[center][b][u]New Allies and the Bonds of Family[/u][/b]
[i]Collab: Yoshua171, Celaira, Fallenreaper, and Lucius Cypher[/i][/center]

[center][b]The Sky Above Kenan -- Evening[/b][/center]

The thirty minute flight had been murder on Aeris' nerves. Though she was silent for the entire flight, her mind had been moving a thousand miles a minute. Was Olivia okay? She wasn't hurt right? Oh, the things she'd do to who ever had her if she was. It would not be a quick death, that was for sure. The vampire's blood boiled with a calm sort of fury. It had been 180 years since she'd been taught by Szayeis, but some lessons never fade. Such were his. The things he taught her, and the way she reacted to it were all still there, in the back of her mind. Purring like a kitten wanting to be played with. A dark part of her that she had spent the last almost 2 centuries on the surface trying to quell. 

There was no sating this beast, however. Its hunger was endless. All she could do was put it to sleep, and even then, it stirred at any sign of anger from the doll. She wished she could put her focus to putting it back down, but her mind was elsewhere... Olivia was her top priority.

That didn't stop it, though. Only 10 minutes into the flight toward Kenan, she began hearing an all too familiar [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvKGHEpdR9Y]song[/url] being sung in her voice in the back of her head. She faught the urge to hum it. 

[i]Come on... You know you want to~[/i] A more childlike version of her voice rang out inside her head. There were no changes to her demeanor on the outside, aside from the fact that the ghostly smile she had donned prior was there once again. When she realized this, she quickly shook her head, her face returning to its cold determination.

[i]Aeris... Aeris~! C'mon~ sing with me![/i] If she acknowledged the voice it would just get stronger, because of this, she opted to flood her thoughts with that of Olivia and Darius. Happy memories. Reasons why she wanted to save the girl. Reasons why she [i]never[/i] wanted her to see this part of her. The part that she hid from everyone. Including Mairyell. [i]No one[/i] was ready to see this. And she didn't think Mai would ever be.

The closer they got to Kenan, the more agitated the beast got. The more its hunger tried to take over her own. She wouldn't let that happen though. By now, her eyes were flickering between purple and blue, they needed to move faster. Just as she thought that, her brother increased his pace, causing her to have to focus in order to catch up. This inner struggle of hers could wait for another time. She had more important things to worry about. 

Even as she made that declaration to herself, the darkness was stil there. Still waiting. Waiting for her to lose her grip. It would only take one time. One slip up, and her whole life would be in ruins.

As they reached Kenan, Mai seemed to stiffen a little. Then, he dove. Aeris quickly followed suit, finding that her brother had led her to a rather nice looking hotel. She looked at him curiously for a moment before entering it. Just as she opened the door, Olivia's scent hit her. [i]Hard[/i]. She was definitely here. The scent was still fresh. Being in this close of proximity meant that Aeris could track her without her brother's lead. So, without waiting to see if he had followed her, Aeris moved through the building, following the scent until she came to a door that had both Olivia's scent and a stranger's on it. 

A hiss left the doll's lips as she closed her eyes and focused. Using the shadows within the door's frame, Aeris hardened them into sharp petals that caused the door to crack and fall ajar due to the pressure. The shadows returned to normal as the vampire pushed the door open, and stood silently in the doorway, anger evident on her face.

While his sister entered the hotel, Mairyell hovered over the roof and then slipped over the edge, his wings holding him aloft effortlessly. He dropped to the floor and precise room that he knew Olivia was in. However, while they'd flown through Kenan to get here, the hunter had noticed something. Olivia's scent had two other scents mixed with it. One had a violent, tense, odor, it also reminded him of spiders for some reason. This scent had gone into the city further and trailed to a small shack. They'd flown over it a few minutes ago before heading to the hotel they were at now.

The second smell had entered the city, it was a sweeter scent, peaceful even. This had neared the shack, seemed to damage something--he had seen a broken window ont he building, and then fled apparently with Olivia in tow. The spidery scent had not moved from the building.

Something had happened before they arrived and he had surmised that whomever had Olivia now was not the same individual who had kidnapped her originally. However, who this new person was, he could not say. However, they reminded him of the Academy, not that he could peg exactly why.

His wings silent on the evening air, Mairyell hovered just outside the room's window, noting Aeris' essence moving inside it, as well as the essence of two others.

His eyes were closed, and in his mind he could clearly see several odd things going on. Magic was in use, he could feel and smell as much, and it was attempting to mask the source of Olivia's scent, as well as whomever she was with now. First he'd see how they'd react to one another, then he'd intrude.

Patience was key...especially when one was on a hunt.

But the room was empty. Or appeared to be. There were sure signs of Noel and Olivia being there. As well as magic. Noel's Poncho was hanging on the corner of his bed. His bags were also near his bed. Some webbing from Olivia's cast was put into a plastic bag and left in the trash. The blankets on the bed were frayed like someone just woke up. The windows were open. Aeris may have missed it, but hanging from the doorknob was a sign saying "Do not disturb". And from the bathroom came a feminine voice. [b]"Noel? Is that you?"[/b]

Aeris, seeing no one in the room, growled in her throat, and walked further into the room. Slowly, she walked over to the bed that seemed to have items near it, and picked each thing up, one at a time. She didn't have to bring them close to her face in order to get the scent that clung to them. Slowly, she swivled her body around to get a whole view of the room, inhaling the air calmly. "Olivia...?" She questioned the silence quietly to herself. She could most definitely smell the girl as if she was still in the room, but her eyes found nothing of the girl she had helped raise and cared for for nearly all of her life. When she heard a feminine voice coming from the bathroom, asking about some Noel character, her eyes rolled involuntarily. That [i]definitely[/i] wasn't Olivia. "Yeah, no." She spoke loud enough for whoever it was to hear through the door. The vampire was very clearly irritated, and it was getting worse and worse by the moment. "I swear if I have to call Darius and ask for hunting [i]dogs[/i]..." She trailed off deliberately, her eyes analyzing the room over and over. 

[b]"Ah. You must be Aeris."[/b] Suddenly, Noel appeared on one of the beds. Something was certainly off about the man however, such as his voice matching the one that came from the bathroom and that he was knitting a white sweater. He was sitting casually and rather intently focusing on the sweater rather than Aeris. [b]"Before we do anything hasty, yes, I am an illusion. I am also knitting a sweater for Olivia. If you'll hear me out, I will tell you who I am, what I've done with Olivia, and hopefully we can come to an understanding that I do not want to fight."[/b] Noel stopped sewing for just a moment to look at Aeris to see if she had any intention to actually speak with him.

The vampire gave the man who now sat before her a rather contemptous glare. When he'd revealed himself to be an illusion, she noticed something. This wasn't demon magic, which left two options that she could accurately pinpoint. Either, Olivia's kidnapper was Human, or there was a Musician nearby. This greatly irritated her for some reason. She wasn't sure whether he'd be honest about his origins or not. Agitation caused an exasperated look to cross her face, and she put her hand on her forehead. "Look. I'm not here to make a deal with [i]anyone[/i]. I'm here to take Olivia [i]home[/i]. I don't rightly care [i]who you are[/i], you're keeping me away from a member of my [i]family[/i]." There was a veiled threat in her tone, though it was one you had to be searching for to find.

Noting the sounds from the room and the suddenly blatant essence source that had appeared therein, Mairyell's hand reached out and silently, undetected, his blood seeped through the seam of the window and unlocked it. He slid out the screen deftly before lightly pushing the window open and then ducking into it, his feet silence against the sill.

He was truly a hunter now, whereas 200 years ago he'd been like a pup still learning, now he had become a wolf--and he wasn't a beta either. [B]"You're lying,"[/B] he stated, sitting on the windowsill and grinning at the fellow on the bed. [B]"By the way, it's pointless to hide from us, specifically me."[/B] He did not elaborate, as he'd decided to put the man further on edge, people were more likely to relent when they were scared.

Nonetheless he was not beyond being reasonable as this fellow either had a sneaky plan, or he intended to somehow [I]talk[/I] his way out of the room--that wasn't happening, not on his watch.

[B]"That,"[/B] he nodded at his sister, [B]"...is my sister, Aeris and I am Mairyell, otherwise known as Sanguine."[/B] The chimera rose to his feet, pushing off from the windowsill and lightly strolling through the room, careful to avoid making contact with Olivia, who he surely had to walk [I]around[/I] at least once. [B]"You have Olivia, but I don't think you kidnapped her. If you were the kidnapper, we'd be fighting right now, and you'd be dead...dead or in a lot of pain,"[/B] he paused, seeming to admire a painting that hung on the wall by one of the beds, [B]"...and I do mean [I]a lot[/I] of it. Seriously, you would not [I]believe[/I] the shit just I am capable of, let alone my sister over there. Who is probably struggling not to pin you down and scream in your face to tell her where the hell Olivia is."[/B]

His smile grew slightly and he glanced at Aeris, [B]"It's a family thing."[/B]

[B]"So here's the deal,"[/B] he turned and regarded the man for a moment before he continued, [B]"...you stop the tricks, or this gets real unpleasant real fast, and I assure you no one here would enjoy adding [I]more[/I] trauma to the memory of the young girl who is in this room with us at the moment. Kapeesh?"[/B]

Noel simply let out a breath as a new figure arrived. [b]"Ah. True sight. How easy it is for you to discern lies, but also how quick you are to jump to conclusions. But I get it. You're not here for talk. So I guess I'll keep this simple. For one, if you really can see through my illusions, then you shouldn't need to ask where Olivia is. Either that or you're so blinded by your need to find her, that you won't even notice when she's right under your nose."[/b] Noel returned to knitting the sweater as his illusions slowly began to fade, namely allowing Aeris to see that Olivia is asleep on the couch behind her. However Noel did keep another illusion active on Olivia, which will allow her to sleep peacefully despite the hostilities. 

[b]"And believe it or not, I actually found Olivia and saved her from her kidnappers. But that's what I want to talk to you both about. It's a simple matter of taking Olivia away from here, whisking her off to where you think is safe. But that won't solve the problem that she's a target for kidnapping, for one reason or another."[/b] Noel lifted up the sweater. Though he's only worked on it for a little bit, he's made a fair amount of progress. Now he just needed to make sleeves. 

[b]"If you wish to take her back home, I won't stop you. But that won't garuantee that whoever kidnapped her won't try again, and try harder next time either. However, I do know the last location of her kidnapper, and if you're willing, I can help put an end to this before it escalates into something much bigger, much worse, for you, your family, and anyone else unfortunate enough to just be around."[/b] Noel began to thread another spool of yarn onto his bobbing needles and started to make a pair of sleeves. [b]"Whoever the people who kidnapped Olivia are, they are an enemy to your family. These aren't just some low lives looking to make a quick buck. They know Olivia's relationship to Darius. They were trying to exploit it, and I'm sure they'll continue to do so. And frankly, I think the girl's gone through enough for one lifetime. I'd like to do something to make things easier for her."[/b]

"What you do to the fucker that kidnapped Olivia is of no consequence to me. I plan on going after the big fish, who [i]called her father, and threatened him[/i], as well as had her kidnapped." She paused, watching the illusions fade, and made her way over to Olivia's sleeping form, her face almost immediately softening when she looked down at the girl. When she looked back up though, there was nothing but a cold rage. "I will put him so far in the ground that the Western Lord will ask what the fuck is going on."

Listening intently to Noel--though he only figured that was the man's name due to the illusionary question from the bathroom earlier. He'd not have heard it if he were human, but he wasn't and he was enjoying all the perks of his chimeric nature. When the man made a jab at his methods, he merely snickered, his mouth opening slightly to reveal his slightly sharp teeth. When the man'd finally finished, Mairyell glanced at Aeris, listening to her words, after which he rose a single finger in the air as if to say [I]not so fast[/I]. [B]"Ah, but the one who kidnapped her, who I already know the location of by the way,"[/B] he looked at Noel, his eyes twinkling with amusement, [B]"...can tell us how to find the perpetrator, who is surely a demon by the name of Sir--"[/B]

"Well, we could always have this guy bring whoever it is to Darius. I rather enjoy the way he works when it comes to getting information." Aeris grinned, a rather manic grin, reminiscent of something her brother would have seen coming directly from Szayeis himself. However, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone again, and her eyes were focused on Olivia with an intent smile.

He glanced at Aeris a moment, making sure she was done before continuing, [B]"--Oh, and as to this [I]true sight[/I], I don't have it, though I could in a sense [I]see[/I] where Olivia was. Doesn't mean my sister could, and I'm really only here because of her."[/B] With his response essentially over, Mairyell's eye twitched, he'd seen his sister's grin from the corner of his eye, but only for a moment. It was like a ghost...again, and it was tickling his nerves in an unpleasant manner (as weird as that sounds).

Sighing, Mairyell sat back down on the window sill and closed his eyes, visualizing the essence of what he now was certain to be Olivia's captor. It was a woman, though he couldn't tell her magic, he knew she was likely armed, and appeared to have some form of magic at her disposal. He noted a small amount of the woman's essence in the room and opened his eyes, getting up and walking across the small space.

When he reached the location of the cast shavings, he dug in, not caring that it was in the trash, and pulled it out, raising an eyebrow and looking it over. He turned it over in his hands, appearing like a tracker observing some sort of [I]tell[/I] that an animal had left. What he was doing was similar, but also far more complex than that. He was noting the different forms of essence in the weave of the material, and allowing the direct source to give him a better idea of the individual who had created it.

To finish up, the vampire's hand briefly became clawed after which he easily cut a small portion of the silk from the shavings which he pocketed. He then discarded the rest into the trash, not caring what was done with it.

It was time to go. [B]"Not that the bitc--I mean kidnapper stands any chance against all three of us, but I think it'd be best if we left now. Perhaps I'll visit that little shack before returning to the Academy."[/B]

Aeris watched her brother quietly from the corner of her eyes. He had a strange sort of predatory air about him that she'd never seen outside of some of the demons she'd killed for food. It was both strange and comforting to see Mairyell had embraced what he was. She smiled a little wider, until she noticed the webbing on Olivia's arm. Without saying anything to anyone, or even thinking about it, she drug one of her nails across it, cutting it open. As it fell away, the vampire gently ran her fingertips along Olivia's arm, checking for any breaks or fractures. When she felt none, she sighed softly, thankfully.

Noel simply shrugged at Mairyell's confidence in his ability. It would seem that Noel wouldn't be needed any longer. [b]"It would seem that Olivia is in quite capable hands then. How... Unfortunate actually. I had hoped for some adventure, but I guess Olivia's heroes can handle any situation thrown at them."[/b] Noel finished the sweater. He had thought that they may need to hide out longer, and knowing Olivia's inability to handle inannimate objects with a history, he sought to make one that lacked much of a story. However, seeing that the entire problem was quickly resolved, Noel felt that he didn't need to put much more effort into "saving" Olivia. Still, he finished the sweater.

[b]"Well than, I suppose our time together has come to an end. If you do not need or have much reason to keep me, I suppose this is where we part ways. If you'll allow me however, when Olivia wakes up give her this sweater dress. I figured that she'd like a change of attire after today, but if nothing else I hope this would serve as a nice reminder of our fairly short time together."[/b]

"I have a question, aside from the obvious, which is, what is your name?" Aeris spoke softly, looking up from Olivia to the man in the chair. "Are you a Musician perchance?" Her question was one of curiosity, though, if he was that was good news for her. It meant that she could send him to go get the kidnapper, and send him to Darius without any problem's on either's end. All she would have to do is make one simple phone call.

[b]"Noel Nightly. And I suppose I am a musician. I do play music sometimes, but it's not really an occupation, more like a hobby."[/b] That was a half-truth. Noel perfered to keep his affiliations to the Academy a secret, even with other members of the Academy. So he's a Musician when it suits him, but otherwise he's just a wanderer. [b]"That being said, I was here for a... Job on behalf of the academy. I guess I should get back to it."[/b] Noel absently wondered if Olivia's kidnapper really did have anything to do with the renagade he's hunting. Though he doubts it, he couldn't really just ignore it. For too long anyways. 

"Ah, you are from the Academy? Good. As a teacher there, I have a favor to ask you." She paused, grinning. "Go with Mairyell and get the kidnapper. Take them to Darius. I'll be putting a call in for you momentarily if you agree. While you're doing that, I'll take Olivia to the Academy. Darius won't want her around for what he's gonna do to that person."

Noel internally sighed. On one hand, perhaps there was still something interesting to do. On the other hand, apparently Aeris was a teacher of the Academy. He really wanted to distance himself from it, but it seemed almost appropriate that they'd find him first. Well, it was about time he cleaned up these loose ends. With any luck, he'll snag himself a new hook to keep him busy for the next few months. [b]"Alright. Last I remember, it was a woman named Ashley. I think she was crushed underneath a cabinet, but who knows. Just let me put on my clothes and I'll get ready to head out."[/b] One last thing that Noel did before he put his things away was cancel the illusion on Olivia. Noel was certain that she'd like to see her family's face again. At least her memories of them seemed to tell Noel that she'd like to see them.

Nodding in response to Noel, Aeris, for the second time that night pulled out her phone and dialed Darius' number, silently waiting for him to pick up.

A click came as a familiar voice answered. "Ris?" 

"Darius! We found Olivia." Aeris paused, and looked up at Noel for a moment and then back down at the girl. "She's currently sleeping but seems unharmed. Apparently a Musician saved her."

Darius inhaled, relief clear in his breath while he then asked a question. It was obivious he wanted her home and even hear with this own ears her voice, just to sooth his nerves. "Thank Hell she's safe. When are you bringing her home?" 

Aeris smiled at the relief in the fox's voice. "That's one of the two reasons I called you. The first was obviously to tell you that she was okay. The second was that the Musician and my brother have offered to bring the kidnapper to your doorstep for you to do with as you please." Aeris paused, stroking Olivia's hair. "If that's okay with you, then I'll take Olivia back to the Academy with me where she'll be safe until you've gotten the information you need. That way, one of us can be watching her at all times, and you'll know exactly where she is if you want to come check up on her."

There was a slight paused, Darius seemed to be absorbing Aeris's information then relied. "Very well, would you be so kind as to send me the Musician's name and an image of your brother. I need a more recent photo, despite his fame, I rather be sure the images I have are correct and I don't want my minions attacking them on sight. In addition, Ris, I suggest you avoid the northern area of midtown. About several of my foxes were killed in that area and seems someone's blaring out their essence like a damn beacon. They are keeping an eye on her, though it's likely she might cause trouble if left alone." 

He sighed. "Also, where are you two?" 

Listening intently to Darius' words of warning, Aeris nodded, "One moment." she spoke, turning to her brother. Taking the phone away from her ear she opened the camera. "Mai, smile!" Without much notice other than that, she took a picture of Mairyell and sent it in a text along with Noel's name to Darius and then put her phone back to her ear. "Mmm... We're in midtown, but I haven't noticed much disturbance in our area. Though..." The doll turned to look out the window and noticed that it had started raining relatively hard. "It did just start raining out of nowhere. I'm assuming it has something to do with that, yeah?"

Mairyell winced after the flash and then frowned, giving his sister an indignant look. [B]"Dammit Aeris..."[/B] sighing he rolled his eyes and followed her gaze out the window. It smelled of angel...weather angel. [B]"Hmph,"[/B] closing his eyes, he tracked the scent mentally, maping out the area till he found its source. It was certainly a beacon, smelling it was a bit painful actually and he rubbed his nose, his eyes open again. [B]"That's definitely the work of a weather angel..."[/B] he stated plainly.

He didn't mind accompanying Noel to Darius' place, he was actually somewhat intrigued to meet the man. He'd heard quite a bit about him over the years, and he wondered how the fox was in person. It would be interesting. Though, it did bother him that Aeris knew the guy...after all, most of the things he'd heard about Darius hadn't been good ones.

She'd be doing some explaining later, he thought to himself. Lots of explaining. That'd be fun, he thought sarcastically, knowing it'd likely be quite the obvious. He was beginning to think that his sister had changed more than he'd initially figured.

He didn't know how to feel about it, but he did know it made him uncomfortable. He didn't like being uncomfortable. A frown settled on his face and he began tapping his foot impatiently, wondering when she'd be done.

"Aeris..."Darius's voice became rather serious, "I don't want Olivia around there, I rather have her home then in danger's way. Weather angels are violent beings, namely any without alliances with the academy or I have little knowledge of. I'm going to be heading your-"

"Darius. Stop. I can get her out of here relatively quickly without getting deterred by the storm. I'll ask Mai and Noel to go before they go to get the kidnapper. Just tell me what you need them to do." Aeris interrupted the fox in a calm, but stern voice. Now was not the time to be putting himself at risk, especially because Olivia wouldn't forgive him for it.

"Very well, Ris." He said, lapsing back into his calmer tone, "First off, I need to know who it is and what she looks like. My foxes can only deliver so much at a time while keeping an eye on her. Mainly she seemed to be dangerously close to a key area I want closed off to the public, strictly for safety purposes. I need to learn if she was intending to gain access or knew anything about it. Another thing, somehow or some way, her beacon needs to be toned down. It's attracting far too many demons and unwanted attention. This will cause...greater problems in keeping the balance on my territory. If she seems aggressive then your brother and this," He paused to note the man's name, and continued," Noel Nightly, can decide how to deal with her in a manner suitable to them. I rather not have a massive loss of lives in a single night." 

"And I'd rather not lose my brother. I'll ask them to go about it carefully." Thinking about it, she could have just volunteered Noel, and had her brother go after the kidnapper...

"From your brother's, the very [i]Sanguine[/i], reputation then I'm fairly confident he can handle it. However, my minions will be on stand by should they need assistance. The least they can do is provide a distraction for the pair to get away should the encounter become unpleasant. Before they approach the woman, one of them should enter the nearest alley and peer into the shadows. One of the foxes will appoach which Sanguine and Mr. Nightly merely need to touch its head for it to register their commands. Simple. If things get alarming then merely the word 'Distraction' will end up summoning at least ten to thirty foxes to attack the woman at once." 

Aeris nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Darius. I'll let them know. I might have to have them write it down." She joked for a moment, and then returned to her serious demeanor. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Just keep an eye on Olivia, I'm doubtful her germophobic stage has lessened after this experience. Once I figure out how to handle Emmet and transport him to a new location, I'll arrive at the Academy to pick up Olivia. Likely bring her a change of clothes as well." Darius said, then added as a final thought while he waited for Aeris to hang up. "Thank you Ris..." 

"Of course, Darius. See you soon." With that, Aeris hung up the phone and looked at Mairyell and Noel. "You have a stop to make before you go to get the kidnapper. There's a problem in the northern midtown area that Darius wants help with, and, in short, having him come down here would be a [i]very[/i] bad idea." Aeris continued to explain the situation to the two, and waited for their replies.

While the prospect of facing off against a weather angel was indeed interesting, it was not the best idea when it came to business, and this was business. Mairyell only did things for free when innocent life was directly threatened and he gave a shit--he didn't give a shit right now. Then again, he hadn't [I]really[/I] gotten to hunt, so this was as good a chance as any. Nonetheless, his frown did not vanish entirely, instead it merely turned to a serious expression. [B]"Very well, we'll deal with the angel, or at least I will. Noel, if you're coming you can handle negotiations, I'm only half decent at that kind of thing, you seem to be much more skilled in that area. However, if things get grisly, you can bet that I'll cover you."[/B]

"Sorry for troubling you big brother..." Aeris spoke with genuine regret at putting her brother in danger. "Please, be careful..." There were three words she wanted to say, but couldn't get them out of her throat.

He shook his head, "No problem sis, he glanced at Noel then at the window, and then at the damaged door. He opted to use the door, but he paused a few feet from it, glancing back at Aeris and Olivia. [B]"Hey, take care of yourselves,"[/B] he met Aeris' eyes, and his own briefly turned bright blue before becoming purple again, [B]"...your wings're carrying some precious cargo after all,"[/B] he smiled lightly, then looked down and away before turning, the look in his eyes and the tone said far more than his words.

Aeris was just as precious, though he couldn't find it in him to say it any more bluntly than that. Not yet at least, there were too many gaps to leap, too many unexplained reactions...all that time apart had changed them both, he knew. He just hoped he was willing to face the way it'd changed his sister. [B]"You comin' Noel?"[/B] he said, glancing at him briefly, his hand on the doorframe, and his body already outside of the room.

Dressed and ready to go, Noel looked towards the obviously inhuman creature. Neither demon nor angel as far as Noel could read, though all around unholy combination as far as he was concerned. The type that brings trouble with them. [b]"Yeah, I'll follow you."[/b] Noel had one thing left to do before he left however. He drapped his handmade sweater over Olivia, and hopefully her sister would make sure to hold onto it as they left. Once that was done, Noel followed Mairyell out.

Watching the men leave the room, Aeris took a deep cleansing breath and walked over to one of the walls, placing her hand upon it. It took a moment, but a shadow portal opened into a swirling mass. With a heavy breath of nervousness, the vampire walked over to Olivia and picked up her sleeping form, careful to keep the sweater on her. "I hope this works..." She spoke softly, walking toward the portal cautiously. Once she stepped inside she heard the familar guttural laughter that always haunted her in this place, but instead of being afraid of it, she focused on Olivia, and getting them both out of there in one piece.

After a few minutes, another portal opened in a brickwall just outside Kenan's city limits. Tired though she was, Aeris called her wings, and took flight, heading straight to the Academy as fast as she could without jostling the girl, which was surprisingly fast.