[Center][img]https://i.imgur.com/RSqqy0J.png[/img]
[i][color=C41E3A]"Buckle up, Buttercup, this one's lengthy!"[/color][/i]
[Color=gray]- Finn[/color][/center]
 Christmas time was something Maura used to be fond of, the one day where families get together near the end of a year to feast and give gifts. She always found the decorations, the stories and such charming, but never got to celebrate it in the past. Her work came first.

 But now? The mere thought of Christmas left a sour taste in her mouth. Bitter and disgusting.

 It had been a week since that dreadful day had passed. As much as she wanted to meet up with Finn and the others to discuss their plans, she had informed Rowena she was going to be late. She felt drained. Maybe she could continue organizing the Cradle to keep her mind off things, she thought. What she didn't expect was Finn offering to help with that. Well, it was somewhat expected. He was a weird sort of new to the official organization thing like she was, so he was bound to ask about the strange space that housed their stock.

 [color=crimson]"Watch your step, gravity's a bit low in here."[/color] Maura told him as the two stepped inside. The boy stumbled, but regained his balance just as quick.

 [color=C41E3A]"Dark too. And cold, though I guess that isn't a problem for you, huh?"[/color] On his end, Finn used a bit of beast magic to help maneuver around the hammerspace. A pair of wings on his back, and the sight of...basically any nocturnal animal. Oliver did note his eyes looked weird having his pupils dialate so much. He looked around. [color=C41E3A]"Man, this place is big! How are you going to organize all this by yourself??"[/color] 

 Maura shrugged. [color=crimson]"It's a decent time-killer. I've already cleaned up a good bit of it, but then there's also the cadavers I gotta get into coffins..."[/color] She trailed off, sorting through some artifacts.

 [color=C41E3A]"The ca- [i]what[/i]??"[/color] Finn's eye widened.

 The witch pointed a thumb to the mausoleum section of the Cradle. [color=crimson]"See for yourself. Veronica stored stiffs in here to keep them from reviving. It's how this stuff remains. Just kinda ends up...cursed."[/color] She explained. Though it wasn't enough to keep the boy from feeling off about it. Killing's one thing, but to keep the bodies like trophies? Necessary or not, even he wouldn't pull a stunt like that. But Finn couldn't say anything. He wouldn't, until they somehow found a way to keep the gear without the need of the bodies.

 [color=C41E3A]"Dark magical power, right?"[/color]

 [color=crimson]"Mhm."[/color]

 [color=C41E3A]"Makes sense."[/color] While the two idly talked, Finn looked around [s]while purposefully avoiding the corpses. Eugh.[/s] until he spotted a pair of twin blades. While one looked like it once walked among angels, the other had a more hellish motif. He blinked once he realized what he found. [color=C41E3A]"Hey, I remember these! Commissioned something from Riona after we fought Vladimir, right?"[/color] He asked Maura, remembering the day they brought Oliver back.

 The witch looked over her shoulder at him. [color=crimson]"Hm? Oh, yeah. I decided to put some of my own things in here. Was wondering when you'd want those back."[/color] she explained, picking up what looked like a yellow masquerade mask. Well, yellow with a golden trim. It looked normal at first glance, until one notices the ends had...tentacles. Instead of the common string. Maura rose a brow. Disguise artifact? Certainly a clingy one, if it's trying to grab at her face meant anything. [color=crimson]"Hope Hastur doesn't want this back."[/color] With a shrug, she nonchalantly tossed the cursed thing aside for now. [color=Crimson]"How are the others? Oliver's not with you today?"[/color]

 [color=C41E3A]"Nah, he's working with Riona in getting that hotel set up. Said she saw a buisness opportunity in that abandoned thing. Hopefully she got someone to manage her bar while that's going on."[/color] Finn idly twirled one of the blades in his hands, trying to get a feel for them. Although he noticed his hands trembling, he felt a creeping urge to fight someone, some[i]thing[/i],

 He simply ignored it, and set them down for now. [color=C41E3A]"Miss Dewynter's going to be taking time off for the sake of her mental health. She was obviously against it at first, but I managed to convince her. Lauren's helping Valerie set up shop in one of HQ's rooms, if anyone can gather information it's them two. Mint's painted a target on Amanda's back, so I told her to lay low for a while, and Maribel's doing god-knows-what."[/color] Finn listed off.

 [color=C41E3A]"Rowena's visiting the twins' grave, and anyone else who didn't get specific orders are free to scout out for...something."[/color] He then frowned slightly. [color=C41E3A]"Any news about Miss Howard?"[/color]

 At the mention of Samantha, Maura paused, unsure of what to say. Or think. Even if they speculated, what happened with here back at the tournament was weird at best. [color=Crimson]"Well, I don't feel a splitting headache yet, so there's just using healing magic once or twice to prevent anything worse from happening to her."[/color] She sighed. [color=Crimson]"I won't lie, part of me is hoping to talk with Sam without worrying about Justine or some shit. But..."[/color]

 While she talked, the boy caught sight of something staring back at him. An eye. A red eye, infact, floating in a strange lantern. Or whatever it's containted in. He grabbed the lantern and held it up to look at it closely.

 Was it staring back at him?

 ...It was.

 Ew.

 Finn and the mystic artifact had a short staring contest, before he set the lantern back down with a shudder.

 [color=crimson]"You can have that too if you want! Heard it projects future events or something."[/color] Noticing this, Maura called back over to him.

 [color=C41E3A]"Erm, maybe later! Damn thing gives me Déjà vu..."[/color] Finn politely turned down the offer, shooting the artifact a quick glare. [color=C41E3A]"Anyways, if you're worried then why did you let Justine stay at your place for the long run?"[/color] He asked, no ill will intended despite his question appearing harsh.

 [color=crimson]"Her old lair was destroyed a long time ago and she doesn't have anywhere else to go. I'd take any of you in if I have to, there's plenty of room."[/color]

 [color=C41E3A]"Hasn't that sort of kindness put you in this mess in the first place?"[/color]

 Maura's brows furrowed in thought. [color=crimson]"I said I'd keep an eye on her in case she did anything funny, didn't I?"[/color] Though when Finn rose a brow at her answer, she frowned. [color=crimson]"I don't know at this rate. I could keep giving answers yet none would satisfy. I could say I see a bit of myself, one of my selves, in Justine. Or that I want to flip the bird at Father for being a fourth-dimensional prick, or I can sarcastically say I took her in because Ronnie's stray pets have been nothing but thorns in my side the whole time."[/color] She rambled on, getting progressively more frustrated.

 [color=crimson]"But no! But no. God, Maribel would get onto me for getting soft. I know it."[/color] The witch pinched the bridge of her nose.

 The boy on the other hand felt hesitant in trusting the past-vampire. [color=C41E3A]"Are...you sure we should-"[/color]

 [color=crimson]"I already know what you've heard."[/color]

 Finn's eye widened. [color=C41E3A]"R-Really now??"[/color]

 Maura was strangely calm in contrast. [color=crimson]"I looked back up to when my connection with Betty was severed. Frankly it was foolish of her to compare unintentional thralldom to something severe as, well, [i]that.[/i]"[/color] She said, careful around the subject for Finn's sake. [color=crimson]"Especially since there were many factors to concider at the time. Elvira's song influencing the corrupted magicals' mental mutations for one, Veronica willing sacrificing her for a gamble against Justine's another thing that should've been sorted out yet by the time we got Betty back she's ditched town and left me to finish things off."[/color] Maura's eye twitched. She groaned, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. 

 [color=crimson]"That fucking party was a lost cause from the start. Anyways I'm not sure if she remembered exactly what happened or was playing dumb cause she didn't want to blame Veronica, but to solely blame Justine, call it [i]that[/i], then turn around and say it's cause you were tossed aside?? What the fuck????"[/color] She ranted on. [color=Crimson]"Look, what I'm saying is, don't worry about it. If I did, it'd be like ditching you when you got the title of Sinner."[/color]

 [color=C41E3A]"Y'know that's different. Wrath and...Lust I think, are two different levels of screwed up."[/color] Finn argued back. [color=C41E3A]"But, I get your point. So now what?"[/color]

 [color=Crimson]"Well if you're going to go up against Penny, we gotta look out for anything that'd give you a power boost. [i]Without[/i] corrupting you, of course. We don't need a repeat of your past experiment."[/color]

 At the mention of a previous screw up, Finn hovered a hand over his blind eye. Something he wasn't proud of, but learned to live with. [color=C41E3A]"Right, think there's any bounties-"[/color]

 [i][color=lightsteelblue]"Not to interrupt anything, but we got hostiles breaking speed limits!"[/color][/i]

 Both their eyes widened once they heard Valerie through their magicoms. [color=C41E3A][i]"Do we have a count? All units outside, what are we seeing??"[/i][/color]

 [i][color=faed27]"So ya know those deer-looking demons that you're not supposed to say the name of or it gets stronger or some shit?"[/color][/i]

 [i][color=C41E3A]"Yeah?"[/color][/i]

 [i][color=faed27]"Yeah, we're seeing a bunch of them. I don't think I can fly that fast."[/color][/i]

 [i][color=lightsteelblue]"I'm counting about six packs of them, can't tell what they're planning asides from merging packs, but if you hurry you can knock down a few."[/color][/i] Valerie reported. Finn looked back to Maura, waiting on the go-ahead. She smiled back.

 [color=crimson]"Just be careful around Beacon, will you? I'll go check on the other two."[/color] With that, Maura opened an exit nearest to the boy's partner, and he hurried out.