[IC] Chicago After Hours

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
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My eyes widen in alarm, but I can also feel my skin heating up. I turn around to turn off the stove and hide most of my blush.

”No. I mean, I’ve never had an apprentice, and maybe you should wait and talk with Caden and me before deciding if you really want to be in on this world. It isn’t anything like the movies.”

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
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”All of them,” I say and set the tablet down. I turn my head to look at Nero. ”You say you grabbed this tablet for us. Why? It was your prize; surely Crowley had something of more value for you.” Of course, I was grateful he wanted to share this victory with me, but I couldn’t help but be curious about this sudden-giving nature they had.

[Donut Look Now]

Nic Wu

Location: Cassiopeia’s Townhouse, Chicago, IL
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I let out a chuckle and eat another piece of bacon before I respond. ”Is it anything like how medical shows don’t actually represent working in a hospital?” I ask before chuckling again. ”If you want me to, I can wait until you and Caden debrief me, but just know my reasoning isn’t because I want to be some kind of superhero or something. I finish off the food on my plate, realizing that I was famished. ”You’ve just introduced me to a new world that I could use to possibly save more people.”

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Nero

Location: Caden’s Mansion, Chicago, IL
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I blink in surprise at this reveal. Maybe I should have been using my immortality to learn that many languages too… It probably comes in handy often. ”Oh,” My face starts to warm when he asks why I chose it. Do I tell him it’s because it reminded me of him? No, too cheesy Instead I just smirk and tilt my head. ”I dunno.” I straighten to put some distance between us and back away a couple steps. ”Do you think you could teach me some of the languages you know?” I asked instead to change the subject.

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
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”What!? Are you telling me there is no Dr. Sexy MD? Well, what is the point of a hospital then? I mean, really,” I say, feigning shock. I smile, amused when Nic practically inhales all his food. I glance around to see his father in my living room.

”Why don’t you take your dad home? I checked him over last night. He had no life-threatening wounds and I healed all his minor wounds.” I turn and open up a cabinet. It's full of dry herbs and bottles and other tinctures. I reach up and pull a few down, having to rise on my tiptoes to grab a couple, but I manage well all the same. I start mixing some things together.

”These will help with sleep and any…nightmares he may have. If they are bad, let me know. I can help those,” I say and turn to hand Nic the bottles. I don’t like to remove people’s memories, but if the night terrors are bad enough, I’ll either modify or remove them.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
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I watch Nero closely. Is he embarrassed that he doesn't know many languages? I am a rare breed with a thirst for knowledge. I’m never satisfied, and learning new things helps to subside that drive for more. That and I have all the time in the world to learn. I’m not a normal skinwalker with a life expectancy. Most of my kind, my cousins, don’t have long lives. My family line, however, is quite different.

I swivel my chair, tilting it back to look at Nero even though they took a couple of steps back from me. ”Of course, which languages would you like to broaden your horizons on?”

[Donut Look Now]

Nic Wu

Location: Cassiopeia’s Townhouse, Chicago, IL
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”How can you say Dr. Sexy MD doesn’t exist when I’m right here.” I tease with a gesture to myself, but I let her move on and explain next steps for my dad. ”I actually did an exam this morning when I found him. Well, at least now I have an explanation for why he was in such good condition despite his clothes.” I chuckle at this while I take the bottles. The way my mood has changed in just a little bit of sleep was probably a little shocking, but I can’t express how happy I am that I still have my dad. I want to tell her everything about my life as it has happened so far and why what she and the others did was so important to me, but I don’t want to overstay my welcome.

Glancing into the living room, I can see my backpack sitting by the couch. I pull out my notebook and a pen, quickly writing my name and number onto it. ”I don’t know when you and Caden will want to talk to me about… all of this, but feel free to reach out to me here. I’ll probably be staying with my dad for the next couple of nights so I can… monitor him for lack of a better word.” He’s not my patient, but it’s the only way I can describe how the next couple of days off work will go for me. I pull her into another tight hug. ”Thanks again.” I say as my dad joins in on the hug this time too, also thanking Cassiopeia.

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Nero

Location: Caden’s Mansion, Chicago, IL
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I tap my chin as I think about it. ”Which one’s your favorite?” I ask before something shiny in the other corner catches my attention. Forgetting that I had been trying to avoid Cadeb seeing my mottled back, I traipse over to the object and grab it, greedily inspecting it. ”I could probably spend forever just looking at everything you own. I never thought I’d meet someone with as big of a hoard as me. Crowley excluded, obviously.” I turn the object over in my hand, trying to see if there was a way I could take it apart.

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
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I laugh and shake my head at Nic. ”You’re a head nurse, not head doctor,” I defend.

He takes the herbs well enough, and I’m grateful. I take the paper from him and nod. ”Yes, I’ll call Caden and see. I believe he is preoccupied today, but we’ll need to speak to the police about what happened. I’m sure you will hear from me today.”

Before I set the paper down, I am wrapped in another warm embrace from both Wu men. I’m squished, but I am not fully mad. I laugh and swat at them. ”Okay, okay. That’s enough. Time for you two to go,” I declare. It warms me to see how much Nic is like his father and that they still have each other to navigate through all this.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
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I mull over Nero’s question, wondering if I have a favourite language. I’m enjoying German again, but are there any others? I decided I didn’t have one. Each language has a unique rhythm that adds something to the expression of words and emotion. I look up to tell them this and realize I have puzzled too long over the question.

I chuckle at their short attention span and penchant for shiny things. While they are distracted, I take a moment to admire Nero in my clothing. The sweater was big enough that they probably could have just worn that if they wanted. It wasn’t terribly scandalous, but it did shift this way and that to reveal skin around the neck and shoulders as they moved. My eyes narrowed, and I found myself standing without realizing it. I moved silently across the room, my eyes on Nero’s scars. They looked like they had barely healed. I can’t seem to bring myself to say or do anything. I just keep staring.

[Donut Look Now]

Nic Wu

Location: Cassiopeia’s Townhouse, Chicago, IL
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We both laugh as she tries to usher us out of the house. My father and I are almost out the door when I stop and turn. ”Oh, uh, if possible, I would love if the… child wasn’t there for the big talk. They unnerve me.” I say, rubbing the back of my neck as I chuckle awkwardly before going on to say. ”I-I mean if that’s okay.” My dad continues out the door and starts trying to hail a taxi or rideshare to get the two of us home, but I wait for Cassiopeia’s response. Hopefully it’s not offensive of me to ask that.

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Nero

Location: Caden’s Mansion, Chicago, IL
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”Hey, you’ve been quiet awhile-“ I say as I spin to face them again. I almost trip over myself in surprise when I find him directly behind me. His expression is unreadable and I’m about to ask if everything’s okay when I realize what’s probably caused this. ”So you saw them, didn’t you?” I try to sneak my left hand behind my back nonchalantly before he can notice that scar as well. Truth be told, I have no idea where they all come from, but they follow me in every form. Well except my smoke form of course.

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
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Maximilian and I walk Nic and his father to the door. Nic stops just past the doorway, and I stop. I look at him curiously, until he asks his question. I fiddle with my hair and wave goodbye to Mr. Wu before speaking.

”I understand, but Nic… Demons aren’t the worst thing out there. I have my problems with them, but Nero was instrumental in helping us get your dad to safety. I understand wanting to ease your way into this, but we can only do so much easement.”

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
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I barely hear them speak; it’s like being underwater. However, I am hyper-focused and attuned to every movement they make. So when they move their left hand, I grab it to stop them. I want to turn them around, to examine the scar on the back of their neck further, but something on their left hand feels strange.

I look down, turning their hand over and see the burn mark covering the entire palm of their hand. ”Do you know what happened to this body?” I remind myself they are a demon, and the body they ride is the one who had been tortured, not Nero.

[Donut Look Now]

Nic Wu

Location: Outside Cassiopeia’s Townhouse, Chicago, IL
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I nod to myself, listening to her explain. ”If you think that’ll be best, then I’ll trust you.” I tell her, deciding not to explain that it was them saying they would kill me that has me freaked out. ”Just let me know. Oh and my dad says you can stop by his corner store, you can have any item for free.” I rub the back of my neck again. ”I’ll try and talk him out of throwing any more marriage proposals you way.” I wink and give her one more hug for good measure before leaving to join my dad.

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Nero

Location: Caden’s Mansion, Chicago, IL
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I take a steadying breath when I realize he thinks it was just this body. I open my mouth to correct him but close it again, unable to find the words to explain this… abnormality that followed me everywhere. There’s a faint memory of me jumping into different bodies trying to outrun the scars, but ultimately finding that I’m stuck with them. The memory makes my eyes glossy for a second and I blink rapidly to clear them. I shift my weight from one leg to their other, unable to really escape Caden’s grasp but feeling the need to fidget. ”Uh, um, it… it’s not unique to just… to just this body.” I whisper the last part, biting my lip and looking down. This is not the way I wanted to approach this conversation. I was hoping we would get to know each other more before he would see them… If I ever let him see them.

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
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I laugh awkwardly and nod. I didn’t realize that Asian stereotype was a real thing, but apparently, it is. Thank god Caden and Nero weren’t here. I would never hear the end of it.

”I’ll call you later,” I tell him. I stay outside for a moment longer after they’ve gone before I go back inside. ”Mother goddess, this will not end well.” I sigh and go back to doing…something else.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
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I continue to stare at their hand, running my thumb over the burn mark over and over again. I stop when they tell me it isn’t just on this body. It’s a part of them. A mark on their soul. I look from their hand to their eyes

”You’re human life. Someone marked you in your human life.” My voice is low, but even and deadly calm. And they had no recollection of their human life. I sigh, releasing the coiled anger in my body. I tug on their left hand, pulling them in and wrapping my arms around them. I kiss the top of their head and just hold them.

”I hope when you became a demon, you still remembered what happened to you, and you killed whoever did this to you.”

[Donut Look Now]

Nic Wu

Location: Leaving Cassiopeia’s Townhouse, Chicago, IL
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My dad and I wave goofily to Cassiopeia until we get in the vehicle to leave. ”How are you feeling about… everything?” I ask my dad once we’ve left, careful in my wording so as to avoid suspicion from the driver. He nods his head, seemingly thinking about this answer.

“It’ll take a minute or so for me to fully process everything, I think.” He tells me honestly. “But I’m glad I still have you around, son.” He puts his hand on my shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze.

I smile sadly back at him, still so grateful to have him back. ”I’m glad I have you still too, dad.” The rest of the car ride passes in an easy silence.

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Nero

Location: Caden’s Mansion, Chicago, IL
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Not expecting it, I let out a small squeak when Caden pulls me into a hug. I’m stiff for a moment, unsure of how to react at first, but when he kisses the top of my head, I feel myself almost immediately relax. I wrap my arms around his torso and lean my head against his chest, closing my eyes. “I wish I could tell you that I did,” I mumble against his shirt. ”But I really have no memory of it.” My mind wanders to what I had experienced with Cassiopeia just yesterday. I chew on my lip a bit more as I mull over what I want to ask, weighing the pros and cons, going back and forth, until I finally just say it. “I think I might… want to remember now, though?” If you ask one-day-ago-Nero if they wanted to uncover their humanity, they would scoff at the thought. The idea of how rapidly I’m changing scares me a little, but I think it’s time to face my own ‘demons’ finally.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
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”Mmm, well, if they are still alive, they won’t be for long,” I state. I release Nero to look at them more clearly. I smile gently and fix their hair. ”You do? Did Cassi jog your memory?”

[Donut Look Now]

Nero

Location: Caden’s Mansion, Chicago, IL
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My ears warm at Caden’s comment and I realize I kind of like that he wants to protect me like this. I look up as Caden fixes my hair and I give an awkward smile. ”Jogging it is one way to put it. For sure.” I say, wincing at the memory of it. ”But I don’t really want to get blindsided like that again.” I think I can remember Crowley mentioning something about ‘curing’ his demonic nature, but I don’t know if I want to go as far as that yet.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
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I take Nero's hands and pull him towards the green couch by the window. I sit him down and pour us two drinks, and hand one to him.

”Cassi can move in stages if you want, but it isn't a science. Sometimes memories just come tumbling out,” I inform him. ”If you want, you two can continue to just talk, bombarding you with questions while you pick and choose what to answer. If something starts to shift, allow yourself to go down that tunnel. We could also talk to the vampires or the Djinn. Although, I'd rather you not make a deal with the Djinn. They can be underhanded.”

[Donut Look Now]

Nero

Location: Chicago, IL
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Did I like being taken care of? I watch each move Caden makes with wide eyes, find myself enjoying all of it. I sip at the drink. ”No, fuck the Djinn.” I say in agreement with Caden. I tilt my head as I remember what triggered it all yesterday. ”But, I do think that the 13th century might be a good place to start. Those swords in the library yesterday are what kind of started everything.” I sip my drink again as I try to think if I have anything from around that time period. The only thing I can think of is my demon-killing knife which I did remember to grab from Hell before I left. ”And of course German since I don’t remember having to learn that language.” I kick my legs a little and tug my ear as I think about it.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
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I sipped my drink and glanced at my bookshelves. ”13th Century?” I stand up and scan the shelves until I am looking for the row I want. I pull out a couple of books and bring them over to Nero. ”This is everything I have from the 13th century. Take a look through and let me know if anything tickles your mind. Most of it is in English, but I do have a tendency to jump languages. And we can go look at the swords again if you like,” I offer.

[Donut Look Now]

Nero

Location: Chicago, IL
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I felt excited, taking the books gleefully and grinning up at Caden. I give him a mock salute. “Roger, roger.” I run my finger gently along the spine of one of the books, testing the water before I dive in. The condition all of his collectibles are in… “Maybe I should give him mine to add...” I mumble to myself as I carefully open the book, getting into a comfortable position on his couch.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
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Nero’s enthusiasm makes me smile. I watch them flip through the pages before I sit back at my desk and continue working on the German Dragon. Every so often, I look at Nero to ensure they are okay. I want them to find out more about themselves so they have a better understanding of who they are. Personally, I want to know who gave them those scars. Or what.

My eyes drift to their neck and left hand while they continue to read. Seeing those markings reminded me of dark times when the slave trade was happening. So many people I cared for ended up with those markings or worse. The pain of that era kept me up at night sometimes. I didn’t want that for Nero, but I also wanted to avenge them like I did for all the black lives lost in the 18th century.

My phone buzzes beside me, pulling me from my thoughts. I checked the caller ID and saw it was Cassi.

”Bonjour mon amour. Comment ça va?” Cassi updates me on what happened with Nic and his father. I smirk to myself. Cassi was terrible with the beginning stages of any kind of relationship. She had difficulty trusting anyone, and I never blamed her for it.

”I’ll send a car for the two of you for supper,” I offer. ”Detective Costa can wait for his debriefing. One more day won’t change anything,” I say. I speak with Cassi for a few more minutes, switching back to French before I hang up the phone. I rejoin Nero on the couch, resting my arm behind him.

”I have some news, Kleiner Kobold. Nic wants to speak with Cassiopeia and me on the supernatural community of Chicago. Unfortunately, he has requested that you not be in the room. You do not have to leave tonight when they arrive, but you won’t be able to join us for the evening meal.”

Translations

French: Hello my love. How are you?
German: Little imp.

[Donut Look Now]

Nero

Location: Caden’s Mansion, Chicago, IL
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Carefully closing the book after taking note of my place, I let myself fall over, landing on my back with my head in Caden’s lap so I can look up at him. I narrow my eyes as I digest this information. Finally I look in his dazzling eyes. “Can I just stay in here?” I ask, not really offended by this news. I was pretty useless around human emotions, so it might be better to let him and Cassiopeia take the lead. ”Or I guess I could go for another swim if I get too bored.” I smirk.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
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I smirk as I look down at Nero after they casually lay their head on my lap like they do this all the time. I find it completely endearing. I laugh when they suggest swimming in the pool.

”I would prefer it if you stayed,” I confess. ”As for swimming in the pool, I'm afraid I don't have a proper swimsuit for you to borrow. You would have to go in the nude." My eyes shimmer and shift with mischief, the smirk never leaving my face as I look down at them.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
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I wait until after lunch before I call Nic. Max lounges on my lap, purring loudly as I give him pets. He was my closest companion for the last ten years now, and I was grateful everyday that he had chosen me. Except when he meddled. Then I was annoyed.

The phone rang in my ear, and I nibbled on my bottom lip. Nic wanted to learn about this world, my world, and I was so worried about what that was going to do. What if he hated it? What if it freaked him out and he started hunting us? What if it got him killed? What if he loved it?

I sighed, rubbing my head where an ache was starting to form.

[Donut Look Now]

Nero

Location: Caden’s Mansion, Chicago, IL
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I raise a brow at him in a silent challenge. “I’ll take that under advisement” I say before biting my lip to stop myself from giggling. ”But I would also prefer to stay.” I don’t want to start going on this journey of self-discovery and have it interrupted by any house guests at my place. The demons would keep the cats fed in my absence as they always do. Besides, Caden is the sort of a safety net for me right now that I feel like I need.

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Nic Wu

Location: Nic’s Apartment, Chicago, IL
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Since I don’t want to leave my dad alone for long and I’m sure he doesn’t want to be alone either, I brought him to my place just outside the city. I figure down the road, we can explore options and maybe move in together, but for now I’m just happy to have his company. He’s fast asleep in the other room on my bed after taking some of the herbs Cassiopeia gave us. So far I didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary.

Feeling it vibrate in my pocket, I pull my phone out and see an unknown number. ”Hello?” I answer tentatively.