailed off, keeping her eyes on Luna. “You’re after-”
”... Why are you spying on us, Luna…?” Adora stepped up, both of her hands in her pockets. She kept her eyes on Luna, absolutely fearless, as she walked a circle around the incapacitated capo. ”Didn’t you also get caught at Kari’s house by Blackmore and Stormy…?”
She narrowed her eyes. ”... Some fuckin’ spy you are.”
“Wow, burnt,” James chuckled.
”So, tell me, you say you’re Sycamore but burned bridges, but also want to ‘feel like you’re apart of the team’...” Adora came to a stop, before she asked, ”... Why don’t you just be part of the team then? All we’re is trying to do is survive, and your mafia is gunning for us. Can’t you see how fucked up that is? How fucked up your logic is?”
There was a long pause as Luna’s eyes locked on Adora, watching her as she made her little circle. Before her gaze dropped to the ethereal webs sticking her in place. There was a hoarseness in her voice.
“Was. Was gunning.” Her fists clenched as she sat there. “House of Cards is already burning. The new boss doesn’t care for Sycamore, for my pet project. No, they have their eyes set elsewhere.”
Luna let out a sick, sad chuckle, looking up at Adora. “So it’s just me. There’s no one else, Adora. Just a sad little spy that hasn’t kicked the habit yet, that absolutely loves those eyes of yours on me.”
“That’s uh, actually kinda weird.” Aislin slowly approached, half-hiding behind Adora as she gazed down at Luna. “Are you… really that lonely? Isn’t this a bit extreme? Why do you want to hurt Auri and the rest?”
Luna’s eyes pinched behind her sunglasses, and she wiggled uncomfortably in the webs. “Ugh. How do you expect me to answer all that, Aislin? I don’t want to hurt anyone. The person who wanted that is… well, she’s dead now.”
Luna sighed, trying to lean forward in the webbings as her gaze locked on Adora. “Listen. I have more evidence to believe 8th Street is hiding something. A lot of your problems, mine too, can be solved by capturing one of their members and interrogating the ever-living shit out of them. They know something, something that we need if we’re going to come out on top of this. And I’m referring to your Father Wolf, not anything else…”
Adora was silent.
”... If you’re talking about 8th jacking Kari’s notes,” Adora paused to roll her eyes. ”We already know.”
She shook her head, ”But, if you got something else; you can share it with me and I can pass it along with the Coven and you can keep it moving. I don't trust you far as I can throw you.”
Luna sighed. “I don't have anything else… yet. But… come on, do I look like a threat to you?”
She gestured with her hands that could still move a bit. “Nothing for old time's sake…? What will it take to convince you I’m on your side?”
Adora was silent.
”... I don't know you, Luna - and I ain’t the sentimental type,” Adora began. ”You should be asking yourself that question… ‘How can I, an open stalker and a traitor, convince Adora Phoenix-Prescott to trust me?’ And don’t act like you didn't have options because you had a lotta them!”
“... I wouldn’t,” Naomi quietly added.
“What did the others say?” James asked Naomi.
She quickly pulled out her phone and said, “Jess, Ruby and Amelia are about to come over.”
Luna tilted her head at Adora. ”I wouldn't have let them hurt you, you know. Your my project, after all.”
At the mention of more coming, she repressed an eye roll. “More Greenwood? Adora, you might as well call Auri, make your alliance while you’re at it.”A spluttered giggle escaped Aislin’s throat, before she covered up for it in a cough. After taking a few breaths to recover, she turned to Adora. “What are we gonna do? We can’t just keep Luna tied up forever…”
Adora was silent before she took a few steps closer to Luna.
”Look. You. I don't know what’s going through your head, but take the hint,” Adora began. ”We want nothing to do with you and your mafia. I will stop you if you try to worm your way back in.”
Adora rolled her eyes as she walked back to Aislin, and said to Naomi, ”Cut her loose.”
“Wait, you sure?” Naomi asked.
”Do it.”
The webs disappeared with a flick of her wrist, but James kept his hand up to Luna.
Adora crossed her arms, ”Now go. Fly away. Stay away from the Coven. We have enough problems as is.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed as she slowly stood back up. “Yeah, yeah, I can take a hint.” Her eyes drifted over to Naomi. “I’ll need my knife back.”
Naomi dropped the knife, then kicked it at Luna.
”Go.” Adora repeated. ”Don’t make me say it again.”
Luna silently picked up her knife, turned, and walked away. She soon blended into the scenery, before she spread her wings and took off, disappearing into the distance.
Aislin watched silently, before exhaling a huge sigh of relief. “Man, every time I wanna have fun…” She shot an apologetic look at Adora. “You handled that amazingly.”
Another sigh, before she eyed Naomi. “Wait.. did you say Ruby is on her way. To like, here?” A ghost of a smile was trying to haunt her lips again.
“Naw,” James said. “To the moon, girl!”
Naomi shook her head, “Ruby, Jess, and Amelia…” Naomi answered before whipping out her phone and saying, “Oh, wait, lemme call them off before they-”
Leaves and winds came and formed a tiny twister that grabbed dust and debris. At it's peak, Amelia, Jess, and Ruby (with her tree branch with charms) appeared some distance away. They walked up with Ruby in the lead.
“... Ya’ll caught a spy, right?” Ruby said to Naomi. “Where is she?”
“Well, ummm…” Naomi shrugged, looking to Adora.
”Hey,” Adora waved her hand as she walked up. ”... It's great to see you again!” “Hey, sis,” Ruby said with a smile. “It’s great to see you again, but we’re… handling business. So, where’s the spy?”
”I told them to cut her loose,” Adora said with a sigh, before looking at Aislin as she said. ”... She was after us, anyway.”
Aislin made a grimace as she glanced back at Adora. “The friggin’ mafia… I don't know why she's so obsessed with us.”
Before she smiled wide, and walked up to Ruby, pulling her hand into a clasp, squeezing to convey her enthusiasm. “My favourite Greenwood is here. Everything will be fine now.” She said, winking at Adora.
”... I hope so,” Adora put a hand on her hip.
“It’s great to see you, too, sis…” Ruby chuckled.
“Awwwwwwwwwww!” Jess shouted, throwing her hands in the air. “I was looking forward to some action! We ain’t get into a single cool-ass fight since VVV!” She snorted, laughing afterwards.
“Sorry for the false alarm!” James said.
“Eh,” Ruby shrugged. “Better a false alarm than an actual situation, I suppose… So, who was that?”
”Some weirdo… Luna Inoue,” Adora explained. ”She works for some mafia, the House of Cards I think they’re called. They got beef with some members of Sycamore...”
“We, uh,” Naomi awkwardly laughed, looking off. “Ran our mouths in front of her.”
“Well, what did ya’ll talk about?” Ruby said, crossing her arms.
“An alliance,” Naomi began. “Between us, and our good friends at Sycamore...”
“Jack hasn’t spoken with ya’ll about it, yet?” Ruby asked.
”Ain’t hear nothing about it, but I don’t think the creepy bastard got a chance too!” Adora laughed.
“Well…” Ruby shrugged. “... Why don’t we just talk about it now? We’re not doing anything, and we have three of the four Maidens with us… Pearl is busy working at her parent’s restaurant right now.”
Aislin’s eyes widened, realization dawning on her. “Wait- here? Now!?” She quickly rummaged through her bag, pulling out her phone, mumbling excitedly to herself. “I-I gotta call Auri. Adora, who else do you think needs to be here?”
”Jack, Stormy, Amara… Brit…” Adora shook her head. ”Whoever don’t sit on they ass.”
Aislin laughed, “Stormy definitely doesn’t, I’ll call them too.”
“Not right here, goofy,” Ruby laughed. “Surely you all have a base or something…”
Aislin half-smirked at Ruby, “Right,” before she tapped her screen impatiently, then pressed the phone to her ear, hoping the call would connect with Auri.
“... Aislin!,” Auri answered. “Hello! How are you?!”
Excitement lit up Aislin’s face. “Heyyy, I’m good. You’re never gonna guess who I’m with.” A quick wink to Ruby before she continued talking on the phone. “I uh, are you free? And is your flower shop free? Greenwood wants to do a little meet ‘n greet.”
Auri was quiet for a moment.
“... I can close down my shop for an hour.” She answered.
“Auri, you’re the best! We’ll head right over!”
As Aislin hung up her phone, she smirked at Adora. “Auri said yes, we even get to use her flower shop.”
Her gaze turned to Ruby, “Let me make a few more calls, then we can head right over.”
Auri Auclair.
The Greenwood Coven.
Leon
Edict
Interactions: None.
Flowers and Canvases.
Jack had been waiting for this to happen, ever since that disaster of a festival. Greenwood was about to show up, and negotiate an alliance with the Sycamore. He teleported in and out of Auri’s flower shop with a few extra folding chairs that he conveniently acquired from an undisclosed location, and sat them out for others to sit. He wasn’t entirely sure just how many of Greenwood’s members would be in attendance, but his encounter with them implied there were a lot of them.
It was late in the evening, enough that Auri had been able to close up shop after most people were off the streets. No blinds would see a huge group of people, one of which waved an axe around, walking into the place at this hour. The last time Auri had such a big gathering here, Jack almost got his head taken off by Drake.
He checked his phone, it wouldn’t be long now.
”Auri! They should be here any minute now!” He called out from the main floor, once the chairs were all set up.
“Okay! Is it-” Auri called out, before the door opened - with a little jingle from the bells. Adora pushed the door open, Aislin right behind her. She looked around before she asked,
”... Shit,” She began, glancing over her shoulder at Aislin, ”Guess we part of the setup now.”
”You’re just in time, Greenwood is due to arrive shortly,” Jack said.
”... That’s the problem!” Adora dramatically said, throwing her hands up. ”Ever heard of ‘Black People Time’?” She grinned.
”No.”
”How do I explain this? It’s like…” Adora tried to explain, before she just started laughing and said, ”... It’s a special Black Magic Spell or whatever!”
“Teach me sometime.” Aislin said with a smile as she stepped further into the flower shop, eyeing the chairs before glancing up at Jack. “Hey! Good to see you.”
She smacked her forehead. “I totally forgot to bring refreshments. Adora! We don’t have any refreshments!”
She started tapping away at her phone, trying to keep the play-desperation out of her voice. “Maybe, maybe, we can Uber something…”
There was a rumble at the door, a gentle rustle, and a Giant ducked through the low doorframe as a relatively infrequent face grinned in. ”I guess I’m early?” Looking around, the grin didn’t leave his face. He was dressed like he was a vampire or something, and had a black shawl or cloak covering his massive frame. ”Jaaaaack… What’s up, Man?” he asked. His head shot a glance at Adora, and he threw up his arm in a mock jab, the other open for Jack to shake.
The placement was ambiguous; Leon was prepared for every handshake in the book, and had the reflexes to snap into any of them.
Jack returns the handshake, in a boring way. ”Leon.”
In his other hand, a pack of 20 water bottles in plastic and cardboard wrapping appears, teleported with his magic and hanging by his fingers. ”I brought water, if that’ll do, Aislin.”
Aislin nodded gratefully at Jack, “That’s a huge step in the right direction, now they won’t die of thirst on our watch.”
Her glance looked up at Leon, her smile widening. “Wasn’t sure you’d show up, Leon. Glad you could make it! Today’s gon’ be a momentous day.” Noting that there were a few more chairs to deal with, Leon took a few long strides to scoop them up. ”What’s with you and the plastic chairs, Auri? I remember you did that presentation last spring, and you did the exact same thing even though half the people just moved them and stood around.” he laughed. ”I “borrowed” those, since Greenwood is likely bringing all of their people here. Don’t ask where I found them.”
Leon gave a slight side eye to Jack. ”You... Borrowed them? Jack?” he almost laughed aloud.
”He Jacked them,” Adora said, crossing her arms. ”Pun intended.”
Jack shot Adora the most blank stare that was humanly possible. Aislin burst out in bubbly laughter, hearing the most hilarious thing ever. “Nice one.”
“... Jack got them for me!” Auri shouted from the back room. “My boyfriend is getting us all pizza! Give him a little bit.”
“Pizza?! Thank God. We’re saved.” Aislin sighed with relief, tucking away her phone.
”Where is Stormy? Amara? Brit? Don’t tell me everyone is gonna be late.” Adora shook her head. ”And there’s like eight of them I think, we don't need this many damn chairs.”
Leon laughed aloud at this point, starting to fold chairs back up. ”There’s no way… Not a chance, everyone’s gonna be standing! And I-”
Speak of the devil and they shall appear, Stormy and Amara both walked through the door right as Adora mentioned them.
”I was busy, sorry if I’m late.”
”Yo.”
Leon pointed up at the two of them. ”Aaaaaaayyyyyy We were just talking about you guys. Stormy, what’s up Baby Boy?!” he gave a much warmer reception to his once extremely close friend.
”Good to see you, Leon. Still St Portwell’s boxing king?” He asked, grinning back at the giant. ”As it should be, Brother.” he got closer, pulling him in for a hug.
Aislin grinned, “Hi Stormy, hi Amara!”
”It's a whole ass reunion in here,” Adora rolled her eyes. ”While we wait for our guests, can we talk about Luna? Or should we wait for Brit?”
”Luna? Who?” Leon laughed, not remembering most of the lost members.
”The one who was stalking all of us when we went to search Kari’s home,” Jack explained. ”Drake found her spying on us, and we do not know how much information she has yet. According to Britney, she works for a mafia, and they want some of us dead. I am one of those people, apparently.”
”... We also just caught her stalking us, Adora added. ”The Greenwooders tied her down. She claims they are under new management, and they don't care about us anymore.”
Adora shook her head, ”But I don't buy it, not one word. She seems fucking nuts.”
Aislin grimaced at Adora, “Just wanted shakes… our time at the mall really went downhill, huh? Greenwood had good timing, jeez.”
”So what’s our plan if they decide to stamp us out?” Amara asked, taking a seat.
”... Beats me,” Adora shrugged. ”But no time like the present to make one:.. But where’s Brit…?”
Aislin made a face, then pulled her phone again. “I can call her, if ya want.”
The door clinked open again, the bells rattling to inform of intruding bodies. Only, it wasn’t Britney first. Greyson Devola’s face, sans his usual Channeler. As he entered the room he looked around with a grin. ”Oh man, what a party…” Leon’s head snapped back.
”Woah, Devola? You…” ”Hey, I’m not here alone-.” he started, holding the door open for Britney to come through.
”Heeeey everyb-” Britney bouncily strutted in, playful smile on her face, before coming to a dead stop. Expression going flat. Before she quickly put it back on. ”... How is everyone doing?! It's great to see you all even if it's albeit under weird circumstances…”
Aislin gave a forced smile, “Hi Britney, Greyson.”
Leon's face changed to a slightly smug and self aware smirk. ”It's always nice to see you too, Britney. Better seeing you both together.”
”Oh yeah? Someone at the Temple writing Sycamore Tree fanfiction? What's the scoop, guys, where's the uh… Hippies?” Greyson shook his head at Leon as he spoke.
”They are late,” Jack answered, flatly.
Adora shook her head, ”To make things quick; we caught that basket-case Luna stalking me and Ashy here, and I want to talk about how we gonna handle her ass because... Those weirdos are up to something.”
Adora rolled her eyes as she shrugged.
”Can’t motherfuckers just leave us alone? We’re only trying not to get murdered!”
Aislin paused, before her eyes sparked, “Ashy…? Ashy?!” She glanced over at Jack and Leon and puffed out her chest. “Yeah that’s right, behold the freshly nicknamed.”
Before her smile lost a bit of it’s light, concern seeping into her tone. “She hasn’t done anything recently to hurt us, from what I can see. But-” Her gaze shot over to Greyson, a flash of disdain unable to be hidden, “-Criminals can’t be trusted. We could try reporting her to the police if she pushes things further, get a restraining order…”
”Which police?” Stormy asked. ”They’re organized criminals, so they won’t care about a restraining order. And they’re also paranormal criminals, but I don’t think the PRA is going to care about her unless she makes a flashy show of magic in public.”
Aislin shrugged, half-grin flashing across her face. “Fair enough.”
”Well, Liao might.” Amara cracked a humorless grin. ”The way I heard it, she thinks she owns this city. And when the Iron Dragon-god I hate that name- Sets her mind on something? There aren’t many people out there who change it. Piss her off enough, she’ll go looking for all of them.”
Edict grimaced a little bit hearing about Luna. He had his own feelings toward her, and this interaction was only reinforcing them. ”Hey, listen… I know it’s not gonna sound great coming from me, but… Well… Luna’s Mom passed away recently. The one from her side of the Family. Maybe now would be a good time to bring her in? I get it, shady Greyson plan, but ultimately if you guys need to handle it a different way, I’ll let you. I’m not here to be a pushy asshole, y’know?” he offered to the group, hoping it’d get them off of Luna for the moment.
”Bring her in how? She’s a mafia capo, and we’re not her Family. Isn’t that how it works? Family comes first?”
”Greyson…” Adora said, ”She obviously ain’t well in the head. And we got enough basket cases as is…”
Adora shook her head, ”We need to find a way to get her to leave us the fuck alone.”
Aislin rubbed the back of her head, breathing out a stream of air through two blown up cheeks. “Weeellll…” She glanced at Adora, and grimaced. “We could scare her. Scare her real good. I know someone over at the 317 who can trap people in paintings. We could… uh…”
She paused, shoving a hand over her own mouth. She mumbled with a groan. “Gosh, what am I saying, even Luna doesn’t deserve to be jumped and locked in a painting.”
”Look, I… Is it so hard to think that we could have been a family? Not even in the Mafia sense, but like… Genuine friends and, like, people who all love one another? That’s all people want. Acceptance and love. And, if they stumble, to not be kicked immediately for it.” Edict shrugged. ”Or hey, maybe I’m talkin’ shit. I wouldn’t know anything about her situation, not like we ain’t involved in the same shit or anything.”
”It’s reasonable,” Jack acknowledged, leaning up against the wall by the front door. ”We were family once. All of us. But she chose a different life. Regaining the trust that was lost is not so simple as apologizing, certainly not after spying on us.”
”Just as not easy as it isn’t for me, Jackie boy…”
”... Leon,” Britney spoke up. ”Can you check and see if she - or anyone else - is spying on us right now?”
Leon considered what Britney said, and a small release of his seals gave him the chance to catch individual scents from around them. Trying to smell exterior Lux users, he only got a wiff of the slowly approaching Greenwood Coven. ”I don’t smell anyone. Not strange, anyway. I don’t really know how Luna smells, but we all uh… Well, y’all stink, and it ain’t your fault. It’s the magic. Like, Greyson, you reek man.”
”Oh geeze, thanks Leon. I really appreciate the info, man.” he replied sarcastically.
”On the subject of Luna… We have to do something that ensures her people don’t come for us after we’ve taken care of Luna.”
Stormy sat down in a chair. ”They're more organized than us. They have been for a long time now. It won’t be difficult for them to respond to us, in any case.”
Aislin smacked her forehead. “Crap, I forgot about that… Thanks, Stormy.”
”... That's why we’re not going to kill her, or hurt her in any way,” Britney added. ”It might sound crazy… But I agree with Greyson. We should bring her in. ”
Aislin's jaw dropped a bit, surprised. Before she grimaced, and fell silent.
Britney was silent for a moment as she looked everyone over. ”... But we don't like make her an actual member. We give her the run-around but give her just enough information so she doesn't catch on.”
”And let me watch her! I mean, again, I get why you guys may not want that, but… Well, I’ve been doin’ good with Layla.” Leon coughed. There was no reason, surely.
”What do you mean by that one?” he asked. ”Well, it was the Void Heart thing, right? So… I mean… You know about that, Leon.”
The giant man gritted his teeth slightly.
”That might be the best choice we have. What about the rest of them? Are they going to just let this slide?”
”Probably not without some serious prodding. Seems like there’s some business between them and the city’s favorite Cult that’ll probably end with meeting a bigger fish.”
Leon gripped his hands together tightly. ”Oh, go ahead man. Do what you always do.” Leon condescended.
”It’s not good for either of us, Leon, I’m not trying to act like its your family’s fault. Just… Well, you’ll probably kill Luna before we get the chance to if she doesn’t smarten up and get away from House of Cards.” Edict tried to offer the olive branch.
”The only way we can justifiably escalate to killing Luna,” Jack warned, ”Is if we know for a fact that we can kill all of them. If we escalate to that level, they will match us.”
”We’re not killing Luna, guys! We’re not, no. Sorry. She’s done some shitty things, but I’m absolutely not letting her go down like that. Not when…” Edict paused. ”Not when I don’t think she’s any worse than I am. And, Auri? You called me back. So, why are we treating her like this?” he asked, trying to rally for compassion.
”... I mean, do you follow people around malls, taking creepshots?” Adora snorted.
”I’m with Edict. We can’t afford to do something like that, and it’s not right. But, Edict…” Stormy turned around and looked at him. They didn’t always see eye to eye, but he knew Greyson had a point.
”Are you positive you can keep the House from reacting poorly to this? No matter what we do, it’s going to end with a downside unless you can pull the strings perfectly.”
Aislin sighed, spinning one of the chairs to face Stormy and taking a seat. “I’m all for pretending to be Luna’s friend. But I’d take that a step further, and have one of us dedicated to spying on her, quietly squeezing her for info.” Her eyes lazily slid to Edict. “And, no offense Greyson, but uh… I’d prefer her ‘friend’ to be someone else. You know how it is…”
Edict threw up his hands in a gentle fashion, so as not to piss off everyone in the room. ”Honestly, Stormy? I can't make guarantees. My old man is the Don of the North-West. Technically, he's HoC's Boss just like he's my Boss. But, he… Well, he kind of knows? About them? And, after the last time I had to buzz him, I'm pretty sure he's piss scared of magical people. So, the oversight is kind of left on my Uncle? Who… Well, he's kind of frothing at the mouth to kill whoever killed Phantasia.”
Edict looked a bit defeated after spilling all that. He looked down at Aislin. ”I… I know. I don't blame you, really. But, who else is closer to her? Who else can get her to spill the beans about her status? The real beans, not bullshit to protect herself.” He took a deep breath, prepared to say something controversial. ”I mean, fuck… I'll just say it. The only reason I ever had a problem with anyone is because I couldn't separate the two halves of my life. It made me deceitful and untrustable. Now we're all real adults, and I'd like a chance to prove that things are at least a little different.” he shrugged.
Aislin twisted her face up, considering Edict’s words. Before she sighed, and raised a hand in weak gesture. “Yeah, yeah, you two have history. I… I still don’t like it. But bottom line, we need to know more about Luna than she does of us. As long as we keep one step ahead of her…”
”I mean, you say that someone else should be her friend,” Britney injected, looking at Aislin head on. ”But, you also never gave an alternative as to who should do it. I understand your concerns, but who else can do it?”
Aislin grimaced, being directly spoken with by Britney. She kept her mouth shut, and offered a shrug.
”Hey now,” Adora put her hands up. ”Why do all ya’ll want a crazy bitch in our midst? Some bitch who’s openly a traitor?”
”We don’t want her here,” Britney noted. ”It’s just that we gotta handle this situation in a certain way. It’s obvious that she will keep stalking us. if we hurt her; her Mafia will just going to come after the rest of us - and that is not something we need right now. I’m not sure just what they are planning, but this way we can control the situation. She’s not looming over us and reporting critical information to her bosses. And we can prevent our more… impulsive members from jumping the gun and hurting her if and when she gets caught again.”
At this point, Auri came out of the back wearing a blue striped sundress, the Butterfly Staff in her hand. Britney glanced at her before she continued.
”... But, we should definitely make up a plan to handle the House of Cards, just in case.”
”I don’t know what you guys are so worried about. It’s not like you guys are the ones in the crossfire.” Leon interjected, eyes staring at Auri and the staff as she entered. ”Or why we’re tip-toeing around why the House of Cards has any sort of problem with us in the first place. It’s shit like this.”
The giant man stepped forward, a slightly uncomfortable look on his face. ”Bottom line, it’s fucking Void Heart. And fuckin’... Layla. Which is why Greyson’s been gassing the chick in the first place, and why he wants to be the one gassing fuckin’ Luna too. Like he’s gonna have to get his hands dirty fighting his Mafia buddies anyway? Fat chance.”
Edict shrugged his shoulders. ”To be fair, I don’t really know why we don’t just let Void Heart’s toys just self-destruct. It can’t be any more dangerous than, oh I don’t know, trying to trap the poor girl in a room and traumatizing her by taking her fuckin’ Casper away.”
”You have a very interesting definition of “dangerous” if it doesn’t involve letting that parasite feed on her,” Jack noted.
”The issue with letting the toys ‘self-destruct’ is that the two of them clearly don’t have an issue with creating problems that we have to solve,” Britney answered. ”The shitshow at the strip club a few weeks ago is proof of that.”
”Ummmmmmm….” Adora awkwardly shuffled in her feet before she raised her head. ”I’m a lil’ bit lost here; what the fuck is the deal with the Void Heart? What happened to him? And what the fuck does he have to do with all this?”
”Alizee died. Her ghost, Void Heart, jumped to Layla Hycinthus. Once some people found that out, they decided that they didn’t want him getting in the way anymore. Nobody really knew that Void Heart is my family’s responsibility. So we had to be the bad guys, and now Void Heart is sealed away in something important.” Leon barked, clearly frustrated by the situation.
”... And how is he your family’s responsibility?” Adora crossed her arms, shifting her weight sassily to one hip.
Aislin’s little jaw dropped, and she sucked in a breath. “Waaait a second…Alizée's dead? Alizée Altieri?!” A hand flew to her mouth, muffling a string of quiet profanities.
”I mean, from what I heard she was going around hurting people,” Adora looked at Aislin. ”So, good riddance. I’m not sure what Layla’s deal is, but… I don’t like her vibe either.”
Aislin grimaced, looking back at Adora. “Gee, I thought Layla was always alright. Wasn't she…?”
”The Void Heart poisons the mind of whoever it adjoins to,” Jack answered, a scowl across his face. ”Alizee never once enjoyed what she did, but the abomination drove her to the brink of insanity. We should have sealed it years ago.”
”... But, you didn’t,” Adora flatly noted. ”You should have realized after a certain point, like… how do I explain this? Like, she would have been so accustomed to the Void Heart in her life that snatching it away from her would have been like….”
She shook her head, ”... Fuck, it would have been devastating if it really fucked with her head like you and Greyson claim. At that point, you probably would have had no choice but to kill her anyway…” She put one hand on her hip and threw the other one up, shaking her head.
Jack glared daggers at Adora, she just struck a nerve and he did not like that. For a moment, he didn’t even know what to fucking say to that. ”She needed help. Would you want to be left to die when you are left helpless like she was?”
Adora raised an eyebrow, before she asked the golden question, ”...But did she want it?”
He fell silent.
”Listen, guys, it’s… A lot deeper. Layla aside, the leader of the House of Cards is a woman named Phantasia Vorpal… Or, was. She’s dead. But, I… Well, you know me!-” Edict pushed out a faked laugh. ”Trying to stop this shit before it got any more out of hand, I’ve been meeting with her. Good ol’ Phanny. Got in her head? Saw that a long while ago, when the old House of Cards casino burned down, it was Alizee and Void Heart that saved ‘em. Phantasia took a life debt to Void Heart. So, when you all decided to kick the bee’s nest, you accidentally pissed off the ground hornets too.” Edict finished.
”Jesus fucking Christ, Auri…” Amara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Auri awkwardly tugged at her collar.
Aislin shook her head. “I don't think I understand everything here… But this is a lot more complicated…. Isn't it?”
She hummed, eyes glancing to Jack. “Layla never told me what happened. But whatever you guys did, they're connected to this somehow, right?”
“I’m amazed the Void Heart could see past his own agenda long enough to save someone else…” Auri shook her head. “But, you said she was?”
Britney looked at her before she said, ”Phantasia got iced.”
“Oh, dear,” Auri said, silent for a moment before she said. “... Then is her replacement also after us?”
Aislin perked up a bit. “Good question for Luna…”
”Luna said their new guy wasn’t after us, remember?” Adora shrugged. ”But, again, I don’t believe it for a second.”
“Right, right.” Aislin groaned. “If only we had a way to get in her min-” Her eyes fell silently on Greyson.
Edict coughed. ”Listen… I saw Val at her Mom’s funeral yesterday. When I talked to her, she seemed like she was understanding my trying to push her away from pursuing things, but firstly she’s just as magic as her Mom. She just… Is more cautious. Less ego means she’s more willing to do things to stack her own deck. Phantasia got cocky, figured I was still a goofy little kid, and paid the price for it…” he paused, looking around before raising a finger.
”And no, I didn’t kill her. But, anyway, things are looking positive for the moment. If you guys trust me, I can try and prove that you’re all right to do so by just… Taking care of it. And if it goes south, I won’t keep you all in the dark. I’ll… Y’know, ask for help.” he finally conceded.
“I don't have to like it to see that it's somewhat logical… I think this is a decent plan of action, for now. What do you guys think?” Aislin said, shrugging as her eyes passed around the room.
”... I still think we should a plan to handle the House of Cards just in case it goes south,” Britney said as she finally took a seat, putting her purse on her lap. ”I trust you can handle this, Greyson, but they seem… erratic, from what I hear. I know they have beef with the Temple, but hair-triggers like them will always find another reason to go on the warpath.”
”Like any of you are ready for a fuckin’ war again? Please. Leave the heavy lifting to the Temple and be happy when I crush Father Wolf’s neck in my jaws. I ain’t the same uppity cunt I used to be, and I’m not holding back to be friendly. I don’t think Sycamore Two is gonna cut it the same way. Too busy being worried about trying to kill our family when there’s a monster out there hunting us like animals…” Leon’s voice and face both oozed disgust.
”... Yeah, trust the people that tried to fuckin’ shoot at us,” Britney said with a roll of her eyes.
”Your “family” plays with fire, and you think we’re to blame?” Jack asked, just a little pissed off now. ”Furio is lucky I didn’t decorate my home with his entrails after he attacked us for protecting a vulnerable person from a predator.”
Aislin tilted her head, an embarrassed look on her face. “Am I missing something…?”
”Jack, man, I’ll refrain from finishing your fucking lunch this time because I don’t feel like ruining Auri’s flower shop: But please, don’t act like you guys didn’t have a chance to just give her up when they explained the situation! Do you all know what that girl was dealing with before Void Heart? What she’s currently dealing with? Do you want to explain that to them too, Mister Mafia Therapist?” Leon growled toward Edict.
”... Getting a lil’ spicy in here,” Adora laughed, jabbing an elbow into Aislin’s side.
Aislin half-grinned back, “Jeez, I'll say.”
Again, Edict shrugged. This wasn’t his favorite thing to be doing, since he could see dollar bills burning in Leon’s eyes. ”It’s… Not great? Not sure if anyone remembers, but she’s attached to a few nasty ghosts herself. They use her like she’s a meal ticket essentially, and in return they protect her. At least, that’s how I think it works from being in that little noggin’ of hers.”
Leon pointed at Edict. ”Exactly, take one fucking predator away, let another back in. The girl is fuckin’ cursed, she needs to be with people who can actually help her! Not a bunch of adults who aren’t well adjusted to begin with and can’t even take the time to coordinate properly! The Temple has the resources! But none of you seem to get that!”
Adora was silent.
”... This is the first time I’ve heard about this,” Britney noted, raising an eyebrow. ”Well, if the Temple is so wonderful and can do so much to improve that child’s life, then have at it.” She scoffed, throwing Leon a dismissive hand wave, turning her head away.
“I didn’t know all of this was happening to her…” Auri noted. “But, can’t we just seal them? Or find a more benevolent Apparition to ward them off…?”
”I could ward them all off,” Stormy said. ”But I’m almost entirely certain that Layla would rather kill me than let me get that close to her.”
”That’s kind of the problem. She’s so, well, scared of these ones. They’ve been with her all her life.”
”I live with shit just like that. Got a Wampus Cat trapped in my apartment as we speak. Fuckin’ wretched way to live being a little kid getting tortured by a ghost, but I can’t excuse my Father for bringing something like that into my home. It fucked with me and my siblings as kids. But at the end of the day, I don’t want the fuckin’ thing dead. I’d like to come to an understanding with it and live peacefully and healthily.” He shook his head. ”That’s what the Temple’s all about at the end of the day. We don’t wanna have Voidy sealed up, but if he can’t behave and nobody’s strong enough to control him, he’ll stay that way. And then all we can do is try and help her heal and deal with what she’s got.”
Aislin hung her head a bit, “I didn't know it was that bad… Did… Did anyone talk with Layla before sealing the Void Heart? Is anyone talking with her now, besides Greyson?”
”We did not,” Britney flatly answered. ”We couldn’t risk tipping the Void Heart off.”
That’s when Leon dropped the bombshell. ”She showed up at our door this morning. She’s going to be taking her oaths, and she’ll begin her therapy once she’s properly inducted into the Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals as a fully fledged member.”
Edict’s jaw dropped. Britney rolled her eyes. Aislin nearly choked on her own spit. ”What?”
”U-u-uh, oh… Leon!?” ”And to answer your question? No! Obviously nobody asked Layla’s opinion! Because Void Heart was with her when they would have… And what’s more consensual than a bunch of people ganging up on you and trying to take the only thing making you feel safe and secure away from you? So, guess what? She’s nobody’s problem, and House of Cards is certainly no problem.” Leon finished, holding back on saying anything worse.
”Then, she will stay away from us, then? The Temple are going to stop Voidy from going around trying to suck people off, right? Kidnap them in broad daylight?” Britney asked, giving Leon a flat look. ”Part of the reason -Well, pretty much the entire reason- I wanted Voidy sealed was because he was a liability. He was only going to make things so much more difficult for us.”
Leon smiled. ”See, this is why the Temple should be seen as an asset for us. My Mom is in love with us. She’s even willing to let my younger brother date Patty Vanburen, she’s so hell bent on keeping all of us safe and secure. The way I see it, if Greyson’s getting second chances here, my family shouldn’t be everyone’s new punching bag. I deserve to earn some trust.”
Adora tilted her head upon hearing ‘Patty Vanburen’. Britney kept her mouth shut.
Edict gave Leon a flat look, but didn’t say anything against him. He really wasn’t in that kind of mood, and was deeply trying to project Greyson 2.0.
Jack took a long, slow, deep breath in. And then, another one out.
”He has a point.”
“I didn't know the Temple was like that…” Aislin said thoughtfully.
“I believe in giving everyone second chances, despite my injuries due to them,” Auri sighed. “I don’t think it’s fair to dogpile Leon and the Temple like this bec-”
The door opened, and Auri (and everyone else’s) head turned to the door to see her boyfriend, Justin Haggar, holding a stack of pizza boxes. “Justy!” Auri ecstatically said before she ran over to him. “Let me help you out…” She grabbed a few pizzas off the top.
“Yeah, where are we going to put these?” Justin asked. “... There are no tables.”
Auri was silent for a moment.
“... Oh.” She began. “Darn.”
”Oh, good grief,” Adora said as she ran over to the folded chairs and unfolded them. ”Ya’ll need to think outside the box....” She shook her head as Justin and Auri put the pizzas down.
Justin looked around.
His eyes narrowed.
“... I’ll take my leave,” Justin disappeared out the door as quickly as he appeared.
”... He had the right idea,” Adora laughed as she quickly grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza. She took a bite.
“Dig in, everyone,” Auri began. “Just save some for Greenwood.”
”…If he had walked in here one minute sooner…”
Aislin could only laugh to herself, the tension that invaded the room moments prior somewhat dispelled. She picked up a slice of pizza and lifted it in a mock toast, her trademark grin back on her face. “Long live the Sycamore.”
”I’d save a lot. Chances are, Greenwood’s coming through here higher than my blood pressure.” Leon tried to joke, hoping he could disperse at least a little tension as he went for a slice himself.
Edict recognized the shop it came from, and couldn’t help but stick his nose up.
”You got a mob feud with a pizza place?” Amara asked, grabbing a slice.
Suddenly, the smell of weed overpowered all the smells in the flower shop. It overtook the smell of potted plants, pizza, and whatever perfume or cologne they had on. There was a few knocks on the door, before it was thrown open… Jessica was the person who held the door open, looking around. Her eyes were bloodshot red, and she smiled.
“Waaaaaaaassuuuuuuup dudes,” Jessica threw them the shaka hand sign. “I hope we weren’t too late…”
“Maaaaan, get your high ass out the way…” Ruby ducked underneath Jessica’s arm, a blunt in her mouth. She was wearing a red sweater with a pink scarf around her neck, blue jeans, and mac and cheese Timberlands. She walked in, and looked around, before saying, “... Waaaaaaaassuuuuuuup dudes.” Then throwing the shaka sign.
“... I am so sorry,” Naomi shook her head as she walked in; James was right behind her. “We tried to stop them, but they kept gassing!”
“Yeah, they got more gas in ‘im than a helium balloon!” James laughed.
Kashmira coughed a few times as she walked in, holding a metal tray with some pastries that had to be Indian with a layer of plastic wrap over the top of it. She wore a green hoodie and sweatpants combo with some white sneakers and a black leather purse over her shoulder… but she had red henna designs drawn on her hands. “*COUGH* Hello, friends! It is great to meet you all here! I know it was short notice, but I made you all some *COUGH* snacks!”
She looked around, “This is Dhokla, my Grandmother’s recipe! I also brought some Henna cones if you wanted to put some on your hands and feet for this occasion!!”
Aislin's excitement couldn't be contained as she gave everyone in Greenwood a wave. “Heyyy, good to see you guys yet again! Kashmira, sign me up for some henna, I love that stuff!”
She then moved in beside Ruby, nearly drooling at the mouth. “Hey, heyyy, Ruby. We're friends, right? Help a friend out? I'm sober as heck!”
A hand flew to her mouth. “Oh wait! The leaders should do something. Like, a peace move, or whatever,” She glanced at Adora, a full-on serious look on her face, “Should they kiss?”
Adora raised an eyebrow as she twisted her face. Auri awkwardly laughed.
Leon couldn’t contain his laughter as he slowly approached Ruby for what he assumed would be the typical sisterly behavior that had always been expected of them as kids. His arms outstretched for a hug. ”Not a kiss, you horny fucker.” he laughed aloud.
The only response was Aislin's tinkling laughter.
“It’s great seeing you,” Ruby laughed as she hugged Leon back. “You giant motherfucker...” She laughed some more before turning to Aislin.
“Yo, what type of shit ya’ll be on?!” Naomi laughed as she dug into her hoodie pocket, and pulled out a bag of the most premium Zaza known to man. “This ain’t your regular gas - this shit will put you in a coma!” She threw it to Aislin. She grabbed it as quick as she could in her little hands, her face lit up like a child's on Christmas Day.
“Naomi, you’re the best!” Aislin chimed.
Leon happily hugged Ruby back. ”Things ain’t the same without you. Mom’s got this ex-nazi bitch as one of her Crones? Dude, it ain’t a good look.” he said, grabbing the blunt she was smoking and taking a fat rip off it.
“Oh my God,” Naomi shouted. “She eats ass! That blunt is infected with booty!”
”Who do you think she learned it froooooooom.” Leon growled, his tongue lolling out of his mouth comedically. It was, by all accounts, a magically long tongue.
Aislin burst out laughing again, already rifling through her bag where she knew a certain bong lay in wait. She jerked her head to the table.
“We got pizza, guys, feel free to take a slice and grab a seat.”
Her gaze turned to Auri. “You uh… should probably lead us in prayer, ya know?”
“Umm…”
Everything that just happened took a few years off of Jack’s life. But he couldn’t complain, since he was technically responsible for this meeting.
”Welcome, all of you,” He said, popping one of those dohkla squares into his mouth. His eyes widened a bit. ”…These are wonderful. Thank you.”
”Good lord, you guys are blasted tonight.” Amara cackled.
“Wonderful, I’m glad you like it!” Kashmira said with a smile, before walking over to Amara and offering her one. “Would you like one, too? I’m doing henna later to celebrate this joyous occasion!”
”Not sure I know what a Henna is, but I’ll take free food. Respectfully.”
Aislin grinned at Amara. “It's a skin stain, like a tattoo, and it looks really pretty.”
Kashmira raised both hands, revealing the henna she had drawn on her own hands.
“Who’s the leader here?” Ruby asked.
“That would be me,” Auri said as she stepped up, holding the butterfly staff in her hand.
“You know, I wish I had my tree branch on me,” Ruby said. “We could do something cool like crossing staffs.”
“Or kissing.” Aislin stage-whispered with a wide grin.
Adora gave her a queer look.
“Ah, we should have,” Auri said, “You are the leader of the Greenwood Coven, I presume? Miss…”
“White,” Ruby answered. “Ruby White. The Spring Maiden,”
Then she looked between the rest of the Greenwood Coven, before saying, “Greenwood, let’s introduce ourselves to them. Get to know our new friends…”
“I’m Jessica Rosefey, follow SunnyMuscleMommy on Instragram, yoooo…” Jessica threw up the peace sign before laughing.
“... Her high ass is the Summer Maiden,” Ruby jabbed a thumb in her direction.
“I’m Kashmira Sarai! Or Dr. Sarai,” She introduced herself, “I’m the healer for the Greenwood Coven.”
“I’m Amelia Dallon, the Fall Maiden,” She introduced herself.
“Currently, Pearl Cho, the Winter Maiden, is busting her ass at her job,” Ruby shrugged. “So, she will not be attending.”
“I’m Naomi Rodgers! I met a couple of you last week!” Naomi said.
“Same,” James said, crossing his arms. “I’m James Carmicheal.”
He walked over to Stormy and put his hand up, “Thanks for keeping my girl safe back there - dab me up!”
James was dabbed up by Stormy, way better than when he was dabbed up by Jack. ”Stormy Carson. Nice axe.”
“And I am Autumn Hayes,” She calmly noted.
Ruby cracked a grin as she took a puff of her joint. “Well, what are you waiting for? Are you going to introduce yourselves, my lovelies…?”
Before she looked at Leon, “... Except you, we’re already familiar with your ass!“
”A few of you already know me, from when we met last week,” Jack answered. ”Jack Hawthorne, for the ones that haven’t. I almost killed one of you, that night.”
“... Why would you say that?” Naomi rolled her eyes.
”Amara King. Nice meeting you guys.”
Aislin shrugged, gently loading bud after bud in her little party bowl as she sat in her chair. “Most of you already know me, but I'll re-introduce myself anyway.” She looked up and grinned. “Aislin Rose, artist and toker at your service.”
”Ador-”
“Appie,” James laughed, “How could we forget you!”
Adora shook her head.
“I was hoping to get your number, sugar,” Ruby said, taking a drag of her blunt. “But, duty calls.”
”No time like the present,” Adora stuck her hand out, and Ruby put her phone in her hand, and then Adora punched in her number before handing it back to Ruby.
Britney was silent, before waving her hands, ”Britney Williams, magical expert.”
”Greyson Devola, former Sycamore Tree Wallet… I mean, Treasurer. Not that there's ever really been a treasury, just other people have jobs now.” Edict grimaced.
“It’s great meeting all of you; I hope that we can really get to know each other,” Ruby gave her a narrow look, before turning to Auri. “... Auclair!”
“.... Oooooooooh boy!” Jess said, throwing her hands behind her head. “Should we tell her?”
“Tell her what- oooooooooooh!” James awkwardly tugged at his collar.
“Tell me what?” Auri tilted her head.
“Guys shut up,” Naomi rolled her eyes. “Let’s not put her on blast in front of her Coven. We’ll talk about it in private.”
“Riiiiiiight,” Ruby turned to Sycamore as she took a few steps forward. “Again, it’s great to meet you all, but I figured there are a lot more of you?”
”This is who we could get on short-notice,” Adora took another slice of pizza, then watched as Kashmira put down her snacks and grabbed a slice of cheese pizza and ate it.
“Well, I would prefer to meet your entire Coven,” Ruby said. “But if you are all vital members, we can begin.”
Auri smiled at her.
“The floor is yours, friend.”
“Good,” Ruby began, “The Greenwood Coven has been around for a long time… comparatively to most of the factions that rise and then fall, we are one of the oldest. And I can accurately say that this is the most dangerous the city has been since the aftermath of...” Ruby scanned the room and noticed Adora getting very uncomfortable in her seat. She shook her head.
“... You-know-what,” Ruby paused, “I know you all had a run-in with Emily the other day, but there are far bigger fish in St. Portwell’s pond than her and her stupid goons. Something big is brewing, but I’m trying to gather allies to fight against it. I got the and the 317 on board, but here’s my issue...”
Ruby looked between the various members of Sycamore around the room before she said, “... Far as I can tell, the Sycamore Tree Coven reunited to end that string of murders, and nothing else…?”
Aislin had her lips on her bong but stopped just as she was about to light it. Nothing else? Were they really so shallow?
“Well, I mean… I’d like it to be more than that. It’s nice having everyone together again. Feels like old times…” Aislin said.
”There's a lot of personal bonds, Rubes. Ten people may not like one another, but everyones got at least one friend keeping them held on the raft. It's…-” Leon paused, trying desperately to avoid the phrase clusterfuck. ”-Well, you're no stranger to complicated things. Some people feel like Aislin, happy to be around everyone. Other people are… Probably plotting to kill the people around them out of convenience.” his eyes definitely didn't flick toward Edict as he finished.
”Some of us can’t really afford to come back fully,” Amara said. ”Some of us never left. Me, though, it’s home. That’s good enough for me, so if this lasts long enough that we’re all still standing afterwards, I’ll be here.”
Aislin smirked at Leon and Amara's responses. “Exactly. Some of us are here for more than just figuring out this murder problem… And killing each other.” She let out a laugh.
”If I’m being honest here,” Adora shrugged. ”After we solve this serial killer nonsense, a lot of us are going to cut and run. Me included.”
Aislin gave a sad look, but said nothing.
”From what I saw, it’s unlikely that we will be sticking together…” Britney also shrugged.
“That’s what I’m saying,” Ruby said to the Coven, pausing for a moment before she continued. “Right now, this alliance has the power to change things, and push the tide against the assholes like the Wolfpack, the Elite, and whenever the Nazis like Berlioz rear their head again.”
“Probably do a better job than the Feds!” Naomi laughed.
“Greenwood… We are more than willing to help you stop your killer because we do not want anything to happen to Sully,” Ruby began. “But, we want this to be a two-way road… We want some help from time to time as well.”
“Greenwood has enemies?” Aislin asked.
“8th St are our sworn rivals… but we also don’t fuck with the Elite, Wolfpack, or whatever Nazi is still out there,” Ruby answered. “And if you think they won’t bother ya’ll… trust me, they’ll find a reason…”
”Personally, I can guarantee that I will be here after the murders are solved,” Jack said. ”And I will work towards the goal of improving the state of St. Portwell, alongside whoever else is still present. So if Greenwood requires my assistance, you’ll have it.”
”Yeah, me too.” Amara grinned. ”I don’t know if I’ll be moving back, but I’m pitching the fuck in regardless. I’m in.”
”I’ll gladly help long as we’re keeping St. Portwell safe,” Britney nodded her head.
”I don’t think I need to repeat myself,” Adora shrugged.
Leon and Edict, coming off of the tiff from before, shot each other an awkward glance as everyone was proclaiming their love for St. Portwell and their desire to protect it.
”I mean, we were… Mostly born here, right? Even if not, it’s home now. We’re meant to be here to protect it and make it as beautiful as can be.” His giant arm jostled Ruby in a gentle way. ”That’s Temple One-Oh-One.”
Edict’s nose scrunched, probably trying to ward off being a further smart ass. ”It’s the Coven for me. Unfinished business. Make the haters wish they were lovers.” he finally commented, grinning as he looked around the room at his fellow Covenmates.
“I’ll assist when I can,” Auri said. “I cannot speak for the rest of my Coven, however.”
”Well Jesus, Auri, don’t sound so enthused about some help getting a killer off our back.” Leon shook his head.
”I don’t think any of us ever asked to get caught in a political mess like this,” Stormy noted. ”But we’re here now. What’s done is done, so if you’ve got our backs, then we’ve got yours.”
Aislin smiled, “Yeah. I already like Greenwood. If you were in trouble I'd come runnin’. Another alliance sounds like just what we need.”
Ruby smiled.
“Now, that’s what I want to hear,” Ruby said.
“So, the alliance is official?” Auri asked.
“Not quite,” Ruby said, “Like I said before, I want to meet your entire Coven.”
”... Trust me,” Adora shook her head, laughing under her breath. ”You don’t.”
“Awwwww, I’m sure you’re all swell people…” Ruby gave Adora a catty smirk.
Britney awkwardly tugged at her collar.
“Hopefully, we can get along,” Ruby began. “Because, all four of us together can raze the 8th Street Manor to the ground and run Emily, her scissor-sister Vashti, and her bitch-ass sisters out of town. Then, I’m going to light a fat blunt using the fire of their mansion. Like not a regular blunt, it will look like a Loony-Tune cigar. It’s going to be bigger than Leon’s dick.”
James and Naomi rolled their eyes, as Jessica laughed, throwing her arms behind her head. Aislin smacked a hand against her forehead.
”Just keep your expectations tempered, Sis. We can’t expect everyone, and if you really do, you should expect a brawl before it's over. This is probably the most level-headed that a room full of us is gonna get.” Leon offered, trying to reign both sides toward something that made a bit more practical sense.
“Yoooooooooo, broooooooooooooooooooo!” Jessica said, turning to Ruby. “We should tell them about our spy in 8th!”
“... Oh, yeah,” Ruby shrugged. “We have a spy, Malik Jakane, in 8th St. He’s been there for a while now.”
“He can feed us info!” Jessica said.
Edict’s eyes boggled out of his head. He’d long since pulled out a cigarette since the entirety of the Cypress Hill Concert showed up, and he nearly swallowed it on the inhale. ”I’m sorry, who?!” He’d been mostly keeping his mouth shut. He wasn’t feeling a tremendous amount of love at the moment - The feeling of desire to wriggle his way into the heads of others to get pictures for himself wasn’t so strong.
”Like, surely you can’t be talking about the same Jakane that’s in my head… Ain’t no way that old man is runnin’ with all of you no matter how much chiba you’re pushin’.”
“I’m not,” Ruby laughed. “You’re thinking of Malik senior.”
“We got his way hotter son!” Jessica laughed.
Edict’s face couldn’t suppress the surprise. ”O-oh… Huh…” he trailed off.
Ruby smiled, putting a hand on her hip.
“You didn't know he nutted in a woman before?” Ruby laughed.
”Is this someone we should know?” Jack asked.
“Nah,” Ruby laughed. “Well, I know Shayton - Malik Sr - was at the strip club fiasco.”
”He can teleport people away just by looking at them… That was a surprise.”
”Yeah, that’s what happens when you run in front of a bunch of unfamiliar paranormals, dumbass,” Amara said, laughing.
Edict did his best to blow it all off. ”He just… Did some work for House of Cards is all, and I guess he threw his lot in with Wolfpack. He never struck me as the biker type as a kid.”
”Anybody got anything else they want to bring up?”
Jack began tracing shapes in the air with magic.
”I don’t,” Stormy said. ”You all know where to find me if you need me.”
Leon narrowed his eyes as Jack began to fade away. ”No we don’t… Well, most of us.” Subtly, he threw up some finger guns.
“We don't got nothing else to go over,” Ruby shrugged. “So we’ll be going now.”
James grinned, as he turned towards Adora.
“... You, don’t beat the breaks off anyone else!” He said, followed by a bout of boisterous laughter.
Adora just rolled her eyes in response.
“Can we grab some pizza, brooooo?” Jessica asked Auri.
“Take as much as you like,” Auri answered.
Ruby walked over to the pizza and took two boxes. Winds appeared in the flower shop as Greenwood bunched up.
“We’ll be going now,” Ruby grinned at them. “We’re trying not to make any big moves right now but we’ll be in touch.”
The winds raged as Ruby shouted.
“Don’t be a stranger!”
Then they vanished. Aislin gave a hearty wave, watching long after they left.
”I should be leaving, as well.”
In front of Jack was a large, heavy wooden door that had appeared out of thin air, with kanji writing carved into its surface. On the other side of it was a building on a cliff, with a kaleidoscope of colors and images swirling out in the sky.
”It is a significant relief that we will have more allies, soon,” he said. ”I’m sure we can survive 8th Street’s next tantrum, now.”
Leon casually looked at his phone. ”Aw, look at that… I’ve got places to be. Adora? How about we meet tomorrow, hit the bags for a while and catch up? Unless, you think you’ll be up in a few hours. I’ll be there. You know the spot.” And with that, he was out the door and into the night again.
With everything winding down and everyone going their separate ways, Aislin finally took a light to her party bowl, holding in the smoke before she let out a fierce cough.
“Ahhh, now that's some good Zaza!” She said with a laugh, her head feeling like it was floating twenty miles high.
She quietly dismantled her bong, bagging the rest of the Zaza and throwing her bag on her shoulder. She stood there for a long, stoned moment before she turned to Adora. “Let's hang out again soon, sis. Yeahh?”
Before she smiled at Auri, gave a little salute, and slowly, painfully slowly, walked out of the flower shop, and into her car. With the tunes turned up, she headed home.
As the others were leaving, one was arriving a few minutes earlier than her agreed upon time. The bell on Auri’s door jangled as Sloane Faris entered, her head turned back to the street, watching the familiar car drive off. She turned her head forward and suddenly stopped in the threshold, her eyebrows subtly shifting in surprise. Her eyes darted towards Auri, the extra chairs, the other coven members, the leftover pizza boxes, and then back to Auri as Sloane pinched her nose to block out the skunk-like stank. The smell was so strong that it even made Sloane’s eyes start to water.
“Should I wait outside, Auri?” said Sloane, her words coming out slowly as if Sloane was reconsidering every single one, trying not to sound hurt. She stepped one foot back through the door. “I’m clearly intruding.”
Jack still hadn’t left. ”Sloane… I didn’t think you were coming at all tonight.”
“Oh no, not at all!” Auri said with a smile, then gestured to the pizza. “Help yourself!”
”... Well, this was a waste of time,” Britney whispered to Edict then shook her head. ”Let’s blow this joint, Greyson.” She grabbed his hand and gently and quietly guided him out the door.
”Could have been an e-maaaaaaail…” Edict chided as he was guided out and away from the shivering time bomb that was Sloane Faris.
”Well, it was nice, ya’ll,” Adora rolled her eyes as she grabbed a pizza box, and walked towards the door. Before she was out the door, she stopped and said, ”Thanks for the dinner!” Then she was out of the door.
Stormy and Amara followed the scent of Adora’s bootycheeks.
Jack shook his head, and shut the magic door before walking through it. It stayed there, slowly flickering with shades of purple and gold, before fading away. ”I brought water, if you’d like,” he said.
”Greenwood wants to meet the entire coven before making this official.”
“Mm, can’t wait. So nice to be involved,” said Sloane, her voice dismissively flat. She opened up a pizza box, blinked twice, and closed it without grabbing a slice. She glanced at her watch.
“This takes some time. We should probably get started,” said Sloane to Auri before giving Jack the side eye and then looking toward the door with little subtlety. “Have a good night, Jack.”
A small part of Jack felt that if Sloane had been informed of this earlier, she would’ve been disappointed anyway. Of course, he wasn’t going to say that.
”I have an artifact vault to construct,” he said. ”If anyone needs me, I’ll be tampering with reality.”
He opened the door up again, and walked through it. It snapped out of the air, and he was gone.
Auri smiled at Sloane.
“So… let’s get work, shall we?”
Interactions: None.
The Board Walk.
Jack checked his phone, 7:42 PM in Shimmer. Here in the Eleventh Path, the day didn’t end. It was always bright and sunny, but it was growing late back home. He had been occupying himself by moving books, maps, and everything else that he considered sentimental from the Shadowzone to his wing of the building. Flicking his wrist, the pericosm flickered into the likeness of a wide bookshelf, which he stacked with his collection. Chronicles of Adept history written from across the All-Verse, an anthology of history’s greatest paranormal legends, bestiaries that told of the many patterns that Apparitions followed in their manifestation, and more were placed upon the shelves; Nice and neat, organized meticulously, Jack knew he’d be here much more often than the Void.
The room was lit by the gentle glow of purple Shadowflame, as Ma Kiki had called it, giving the place an eerie feel that suited Jack perfectly. But it wasn’t enough to take away from that nagging feeling he had been plagued by since the meeting at Auri’s shop. It felt like everyone had something against Alizee but him, he had been expecting doubts, but it was obvious that she had become something of a menace in their eyes. What got to him most, though, was what Adora had said about helping her.
Did she want it?
It irritated him, that someone could just chalk it up to not wanting to be helped. Of course it was only natural that some things could not be fixed. Some things were never set in stone no matter how much was done to make them so. But they didn’t even try. Ten years, and they didn’t track her down? Why did it take this long for Auri to decide he needed to be dealt with?
Thinking about it disappointed him, just about as much as he was disappointed in himself. He might have left her to fend for herself, but they stayed. Alizee deserved better.
He stepped through a door, and returned to Shimmer on a roof. It was dark out, cloudy. No moon tonight. Jack pulled out his phone and texted Auri. This would keep him awake for days if he didn’t get to the bottom of it.
Auri, can you send me Adora’s number?
Sure thing!
Auri promptly replied.
Once he had her number, Jack called Adora. After some ringing, she answered,
””… Hello?
”Adora. It’s me, Jack,” He said. ”I know it is late, but I think we need to talk about something. Are you free right now?”
There was silence.
”… Ye-yeah, s-sure,”
”Is there anywhere in particular you prefer to meet? I can teleport there, so as not to inconvenience you.”
”… The boardwalk?” Adora answered.
”Of course. I will wait for you here,” he said, teleporting between two buildings and walking across a street.
”I’ll be there,”
He waited for her out by the ocean. He hated the ocean, it was too vast, too absolute for the liking of a man who didn’t believe in absolutes. Jack sat down on a bench, staring out at the waves and thinking of how he’d get through the conversation without making it sound hostile. Which was, in his opinion, quite difficult since he felt hostile.
But he didn’t want to alienate Adora. He didn’t want to scare her more than he already knew he did, and end up with another case of Leon where he couldn’t look her in the eye without seeing red.
So he waited.
After a little while, Adora walked up, wearing an all-white combo of hoodie, sweatpants, and some running shoes. She walked past Jack, before coming to a stop.
”… What do you need?”
”I need answers to something. I didn’t want to do this in front of the others at the meeting yesterday, but it has been on my mind since.” He turned and looked over at her.
”…What did you have against Alizee?”
Adora sighed, facepalming,
”… Is this about what I said in the flower shop?” She began. ” I didn’t mean it like- okay, I never liked the vibe of her from the jump, and I didn’t like that she dragged a kid into the fight.”
”We were all children,” he said, calmly. ”And no, it is more than that. Britney knew she was a threat, Drake knew she was, and it has been ten years. Leon said that his family have the resources to help Layla, and Alizee was with them for much longer, and they did not help her. I can’t help but notice that there is a pattern there.”
He leaned back in his seat, measuring his words carefully. ”I am going to look past what you said at the meeting, since I know she caused a great deal of trouble for us all. But you’ve been here much longer than me, what happened to her after the coven dispersed?”
”… You’re asking the wrong person,” Adora shrugged. ”I hit the door first, and the only person I had contact with since the Coven fell apart was Kari…”
”And Kari had been close to her in the old coven. She never mentioned Alizee after? That there might have been a way to help her sooner?”
Adora shrugged.
”… She never mentioned Alizee when I talked to her, but you know Kari was a sweet gal. She probably was looking for something. She just…” Adora shrugged. ”Never talked with me about it because she was probably too focused on trying to help me. And I went ahead and just pushed her away…”
”And her notes were stolen before we could find them,” He sighed. ”Meaning that even if she did have a way, we wouldn’t know… We could have helped the others who were in her situation,” He said. ”Like Luca, or… I’m getting ahead of myself.”
Jack stopped for a minute and stood up. ”I asked you and not Leon because, well, he is Leon. I don’t trust him.”
”... But, look, Jack-” Adora cut herself off with a sigh before she shook her head. She turned on her heel to face Jack. ”What is this really about? Just come out and say it. Just speak your mind already, and let’s get it over with.”
Jack turned around and hid the fact that he was caught off guard from his face. Was it that obvious?
He locked eyes with Adora, and then gave in. ”…What you said about her at the meeting, it struck a nerve,” He admitted. ”I told you I won’t hold it against you, and I will not, but why? She was not the only one of us in need of help, the only one twisted by magic. What made her so different?”
Adora hung her head, and gave it a little shake before raising it and speaking, ”Look, Jack-o, I wasn’t trying to insult you, or Alizee. I wasn’t trying to disrespect anyone. If it felt that way, I’m sorry,” Adora shook her head before saying, ”But, what made her different is obvious: it’s been ten years, and she hadn’t reached out to anyone, right? Didn’t tell anyone ‘Oh hey, can someone help me get this parasite out of my life?’ Not you? Not Blackmore? Not Britney? Not Stormy? Not Auri? Not Jinhai? Not anyone?”
Adora slapped her hand on her hip before huffing, ”At the end of the day, there is a world of difference between needing help and wanting help. Hell, it’s like the mess with that white-haired bitch. Did she ask for help at all?”
”How do you ask someone for help when they won’t let you? As I understand it, Drake had been hunting her like an animal, looking for a chance to stop her by force. Leon’s cult only used her for the Void Heart, they wanted her shackled to it,” Jack said, keeping his cool as best he could.
”Of the people who stayed behind, how many of them do you think would consider giving her the chance to ask for help?”
”Besides the obvious, I honestly don’t know,” Adora shrugged. ”I can’t speak for the girl since I was never close to her. Maybe she did deep down, but didn’t know how to act on it.” Adora sighed as she conceded, shaking her head.
”But, neither of us are Greyson. We could never know what was going on in her head. Maybe you’re right. Maybe she loved that Apparition with all of her heart. And sadly, we never can know.”
”I knew she was at least in pain, because of the Void Heart. While I was in the Void, I saw her occasionally. She had a connection to the Void like me, and through her Abstraction, I’d see scarce traces of her,” Jack said, relaxing. ”The Void Heart drove her mad, Adora. In a way that was ultimately recoverable, but mad nonetheless. We were not able to have conversations from that distance, but… Alizee suffered.”
”I’m sorry to hear that; I really am. And even though Alizee hurt people, and gave us a lot of problems to solve, I don’t think she deserved what happened to her,” Adora sighed. ”But, that raises the question…”
She stared at Jack silently. Her face was stony.
”... Did you ever offer your help?”
”Of course I did, Adora,” Jack answered, audibly exasperated. ”Weeks digging through the coven’s archives for answers, months of researching Apparitions and their bonds to the soul- Reza even wounded the Void Heart with the Noble Vow once, and that was a mild inconvenience. Alizee was in much the same condition as Luca is now.”
”Then…” Adora closed her eyes, and then sighed. ”... You got every right to feel the way you feel about what I said.” She shrugged.
”It just wasn’t my place to say it.”
He looked away, and stared out at the ocean for a brief moment. This was, to Jack’s surprise, a lot easier than he had imagined.
”I might’ve said the same thing, in your position,” He said at last, and then looked back at her. ”I forgive you.”
Adora stuck her hand out.
”... Let’s call it good, then?”
”Yes, by all means.” He stuck his out, too.
Adora shook his hand, smiling at him… awkwardly. There was silence.
”... Though, if another situation happens like with that white-haired bitch,” Adora started, ”Please try and handle that better. Let her fuck around and find out.”
”In my defense, the plan would have gone perfectly if someone hadn’t followed us into the void with a gun.”
”No, I mean,” Adora shook her head. ”Ya’ll didn’t ask her if she needed help at all. And she obviously didn’t want it if she immediately sold us out to those mafia dickheads.”
”I suppose that is fair. Point taken. She worries me, almost as much as Alizee did. Those phantoms Leon mentioned at the meeting are no different from the Void Heart. I didn’t think it could do such a thing.”
”Hell, she should be worrying all of us,” Adora shook her head. ”Maybe we can make things up to her by actually asking her if she’s okay - but I think that ship sailed, Jack-O.”
”Then what could we do?” Jack asked. ”A curse is not the same as an Apparition. Even if we had something as powerful as the Brass Needle, or a master yellow Adept, some curses are more like a chronic illness than something treatable.”
Adora laughed.
”… Well I’ll tell Stormy to get to it, then,” Adora began. ”Meantime, I’m going to talk to her. Might not go anywhere but hell if I don’t say I never tried.”
He nodded.
”I need to find the location of an artifact, while you are doing that. I may have found a possible way to unadjoin Luca to the Rot.”
”Hit me up if you need anything, Jack-O,” Adora said, as she took a few steps back towards the shore. ”I’m only a phone call away.”
Edict
Interactions: None.
Blowin' that Joint
”… Man, I can’t stand his ass.”
Britney vented out loud, crossing her arms as she sat in the passenger side seat. She huffed.
”’I ain’t the same uppity cunt I used to be’! Oh, ‘I’ll crush Father Wolf in my jaws!” When all l was trying to do is make a plan for that crazy mafia!” Britney mockingly imitated Leon’s voice, rolling her eyes. ”Like, if you could do it, you would have done it by now, motherfucker. Nobody wants to hear you meat-glaze.”
Britney rolled her eyes again, ”Hopefully, next meeting, I can bring up the subject, and we can make some headway instead of talking in circles…”
After losing his prized vehicle to poor conceptualization, Greyson had “requisitioned” a much newer and more bedecked vehicle to cruise around in. Some European brand he could barely pronounce the name of, with a flappy paddle gearbox and way too many screens. It felt cold compared to the old manual Cadillac… He was trying to distract himself by thinking about that, rather than getting into whatever Britney was complaining about.
But he couldn’t exactly ignore it. Frankly, he had a lot of money invested in Leon’s assets, and he couldn’t let anyone ruin the paper trail that kept him (and many others) clothed and fed. Not even Britney. ”Brit… You know-” he paused, thinking for a moment and trying to choose his words as carefully as possible. ”-Shit, man… Why’s this all gotta be so hard? Why can’t we just come together on something?” he frowned finally, shrugging his shoulders.
”Listen, I’ll spill the beans… Leon and I are business partners… Well, technically their whole organization is my partner; I usually deal with his Mom or Sister. But… I’ve… Taken a few of their oaths. They wanted me to do so, because I… I know where the special shit comes from. I had to take ‘em to get involved enough that I could make money off ‘em. So, regardless of anything else, I’d like to play it straight with them for the time being.” he cleared his throat upon finishing, expecting the relative silence of his own explanation to be consumed by a hellstorm.
”Wait, what?” Britney came to a stop and looked at Edict. ”... Are they those ‘mutual friends’ you spoke of that got the Cards off my ass?”
His facial expression didn’t change despite the bold faced lie that came out of it. ”Yes. Because they know what the fuck’s happening too. And they’re not gonna leave you out to dry even if you don’t like them, especially not Leon. He may be pushy, he may be a dick, but hearing what they think and how they feel about shit? Especially Ms. Lynette…” Greyson’s voice trailed off, and he cleared his throat again as a nervous tick. ”They don’t wanna end paranormal lives… They’re obsessed with people like us coming together, and being a community, ‘cuz they think some day they’re gonna restart the world. Obviously that’s a bit too far for me too, but I think we can use their proclivities to our advantage.”
”... Restart the fucking world?!” Britney scoffed. ”I thought that bitch Lynette was crazy before, but now…” She could only laugh.
”But, they shot at us, Greyson! Jack got blasted, and Auri got brained,” Britney noted out loud. ”I know you’re making money off them-” Britney suddenly stopped. She paused for a few moments before saying.
”Actually, let’s just drop this. I won’t shit on Leon or his people no more, okay?”
Greyson threw one of his hands up vaguely, sliding it across an invisible plain, trying to ward her off of that train of thought. ”Nah, like I understand that shit. I get it, and I’m not happy about it, and if you feel like you want somethin’ done about it, I’d be more than happy to get together with them and demand more. But, like, talk your shit. Cuz yeah I’d be pissed too. It ain’t gonna affect my business unless we start causing actual trouble with them, that’s all…”
He grimaced, looking a bit remorseful. Obviously he didn’t want her feeling like she couldn’t talk to him… ”It’s my turn to show you that you can really trust me with that shit.” he offered, hoping she’d take it as a chance to comment further.
”... What did you have in mind?” Britney asked with a raised eyebrow.
He shrugged. ”I mean, I really didn’t have anything, besides being willing and open to listen to you, and to keep your secrets as your man, you know? But, obviously I’m down for anything for you. You want me to make things tough on ‘em, I’ll do it.” Greyson offered with a great deal of sincerity. ”Ain’t no “your problem my problem” shit, right? They’ our problems.”
”Look, it’s just not my place to intrude on your business like that,” Britney said with a sigh. ”I knew what you were into from the jump - so...”
She threw her hands up with a shrug, ”... That’s on me. Not you. You don’t have to make anything tough on them. I just don’t like them.”
Greyson shrugged his shoulder, reaching a hand out and placing it on Britney’s thigh. His face screamed sympathy. ”I’d like for them to be gone… First chance I get. Just… I doubt it’ll be until after this fucking Father Wolf shit, man… Like, this morning. Kenshiro had the balls to insinuate it was your fault? It makes moving and maneuvering hard on all of us.” He shook his head, frustrated by the situation as it stood. ”But, whatever. ‘Least I got you for now, huh? And we can bitch at each other like old times.”
Pointing at the glovebox subtly, he wagged his eyebrows. ”There’s a cigarette case in there with some joints rolled up… You wanna just cruise wit’cha boy?”
Britney gave him a devious grin.
”Ooooooooh boy, you bad!” Britney feigned shock as she opened it up, and pulled out the case. ”I hope you learned how to roll joints because, like ten years ago, you couldn’t roll for your life; I’m sorry.”
She laughed as she opened it up. ”So, are we going to roll back to my house, or are we just gonna pull over? I mean, you’re just gonna mind-blast any cop that appears...” She shrugged.
”Would like to at least avoid that.” She said as she rolled her eyes.
He laughed loudly. Of course she wasn’t gonna have him driving and smoking, no matter how much of a problem it probably wouldn’t have been. ”Of course we’ll pull over… You put on your music, we’ll hit a nice spot out in the hills. You can tell me ‘bout all the life I missed while we blow a little smoke.” Greyson’s eyebrows raised again, his face staying cool and neutral otherwise; trying to be nonchalant about it as possible.
”And yeah, I’ve had a bit of practice. I can do it one-handed too.”
Jack walked through the woods, taking his time as his eyes scanned across the old trees. It was familiar wilderness, with an early evening sky overhead with just the right amount of clouds to be comfortable. The beaten path he followed was one that he had used many times as a kid as a meeting place for other members of the coven. It led to the old “neutral ground” of Mellon Collie hill. Just a few days ago, he came here with Britney to discuss plans for helping Luca. But now, he had a plan that he could act on. Jack walked past the stone altar, and into the old temple behind it. Jack would’ve simply teleported here to arrive earlier, but he had a feeling that 8th Street- or heaven forbid, the PRA- would keep a closer eye on the Sycamore in the near future. And they would likely expect him to teleport here immediately rather than make the trip on foot.
He stepped through the entrance of the temple, and his footsteps echoed off the old stone walls. This was where he had planned to meet Kenshiro, to get their operations underway. The coven’s members were busy, and they could look after themselves for now. This place was familiar to them both, they knew where to go if they needed to hide, in the eventuality that purple Lux failed them. They’d need the seclusion this temple offered.
Ken intended to be tremendously busy with the hunt for Kari now ablaze in his heart. He’d found new motivation to keep up, and to match the energy of his peers. Chief among them was Jack Hawthorne, who had made an initial agreement with him to begin the classic hunt for power: The Artifact Snatch-and-Grab.
It’d been a long time since he’d bothered to come to Mellon Collie Hill, and whether or not it was a reasonable place to start their work together, he wasn’t so sure. It’d been quite the popular place in their youth, and he worried that it may not be as abandoned as they said. However, as he ascended the pathway, Jack would’ve been bidden by the familiar sound of croaking that echoed on and on until he ultimately knew he was no longer alone.
Within the run down temple, hundreds of tiny tree frogs stared up at Jack. Their united croaking ceased, and Ken was broken from his meditation. "You… Walked? Is there something wrong, or are you just feeling under the weather?” he looked up, surrounded still by every amphibian the forest around them could muster up from hibernation.
”I thought I’d surprise anyone who might be spying on us,” Jack leaned back against the wall, looking around at all the familiar toads of the Emperor’s dynasty. ”We can’t be predictable, right now.”
Especially if they were going through with this. ”We have the entire day to make progress on this. I’m surprised we haven’t tried to do this sooner.”
Ken nodded, lifting himself up to stand before getting close to Jack and embracing him. "I know you don't hug, but I certainly needed one.” He cleared his throat, thinking about their coming goal.
Pocket Realm Manipulation. Of course it was a Purple Lux technique, and the entire premise of the Ten Sage's Pathways. It was the same kind of magic that allowed him to make a hole in Kari's basement wall into a secret lockbox. But unlike Jack, Ken's strictly regimented list of spells meant actual magical improvisation had to be left to the more creative Adepts.
Just like Jack. As Ken pulled away, he patted his kindred brother's shoulder and nodded. "Lynn Serenelight says Kari's still alive. I believe her, and it gets my blood warm just thinking about it.” He grinned.
"So, whatever this takes. For her, and the chance I may see her again.” Only, for what they had planned, Ken had no bright ideas. He would just assume base them directly in another Realm. But Jack had seen more of the spaghetti between worlds. He knew what the insulation and the inner walls looked like.
"For now, I'm your horse. Though, I brought-” From under his hoodie, he produced a tanto blade with its sheath. The thing looked ancient, far beyond old, and even without examining it closely, one could feel the radiating power.
Ken flashed the blade with Gold Lux, and for a split second, the Great Toad Emperor stood with them. His eyes crossed over Jack, and he gave a deep, approving croak. "-Tennogama! When I spoke of your plan, he offered a fraction of his primal energy to convert into Lux. In case we need a bit more oomph.” he grinned.
Jack gently bowed his head in the direction of the Toad Emperor, grateful for the assistance. ”The three of us on one task, this will be a sight to see once we are finished.” He reached into the inner pockets of his coat, and withdrew his channeler, a literal spellbook. ”This is, on principle, a simple thing. We are carving through the bounds of existence, establishing substance in a place where substance was not found.”
He flipped through the pages, looking for one specific section. ”But the difficulty lies in the complex nature of creating a pocket reality,” he continued. ”We are navigating a blank canvas. As with any spell created by any Adept, we’ll be investing time and energy to establish this realm. Firstly, we must secure the medium with which we will mold our creation. And for that, I will supply us both with the proverbial soil of the All-Verse, spacetime itself.”
Ken nodded, listening to the principles. He’d manipulated the Paths; but if it was as Jack said, he quickly gleaned some base insight into the process that the great Sage had gone through so many thousands of years ago. The bending and twisting of Spacetime, the manipulation of the very building blocks around them. He stared down at the book, then back at Jack.
"Well, Telekinetic Principle works in the same basic vein as Gravity… Are you thinking, like, Black Holes? Or…-” he questioned, this new method of thinking filling his mind slowly.
”In a way, yes,” Jack nodded. ”Thing of space- Matter and reality itself- as clay. The All-Verse is a work of masterfully crafted art, in that sense. But it was nonetheless created with something of substance. Only the substance, for our purpose, is the very axiom that allows us to be. We are taking that clay from a place where it remains malleable, between the seams of every realm in the All-Verse.”
Ken’s brow furrowed as Jack seemed to dance around the ideas until it was finally fleshed out. "So you’re telling me we’re going to carve a hole in some expanding sealant foam?” he asked with a grin. "Sure, fine. I’m almost certain there’s a hundred blasphemes against this type of thing in the Pathwalker’s Oath, but my wife died and the Council of Ten laughed at me. So, I think the days of oaths to my people are over.”
Jack would be able to feel the Purple Lux slowly gathering around Ken as it began to pool and saturate the area around him. Raw anticipation. "So, how do we start?”
”This is how we start.”
Jack faced the stone walls of the temple, and drew a black circle with his magic, which expanded into the portal of his Voidwalk spell. ”To make this doorway into the Void, I reach through the All-Verse and peel away every single layer, creating a hole through all conceivable reality. The “clay,” or the foam, in our analogy, is being pulled away to form a gap.” He reached through the inky black portal with one hand, and pulled against the edge between reality and total nothingness. It was like grabbing the edge of an open window, the ledge of a tall building.
”So, rather than part the waters, I propose we harvest the spacetime that bleeds between the realms. Like gathering brush from the forest, or shells from a beach.”
Ken stared, trying to wrap his relatively simple mind around the concepts that Jack was trying to teach. His grimace was accompanied by a motion toward his pocket, from which he pulled a single gold coin. "So you mean to tell me-”
He dropped the coin, and as if it were gripped by a machine, it slipped into the corner of nothingness. Bubbling Purple Lux gave solid form to a small wooden windowpane covered by a wood hatch. He pushed the hatch open, feeling the other side of the Paths rushing back toward him. Having never bothered to look at the absolute bleeding edge of one of these little portals, he was surprised to see the same bleeding, leaking essence at the wooden-slatted edges.
Ken’s eyes widened. "There’s… There’s no way…” His hand gripped the wooden edge. This entire time, he believed that the actual structural parts of these safe boxes were just for show. It didn’t take much effort to crush and rip it away, revealing the roughly hewn edge of the little portal absolutely gushing with the Stuff Between. "Oh my God! He was… He was awful at making portals!? So he… He enchanted wood! To keep it from bleeding out!” he barked.
”So it would seem,” Jack said, feeling around between the layers of reality. ”There is no formal term for “essence of all that ever existed,” but it has a way of stabilizing. Perhaps the old master of your spells simply used enchanted wood to prevent leakages. Here, on the bleeding edge of cosmology, things become unpredictable.”
He wasn’t personally experienced in this sort of realm-based magic. Jack was trying to grab something that was fundamentally formless. Water was fluid and air was malleable, but to hold sheer reality in his hands felt like trying to hold a slippery animal.
”This is why I feel we will need to create a joint spell for our goal. I know what to do, but you have the knowledge of other pocket realms already.”
Ken wasn’t entirely impressed, at least not by what he saw of the Sage’s work. He was a farmer by trade, but farming was a lot more than just tilling some dirt and spreading seeds. No, he’d learned enough to trap his own Caches. He’d opened portals into the Paths without opening any premade portal. He’d done it for Her. And it wasn’t so shoddy. "If it’s liquid, can it be…” He did his best to telekinetically manipulate some of the material, but it wasn’t easy. Even if it was a little more effective than a normal hand or Jack’s phantom hand, it was still only so much better. The stuff seemed to leak from holes that didn’t exist.
But it was fun to play with. "Alright… Fine. What kind of spell? What’s it take to organize this shit?”
Jack blinked slowly, feeling the way the Bull’s work flowed and stretched. ”This is the domain of purple Lux. We are creating a realm that we would open a gateway into. Just as you do with the Paths, and I with the Void. Using what is already present is a shortcut, but it means we will be carving a space out through it, and rearranging it to our liking. So we will need to work our spell into that, shaping the structure of reality on a localized level.”
Ken would be able to feel Jack’s Lux surging around them as he violently ripped something from the edge of the Void portal. A strange fluid with a lilac tint to it, that drifted through the air and faded away as it made contact with Shimmer.
”Hmm. Easier said than done, I will admit,” He said, allowing the portal to close.
"Well, it’s… Elemental, isn’t it? Have you tried your Aka?” Mura, Aka, Ao, Kin… Ken still called the Luxes by what he was taught, and their “true names” as far as he was concerned. "I would imagine the Kin uses something similar to make a temporary passage for the souls and spirits. It’s the math, I fear, that escapes me. Or, in so much that this shit is math, I mean…”
Ken looked a bit deeper at Jack’s book. It certainly wasn’t math. But his train of thought was cut by a deep, throaty intonation. "Eat it.” "Sensei, I hate to say so but that’s almost always your first answer.” Ken retorted to the spirit of the great Toad Emperor, whose wispy form still stared from among his throne of frogs and toads. "It is what we are. But, this is the Gama way.”
Jack thought about that for a second. Eat it…
”Emperor… In your empire of toads, do you have builders that can construct things of this scale? Kenshiro and I could infuse the material with our Lux, and provide it to them to process,” Jack said. ”And we could instruct them, so they can assist us in constructing this Path.”
Tennogama’s unopening eyes seemed to shift in their ethereal sockets for a moment. Small slits split the lids, and a deep inhale seemed to suck all the moisture around them out of the air. It was uncharacteristically warm due to the Great Beast Lord’s presence, but as his chest reached its apex, it was cold around them again. The exhale was like being shoved into a sauna. The opposite, warm dampness filled the area once more, creating such steam outside his radius that it looked like an industrial machine was running atop Mellon Collie Hill.
"Kenshiro…” Ken tensed slightly. "Sensei?” "He doesn’t know?” "Jack has been away longer than I have.”
Ken’s face was a little sad. "Lord Tennogama has… Issues. Well, really, we both do. See, I told you about what happened to my Clan. My people, my… Wife…” He cleared his throat. "But I left out the part about the curse. The Lord of Fiends knew I would attempt to claim Tennogama. And for touching the sacred blade, I was cursed. Now, using Kin is dangerous for me past a certain level. And using a great deal of it here puts Lord Tennogama at risk.”
A look of concern spread over Jack’s face. ”…I had no idea.”
A throaty croak came from Tennogama, and a slight shifting in his throne. "You ask of us, Jack Hawthorne, to risk invasion. To put our lives at risk, and the six thousand year bond.” Speaking in the tongues of the Shimmer was strenuous, incredibly. It was the presence of thought to project his thoughts into a completely different mindstate before being able to speak that put the most tension on the system. "But I cannot deny that, in my own hubris, I wish to see the work of my Builders be done in this world, and the Spaces Between. And your Nin is the correct shade.”
Ken’s eyebrows raised high, and he shot a look back at the great Toad. "N-nani?” Tennogama cleared his massive throat and smacked its lips… And then, for once, it laughed. It wasn’t loud or long, but Ken felt it rattle through his chest. "I shall grant you my strength, Kenshiro. And should we need to fight over this decision, we will do so together. A King must stretch his legs.”
Ken’s eyes were ablaze with excitement and anticipation. The influx of Purple Lux from his body was palpable. "A-alright! What do we need!?” "What we all desire: A contract.”
”I will not ask you to risk your well-being without meeting you halfway,” Jack said. ”If this Lord of Fiends intercepts us while we make progress, then they will have to go through me if they wish to harm you, or your Builders.”
Ken and Tennogama nodded in unison. "I knew you would, Jack.” There was an old, half rotted table. With the tanto in his hand, he began to carve the ancient kanji into the wood. At first it was just a few symbols, but like all scroll work, each board became more thickly filled with text. "A lot of this is just clerical work. Wording things the right way so they don’t feel as though they’re being cheated or slighted. There are benefits they get from doing work like this on the other side, so it all needs to be detailed clearly.”
"For jobs like this, it isn’t money. It’s usually miracles. Wishes granted. Favor. Specifically, another period of long term placement in a particularly wealthy Temple. With a final flourish, Ken pulled the dagger away and lifted the wood table up to place it against a wall. Like a door. Sheathing the knife, Ken’s head nodded toward it. "I haven’t had the chance to do this.” "And so, I am with you both. Kenshiro, please-”
Kenshiro sheathed the Tanto, and at once the image of Tennogama was gone. "Alright, so y’know how when we summon the Moonfoot? How you make the shadow happen and they, like, grow out of the surface like mushrooms?” he asked. "This isn’t gonna be that. First, it’s gonna be all Murasaki… Purple… Because we need to send the contract. It’s kind of the easy part? Just focus on my signal, and push as much purple into it as you can.”
”Of course.” Black smoke curled off of Jack’s palms, filled with the power of his magic as he awaited the signal.
Ken stood in front of Jack, adjusting the man’s posture to match his before nodding to confirm. He lifted his arm, his Lux curling around the Contract and slowly lifting it into the air. It would give Jack a clear target to focus his own energy on.
Jack pointed both hands in the direction of the Contract, and funneled the black energy forward as indicated by his friend’s work. He let it flow like water from a fire hose, content to give as much as was needed.
As the energy flowed, the feed between Ken and Jack became like a unified stream. That stream became a river, and boiled over into a torrent of purple. All at once, the contract disappeared from view. Just pure gone. Like it’d never even been.
Ken released the control, and the whole thing washed out into nothing, save for a tiny pinprick in reality. He took a deep breath. "Alright. Easy part over. Tennogama has transplaced the tablet. Now, uh… I’d muster up. Because chances are we’re only gonna have a couple of minutes after the summon before there’s something big and gross to deal with.”
Ken personally stepped away for a moment as he held tight to the Tanto containing Tennogama. Gold Lux slowly began to surge at his hands, filling the blade. There was the faint sound of drums. Purple began to crawl through the pure gold, filling the grip and the sheath, and altogether there was a burst. Louder drums, the sound of a Kabuki singer. Ken’s clothing rippled and his hood flew up as his energy commingled with the essence of Tennogama.
Turning back to face his friend, it was clear that Ken had done more than combine their energy; his eyes were big, wide opened toad eyes of a deep gold with purple lights flashing within. His face had grown wider, body slightly thicker. He smiled, and released a deep croak from inside his body. ”What do you think? The Emperor’s Tanto… Another kind of harmony.” his voice was different as well, deeper and more rumbling like Tennogama’s was.
”Impressive,” Jack grinned, raising a hand to manifest his scythe from the dark. ”Let the Fiends come, and the three of us will cut them down.”
The shadows curled into thin wisps of smoke at the edges of their vision, red Lux permeating the air along with purple and gold. This dim temple was the perfect place for him to stage a fight like this. And he was ready.
Motioning for Jack to meet him in the center, he squared up into a sheath-slash stance. In his hand, he held the Emperor’s Tanto at the ready. ”Alright. Match my pose, then feed your energy into the Tanto. Focus on the anticipation of our… New free digs.” he grinned widely.
Jack did as he was told, walking up to Ken and holding out a hand just before the Tanto. His Lux fumed out and into the blade, as he put his mind to the task. Their work was beginning, he could feel it in the air, and channeled that to light the fuse.
”So it shall be.”
As Jack channeled himself into the blade, Ken’s headband tied to his arm beneath his sleeve seared red hot on his flesh. There was a searing noise, and the scent of meat cooking, the Gold Lux bubbling out from his being passing through the Curse of Natural Order. It sent ripples through existence and the fabric of it, and every place between where the beasts and creatures of Dark Order lurked.
An ancient evil stirred.
With so much energy traveling into the blade, Ken’s form and figure swelled up until he could barely maintain his posture. The sheer effort had him grunting in pain as the curse damaged his body and stole his own personal vitality. But it was to be given and filtered back through Tennogama, his primal form converting Lux back into his own Amphibious magic. Energy pulsed from the duo, threatening to bring the ancient walls down from their stone foundations, and for every moment they pushed themselves further, the drums of the summoning became louder in their ears.
[color=7b81b3][b]”Al-r-ight… Draw with me! One swift motion. Ah?!”[/color] he grunted at the end as if asking Jack’s assurance. But he didn’t wait for an answer. Four hands all pulled in unison against the tanto’s grip. Only, a tanto isn’t what was pulled out. Much like Ken’s own preferred blade, the Emperor’s Tanto continued to unsheath itself long after it should’ve been over. The blade had to be six feet long, and as its tip split the air, so too did it split the reality before them.
Shredding paper wasn’t the apt noise. It was like an explosion ripping through a tank, the noise and force that occurred from the moment of the spell’s casting causing every bit of dust remaining to leap into the air. They were both still holding onto the sword, but Ken’s clammy hands patted Jack’s, his breath heavy and slightly ragged from the strain and effort. Then he pulled away.
Before them was a portal. At twelve feet wide and eight high, the box was a perfect window between their world and the world of the Toad Emperor. Ken couldn’t help but stare longingly at its grandeur, Tennogama’s memories mixing with his for the moment. Standing there, on the other side, were figures who looked to be in a great rush. A wooden bridge rolled out from Gama, slapping onto the wooden floor in Shimmer. Two small frogs with wooden mallets leapt through after it, hitting the floor of the temple and staking the ends of the bridge directly through the wood. In unison, their bodies swung forward, the weight of their mallets swinging them into the air to perch upon.
From within, various sized and shaped amphibians from the Realm of Gama began to shuffle through. They had a bevy of construction tools and materials, different supplies necessary for whatever they may need. Among them, dressed in a beautiful satin blue kimono and sat upon a palanquin carried by four Pacman Frogs, a little Salamander priestess sat. Not the typical priestess, this one’s wig was massive, and rather than the usual face paint and gentle styling, she smoked a pipe and had sunglasses on.
As she made it out into the room, the frogs brought her directly to Ken and Jack. Her little frame stood up and bowed to them both. ”Ma Kiki, my Lord. At your service. Your contract was explicit about your requirements: My men are used to dangerous conditions. You protect, and we work.”
Jack returned the bow, unsure if it was expected or not for one to be formal towards the Salamanders as one would Gama royalty. ”We will provide protection and an ample supply of material as your workers deem necessary,” He said, holding his scythe upright against the floor. ”The danger is soon upon us, and we stand ready to uphold our end of the Contract.”
”Indeed… I can feel it. Kiki, please, secure the temple here as best you can for your men, and we’ll lead the beast as far away as our summoning will allow us.” ”Ma Kiki is no wallflower! You will remain where I can assist you, and not ask questions!” the feisty Salamander barked, a jet of flame shooting from her mouth. ”This is for the honor of our God Emperor, and the Gama Pact! We’ll do what needs to be done and nothing less!”
Ken put his hands up as if he were being admonished by his mother. ”Well, you heard her, Jack.”
He nodded, nothing more needed to be said about that.
As the boisterous Salamander Priestess began to bark out orders to her followers in their native tongue, there was a streak that flashed in the sky. ”A cool thing? Since there’s a Greater Fiend on the horizon, the curse can’t actually pull any more Kin from me. So, with Tennogama giving me help, I can use it freely like I use-”
The streak in the sky seemed to be getting closer and closer, hurtling toward them like a smart missile locked onto a target. The eerie shades of blue and purple and pink it made gave Ken a good idea about what exactly was coming. The Fiends seemed to be somewhat disparate groups, each discipline taking on something of a different appearance. He judged it by its own entrance into this world, from whence it came and what it did when it first arrived.
”A Phoenix!?”
All at once, the streak of light broke apart into a million different pieces, and they were all hurtling down toward the earth. Toward them.
”That is your Curse?” Jack asked, raising his weapon aloft and pulling the shadows inwards. A phoenix implied light, and he could play tricks on a creature of light.
”If they have an army, what do you suggest we counter them with? Moonfoots? Path warfare?” He looked into the sky and memorized the dispersal pattern of the falling debris, knowing they’d likely be surrounded.
Classically, he had to regain form. Ken let the massive blade slip back into the tiny sheath bit by bit. ”I’ll be honest with you, Brother; Usually if I find one of these? I run.” His legs split wide open, his torso getting as low to the ground as he could get without breaking his sheathed stance. With a swift twist, the entire blade flicked out from its sheath. The boards beneath Ken’s feet shattered from the weight.
The roof of the temple, or what was left of it, blew off the frame with a loud clamor as the shockwave erupted from the tip of the blade. The many lights continued to scream down toward them, but a pattern among the light wavered and pulled off out of the storm. His golden eyes, enhanced with the sense of Tennogama, tracked the massive bird through the illusory flames.
”Ah! It’s a screen! Jack, they’re not real, the-” A massive beak ripped through space and time, leaving a gash in reality as it tried to peck at them with its massive tooth-filled beak.
Jack lunged for Kenshiro, enveloping both of them in a swirling cloak of darkness, and quickly Gloomy Stepped them both out of the temple, roughly a hundred feet from the stone altar outside.
It got them away from the phoenix, but it left the toads defenseless. ”If we keep its attention long enough, then what?! Will it tire of chasing you?!”
As he asked this, he picked up a rock with his shadowy hand, and hurled it with blinding speed in the direction of the Phoenix to alert it to their presence. It was like a baseball being thrown by an Olympic athlete, uncharacteristically strong for someone like Jack.
”No chance, my Brother! It dies, or we cross into another realm and hope to trap it in the confusion! And today? I’d like to say we slayed it like warriors!”
The Phoenix’s trajectory spun immediately. It looked like it was flying, like it was trying to fly from an unfathomable distance toward them. But, if it was, it was so far away and moving so slowly that it certainly wasn’t making any quick progress. Ken stared up, watching the rock hurdle toward it only for it to pass through some kind of shimmering barrier and disappear. ”The beast obfuscates its position! It wishes for us to be confused and caught off guard!”
He pointed up to the sky. ”I think… We need to take the fight-” The creature’s proclivity for the creation of snapping portals gave it a great deal of effectiveness when fighting at a range. It could stay as far away, or as close as it could get, and rattle off spells and physical attacks from impossible angles. Ken barely managed to block the talon strike that forced itself through reality, the massive sword radiating an incredible noise as it smashed against the sharpened claw. ”Grab it!”
Jack leapt forward, grabbing onto the beast’s claw with his magic hand. His fingers sunk deep into it, changing shape such that if the Phoenix wanted to shake him off, it would need to rip its claw out.
”I have it!” He shouted, swinging the scythe overhead and down into the closest thing to a leg that he could.
The beast screamed on the other side of the portal, promptly closing it and letting the limb be severed in return. It withered away almost instantly, crumbling to ash that floated into the air around them. ”Damn damn! Damn it all! Fuck this bird!”
There was a strong burst of Purple Lux that engulfed Jack. Ken’s voice wobbled through the TK field. ”Baseball, take two! Be careful, and steer with your hands! As Ken pressed himself in a low squat, the bubble holding Jack began to rotate faster and faster, orbiting around Ken until he became a blur in the center of an otherwise gyro-stabilized orb of high pressure energy.
”What in the-“
Then, all at once, Jack was launched at an incredible speed high into the air. As he was, Ken took off behind him like a rocket blast. He surged ahead of Jack’s sphere, gripping it with his magic and using the even more extreme force to slingshot him into the sky at a greater speed. The two of them broke the sound barrier within moments, yet the bird seemed no closer to them.
The illusion of a never ending hallway stretched out before the two high speed magic missiles. Reality collapsed around them on all sides, the endless void of space peeling away to stretch reality far into the sky. It was like being in between the fold of a wormhole.
He wasn’t accustomed to flying, but this was incredible. Jack felt like he was being flung through a thousand different doors, chasing behind the creature alongside Ken. But the Phoenix was faster than them. Damn.
Jack studied the illusion they were passing through. If this was a real hallway, they may have been in another dimension right now. But if this was just fake, they were probably flying through the air and away from the Hill. They needed a way to get out ahead of this. If they were just in an illusion, Jack couldn’t teleport. But if he let Kenshiro take the wheel…
”Take over!” He shouted. ”I have a solution!” Jack began to draw a Void portal out in front of himself and Kenshiro, focusing on where to put the entrance more than the exit.
Kenshiro pulled out in front of Jack just as the Cursefire was starting to rain down. Not just down, however, but from their sides as well, as the molten balls of blue flames rocketed at them at high speeds. He used strong bursts of TK to push them both out of the way of incoming projectiles, occasionally having to dodge one that was coming from behind them as it circled back along its path.
A dozen of them collapsed in tandem, forcing Ken to break momentum slightly. With the empowered Emperor’s Tanto, he spun around Jack like a whirlwind to split the spheres as they surged toward them. A small flame clipped Ken’s shoulder, instantly boring a hole through the layers of cloth, skin, flesh and bone until it burst from the other side like a bullet. He grunted at the pain, but by the will of Tennogama, he pushed through the pain to align Jack for the perfect spot.
Jack’s focus was unshaken by the chaos happening around him, and he reached through the All-Verse to cut open a path. A black portal opened in front of them both, swallowing them whole and whisking them away into an endless ocean of dark nothingness. They had crossed over into the Void.
And just as soon as the two of them left the All-Verse, they were shunted back into it through another portal, the Void itself nothing more than a frame in a scene. Only this time, they were traveling in the opposite direction, in front of the phoenix and towards it.
”NOW!”
The giant bird’s freakish face registered shock and horror as the two of them collided with it like two cannonballs hitting a wall of sand. It’s unnatural physiology and incredible durability caused it to ragdoll about its personal space in the same way a pinball gets caught in a bouncing hazard.
Ken couldn’t fully control it, but still he reared back as all the momentum bled off into the impact. ”I need speed portals! Underneath me!” Ken threw a few hand signs across his chest, and as he lashed forward there was a great golden frog’s tongue that snapped from his mouth. It grabbed the oversized chicken around it’s neck, crushing it tight. As it tried to teleport away, a backlash of Purple Lux kept it from going anywhere.
The tongue dragged him back to the bird at breakneck speed, and he did his best to hold it for what could only be described as the greatest piledriver of all time.
Jack ripped open another set of portals, under both of them for a quick escape.
”Move, now!”
Ken held tight to the bird’s neck. There was a great, howling screech that echoed from the Fiend as the portal collapsed. Ma Kiki could feel the Gama Pact in her veins as she waited for the Emperor and his companion to return. So long as her heart still beat, and her connection to the other side was strong, she was sure that her God was still out there somewhere in that dense woodland. Last she saw, they were in the sky, and she was cursing with all her fury as they left her out of the fight.
She wasn’t frail. She wasn’t a wallflower. She was the great and powerful Ma Kiki, and she expected to be treated as such. “Ma? The entryway is complete!” ”So? Did you stop?” “N-no Ma!” ”Then keep bloody building! I don’t think the contract has ended yet, do you?” There was a loud popping noise as the signal to the Pactholder grew stronger. Ken’s audio signature as he flung himself and his companion through the sky. Though their trophy had mostly burned away, the young warrior clung to a single shimmering feather that managed to linger on after the Phoenix’s demise.
He settled himself and Jack in a joint bubble, having given them both time to talk about the beast and what they’d do next. Now they were touching down outside the ancient structure, and both came to a gentle landing. Ken had returned to normal, and other than looking exhausted he showed no signs of lingering damage. The hole in his shoulder had already been cauterized by the flame that caused it.
Ma Kiki ran out the front door, her short stature making her anything but threatening despite the fire spitting from her lips in a very literal sense. ”You boys! You heard what I said before, right!? Stick with me and you’ll be safe! But nooooooooo, y’all had to get fancy immediately! Damn you both? What if something were to happen to you, Pactkeeper!? Or worse, our Lord!?”
She gripped Ken’s pant leg. ”Get down here, young man, and let me fix your damn shoulder… That’s a Cursefire burn!” "Well, we did it regardless… So, you guys are free to keep working as long as we have you.” The steely salamander priestess eyed Ken with big, dark eyes. Then those same eyes turned over to Jack. ”Was it… Fun?” she asked quietly, her tongue smacking against her lips in anticipation.
”That depends on if your definition of “fun” includes banishing yourself in and out of reality just to keep pace with spatial tunnels.”
Jack wasn’t any less worse for wear than Ken, but his eyes were a pair of murky, dark orbs rather than their usual appearance. He was mostly blind, having used his red Lux extensively to wound the beast.
”It certainly was not dull.”
The little salamander woman spouted off in ancient Japanese for a solid forty-five seconds as her hands worked the meat of Ken’s arm like puddy. Every little bit of flesh filled back in with a great, agonizing pain to accompany it.
”Baaah, I am jealous! So jealous… Kenshiro-saaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!” Her little hands started smacking his shoulder, and he laughed.
"Enough, enough… What work’s been done?” Kiki finally pulled away, a slight dejection on her face. She took them back up the steps and back toward the board. The same table top that had been their contract had been carved into a door with black metal enforcements.
”You’re both attuned to the door, since both of you contributed your Nin. It’s not static to this location; you want to move the door, simply grab it by both sides with your energy, and you will be able to move it. Is that understood?
Out of curiosity, Jack reached forward and channeled his purple Lux, and sure enough, a heavy metal door snapped into existence before them.
”…Excellent.” He grinned, feeling pleased with this work.
”Now, to open it, you'll provide a personalized passcode. It's complex, it's individualized, it's a passcode that cannot be taken from your brain because even you won't actually know what it is. Simply put, the door has a whitelist and a blacklist, and we're responsible for it! The weight of Me-Gama City could collapse around our temple, but your citadel's security is insured!
Ken nodded for a long set of seconds before his face turned between Jack and Kiki with some confusion. "So… Are you actually gonna tell us how t-”
”It's. A. Fucking. Door. You push? It opens. Someone else pushes, it's not there. Simple enough!?” Ken grimaced. "Why talk about pa-”
A little pink portal opened up, and Kiki shoved her little fist through it to clock Ken in the jaw. ”Do you want to know how it works or *not*!? Hey, Gloomy…-” she yapped upward at Jack. ”-Do the honors, would'ja? So Dickhead over here quits interruptin’ me!”
Jack nodded, not fully able to see where Ma Kiki even was, and swung the magical door open.
He then stepped inside to take in the scene around him. It was difficult to appreciate everything, his eyesight being what it is for the moment. Everything looked like a late evening to him, but he saw he was standing atop a cliff, before the entrance to a building constructed like an old Japanese estate. He stood on the steps, and to his right was a wall of banded rock draped in lush ivy. And brush from overhanging trees. Down the steps, he saw the pathway away from this building, but it was difficult to make out what was at the end.
Warm air, fit for amphibians of the Toad Empire to frolic and thrive.
He looked into the blue sky above, and saw everything. The All-Verse was above him, splayed out before their space like an aurora, universes blurring together on a canvas of watercolor. He could not see Shimmer, but Jack knew it was somewhere up there, beyond this gap between the breadth of creation.
It was beautiful, even to his hindered sight.
”This- This is incredible. Pocket realms of this size take months of tireless time and energy to create. But your men have done it in a day. The Toad Emperor chooses his Priesthood well.”
Ma Kiki stepped forward, her blue kimono a flash of color among the green and gray. Ken made his way in front of them, walking completely upside down on essentially nothingness.
”This is crazy. Look, Jack, I can no-clip.” As he said that, his feet moved forward and “up” as if he were ascending an upside-down set of stairs pointed toward Hell.
One, two, three steps of ascension and Ken's head went through the stone of the ground. As he reversed his motion, his head re-emerged from the floor, and he had a wide smile. "So cooooooool!”
Ma Kiki scoffed at the shenanigans, shaking her head while trying to focus on Jack. ”Few among you have mastered the art of Inceptual Growth. Is it so hard to imagine that the space here isn't so big? You're deceived by the scale.” she attempted to weakly explain.
”Ah, I see,” He realized. ”This space is built as a tesseract, and we are only perceiving the center?”
Ma Kiki simply nodded, stepping forward and onward toward the Estate. ”Mostly. But, the structure repeats. So, it's got plenty of room for expansion without putting extra strain on the Algebraic Warding.
Jack nodded. ”Expansion will be easy, we only need to saturate the cosmoplasm and parallel it to the foundation.” He was saying that just to fuck with Ken, it meant absolutely nothing.
The enigmatic salamander woman crooned slightly, the long thin cigarette holder fixed between her lips dipping down. ”Indeed… And because of our work along the Stellar Marbling, you’ll not be finding any cosmoplasm leakage or shoddy craftsmanship.” Either Jack had unwittingly intuited celestial pocket dimension theory, or she was in on it.
The inflection that carried her comment along was so flat and cold that there was no question in Ken’s mind that it was the same phenomena he’d experienced when pulling the wood away from the portal previously. "Oh! Like the stuff that Sage Kai tried to cover up with his carpentry!”
Ma Kiki’s fist slammed down against an invisible force, smashing it like one would smash their hand off of a desk. Simultaneously, a burst of energy crackled around Ken’s head, clobbering him. "Heyyyy! What did I say!?” he groaned, rubbing his head in pain.
”Feeble of mind… The Gods blessed you with a hearty constitution for no reason beyond your brain being made half of mush!” There was a pause, and a small chuckle left her mouth along with a puff of smoke. Kiki’s weathered face turned up toward Jack, and a genuine smile formed. ”You’re a funny one… Maybe one day you’ll come to Gama, and we’ll teach you the ways.”
”Perhaps,” Jack acknowledged. ”But we have business that demands our attention. We cannot be away for long, not until the murder of our coven is behind us.”
Ma Kiki waved him off. At the same time, a portal opened from her hand to the top of Jack’s head. She patted him gently for a moment. ”That… Was the point of one day, my blunted friend. Oh, you young ones…”
As she pulled away, the doors to the structure opened wide. The crew -covered in sweat and slicked in the essence of creation as it splattered across their uniforms to make universes for the brief time between work and wash- carried their tools from the platform down to meet the two tenants. Hitting the bottom step, they bowed in unison before their Boss and their Clients.
Ken raised his hand in salute to them, bowing low as well. Ma Kiki cleared her throat. ”Shall we? It’s… finished but, requiring your will and input. A space made from your ego.”
”Of course.” He turned and followed her.
Leading the two of them up the stairs, sconces of purple fire lit themselves as the latent energy produced by the two Adepts filled their miniscule fueling requirements. ”You’ll be happy to hear that the entire compound is lit by Shadowflame; A light in which you are safe to use your unique skills, Jack. And entirely powered by your presence. Per the contract, it is such that only Mura Nin-” she paused, grumbling something to herself. ”Purple Lux is the only way one may access this realm in the first place. In order to interact, one must either be of such, or must come as a guest. And those guests who are not of the Purple may not linger here without the presence of one such as yourselves. That is per your agreement as Tenants under the forbidden articles of the Gama Pact. This is your stronghold, but our property. Do you both understand that?”
Ken, having felt Kiki’s serious energy return, was focused on her like a hawk once again. "Yes, Ma Kiki.” he replied.
Jack nodded. ”I do. We will both follow these conditions to the letter. Though, I doubt anyone who is not a purple Adept will find their way here regardless…” As he said this, he thought back to that time the Temple’s Adepts ambushed him in the Void. ”If we are lucky.”
Jack looked from left to right, pondering the curious torches of purple flame. He held up his hands and formed a mass of darkness in it, and sure enough, there was no difficulty in doing so. And with his eyesight slowly clearing up, he didn’t have any trouble at all. He didn’t expect that to be included in the construction, but he wasn’t at all going to complain.
”Good, good. Now, of the interior.” She led them over the threshold of the door and into the hard wooden floor of the main common area. There was a large fire pit inside, and a chimney led up and out to the sky. As they approached, it lit with the same fire as the sconces and warmed the room evenly across the span of a few moments before holding steady. She pointed her hand around aimlessly.
”Now, this and all the space on the first floor are static. It needed a base structure, so this is the footprint. You have four side chambers, use them how you like. As you get more adept at manipulating your spaces, you’ll be able to do just about anything to them except change their dimensions to be larger than that space.”
But her little legs didn’t stop moving, rather continuing their ascent of a set of stairs at the opposite side of the common area from the entry. ”Up these stairs, you come into the last big bit of solid structure. It’s the Outer Ring. Think of it like a hitchin’ post; you secure your own space onto it, since it doesn’t actually exist structurally you need to have it connected.”
She led them to one of the dozens of tatami sliding doors that lined the walls of the “Outer Ring”. With one swift motion, she slid it open to a swirling, hellish pit of purple energy going absolutely chaotic on the other side. Seeing it, she simply grinned. ”Each room has a finite amount of material. You’ll find clever ways of saving it. For now, how about you try reaching in there, Jack? Show us that big brain, and your design skills. Whatever comes to mind, you simply put that thought into your energy, and let the room have what you’re thinkin’.”
”By all means.” Without missing so much as a beat, Jack walked up to the purple inferno, rolled up his sleeves and stuck his hands through it. He thought of something practical, the kind of thing he appreciated having in a place where he intended to spend significant time. The purple flames spiraled into the shape of a tornado, Jack twisted his hands like he was turning the wheel of a ship, and held that position for a moment.
”We will likely be here for days at a time, in the future. So…”
Jack brought his hands together, and then spread them apart. The purple fire exploded outwards, rippling through the door and behind them to leave behind the room he had just created: A fully decorated study room, built like a small library and furnished with chairs and tables for people to rest. The shelves appeared to have books, but upon further examination, Ken and Ma Kiki would find that they were simply flickering illusions, a byproduct of the image Jack had in mind.
”There will be plenty of time to fill the shelves with books and other resources. But for now, I think that will do.”
Ma Kiki and Ken both trailed behind him into the regal and pristine repository of illusory knowledge. Hearing him say several days, Kiki piped up. ”I would certainly be careful about that… Time in here is strangely distorted, and while you may enter and remain at the same speed, it will slowly begin to stretch your seconds out into real world minutes. Before you know, you may be lost to time. Ken? Do you understand yet?”
He was starting to understand, yes. The places he’d lived in all his life. They were caught out of time, and traveling was always done through the paths created by Sage Kai. He was already well accustomed to the temporal shifting of traveling between realms, as his entire life had overall spanned less time than his Sycamore Tree counterparts. But it went further than that.
"Your branch of the Priesthood built the Villages…” She grinned up at him. His face was lost in thought. ”Ah, so… Not entirely empty up there.”
Ken rushed out of the room and down the hall, ripping one of the doors near the end open before he practically stuffed himself through the purple hellscape. It flashed a series of bright colors from the entrance until it finally ceased. There was a gasp, followed by a loud cheer. "YATTA!
Making way to see his creation, passing into view would reveal a peculiarly modern-furnishedminka estate, with a lush and warm air blowing through. Ken was outside, technically, and staring back up at the building and into the room which the entrance had fit into. He had both of his hands dragging through his hair, and he was on his knees.
Ma Kiki took a deep breath, recognizing the construction of the building that Ken had made. With the man himself having blasted his own brain with some more mental damage, she looked up at Jack to explain. ”This was, I believe, his home. In his village. Albeit, furnished like he robbed an Ikea…” she chuckled.
Jack walked in, observing the space. ”It seems comfortable. This suits you, Kenshiro. It reminds me of that time when I fell through a tree on my way to visit you, years ago.”
If Ken heard what Jack was saying, he didn't respond. He seemed to be lost in his own little world, tears falling from his face. Jack would know Ken's propensity for wearing his heart on his sleeve well, but it was never this bad.
”We are not done yet, young man. Come back here and leave your sorrow to your personal time.” After a few minutes of them passively checking around the room, Ma Kiki's voice cut across the room and out into the fake yard. Sad as he was, reminiscent as he was, he knew she was right. Time was still limited.
So he stood, and did his best to make it look like he wanted to leave, and to see whatever else the crew cooked up. "I apologize… Thank you for your compliments, Jack. I was… Always fond of my family home.” He wrapped an arm around Jack, hugging into him by the shoulders despite knowing that he wasn't going to get anything back.
It was a brotherly embrace. He was just looking for a grounding connection.
But Ma Kiki led them back down the stairs to the main common room, and back to the large purple fire pit in the center. ”Ken, please channel the Gama Pact into this fireplace.” Kiki directed, even throwing in a bit of politeness for the quietly depressed Pact Keeper.
He was leery of the curse, but channeling his gold lux into the fire pit made its mechanisms clear. It only needed the connection, the mere suggestion that he was the Pact Keeper was enough to cause its shifting and morphing. It lifted up from the floor, separating into several segments that still burned bright with Shadowflames.
What was in its place was a hewn stone staircase. ”This is the sole reason we of the Celestials are so keen on this structure existing, and why we're happy to front the costs.” Walking down the stairs, one could hear the moisture building up as shoes began to splash more and more. It was unbelievably hot and muggy, and before long the ribbits of lesser frogs could be heard.
The entryway was arched with a red wood Torii that had frogs carved into it and frogs hanging out on top of it. Ahead were dozens of hot spring pools separated by stretches of moss-carpeted stone. The surface was a slice of swiss cheese, the pools placed naturally with little concern for symmetry, but everything led to the rear of the massive cave. Toward the back, a Shrine was carved directly into the solid stone wall, and Ma Kiki continued toward it despite her primal inclination to abandon her kimono and descend into the pools herself.
The shrine was identical to the one that existed in Kenshiro's childhood village, apparently ripped directly from there considering the thousands of names still carved into the outer walls. He found his class, and his fingers gently rubbed across his wife's name.
But he knew what this was for. The Emperor's Tanto slipped from his belt, and he laid the weapon upon the stand within. Tennogama's ethereal form wasted no time releasing itself into the magically saturated grotto lair, taking a few steps to emerge from the wall. He went right for the biggest pool, diving in and taking a deep breath as his head resurfaced. As if on queue, the shades of a thousand amphibians began to fill the other pools.
”Souls of Gama will gather here in reverence of Tennogama. And he will remain here, where the prayers of our people can reach him.” The massive toad spirit was already seemingly holding court with the froggy phantoms, his deep rumbling croaks causing the pools to vibrate in turn.
”A place for him to rest…” Jack had been following behind, quiet as a mouse in a library. There were things in Kenshiro’s past he did not know, and that was obvious from the structures around him. They were a product of Ken’s energy, the reflection of his soul made solid by this place. This grotto was a reminder of all that he had experienced, and Jack was just the passenger in this moment.
It was beautiful. Every square inch of this realm was.
”Does this mean that Tennogama will regain his lost strength more easily here?” He asked.
Ken turned, a frown still crossing his face. He shook his head. Even Ma Kiki turned her head in vague remorse. ”Ah… No. Tennogama is… Well, not in a position where he's able to heal and restore himself anymore. He has vast energies still remaining, but…”
He tried to think of a tactful way of putting it. "The Lord's physical form can no longer house his spirit. Long ago, it passed on. His chamber is private, and only the Celestials enter to tend to his mummified remains. But, it is a tomb.” he finally said.
”Then… He cannot be helped?”
”What is there to help? Look at him…” The massive toad was surrounded by his lesser subjects, small frogs and toads adorning his head and shoulders as their souls commingled with that of their Heavenly Emperor. It was more than he'd had the chance for in many years, and for what it was worth, he looked thrilled.
Not even Ken could deny it. ”I will miss his closeness, and he will miss adventuring. But, he can still rest, and maybe that is healing enough. He can feel safe here.”
Ma Kiki turned to face them both. ”Do as you both see fit. When a new person comes along to add to your little group, your consent will register them. They'll be able to manipulate the rooms on the second floor, and do just as you both do. But only Ken's connection as Pact Keeper will open this place up. It's secure as can be, and I would encourage keeping valuables under Tennogama's watchful eye.”
She could no longer deny her nature. She began to divest herself of her robes, but paused. She cleared her throat. ”Prithee, any further questions before I relish in my own hard work?” she questioned.
Jack looked off into Tennogama’s direction. He did look happy. And for some, that was enough.
”None,” He said, at last. ”Your work is appreciated. Thank you.”
Ma Kiki nodded in acceptance. ”Repairs will be made as necessary. If you need to find me directly, you can find me with Him.”
As she pulled the Kimono fully from her tiny frame, she gave up any pretense of a physical form. She burst apart in a confetti of universal material, her radiant spirit resembling a giant axolotl whose gills were red hot.
As the ethereal giant slithered into the pool with Tennogama, the entire thing began to bubble madly, then settled down to a rolling boil. Ken nodded. ”Oh… They really hide a lot of soul in those little bodies.” He took a deep breath and bobbed his head back toward the entrance.
”Come on, Jack. We'll get some pizza or something…”
He nodded. ”We accomplished something wonderful today, Kenshiro.” After Ma Kiki had left, Jack swung an arm over Ken’s shoulder.
The start of a Sunday night shift, after working until 4am last night and basically not sleeping the night before... Linqian already wanted to leave. She arrived a bit early, with her brother insisting she gave him a lift into downtown St Portwell for something just before her shift started. There was no point in her going anywhere else, so she just headed in... She could just hang around the bar for the next fifteen minutes.
She went into the back room, shoving her bag and thin jacket into her locker. This left her in a heart-line bodice crop top (she definitely hadn’t worn a push up bra underneath to make it look nicer…), and tight black jeans. She pulled her apron around her waist with a sigh.
She really didn't want to suffer through this shift. The last two days had been difficult, between the magic induced hallucinations and Henri coming to her in a panic about having magic… While the night with Greyson and Britney had helped her forget at the time, it had all come crashing back the next day. Plus the Saturday night shift had been hell... And she didn't expect this one to be any better.
Because she'd have to suffer through amateur entertainers.
Linqian came back out from the break room, slipping behind the bar with a nod to her two coworkers finishing up their shift. There was no sign of the two doing the evening shift with her yet... But technically, it was ten minutes till she started.
The bar was busy. Low level music filled the background of loud talking and clinking of glasses. There were only a few free tables, half of the seats at the bar taken up. Low lights added to the atmosphere and warm smells permeated the air from the food still served. The bar itself had red wood lining the front and backs, matching the slightly subtler, red tinted dark wood of the tables and chairs. It had a cozy warmth to it - welcoming and easy to sit in for a talk, rather than being flashy. Even if it wasn’t really a spot for students there was still a mix of ages hanging out here.
Linqian grabbed herself a glass of water, before leaning over the bar with a heavy sigh. Andre looked up at her from where he sat at the bar, balancing books or doing some other kind of smart thing to do with running a bar.
"You're early," Andre commented, with a raised eyebrow. She rolled her eyes at him.
”What, worried I’ll charge you for these hours? Don’t worry,” Linqian raised her glass. ”I’m just chilling before my shift. Yi-er needed a lift for some shit.”
“Ah.” Andre gave her a knowing look, with a sympathetic smile that irritated Linqian.
It wasn’t like driving her brother around was a hardship. Before, they’d only had one car between the three of them. Having two was a luxury she could hardly afford.
"I heard about Henri," Andre continued, switching to Kituba. "It was only a matter of time before he kindled. If anything, he's late. In the Temple-"
”Don't mention that,” Linqian rolled her eyes at him, speaking awkwardly. It wasn't a language she was as fluent in, and she'd lost a bit of her ability in speaking it. Normally she'd just reply in English... But there was much less risk of someone overhearing them talking about magic this way. ”Do you know what caused him to kindle? Failing his exams! He has it too easy.”
"And who's fault is that?"
”Should I have forced him? No way.”
"I wasn’t suggesting that… What can he do? Do you have plans to help him train?"
”You think I have time? He- I would need to explain in English. Later. He’ll figure it out on his own, I did.”
"You know I can help him if you let him train with the Temple. They’re set up for just this kind of thing - they specialise in working with young Adepts to develop and hone their spells."
Linqian’s eyes narrowed, and she let out an explosive string of expletives in Chinese in response. She didn’t have the words to express herself in Kituba - or even English, really.
”No.” Linqian awkwardly changed language again, pointing a finger at him. ”I’m not letting him near them.”
"I won’t force you,” Andre smiled, holding up his hands. "Just think about it. If not, he can practice with Louis.”
”Louis, maybe, Temple, no.” Linqian said shortly, turning her body away from him to indicate she was done with this conversation.
She pulled out her phone to check the time. Nearly six… both when she started work, and she’d invited Aryin to come to the bar for.
There was some kind of open mic night that happened most Sundays, which she'd thankfully avoided up until this point... But she finally had to work it. And Aryin was the artsy type and could sing and shit. Linqian figured they'd enjoy it, and she'd get some company out of it.
Hopefully that bitch wouldn’t be too late so she didn’t have to suffer alone.
Linqian eyed the bar stool next to Andre. So long as no one sat there... And he fucked off when her shift properly started. She wasn’t going to be chatting shit with Aryin while her boss was right there.
”What time does that start?” Linqian switched back to English and turned back towards Andre, nodding towards the microphone set up on the left hand side of the room. The space had been cleared for a slight stage to be set up, just a single level elevation. Tables were more cramped together in that area, chairs shifted slightly to face it.
“Anytime from six,” Andre replied. “Normally we don’t get anyone till about ten past… There’s some regulars. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”
”I’m sure I fucking won’t,” Linqian rolled her eyes at what was probably meant to be a joke, delivered completely deadpan.
“You have no choice but to,” Andre snorted, closing his notebook. “Don’t even think about hiding in the backroom. I’ll know.”
”Have I ever? You know I have a good fucking work ethic, I’m not like Sop- Heyyy, Sophie, you’re early!” Linqian swapped to a customer service smile as a shorter, blond girl appeared behind the bar. She raised an eyebrow and smiled back, but didn’t saying anything.
Bitch. Why Andre had hired her, Linqian didn’t know.
”Are you staying this shift?” Linqian resisted rolling her eyes, turning back to Andre.
“Yes. It can get busy, and I might need to step in depending on… the performers.”
”But not here,” Linqian gestured to the two bar stools in front of her.
“What’re you planning to do that you want me to move?”
”Nothing- I’ve just got someone coming, fuck, can’t I have some fucking peace?”
“A friend?” Andre’s eyebrow raised, lips pulling up into a smile. Linqian didn’t like that smile. Sure, Andre smiled quite a lot… but this was the kind of smile he had when he was about to start prying. She didn’t want to deal with that.
”I guess, does it fucking matter? Maybe it’s just some random asshole I met recently.”
“Soooooo..” A masculine voice interjected into the conversation. “6 o’clock, I can hop up and do my thing?” The man was named Jackson, and despite the sun setting outside he still had his sunglasses on. He wore a basic outfit that shouted ‘I have no idea what fashion is’ as he wore pink chinos, a navy blue t-shirt, and a black bomber jacket overtop. “I figured I’d start earlier this week, the late night crowd is soooo tough!”
Andre turned his head towards Jackson… who he recognised as an unfortunate open mic regular. Very unfortunate. But still a customer, technically. “The floor’s open from then.”
”The earlier crowd ain’t any easier, buddy,” Linqian snorted from behind the bar… Though she was talking more about serving that whatever the fuck he did.
“Oh my, are you from Tennessee? Because,” Jackson paused as he lowered his sunglasses, “you are the only ten I see here. Hi, I’m Jackson. You’re new to the open mic night. Don’t worry, cutie, I’ll be sure to put on my best show just for you.”
“Oh that,” Aryin couldn’t help but laugh at the pathetic pick up line, “Buddy, I hope that’s not a taste of what’s to come.” Aryin waved to Linqian and smiled a wide smile. Finally, the two could actually hang out. Even if Linqian was working this was something that Aryin had looked forward to for a few days. She needed a night of relaxation after that shit with 8 street, and with everything that she learned today. And she needed a drink, and a friend, to work through it. “I’ll tell you what, if you make me actually laugh with a joke I won’t break your nose for degrading my beautiful friend with that pickup line.”.
“We’re cool,” Jackson said as he flashed his palms, one hand revealed a half eaten apple, “challenge accepted.” Jackson took a bite of his apple as he turned around and headed for the stairs.
”What the fuck was that?” Linqian glared at Jackson’s back, taking a deep breath to keep her temper. She was used to being hit on while working - after all, she was hot as fuck - but that was the worst pickup line she’d ever heard. Bad enough she’d considered sacrificing her job to get a punch in. ”I hope that was his worst one, fuck… But it’s nice to see you, bitch.”
Linqian leaned over the bar and slapped Aryin on the shoulder. ”What do you want to drink?”
“Is she Sycamore?” Andre interrupted, eyebrow raised and smiling warmly at Aryin.
”Yeah, so?”
“Ten percent off any drinks.”
”What? Since fucking when?!”
“Since always,” Andre chuckled, standing up. “I’ll leave you to it… But remember, you are working.”
”Yeah, yeah,” Linqian muttered, waving him off. She rolled her eyes at his back and turned back to Aryin with a grin. ”Soooo… I guess I can give you a discount. How fucking lucky are you? What do you want?“
“Is he single? Joking,” Aryin said as she sat down and smiled at Linqian. “And I’m so fucking luck. Why don’t you be a doll and grab me….” Aryin paused as she looked over the tap selections, “a big ol’ St. Porter.”. Aryin was always a fan of the local beer scene in town and the St. Porter was her favorite. Strong, but not in your face about it, bitter without it being too much, and enough flavour notes to kill a mediaeval peasant from shock.
”He’s happily married, so hands to yourself,” Linqian rolled her eyes at her friend. Gross. Andre was the closest thing to an uncle she had, even if she didn't entirely view him as that. ”Coming right up…”
“You just broke my heart,” Aryin responded with a chuckle.
Linqian grabbed a glass, pulling down the handle of the St. Porter tap and letting the medium brown liquid pour into it. At the same time she turned to another customer to take his order. Just a couple of bottled beers, thankfully, so she grabbed those while Aryin's drink was pouring, very efficiently taking payment before going back to Aryin with a full glass of St. Porter beer.
”You want to keep a tab or pay now?” Linqian asked, leaning back over the bar towards Aryin. She raised her own glass, unfortunately filled with water. ”Next time we'll need to go out when I can drink… I'm always fucking working these days, but at least I can drink on the second job. Shit sucks when there's bills to pay and a little brother who thinks money comes out of my ass.”
She rolled her eyes. ”I can take it a bit easy. He owes me after I last minute covered half a shift yesterday- nearly twelve fucking hours of work!”
“One second,” Aryin said as they tapped on their phone, pulling up their bank app. They waited for a few seconds for the page to load and frowned when they saw their balance. “A tab is fine,” Aryin responded as they put away their phone. “Rent at the 317 is paid so I’m good to go!”. Aryin grabbed the beer and took a big, long, and thirsty drink from the beer. “I’ve needed this, thank you for inviting me out. I’m sure it was out of the kindness of your heart and not because you were desperate for something fun to happen here tonight.”
Linqian pulled out a small notepad from her apron, quickly noted down the amount before shoving it back in her pocket. ”Course it was, I'm so kind I'm practically a fucking saint. Definitely not so someone has to suffer through open mic night with me too.” She snorted. ”Sooo you're living at 317 now that… some kinda fucking pretentious art group right? I always knew you were the type. Fucking artsy and shit, going places us small brained non artsy types can’t. Dunno how you can put up with so many people like that, though… the rent cheap, at least?”
“Oh I don’t live there, I just rent a room where people can buy my stuff. Rent that pays for the privilege of selling my stuff. Thankfully it’s not too expensive, they don’t want their artist to struggle you know? I live in a townhome just down the road….. which I can no longer afford after today, ” Aryin sighed as she downed the rest of the beer. It was a slow process but a process that seemed to bring great joy to Aryin, and the foam was wiped from her mouth a moment later. “I might need a second job after this, maybe a third. Maybe I just need another beer.”. Aryin joked as she stuck her tongue out.
”Shit,” Linqian said very elaborately. She took Aryin's empty beer glass and just reused it, because fuck cleaning that, pulling down the tap of the same beer. She leaned around it with more of a serious look than normal. Sure, she got Aryin trying to joke about the situation… she would. She was also considering a third job- but she could actually help with this. ”Move in with me- no this isn't some fucking proposal for tax benefits, don't get any fucking ideas… look, I've got a spare room at my place. I can't guarantee I won't lose it… Jinhai paid for the mortgage before, but with the two jobs it's fine just now. It'll need tidied, but it's pretty fucking nice. You can just contribute whatever you can, pay a bit towards food and shit. I automatically cook for three anyway.”
She held out the newly poured beer with a half grin. ”Us poor fucks gotta stick together… and if you really need a second job, I can ask Andre- my boss here- to look around. I'd ask the other one too but… I doubt you wanna be anywhere near him, heh.”
“Shut up,” Aryin said as she leaned back in her chair. “Shit”. Aryin leaned forward and grab her glass of beer as she looked Linqian in the eyes. “Shut the fuck up. That is so fucking nice dude,” Aryin took a healthy swig of her beer, “I’ve been on a month to month lease for a while now, so I’d just have to let the landlord know. And I don’t own a lot of furniture because I did not realise how expensive it would be. Are you sure, friend? Like I didn’t want to put you on the spot like that. You can say no. I’m physically out of your life for ten years and all it takes is one week for you to invite me into your home?”
”I’m sure, it doesn’t make shit anymore expensive for me,” Linqian shrugged, reaching over to slap Aryin on the shoulder again. ”I technically own my place so long as I keep up with the fucking payments, and it was big enough for a family of five… just about. Honestly it feels empty with just the two of us. It’ll help having someone who actually fucking looks after the place- Fuck, it’ll really help actually, cause I’m paying for everything myself. And with Jinhai’s student debts…” Linqian waved a hand with a hiss of annoyance. And all the other debts she didn’t want to mention to anyone. ”I wouldn’t be giving this offer to anyone else, you ass.”
“Well shit,” Aryin smirked as they looked down. Their face betrayed the complex emotions that was being worked on inside their mind. If only they had the mental bandwidth to deal with these emotions in the moment. Linqian was always their friend, and with everything going on with father wolf and with the alliance they could use more friend time every day, and could use the financial stability of ending their lease. But at the same time she did not want to make Linqian hate her. The fastest way to ruin a friendship was to become roommates. For some reason, Aryin knew that their friendship could survive it. “Can I buy my roommate a beer here,” Aryin whispered as she looked around for Linqian’s boss.
Linqian tilted her head, eyes drifting to find Andre. He was sitting a good distance away, talking with someone Linqian didn’t recognise. Hopefully not a Temple member… ewgh, just thinking about that cult gave her the chills. She looked back at Aryin with a grin. ”Sure can. So long as he doesn’t find out… even if he does, whatever. He won’t fire me. He just knows my mom would come fucking haunt him.” She grabbed another glass, glancing over the taps. She went for a different local beer - the Cracker, aptly named after Cracker island. It was a pale ale - light, hoppy and bitter. Not too heavy either, which she needed. Thankfully she’d had food before coming to work…
”Cheers, to a good fucking night,” Linqian raised her glass, taking a large swig. ”Fuck, that’s good. So… should I fill you in on some of the shit you missed? It’s been fucking wild. Fuck, last time wasn’t even that bad/”
“Fill me in and I’ll fill you in,” Aryin paused as she questioned her word choice, accepting what she said by sticking her tongue out, “shits about to go down.”
”Ohhh, you couldn’t handle filling me in,” Linqian teased, with a wink and a smirk. ”Fuck, really? I guess I’ll start… Where do I even? First meeting was a bust. We went after this fucking daddy wolf or something- some small time gang leader. Then Alizee went off the rails, got us all shot at and herself killed. Fuck! It was insane… getting shot sucks. And I didn’t get any fucking information, so I lost out on a shit ton of cash!”
Linqian rolled her eyes… she should probably explain that shit. Later. ”Meeting two, we get raided by the magical feds… That also fucking sucked. You know who’s with them now? Bianca! Fuck. Bitch didn’t even give me any information after- which meant less money!” Linqian took a long drink, glancing around… just in case Andre had snuck up on her. ”I’ll come clean before you find out and get on my ass about it- I’m working for Greyson as a second job. Figured he’s got the money, I need the money. It just makes the lack of progress shit for both my wallet and y’know… solving the fucking problem.”
Aryin was stunned into silence. Greyson? The made man? The one they voted out of the coven? The one who used his abstraction to do some shitty things? Aryin raised a singular finger up as she used her other hand to grab her beer and began the long, drawn out process of drinking the entire beer from top to bottom. It took several long seconds. As they put the glass down, they looked to Linqian. Fuck. She wasn’t drunk enough for her response yet. She raised her finger again and asked for one more.
”Fucking hell, it’s not that bad,” Linqian rolled her eyes, grabbing the glass and filling it back up. It wasn’t a long process, thankfully, and she slid it back over to Aryin. She shot her a look that said ‘hurry up and drink and get it over with, then.’
Aryin grabbed the drink and began the process of drinking the entire beer from top to bottom. It took several long seconds. As they put the glass down they looked to Linqian. Fuck. She was going to tell her. “I trust you,” Aryin said as they leaned forward and used her free hand to grab Linqian’s from across the bar. “I only knew Greyson a decade ago and I don’t know the man he’s become. I don’t trust him, but I do trust you. If he ever, ever hurts you or puts you in danger I’ll rip his dick off. If you ever need help, you tell me and I’ll take care of you,” Aryin finished with a quick nod. “Fuck I drank those too quick.”
”No shit,” Linqian snorted, squeezing Aryin’s hand before pulling hers away. She moved her glass back, decidedly not pouring her another one. ”He isn’t so bad- well, fuck, i was friends with him then too. I don’t entirely trust him- don’t trust many of em, honestly- but he and Britney are the only other ones who’ve done shit to help me so far. Don’t worry… If he does anything there won’t be a dick left, cause I’ll have burned it off myself. Though…” Linqian trailed off, looking thoughtful. ”It’d be a shame, it was pretty fucking good...” She coughed. ”What’s your shit?”
“No shit? Greyson,” Aryin had a flabbergasted look on her face, “well good for you, you fucking bitch,” Aryin laughed. “Good for you though, I haven’t had any luck. Hard to have a good time when your this durable you know?” Aryin face went wide with shock. “So your shit is sooooo wild, makes mine look small in comparison,” Aryin leaned on closer and beckoned Linqian in so she could whisper. “We have an alliance with Greenwood. Like an alliance alliance,” Aryin whispered.
”Hey, we’ll find someone who’ll make you feel great yet… just switch,” Linqian smirked, swirling her finger in the air. She then leaned in too, tilting her head so her ear was towards Aryin’s lips. ”Oh shit like.. You as in 317, yeah? Wait… Who the fuck are Greenwood? I think they were there during the gunfight but fuck. You know I haven’t been in town for a decade, I don’t know any of these factions and shit.”
“They are legit,” Aryin said as she looked around, “I fought with them against the Nazis. With the bullshit rising by the day it seems we’re getting ready to,” Aryin went silent as she mouthed a ‘fight’ as she looked around.
“LADIES-“ the mic feedback blared across the entire bar. “Oh sorry,” Jackson smirked as he looked across the room. His eyes rested on Linqian. “Ladies,” Jackson said as he pointed across the room towards Linqian, and then to a few other women. “Gentlemen,” Jackson pointed to a few guys across the room, “and the one person who’s already threatened to break my nose,” Jackson smirked as he pointed to Aryin. Aryin spun in her seat and had a disinterested look on her face. Her arm was on the bar and her hand propped up her head. “Are you ready for a night filled with laughter? If so you’ve sadly come to the wrong show. The actual comedians are still at the bar making threats against the talent. But don’t let that dissuade you from paying attention to my show! I promise tonight is going to be a night you’ll never forget!”
”Was that… meant to be a joke?” Linqian said quietly, leaning over the bar beside Aryin. Her eyebrow raised and she rolled her eyes at Jackson so much as looking in their direction. She raised her glass to her mouth before taking a long drink to finish it off. Fuck, something told her she’d need another… but she couldn’t. One was already pushing it. ”I already want to forget it.”
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Aryin said with an eye roll of her own.
“So! Anyone here know the difference between a hippo and a zippo? Well, one is real heavy while the others a little lighter. Still heavy enough to break this ice, I’m Jackson smith. I started my comedy career over in Seattle, and I have had a deep love for the craft. St. Portwell is a fantastic city, truly one of a kind on the west coast. The seafood here is fantastic, the people are,” he paused as he looked at Aryin and sighed, “fantastic, and there are so many locations that you just have to sea,” Jordan paused for applause and laughter but only Aryin’s cough filled the air. “And how could I forget the various groups that call it home! Let me paint a picture about this lovely little place called the 317,” Jackson continued from there but Aryin pulled herself away.
“After he’s done I’ll grab the mic. I’ll give them a performance,” Aryin paused as she looked down and spotted the second open chair, “we could always invite another friend out, maybe someone hot. I could use some eye candy after whatever this is.”
”Please, beat him over the fucking head with the mic,” Linqian groaned. This was awful. She could feel her already lacking will to live slipping away further. ”Shit, I need more than eye candy to handle this. But… the only friends I've got are Greyson and Britney. You gotta suffer the shit that comes outta his mouth to get to the hotness underneath, and Brit… nah, that'd be unfair to her. Fuck.”
“So the trip here was not easy, let me tell you. I had to drive myself in my moving truck in the summer and as I hit the halfway mark I kid you not I got stuck in a blizzard. Yeah I know right? A blizzard in summertime on the west coast of the United States of America. It’s hard to believe but I promise you this happened. It was like I had pissed off a powerful magical entity and they wanted their revenge on me by ruining what was a wonderful drive up to that point. Anyway, I crash the truck, glass went everywhere, and I thought I was going to die right then, right there. But then I heard this noise,” Jackson paused as he looked around the room, “a noise more beautiful and alluring than any I’ve heard before. Somehow this sound gave me the strength to break out of the truck, stumble my way across a snow covered field, until I happened to arrive at a cov- a monastery. I knocked on the door and was pulled inside by the priest. He was a tall man, average build, and he had this look of concern on his face. He fed me, gave me warmer clothes, and gave me a bed,”
“He totally wanted to say coven, right?,”
”He totally did- and if he’d died, we wouldn’t be suffering like this.” Linqian rolled her eyes. The only benefit to the suffering was that very few people were coming up to order drinks… if anything, they seemed to be considering leaving. But the mention of a coven-monastery had her brain moving. There was someone they could maybe get out. ”Hey, you heard of the Temple? Fucking mag- religious cult.”
“I mean I’m aware of them,” Aryin knew they liked to prey on the weak and vulnerable. A shitty group filled with some good people. “why? Do you want to go covert to their faith as a joke tonight? I’m not saying I’m down but I could be down if it got me away from this,” Aryin said with a sigh.
“And then I heard that sound again. It woke me from this deep sleep I was able to fall into. It only lasted a minute, and I was able to fall back asleep. The second night I was still recovering so I was once again in bed when I heard it again. It was so beautiful that I rose out of bed, wandered the halls of this monastery, and finally saw a sight that confused me. These monks would go through this door, and as the door opened I could hear that most beautiful sound once again. I watched seven monks go through that door that night. I tried to follow them but another monk stopped me and said only three monks can go through those doors. I knew I had to figure out what it was, you know? So the next morning I asked my friend ‘Hey, I saw you all going through that door last night. What’s in there?’ and he simply laughed. He told me that I had to become a monk to learn what was behind the door. And as anyone in my position would do, I asked what I needed to do to become a monk. So he took me across the compound.”
“Okay, I don’t think it’ll be good but I kinda want to hear how this ends,” Aryin raised an eyebrow. Something was compelling her to listen intently.
”Yeah, I kinda want to know what the actual joke is…” Linqian furrowed her eyebrows. It was strange because she knew it would be bad, but she still felt she had to listen. ”I’ll finish my shit about the temple after- not converting, but something more fun.”
“In the first room he said that I would need to count every grain of sand found within the room. The room was big, really big. These monks had a full sized swimming pool in their monastery and it came with the beach….. He then took me outside and said I would need to count every blade of grass on the land. Mind you I could only stay here for a day or two more, but I told myself that I had to do it. I had to count the grains of sand, the blades of grass. My reward was worth it. So I started at once and I spent the next seven weeks trying to count it all and I did it.”
“Seventeen billion, one million, seven hundred and fifteen thousand grains of sand and five hundred million, seventeen thousand and one blade’s of grass. As soon as I told the guy he told me congratulations, that I was a monk now. And as a monk I was now allowed to see what was behind door number one. He took me there at once. When we got to the door, he held up a key ring and said that there were several doors that needed to be unlocked. He held up the first key and said it was for the first wooden door. He unlocked it, and we went through. He held up a second key and said this was for the sheet metal door. He unlocked it, and we went through. He held up a third key, and said this was for the door made of ice. He unlocked it, and we went through. He held up a fourth key, and said that this one was for the laser grid door. He held up a fifth key and said that was to turn off the traps, a sixth key to hide the sharks with lasers on their head, a seventh key to open the bank vault door and finally, finally he held up the final key. The final door was old, really, really old. You ever get the sense that you’re in the presence of some ancient power simply by how old their cage was? Anyway the monk unlocked the door and opened it up and I was finally able to see what was making that sound. It was beautiful. I truly wish that I could describe to you what I saw. It was that beautiful….. sadly none of you are monks so I can’t tell you what it was..”
Linqian's hand slammed down on the bar, temperature dropping enough to send ice across the wood towards Aryin. ”What the fuck?! Thats- that's not a fucking joke!” Linqian seethed, picking up her glass and downing the rest of the beer. It didn't do anything, because she'd actually eaten today… fuck! ”Fuck this.”
She glared at Jackson, then turned her head back towards Aryin. ”Alright, fuck, I brought up the temple cause Leon's part of it… yknow his mom runs it? She's hot as fuck, seriously, fuck if she wasn't a cult leader… anyway. My boss here is also part of that cu-” Linqian paused, noticing Andre's gaze moving towards her. She smiled and said, under her breath, ”fucking magical enhanced sense- hes part of the temple. Y'know whose fucking hot enough to distract us? Leon. Also enough of an ass I'd happily make him suffer… and fuck, do I want him to destroy me.” Linqian smirked. ”I bet I can get Andre to call him out.”
“Can he kill me? Like can he end my life right now? I need to die after that joke. I don’t know if I,” Aryin paused as she remembered back to the Halloween festival and the sights she saw as he changed into the toga, “Hot as fuck milf? Adonis himself?” Aryin smirked. “Okay bet, make the call!”
”Ohhhh yeah, she could make me call her mommy,” Linqian winked, laughing. She pulled another drink for Aryin first, pushing it over to her. ”Alright, let me go work my magic. Don't get too bored without me.”
She sidestepped, getting caught by another customer first. With a forced smile she served them as quickly as possible, before making her way out the right side of the bar. Andre had moved to a table near the back, with a direct line of sight of the bar, the microphone and the bar. Linqian took a moment to think about what to actually say before approaching him, leaning over the free chair next to him with a grin. Thankfully the person he’d been talking to had disappeared.
“What do you want?” Andre hit her with a hard stare.
”Very friendly, boss, I could be having an emergency,” Linqian rolled her eyes, stopping midway through when Andre’s eyes narrowed. Alright, fine, work hours, work mode. Somewhat polite, or something. ”I need you to make a call.”
“To who?” Andre’s eyes narrowed further, his expression scrutinising.
”Leon- You know, Leon Richoux, Temple bigshot.”
“And why would I call His Grace on your whim when you,” he gestured towards the bar, “are supposed to be working?”
”Fucking hell, Andre, his grace? Gross I’m losing respect for you by the minute-”
“Don’t make me dock your pay, Linqian.”
”You wouldn’t dare, mom would come haunt you,” Linqian pointed to the ceiling. ”It’s important Sycamore business. You know I don’t have much time around work…”
“His Grace knows about this?”
”Well… no… Last time we talked I,” Linqian grimaced, ”lost my shit a bit.”
Which she wasn’t so sorry for, unless it stopped her from having a night of fun… but Leon had gotten her a new car afterwards, so it was water under the bridge. She was sure he’d jump on the opportunity to be with two incredibly hot women.
”But it is important.” For morale and mainly her and Aryin retaining their sanity. ”Just don’t say it was from me… You did say to ask if I needed help, was that all bullshit?”
“Fine, I’ll call him… this once.”
”Great… Oh, it would be good if his mom came along too.”
“... I am not asking the Lady of Highest Grace to come on coven business. I’ll ask for His Grace, but that’s it. Is that all? If it is, get back to what I pay you to do.”
”Yeah, yeah, stingy bastard,” Linqian muttered under her breath. She went back behind the bar, once again having to serve a few people on her way towards Aryin. Thankfully, after all these years, it was like autopilot. Ask what they wanted, pour the beer, get their money, move on. Once the sudden crowds at the bar had cleared, she was back to her friend. ”Took way too fucking long, but he’s calling Leon in. If I had to hear him called ‘His Grace’ one more time I think I was going to vomit.”
“Thank fuck,” Aryin said as she sipped from her beer but stopped as the rusty gears turned in her brain, “his grace? So like, culty-culty? I mean I do have some religious trauma to work with….” she trailed off as she shot Linqian a devious grin.
”Ohhh yeah… it’s super culty,” Linqian smirked back. ”I wonder if he likes to be called that in bed- fuck, what’re you thinking of?”
“Hey as long as I get nailed to a cross at some point I might be able to overlook the cult part you know what I mean?” Aryin looked around the bar and back to Linqian. “I’ve called men worse in bed but his grace would be a new one fuck. Cults man,” Aryin shook her head with a smile.
”I’ve called men all sorts, but-” Linqian bit her lip, voice lowering as she leaned in closer to Aryin. ”I think screaming out forgive me, your grace, or getting punished in a kinky religious way… fuck… Leon better not disappoint.”
“Fuck,” Aryin spit out some beer at the phrase ‘forgive me, your grace’ and she covered her mouth with her hand. She grabbed a napkin and cleaned her face but she still couldn’t stop laughing at the mental imagery. “Fuck me Linqian,” Aryin locked eyes with her friend, “Leon better not disappoint..”
”I’ll burn his dick off if he does,” Linqian said, much more nonchalantly than what she’d said before. If this went nowhere, or he ended up being absolutely shit, she would be pissed and there was no telling what she’d do then. ”But I have a feeling he’ll be fucking good at that with how he was sooo into bossing people around before, and that fucking massive body. Hot as fuck to look at anyway.”
“Yesssss….” Aryin said as he placed her head into her hand and leaned her elbow on the desk as so many mental images flashed across her mind and none of them contained clothes. “The toga flashed moments of brilliance, I swear I saw heaven right in front of me. Did you know we used to box when we were kids? He was always the only one who’s punches I could actually feel. That’s strong. I wonder how strong he is now….” Aryin bit her lip as she looked at Linqian. Aryin felt like their face had grown warm and a smile spread across her face. Oh yah, the alcohol was working.
”Mmm, stronger, I bet,” Linqian looked over to the door in the hope that he'd walk through right then… but no, Andre had probably just made the call. Fuck, it was hard to keep her thoughts straight- and she was technically working! ”I don't want to be able to walk tomorrow- fuck, I'll need an excuse to get out of work.”
“And I just want to feel something for once,” Aryin chuckled, “It’s easy in the other form but he does not have the parts I’m looking to use right now you know what I mean?.”
”Oh I know,” Linqian smirked. ”I don't have the whole changing thing, but sometimes I want to be with one or the other, y'know.”
The sound of mic feedback drew Aryin’s attention and stole the smile from her face. “And how about the Halloween festival that we just had? What a fun, family friendly activity that place is! I had a friend who is no longer with us who loved events like this. He had a deep love for driving trains, that was his job and he dreamed of that job ever since he was a kid. I met him right before he made a mistake and derailed a train. He lived, but someone on the train died and the courts decided to throw every book at him and eventually they sentenced him to death. I know, crazy right? Sentenced to death over an accident! When the day of his execution came he simply request a single banana as his final meal. After he finished he was promptly strapped to the chair and the switch was thrown. Spark’s flew through the air, smoke filled it, and everyone gasped when they saw that my friend had lived.
How did he live? Obviously that was a question that lingered in the minds of everyone present. It turns out that a local law from way back in the day said that a failed execution was a sign of a divine intervention and thus, my friend was set free and he moved out of the country. He got another job as a train conductor in this new country. You would think that he would be more careful this time but no, no no no no, he made the same exact mistake as before, crashed a train and killed another person. Once again he was taken to court, and with knowledge of the first crash the court once again sentenced him to death. For his last meal the man requested two bananas and, once finished, was strapped to the chair and the switch was thrown. Spark’s flew through the air, smoke filled it, and everyone gasped when they saw that my friend had lived.
The warden of this prison wasn’t going to let that be the end, this time. He took the man back to his cell, waited a day, and then brought him back to the execution chamber. “I don’t care about the rules, I’ve had it with you and your stupid bananas and walking free from the deaths you’ve caused. You will not get a final meal this time, no more bananas, this time you die. The switch was thrown. Spark’s flew through the air, smoke filled it, and everyone gasped when they saw that my friend had lived a third time.
My friend looked at the warden and smirked, “oh the bananas had nothing to do with it I’m just a bad conductor.”
“Oh fuck off,” a man from the crowd screamed as he slammed his palm on the table.
“You suck,” a woman from the crowd spoke as she stood up and headed for the door.
“Linqian I’m going to swap. I want you to get a knife and stab me in my throat when I do,” Aryin groaned as she dropped her head to the car and hit it with a thud. There was something off about the delivery of the joke that seemingly made her want to give up and feel despair.
”Only if you slit my throat at the same time,” Linqian groaned. She wanted to die. The only thing that might save her was some hot as fuck guy to cleanse her eyes, and a way out of here.
As it happened, the bulk of the Richoux clan were in Andrade Salamente’s steakhouse, St. Ports, finishing up a meal to congratulate a promotion. It didn’t take long for the thought of an after event to get passed around the long table. So, after maybe ten or fifteen minutes of waiting around, the color began to syphon from the room as black on black suits and gowns shuffled through the main entrance. It was easy to tell who was Richoux and who wasn’t, as none of them stood under six foot.
Genetics were crazy, but it wasn’t hard to imagine that such a magical family had a bit more to it. Naturally the group seemed to form a circle, and at the head wasn’t Leon. Rather, a not-so-familiar face with his arm wrapped around a much more familiar face. Slowly, they began to break apart as the hostess brought them to a larger table.
And then, like a mountain emerging from the mist of dark clouds, Leon Richoux stood tallest among them with his broad shoulders covered by a black shawl clasped around and held tight with a sparkling gold chain. His hair was pulled in, braided down the side and tied in the back with small cross-braids like a trestle bridge. And, directly in front of him as if holding him by a leash, a woman draped almost entirely in gold, her raven hair and shimmering blue eyes contrasting against the near literal beam of light. She wore no shawl, nor cape or coat of any kind, relying on her son’s close proximity and the warmth of the buildings they were in to keep her temperature.
Lynette Hunter-Richoux, Lady of Highest Charm and Grace, One who Hears and Speaks as God, the Divine Orator. Her hands and neck were covered in rings and a thick chain of polished black stone that held some kind of reliquary or container on the end. While Leon smiled and held her hand, Casey and Trisha remained at their side. The woman herself grinned, looking about them. ”I hear that Sycamore has business with my boy! But I was more shocked to hear the venue… Leon? Introduce your mother properly?”
Leon grimaced a little bit, looking like a teen again. Still that same expression of embarrassment and guilt. ”Uh… Right. Curiosity aside, Linqian… You briefly met her, but this is my Mom, Lynette. Our Highest Charm and Grace. Mother, this is Linqian Han, we’d consider her a grade two. And… Aryin Thorne.”
Lynette’s eyes went wide and she stepped forward. ”This is the Shifter? My, Sweetheart… You’re filled with grand and infinite potential. Grading aside, such a unique abstraction. Why haven’t we had the pleasure of speaking yet?”
Leon gripped her shoulder. ”Let me… Let me get her over to Andre, and I’ll be right back. Trisha and Casey will keep you company, right Trisha? Introduce your boyfriend.-” Leon chided, his other hand wrapping around his mother’s waist and tugging her away from the very tight gap she’d made between herself and Aryin.
Casey Richoux looked down at Trisha and wiggled his eyebrows. ”See? You’re not the only one who gets the business. It’s literally all of you. The whole Coven.”
“The whole coven isn’t dating one of her children,” Trisha retorted lightheartedly. Her expression wasn’t… great when her gaze moved to Linqian and Aryin. She hadn’t exactly been well liked in the coven, especially towards the end. She especially didn’t want to introduce him to these two but… what choice did she have? “Linqian, Aryin, it’s… been a while. This is Casey, my boyfriend and Leon’s younger brother.”
”Holy shit.” Linqian was swinging between enjoying the mass of eye candy that had just walked in, very impolitely staring at just about every inch of Leon and Lynette, and wanting to end her life even more. A whole massive fucking group! All from the fucking cult that Andre held in such a high fucking regard… And there were only three of them working! And one of her coworkers, Sophie, was fucking useless. All she’d wanted was to have a real fucking good time. She reached over the bar and slapped Aryin on the shoulder, lowering her voice. ”Please tell me I’m fucking dreaming, and there’s only a couple of hot as fuck people causing me to hallucinate a whole fucking group.”
“She’s very beautiful,” Aryin squeaked out as the Madame left her personal bubble. Aryin did not know what to make of the feelings she was feeling. Her eyes shifted and caught Leon’s ass as he walked away, and could only think ‘firm’ at the sight of it. “Oh there’s only a couple of hot as fuck people, there’s not a whole group I promise bestie,” Aryin snapped out of the thirst trap and saw just how many people showed up. “I’m sorry,” Aryin whispered to confirm Linqian’s worst fears, “I did a summer of bartending but I doubt your boss would let me help.”
”Probably not,” Linqian groaned, finally actually looking at Trisha and Casey with a very forced smile. She raised her voice. ”It’s so nice to see you again, Trisha, and to meet you, Casey-” oh damn he was hot too, it was a shame he was taken, she wasn’t that much of a shit person.
”What do you want to drink?”
Trisha shrugged and looked up at Casey with a sweet smile, asking, “What do you want, babe? I’ll have the same.” Linqian nearly gagged.
“Trisha? Oh my god hi it has, how have you been? And it’s a pleasure to meet you Casey,” Aryin said in soft tone, still stunned at the sheer presence that the madam carried.
Casey beamed down at Trisha, his arm rubbing her shoulder as the other hand went out to shake. His eyes trailed Aryin’s, and he couldn’t help but smile to himself as he caught her checking his mom out. ”Screwdriver? Ice, extra juice? I’m on duty now, officially, so… Can’t get too hammered. You can make hers’ as strong as you want though, I’ll just carry her home.” He grinned again, holding around her. A younger woman walked up alongside, still wearing a black wool beanie despite her otherwise elegant dress.
”Booze time! Booze time! Booze time!” The dress was low cut, and her scrawny, lanky arms reached around and up to tickle Casey’s neck. ”No, no! Get away! You’re not crowding Leon’s friend, I’m not letting you. We get drinks. The rest of you fuck off.” ”CASEEEEEEEEEY… MOOOOOOOOM!?!?”
Casey laughed loudly. ”This is my Sister Mia. Mia this is… Linqian? And Aryin.” He pointed at them both in turn, and the clearly already drunk girl leaned forward. ”Baby bird the rum into my mouth. I swear I’ll pay.”
“Put it on my tab,” Aryin spoke with a confident tone, “I’ll do it Linqian, I swear I’ll do it.”
Linqian looked at Aryin, then at Mia. ”Will you pay extra if we both do it?”
“Oh my god, can you not?” Trisha groaned, leaning into Casey and closing her eyes.
”I’ll do your drinks first,” Linqian waved a hand… It was bartending etiquette, after all, as tempting as the money for… baby birding rum into another hot Richoux’s mouth was. “Do you have a tab, or-”
“It’s on the house, Linqian!” Andre shouted from half way across the room, green lux enhanced ears fucking picking up everything, of course.
”... on the house then.” Linqian resisted an eyeroll. She turned around to grab both a bottle of vodka and rum, swiftly mixing vodka and orange juice (one with more juice than the others) in two glasses before topping up with ice. She pushed them over to Casey and Trisha with a smile, pointing to the one on the left. ”Extra juice in that one.”
Then, she poured two shots of rum, holding one out to Aryin. ”You first.”
“Come here,” Aryin whispered loud enough for Mia to hear as she grabbed the shot and shot it back. She held it in her mouth and waited.
”Oh fuck, Mia come on dude… Where’s Hari? Trisha, can you please go get her?” It was far too late. Mia was already slipping a small bundle of twenties out of the little purse she carried and sliding them onto the bar. Her legs swung over Aryin’s, sitting cowboy on her lap. Her arms slipped over Aryin’s shoulders, and she giggled. ”Wait… You’re the baby bird…”
Still looming over Aryin, Mia’s head dipped and parted the lips hiding her alcoholic treat. All at once, the suction saw Aryin’s mouth cleaned out entirely, with a satisfying swirling lick at the end. Mia pulled away with a gentle pop.
Aryin locked eyes with Mia as soon as the liquid left her mouth. “I guess I was the baby bird,” Aryin licked her lips seductively. Her eyes slowly shifted over to Linqian, “you can still be the baby bird with Linqian.”
“...I’m going to find Hari,” Trisha muttered, very quickly slipping away from Casey and back towards the larger group.
Mia giggled at Aryin. ”You’re pretty sturdy… I guess I could.” Her arms wrapped tight around the back of Aryin’s neck, and she tilted herself back and to the side so that all her hair flowed over the bar. As her head tilted back, her tongue lolled out of her mouth. ”Re-eee!”
”Fuck,” Linqian muttered under her breath. She picked up the other shot, knocking it back and holding it in her mouth. She then physically lifted herself up and slightly over the bar, all her weight on her lower arms, to reach Mia. She leaned over her, moving in close enough that their lips touched before parting her own and letting the rum flow into Mia’s mouth. She couldn’t resist letting her tongue follow for just a moment.
And what a blissful moment it was as Mia pushed back into the long kiss. Casey was in a state of shock at the rare form that the women of the Temple were in tonight. It had been a long evening, and despite the allure of some enjoyment, he could feel Trisha’s coiled nerves slowly growing. It made him crave his new couch. Or even his office…
But before it went into full-blown soft-core territory, the cavalry arrived… Only to not be much help. ”Okay, alright! Breeeeeeeak it up, everyone’s favorite gash. Come on, as much as I’d love to reverse time and watch that happen again, you’re cut off.” Hari’s arms tucked into Mia and began to pull her… But, between her steel wrap around Aryin and the immovable nature of her current form, there wasn’t much of a chance of prying the moist barnacle off of its perch. ”Nooooo, Baby Biiiiiird! Baby BIRRRRRRRRRD!” Hari wasn’t often at a loss, but the night was wearing on her.
”Mia, we were doing really fuckin’ good… Why ruin it now?” ”Baby bird! Baby bird! Baby bird! But the bulky figure was making its way back now. Leon made it just in time to be useful. ”Mia! What the ever-fuck are you doing!?”
Like a child being disciplined, Mia immediately withdrew from all actions hitherto and skulked back to Hari’s side with a sullen expression. But, she did look back and smile at the two other Sycamore members. ”Thank yoooooou…”
Leon’s expression was frustration. ”I don’t know what the fuck’s with you tonight, Dude. But you’re fuckin’ cruising for a bruising I’ll tell you that. Hari’s gonna kill you when you sober up, you’re just diggin’ a deeper grave.” The two girls left. Leon turned back to make sure the entire party had gotten to where they needed to go. ”Now… What’d I hear about Coven stuff? Does it involve Trisha here too?”
Trisha, who’d slipped right back into her spot next to Casey after collecting Hari, turned to Linqian and Aryin with an expectant look and slight frown.
”... I suppose it can,” Linqian lowered herself properly back behind the bar. How did she explain this? If it was just Leon it would be easier- figure out a lie, jump to seduction, profit. It didn’t work so well with another Sycamore member present. But… she could definitely swing this. Especially Petty Patty. ”The last meeting was a fucking shitshow, and it made me realise that- cough- we’re fucked if we keep up all the petty shit. I-” You can do this, Linqian. For the possibility of an amazing fucking night that would end in an inability to move! “- was pretty fucking unreasonable last time. We thought it’d be a good idea to… what’s the phrase? Bury the axe?”
Linqian shrugged, leaning toward Leon with a slight smile. ”So, what do you want to drink, Leon?”
“Yeah,” Aryin said with a wry laugh, “bury the hatchet,” Aryin looked to Linqian as she drank a beer.
”操你妈, 你是笨蛋,” Linqian rolled their eyes at Aryin, though her lips were still curved into a smirk. Her gaze moved back to Leon, not so subtly looking at his chest. ”Yes, that.”
“Especially after the shit show at Kari’s house I think we all needed to do a little introspection and see,” Aryin paused as her eyes slowly followed each and every muscle on his muscular frame. Clothes could not hide what she wanted to see. “We needed to see what was important. I miss sparring with you dude.” Awwwwww
Leon grinned a bit, chuckling to himself. ”Ah, so it’s parley. Hey, I can’t be mad at that.” Casey snickered. ”I mean, I’m all for getting back to basics. How about you, Trisha, we burying axes and hatchets? Keeping the tree upright?” Leon looked down, shrugging his shoulders.
Trisha pursed her lips, looking between the three former coven members and then up at Casey. She didn't want to, not really, but she didn't want to be unnecessarily grumpy about it in front of him. “Yeah, we can bury them."
Casey nodded back down at Trisha silently, agreeing with her decision. ”I like that. Cheers to the Sycamore.” Casey said quietly, holding his drink up and nodding. ”Now, let’s go sit down. Come on. I’m getting moist vibes that Leon can mop up.” His arm snapped out slightly, jabbing at Leon’s arm. ”Yeah yeah, go enjoy your night… I’ll roll back over when I’m free.” Leon nodded. Casey shook his head. ”You’ll never be free, Temple Dooooooooooo-” Casey sang in a low metal signature, rolling his throat as Leon laughed and pushed him away. ”Go on, Troublemaker! Get! Shoo!”
As Casey and Trisha made for the table, only the trio remained. Leon sniffed gently, grinning to himself as he pulled his shawl off. His suit was incredibly filled out, his body nearly bursting it were it not for the fact that it was, in fact, perfectly tailored. It just… Looked so puffy on him. The mountains and valleys of his arms and chest couldn’t help but make little shadows. The jacket came off as well, and he set them both down on a bar stool.
It wasn’t hard for him to smell human lust. Pheromones still oozed from every orifice on the human body from sweat to musk to more private glands altogether. As he smiled, a predator flashed long canines that tucked tightly together and gave him a devilish appeal. He rolled his sleeves up, massive tattooed forearms set with muscle and etched in veins.
”Now… You asked about a drink? I think I’ll take… Oh, did you guys get our shipment of Last Round?” he asked, looking at the fridge for the bottles of his family’s very own local IPA. ”Or, did it sell out again?”
Linqian didn't bother to hide her heated gaze as Leon removed his shawl, then his jacket, then revealed his incredibly muscular forearms. Oh shit, the things she wanted him to do with those- but she was still technically on the clock, even if Andre was incredibly distracted by the large Temple group that had come in. She'd serve him first, think about that after… ”No need to fucking brag about it, we just got it yesterday.” Linqian snorted.
She turned around and bent over to open up the fridge at the back, taking an unnecessarily long time to pull out a bottle of Last Round. She stretched back up and turned to Leon and Aryin with a smirk, cracking it open and pushing it over to him. ”You need a top up, Aryin? Maybe I sneak in your drinks as ‘on the house', I'm sure Andre won't notice.”
“Oh yes please miss ma’am,” Aryin said as her gaze remained fixated on Leon’s arms. She bit her bottom lip at the thought of those giant, meaty hands around her neck squeezing as tight as they could. The thought of her breath finally being taken away by a man filled her mind and she shifted in spot for a moment before she looked back up at Leon. “Give me whatever Adonis has Linqian,” Aryin’s eyes flashed below the waistline for a brief moment.
Leon laughed warmly as he took his seat next to Aryin, putting an arm around her and patting her shoulder. ”You look good, Sword and Shield. You boxing at all still? I miss seeing you around, you know? Also, Linqian, put it on me. Anything they have, Andre. No freebies tonight. You do a lot for us.”
Of course, the super senses… The two men could probably have a conversation across an entire building. He grinned at the two girls a bit more, taking a sip of his beer before clearing his throat. ”How’ve the acts been so far?”
”There’s only been one,” Linqian groaned, coming back with another Last Round for Aryin. She pulled out her small notepad and scribbled down ‘all drinks on Leon' - though Andre would be able to hear everything Leon said and he was the one who actually balanced the books. ”Fucking awful. I managed to avoid working it last time, and I'm really fucking regretting working tonight. He started by hitting on me with the fucking worst joke. Fuck, I wish you'd just punched him then, Aryin.”
“I still box,” Aryin said as she flexed her muscle on her free arm. She felt the strength of Leon with just the pat alone and how big his arms were around her. “Lost my first fight, but I made it painful for the other guy,” Aryin joked as she thought of the fight with George. She would win eventually. “He’s so bad Leon,” Aryin said with a wail, “Like he makes me want to literally kill myself”
“Third times the charm then. I don’t see anyone else coming up to grab the mic so I will continue my set,” a voice boomed from the stage.
“Oh fuck me,” Aryin groaned as looked to Linqian. Her eye shot over to Leon’s hand, back to Linqian, and flashed a look in her eye that Linqian could translate to ‘fuck yes’ before she looked up at the tall man. “Who knows, maybe your company is all it takes to make his comedy worth it.”
”You know I can’t be mad at that. Good job. I heard a bit about what happened at Kari’s… I’m real sorry I wasn’t there to even the score. I didn’t have all these other responsibilities when we were kids.” He held up his beer to Aryin and Linqian. ”But I heard you two put up quite the show. So, if there’s anything I can do you-” He coughed, clearing his throat and intentionally looking away, as if to check the stage, then back at them. ”Sorry; if there’s anything I can do for either of you, please let me know. And here’s to you both for stepping up just like old times.”
”Ohhhh, you can do me anytime,” Linqian laughed, leaning over to slap Leon's upper arm (and maybe squeeze it a little bit) and wink. She then jerked a thumb between herself and Aryin. ”It’s what we do. Gotta make up for all the other hard hitters that aren't fucking here. Maybe you can pay off the rest of my shift so I can have a drink.” The last bit was said mostly jokingly, with another wink.
“Me as well,” Aryin said as she snuggled her head on Leon’s arm.
“So after my friend was finally executed, I learned I had a new found appreciation for life. Do you know what I did with that new found appreciation? I took my entire life’s saving and dropped it on the lottery. Oh I know you think I’m the dumbest man alive,” Jackson pointed to a man in the front row and then back to Aryin, he lingered his finger there for a moment, “my friend just died, why was I playing the lottery? Because I knew that to truly honour my friend I needed money. So I played, and I won. I won big, too. I suddenly had so much money that I could take care of my friend's kid. I made sure that this kid wanted for nothing, but I quickly learned something. It was really hard for me to buy him gifts. Not for lack of trying, mind you, I bought him the best gaming computer money could buy, a new car, a brand new house for Christs sake, but all this kid wanted was my company.
So every year, his birthday would draw near and I would ask him that dreaded question,” Jackson paused to see if anyone in the crowd wanted to ask ‘what question, Jackson’ for him and no one did, “that question was what do you want for your birthday? And the kid killed me every year. He never wanted anything, because he had everything he could possibly need. A supportive family, a rich friend of the family, and every latest gadget money could already buy. He just wanted to be loved,” Jackson paused as he chuckled on stage, “and a singular pink ping pong ball. When he asked me to buy that for him I was confused, as I think we’d all be, but I humored it. I also bought him every latest toy money could buy. When it came time to open his presents I made sure the box containing the pink ping pong ball was saved for last. He had a sad look building up to it though, and I felt bad making him wait for the gift he wanted, but I wanted to see that joy at the end of the day. So, after his last present was opened I gave him the pink ping pong ball and he was beyond excited. He was jumping, screaming, and thanked me more times than I could count. The kid went to sleep that night with the pink ping pong ball and by the time everyone was awake it was gone without a trace.”
Jackson paused as he drank from his glass of beer. “And then the next year came around and he asked for a dozen pink ping pong balls. And once again he was beyond excited when he opened that gift. Ance once again he went to bed with a dozen pink ping pong balls. I began to worry about what was happening, you know? Was he eating them, was he doing something else? I did not know. But I knew it made him happy and that made me happy. That’s why, the very next year, I knew what I needed to do. I used most of my remaining wealth to buy a container ship and I filled that bitch with millions, upon millions of pink ping pong balls. His birthday came around, we sailed to the ship, and I kid you not this kid was over the moon with excitement. Every inch of space in that ship was pink, and he wanted to explore every bit of it. And I let him. I even let him stay the night. Imagine my surprise when I pulled up expecting to see millions of pink ping pong balls and I saw absolutely zero pink ping pong balls. I was concerned at this point. There was no trace of them on the ship, or in the ocean, and this kid was the same size as the night before. What was going on?”
Jackson paused again as he finished his beer. “The next year the kid got in a terrible accident and he wasn’t given long to live. I rushed down to the hospital to be with him in his final moments, as my friend would’ve wanted. And when I out there I could see this would be over soon. We talked for a bit, and before he was gone I just had to know. I pulled out a pink ping pong ball and gave it to the kid, and his smile was weak but there again. And I asked him, you know, what happened to the pink ping pong balls? He told me it wasn’t what I was thinking, he simply…he…. And then he died before he told me what he did with those balls.”
Linqian’s hand slammed down on the bar again with a loud bang, temperature rising enough that both Aryin and Leon would be able to feel the heat radiating out from her. ”Are you fucking with me?! Fucking- again. This piece of shit, fuck, I’m done! I’m fucking done.” Her other hand lifted from Leon’s arm to slap it on the bar, lifting herself slightly as if to jump over it. ”That’s it, it’s my fucking life or his!”
Leon was impressed. The guy really had him, the entire buildup of anticipation like foreplay for the brain. It was stimulating, palette whetting, and then ultimately ended in a truly unfortunate case of blue balls. Comedic blue balls. His hand slowly came up, pressing into Linqian’s shoulder as he glared up at the stage with the most hateful look he could muster. ”Is… Is that what he’s been doing?” Leon almost forced out. ”Hey, Buddy!? I’ve got a thousand dollars in my pocket right now. If I pay you, will you tell an actual joke? Or are you gonna let the funniest part of your act be the look on your face when I cover you in beer and peanuts and roll you into the woods?” he barked so loud the whole bar could probably hear him. His voice was like a fog horn.
As he yelled, the musculature in his arms tensed slightly, and one could see his neck bulge from behind the tie and collar.
“What? Do my eyes deceive me? Is that his grace himself? Oh my God I’m truly honoured to have you in my audience tonight! Say, do you know what the hardest cult to join is? Hmmm? Difficult.” As he delivered the punchline he infused it with his power and he targeted Aryin with it.
”Oh get the fuck off the stage before I beat your ass, I’ll fucking do it!” Linqian shouted, though she couldn’t actually get anywhere with Leon’s hand on her shoulder.
Leon held his hand up to Linqian. ”Wait, wait… Let him cook for a second… Alright my man, what’s the hardest cult to join?” he called back.
Jackson just stared for a second. He blinked before his eyes went wide. He just realised that he may end up covered in beer and peanuts and be rolled into the woods. “Difficult. Hardest cult to join, is difficult…… that’s all the time I have, I gotta,” he dropped the mic and ran for the door.
”Let me at him, Leon!” Linqian gritted her death, temperature rising enough that the area around her was starting to get nice and toasty.
“Difficult,” Aryin laughed at the punchline without control. She did not mean to laugh, but something was compelling her to laugh. The fucker used a spell.
”The fucks wrong with you,” Linqian muttered, reaching over to slap Aryin on the back.
Leon, eyes still narrowed, watched as the wiry fucker scrambled off into the night. ”Jesus… Difficult? I missed it the first time it was so trash.” He shook his head, groaning. ”Andre… Get Mum to sing. She’s liquored up, encourage her a bit. And quit listening to us, I can hear you hearing me and grunting when I’m vulgar.” he said in a casual, conversational tone before turning fully back to the two Sycamore members with a wide smile.
”If she gets up there, it’ll be all the comedy we need for a night. Then we can sneak off. To… Find a coloring book.” Leon grinned.
”Also double my pay for this shift!” Linqian called out, temper dying down as quickly as it had flared.
Leon would hear Andre grumbling a bit about manners, but clearly shifting his attention to Lynette and… encouraging her to sing.
Linqian turned back to Leon with a playful smile, reaching out so her fingers lightly brushed his lower arm. ”You’re worse than I thought, mummy’s boy, using her for entertainment- or fuck, should I say…” her voice lowered into a more sultry tone as she leaned forward towards both him and Aryin. ”Your Grace. Is that what you prefer to be called when ‘colouring’?”
Aryin was pulled from her laughter by the use of your grace by Linqian, and returned to her actual fun plans for the night. “I’m an artist, I’ve been told I color,” she leaned towards Leon’s ear, “very, very well.”
It didn’t take long for the action around the Temple table to go from casual conversation to outright chants to hear the voice of the divine on the mic. As they goaded, Leon cleared his throat. ”Is the… Two pronged attack necessary? Jesus, I can smell the both of you literally. Is that seriously what you called me for? Booty?” he asked, trying his best to be respectfully quiet.
“Not just,” Aryin with a chuckle, “I did miss my sparring buddy, and if I’m going to be back with a coven I want to be surrounded by people that made the first time special, y’know? The last go around was rough,” Aryin sighed as she looked to Linqian and then back to Leon, “I don’t want to have to deal with the bullshit alone. And you’re a very pleasant person to be around, in every aspect. And…. Your mom is hot.”
”Fuck, c’mon, I also wanted to bury the hatchet- with the fucking meaning of getting over that shit I yelled in your face, yeah?” Linqian held up her hands. It was… not entirely truthful, because unlike Aryin, Linqian didn’t have that former friendship or whatever with Leon. He was useful to have around, though, and she… wanted Jinhai avenged more than fucking anything else, with fucking being secondary to that- ”But the booty’s a big part of it, why not have fun at the same time. I got another booty call, but that’s fucking complicated.” She played it off as a joke, smirking. ”But yeah, shit’s rough in the coven. Not enough of us protecting each other’s asses.”
He took a deep breath. There was a long moment where he didn’t look at either of them. But his fingers tapped against the bar with anticipation. ”So you were serious about me buying off your shift?” he asked aloud, finally looking back. ”It means a lot, actually… I’ve been feeling weird about how things have gone so far. I’d like to set it straight for a few people. So, I guess to answer your question… I’d say not unless you really want to be kinky… But, it is. A kink, I mean.” he finally grinned.
”I was so fucking serious,” Linqian smiled, arms resting on the bar so she could properly lean forward. She pulled her feet a bit off the ground, but… she didn’t want Andre listening in. Well, if he did, that was on him, really. She wasn’t actually that bothered. ”I’ll call you anything you want, the kinkier the better… You have no idea the shit I’m into.” She jerked her head towards Aryin. ”I enjoy it, and she can literally take anything.”
“Sadly that’s true,” Aryin said a chuckle “It takes a special kind of man to make be feel anything and,” she looked to Linqian, “I haven’t found that yet. I wonder if you can rise to the occasion, Leon.”. Aryin leaned back. “Until then,” Aryin raised her glass up, “let’s catch up, let’s drink, let’s party.”
Leon’s arm slipped down under Aryin’s ribcage, grabbing their side before raising his own bottle. ”I can fuck to that. Cheers you two… As I muster an impressive effort.”
Aryin pressed her body into Leon’s in response and clicked their glasses together. Aryin then lowered the glass towards Linqian and smirked. Tonight was going to go down in the history books.
Kenshiro
