kapuchu

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

Lucie spent most of the time that Adeleia, or Adam, was talking, simply listening and forming her own plans. She was used to working independently and being told what to do like this was not a common occurrence. Then again, at least she was granted the freedom of choosing, her own point of entry, and her own methods.

She glanced up at Adeleia. To a certain extent at least.

That said she had no plans of killing anyone. To do so would attract unwanted attention, and she–perhaps better than even Adeleia–knew the importance of being subtle, and limiting the attention that one attracted. She would, however, make no promises about inflicting pain or taking a small bits of revenge, of the people who treated a little girl, like a mangy beast. If she saw the chance to return what was owed, so to speak, out attracting undue attention, then she would.

There were many things she wanted to say as Adeleia spoke but she kept her comments to herself for the time being, waiting instead until after all pieces of information have to been given to them.

But will they had finally finished the briefing and were given the option to come with inputs, Lucie put down her napkin and spoke up. " I have a few points that I would like to make. One might be more of a question, or requests if you will, however." She glanced at Liliana briefly before refocusing on Adeleia. "This girl that we're supposed to save, I take it, you want her to disappear in some way. While I could definitely orchestrates a disappearance, in whatever fashion that you desire it, I would instead like to take guardianship of her." she anticipated interruptions and raised a gloved hand to forestall them. "Hear me out," she said. "Out of everyone in this entire Society, I dare say that I know more about what that girl has gone through than anyone else. With that in mind I also know how to fight through it, should get above the surface and see the proverbial sun once again."

"I may not yet have reached my twentieth year, but I am still old enough to be a mother. And with a gift like hers? What place but here could she grow up, without feeling judged, or hated, or feared. That girl and I the share a kinship, in what we have both gone through. I didn't have anyone to help me. I only had my stubbornness, the man who would be my father playing to my pride, to keep me going." She bit her lip, fingers clenching in her lap as her chin dipped. Quietly, she added, "I don't want someone else to feel abandoned."

Adeleia flicked her–or his as would definitely be insisted if Lucie's opinion was mentioned out loud–mismatched gaze toward her. "It is not my concern what you do with your free time, Miss Lucie, so if you truly wish to claim guardianship of the girl then I shall not stop you. However, there is still the matter of the girl's disappearance. Even should we assume that her family has already wiped their hands off of her, to take her with you would not work." He tilted his head, the proverbial gears within no doubt turning, analyzing the most probable scenario, its solutions and ways it could go wrong. "Of course you already considered that did you not?"

Lucie allowed herself as smile. "Why of course. You have mentioned that the girl occasionally disappears, only to reappear sometime later. But what if she did not? Suppose that she simply disappeared, and was never seen again? The commoners have not the slightest clue of the nature of our powers and skills. If one of the nurses reported that the girl has disappeared once more, and we then moved her to this place, they would be none the wiser. They would believe that her... Peculiar affliction had caused her to vanish once more, and then never returned. There might be a Manhunt, there might be search parties. But with no evidence to suggest that she had been smuggled out, there would be no other course of action for them, than to simply say that she was... Gone." She shrugged, the crinkling at her eyes belying the smile she was trying to hide. It wasn't really her concern if the institution was humiliated, or if those butchers and torturers were thrown to the street. She supposed that it would make a certain karmic sense, if the people who took away even the identity of innocents, also had everything taken away from them.

She rose from the table, brushing a few non-existent crumbs from her dress. "But I do not want to keep you. No doubt you have other matters to attend to, Master Ware. Lilian." She curtsied to both and left the room, a small grimace on her face now that she knew she had to undress again.

Her annoyance was alleviated somewhat when in the hallway she found Anna Havel, her green eyes alight, and red lips curving into a knowing smile. "You called, my lady?" She asked, knowing full well that Lucie had done no such thing – It was her talent, again. She had known to show up here, at this moment.

Lucie decided to play along. "Indeed I did," she said. "It seems my current attire is a touch ostentatious for my the rest of my plans today. I find myself in need of your aid to get my out of my dress." She sighed. "Much as it pains me. I had been looking forward to a day of being the centre of attention."

Anna fell in step behind Lucie, following her back to her mistresses' chambers. "Are you not always? Even on your more modest days, you attract glances from most any man you walk past." Lucie shot a look over her shoulder, eyes narrowed. But before she managed even a word, Anna said, "I swear it is not a comment about the size of your posterior, my lady."

Lucie maintained eye contact for another second, then smile and grabbed her maid's hand. "Come now, we should not waste time," she said and hurried them both along.

That impudent little–she was making comments!

---

Lucie shifted her bag from one shoulder to the other, fighting back the boredom by toying mindlessly with the frilly attachment to her handbag. She had been watching the asylum for the better part of, well, the entire day at this point. The sun was nearing the horizon, casting orange and purple rays across the clouds that still lingered.

She leaned back against the corner, melding with the shadow as best she could as yet another nurse, doctor, or whatever they called themselves walked out of one of the nearby buildings, heading for the one across the courtyard. Lucie followed this one with her eyes, noting the slender build and curled hair, brown hair.

Hour after hour she had made note of the various people who worked here, taking a Frame of each and storing it away in whatever places she hid those memories. She hardly even knew herself. Finding someone who looked similar enough to herself was a challenge, as even some men had to look up to her. She had noted one earlier, however, who seemed to be very near Lucie's own height, and had hair of a similar shade, even if it was somewhat shorter. That nurse wasn't here now, but she–Lucie placed a naked hand against the wall of the building supporting her–was still inside this one, gathering the dirty linen from an injured patient.

Judging by the sun's position at this point, it was only a matter of minutes until she would head home and let the nightshift take over. That would be Lucie's time to strike.

---

Diana opened the door to her small apartment, breathing out in relief. Today had been a difficult one, with more than the usual amounts of patients soiling or injuring themselves. She was happy to have the work, and to be able to support herself, but even then she did not want to pretend that it was all sunshine and butterflies. It was dirty work often, and she was delegated the grunt work. In a way it made sense, given she was the same height as most men, but it was never fun.

She sighed and started changing out of her uniform. She would need to have it washed before tomorrow. She instead donned a piece of linen cloth that had once been a pretty enough everyday dress, but had become a victim of time and wear.

"I should do as mother tells me," she muttered to herself as she straightened the dress in front of her small mirror. "Find a nice husband who can support me, and I then can take care of his house." She smiled to herself in the mirror, imagining the life she could have. "Father always told me he knows plenty of strapping, young men. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to marry?" She chuckled to herself, the idea half ridiculous. She had managed to acquire a job of her own, and now lived in her own small apartment, all because she hadn't wanted to tie herself down to a life of servitude to a single man. For that is what it was, was it not? She lived as a glorified maid in the house of a person that might as well be a stranger to her, cleaning and cooking for him, and what did she get as a reward? She didn't have money aside from what her would-be husband would earn, and even that was not truly her own. Another thing would be children.

She met her own, brown eyes in the reflection, saw her own uncertain grimace. She did want children. It was every woman's dream, was it not? Small, beautiful versions of her and husband, running around the house, or reaching for her hand from their crib. She lay the mirror on her cupboard face-down with a grunt, resolving to finish that one on one conversation at a later date. Now wasn't the time for self-reflection.

She went to prepare water to wash her uniform when a knock on her door interrupted her, making her pause mid-step. She glanced briefly towards the singular window, and the crescent moon rising from the horizon. Who would be visiting at this hour? Certainly not her parents. Her father would never be out this late, and no doubt her mother was putting her little brother to bed.

She grabbed the firepoker and inched towards the door. She reached out for the handle with her left hand, right and poker hidden behind her back. Slowly, she pulled the door open, peeking outside hesitantly only to see... Amber? No, not amber, but eyes, hidden in shadow under a heavy hood and cloak. She flinched back as the hooded stranger lifted a hand, the poker now in full view and ready to be unleashed with a fury, should the stranger prove hostile. Her worries were somewhat abated when the amber-eyed cloak-wearer pulled back her hood and offered her a kind smile.

By God she is beautiful, she thought, her breath caught in her throat. She might have said something aloud that was more articulate than her thoughts, but the chance slipped from her grasp when the stranger spoke.

"May I come in?" She shivered. "It is not warm out."

Diana nodded silently and opened the door fully to let this woman in. The poker remained in her grasp, a reminder that she was armed should things get out of hand.

The amber-eyed woman stepped in after a short deliberation, crossing the treshold silently, each movement fluid and graceful. In a way, she reminded Diana of a dancer with the way she moved. She looked up from her feet to find those eyes upon her again, and discovered, to her surprise that they were level with her own. Slightly above, in fact. "Who are you?" She, finally, asked.

A sly smile was the answer to the question, the woman remaining silent while roaming Diana's entire body with her eyes. "You can call me Alena," she replied, curtsying slightly. She unclasped her cloak without breaking eye contact, not even looking at the iron poker that Diana was slowly bringing into view again.

She would be lying if she claimed to not be unnerved by current circumstances. This was a stranger: A woman she had never seen before inviting herself into Diana's own home, and acting as if she were armed with a feather and not an implement that could bring about unconsciousness. And yet, she didn't feel much fear. She had heard the idea postulated, that one was more likely to trust strangers whom they found attractive, and while this Alena was indeed beautiful beyond anything she had seen before – from her bright eyes and fine features, to the fullness of her lips and shape of her body – there was more to it than that she expected. She knew patients who tried to act normal, to win her trust and her aid with honeyed words and disarming gestures; They could for all the wold appear harmless and kind, but hide monsters within. Those were the most difficult patients, and they – one and all – shared one trait with this Alena: They were dangerous.

Whoever she was, whether it was her real name or not, Alena was a dangerous woman. No normal person walked with a cat's grace, and possessed beauty such as hers, and still walked around with the sun below the horizon. With this realisation also came the chilling fact, that she was unlikely to win any physical confrontation, and so amiability was likely to be her best tool to dealing with her guest.

"Very well, Alena, what brings you to my home tonight?" She put the poker back by the fireplace, being sure to keep it in view the entire time until it was where it belonged. She nevertheless remained close by it. Just in case. "I am afraid I do not have much in the way of food or drink to offer. I am not paid much."

Alena waved it off with a gloved hand, the dark fabric matching that of her shirt and trousers, eliciting a frown from Diana, pants? A woman?

"Don't worry about refreshments, Diana–" She knows my name? Who is she?! "–I will only be here a short while. Also," at that point she reached behind her back, making Diana tense suddenly afraid of what she might do, but her fears were unfounded as it was only a small leather pouch. She threw the pouch towards Diana, making her nearly fall over herself trying to catch it. "This is for you. Go on, open it."

She gave the pouch in her hands a cautious look, shifting he gaze between it and the confident stranger. It didn't feel overly heavy, nor did it feel like anything that would be dangerous. It was oddly light, even, considering how full it felt. Hesitantly, without taking her eye off Alena and her patient smile, she opened the pouch and finally took a look inside.

She did not exactly know what she had expected, but this was about as far from it as possible. "What is this?" She asked shakily, tearing her eyes from the bag.

Alena shrugged. "Money, I should think." She leaned up against the wall, arms crossed underneath her chest.

That smile on her lips, that small up-turn of her mouth, made Diana's eyes narrow. She knew exactly what she was doing, this woman. Knew the impact the bag would have. "I barely earn this much in a month, miss Alena. This is not pocket change, even were you a princess."

The smile widened, showing teeth. "Isn't it?" One of her eyebrows rose. "And who says I'm not a princess?"

Bristles rising, Diana continued. "Why are you giving me this?" A thought occured to her, a dark one. "What are you trying to make me do?"

Another shrug, this one somehow more irritating than the last. "Nothing," she said. "I want you to do nothing."

"Nothing?" A preposterous idea. No one handed a month's worth of wages to a stranger without wanting them to do something. Did she want to buy her home? Her services? ...Her? She shuddered at the thought, begging to God above that was not the case. She took a few deep breaths, trying without success to keep her heart from hammering in her chest. She was not afraid, but she was definitely anxious, she supposed to word was. "What does 'nothing' entail then, Miss Alena?"

Alena clicked her tongue once, and righted herself from where she had been leaning against a wall. "Take the day off tomorrow. Stay at home." It wasn't a question. That, Diana knew, was the tone of someone used to getting their way; who gave orders and then had them followed. Had she been facing a man she might have thought her a soldier, but alas she was not.

"Why?" She dared.

Alena sighed. "Because I plan to become you," she said by way of explanation, which only just made Diana even more confused.

"What?"

A chuckle. A chuckle of all things was the reply she received. No doubt her expression was amusing to Alena, but how else was one supposed to react when a stranger with laden pockets, came to one's home and said they wanted to become her?

"What do you mean by 'become me'?" She insisted.

Alena gestured with her hand again, making some attempt at silently asking her to wait while she got over her fit of giggles. "I mean," she said, "that I want you to stay at home tomorrow, doing nothing. Instead, I will go to your work, looking like you. Consider the money payment to ensure your cooperation, and your silence."

The pouch weighed in her hands, a reminder of the small fortune held within. She didn't truly want to anything, and could support herself well enough, but she would be an idiot if she passed up the opportunity to earn this much this quickly, and all she had to do to get it was stay at home and do nothing? It was almost too good to be true. There had to be a catch.

"And what do you intend to do at the institution?" She asked. "If you intend to get me fired, this will not be enough to let me survive."

"Nothing that will harm you or your reputation, I assure you." At Diana's unimpressed stare she continued. "I intend to go about the day doing your work, and complete a job of my own."

"And what is your j–"

"Confidential," Alena interrupted. "I'm not going to tell you what I am there to do, except that you will suffer no consequences from it." She offered her hand, letting it hang in the air between them. "Do we have a deal?"

A part of her wanted to agree to the offer. As per the theory, she felt a certain amount of trust towards Alena, and that she suspected was not entirely because of the large sum she had been so casually given. On the other hand she knew nothing about Alena, and even doubted that was her real name. Beautiful beyond belief or not, she could not deny the feeling of trepidation she felt at this conversation. She stared at the proffered hand, wondering if perhaps it was more akin to a viper waiting to strike. "Why me?" She met the amber gaze bravely, she thought, but couldn't help but wilt under it a little.

"Because we are of similar stature, and we have a passing resemblance," came the reply. Simple, blunt, without fanfare.

They did both stand tall, Diana level with a lot of men, Alena taller than most. But passing resemblance? If only. To have a figure and features like that would be a dream to her. Nevertheless, "and what if you do cause trouble for me?"

Alena motioned towards the pouch still in Diana's hands "In that case there is a slip of paper in that bag, bearing a sealed message with my signature. Deliver it to the address written on it in person. They could use a maid, I believe, and owe me a favour. But," she added sternly, "do not open the letter. Ever. Even if you choose not to take the option of a more respectable profession, the contents within are for the intended recipient. Not you." She extended her hand again, a knowing look on her face.

Diana clenched the pouch in her hands, feeling the money within, coin and notes alike. It served as something tangible to hold on to, to remind her that this was real and not some fever dream, or illusion cooked up by being in the vicinity of the mentally ill. She stood to gain a month's wages from just one day of staying home, but on the other hand she didn't know who this person was, or what would happen if she agreed to it. She pursed her lips, looking up from her hands and into the inviting face of Alena, her patient smile making it almost too easy to just give in. She looked trustworthy. Had they met on the street she would have immediately thought her someone to be trusted, but given the circumstances it was difficult to take her at her word. She needed something. Something other than money.

"We don't have a deal," she said, seeing Alena's face fell, a frown marring her features. She added, "not unless you tell me what you plan to do. I can't let you waltz around looking like me, if that is even possible. If you want me to keep my silence, I want to know what you intend to do." This was it. This is where it counted. In the face of someone as unquestionably dangerous as Alena, impertinence like this was a risk. If she had a short temper, there was no guarantee she would not just use force to coerce her. But if she were more reasonable, she could maybe gain something. She hoped.

Alena, thank God, did not resort to violence or threats. She just drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly and let her outstretched hand fall to her side. "Before I say anything, I want you to know that I can find you again. Easily. This is not a threat, but a fact. So if what I am about to tell you escapes this room, I will visit again. Understand?" Diana nodded, frozen. She had no intentions of speaking of whatever it was. It would never end well for her if she did. "Very well. At your institution is a patient who suffers from nothing. I intend to get them out, and ferry them to a better place. I reiterate, that no one will suspect you, so you have nothing to fear," she looked meaningfully at the pouch, "and a lot to gain." For the third time that evening, she offered her hand, head cocked to the side.

"So you just want to save someone innocent?" Diana shook her head. "I doubt you will find anyone there who does not suffer from one ailment or another, but if you can confirm it, then I suppose we... have a deal," she said finally and took the offered hand, and the strength with which hers was squeezed informed her that the decision had been a right one.

"I will need to borrow your uniform as well," Alena added, grabbing it from where it had been laid previously. "I will return it to you by tomorrow evening, freshly washed. Until then, have a good evening." She curtsied again, grabbed her cloak, and was gone as quickly as she arrived.

Diana stared after her, and then at door. She soon found herself at her desk, pen in hand and diary open on her small desk.

Dear Diary

Today, I was visited by the most beautiful person I have ever seen, and I am still not quite certain what happened while she was here... I am going to try my best to portray my thoughts, feelings, and emotions as I felt them this evening, but do pardon me if I fail to do so accurately, for I have felt both fear, joy, awe, and what feels like everything in-between.

The day started as normal, I woke up and dressed...

The Three Realms War [Act II] [DMC/Bayonetta/Darksiders Crossover]

A thought had Lily's fiery body turn ethereal, losing its physicality for long enough that the explosion and debris passed through her with no harm done, and in front of Cassandra materialised a rose coloured, transluscent barrier of her own making. The result of her and the angel's attacks had been unexpected. She had anticipated a guardian of this place to be durable enough to not simply shatter at alternating temperatures.

But contemplation could come later. Smaller bits of the scattered boulders were already starting to remake the golem. She turned to Cassandra, barking the order to finish it.

But she hadn't needed to. The half-demon already had an arm outstretched, a vast mass of mist at her finger tips. From it formed a spear, thick as her leg and over twice her height in its length. It hovered at her side, the broad head gleamed in the sun as Cassandra's gaze spotted the exposed core.

Eyes narrowing, she murmured a word. "Gáe." In one, fluid motion she whipped her arm forwards, the spear following as if thrown from her hand. "Bolg!" A huge spear, for a huge opponent. Crafted and torn from myths and legends itself, Cassandra sent forward the spear of mortal pain and death, straight for the heart of the golem.

The Crucible - Winner Take All

Had Lily been more polite, she might not have stared at Carreau as he arrived. As it was, her eyes traced him as he approached, and studied him even through his attempts at humour.

"So you did show up," she said, the corner of her mouth twitching. With a glint in her eyes, she added, "Turns I can trust you after all, if only a little." She pointed to the orb still held in Egon's hand, the map hovering above it. "The small bead of light is our position, and this–" she dragged a nail through the projection, in the direction the drone was facing, stopping once she held her finger over an area of closely set building "–is most likely where my next opponent is. It's closely packed, with lots of places to hide. An ideal place for a trickster like me, but also for marksmen, assassins, sorcerers and the like." She took the orb from Egon's hands, giving him a nod of thanks and held it aloft herself, squinting at the map.

"What about the rest of the way?" Brucie asked, leaning over her shoulder and poked the image himself. "Shouldn't we also check that?"

Lily nodded, and added a small image of a green circle over the area she had previously pointed out. "This is where I expect my opponent to be, but we should still check other places." An elongated shape of green light, going from roughly where the hole in the ground was, to the circle. "Here too. I would like to know how exactly you plan on scouting ahead, Marotte, and how your abilities to remain unseen works. But for now, we should head out. You can tell me on the way." She looked up, meeting the dark eyes of the giant beetle. "I hope you can carry us," she said with a half-smile. "Let's go."

The Crucible - Winner Take All

Lily turned to face her three new companions, offering a wry smile at the fleshy shapeshifter, then took a few seconds to meet the gaze of all three of them in turn. Much as she would have liked to say that she already knew all of their names and what they had said, she had been too far away to accurately read the lips of them, and had only truly understood that the fleshy monstrousity's name was Marotte. She could give educated guesses as to the identities of the other two: Big, covered in chitin, and a lumbering behemoth. He matched the descriptions of the one called I.O, that Carreau had given her the day before. The Cigar-smoking one she knew was Egon, the pyromancer that had been promised her. Long range fighting, and destructive power that she did not possess. She had briefly been introduced to him by Carreau, when first she entered the castle.

She studied each for another moment, letting the silence reign for long enough that Brucie started fidgeting. Not that it said much, as he seemed eager to constantly be doing something, even if it was just eating.

"I believe I owe an... Apology, of sorts," she started slowly, still glancing between them and occasionally shooting a bemused glanced at the raven-borne castle, and looked more and more impatient ever time she did. "I am not quite able to read lips well from this far away, and only on humanoid mouthes," she nodded towards the giant beetle, "so I did not quite catch all of your names, would you mind introducing yourselves again? I am Lily, as I expected you know, and this is Brucie, and finally Mouse." She pointed at first herself, then motioned towards them, and finally her two companions.

The lumbering giant seemed to right himself at her request. No expression showed on him except a slow blink, as he said "I am Immovable Object, but I.O works."

The fleshy being tilted his – its? – head, the garbled voice uttering a single word; "Ma̧͜ro͟͞t͘͞ţ͠e̡." it said.

Lily turned to the last of the three. "And you I already know. You're Egon, we met yesterday." Egon gave a shallow nod and puffed his cigar, and Lily wasn't quite sure how, but he somehow made the very action of doing so look thick with impatience, and probably a healthy dose of annoyance as well.

The warbled sound of Brucie clearing his throat interrupt further talk, everyone turning their attention to him. Even the dog. "What of the bird-man?"

The question prompted Lily to once more look towards the castle, her glance this time becoming more of a glare. This talk of trust and promises, was it really just for show? She made an effort to ease the creases on her brow. Getting angry with Carreau would solve nothing. "He promised he would be here, so I... trust he will be. Who knows, he probably already is."

"That looked hard for you."

"What do you mean, Brucie?" She asked.

Brucie gave what, to him, was a chuckle. "Not thinking the worst of someone." To his credit, Brucie did actually back away when Lily growled at him, but it didn't make him any less amused.

She tore her gaze from Brucie. "Anyway!" She exclaimed, once more giving her tentative allies her attention. "To address what you said earlier, Marotte. Yes, I am a jokester. Or more precisely, a Trickster. I already know the basics of what you three are capable of doing, but you don't know what I can do." She paused, scratching her cheek awkwardly. Though Brucie might have joked, he had been annoyingly right.

"Fire, lightning... Makes people see things," Brucie prompted, counting each item on one of his metallic fingers. She raised on tail and slapped it against his voice-box, earning a puzzled look.

"It's easier if I explain," she muttered and made as if to physically wipe away her exasperation and awkwardness from her face. "As Brucie said, I can conjure both fire and electricity, as well as short range, blasts of force. But they're not my specialty so my destructive power is nothing spectacular. My forté is trickery and illusions, both visual, audible, tactile, and so on." She took a step back to lean up against the boulders she and Brucie had been hiding in during the night. "That is why I specifically requested you three. I.O, your size and defensive power makes up for my own relative fragility. Coupled with your physical strength, you can tackle things head on that would crush me." She aimed a tail at Marotte. "You, as I understand it, is specialised in going unseen, and striking from the shadows. While I can do that myself, I have a somewhat–" she ran her fingers through the hairs of one tail "–striking figure. I can't yet hide them, which makes me easier to see when one the move, than someone whose focus is walking in shadows."

Finally she directed her attention towards Egon, their resident flamethrower, if Carreau was to be believed. "And finally, you have range and power, using both fire and ash if I'm not mistaken."

"She was right, much better explanation than me. Did you know, Mouse?"

Lily continued. "The tournament is in its final stages, and my next one is a semi final match, and I chose you specifically to make sure I have the greatest chances of winning. My ideal scenario, is that Marotte scouts ahead unseen and brings back any information he can get. This way we would avoid any surprises. The drone that's been buzzing since before I woke up, is pointing in the direction of my next opponent, so we'll always know the general direction. Not the distance, however. When it comes to fighting, I will do my part to distract and confuse, even make them piss their pants in fear if need be. I.O, your role will ideally be as a frontliner, either protecting the rest of us, while trying to catch my opponent, and break down any obstacles they put in our path. Egon, I would like your role to be similar to I.O's: Break down obstacles, but from afar, using your magic. Also capture if you can, and generally provide backup. Most importantly, however, and I can't stress this enough, do not kill my opponent. There is no guarantee that my phylactery will get the soul if you do, so restrain them, weaken them, but for the love of Ikari, don't kill my opponents. Not even their allies." She stopped, expelling air through her nose, and looking from one to the other.

"If you have any questions, do ask. But before that, I do have one question for you." She pulled the golden-brass orb from Brucie's bag and tossed it casually towards Egon. "Do any of you know what this is?"

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

I am so sorry for the wait D: I've been lazy. Sorry!

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

Lucie listened with some interest as Adeleia described the various oddities of the new station, that the police force had seen fit to erect. Certainly, there was a use for it, as without it more resources they could never hope to get in the way, of people like the Crime Lords of Prague. It sometimes still amused her, that the police thought themselves capable of fighting on even ground, with criminal juggernauts such as them. The things that were supposedly happening inside this building, weren't quite so amusing however.

She accepted the folder Adeleia handed to her, and flipped through it curiously. As she had been told, there was precious little except statements that sounded suspiciously, like fanciful tales. It was akin to the old stories of hauntings that took place, in almost every building older than its current inhabitants. She had to admit that they sounded like things that were made up, but one could never simply discredit something, just because it was unlikely, and she told Lilian as much.

"Don't discard the possibility," she said and flipped a page in the folder, "that things happen that we can't immediate explain. I am capable of knowing things about certain objects, simply by touching them and willing it to volunteer information to me. You can project your spirit from your body and move around as a spectre. Adam's mental acumen and pattern recognising, is to us, what we are to a dog." She looked up at Lilian, quirking an eyebrow at her. "The common folk do not seriously believe that people with our abilities exist, and yet... Here we are. I think it foolish to assume something to be false, just because it is improbable." She closed the folder and handed it to Lilian, receiving the significantly larger one in turn. She open it with a flick of her finger. "A normal person would laugh in our faces, if we told them of our talents," she finished, almost muttering it.

The reason for her slowly going silent became clearer the more time she spent reading the folder, as her expression became more and more devoid of any noticeable emotion. Even her eyes, so often alight with mischievousness or mirth, or any other emotions like anger and annoyance depending on the situation, became cold.

"I believe my choice has been made," she said and turned a page, though she didn't appear to read it, simply staring at a portion of the page. She took a deep breath through her nose and closed to folder, putting it back on the desk with an almost reverent delicacy. She looked up at Adeleia, meeting that mis-matched gaze. "I know a thing or two about torture, and what it does to a little girl. I do have a few questions, however." She placed her hands in her lap, gripping her dress and sitting up straighter; reverting to old teachings and rules, on how to control what thoughts were mirrored on the outside. "Firstly, what are we to do in case we get into an... accidental confrontation with the staff? And secondly, what possible avenues are there, for solving the issue with this girl? Are we to simply provide an answer to the riddle that is her... condition, or will we have a more active role in securing a better future for her?"

The Three Realms War [Act II] [DMC/Bayonetta/Darksiders Crossover]

The low buzz of their wings was the only companion to Lily and Cassandra as they flew on ahead, scouting the area in favour of waiting for the angels to catch up. For Lily, at least, it was an excuse to have a few moments to spend without the company of angels. For Cassandra, it was a case of curiosity, as she wanted to see more of this new land, strange as it was.

Where Lily's attention was aimed straight ahead at the looming pillars, Cassandra's gaze swept back and forth between the various trees, shrubs, and bushes. Colours, shapes, so many it was hard even for her to take in. A wide smile blossomed at her lips at just seeing the wild beauty of this place, untouched by intelligent life for so long, that the natural world reigned supreme. Even her mother's exclamation could not stop her from swooping down to snatch a flower, a branch carrying violet berries, and particularly large leaf from a tree.

"Careful!" Lily admonished, giving her a sidelong glance. "We don't know what's down there."

"Flowers," Cassandra retorted cheerfully and extended the flower, its yellow petals curling back to expose the pollen-covered stamen. "Belle. It smells wonderful, and there are many of them." Lily rolled her eyes but took the flower, bringing it to her nose and carefully sniffing it. One of her eyebrows rose and she tilted her head in an agreeable manner, giving the flower back to Cassandra.

"Just don't eat the berries," she said, drawing out the last word as something drew her attention and she looked away. Following her gaze, Cassandra saw something like a shadow that went into the pillar itself, as if a cave.

"I won't," she said, then pointed with the branch towards the cave opening. "The entrance, oui?"

Lily nodded, slowing down until she was just hovering a few dozen metres from the opening. Glancing around, she saw the the flora that had so intrigued Cassandra, but little else if one did not count the angel entourage still a ways behind them. They had encountered no resistance so far, and spotted not even the simplest hint of any guards or defences. There was the barrier in the sky to contend with, but they had both chosen to ignore that one. The immediate defences to protect the Seals had always been incredibly powerful, and sure of her own strength as Lily was, she was not arrogant enough to think she could match the power of the Charred Council. At least not yet.

"Something the matter, Mére?"

"We're missing something," Lily replied and swept her gaze over the land below and around, her eyes shifting from slitted and blue, to round and deep yellow like those of a hawk. Her vision immediately sharpened, enabling her to see in far greater detail than before. Critters in the foliage became visible, even the lizards and other slightly larger animals that tried to hide in the trees, became visible to her, and yet she found nothing that bespoke of any defences surrounding the pillars. "Nothing," she muttered, her eyes regaining their slitted pupil and icy-blue colour.

Now it was Cassandra's turn to look around in search of... something. Whatever she was looking for she did not find it. Like her mother, she found nothing but wood, leaves, petals and branches everywhere, half of which one animal or other lounged upon. "Patrol?" She asked, fluttering a short distance ahead and pointed past the pillar with the cave entrance. "Too thick to fly all the way around, but we can look near the edges, and see if there are any dangers? Even if the angels are not very likeable, we need to work together to complete the mission."

If Lily noticed the mention of the angels, and she likely did but chose to ignore it, she made no notice of it. She nodded and inclined her head in the same direction her daughter was pointing. "Good idea. Defending the Seal is the most important, so we'll need to be careful." She smirked. "No use being lax when Fenn is nowhere to be found, to be impressed by how effortlessly I solve our problems."

"Your rivalry with that wolf will bring you no end of trouble," Cassandra said shaking her head. She let the branch and leaves drop, but stuck the flower in her hair behind her ear, and motioned forward. "Let's go."

"Please, I'm much stronger than that pup," Lily scoffed, but Cassandra wasn't there to hear it, having already sped off. Her lips pressed together in a thin line as annoyance momentarily overtook her, but was shaken off. There were more important things to do, and so she took off after Cassandra. She quickly caught up and directed her attention downwards to the trees below, her eyes once more becoming round and yellow like a hawk's.

The forest was as dense as it had ever been, allowing for few openings between the trees. What few clearings they did see offered little in the way of information, save the presence of various animals, and provided some more insight into the exotic plants that made this island their home. Speaking of home, she spotted dozens of critters, from snakes to rodents, to what was probably small primates jumping between the branches.

"Find anything?" She asked loudly, not looking at Cassandra.

"Non," her daughter replied, nearly shouting over the wind rushing past them. She slowed down until she was hovering. Ahead of her Lily did the same, albeit slower. She tore her eyes from the ground beneath and cast her gaze towards the horizon, both in front of- and behind them. "There is the empty place in front of the entrance, and a few clearings in the forest, but nothing important." She turned and faced the way they had come, and in the distance they could just spot the light reflection off of the angels' armour. They were getting closer to the entrance of the cavern, and it wouldn't be long before they reached the entrance.

Lily followed her gaze, also noticing the glinting armour. She wrinkled her nose at the ostentatiousness of it, but said nothing of it. Now wasn't the time. "Let's head back," she said, taking off at the same time as Cassandra. The lack of anything of note was not quite a cause for concern, but it did rub her the wrong way. This was supposed to be a place where the Seal was located, and there were no defensive measures taken of any note. The sky was blocked by some sort of barrier, but beyond that there was... nothing. Things that were unassuming were often more dangerous than one gave them credit for. Venus Flytraps were not particularly intimidating, but for the unlucky that got too close, it was certain death. She herself made use of this principle, and was one of the reasons she almost universally appeared as a mortal woman. Few could peer past her disguise, and so would underestimate her, and even those who realised her demonic nature, were prone to assuming that she was weak given her small stature, compared to many demons.

The current situation was evoking the same feeling in her, as she aimed to instil in others. It was too simple. Paranoia was not a feeling she was known to feel, but even so there were warning bells ringing in her mind.

"You're realising it too, oui?"

Lily glanced at Cassandra, meeting her worried gaze. She nodded.

"No threats or protection around. Must be deadly inside. We should warn the angels and–No, mother, don't look at me like that. No matter how much you dislike the angels, we have a common goal." Though she was the child of the demoness, and thus far younger, the fierceness of the stare she aimed at Lily, had much the same effect on her as it did her own children. Lily averted her gaze, her eyes forward, but still listening. "They are not the nicest of people, but so long as we try to do the same thing, we should at least help each other."

Lily sighed, very clearly disliking the idea. She knew Cassandra was right, but it wasn't something her pride allowed for easily. Angels annoyed her at the best of times with their hypocrisy, but now was not a time for it to get in the way. If she wanted to get what she aimed for, now was the time for cooperation. She remained silent, but the decision must have shown on her face for she spotted something, akin to a proud smile on Cassandra's lips out the corner of her eye.

The next minute was passed in silence, either contemplative or content, depending on which of the two you asked. When next one of them spoke, they were near enough to have the cave entrance within view once more. What they saw did not make matters more pleasant, rather it reinforced the theory they had both agreed upon.

"Golem," Cassandra said as the boulders rose and locked together, her words almost lost in the passing wind. They were still far enough away that they attacks would almost certainly miss.

The angels, however, were in no such predicament, and immediately started their assault, but whatever this golem was made of, it was tough enough to withstand the initial strikes, without them harming it at all. The lesser angels, it seemed, did not take this fact very well, and if not for her daughter's presence, Lily would not have even bothered hiding the smile, that tried to worm its way onto her lips. Only the one with the most sparkling armour stood his ground, drawing a–Lily froze for split second, eyes widening as the angel drew his weapon. It's actually a Golden sword? For the love of all that is smithing, I don't know what to say.

Beside her, faint mist surrounded Cassandra before coalescing, and forming into two spears hovering in the air beside her. She frowned, and didn't look away from the golem as she spoke. "Shall we?"

Lily nodded. She didn't like the angel, but he was an ally, however tenuous. Reaching inside, she grasped hold of her internal fire and called it forth, cloaking her body in Elemental flames. "Let's kill it," she said and fired a plume of fire at the golem, followed immediately by Cassandra's Projected spears.

As the adrenaline slowly kicked in, informing the rest of both Lily and Cassandra's bodies that a fight was starting, the elder demoness couldn't help but grin. Time to show them what we demons can do

The Crucible - Winner Take All

The 'Trio' stood silent and listened to the mummufied gunman, each hardly moving. Lily gave a simple, brief nod when he had stopped speaking, but otherwise said nothing. Not even when said gunman started to shift and confort, did they react. They watched with impassionate eyes at the grotesque transformation of the one known as Marotte happened before them, Lily's eyes meeting those of Marotte without blinking.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" She said at length, arms crossed. Even Brucie, standing beside her, seem not in the least put off by the fleshy spectacle that had just occurred in front of them. She ignored the mockery of anatomy before her, instead looking off to the side, where moments later came the sound of something large walking closer. The hulking form reminiscent of a beetle appeared, appearing gentle even in spite of its immense size, and power were she to guess. Following him was the cloud of smoke that formed itself into a vaguely humanoid shape clad in a suit and looked to be smoking a cigar.

When he mentioned people not trusting them, 'Lily' smiled. "You're quite right," she said, and vanished, followed by both Brucie and Mouse disappearinging in a theatrical puff of smoke as well. Down on the ground, beside one of the larger boulders that still littered the ground, the white fur of Lily's tails suddenly stood in stark contrast to the background, having seemingly not been there moments before. She looked up at them, the smug smile on her lips lost over the distance. When next she said something, it came as a whisper in their minds directly. "I may trust the words of your master, but you I have never shared words with." The voice ceased, and down below the real Lily toyed with the end of her braid thoughtfully, garnering a curious glanced from Brucie and a yawn from the small dog. "I would appreciate it if you came to me, not the other way around. Cautious of homefield advantage, you understand."

She cut off the connection and returned the look Brucie had been given her.

"Isn't it a bit rude?" He asked her, scratching his neck beside the voicebox. "Pretending to meet them, then show that you didn't."

Lily shrugged and tossed her braid back over her shoulder. "Maybe, but as you could see, Marotte made quite the effort to trick and scare me." She looked up at him and proclaimed innocently, "Why, if I had been more jumpy I might have attacked him right then and there."

It was a strange thing to be on the receiving end of a glaring hammerhead shark. Primarily because each eye was nearly in her own peripheral were he to face her directly, so he had to tilt his head to one side, making just one eye be the one through which he communicated his thoughts on what she had said. "I've been with you long enough to know that's not the case," he told her, and they both knew it was true. "You were testing them to see if we could trust them."

She narrowed her eyes and held his gaze for a moment. "You're right," she said with a lopsided smile. "Am I rubbing off on you, or are you just becoming more perceptive all on your own?"

He shrugged and looked upwards the front gates again, perhaps wondering how long it would take them to come reach him and Lily. "Probably bit of both. Kinda have to think differently to even follow half of what you do. Not always sure where you even are."

"But isn't that the fun part?"

Brucie grunted, but didn't otherwise reply.

The Three Realms War [Act II] [DMC/Bayonetta/Darksiders Crossover]

The missions that were available were basic at best, dealing with either simple defence or discovery, and very little chance for anything exciting to happen. After the humiliating failure of the angel's back in the forest, being near so many of them, and forced to not get into a fight, had put some strain on Lily's control over herself. She itched to do something, be it a simple brawl or just anything that could get the blood pumping.

She had partially gotten that wish fulfilled, when the oddity that was Malvvosia had appeared. The new demoness had been off-putting, not because she was inhuman–Lily was, after all, inhuman herself in more than one aspect–but rather because she seemed to try to be humour, yet failed spectacularly. Some humans might be scared by that juxtaposition, but to Lily it just came off as off-putting. It made her realise that she didn't like Malvvosia very much. If one wanted to mimic humanity, at least give them to honour of doing it well, as she herself did.

She shook her head and forced those thoughts away, returning to the present and her daughter beside her. They had found an isolated spot in the city, windowless buildings to one side and a railing to the other, keeping them from falling down into the water, quite a ways down below.

"I think it's time I taught you a new trick," she said, interrupting Cassandra as she was drawing. She was sketching the view beyond the railing with astonishing detail, Lily noticed. She had even drawn algae that covered the rocks that shot up from the water.

Cassandra quickly put the sketch and pens back in her pack, "What trick?" She asked, standing up.

"You know that the way I usually fight, I never use all of my strength? Only drawing a fraction from it at a time?"

She nodded. "You use your cat, dragon, and flame forms," she said, counting each on her fingers. "One is fast, one strong, and the other... fiery. Together, they're the original 'you'."

"You remember," Lily said. "Good. I want to teach you the same–Don't give me that look, Fayette, it's not that hard." She chuckled at Cassandra's look of bewilderment, as if she honestly didn't believe her. "It's based on shapeshifting, but different. Think of your demonic form not as a whole, but as several individual pieces, that, when combined, becomes 'devil trigger'–or whatever the humans call it–then isolate one of those pieces, and shape your body to fit that piece."

Cassandra pursed her lips, fingers idly toying with her earrings as she mulled it over. The gears spinning within her head were almost audible, Lily thought.

"So, like if I were to choose my wings...?" She let the question hang in the air.

Lily nodded and stepped closer to Cassandra, putting one hand on the middle of her back. "Yes. I was thinking of your wings as well. You can't fly outside of your demon form, but if you learned to do this, you could." She pressed two fingers into the upper back of her back, making her wince, and once again a short ways down her back. "I know it hurts, but it's a good way of reminding you where they should be," she said when Cassandra shot her an unamused glare. "Your wings comes in two pairs, not one like I make mine. Now remember, isolate that piece of your demon self, and will your body to change." She took a step back, giving Cassandra space. "Just like with your hair colour."

Cassandra nodded and closed her eyes. Things like this were already easier said than done, but she'd had nearly a hundred years of practice with her shapeshifting. She had never been as good as Lily, and she likely wouldn't ever be. Supposedly she had more potential than her mother did–Lily always assured her that she could become strong if she applied herself to it–but she had a hard time believing it. She had become her superior in swordfighting, certainly, but she had also focused on that, made it her speciality.

"Focus," came Lily's voice.

"I am," Cassandra muttered, nose wrinkling.

"I can see by your face that you aren't."

"Je suis!" She exclaimed, annoyed.

"Wouldn't be making your thinking face if you were."

Cassandra cracked open one eye, mock-glaring as best she could at Lily, and received only a knowing smirk in return. She sighed and closed her eyes again, this time focusing on the matter at hand. She had been provided with a number of places to focus on, courtesy of Lily's sharp nails. While not painful, she could still feel it. She took a deep breath and held it as she crafted the image of her demon self in her mind's eye. The intricate and swirling markings that covered her body, the monochrome eyes and, lastly, the two wings she possessed in all their iridescent and kaleidoscopic glory.

She let go of the breath through her nose, and snipped the wings from the image of herself and let everything except the wings fade from her mind. She could see the 'roots' of her wings, where they connected with her body. Each root, she connected with the faint sensations still on her back. That done, she did as she had done so many times before, only on a larger scale. She told her body to change, focusing on the sliver of her true form that were her wings, and where she had mentally connected them to her natural body.

"Good," came a distant voice from the outside. Lily, most likely. "Continue."

She needed no encouragement, and continued the change. Neural pathways, muscles, and sinew came as if from nowhere, her body rearranging itself to suit her desires. She felt a brief sensation of resistance, pushed harder, and broke through it. She heard a hum of approval that fell away to anticipatory silence.

She let her eyes flutter open, feeling something alien on her back. She looked up at her mother, who wordlessly conjured a full sized mirror. She stood up and turned sideways, looking at herself in the mirror. "I did it," she said, smiling at the quadret of wings now attached to her back. They were more like a dragonfly's wings, than the butterfly-like ones she possessed in her demon form; the top pair angled upwards, and elongated, tapering to a rounded point. The bottom pair were angled downwards, and were slightly smaller than the top pair, and all four responded readily to her commands.

"Add a pair of pointy ears, and your appearance would mirror your namesake," Lily told her and let the mirror-projection fade back into mist.

"Fayette," Cassandra said trying to suppress a chuckle. "Little Fairy, indeed... I should've known I'd poke holes in my shirt. Merde."

---

Cassandra, now with a quadret of holes in the back of her shirt, had begun to eagerly sketch the shoreline as soon as it came within view. She had to erase and redraw the stone pillars again and again, seeing as they never seemed to stay the same size, and only became larger the closer they got. Though she knew it was a matter of perspective, it still made her nose wrinkle in annoyance. Lily had remained quiet during the travel, alternating between watching her daughter's charcoal pencil race across the paper like a dragonfly doing its mating dance over a lake, and keeping an eye out for any other dangers that might choose to get in their way.

Lily jumped off the boat as soon as they made landfall, the feeling of coarse sand under her bare feet one she had been missing for longer than she cared to admit. She breathed in deeply, for the moment ignoring everything else around her in favour of just a moment of quiet. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes were drawn to the same pillars Cassandra had been sketching earlier. She listened with half an ear to the briefing they were all given, but as soon as she sensed, that little more was to be said, she let a pair of fae-like wings sprout from her back; this time without tearing holes in her clothes thanks to the open back of her shirt. She jumped into the air, wings buzzing behind her, and started towards the nearest of the pillars, intent on searching for whatever entrance had been found.

Cassandra watched her fly away, staring at the open-backed shirt the elder Demon wore, thinking that it might have been a good idea for her to change as well, before they had gone out to the mission. Alas, she was left with a shirt that still had four holes in it, one from each of her newly acquired appendages. She glanced over her shoulder at them. They were all angled downwards now so as to take up less space, and glittered in the sunlight, light refracting through them and covering her back in a whirl of colours. Pretty as it was to look at, they had a mission to complete, so with a thought she spread them out as they had been when she first 'made' them, and with another propelled herself into the air and hovered a good ten feet off the ground.

She turned and was about to follow Lily when a masculine voice called out behind her, causing her to stop and looked over her shoulder. It was one of the angels, the new ones. He had been giving her the stink-eye throughout the entire journey, but now was the first time he spoke to her, and of course he's giving orders. I'm starting to think Mother might not be entirely wrong around them. At least this one fits her stereotype. She turned around and gave him her best, most innocent smile she could muster. Having been everything from daughter, to mother, to great-grandmother, it was a look she had practised and perfected for over a century–perfected both by using it herself and having it used against her.

"Of course, Sir Angel," she said sweetly. "I always respect and follow the orders, of those both wiser and more intelligent than I am." She let their eyes meet, waved at him, then turned and flew off in pursuit of Lily, Mallus already forgotten, and eager to learn more about this new and strange place.

The Crucible - Winner Take All

The sound of small rocks hitting metal caused Lily to stir back to consciousness. She opened her eyes to see Brucie standing not far off, looking up at the giant bird, that made up the base of Carreau's Castle. They had found a place where debris from the stalagmites and stalagtites, had formed a small hideyhole, just large enough for the three of them to stay out of sight together. She untangled herself from her tails, revealing Brucie who had been sleeping in her lap. She shook him awake and lifted him off of her, much to his visible dismay.

She stood and stretched, feeling the soreness of yesterday's battles coming back to her. The flask she had been given healed her well enough, but still her muscles ached slightly from suddenly being used more than they were used to. She had gotten lazy in the last few years, and decided she would have to rectify that.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked and undid her braid, letting it fall free for its full length.

Brucie turned to face her, casting one last look at the towering bird, and said, "Six-seven hours, I think. No clock, or sun down here to tell." He walked over to where Mouse was now lying, next to the bag still half-filled with pastries and bread. He dug into it and pulled out a few, left some on the floor for Mouse to gnaw on while he put the rest in his own mouth. He then leaned back against one of the large rocks that made up their hiding place and quietly watched Lily work on re-tying the braid. "How do you manage that?" He asked.

Lily stopped her work and looked at him. "Manage what?"

"Your hair." He pointed to the tips of it. "It's at your knees almost. How do you deal with it? Just having hair makes my head feel itchy."

She snorted, and returned her attention to her hair. "Practice, patience, and habit," she said and redid the pins that held it near her head, then started working on the braid proper. "Had it this long since forever. Just got used to it. Also braiding it makes it shorter, in a way, so it only goes to my hips." She looked up from where her hands were deftly weaving her hair together into her trademark braid. "This'll take a while. Could you keep an eye out for the castle? If it's been about as long as you say, they're probably going to start coming out soon."

"Roger," Brucie said and returned to his earlier perch, this time looking straight towards the castle-topped bird.

The quiet peace that she often enjoyed from the simple act of braiding her hair, was robbed of her not moments later, when the whirring sound of a small machine shattered the quiet around them. She looked over to the side where the familiar drone hovered in place, albeit at an upwards angle. She was about to simply ignore the buzzing of its propellers turned into beeps, eliciting an exasperated flick of her ears.

"Just the drone," she called over to Brucie, having heard his curious grunt at the sound of the beeping. She turned her attention back to it just as the recording began, the sound of the pompous 'narrator' already souring her mood with his first few words. Nevertheless, she listened, and it turned out, that, for once, listening to this baboon was important. She was in the semi-finals, that much she already knew. It was what came next that chilled her blood, and fanned the flames of the familiar feeling of vitriol. Her teeth clenched and jaw tightened almost of their own accord, and she had to fight from clenching her fists hard enough to puncture her own skin.

Of course. It had to have been too good to be true. Of course there was more to the tournament than just a college, that wanted to see humans, monsters and more fight to the death to get their heart's desire. With the message over and delivered, Lily was left shaking; her entire body tensed up like a spring. Mouse must have noticed her anger, for her walked over to where she was standing and pushed against her leg, trying to get her attention. Only when she opened her eyes and unclenched her fists did he stop, instead now looking up at her with a curiously tilted head. She crouched down and put her hand on his head, scratching him behind the ears as she remembered the breathing exercises she had been taught, to control her anger. She breathed in, then out, using the presence of Mouse as an anchor.

When she opened her eyes again, what must have been minutes later, her anger was gone and instead replaced with determination. Fuelled by the fires of her defiance and the lingering embers of her temper, that never quite seemed to quiet, but determined nonetheless. The college, or whoever was behind it, had brought them here for something. They had dangled what she desired the most right in front of her nose, and she would be damned if they were going to snatch it away from her.

The College wanted to fight her? Bring it. Her hands were already drenched in blood, had been for years. A few more humans who dared get in her way wouldn't weigh anymore on her conscience.

She stood up straight and headed towards Brucie, stopping a few metres short, looked towards him and then disappeared.

Brucie, who had been watching her approach in his peripheral started, looking intently at where she had been moments before. "Lily?" He asked aloud. "Y'there?"

"Walk towards me," she replied.

He dutifully obeyed and trudged towards her, still glancing back at the castle every other second. The fifth time he did so, and looked back, Lily had reappeared. "See you again," he told her to which she nodded, a satisfied looked in her eyes.

"I had an idea," she explained. "Normally I can't really move while invisible. Walk very, very slowly at best. Being in his castle gave me an idea." The look Brucie gave her was... reading the shark was always a challenge, but she seemed to notice a glimmer of incomprehension in his beady eyes. "You know what, take five steps back, wait a few seconds, then five steps forward again, okay?"

He nodded and did as she asked, first marching five steps backwards. At the fifth step his expression changed to something that could look like comprehension, and he gave a metallic thumb's up in the general direction of Lily. He walked forward again, and she came into view immediately upon his second step. "You disappeared when I walked away!" He exclaimed.

"I did. Like I said, if I just make myself invisible I can hardly move without breaking it. But, if I create a bubble of illusory of magic in an area, I can use it like a film, where I filter out anything I don't want the person inside to see. Looks," she nodded behind Brucie, and as he turned she made the dome she had created moments earlier opaque. It was perhaps half a dozen metres in diametre, and stopped just behind Brucie. "You were inside that, and I filtered myself out." She smiled. "I decided you couldn't see me, but you could see everything else. I might be able to do the opposite as well, giving myself a wider area of invisibility, but I haven't tried yet."

She turned towards the castle on the crow, where she was beginning to spot activity in the windows, lights turning on and the like.

"Bird-Man is waking up," Brucie muttered beside her.

Lily nodded. "He, and his entourage of weirdos."