Cass' day was less eventful, but still incredibly shit. 

It had been a couple of hours since the first dialysis… It had been long. Longer than four hours at least, though Cass had been so out of it when it was set up she had no idea when it started. The only saving grace was the lingering effects of the opiate before it was fully dredged out in the process, allowing her to zone out for the first few hours of it. 

There'd be another dialysis overnight. But for now, she was left alone- at her request. Someone was coming to check on her hourly, there were various people she could text if she needed, and they'd even set up a fancy magical button she could press if it was a real emergency. 

The pain was still bad. The first dialysis hadn't exactly alleviated it much- it wasn't supposed to. But thanks to the opiate induced sleep, she was at least able to deal with it better and distract herself. She'd gotten the girls to go round to her flat and get some of her stuff. While she hadn't expected it to be [I]this[/I] bad, she'd at least prepared a bit. She'd gotten a proper bed table, with a tiltable section designed to hold her laptop, and a nonmoveable smaller one she'd put her mouse on. The table beside her bed had not one, but [I]four[/I] glasses of water- her way of making sure she didn't die of thirst while getting some peace and privacy. 

It wouldn't be so much of an issue if Leon was back, but she also knew she had to be able to deal with him [I]not[/I] being around. She was a little worried now that the sun had dipped below the horizon, and it crept into proper evening. Sure, Mia hadn't said anything when she visited earlier and certainly hadn't looked like she had to deal with him fighting… But she was still anxious about it. It meant the Sycamore meeting hadn't been so simple. 

But right now, she was distracting herself from that just as she was from her pain. She'd done a bit of coding here and there, but it just frustrated her how she couldn't type or think as fast as normal. So instead she'd spun up a game that mostly involved clicking and didn't require too much brainpower. It was a distraction, at least, and some variety over just watching shit… Though she had also spent some time making a list of movies to watch with Leon when he got back. Assuming he came back, and didn't decide it was actually too much to deal with after her outburst earlier.

One of the handy dandy tools Cass had been left with was a little radio receiver that played a nice gentle tone before a page, rather than the voice just appearing out of nowhere. The first chime was to notify, then the second was the prompt letting her know the receiver was, in fact, receiving. 

“Cass? Mia’s up again, with Hari. You okay for them to come in?” Chenzo’s voice echoed through the speaker. 

[color=629c3f]"Sure, send em in!"[/color]

It was comfy time at this point, with the day winding down into the evening shrouding the city in a dark, billowy shawl. So when the clatter of people coming in came, it was expected that there’d be slippers and pajama pants involved. There were, for Mia at least. It seemed like either she hadn’t left the property all day, or snuck another nap in after doing whatever between her last visit and now. Hari at least looked like she was going to or coming from somewhere important. Still in her work blouse, unbuttoned and hanging from her like half a robe, her lower half was covered by a loose fitting pair of boxer shorts with socks on her feet.

[color=0072bc]”Caaaaaass!”[/color] Hari sweetly cooed, holding her arms out toward Cass before stopping in front of her.
[color=0072bc]”Ahhhhh, I can’t fucking hug yoooooooou!”[/color]

Mia laughed aloud.


[color=ed145b]”Yeahhhh I mean, how are you feeling Immobile one? Think you can hug it out for a second?”[/color] Mia asked, also moving toward Cass like she was poised for a double-hug.

Cass carefully turned her body, propped up by an ungodly amount of pillows, to look at both girls with a smile. It was still nowhere as bright as normal, but it was [I]there[/I] at least. The company was always appreciated, even though it wasn't quite who she'd hoped would come up next... But this was fine! She loved the girls, and hadn't had a chance to see Hari yet.

She raised her arms slightly towards them.

[color=629c3f]"Yeah, it ain't like it can get much worse! A hug's alright so long as you're gentle about it… No squeezing like normal, yeah?"[/color] She said, very much meaning it. The pain she was in already peaked to unbearable levels, so what was a hug or two? She certainly didn't plan to let Leon [I]not[/I] hug her later. That was just making things worse herself! In loads of pain, unable to move [I]and[/I] unable to hug? No thanks!

[color=629c3f]"I can't say I'm feeling much better... But at least I ain't hooked up to the machine anymore! For now... I gotta deal with it all night. Supposedly it's a different process specifically for sleeping, but I dunno how much sleep I'll get- eh, anyway, where you coming from, Hari?! Looking real debauched business woman here!"[/color]

Hari looked down and giggled loudly, both girls having wrapped themselves around Cass to slowly and minimally squeeze her. It was Hari's first time actually seeing Cass like this, though she was plenty familiar with the setup of a dialysis machine.

[color=0072bc]”This is debauchery now? I keep basketball shorts under my slacks, so when I get home from work I just rip ‘em off and get comfy. I… Like the blouse. Sometimes I feel bad I don't get to wear my cute work clothes enough.”[/color] she explained, blushing slightly as Mia giggled both her eyebrows.

[color=ed145b]”Oh, please… The clothes get plenty of use. Our closet is impractically jumbled up. You're lucky those shirts are yours and not Ed's.”[/color] she giggled.

For a moment, Hari's brain started to churn. Cass would be able to watch her hands come up to fumble with the buttons near her chest. They simply wouldn't close. She looked up and frowned a little bit.

[color=0072bc]”I was giving slutty secretary vibes all day because it [i]is her shirt![/i] Fuuuuuuuu-”[/color]

Mia started cackling, shaking her head at Hari as she too started to giggle with her head hung.

[color=629c3f]"Oh just rub it in, why don'tcha! Look, I'm Hari and I actually got tits- God, you dunno how good you got it!"[/color] Cass laughed lightly, having to take a moment to breathe slowly through the chest pain that followed. She looked at Mia with a half grin. 
[color=629c3f]"Us small tiddy bitches gotta stick together, don't we?"[/color]

She reached out to save her game, before closing the laptop to give them her full attention. 
[color=629c3f]"I ain't gotta worry about that mixup problem… Well, Leon's gotta worry about losing all his clothes to my hoarding, but that ain't my problem, is it?"[/color]

[color=ed145b]”You could never take more clothes than that divas bought himself.”[/color] Mia intoned with a snort.

[color=0072bc]”She's so right. Actually, oh my God, do you want to see some pictures? I'm not sure if… Like, when you were just following his socials, did you ever see any Temple posts with him tagged in them?”[/color]

Hari was shuffling around for her phone now, ruffling the shorts and shirt before both hands came up and wrapped around her covered breasts. The left hand shifted, and she had a foolish grin on her face as the pink-cased phone slid out from under the bra strap.

[color=ed145b]”Yeah… Fuck you for having extra storage honestly. These fat-boobie bitches…”[/color] Mia giggled, her face crunching up into a playful scowl.

[color=0072bc]”You're literally the one who- God dammit, Mimi!”[/color] Hari snapped, responding to Mia letting her hand surge forward to playfully punch Hari's boob.

[color=629c3f]"Whoa, no foreplay while I'm stuck in bed! Have some sympathy!"[/color] Cass joked, shaking her head with mock disappointment. 

She was trying to remember if she'd seen any Temple posts before… probably, but she didn't really look at who'd posted it. Her eyes were zoning in on one face- and body- anyway. 
[color=629c3f]"I'll have seen anything he was tagged in, but I dunno which were Temple specifically! Never bothered to check… Uh, lemme see the pictures! Is it just a whole fucking room full of clothes or some shit?! Maybe we gotta have him and Trisha have a clothes off or something."[/color]

Hari didn't waste another second, pulling open the Temple Instimage account that she had access to. There were hundreds of pictures on the account detailing different local events and outreaches that had been documented by the Social team to be recorded for posterity.
Tucked among them, a fan or follower may be able to put together the vague structure of the Temple's leadership. Follow the people who show up the most, you can put together a plot. Meaning, everyone showed up at one point or another… 

Leon, however, was one of the two main famous people within the upper echelons power structure. In the same way Andrade seemed to have whole swaths of content dedicated to or solely involving him, Leon seemed to be front and center as well. Why? Andrade was handsome, sure… But the metrics didn't lie, and Leon with his shirt off brought in the most traffic. Likes, comments, shares and subs: the currency of a digital age. 

If Leon was rich with actual money, then he could've funded the country's defense budget with likes and comments. There had to be three hundred pictures with him. However, his boxing page wasn't what was tagged. Nor was it his personal one. Rather, his official Temple account, which didn't actually link back to any of his other accounts…

Maybe there was shame there? Or was it calculated to keep his public image somewhat clean?
Hari tapped a video, spinning the phone around and holding it up for Cass.

[color=C67C12][i]”Blessed day, Graceful People!-”[/i][/color] Leon's voice and face behind a camera.
[color=C67C12][i]”-Father Lion, Wolf of the Ring, you already know who it is! And folks, I've been seeing a lot of comments about my different outfits that I wear during ceremonies, and when I'm giving sermons. So, today, I just wanted to show you-”[/i][/color]

What came was a ten minute video of Leon walking through what appeared to be a massive walk-in closet that just seemed to tumble onward forever. It was clearly at the Temple itself, the wood panels and overall esthetic construction looking consistent with the place Cass had seen.

And from what he was showing off, he had everything one could think of. Even actual armor, which was on a stand and prompted the editor to splice in an image of Leon wearing said armor while presumably speaking somewhere.

[color=629c3f]"Holy shit! Where the fuck is he gonna keep all this when the Temples gone?! Fucking- Fucking rich people!"[/color] Cass literally gaped at the wardrobe tour. She'd seen how many clothes Trisha had and already thought it was kind of insane, but this really did beat it. Fucking hell… he could cloth a whole army! A whole army of giants! 

When was he ever gonna need armour in the future?! How many strange religious ceremonies happened in armour?! She had so many questions… 
[color=629c3f]"That's… That's fucking insane, holy shit. And the video is kinda… heh… kinda lame… he's so fucking goofy, god. The armour! Why do you have such funky medieval outfits… "[/color]

She was trying not to laugh too much, because it'd just end up hurting her more. 
[color=629c3f]"Fuck, I ain't letting him live this down… Uh, speaking of Leon, is he… Alright? Ain't been kidnapped by any sycamore members or anything?"[/color]

Mia knew he was plenty fine. She'd been pulling images out of Lelou since she woke up, and it looked like the typical kind of Sycamore stuff until very recently. Since he'd finished up, Mia had assumed Leon would make his way back up here. But, instead, he went upstairs into the office a few hours ago and spoke to Casey.

The subsequent heart rate increase and eventual moment where the two brothers left the property together had been what prompted her to start listening. Listening to how Andrade was supposedly in bed with the people trying to destroy Sycamore.

[color=ed145b]”No kidnapping, Cass… I promise. Do you want me to check on him? It's been almost an hour, there's a small chance he's done and making his way back here now.”[/color] she offered.

[color=629c3f]"Oh no, no, it's alright! So long as you think he's fine, that's good with me, I ain't the clingy sort or anything!"[/color] Cass waved a hand in front of herself, whole limb incredibly floppy. Dealing with the pain like she was, she couldn't really hide the slight- [I]slight[/I]!- drop in her mood. Only a small chance he was done… Well, that was fine, it must be important business! Normally it wouldn't bother her at all. It wasn't that it [I]bothered[/I] her, not in the way that she felt he should be there. She just missed him, was all. An extra frustration on top of all the others- normally she really wasn't so clingy! 

[color=629c3f]"I kinda assumed there hadn't been any extreme shit, cause you would've told me if he got into a proper fight or something… I trust you! Just wanted to ask cause it's getting later and he left real early… but I suppose the Sycamore business is actually important for once!"[/color] Instead of just arguments upon arguments like many of the past meetings had seemed to be. 

[color=629c3f]"It ain't a problem, I got you two here for now… I'd be stupid to want any more company, wouldn't I?! Well… that assuming this ain't just a super fast swing by visit to show off Hari's rakish looks!"[/color]

[color=ed145b][i]Do I tell her, do I not, do I tell her, do I not, do I-[/i][/color]
[color=ed145b]”It… Maybe an evacuation squad? We’re here either until Leon gets back, or until we have to move you somewhere safe.”[/color] Mia nodded with a confident smile

This was the first Hari was hearing about any kind of rescue scenario, and she’d pretty much just left the Temple. She knew Leon had met with elements of Sycamore to discuss the ongoing investigation, but details weren’t forthcoming initially which prompted her to disregard the situation rather than press it. Elise hadn’t been in a good mood all day, which was expected but not at the current level of bitch she was presenting. That also didn’t flag her concern, since there were a billion different reasons Princess Elise could be in a pissy mood.

[color=0072bc]”Whaaaaaat does that mean, Mia? What’s going on with Sycamore?”[/color] Hari asked with concern in her voice.

[color=ed145b]”There’s trouble. Casey and Lee are out trying to handle it, but I haven’t bothered checking on Leon in, like, an hour. I just assumed I wasn’t getting alerted because they didn’t need me, and trying to relax, but then I realized what time it was and I checked and they’re… They were talking about Uncle Andrade. About seeing him. Casey was *armed*.”[/color] she frowned.

Hari’s head turned to the floor for a moment, brow furrowing as she tried her absolute hardest to think about what the fuck Andrade could’ve been doing. He had his own businesses, and they were privileged enough to not be wholly linked to the Temple as a financial institution. For his years of service, and the dedication after, Andrade had been permitted to keep his restaurants independent… Maybe that’s why there were so many? Something funny happening, where he’s been embezzling from the Temple for years… Why punish him now? 

Had Lynette realized? If she had, she hadn’t made it seem like she did. Between preparations for Thanksgiving, and preparations for the End of the World, she barely had time to make passing harassments on people like Doctor Nedia, or the folks in Eden. Hari hadn’t even seen Lynette in her office in a week!

[color=0072bc]”Fucking [i]why[/i] Mia?”[/color]

[color=ed145b]”It’s a pretty bittersweet pill if I read the whole situation correctly. But it comes with good news that I don’t wanna really spoil for Cass… For uh, y’know, Leon to tell her.”[/color] Mia shrugged.
[color=ed145b]”You know Casey. Hurting the Dradster would never be his first option. Its all about how he reacts to being accused.”[/color]

[color=629c3f]”I… What kinda good news could come outta whatever this shit is?!”[/color] Cass was visible, and audibly, agitated. She wasn’t normally the panicking type. Quite the opposite- cool as a cucumber, practically dealing with shit she could and otherwise not freaking out over it. But she didn’t have the same handle on her emotions… She’d been placid since the outburst at Leon much earlier, but it seemed the moods were still swingy. 

Because if Casey was armed, that meant it was something bad, right?! Sure, Leon obviously hadn’t asked for Mia to open any of the seals for him to fight, but… still… 

And whatever it was, there was fuck all [i]she[/i] could do about it!

[color=629c3f]”You’re talking about evacuation! That’s… That’s serious, right?! What- What the fuck? [i]None[/i] of that seems like it could be good… I dunno… How long ago did they even go out?!”[/color]

[color=ed145b]”Maybe three hours ago? It’s complicated! There’s reason to believe Andrade’s a full traitor! Maybe he was never actually with us! I don’t know, I’m just a girl who stayed up way too late yesterday and was trying to sleep! I didn’t know there was gonna be this…-”[/color]

Mia frowned, then [i]really[/i] frowned when she looked at Cass’ face a second time. She wasn’t here to make this about her.

[color=0072bc]”Mia? Just… [i]Tug on the leash[/i], Honey… Spare us all the anxiety, maybe.”[/color] Hari said grimly. 

But as Mia, tears in her eyes, started to reach down the front of her pajama pants to unstrap the leash from around her thigh, a massive figure pushed up and blocked the doorway. Silent footsteps, but a big wide grin. Leon peered through the room, between the two standing girls, and slowly pressed a single finger up to his lips before lazily leaning against the side of the doorframe to watch.

Cass was about to urge Mia to do the same- taking back what she’d said just moments ago- when [i]he[/i] just fucking walked in. She blinked, then blinked a few more times rapidly. Just to make sure it wasn’t a fucking hopeful illusion. He… was still there!
[color=629c3f]”Holy shit, you’re fucking alive, thank fuck!”[/color]

Both girls spun around, and Mia immediately darted over to him before lurching into his arms.

[color=C67C12]”Oh… So much for a prank. Yes, I’m fucking… Alive. Not exactly thrilled, but Lelou and I get to live for hopefully a nice long time.”[/color] Leon joked, patting Mia’s head.

But she started sobbing, and he could only laugh awkwardly in turn.
[color=ed145b]”[i]Pleeeeeeease[/i] take the fucking Leash! Please! I can’t fucking deal with being responsible for you, Leon, [i]please![/i] I can’t sleep, I never know what you’re doing, or if you’re gonna be hurt and it’s gonna fucking hurt me! I can’t relax, I can’t even fucking think without thinking about-”[/color]

[color=0072bc]”Ohhhh boy…-”[/color] Hari intoned to Cass, shaking her head. 
[color=0072bc]”-Give… Give it a second. He’s alive, at least, we can take a deep breath. Doesn’t look worse for wear either, so clearly there wasn’t a fight. Hopefully nobody’s dead yet.”[/color] she finished, speaking lowly and half crouching next to Cass so they both got the same angle on the proceedings.

[color=C67C12]”-Mia, we [i]can’t.[/i] There’s nobody else! Who would you ask? Cousin Leah? Aunt Maribelle?”[/color]

[color=ed145b]”I don’t care! I don’t care, seriously, I don’t! I don’t, and I’ll be honest, if you make me? I’m going to start using again. The real stuff. I’ll be so fucked up, you’ll have to-”[/color]

Leon went from hugging her to holding her by each shoulder. His face became fury.

[color=C67C12]”Mia Titania, don’t you [i]ever[/i] fucking threaten me with your wellbeing! You and I aren’t the only people affected by-”[/color]

[color=ed145b]”No! We’re not! Which means those other people aren’t gonna want this either! Right!?-”[/color] Mia twisted, turning her head back toward the other two.
[color=ed145b]”-Right!? Girls? Hari? Do you want me to-”[/color]

[color=629c3f]”Just- Just don’t listen in?! Nobody’s making you?! Don’t cause yourself so much panic then- Then don’t even properly talk to anyone about it!”[/color] Cass practically exploded, completely different from what the girls were used to. She just couldn’t handle sitting around and listening to this. 
[color=629c3f]”It ain’t like he wants this either! It’d be worse if Leon ends up rampaging across the city and killing us all! You’re [i]seriously[/i] threatening to do that shit when he could lose himself completely?!”[/color]

But she did then very weakly point a finger at Leon.
[color=629c3f]”You gotta communicate with her more! She’s got the leash whether you both like it or not, so you gotta treat her on a more fucking equal level! Otherwise it blows up like this!”[/color]

[color=C67C12]”Cass, I’m so-”[/color]

Mia spun with indignance on her face. She wasn’t mad at Cass, she was shocked that there was [i]any[/i] outside input besides what she’d brought up directly. Not making her listen?

[color=ed145b]”Hey, Shotgun Hands!? You knocked his [i]fucking block off[/i] yesterday. I told you, it hurts! I don’t mean ‘Oh tee hee someone gave me a charlie horse’, no I mean like I felt a fucking death! You fucking leveled me! And then I got hit by a fucking [i]car[/i] afterward!”[/color]

Leon cleared his throat, prompting Hari to stand.
[color=0072bc]”This is fucking embarassing, Mia. You know for a fact that it’s all about practice a-”[/color]
She turned to Cass.
[color=0072bc]”You don’t deserve dealing with this.-”[/color]
Then turned back to Mia, starting to walk forward and putting her arms up.
[color=0072bc]”-It’s practice! It’s all practice, Mia, and you know for a fact that there’s a state where you don’t feel that shit anymore, you’re just bei-”[/color]

She was wrapping both arms around Mia, pushing her into Leon until he backed out of the doorway and let them both through.

[color=ed145b]”-No! I’m sick of it, I’m sick of being asked to d-”[/color]

Then they were shuffled down the hall and away from Cass with new anxieties having been birthed. Leon grimaced and shook his head.

[color=C67C12]”I agree with you. But, she sometimes sleeps fifteen or sixteen hours a day. How’m I supposed to keep her in the loop like that, huh?”[/color] he asked calmly, starting to walk forward toward Cass. His eyes peered up at all the machines before falling back down on her.

[color=629c3f]”I… Don’t know…”[/color] With Mia being ushered out, it was easy for regret to fill the gap. Cass hadn’t meant to snap. She never did. Her hands slowly moved up to cover her face. Twice in one day… 

She just couldn’t listen and think reasonably about something like that right now. She was so glad Mia was glad, stopping her from saying anything worse. Because… She probably would have. It wasn’t like Cass and Leon didn’t feel pain. Just because they both had healing magic… It still hurt like hell. There was practice there to acclimatise to it. It was why she thought she’d deal with this pain fine! But it was so much worse than anything she’d ever felt before, and she’d taken some pretty insane blows the last few days… 

[color=629c3f]”[i]Fuck[/i]. I should be sympathetic… I know what that kinda pain feels like! I still feel like I’m dying right now! Normally I would be but I feel so fucking… callous right now.  Fuck, she’s gonna think I hate her now, ain’t she?”[/color] 

Leon got a lot closer now, running his hand over Cass’s head in a slow, gentle roll.
[color=C67C12]”Mia’s in a perpetual state of victimhood. As soon as we get her over a hump, the next bit of doom is on the horizon. We’re… Lucky she’s been as stable as she has been lately, frankly. I thought that, after Trisha came and they decided to stop smoking again as a group, that we were out of the weeds. It’s… Not her fault. The last Leashholder baled too, if I’m being honest.”[/color]

Daisy… She wasn’t dead. Never had been. He really [i]really[/i] hated that.

[color=C67C12]”Whose to blame for all that? Probably Lynette still. Maybe it’s all my fault. Placing blame only serves to cast resentment upon a person…”[/color]

He took a deep breath, hoping to get away from the topic with his good news.
[color=C67C12]”Today hasn’t been a bust, at least. This was relatively easy to come home to… Uh… [i]We found Father Wolf[/i], Babe. The notes? When we rescued those people? Turns out, they had [i]everything[/i] in them. Y’know what Father Wolf was supposed to mean? It’s supposed to be, like, the Wolf in Sheep’s clothing? Replacement people, Babe! They’re- Its-...”[/color] he stopped, trying to figure out how to explain it, giving Cass the chance to interrupt him with her own questions.

[color=629c3f]”S-So there’s not gonna be any evacuation?”[/color] She asked through some loud sniffling, rubbing her eyes to stop the tears that seemed to follow the anger. Consistent outbursts, at least. Finding Father Wolf sounded really good. Then Leon wasn’t at risk of being killed… Nor was Trisha! Or any of the other coven members! That was great! She managed to remove her hands to give him as much of a smile as she could.

Evacuation? Leon’s face sunk slightly. Whatever Mia had managed to hear, she probably spilled. Leon hadn’t been listening in so intently on the way up the elevator. Too much to discuss with Casey now. But, it didn’t make her point not relevant.

[color=C67C12]”Nnnnno… Not… Yet. Uh, Cass… If I said there was a high chance that, at any moment, this whole city could collapse into an eldritch nightmare… Would you leave? Like, forget being sick, forget the fact you can’t move really. If you had the option to save your life and get to live later, or gamble it all on some hairbrained plan to save St. Portwell again… Would you… Stay with me?”[/color] he asked her intensely, his face now staring directly into hers from no more than a few inches.

[color=629c3f]”Obviously!”[/color] Cass answered immediately. Even as emotionally volatile as she was right now, with a rare sense of panic creeping in, she was still herself. The same woman who’d thrown herself into a raid to save people she didn’t even know, killing and risking her own life. But she also really liked Leon. Of course she’d want to stay with him and risk it all.

How would she even live her life now without this small support network, anyway? The illness would destroy her. 

[color=629c3f]”Is it going to?! I mean, it doesn’t change my answer, it’d just fucking suck if I couldn’t even do anything about it… But I wouldn’t leave. I’d rather spend my last moments fighting with you for something rather than running!”[/color] She declared, face closing most of the gap- slower than she’d like- to press her nose against his. 
[color=629c3f]”You ain’t getting rid of me. You’d have to drag me out kicking and screaming.”[/color]

Then her expression suddenly softened, fierce determination bleeding away along with the reactive panic. It wasn’t a common expression for Cass- she was filled with love and care, but it always came with an energy. Only in the rare moments of calm or exhaustion was it so gentle. 
[color=629c3f]”Fuck… I really missed you…”[/color]

Hearing her say all that… Knowing exactly who she was… It only made Leon more passionate and willing to push every envelope he could to make sure she wasn’t just going to fall to the wayside. And then the quiet relinquishment of all the posturing, just for the truth to be the only thing that actually mattered in the end…

[color=C67C12]”I missed you too… Greyson. That guy, the one you rescued with Linqian and Henri… I guess he did something foolish.-” The understatement of the year.”-A lot of foolish things. He liked to think one day he’d crack the code and be able to use his own brain as his channeler. Someone who chooses to Wildcast, as opposed to, y’know, dealing with what you’re going through. Only, it’s real dangerous. I guess that night, he decided someone needed to be defended, and he burned himself out killing another Adept with his magic… Again, without the channeler. He’s not gonna turn into stone or anything, his brain is just going to die.”[/color] 

Admitting it all to Cass made it sound stupid. Devola wasn’t a name that one escaped without seeing on the news in one major city or another. Even if she didn’t know him, chances are she got the vibe that he wasn’t a [i]good[/i] man. But would she understand that he was the only thing still protecting them?

[color=C67C12]”It wouldn’t be bad normally. He’s an asshole. Never much for a good deed. Which, I guess, makes sense as to why he did what he did. Back in the day, when we defeated the Stygian Snake, his Pink magic was the only stuff potent enough to wipe our memories. When it was all over, we sealed it in the Sycamore Tree… And that was supposed to be that. But he held onto the information, see? In a pocket of his brain, he knows unconsciously which Sycamore tree has the snake, and the exact location of it based on the entire coven’s collective recollection. If he dies, the information escapes into the world… Because we all will suddenly remember. Meaning, our enemies could use any one of us to get to the snake… Seeing as how they probably already have some of us kidnapped still, there’s a not-zero chance that they make a move before we can even get organized. Hence, y’know, the city collapsing into chaos.”[/color]

[color=629c3f]”Fuck, that sounds… Pretty bad…”[/color] Cass grimaced as she processed the large amount of information. She’d never actually seen the effects of the Stygian Snake’s rampage, but between Leon and Trisha (though she was more stingy with details) she had a good enough picture of how awful it had been. If it could be released again… or used… That was fucking bad!

[color=629c3f]”So… it’s inevitable? That shit’s gonna collapse, cause he’s dying, ain’t any coming back from brain death. Or wildcasting so insanely- guess I should feel a bit lucky, huh? Anyway…. Uh… Well you did mention some crazy plan?”[/color] She was doing her best not to let her emotions overwhelm her again- as much as there was her normal determination, there was that not normal panic too. But it was easier to ignore with Leon right there, thankfully. At least one of the feelings she wasn’t used to could be quenched a bit.

Leon nodded, not exactly thrilled, but hopeful in spite of it all.
[color=C67C12]”Well, that’s… What took so long. Our dearest Uncle Andrade had some explaining to do… And, if everything Casey and I did today is real and true? Then, well… I think the plan can work. Andrade’s going to go back to… To Dollhouse. To the people who have been trying to hurt us. And he’s going to tell them about Greyson… Because they don’t know that. They know [i]someone[/i] has the knowledge, but his spell has so many fail safes that they can’t just extract the knowledge from the source. So, we open Greyson up. Hopefully, we can bait the leader of the enemy Coven out into the light. Cut the head off the snake. Otherwise, it’s… Well, we can kiss Christmas goodbye.”[/color]

[color=629c3f]”Well…”[/color] Cass frowned, before taking a deep breath. It sounded incredibly risky. But it was better than nothing, wasn’t it? If Andrade didn’t betray them. But Cass trusted Leon- and Casey. She certainly believed Casey would do what he could to keep Trisha as safe as possible. 

[color=629c3f]”Hopefully it works and we get another Christmas! And many more beyond that! When- How fast is it gonna happen? Like, are we talking days? Will I at least get to go outside again before either everything’s fucked or fixed? Sounds like there’s a hell of a time limit on it… Fucking hell…”[/color]

[color=C67C12]”Well… We need a lot of moving parts to get this all to happen. First, we don’t know how long it’ll take Greyson to die on his own. So, Andy’s got another job to do. Then, we’re doing the dumbest thing we could possibly do, which is trusting Greyson with Andrade. Best place to hide him would be a place the bad guys aren’t looking, and what better place would that be than with our archenemy’s twin brother?”[/color]

Saying that made it sound like a daytime soap, which wasn’t far off in spite of the misfortune that could follow.

[color=C67C12]”Then, its whether or not the bastard takes the bait. Obviously he’s not gonna want Greyson to die either: If he does, then every Sycamore Member suddenly remembers the tree. We [i]all[/i] were taught explicitly what that means. And the plan has [i]always[/i] been to converge immediately upon the memory, like a Sycamore claxon call. We figured if Greyson died, we’d either need to defend the tree, or come up with a new plan to protect it as a group.”[/color] he shrugged.

[color=C67C12]”The time limit is Greyson’s life, essentially. And our only hope is a guy who's been playing double agent for almost twenty years.”[/color] he intoned somewhat grimly to finish.

[color=629c3f]”When you put it like that, it kinda sounds like it’s hopeless.”[/color] Cass admitted glumly, confidence dropping significantly. She just couldn’t be the always positive Cass right now, with a probable city implosion added onto the problems she was already dealing with. A future filled with pain either way, really… 

[color=629c3f]”I guess we gotta… Make the most of what we definitely got left? Hopefully Greyson doesn’t pop his clogs in, like, a day. I guess we wouldn’t be [i]entirely[/i] fucked just, fighting fucked. God, fuck, I need my Lux back! I need to be able to move! All this shit could happen and I’m missing precious training days cause my body fucking sucks!”[/color]

Her face scrunched up in frustration, before she looked at Leon. 
[color=629c3f]”Sorry that… Really ain’t a big deal compared to the whole guy dying, uncle betraying, city ending shit.”[/color]

Leon shrugged again, giggling a little bit.
[color=C67C12]”We’re blessed that real life is easy in comparison. I’ll take the magic problems; death and all.”[/color] he spoke quietly, holding her hands and resting his head on her thigh gently like a dog would.

[color=C67C12]”I… If we make it out? I think I’m gonna say it.”[/color] he said very simply.

Say what? Say… [i]Oh[/i]. Cass blushed a little, managing to tilt her body forward to bury her face into his hair. She had to get that close now to really smell him… She hadn’t realised how used she’d gotten to it. 

[color=629c3f]”You Richoux, so fucking fast… and sappy.”[/color] She grumbled teasingly. 

Pushing herself back up was much more of a struggle, but her arms were at least cooperating even if they were weak. Back resting on her throne of pillows, Cass patted the bed beside her. 
[color=629c3f]”C’mon, there’s totally room. Just be, uh, careful and all. You gotta move me too… But I ain’t missing out on cuddle time just cause I’m hurting and can’t move!”[/color]

She wanted some amount of closeness while they could at least, before she had a ton of tubes hooked up to her for the night. 
[color=629c3f]”Oh- Did Andy tell you my news? Well, I guess hers, cause she’s the one who went traipsing around the world looking for shit.”[/color]

Traipsing? Andy? Andy didn’t Traipse, she bulldozed. 
[color=C67C12]”Nnnno… What happened? You say it’s [i]your[/i] news? Did she find some kind of fucking cure!?”[/color] he asked her as he slowly started to shift things around. 

Kicking his shoes off and pulling off his denim jeans, Leon carefully un-blanketed Cass and scooped her up. Getting himself into the bed as she explained, he managed to slot her in between both of his legs so he was fully cradling her. From here, he could act as her arms as well as her backrest. Once he managed to get everything settled properly, he pulled the blanket back over her and rubbed her sides gently.

[color=629c3f]”I [i]wish[/i], it isn’t quite that awesome.”[/color] Cass grumbled slightly, relaxing against him easily with a soft sigh. While it didn’t technically reduce the pain she was in, it felt like it helped. The joyful feeling of another person holding her, the natural warmth encompassing her. He hadn’t even held either of her outbursts against her!

[color=629c3f]”She went to the village- the one where it’s from and all. Told me this really long story that I don’t remember and honestly got kinda pissed she was telling me, cause you saw how I was! It was awful! Not that I’m much better now, but at least I got some sleep y’know… Anyway! She came back with this [i]bean[/i]. It basically like… Traps the poisoning. Collects it in certain places. So it don’t really [i]cure[/i] things, but it’ll make it more manageable. It’ll be predictable and easier to filter out! It’s still gonna hurt the same but… it’ll be dealt with faster. Cause this time it’s gonna be pretty bad. I dunno how long it’ll take to get it all out, but I already did one round earlier and they’re gonna do another overnight. But it’ll be predictable with the bean! So I can try live my life around it, I guess.”[/color]

Bean? Bean… Leon started to get excited and list forward, his hands starting to grab her tighter, before he remembered [i]everything[/i] and stopped himself from accidentally twisting Cass like a pretzel.
[color=C67C12]”A fucking bean!? Cass!? Lelou was [i]right![/i] She was talking about [i]actual beans![/i] What kind!? What are they, where, do you have any!? Can I eat one? Maybe Lelou will remember them, we can learn more!”[/color] he spoke excitedly, as if a whole new realm of magic had opened up to him.

[color=629c3f]"Hey, no squeezing."[/color] Cass complained gently, even though he'd already stopped. 

It was honestly cute how excited he got about it. So enthusiastic about the wonderful ways of magic… she got it! It was all amazing to her, but it must be hard for him to find knew magical things to learn about after growing up with it.
[color=629c3f]"They're called… Crying Beans. Don't really look like a bean- weird as fuck to eat. There's some with… The dialysis stuff I think? But I dunno how rare they are! Andy didn't say. I gotta have em daily right now to really getta bunch in my bloodstream I think. But she also said… well, for most people they ain't good. They can overload emotional fields and shit! Cause they trap and isolate Lux… but for me that's good cause've how the curse has made my body."[/color]

She leaned slightly to one side, head twisting to look up at him.
[color=629c3f]"I dunno if you can eat one? Normally I'd say fuck yeah go ahead! But I don't wanna run out… or have it somehow blow up your emotional field?!"[/color]

Leon twisted his body, eventually finding the leather bag full of the things. Chock full, in fact. They were so small, she must’ve had a couple years worth of beans here if they were a daily take. So, if the volume wasn’t the problem, he saw no reason not to eat it.

[color=C67C12]”Oh, those sound like Adept problems to me.”[/color] he said very casually, taking one out and examining it.

Smelling it, he knew for a fact it was some kind of Apparitional product. Crying Beans made sense in that regard: Anything with Apparitional energy tended to have a bad habit of screaming, crying, or otherwise weeping when tested with any kind of magic. Listening, he could hear the very [i]very[/i] faint sound of sorrow. Thus, like anything else in his life, he absentmindedly popped it into his mouth and bit down. 

From an immediate astringency that hit the back of his throat, he knew this thing was going to be weird. But he didn’t expect it to heat up and evaporate in his mouth like a cotton candy lace.

[color=C67C12]”Oh… What the fuck? Why? [i]Why does that do that!?[/i]”[/color] he intoned, finally shaking his head.
[color=C67C12]”Alright, well… Hopefully they’re in abundance somewhere, otherwise we’ll have to get Princess Green Thumb upstairs to try and grow them for us. She will, I’m sure, for you.”[/color] he giggled, replacing the bag.

Cass had watched him as intently as possible, letting out a little snicker as he reacted to the fucking weirdness. But it didn't seem to do anything bad to him, at least, so that was fine… Thankfully! 

[color=629c3f]"She would- but I dunno how much she grows anything versus her bees, y'know! Far as I've seen they're doing all the hard work."[/color] Cass joked lightly. She'd thought about supply in the time she had for herself, and not really figured out a solution. It wouldn't be so easy for them to just travel to the Congo when all of this was done. But if it was possible to grow them here somehow…


[color=629c3f]"We won't actually know how well it works till the next time. Andy seemed pretty excited about it being a solution! But I dunno if it's a definite one… hopefully! The dialysis earlier was horrible, Babe! Like… hours! [I]Hours[/I]. Then I gotta sleep with it too!"[/color] She let out a light huff, before shifting to sink against him further, somehow. 

[color=629c3f]"At least there's something. I was getting real worried last night. I know I already said it, but I'm really sorry for snapping at you like that. It'll… probably happen again. I'm gonna apologise everytime, though."[/color]

Leon laughed, clearly unbothered by it. He didn’t bother speaking right away, rather tucking his arms in closer to her and snuggling. 

[color=C67C12]”Oh, please… I know who you are. You being stressed and in pain ain’t ever gonna make me forget who you really are. You hear me? Who you are trumps how you feel.”[/color] he kissed her gently.

[color=C67C12]”I’m gonna have Casey come down before they start the machine. He’s gonna make it better for you. I swear, we’re gonna fucking make this as easy for you as we can, Babe. And hopefully, when the world starts crumbling, you’ll be back to your usual self…”[/color] he enthusiastically exclaimed.

[color=629c3f]”Oh yeah, I wanna go down fighting. I gotta get a punch or two in first, at least.”[/color] Cass smiled at him, accepting what he’d said. She believed him- it didn’t mean she liked how the pain was making her act, but it was nice to know it wasn’t enough to push him away. Sometimes just being her normal self was too much for people!

[color=629c3f]”What’s Casey gonna do to help? Some kinda funky orange shit- Wait, Casey knows?!”[/color]

[color=C67C12]”You’re in his house.-”[/color] Leon giggled, shaking his head.
[color=C67C12]”Think he won’t notice a bunch of machines getting shuffled in? He’s…-”[/color]

Clearing his throat, there was a vague grimness that passed through him. A vague response of fear.

[color=C67C12]”-I’m worried about him. About the power. He was [i]never[/i] inclined to White Lux. Way I figure it, he didn’t have enough good memories to be nostalgic about. Now? He’s… God, he’s… [i]Just like Mom.[/i] Sometimes, I think he’s listening just to listen. Just to… Be with other people, I guess.”[/color] he shrugged,shaking his head.

[color=C67C12]”Makes me glad, I guess, that things are going to fall apart. There won’t be so many people for him to, y’know, survey.”[/color]

Cass let out a thoughtful hum, slowly nodding her head. She… wasn’t surprised that someone with access to White Lux like that might end up using it too much. Not that she pinned Casey for the spying type, but it was hard to resist not knowing everything when you could, wasn’t it? 

[color=629c3f]”It's gonna bite him in the ass if he uses it on Trisha. She ain’t gonna be happy if- well, when, honestly- she finds out. Unsurprisingly! I ain’t too happy about being spied on either, though I can accept the necessary evil with current shit and all.”[/color] She tilted her head back to look up at Leon. 

[color=629c3f]”I [i]don’t[/i] think it’s gonna go to his head fully. The power and shit- and he ain’t gonna cling. Casey’s a good guy… And, honestly, Trisha won’t let him keep it up after shit collapses. That guy loves her far too much to risk losing her over some White Lux spying bullshit… Right?”[/color] 

Leon’s face was a little more grim.

[color=C67C12]”I… Hope so? He’s absolutely used it on her before. A lot, I think. And I’m not entirely sure if she knows, or if he’s even capable of stopping himself. For her specifically, I think its… Well, she… I… One time, she was supposed to go on a run. She went off course, got attacked by something. Since then, he’s basically not let her go anywhere without something on her.”[/color]

He frowned, knowing it was worse than that. Him constantly checking her emotions, using his extrasensory abilities to gauge her heart rate, breathing rate, the temperature of her skin. He didn’t love her… He was obsessive. Quietly. It was a little bit scarier because of that sense, he felt.

[color=C67C12]”At least, like you said, he loves her way too much to lose her. But, I guess… Is it bad like that? Well, I guess… Now, he has no excuse! If, y’know, we know who Father Wolf is, then she’s safe! That’s… That’s the thing then. I’ll approach him about it, once we really take care of the problem. And then, we’ll tell Trisha too. That way she can know, and he gets called out, and they can both handle it together. Right!?”[/color] He suddenly perked up, clearly excited to have some semblance of an answer.

Cass was a little conflicted about it. She knew exactly how Trisha would react, and it wouldn’t be good. Handling wasn’t anywhere near how she’d described it. Maybe she was having too little faith… She didn’t expect Trisha to leave Casey over something like that being revealed. But she might react so badly that he… No, no, that wouldn’t happen either. 

And she really couldn’t stand the idea of her not knowing. It just wasn’t right when a relationship was supposed to be built on trust. If she knew and allowed him to do something like that, it was fine. Cass highly doubted she would but… Either way, she deserved to know. 

[color=629c3f]”I agree… Well maybe not immediately after taking care of it! Give ‘em a lil bit of time. Maybe he’ll calm down by himself, and you’ll talk to him and he’ll throw up his hands and say it was wrong or some shit. But she’s gotta know. I’m only alright holding onto it cause shit’s so bad right now… I ain’t gonna add more on top of it. But…”[/color] She trailed off, frowning a little bit up at Leon. 

[color=629c3f]”We gotta be prepared for the fallout to hit us. It ain’t some Trisha’d leave him over unless he just [i]never stops[/i]- but she’ll be pissed. At him mostly, but probably at us too. She ain’t the best at directing it completely. I dunno how Casey’d be I mean, I ain’t seen him angry ever. You’d know better than I would. But she definitely ain’t gonna take it well.”[/color] 

[color=C67C12]”He doesn’t act like that. He’s not gonna get pissy like she does, especially when he knows it's wrong. And he will. He probably… Y’know, whatever. I ain’t gonna sit here defending the guy who doesn’t need defending. He’ll only leave if she leaves him. Otherwise, he’s been in enough war to know how to put up with shit.”[/color] Leon shrugged, sinking back into Cass.

[color=C67C12]”Let’s just… Manifest the best. You and me both. Let me see your hands.”[/color]

His hands slid down, taking hers into them and letting his thumbs rub against them.

[color=C67C12]”Juuuust try and relax. And think about all the good things that are coming. Think about all the bad things too, and then… Think about how all the good things are gonna beat the bad things asses. That’s usually my process.”[/color] 

Cass giggled quietly, leaning back against him. Her body went even more limp, any emotional tension draining away. 
[color=629c3f]”I normally don’t even think ‘bout that bad, cause I know the good’ll beat it! And if not, I beat the bad things myself!”[/color]

But there were bad things that would be harder to beat. The Shame, for one. But it would get more manageable. Better, maybe. She’d cope. And she didn’t exactly want to dwell on all the times in the future it’d happen while suffering right now. 

[color=629c3f]”Do you… Wanna watch a movie? We got time before I get all the tubes hooked up again… I made a shortlist of shit I figured we could watch together! Not that there’s a TV in here yet, but my laptop on my lil bed table’s alright I think.”[/color]

[color=C67C12]”Of course. Whatever’s gonna make you the most comfortable. Though, I’d… Well… We’ll get this place set up a little better. TV, maybe a chair in case we can’t end up sleeping together while you have all the stuff in.”[/color]

His hands moved across her to grab ahold of the little table, and pulled it forward to give her access before settling himself in for what he assumed was going to be a long few hours spent with his neck craned downward. But, it was fine… Maybe he loved her, after all.