Northeast of town.  That was a start.  And ten minutes out from the bus wasn't terrible.  She walked farther than that, and regularly.  Lee could hear how Axel's nerves were making him ramble, and eventually he figured it out too, and went to find whoever it was that he felt it so important she meet.  [i]Relax, Lee.  Just...get some information.  I'm sure whatever he's got going on is a mess, and maybe you can help him.[/i]

She recognized the next voice -- of course Cal would be one of them.  She'd been part of the negotiation for lessons, after all.  And the young lady thought that she was some sort of goddess too.  At least Lee hadn't stepped away this time.  Twelve of them -- like the horoscope constellations.  Two departments, wishes and punishments, whatever those were.  If this was some sort of cult, they probably were the equivalent carrot and stick -- or perhaps recruitment and dealing with problems.  She wasn't sure if it even mattered.

Eventually most of them returned to the house -- mansion?  [i]Who funds them?  ...Do I even want to know?[/i]  The two men that stayed, along with Axel and Cal, were very different.  One was tall, wearing a suit and a tie, with a long face and heavy brows.  He seemed serious, and Lee had the impression he was as wary of her as she was of them.  The other was the one that had poked his head out when they first arrived.  Younger, dressed casually -- bordering on rumpled, but he seemed to have been woken up for this.  He had a conservatively modern haircut, and the sort of posture that she'd learned to recognize.  He thought he was hot stuff, and he expected everyone else to agree.  It was precisely the sort of attitude found in males in every American bar and club ever, and the reason why most women preferred to go in groups so they were harder to corner.

Axel's voice reached her, but somehow without her hearing it, and Lee jerked as if she'd been stung by a wasp.  It took her a moment to regain her composure, and she did appreciate the information -- but not the intrusion.  She frowned at him, but bit back the sharp words she wanted to say.  Maybe that was something he normally did with the people he knew.  No need to give him a hard time in front of the others, especially his boss and his friend.

"Right."  She took a deep breath, still not sure what to do about the whole mess.  "So...I'm guessing you don't actually need lessons, then.  Axel told me about the...situation you are in.  I thought we'd worked something out, but I forgot to mention that miracles are extra."  Lee managed to give them an uncertain smile, but it faded quickly.  "In all seriousness, I still don't understand what you want from me.  My help with your jobs, yeah, but...what precisely is it I'm supposed to be helping you do?  I can't afford to be way out here at the edge of town all the time.  I've a busy schedule, and I've just started this season's classes."