FernStone

Recollections: Primal Sinister

Nessa Mendoza & Elay Motta

A Dingy Motel, South Side. Tuesday > Wednesday.

Nessa dragged herself out of Elay’s apartment block, and then back to the South of the city. Taking the boat didn’t require ID, so long as you could pay the fee and were willing to risk your life. Which she was. There was enough cash left in her pockets for the trip, and maybe another week survival beyond that.

Hooray…

Unfortunately, the boat didn’t sink like it always seemed to be one wave away from. Leaving only the dull ache of inflicted pain to stave off the void inside. She felt sick with herself.

And why had Garf stopped him? He knew what she’d done. Every single Motta deserved at least one punch. Maybe that’s why he stepped in. Needed to make sure the rest got their chance.

There was no point going back to the apartment block, even if she had the key. She’d just rot there. She literally had nothing now. Might as well go out with a bang.

Back to an old haunt, a bar favoured by particularly awful people. It was all too easy to pick out some muscular, violent looking guy and hit him with a want me curse. It faded after her fucked her, but after the first round it was easy to get more. The curse just sped the inevitable up. He would’ve slept with her one way or another.

The motel they ended up in was especially seedy. The sheets probably hadn’t been cleaned in days. Didn’t matter to Nessa. Not much did, anymore.

She lay on the grimy bed on her stomach, propped up with one elbow as she smoked her way through a packet of cigarettes the guy’d had in his pockets. The bruise on her back from being slammed into the wall was covered by a myriad more, as if Elay had never touched her. The split lip had been bitten enough it stung more. Still wasn’t enough…

She could feel the heavy ache as all her thoughts started to weigh on her. Smoking wasn’t enough to quiet the clamour. At least she could afford to stay here a couple of days. Maybe she’d never leave this bed.

The man next to her was slowly stirring again after a short nap. The arm around her waist, keeping her there, slowly started to move. There was still some hope that she’d shut it all up long enough to continue with her miserable life. Maybe this round would be the one.

It must be nearing morning. At least the thought of Moriah losing it at Elay about not getting her to the office gave her a hint of pleasure.

Not that she’d ever have the chance. There was the faintest sensation of being watched in the dark. Of being stalked. Like there was something else which had nothing to do with its surroundings. An unnatural thing.

’Ah… Good to see you don’t let the hole go unoccupied for too long, Nessa. How’s the cigarette?’
Two big yellow eyes formed in the corner of the room like sunlight shining from the cosmic void. They devoured every bit of low light, even the hot cherry of her cigarette growing duller at the very presence.

Great. Perfect. The cat was still going to bother her. Thank fuck the guy was still half asleep. A thin Pink thread connected the two again as she carefully monitored. Ready to erase Garf’s very presence from the Blind’s eye.

Her head turned to glare at the shining eyes, before averting when it got too strong. Like trying to stare at the sun. It just made her more pissed off. She was sober now- sober enough to regret pushing things so much, even if she’d deserved the reaction. Ruining things again. The cat coming back to taunt her just made her feel worse.

’Better smoked in peace. Fuck off, take your judgement elsewhere. I’m not listening to any more of your bullshit.‘

The cat’s grin came across in luminescent teeth, still pearly white but somehow reflecting the same grey dawn’s light as the eyes.

’And what bullshit is that? I’m not judging you, it was an observation. You clearly don’t get hung up on sentiment, do you?’ he asked to goad, his mental connection tenuous at best.

She wished she didn’t. Then she wouldn’t feel so awful. There wouldn’t be an additional emptiness on top of all the guilt. For what? Another piece of shit? But for all his awfulness, Elay had treated her like a person. Hadn’t even hit her till she pushed him when they were both drunk out of their minds.

’Bullshit about him not leaving. Clearly not the case! Fuck off. Course I ain’t so stupid to get attached after a day.’ She was. She absolutely was…

’Daddy really spanked that ego into a nice, square peg, didn’t he? Christ on the cross… You’re like a broken record with that shit. I tried to tell you! Stay in the hall! This would’ve been so much easier if you’d just hung out there. Within an hour, I could’ve gotten him to let you back in. A few? He’s got an apology. He’s downstairs, waiting. Sent me up to get you. Said he couldn’t see who you were with up here.’ he calmly explained, letting the sensations of the last few hours ripple across her emotional field.

’Please don’t make him come up here. Make both our lives nice and shiny and easy, and just… Get your clothes. I’ll take care of the schmuck. We’ve got to be at the Registry in a few hours.’

Nessa stared at him blankly. What bullshit. He’d have let her back in? Apologised? Why would he even be downstairs? What did he get out of it? Apart from keeping his sister off his ass…

But what did the cat get out of lying? Oh. More pain to eat, probably.

She carefully pulled herself out from underneath the arm that had been pinning her down, coming to sit on the bed. Still staring at Garf.
’I don’t believe you. Why would he care, anyway?’

Garf’s large form stepped from the shadows until the front two paws sat in visible light. He, for once, almost looked cute. Like the cartoon Cheshire cat comes to real life… He even looked well groomed, all of the truly ugly and patchy mangled fur covered by some vague illusion. Like putting a silk hat on a pig.

’Well, his argument was correct. You have no idea what those women did to him. You remember anything about Nikkita, you remember that she had zero qualms about completely rescripting someone’s brain. Elay was created more than he was gestated. Just like all his siblings. Only, they planned on him being a male. Think. Think about all those thoughts you pulled out of Cadenza. I’ll help you.’ he offered calmly, extending the olive branch of his head leaning downward to let her touch the third eye that opened up.

Nessa flinched back initially. She knew what she said was wrong. She’d been goading Elay on purpose! And she hated herself for it, especially as the soberness hit. Hated who she was. She didn’t want to remember. She couldn’t remember a lot from Cadenza, it was so fuzzy. Only what hurt her most seemed to remain.

’Don’t bring her up.’ She hissed mentally at him.

But as much as she was touchy, she was curious. Wanted to wriggle her way into Elay’s life as much as she could, even though she really didn’t believe it was possible. Her hand drifted forward to touch the offered eye, shaking slightly.

As she let her hand slip across its melty surface, she’d be able to hear that voice again. So many times, she’d just sit and babble while Nessa was trying to work. Trying to distract her, the only tactic she knew against Pink and Blue Lux. It was so much more obvious now that it was clear. Now that it was back for the fleeting moment.

You know… Where I come from? You wouldn’t be afraid of him. We like to eat men who can’t behave in Culla.

By then, curses had even stripped away her fake accent. The Matriarch had worn a hundred masks: The layers upon layers of emotional fields gathered from her soul-progenitors to be projected back across her like a lattice of protection. She was so magically complex, so utterly inhuman…

But she tried desperately to act like she was. And in doing so, had spilled a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of Cullan society. About the Whispering Flesh, and its constituent pieces. Even bits about her own family. Bits about her son, who was the same age as Nessa.

Sixteen… Was the age my Sires released me from my pool, at least my body physically. My Bim-Elay is sixteen now. Safe. Thank the Deer… Safe from your rotten Father. Were you rewarded? For last time we met? Did he allow you to attend your friend’s party? A girl must explore herself. Have fun while she can.

It was all so vivid now. A flare in the brain, hot and full of sparking metal as it shot like a firework only to explode into a thousand pieces. Fragmentary knowledge, all coming to settle in the same little spot for her to call upon.

Nessa pulled her hand away as soon as she could, breathing heavily. But the memories were still there. They were hers, after all. Tears slipped down her cheeks against her will. She couldn’t control the reaction.

It was funny how one of the only people to treat her like a person had been a victim. A victim who was hardly human herself. But… Cadenza was more human than Charles, to her.

Reliving it hurt more than it brought any relief. The guilt was crushing her again. She knew she couldn’t have done anything. She’d always remembered the pain so vividly, the moments were her brain seized up because she had the slightest thought about helping Cadenza. She was as much a victim of her father… But that didn’t absolve her of her crimes, did it?

’You know why I said what I did. It wasn't cause I believed it. I got the reaction I wanted.’ Even her mental voice was shaky. The returned knowledge was a lot to consume, nevermind the emotion that came with it.

’’Showing me that doesn't change anything… I already knew I was wrong. It doesn't make me believe that Elay's fucking downstairs waiting. If anything, I believe it less now. Why would he come back? Why would he care who I was with, too? None of that makes any fucking sense!’

’You are not the only creature capable of feeling guilty, Nessa. And two wrongs surely don't make a right, but maybe he understands… That you were fishing. That you feel as though you need to do that. That its fun. Which he doesn't love, but understands.”

Garf's tail swept from one side to the other, curling up so the tip was just visible through the shadows. His voice finally spoke up, actually humming across the small space.

”You're… Going to make him, aren't you? If you valued this man you're with for even an iota of time, I would suggest at least leaving the room. Because if he sees this man… It won't end well, Nessa.”

”Valued… Him?” Nessa tilted her head, pointing to the man stuck in a half awake state thanks to her magic. Why would she? She'd been inside his mind. Seen all the nasty shit he'd done in the past and planned to do in the future. That's why she'd chosen him, after all. The worst of the worst. Made her feel less bad about using him.

She was safe because of her magic, anyway. It only went as far as she wanted.

”I don't. I'd be doing the world a favour if I fried his brain right now.” She shrugged one shoulder, legs unfurling to at least hang off the bed. Trying to decide if she was going to at least follow Garf's suggestion… But she still didn't believe him. That Elay was really there, or that he'd really be bothered by any of it. Possessive or jealous in any way…

”And you're right. I'm going to make him. Because I can't trust it otherwise. I still don't trust anything you say either.” She stared at Garf, the cigarette still held between her fingers burning out. She crumpled the remnants in her hand, not caring about the burning pain from the still smouldering tip, before pulling out another one.

”It’s really hard for me to believe that Elay will care- be at all pissed of that I fucked someone else- without proof.”

”Well, then do me a favor at least: Gather your things. You have the amount of time it takes to get from the handicapped spaces outside up to here.” Garf said with a tremendously flat tone.

It made no difference to him, except for one single problem.

”And wake your John up. If I withdraw all my strength when he comes in, we both get a free struggle show. Appealing to you, my little sadomasochist?”

”Mmm, appealing enough. So long as Elay can still smash his head in.” Nessa intoned back, slipping off the bed. Her clothes had ended up on the floor near enough to it, and she went about collecting them.
”I ain't got any other things, cause my suitcase is still in Elay's fucking car.”

She pulled back on her underwear at least before the magic keeping the man half asleep withdrew, jolting him awake on the way out.

“Huh? What're you doin' outta-”

”What, I ain't allowed to leave?” Nessa cut him off before he could continue. At the same time she moved further away from the bed, grabbing her coat to complete the pile of clothes in her arms. Going towards the wall so that she was out of the way.

The man was quickly waking up, but somehow hadn't noticed the cat. Instead he was swinging his muscular, tattoo covered body out of the bed with an annoyed expression. Clearly expecting a continuation of last night now he was awake, upset that Nessa wasn't right there. So he started moving towards her to get exactly what he wanted.

Garf was in an odd position. He didn’t know exactly where Elay was, thanks to his little takeover last night. There was a haziness that stifled his ability to track his Host, and an equally hazy barrier preventing direct communication. The two were only passing vague emotions between a thin wall of mist, Garf’s anticipation layering onto Elay’s anger. The two could only guess how the other was planning to actually handle the situation.

Elay himself was in the elevator now. She wasn’t here by herself, because she wouldn’t have come here by herself. She’d have gone back to the Bull, back to Deciduous where she’d be just fine and safe. But she wasn’t. She was here, which meant there was someone else up there. Fine. No problem. Whatever. He didn’t care, obviously. They weren’t dating, so he didn’t have to care. But she split before he could apologize, because she didn’t really understand. And Garf said it was a sex thing. He didn’t get it. Didn’t get why she liked that kind of thing.

She wasn’t getting it this time. This was serious. His livelihood was linked to her now, after all. They had plans. Plans that he wasn’t intent on letting her escape from, nor was he willing to let what could become comfortable slip from his hands.
So she liked kinky shit… She liked getting tossed around. He could do that without being an asshole. But, bruising her like that? He only saw his Ma’s face after the fact, or his Sisters. Any of them. Probably Bryn. She used to give like she got, but it was the only female face he’d ever seen in his life become a different color after his fists were done with her. She used to get him back… That was all different.

He hit Nessa defenseless. Completely out of turn. She didn’t deserve it.

As the elevator dinged open, Elay could feel the little whisps of Nessa’s magic in the air. The sensation of Garf’s direction. There was tension. Long strides brought him in front of the door he knew was the final barrier.

On the other side, Garf had taken advantage of the man’s absent mind to push the threat. He’d had no intention of Nessa escaping without some kind of reminder, and pushed the John’s mind into an aggressive overreach. Hands rushed forward, wrapping around Nessa’s neck as his massive body shoved her against the wall. Garf was looking for the response she’d have, whether it was the usual one of apathetic suicide, or if for once she’d actually have some other reaction. Confusion, fear, hope that someone was actually going to save her…

Nessa was a bit pissed. Her Pink Lux reactively blasted out, and she could feel the manipulation. But she was blocked from doing anything about it- because no matter how strong her magic was, she couldn't dampen down such explosive, magically pushed anger in time. Not without getting seriously hurt.

There were the reactive survival instincts, Blue and Yellow sparking off her skin without much targeted use. Zaps of boils here and there, a knee trying to shove into his crotch. She wasn't really scared… It would be fitting.

Not even killed by someone who deserved to kill her. Right when she'd been fed that drop of hope again. Oh, was this what Garf had wanted? For her to let go of the mind? So he could do this, and get a feast before she died?

If Elay really was there- if he got there before stopped being able to breath- if he did anything to stop it- fuck, then she'd have to trust him… Stupidly hopeful even to the fucking end.

Scream, Nessa! And never forget, there’s always a price to pay: And I, your Debtor!

Fuck. You. She couldn't glare at him, but her anger was obvious enough. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction, at least.

You wanted him riled up!? Scream! Give him a reason to protect you!

Fuck this fucking cat- she couldn't scream even if she wanted to. She could barely breathe now! The leg that had been trying to knee her attacker kicked to the side, knocking over the flimsy chair there. At the same time Pink Lux desperately reached out for someone recognisable, hitting Elay outside the door. There weren't any words… But the emotions- all the anger, despair and desperation- were clear.

Elay only felt it for a single solitary moment before he let his left leg hop backward. The right foot smashed against the lock and bolt, post-human physiology pumping every extra bit of control into the joints and tendons crashing into the wood and snapping it apart. In that same instance, Garf let everything go. Suddenly, the hands weren’t strangling Nessa. He wasn’t holding her against the wall. He wasn’t even really on his feet.
Elay felt it happen in the same moment, the feeling of everything but his own genetically modified base level falling out from under him.

But he was still more than a normal man. More than enough that, when he snagged the John by the back of the head and spun him around just to get cold-cocked in the face, he hardly flinched. The John, still disoriented but driven by a fight instinct natural to people in his lifestyle, let whatever blows he could rain upward toward Elay’s face and chest.
Elay, however, had no intention of letting this man beat on him. There was a terrible animalistic sensation; domination simply wasn’t enough. An instinct that had been forced into him upon his Adjoining, and the most inhuman part that flourished where reason had once died.

Right elbow met the brow of the forehead, downward momentum causing a hairline fracture across the diameter of the skull that nearly separated the cranium from the face. The John, still a true specimen of Blind tenacity, reached back to grip Elay’s hair in a desperate attempt to get him away from where he was going…
Because Elay’s elbow kept the John’s head in place. Struggling. Thrashing. While Elay forced himself back down upon the throat of the John. His mouth wrapped around the bulge, chomping down and causing the most blood curdling scream to choke its way out of a bloody hole.

As Nessa struggled to catch her breath not but a few feet away, she’d have a terrible front seat to the Whispering Flesh’s patented physiological upgrade system. No child left Culla without it, they said. The expectation that, should each and every child be born to the most powerful cult of Green Lux users on the face of the planet, that they all be so representative in mind and body. The shock that, even without Garf, Elay’s monstrous strength and sheer brutality meant that he was capable of great and terrible feats.
Fingers didn’t slip into the fresh wound so much as they crushed their way through tissue and sinew. Violently, until all five fingers gripped around the same chord of bone and nerve endings.

The John would’ve only struggled a few more seconds were it not for Garf’s intervention. A cruel thing, and to the John’s horror, all the more painful as his nerve endings were lit on fire in a series of stimulatory neural arcs that kept him from going into shock from the pain. Permanently. Not that Elay noticed when the guy tensed back up, or when he started to claw at his back and rip hair out of his head. Elay already had what he wanted.
His free hand pressed down on the shoulder, knee jerking up in between himself and the John’s chest. And with a single, heaving tug, Elay buckled his spinal chord. Severing it between two vertebrae, it came loose with a satisfying thock before the severed head soared across the room and smashed into a nearby lamp.

Not that Elay was done, but Garf sat beside Nessa with a satisfied look on his face.

”Ohhhh no, the toy broke. That’s not exactly what I expected.-”
Looking down at her, Garf let his cat-sized head brush against her shoulder.
”-I’d never let anyone kill you… Neither would he. But if you want to be hurt? I can make it happen.”

Elay was too blind to his rage to hear Garf, standing and letting his boot heel cave out the slowly hollowing chest like a tube of toothpaste.

Nessa had finally stopped gasping for air, moving back to sit on her knees instead of on all fours. She should probably feel sick. Or some kind of horror. She didn't. She was too fucked up. She'd seen all sorts of horrendous transformations as a teenager… This wasn't any worse. If anything she felt excited. Gratified.

Sick, twisted pleasure from Elay protecting her in such a brutal way.

”For some reason I don't trust you.” She bit out, voice hoarse. Her throat hurt a lot, making it difficult to talk… But it was pain that she'd been looking for. She just didn't enjoy it being so uncontrollable. Not when she'd been dragged out from her suicidal apathy for a moment.

”What were you expecting? A nice fucking chat?” She shook her shoulder to try and get Garf's head away while stretching out to gather the clothes she'd dropped.

Her gaze never left Elay, however. Heated enough that it practically burned a hole into him. She didn't actually say anything- didn't want to try to drag him away from his fun. Just stared.

”A struggle, at least! Like we discussed! I mean, I thought we discussed this! I can feel your frustration, but…-”

Suddenly, things were slightly more strange. If one didn’t know any better, that his whole sustenance was built on the back of things like personal trauma, and a gluttonous hunger for real and raw emotion, it would almost sound… Like he was some kind of confused lover. Having taken the play a little too far, and having to explain themselves in the crashing comedown.
Only, her emotion was already there. It’d be a fruit to pluck later on, as all Wampuskind were cultivators of the finest vines of pain and pleasure among the realms. So, maybe that was all a part of the game too?

”Trust me or not. He’s stuck with us, I’m stuck with him… You’re stuck with us now too, Nessa. You’ll come to deal with it in time; That I’m the one in charge, and I always get what I want.” he said smugly, twisting his ever-lengthening tail around her arm possessively. Eyes squinted, and a smile formed.

Elay felt the clatter of the ribcage finally snapping, which shot his foot down harder to break him out of his mindless actions. On reaction, Garf let Nessa’s arm go and made like nothing was happening except their twinned staring. The giant of a man pushed down onto both knees, bloody hands wrapping around her face without any kind of aggression. But they were forceful, moving her into whatever light he could in order to get a better look at her face.

Not enough bruising for her to be a victim. But he held her gaze up to his regardless.

”Why… Did you leave?” He asked her sternly, voice hitching only for a moment.

Nessa stared at him silently for a moment, eyes squinting. Why had they both expected her to just stay. Stay and hope? When had that ever worked? Once or twice she'd tried to get exes to take her back. Before everything fell to pieces, when she was a teenager. It hadn't ended violently or anything, but it certainly hadn't worked out.

”Do you… Seriously need to ask?” She responded eventually. There wasn't the normal bite to it. Not yet, at least.
”You literally threw me out. Why wouldn't I leave?”

”There is an office downstairs. You’re an employee. I can’t stop you from using the office now. Or, fucking, Deciduous! I went, I looked for you there first, because I thought, figured, assumed…-”

He paused, releasing her face and leaving both sides colored bright red.

”-Why… Why? Why this!?” Elay growled, throwing both hands downward at the fresh corpse, and the cat that was biting pieces out of the half-strewn guts. He was the cleanup crew, after all…

”Because I needed it.” She answered simply.

How did she even explain beyond that? That she'd assumed it was all over, including the job? She'd been so overwhelmed with guilt and self hatred because of what was said about his Moms, and as soon as she was alone it started eating her alive. It quieted down with the feeling of flesh on flesh, whether pleasant or painful. Both was best.

She was surprisingly calm, not snapping back at him. She was still processing what had happened- that the cat hadn't been lying, and that he was actually there.

”And I didn't expect you to look for me. I assumed that was it.”

”It’s Garf! It’s the fucking Cat, it’s the Cat, it’s the fucking Cat! It’s the Cat-” he snapped, turning and letting his leg snap out. He caught Garf right in the gut, sending him flying like a tennis ball toward the ceiling, bouncing him down into the nightstand, then back onto the floor in a rolling heap.

”-He says you’re important, so you’re fucking important! I try and set you up, keep you close enough, but you want closer! You want to wooooooorm your way into my head because you think there’s something that you’re going to get out of me… This!? Seriously!? Why!? Why do you want the fucking worst, what the fuck is it with you, why can’t you just keep your goddamn mouth shut instead of-”

There was a heavy burst of energy that buckled Elay at the knees, making him think twice about moving on at the same pace.
”Elaaaaaaay! Enough! I’m saying enough now, get her up and go. I can only keep the other Blinds asleep for so long before someone hears too far away. I’ve got to clean up.”

With a deep breath, Elay nodded and pulled back from Nessa for a moment. In the blink of an eye, Garf’s entire body swallowed Elay up and spat him out clean of any blood. He swept both hands down, scooping Nessa under each arm and standing.

”Come on… We’ve got work to do before we go and get you registered. Where’s your phone?” he asked, knowing damn well he’d never bothered to call her. Just expected she’d be one place or another. Never bothered to confirm anything to begin with.

”What fucking work do we have to do?” Nessa managed to groan, ceasing tiredly glaring at him. She hadn't had the energy to snap back at him for once when he went on and on. Sure, it was all about the importance, of course. Made sense. She was important because of his Moms, after all. Silly of her to think it'd be anything else.

”Let me get dressed at least.” She wasn't naked, but she'd only gotten the chance to get her underwear on before Garf made the guy go mad with anger. She half threw her coat at Elay as she pulled herself away enough to start pulling on her skirt.

”My phone’s in one of the pockets. Do whatever you want with it. There ain’t much on it, anyway.” She looked at him, then Garf, pointing to her face and continuing in a much more snide tone.
”Am I allowed to wash the blood off my face, or do I go out looking like I slipped in a blood puddle?”

Elay was already rifling through her pockets, then ushering her into the bathroom.
”Wash, wash. How’s your face, is it-”
Getting her into the light of the bathroom, it was clear where he’d hit her.

”-Jesus… I’m… Fuck, Nessa, I’m so fucking… Why did you say that shit!? Why’ve you gotta be like that when I’m trying to hook you up? What’s the fucking point, it gets you off or something!?” he snapped, letting the water in the sink run while he grabbed a washcloth.

”Something like that.” Nessa shrugged. Better for him to think it was some fetish than see any of the deeper shit. Sure, it kind of was that too… But mostly because it was what she needed to keep going. What she deserved, anyway. What she was used to as well…

”I was drunk and goading you! I wouldn't have gone so far if I was sober!” Or if she hadn't seen a woman that looked like someone she'd helped kill, and found out exactly who she was…
”Didn’t expect to strike a nerve like that, anyway. I only wanted to piss you off a bit.”

She leaned forward, splashing water directly onto her face and rubbing away at the blood with her hands. She was fairly certain the washcloth would just make her dirtier with the state this place was in.
”Don’t worry your cute little head over it, I've had worse. And I'll come up with an excuse so it doesn't get up to your big bitch sister.”

Elay took a deep breath, shaking his head.
”You’re an employee. Not a member of the Twin Hill. You’ve got no right to protection under the laws of the Whispering Flesh, ergo she’d not do a fuckin’ thing to me over your condition. I’m not worried. Now, clean yourself up and call your ex. Tell him some asshole just tried to rob you, and that you need him to put you up. You’ve got a brick of weed as collateral, and that’ll leave him open for me.” he explained, sliding her phone onto the counter expectantly.

Well, it was good Moriah wasn't going to bother doing anything, but then what was he so worried about with it? The chef sister that'd warned him? Probably not, she was avoidable till Nessa looked better. Odd.

”Tried to rob me of… What?” She rolled her eyes at him, finding that suggestion a bit ridiculous. Like she looked like someone robbable. They didn't have to worry about it much in her apartment complex, because no one had any fucking money.

”Fine. But I want a cut of whatever you get.”

She wasn't particularly happy about it- but she didn't want him to change his mind, decide to ignore the cat and just leave her there. She could go along with what he wanted for now. What was the worst that happened? A repeat of what just did?

More water splashed onto her face, and she managed to get most of the blood off it. It was easier when it was fresh. Didn't make her look any less like she'd come out of hell. Staring in the grimy mirror, she scrubbed the last bit off before washing her hands. Still wet, she pulled back her mess of hair and twisted it into a bun. At least it looked a bit neater.

Then she reached out for her phone, picking it up. But she didn't make the call immediately.
”How’s the fucking weed brick leave him open to you?”

She was already doing it again. She could never just do what he told her, she had to make a problem about it every single step of the way. She was willful. She wanted him to press her back. But, what kind of press back was she expecting? Not this.

”Y’know what? Figure it out. You wanna be around me so bad, you’ll make yourself useful. Fuck my plan! Go with whatever you want: Just get me some more money in my hand before we hit the checkpoint so that I can pay off the guard and you don’t have to go back in the trunk. Or, would you rather just get that over with? he asked, a sly smile forming on his face.

She’d not had the chance to see him like this, really. How he was most of the time. The mask of his own, which so rarely presented itself to those who he felt had already seen through it. Only the fresh got the most whimsical version of him.
Maybe it was less a mask, and more who he could’ve been. There was a Pink Lux Adept somewhere deep in that brain, one who remembered what it felt like to be inside the deepest recesses of another’s mind without the interference of a furry paw around his throat.

”Sorry I wanted to know what the actual plan was! You're acting like I told you to fuck off. And no, I ain't getting back in the trunk. Do that and you'll be hit by the same shit when I get out.” She rolled her eyes at him again, but she was prodding him again more than snapping at him.
”Just watch. I won't even need to mention the weed to get him to see me, or even offer to put me up.”

Her lips pulled up from a thin line to a taunting smile again. The moment Elay saw it, a finger came up.
”Don’chu give me that look, Nessa… You don’t trust me, fine, but I certainly ain’t gonna trust that look.”

”Relinquish control, my boy… Protect her if she gets in over her head!”
Garf had grown massive as he started to swallow the bulk remains of the body, mouth snaking around it without jaw structure. But, classically, he still seemed to speak perfect English around whatever he was eating. Like his voice didn’t really come from his throat.

Elay couldn’t deny what he was saying. Didn’t want to, maybe.

”Fine… But whatever that bum did to you, I expect you hosed out like a fucking milk truck before you catch me to touching you again. Disgusting puttana! Should I expect this every time I want some fucking privacy?” he snapped at her, freely using Italian to express his distaste for her eagerness to hop into someone else’s bed.

”Depends how you fucking phrase it next time.” Nessa paused her search for the right contact to shoot back, one hand coming up to flip him off.
”You gotta be clear about it if you want exclusivity-”

Not that it was likely to happen the next time. Not if there was a chance it wasn't over… She could stomach a depressed night or two if he'd take her back eventually. But last night was too much. She needed something. And he hadn't exactly said it in a way that made it seem like he was ever gonna see her again!

Elay didn't have a chance to respond, because she'd called her ex while talking. It didn't even ring that long before he picked up…

“Well fuck, if it ain't the prickliest Bitch in the South. And here I was just thinkin' bout you… Decided to come back, huh? Wantin' to take me up on my offer now?”

Nessa's smile dropped, replaced by a disdainful frown. But contrasting her expression she hitched up her voice, sniffing as if she'd been crying.
”I- I- I got attacked! I d-dunno what he wanted, I ain't got much, b-but- I can't go home. He might still be there. Please-”

“Why don't you just mind-”

”Because I can't! Do you understand, Kieran?! I can't get in if- I'm s-so scared, I think he’s gonna kill me if I go back. Please, just lemme stay one night, I promise, it'll be worth it.”

There was a moment's pause before he responded.
“Come to the Bookie… Night ain't over yet til the sun's shinin’, Babe, and I'm still workin'! But I'll keep you safe, don't worry. Y’know the deal, Ness.”

Thankfully he hung up before she had to force out a disgustingly stammered thanks.
”You know the deal, go fuck yourself and die.” She hissed at her phone, locking it and resisting the urge to just throw it away.

The irritation melted away in favour of playful teasing as she turned back around to Elay.
”See? What did I tell you? Easy. Y'know the Black Book? In 14th? We need to go there.”

It wasn't a place she really wanted to go back to. A drug den and brothel masquerading as a club… Except the masquerade was incredibly thin, only held up by the fact it sold alcohol along with drugs and women. It wasn't like anyone cares in the worst areas of the South. It was one of a few Kieran ran as part of his drug dealing and whatever other shit he did for the gang he was in.

Elay only had a vague knowledge of the place. But, he’d been by and outside enough to know where to go. But listening to her leverage whatever feelings the guy had toward her was a breath of fresh air. At least he knew she wasn’t just some victim complex walking around looking to suck free euthinasia.

”I know the spot, yeah. Down in the Kiln, in one of those stack-houses on One-oh-four and Chester. This guy rolls for the Myconids, or is it the Brutal Bees?” he asked her, trying to narrow down which gang he was affiliated with.

”And what do you expect the plan to be once we get there? You gonna get him some place quiet?”

”Myconids.” Nessa answered, remembering now that she heard the names. Remembered how he kept saying he joined that one rather than the Bees cause of how much he liked shrooms…

What was the plan? Get money out of the guy, sure. Did she bother using the weed? She didn't necessarily have to… But the cards she'd held were a bit risky to play. She could play his twisted feelings, sure. But did she entirely trust Elay to get her out of that? She knew Kieran didn't just want her in that way. He wanted her, and he wanted to be able to pimp her out. That was why they'd broken up in the first place…

”Well, you gonna be able to control yourself if I gotta flirt with him to do that? I do that, it's easy.” Probably. There was a chance he'd try to bring along other people.
”He’ll jump at the chance to fuck again. Probably throw money at me for it! Not that I'll let him- but getting him somewhere quiet ain't a problem. Then I guess if he won't just give me cash, you can smash his head in for it.”

Elay watched her as she splashed the last of the blood off her face to reveal the big hand shaped bruise clear across her split lip. He felt wretched for a moment, knowing that wasn’t ever what he should’ve done… But it wasn’t the first. That only made things worse.

”I’m willing to put up with a little bit if you think whatever he’s got underneath him is worth making a pull from every month, rather than withdrawing a one-time payment before it’s light’s out and dismantled. If you can trap him and gain him control, then dropping him the package as our toy’s gonna be a lot easier and more profitable overall than dragging him now. I’m not saying fuck him, just… Mindfuck him.” he intoned conspiratorially, as if he was letting her into something.

”That would be a great plan if he wasn’t an Agent.” Nessa side eyed him as she used what little fabric her shirt had to dry her face, before pulling it back on. She meant Agent in the magical term, of course. Dude with a shiny magic ring and an annoying Emotional Field to go along with it.

”He has a lot underneath him. Runs a lotta the drug shit for the Myconid- a good chunk of their prostitution ring too. But I can’t get into his mind.” She could, technically, if she had enough time to crack the Emotional Field. It was often easier with Agents. But she wasn’t going to do that… She couldn’t let Elay know she could do that.

”I can try ‘mindfuck’ him without magic. I can probably manipulate him… But it’s gonna be a hard sell. Especially if he can’t fuck me- which I don’t want anyway, before you call me a fucking whore again!”

”Whore… Oops, too late, you already fucked one other asshole tonight. Bashful about making it two? Whatever, I’ll get the ring off his finger and he’s useless. He wants it back, he gets it after you rewire things. So, get him comfy, try and get him alone. And try to get it done within an hour.”

With that, he pushed away from the sink and forward, kissing her on the lips before pulling away and walking out of the bathroom.

”Oohhh, I thought you weren’t gonna touch me! Couldn’t resist, huh?!” Nessa playfully called out behind him, letting the whore comment and what followed go. This once. Just to move on and get all this fucking shit over with. She took one last look in the mirror, which only made her face look worse. But it helped sell the story… And she was still attractive like this.

”Within an hour’s easy.” She followed him out of the bathroom, collecting her coat again. It really shouldn’t be hard to get him somewhere alone. Unless he was in a really shitty mood.

”But what’s your plan? You going into the place separately, or just sitting outside? I need to know to figure out where to get him.” Because if Elay wasn’t inside, it’d be a real pain if Kieran tried to take her to one of the underground rooms.

”Garf’ll keep an eye on you and give me a look around the place. Once you start moving somewhere, I’ll meet you within a couple minutes. Think that sounds doable?” he asked directly, pulling the door open for her while he watched Garf swallow the John’s feet like the fin of a fish.

Nessa glanced back at Garf before stepping outside.
”Yeah, so long as he keeps outta my head.”

---

It wasn’t a particularly long ride from the seedy motel in the 15th Ward to the Black Book in the 14th. With the sun just beginning to creep into the sky, there was a strange quiet as most of the night workers withdrew and only those with extra early shifts were about. That was until they got closer, and things got busier again.

The Black Book wasn’t the only place of its kind in the area. These few streets were sometimes called the South Side’s budget red-light district. But there were a fair few other areas that could claim the same…

Nessa knew the area better than she’d like, able to direct Elay to park somewhere out of the way- and out of sight- without it being too far from the building. She didn’t leave the car immediately, hands clenching and unclenching in her lap.

”If… He makes me do any shit, just lemme deal with it. I can push the effects long enough with magic that we’ll still be able to go do the other work shit.”

”You… Got this. Ain’t made it this far being a pussy, have you? You like sleepin’ with me so much, go make your money. I’ll be there to catch you.”

Elay was already getting out of the car, with Garf far ahead in the building as he slipped his way between the gap in a couple of bricks. Being at the top of the club, Garf could get a good look downward at all the life from behind the ceiling itself.

Cat’s eye view, reporting in. This place is always busy like this, Nessa? Garf asked, clearly not worried about whether or not he was in her head. Elay was already moving away from her, cutting through an alley toward a separate rear entrance of the building.

Quieter during the day. Less prostitutes, same amount’ve people doing drugs.

Nessa shoved her hands in her coat pockets, pulling it close around her. She took a moment to prepare. Adjusting her posture to curl in on herself, back hunched to make herself seem smaller. Expression changing to one of someone on the edge. She undid her hair, letting the messy waves fall in front of her face.

It wouldn’t be hard to convince him.

The bouncer on the door barely glanced at her- no point bothering to check women. She moved through the dingy, narrow corridor that led towards the main room.

Loud music immediately assaulted her senses, her eyes struggling to adjust to the dim lighting punctuated by flashing lights. But it wasn’t loud enough to cover up all of the moans… She forgot how bad this place was. There were smaller rooms on the same floor off this one, and plenty of private ones… But so often people didn’t even bother moving.

Ratty round booth seats made up the majority of the seating, with most of it filled up. People doing drugs- some near comatose from opiods, others high out of their minds- and then those here to watch the strippers on the centre stage, or get a bit of action from the girls. Nessa didn’t look with her eyes, instead letting her Pink slither out to find the right Emotional Field.

Exactly where she expected him to be. A table to the left, on a slightly raised platform which gave it a good view of the rest of the room. There he was… Tall, so white his skin seemed to shine anytime a light hit it. His wavy brown hair was slicked back and there was a near naked woman on one arm. Nessa could feel how fucked up her mind was with just a touch. There were three other men in the booth with him, also with their own women- or two.

As she approached, Kieran’s grin widened.
“Nessa! Didn’t get caught by your wannabe killer on the way?”

She mutely shook her head, making her body tremble as she got closer. He let go of the other woman at his side, who’s body immediately shifted to lean on one of his friends. Shifting around the booth towards the edge, he patted the space beside him.

“He ain’t gonna get you here- Fuckin’ hell, Ness, he got you good!”

As she sat down he was able to get a good look at her face, and the marks on her neck. His arm immediately wrapped around her waist to pull her close, fingers pressing into her bare stomach.
“C’mere, smoke some’ve this, it’ll help cheer you up!”

He picked up a pipe with the other hand, holding it out to her. Filled with some kind of crystal… No thank you. She didn’t want to risk that shit.

”I’m alright. I don’t wanna risk going out there when I’ve done something…” She whispered, leaning into him. Doing her best to play up the scared act. It only worked because this guy had gotten her to use enough drugs that set off anxiety attacks, completely shattering her normal attitude.

“You ain’t going anywhere, Baby. I said I’d protect ya! Course, you gotta gimme a lil somethin’ in payment, huh? So have a smoke.”

”Y’know I ain’t sucking your dick out here.” She hissed, body tensing slightly. She wouldn’t put it past him… and she fucking wouldn’t.

“Aw, there’s the Nessa I know! So fuckin’ prickly- Babe, y’know I don’t wanna share with anyone who ain’t paying!”

”You ain’t still wanting to do that, are you? I came to you cause- cause I missed you! But I still don’t wanna do that…” She trailed off, shifting her body towards him with one leg coming to swing up over his.

“We gotta see, don’t we? I was real upset when you left, after all.”

Nessa had to bite her tongue, trapping the harsh response. He broke up with her! Kicked her out! All cause she didn’t want to fucking sleep with other gang members for a little extra cash!

”Let me make it up to you, then.” She shifted again, pulling herself fully into his lap. One arm wrapped around his neck, while the other hand trailed down his chest. His arm pulled her flush against him with a smirk.
”I know exactly what you like… And I haven’t had any as good since. I’ll do anything, as long as it’s just us. I know you missed me too…”

She lowered her voice, leaning in to kiss him. His mouth tasted bad, but she was able to space out enough to make it as desperate as she was pretending to be. Fueling herself with images of Elay killing the other man earlier…

“Fuck, you sure you don’t wanna fuck right here? You’re sure acting like it.” Kieran laughed as she pulled her mouth away. She could feel his reaction, and didn’t want him getting any fucking ideas with that. She narrowed his eyes at him, and he patted her ass comfortingly.

“Kiddin’, you gotta learn to take a joke, Ness. C’mon, let’s go downstairs. But first, if you ain’t gonna smoke-” He reached towards the table, finding a pill and holding it out to her.
“Open up. You’ll need the energy.”

Fuck. Just like Nessa knew was going to happen, she had no choice but to let him slide the pill into her mouth. Even though the effects weren’t immediate, she could feel it starting. Ecstasy. Could be worse. Could be better. She carefully suppressed it. At least she wouldn’t have to deal with it for another few hours…

Kieran’s arm wrapped back around her waist, practically pulling her out of the booth. He was taking her out of the main room, towards the stairs that led into the downstairs rooms. They were nicer than the ones upstairs. More private, too. She let him, pulling on the thread connecting her to the annoyingly intrusive cat.

Still there? He moving?

Garf had opened up a direct line from Nessa to Elay through himself in the same way someone would use two phones on the same land line. Elay listened, not saying anything, but listening intently as he took the first corner out from behind the wall by the back door to the Black Book. He couldn’t see that she’d been slipped a pill, nor could she see what he was doing in the interim. But, Garf had already laid out a decent pathway from the back entrance down to where he presumed they’d head. There were a couple rooms nicer than the others; no reason the head honcho wouldn’t use one of those.

I’m here. D’you know which room he’ll take you to? I can get in before you two get there if you have him stop at the bar for a drink. Elay relayed the message through the waves of magic connecting them.
Is it the big one with the round bed?

Yes. After the confirmation, she flashed a mental image of it- just in case the rooms had changed in the months since she’d last been here.

”Wait, let’s get some drinks first… It’ll make things even more fun, won’t it?” Nessa said out loud, drawing out her words and smiling up at Kieran flirtatiously.

“Well it ain’t a party without a couple of drinks, is it?” He smiled back, tugging her by the waist towards the bar.

All clear.

Elay had to trust her. Garf wasn’t sending any signals contrary to her statement, so there could only be trust left. Thus, with a final push off his left foot, he made a skipping jog behind a dumpster. Off came the jacket, and the coat beneath. His bare shirt, and the shoulder-holstered forty-five dangling beneath it. Gloves stretched onto both his hands, and he tucked the jacket in a small bundle under the large green vessel before moving to the door.

The holster held more than just a gun and some ammunition, however. One of the magazine slots held a little multitool; the kind one got for doing crime rather than scouting. This multitool had a set of picks and rakes built in, and he quickly went to work jimmying the lock open from the bottom. Trying to open it, however, revealed that it was fully bolted. Typical backdoor shit.
So rather than wait too long, he pulled the rake out of the lock and stuck the tool back where it belonged, then smashed on the door like his life depended on it.

It only took a few seconds for someone to do exactly what he needed. The bolt came unlocked, and as they were fiddling with the knob they believed to still be holding the door closed, Elay forced the door open hard and mashed the guard’s face into the back of it. Disoriented, he was powerless to stop Elay from grabbing him by the ankles and dragging him into the cold November morning sunlight for an assbeating. Elay’s skull was thick enough that knocking it against a normal Blind’s was a death sentence for the latter, so he was sure not to go full-on ram mode. Still, a couple of thuds, and Elay was dragging his unconscious body around a slight corner so he’d be locked out when he eventually came to.

Rifling through his pockets, Elay took his wallet, phone, and the little walkie-talkie they used for security, then pushed his way inside to lock the door behind him. Figuring Nessa wouldn’t be much longer, Elay booked it across the hall he stepped into, then down the stairwell to the left. Garf was broadcasting the sense of lifesigns through the walls, giving Elay a vague understanding that there was someone at the bottom of the stairs. As he looked over the rail, nobody was there. So, he had to be on the other side of the wall, in the hall where the other rooms were.

Elay couldn’t afford to be slow. One quick glance gave him a pretty good feeling that nobody was going to pop out into the hall while he did his business… Pushing open the door into the hall for the downstairs suites, Elay turned right immediately and locked eyes with a man almost as tall as him. It was a little shocking, but violence was far more shocking when one wasn’t expecting it. Unfortunately, whoever the Myconids sent this guy to protect the building couldn’t all be Adepts who had useful abilities, after all.

At least the gun wasn’t necessary. The fact that he used it as a blunt object could’ve been solved with the purchase of a cane or some other implement, but he’d not bothered to grab one from the alleyway. So, the butt of the pistol was used to stamp a roughly three inch by one inch rectangle into the unsuspecting man’s face, leaving his nasal passages irreparably damaged while blood flowed freely into his respiratory system. Rather than leave him, Elay used a single fluid motion to scoop the sack of dead weight and drag him toward the room he knew was the target.

Of course, the door was locked. Out came the pick set again, and the rapid raking afterward as he tried to force open a cheap lock.
Just give me one more minute, Ness…

I’ll try.
It wasn’t as difficult for Nessa to keep Kieran at the bar as it was to keep his hands off her. They were already straying towards places she didn’t want them, especially not in public. Or at all. Not again. She never went back to someone now.

”Mm- how about we take down a bottle?” She suggested, subtly shifting her body to divert the hand trying to slip into her skirt.

“Great idea… Bring the most expensive one. Gotta celebrate, after all.”

Nessa let out a light laugh as she smiled. Celebrate what, you asshole. You achieving your dream of me grovelling at your feet? Keep fucking dreaming.

The fetching of the wine bottle wasted at least another minute, and Nessa really couldn’t give Elay anymore. Not without letting Kieran feel her up right there, or getting drunk. There was already the fucking pill to worry about later.

At least he was in a good mood as they finally left the bar, towards the stairs leading down to the underground rooms. It would give her some satisfaction to see that mood destroyed.

“That attack must’ve given you a real scare, huh? You ain’t been this sweet since we first got together… Though I liked how fucking feisty you get. You ain’t lost that, have ya?”

”You’ll find out soon enough, won’t you?”

Kieran laughed, pulling out a key to unlock the door to the nicest room in the building.

“Huh, strange, it ain’t locked… Fucking, Mark must’ve forgotten to lock it again. Piece of shit…” Muttering to himself, he pushed the door open, pulling Nessa in right after him.

He didn’t even wait to be all over her. Nessa couldn’t see where Elay was, but she knew she wanted this man’s hands off her- and she didn’t want to risk getting fucking caught when Elay popped up.

”Wait, wait- go over to the bed. Lemme give you a show…”

Elay had, by the time he’d gotten the door open, hoped there’d be an armoire or some kind of closet big enough to hold him and the unconscious lummox. It was just fortunate that his nosebleed’s trail hadn’t been noticed in the dim lights around the room. But, it wasn’t Elay who wound up popping up first. Not when Garf waltzed in just behind Nessa before the door closed and saw Elay’s feet sticking out from under the bed.

”Mrrrrrrrowwwwww!” Garf meowed loudly, looking up at the two people standing in the room. He projected the sight, and Elay knew the play immediately.

If you were gonna do all the work, then why bring me down here!?

Make him take me to the door, Nessa. Elay, slide out when he turns his back!

Elay braced himself, readying to slide out and go for the bastard’s head. An emotional field didn’t protect one from sudden blunt force trauma, typically.

“Why the fuck is there a cat in here?” Kieran questioned, pulling his face back from Nessa’s to stare at the massive, ginger cat. His hands stayed on her ass, glaring at the temporary intrusion. But it was just a cat…

”I fucking hate cats!” Nessa exclaimed, maybe exaggerating a bit much. She leaned away from Garf with a shudder, trying to wriggle out of Kieran’s grip like she was trying to get further away from a monster (which wasn’t too far from the truth).
”Get it out, please!”

“C’mon, it’s just a cat, Ness. Give it another five and you won’t care.”

”I will- you can’t drug me out of it, Kieran. No fucking way. Get it outta here.”

He let out a heavy sighed, hands dropping from her as he approached Garf.
“C’mere… I ain’t gonna hurt you. Be good.” He bent down to scoop the massive cat up and carry him out.

As Kieran got arms around Garf, he started to weigh himself down rapidly. Catching him off guard, the fool stumbled forward slightly.
“Holy shit, fat fuckin’ cat!”

His grunting, and the blood rushing to his head as he bent over, blocked out Elay’s footsteps against the floor as he slid out and forced himself forward in a single hard motion. With shocking strength, Garf hopped and smashed his back into Kieran’s face, sending him soaring backwards into Elay’s waiting arms.
And into his waiting skull, which had momentum still moving forward as the plan came together in one clean sweep. Elay’s forehead met the back of Kieran’s head with a smack, hands dragging down to grab at both of the falling hands in turn.

He was hoping that as the man slid forward in unconscious motion, he’d be able to slide the ring in question right off his finger.

Kieran barely got a chance to react. Magic had just started to spark across his skin, literally electrifying it, when the artifact that gave him his magic was pulled right off.
“What the fuck, Nessa-?!”

”Oops. I may’ve invited someone extra. I thought that was what you wanted?” Nessa dropped the act entirely, easily latching onto his unprotected mind. She seized control of the parts of the brain that controlled his movement, forcing him to stay upright but unable to move otherwise.

“Fucking whore- I should’ve known, with you acting so nice. You ain’t got that in you!”

”You really thought I was coming back? When you wanted to sell me to your fucking ‘friends’?!”

“You- You must be her new guy?” He ignored her entirely, addressing Elay- as much as was possible when he couldn’t move his head.
“Fucking drop her soon as you can. She’s bad fucking news.”

”Oh, man… I’m so much worse. Y’know she likes gettin’ hit? Nutty bitch. Dumb as a tree stump. Gives your willingness to wind up in this situation a lick more sense. Nice ring! I’mma let the cat eat it if you ‘ont play nice, hear?”

Garf wasn’t worried about hesitating either, dragging his sandpaper tongue across Kieran’s eyeball just to torture him.

”So… Shroomheads, eh? I’ve been looking to start jumping down their stalks, so I guess getting in under your head’ll be a good start. I wonder how much of you we can change before people start to wonder what happened to you. Nessa? Whadda you think?” Elay asked, a sick smile crossing his face as he opened the floor for the two of them to connect in the most unhealthy way they could.

”Oh, most of him. There ain’t many people who actually like him. They just want his drugs!” Nessa laughed slightly.
”But it’s more fun if it’s still him in there. Layer enough control spells, and he can’t do anything about it… He’ll be aware the whole time. Like he is now! Every time he thinks about going against it, he can’t.”

“Wh-What do you want? Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you!” Kieran didn’t last long- he was used to being the big fish. And he knew what Nessa’s magic could do, even though it had never been used on him.
“Is it money? Drugs? Just take it!”

Elay started laughing, leaning down and getting very close to Kieran.
”If I told you it was your ass, would it make you feel better?”
He’d be able to feel Elay’s hand slowly but surely crawl up to rest on the top of his head. With a sickening comfort, Elay let his fingers ruffle through Kieran’s hair.

”After all, cutie like you?”
It was to scare him. He wasn’t going to remember this anyway…

“Oh, oh go fuck yourself! Sick fuck, I’ll… I’ll… Don’t, please!” he started to plead.

”You wouldn’t remember it anyway… No, no… Cuz, see, when you wake up? You’ll be a whole new man. A better man, with a new boss! See, whatever you’re doing for the Myconids here in the Kiln, you’re not doing anymore. You’re doing it for Twin Hill. You have a new boss. It’s Nessa. Nessa, then me. You don’t take a shit in a strange toilet without telling us. And you certainly don’t operate without paying up to us directly, understand me?”

“What the f-fuck is this!? The Mafia? You’re extorting me!? Robbie G’s gonna hear about this!”

”Yeah! Yes! Absolutely, on both accounts. Welcome, thanks for your contribution. Here’s to you being dumb enough to let this slag back into your life a second time.” he grinned, bending down just a little closer to whisper something into his ear that even Nessa couldn’t hear.

But she could feel his desire to thrash and escape even through her magic. Elay started laughing, pulling away and taking a deep breath.
”Alright… Do what you want to him. He’s your pet now, consider him one of your first income sources. Welcome to the City Game.” Elay said coldly, standing and letting Nessa get to work as he stood by the door to keep it closed.

”Aw, thanks, you’re such a romantic.” Nessa cooed in a sickeningly sweet tone, smirking at him.

She went to sit on the bed- and if Elay had anything to say, she didn’t hear it as she dove into Kieran’s mind. There was always some awareness of her own body, but not enough to really listen.

What did she want to do in here? Just what Elay said? More? Take the revenge she couldn’t before?

Erasing what he didn’t need to remember came first. That was the easy part. Actually changing him took a bit more work. For her, it was more that she had to be careful. She’d fried people’s brains with magic far too often to be willing to rush and risk it.

But she knew which threads to pull. What to manipulate, changing him to be someone subservient to them. To her. But she didn’t erase as much of him as Elay might’ve suggested to the poor guy. There was no need. She liked there to be a bit of a fight.

Someone who had to do anything for them even though he didn’t want to. The carefully layered cursed commands made sure of that. It was slower than changing his neural pathways… Layering one by one. But they were foolproof. Difficult for anyone without her rare combination of Lux to remove as well.

There was the temptation to add one of the curses that would cause him pain if he thought about betraying her, or hurting her, or going against her. The kind that had held onto her own mind for most of her life. But she couldn’t. Even though she didn’t like him, she couldn’t lower herself to those. Not willingly. The cursed commands was already using more of her Father’s magic than she wanted to. But it was necessary…

Before she withdrew, she left herself an opening. Even if they gave him back the ring she’d be able to get in. A crack in the Emotional Field before it was even back.

”Done, for now.” Nessa pulled back into her own body, standing back up.

Kieran sluggishly walked over to the bed, before climbing onto it and lying down. He walked like a robot- controlled by Nessa before she completely pulled away.

”He’ll probably be out for a while. Most brains can’t handle those kinda changes without sleeping. But I’m confident all my spells will hold.”

Elay didn’t make any expression changes as he slowly sauntered over toward the edge of the bed where she’d forced him to lay. It was true enough, he was asleep. Perfect for a seed.

”What, don’t trust it?” Nessa instantly jumped to negative conclusions, rolling her eyes at him. She moved to the head of the bed, squatting down and reaching underneath. Pulling something out.

That something being a small safe. She typed in the code with ease, finding a small stash of hard drugs and a stack of cash. Probably what he took from while fucking someone in here- or how he paid them, maybe. Didn’t matter.

”You wanna get high?” She joked. She was still having to actively suppress the effects of the pill on herself- a frustrating use of energy, and she could feel it ticking towards the moment she couldn’t keep it down. Another couple of hours… enough time to get through all the registration shit.

Ignoring the drugs, she pulled out the bills and waved them in front of her face with a smirk.

Elay wasn’t watching. He was too busy staring at the ring in his hand. Mindlessly, the other hand moved to close Kieran’s nose shut. For a second, nothing happened, until the mouth opened up into a gape in order for the unconscious body to continue breathing. Without hesitation, Elay chucked the ring right into Kieran’s mouth, then released the nose. On instinct, the body swallowed.

The absent giggle made it seem like he enjoyed that. Why would he have done it if he didn’t? For once, he was feeling whimsical. Maybe not happy but certainly whimsical. He finally looked up at Nessa with a glint in his eye.

”I think we’ve had a good enough day already, between last night and now. Two rackets, less than twenty four hours, and we get you registered for work? Mo’ll be off our back at least a day. Sure.” he said simply, stretching his gloved hand out. In the tight black undershirt, every bit of him rippled in response to even the slightest movement.

”Sure, what? You want the money, or the drugs?” Nessa bit her lip, unable to help herself from staring. She glanced away for just a moment, to pull out a couple of bags of white powder. She held both hands up, one with cash and the other with the bags, and her eyes narrowed teasingly.

”Pick wisely… You can only have one!” Her eyebrows raised, smile widening.
”But I could be convinced to give you both.”

”I don’t do snort, dumba-”

”His pocket, Elay…” Garf spoke up, hopping up onto the bed before standing on Kieran’s chest.
This man would have little rest in his future.

Elay reached into the slumbering man’s pocket and pulled out the little bottle of ecstasy, popping two into his mouth and grinning. There were plenty more, all satisfying little colors like vitamins.
”It’s your haul.” he finished, holding his hand up and waving her off.
”We were supposed to get this idiot to buy the pot. I guess we’ll just leave it and let him sell it anyway, kick us up the cash. Garf?”

Garf immediately started gagging, finally spewing up the kilogram bale of pot from his endless gut.
”Leave the dust in the safe with it. He’ll know what to do, won’t he?” Elay asked, turning away and moving toward the door without waiting for Nessa.

”I dunno, maybe I want to get high as fuck. Blow away our money- Now I can clearly afford to get hooked on drugs!” Nessa shot a glare at his back, before staring at the bag of powder for a moment longer. It was tempting…

But she liked having her mind too much. She threw the bags back in, and pocketed the cash. She locked the safe back up and shoved it under the bed. She vaguely shoved the pot cube in the same direction with her foot, not bothering to actually put it on the safe.

Not with Elay just fucking off and expecting her to do everything. She hurried to follow after him.
”You seriously gonna go get me registered while high? At least I can suppress it for a couple hours.”

”Gosh, aren’t you precious over it too? C’mon, you’on wanna get cuddled up all close when we get home? I can apologize to you niiiiice and deep.”
His laugh was probably natural. Probably the most natural he’d given her. There was a sixteen year old somewhere in there, trying to convince Jenny Merigold that she didn’t have to worry about what her parents would think. That same lack of care. That same willingness to reach for something that was dull but pure in its own adolescent way.

”By the time we get out of that office, you’ll be purrin’ on me. Maybe I’ll be amicable enough to deal with your bitchin’ by then.” he finally turned, holding the door open for her.

---

---

Loni Rodriguez & Kiki Motta

Wednesday. 11:30.

_{with @AtomicEmperor}

Ward 10: The Circle, South Side.

After having a day to think about it, Loni was beginning to have some doubts about what she’d agreed to with Momo and Kiki. Not with actually breaking up with her soon to be ex boyfriend- she still planned to do that. It was with confronting him. Was it really necessary? Wouldn’t it be enough that they weren’t together anymore?

It didn’t help that she hadn’t spoken to Kiki since the mall incident. She was nervous. What if her friend was upset with her! Nobody had blamed her then, but if she’d just had a bit of confidence and stood up for herself, no one else would’ve gotten in trouble. But she’d never have that kind of confidence… Which only made her more anxious.

Knowing she couldn’t actually avoid it, Loni had texted Kiki to meet her in the South Side itself. She used the excuse that Vin wanted to see Luci, but it wasn’t fair to drag them over after they’d had a long and late shift the day before. It was only an excuse because Vin would do absolutely anything for the two of them. But the look of joy on their face when she turned up unexpectedly and dumped an energetic toddler on them made the little lie feel less bad.

So Loni was alone, waiting in a small park in the Circle area of the South Side. It was near where her boyfriend lived- he said he had no classes from lunch onwards and would text her when he got home. So she was waiting on the text just like she was waiting for Kiki. She tried to actually wait, sitting on a bench with her legs swinging. The long, soft pink skirt she’d worn for warmth swooshed with each movement. It was too cold not to bundle up, with her thick, puffy jacket hiding the cute bustier crop top she had on underneath.

Even though it was a breakup, she’d still dressed up like it was a date. Half her hair was pulled back into a little ponytail while the rest fell to her shoulders, and her makeup was a perfect balance of slightly adorable without being too childish.

As Loni’s head tilted to the side, she spotted something, and immediately jumped up from the bench.

There was a big, reddish brown beetle shuffling through the dead leaves covering damp grass. Loni hiked up her skirts to crouch down and stare at it. There wasn’t much question of what it was after looking- there weren’t many beetles in this part of the country like this! Eucanthas lazarus... She’d never actually seen one before! Her eyes practically shone as she watched the beetle going about its business, quietly shuffling behind it.

For Kiki, the morning hadn’t exactly gotten off to a stellar beginning. Unlike when they were kids and punishments were mostly simple things, being “punished” in the current day was far more annoying. Truthfully, she hadn’t had a morning. It started the day before, being shuffled off to the Detention Room. A dim, concrete box purposefully sapped of all of the Green Lux one would usually find in life. Joyless, the wards and enchantments on it are only there as a means of dragging the joy out of a person’s life.

Tasks then. All she had were tasks to be done. Those serving detention did mundane work; office level menial labor. Math problems, logic problems, writing essays about nothing. There was an assignment load, and a work list, and it was the only real nightmare that the otherwise joyous and fun-filled coven could think of. The hateful math box. Some were better at it than others, but from what she’d known before until now, Kiki didn’t handle it well. She wasn’t like her sisters, after all. She had to dance! Had to let her joy overflow from her body, or she died under the weight of the mask that grew upon her face.

Moriah hardly considered the Box a punishment when she had seen what Culla did to those who forgot when to follow orders. No, this practice had been put in place because she had no real desire to punish in the first place. Felt it was detrimental. So, at least they’d be forced to do some actual useful work to make up for their little indiscretion, and she’d have plenty of time to cool off so the actual disciplinary action could be doled out with an even temper.
The Little Sister problem wasn’t something that could be settled based on this kind of thing. Culla would have her finger or worse for allowing an Adherent to manipulate the mind of a Matriarch. It didn’t matter that Little Sister was only ever going to be a Lesser Dame, nor did it matter that Moriah was one of the most powerful Nutypes of the entire Whispering Flesh. There were rules, and rules were followed for a reason.

So, Moriah had to discipline for once. Truly. And that meant sapping Kiki’s joy in a more permanent way. For the time being, she would no longer be dancing in Sin Sisters. Instead, she’d been relegated to personal secretary. Momo’s errand runner. There were plenty of people at the club who would’ve killed for the job, but… For Kiki, it meant being watched. Constantly observed through one of Moriah’s favorite scouting methods.

The parasite behind Kiki’s eye wriggled as the air temperature changed the pressure inside her skull vaguely. It was pulling direct feed from the retina, processing and storing Kiki’s every action in preparation for its single-use Recollection later on. Moriah would, each morning, allow her creation to wriggle into her sister’s head; a painful process to begin with, and then draw it back out the next morning to consume and remake. Each time she ate it, she’d gain the full twenty-four hours of events in the same detail with which Kiki lived it.

How long this would go on for? Kiki didn’t know. Probably until Moriah could trust her again, or at least until she felt her point had been made. At least she’d been allowed to go handle the Loni situation… Moriah had, after all, made it very clear that she didn’t want to punish Kiki. Letting her go and do this was a concession just as much as a convenience.

”Do this right, it goes a long way toward making it seem like yesterday was a total fluke. Like you’d never have done something like that if you weren’t… I don’t know… Whatever the fuck you were feeling that compelled you to act like that.”

Pissed off? Spiteful? Yeah, real convincing that I’m not usually like that, Mo.

At least, as far as she was aware, her thoughts were safe. She’d initially planned on flying over the river to get here, but found that she couldn’t muster up enough Green Lux to make a full body conversion. Still sapped from the Box and the Green parasite in her head, she’d simply cabbed it to the crossing, then made her way to the other side of the bridge on foot. Checkpoint guards rarely ever stopped anyone going to their destinations, which worked out just fine for Kiki. They almost always had their interest set on the people crossing back from where they didn’t live. As if cross contamination was only a problem when you were making your way back to the nest.
She was dressed like there was trouble brewing. Jeans and black boots with stiletto heels, hidden under one of Elay’s old greatcoats he’d given her as a souvenir. It made her feel a little safer, at least. A little more secure.

She’d not grown up with her brother around much. The absence made the heart grow fond, even though she knew what everyone called him behind his back. She thought he was brave, and wearing the coat made her more brave as a reflex. It dragged behind her like a cloak, or a gown would, and both of her hands were stuffed into the pockets as she click-clicked across the pavement and down the mile stretch toward the park she’d been told to meet Loni at.
When she finally arrived, she’d at least managed to suck enough Green Lux out of the air that her channeler felt warm again. Like there was life enough to cast some fucking spells.

And seeing Loni tracking a bug as the first thing brought her Pink Lux back up to maximum RPM. The sensation of mentally redlining gave the worm a nice massage as it converted Pink Lux back into green for sustenance. Rather than interrupt her, Kiki stood a few dozen yards away in a blind spot, her magic hunting for the bug that Loni was admiring.

Enlarge…

The beetle’s relatively rapid growth began to push leaves and detritus out of the way, until it was roughly the size of Loni’s palm and scuttling became trundling. Kiki giggled to herself, waiting until Loni felt compelled to look around for the cause of the sudden growth.

"W-What the fuck?!" Without her daughter around, Loni didn’t feel any need to censor herself- not that she did much, but she tried to swear a little less! So maybe Luci would sound a bit more proper…

But the beetle had suddenly grown. Was it… A magic beetle? Holy shit! Holy shit! Incredibly excited, Loni reached out to gently tap it with a finger, letting her own Green Lux run across it. Oh, it was just a normal beetle. That meant…

Loni spun on her feet, still squatting, to find the source. They couldn’t be far-

"Kiki!" Her excitement didn’t dampen, switching from thinking she’d discovered a magical bug to joy at seeing her friend. She hopped up, practically sprinting over to her. But she came to a halt a couple of paces away, hands anxiously waving about in front of her.

"You- You ain’t hurt or anythin’, are you?!"

Kiki shook her head simply, opening both her arms expectantly.

”Just my pride… You know, Momo can do that to a person pretty easily.” she admitted, a little sadness in her voice.

Loni’s expression fell a bit, eyes filling with shared sadness and guilt. She leapt forward into Kiki’s waiting arms, hugging her tightly.
"I’m sorry! I shoulda stood up for myself!"

It was a little difficult to hug around the massive coat Kiki had on, so Loni’s hands slipped in and underneath it to properly wrap around her friend. She’d been worried that Kiki would be upset at her, sure, but she’d also missed her! It had been so quiet the night before… Sure, Loni didn’t have work and hadn’t felt much up for going to hang around the club anyway, but if Kiki wasn’t being punished she would’ve dragged her into mindless movie watching with her and Luci.

"So long as you ain’t hurt… Pride can come back, right? Not that I’d know, I ain’t got much of it… I suppose I’m proud of my dancin’ and my bug knowledge! So I got some to lose there… But Momo ain’t ever done that to me. I just seen it. I’m sorry you gotta go from that to dealin’ with this! If it’s too much, it ain’t like we actually gotta ask him the questions Momo wanted to or anythin’. I can just go in, break up, then be done?"

”Ooooooh no. I want a little fucking conflict. This? Brings me joy.” Kiki grinned, both arms around Loni almost consuming her in the coat.

”I’m uh… Not gonna be at work for a while. I’m on Lap Duty until, uh… Well, until she says so.”

Loni would’ve at least heard that term more than once. Lap Duty. Just about how everyone described working closely with Moriah. The idea that you were usually expected to be at the literal beck and call, like a lapdog. Her whims weren’t usually insane, and some of the girls and guys in the club tended to default the duty whenever there wasn’t anyone obliged to do so. Mostly those who actually wanted to be a part of the Coven, as opposed to just sucking up the benefits of being within the vague structure that was the Twin Hills.

”So, maybe I’ll be behind the bar and shit, but… Y’know, no dances. And a lot more work outside than inside. Like this situation!” she pointed out at the nearby apartments, letting Loni spin in her arms to follow the finger.

”Those ones?” she asked very simply, wondering where they were off to.

"Nope!" Loni shook her head, spinning to point to the buildings at the opposite side of the little park they were in. Nice semi-detached houses… At least, they were nice by South Side standards. Very nice. The kind of place Vin wanted them to live in one day.

"Over there. He ain’t back yet, cause he texted to say he was leavin’ the school just before you got here." Loni managed to explain the facts first before she turned back to face Kiki with wide eyes.

"If you ain’t dancin’, and you ain’t gonna be inside much… I ain’t gonna really see you, am I?! Cause- Cause it ain’t like you get a real break, right? So you can’t even come up cause Momo might need you?" She tried not to get too upset about that. She did have other friends in club and coven! Just… Kiki was the one she was closest to. Honestly, she’d been relying on her being around to help get over the loneliness that always came with a breakup.

At least Vin was sleeping at the Leopold tonight. They didn’t have work today, and had promised they’d stay overnight and go into work from there tomorrow. Since it was only fair they spent all evening with Loni and Luci if they were going to be working most of Thanksgiving. Sure, Loni was working too, but her Thanksgiving was right there, in the same building she worked in! And sure, Vin said they’d be back before the day was done, but they’d still be away from most of it.

But beyond today, Loni had no idea what their twin’s schedule was. Maybe it’d just be her and Lu outside of work. Though, she had already downloaded a few dating apps in preparation for being single again.

”When are we gonna continue Lovely Heal?! I’ll forget what happened if we gotta wait!"

Kiki internally groaned. It wasn’t that she wasn’t enjoying Lovely Heal, only that it was so massive and full of stuff she didn’t want to give much attention to. Half the time, she was more interested in playing with Luci than she was actually watching the show. But, at the same time, why wouldn’t she want to be around Loni? So, rather than outwardly groan, she grinned and spun them both to start off in the direction of the rowhouses.

”Well… You’re Loni, right? Not some clay construct or whatever Moriah was babbling about? ‘Cuz, if you’re really you, then I bet you could go into her office and make a pretty good case about needing my companionship. And then, if you started telling her about the Lovely Heal plot, she’ll probably agree just to keep you from spoiling it.” Kiki grinned with a satisfied expression.

Her hand twisted into Loni’s, fingers long and strong wrapping around Loni’s own.

”In fact, I bet if you tried hard enough, you could get a permanent Kiki detail, and then I can be your lapdog, instead of hers.” she cooed, knowing certainly that the subtlety of such a hint would pass her like a jet overhead.

"No way, I ain’t convincin’ enough to get that!" Loni laughed in response, shaking her head.
"What’d I do with a ‘lapdog’ anyway? It ain’t like I need anythin’ done like Momo does? I suppose it’d let you slack… And I’d love havin’ you around all the time!"

She swung their joined hands, not thinking much of it. Loni had always been an affectionate person, she just hadn’t had a lot of people around her growing up that were alright with it platonically. But now she was surrounded! Hand holding and hugging as friends was great!

"But I’ll definitely talk to her ‘bout needing you around… Cause it ain’t exactly a lie! Momo got me to move in for safety, but since Vin ain’t staying half the time… Well, I ain’t got the company I normally would. It ain’t fair to lose you too… Not that I’m losing you! Just all the time we’d spend together! But I’ll be so lonely if you ain’t around, and I’ll really start to miss you." She admittedly openly and with a smile.

It wasn’t exactly a secret how easily Loni got lonely. Not much about her was. She wore her feelings on her sleeve.

But she was also incredibly oblivious to other people’s feelings that weren’t thrown right in her face. Otherwise she wouldn’t have said something so ambiguous, or immediately moved on to something Kiki wouldn’t want to hear.
"I’ma need a babysitter soon, I bet. I already gotta couple matches on some apps." She giggled.

Babysitter? Matches? Apps?

”Looooooniiiiii!” Kiki moaned.
”Are you seriously not even waiting? I thought, uh… I don’t know… I thought maybe with us on lockdown, you’d not be so interested in finding a new assh- I mean, date! Guy! Why!? P-p-plenty of folks in Sin Sisters and Leopold! Fuck, try the Restaurant crew if you don’t wanna date a direct coworker!”

Of course she didn’t want to hear about Loni dating. She only wanted to hear about Loni dating her. But, she figured there’d be a little gap at least. Somewhere she’d be able to get better leverage from later on down the line.

”I mean… I’ll babysit, but the chances of Momo not doing it herself are slim. Any excuse to take the baby, she always said."

"She does really love Lu, don’t she?" Loni couldn’t help but beam at that, stopping her from going on a bit more of a rant about how obviously she wasn’t going to wait. The clock was ticking! She didn’t want to be alone forever, and ideally she wanted another kid before Luciana turned four… So she wasn’t too much older…

"And there… Ain’t really anyone in Sin Sisters? I ain’t really attracted to any of the guys that ain’t gay." Plenty of the girls that she found attractive, but she was looking for a partner not just to have some fun. That’s all it could ever be there, right? At least that was what her Mama had said, and the rest of the world seemed to follow it.

"I don’t really get how dating inside or outside are different? Ain’t like I’m gonna accidentally date one of the creepy shapeshifters- I know I don’t use it much, but I still got Black Lux! Ghosts ain’t gettin’ past me. And I ain’t gonna date anymore teachers…"

”It’s only ‘cuz-” I can browbeat anyone there into pushing you toward me. “-things are so unsafe right now! Like, okay, you’ve got magic, but so did the other people you were with at the Cafe! Sure, Momo could handle a few of them, but… Us? Even now, we could get jumped and I’d be worried!”

Of course she wanted all of Loni’s time and affection, Vin’s position notwithstanding. Even Momo… Her jealousy wasn’t unbridled, but it was certainly a vast edifice of emotion standing strong like an ancient castle. She wanted what she wanted, and was spoiled enough to vaguely expect it.

”I’m… I’m not your Mama. I can’t force anything. But, I’ll… I’ll make sure we keep you safe.”

Loni didn’t think her dating was a risk when it came to those creatures. It had been a coincidence there was one in that Cafe, as far as she could guess. Probably… It certainly wasn’t targeting her! She was too stubborn to change her course of action there, even if Kiki’s suggestion came from a place of concern.

"I got salt in my bag… Been carryin’ it since then. I could keep one of ‘em away with a protective circle long enough for someone else to get here- or wherever I am." She explained, not wanting Kiki to be worrying that she was going to be offed by a doppelganger at any moment.

Sure, she couldn’t hurt them… But her protection spell was perfected with Vin. Low energy, long lasting, sturdy. Just depended on having people to save her.

"But… I bet you could take one on! Vin killed one, and you guys ain’t so different magic strength wise, right?" She brightened up again, grinning.
"They said it was tough, but they weren’t worried. So… I know you’ll keep me- us- safe! I trust you."

She didn’t say anything more about the actual dating- which with Loni meant she wasn’t changing her mind.

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, but she ignored it for the moment. They were close to the right house, but she wanted to put off the whole breaking up and questioning thing. It was just going to be uncomfortable.
"I’m gonna figure out more spells so I can fight more, instead’ve just being good at defence and helpin’ others. Maybe you can help! Another reason Momo’s gotta let you spend time with me!"

That did sound like a pretty good idea. But, she worried that Momo may push Loni into more coven duties if she got stronger. As it stood, she was “worth” more as a dancer. Her applicable spells to the chosen profession gave her a wide range of clientele who paid their cover fees every time her usual shifts came up. Then, got disappointed when she wasn’t in the Magic Room.

”Maybe… Momo would probably say that’s a good idea, but I think she’d say that because she wants you more involved in the Twin Hills. If she wants you involved in Armina’s life, then there’s gonna be a lot more Matriarchs with eyes on you. I don’t really think it's fair when you never asked for that. But, it is what it is…” Kiki intoned, heels clicking against the stone of the walkway with each step.

”She told me, by the way… That she brought you to see the Apartado?” she asked quietly, almost clearing her throat.

"Oh… Yeah! She brought me down to make me feel more confident, I think. I didn’t understand it all… But I felt all’ve Armina’s Black Lux." Loni couldn’t quite suppress the shiver down her spine as she thought back to it. The whispers of the dead echoing in her ears… It was always an uncomfortable feeling, and the memory of it didn’t have the same warmth the actual moment had.

"I… Just wanna be able to properly protect my daughter. I gotta get stronger in a lotta ways to do that." Loni admitted, voice getting quieter too.
"I don’t really want that kinda attention. But Momo said Armina’d be a Sister to Luci, and I want her to have everyone she could around her. And all’ve my future kids… But right now she’s the one I gotta keep safe. And I can’t with my magic like this, even if improvin’ it means things change."

Bold…

”Alright! Then, yeah! Momo will be onboard for sure. But, uh… I don’t know, I get this feeling I’m probably the last person she’d want helping you after the whole thing with Sori. I uh… I really am sorry. That asshole was just crazy disrespectful, and, like, I knew who he was immediately. He gave Tiana so much trouble one time, she actually cried because she thought he was going to be in the fucking parking lot. I was hoping Sori would just beat her ass, that way Culla would have a reason to come here and… I don’t know… Clean up the city? I guess?”

Clean it up of all the animal men. All the dogs in people’s clothing roaming around looking for women to prey on. Of course, her mind wasn’t on the grand-scale class warfare that Cloverfield was more famous for: She was born on the winning side of that conflict. It was cursory compared to what she felt was the plight of their time. The inequality of the binary genders, and the social expectations that came with the system.

She accepted biology’s intent: Being born to a cult of Deer worshippers meant that they all had a connection to what other religious groups may call “God’s Plan.” But, she also knew that humans were complex and far enough removed from that plan that things weren’t so black and white.
But, just like people choosing not to follow those expectations at all had the right to do so, she believed equally that those in participation had the right to do so safely. If Loni wanted to date men? Fine. She’d never be the one to convince her otherwise.

But she’d never let a “man” step on her friend. She’d never brook such an insult. She’d be there to make life Hell for anyone who tried to muscle themselves around based solely on their positional expectations. She didn’t see that asshole’s behavior as that of an entitled, rich jerk: She saw an entitled, aggressive “Man.”

”If my Nana’s said so, I think The Highest Lady would come… Especially after what happened to my Ma…”

"Over- Over something like that?" Loni’s eyes widened slightly. What happened to Tiana was horrible. She didn’t deserve it. But wasn’t it just the way the world worked? If they… killed people everytime they did something wrong, then there’d be nobody left!

Certainly not in this city. Maybe it was different in Culla, but here so many people were just like that. Loni had grown up experiencing all sorts of comments and getting trouble from men. She didn’t think it was right, but that reaction seemed a bit extreme. The Highest Lady. She was really important.

"I ain’t sayin’ it’s alright, cause it ain’t, but it ain’t like… That bad, right? You just gotta learn to ignore it." Loni pressed her lips together as soon as she said that.
"You probably think it ain’t somethin’ to ignore, don’t you? Vin always gives me a hard time for thinkin’ like that… But I don’t want any kinda violence like that! Not after the Cataclysm. It ain’t like only the bad people’d die, right? And it ain’t like they all deserve that much."

The way she’d grown up was fundamentally different, after all. While Vin had been the wild child rebelling against almost everything, Loni had been a follower. She tagged along with them, sure, but she also took everything their Mama said to heart. And their Mama had always pushed being normal. To just ignore anything that wasn’t full on aggression.

The first time she’d really gone against her Mama’s teaching was by joining Twin Hill. Because her Mama always said to avoid covens. She’d told tales of the one she’d come from that had Loni unable to sleep for weeks. It was one of the reasons for wanting her children to be normal. It was safer! And it was easier.

"You’re not going to get too aggressive with my boy- ex, are you, Kiki?"

”You know where I come from, boy’s don’t get to act like that. They’ve gotta be reminded that they ain’t worth our time! That they’re here because we decided not to hump a coat hanger the moment we find out they’ll be born with a penis. Like, fuck!” she snapped, hardly thinking about Loni’s current guy troubles.

Though, what… What was the plan? Oh, right… Ask questions. No, she’d not be doing that. No, no, she’d be telling. Mostly, telling the scum fucker where he could shove his pedophellic-

”No! No, not… Not physically aggressive, I mean! Y’know, like, I know you don’t want nobody hurt, so I ain’t gonna hit him. But, I mean, I’ve definitely got some things I’d like to make sure he knows before, y’know, it’s all said and done, right? Like, don’t you want to hear how he really feels about getting back together with a teenager he groomed?” she asked bluntly, knowing that Loni wasn’t going to be considering the relevance of such a thing.

Loni hadn't even thought about that. Did she want to hear that? She wasn't sure. Maybe it'd make her feel less sad about ending things if his feelings turned out to be awful. But she doubted that, she really did.

"Maybe? But I don't think he's been lyin' ‘bout his intentions or anythin', Kiki. I ain't defendin' him now I know that's wrong! But how'll his feelings be any different from the ones I know? Do they change just cause I know it ain't right now?"

”Well, yes and no? People lie, Lon! Or, at least, they have an easy time obfuscating their intentions toward other people. Like, uh… I won’t project too much here, but let’s say that every time you guys fuck, he doesn’t really see you. Follow me on the hypothetical:-”

Kiki took a single long stride forward, locking the front leg and pivoting on her toe in a perfectly smooth transition to a backwards walk; not something easily done in a pair of two inch stilettos. But she did it as naturally as the rest of her dancing. That physicality was what she did best, after all. But her secondary set of skills involved the observation of human emotion… Pink gave her plenty of insight into the strange things that other people felt.

”-You guys fuck? He sees you in high school. The idealized, underaged version of you. That’s typically how guys like that get off! They continuously relive the moment where they, y’know, did the wrong thing, and the taboo is where the sexual energy comes from! They’re like fuckin’ serial killers!” she hopped up and down slightly at the end to emphasize her displeasure toward the situation.

”I mean… Again, that’s just one of the ways that this whole thing goes from you thinking he cares about you, to you realizing that the only thing there was sex. And, sadly, probably not even healthy sex! And if you can’t imagine that, just… Y’know, project that situation onto the future! Sixteen year old Luci? You’d never let some old man put his hands on her! Especially not sexually!”

"Of course not! I'd never let anyone near her like that!" Loni said immediately, with a violent shake of her head. It was much easier for her to see the negatives of the situation by thinking about her daughter. All of the things she just accepted for herself, but refused to accept for her… Ultimately, Loni didn't want Luci to end up like her.

But it was still a lot to think about and process. Did he really only see the sixteen year old her? Was it really only for the sex? Just the thought of that made her feel… A bit sick. Empty, almost. Because it hadn't just been that for her. But she knew Kiki was probably right.

"I… just hope it ain't just about the sex. Even if it's still fucked up! I just… Don't want it to have been that. Like- Like it always is… But it's better to find out, I guess?" She tried not to look too upset by the thought. Thankfully they were too close to their destination for her to go on a full self pity tirade about how often this had happened. Partners she thought cared turning out to just want her body. She'd hoped it was less likely to happen with someone older and more mature.

But they were in front of his house, with its neat little front garden she’d helped him with over the past couple of months. She took a deep breath, before moving down the cobble path. The little chime of the doorbell echoed out through the door, which didn't stay closed for long.

The man that opened the door was tall and handsome, with neatly cut brown hair and an immediate warm smile. His shirt was neatly tucked into slacks, sleeves rolled up to reveal nice muscle definition on his forearm. He didn’t exactly look like a math teacher… And it was no wonder he’d been able to get away with what he did.

“Loni, honey… What a sight for sore eyes. I was worried you would cancel again, since you didn’t respond to my text.” There was a lightly chastising tone behind his warm words, as he stepped back to gesture her into the house.

Loni automatically shuffled forward and inside, not stopping him from pressing a light kiss against her lips the moment she was close enough. Not that she responded in kind like she normally would, but if he noticed, he didn’t say anything.

“I already made you a coffee, just how you like it.” He finally looked away from Loni, over her head and towards Kiki. One eyebrow raised.
“Who’s your friend? I didn’t expect other guests.”

"This- This is Kiki!" Loni managed to snap out of the nervous stupor she’d be in from the moment she rang the doorbell. Though it wasn’t enough for her to stop him from wrapping an arm around her waist to move her out of the way as he moved back towards the entrance.

“Ah… Kiki. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Adrian Evans.” He smiled, holding out his hand towards her.

Kiki almost immediately attempted a rather unsubtle mind-arrest, her Pink-forward spell meeting an Emotional Field and recoiling with equal vigor before its tendrils made their purpose clear. It was strong, and colored like piss in a snowdrift. Which meant she wasn’t going to have all the answers just laid bare.
Whether or not he was skilled enough to know exactly what had just happened or not, she didn’t know. Magic-first policies were always dangerous for that exact reason: Probing another Adept was a crapshoot between them being some Cataclysm-Kindle without any academic knowledge of Lux, versus some of the world’s most intense traveling Wizards stopping into this particularly paranormal city for a spot of lunch.

And if he was a local, it was only harder to discern.

He was svelte, surely. Handsome, even, and Kiki could recognize the aesthetic qualities of the man without regarding him with any kind of positivity. In fact, it only made things worse in her mind, as this man could’ve found anyone. He could’ve had a normal life with a normal person, and done whatever the Hell he wanted.
But, now the Twin Hills were in his life. And their status as helpful guardians of love and joy, or a mob of radicals hunting for his vital fluids, hung in the balance for this man. Kiki wanted blood! Momo may have wanted something else, but Kiki was already seeing red when he stuck out his hand. Only, Loni was here. And she’d make more problems if what Kiki wanted to happen actually happened…

”Boy howdy, I’ve heard a bit about you myself. Please, call me Ms. Motta. I’d rather we didn’t wind up on a first-name basis, Mr. Evans.” she smiled up at him with an eerie gaze, bypassing his handshake and walking past him into the house.

”So… Lon? What do you two do for fun around here?” she asked, treating the whole situation like she was less of a friend, and more of a protective services inspector.

"Uh- Uh-" Loni stammered out, thrown off by the change in Kiki. Sure, she should’ve expected something… But she’d expected either her normal bubbly friend, or full on aggression. Not whatever this was! What- What did they do for fun around here?!
"Just… The normal things?"

“What kind of answer are you looking for, Kiki?” Adrien asked evenly, putting a hand on Loni’s lower back to guide her into the living room through the first door down the entry hall. Luckily for Kiki, he was a cataclysm kindled- felt the brush against his Emotional Field, but wasn’t much wiser about what it was. He was more tipped off by how she was acting than her magic use.

“We talk, watch television, I’ll read while Loni is on her phone, along with all the normal couple activities.” He turned to Loni.
“Why is she here, Alondra? This is beginning to seem like an interrogation.”

"Uh, well, I wanna talk ‘bout some things… Kiki’s here to help." Loni tried to explain. Break ups were always hard, nevermind something like this. Sure, Loni broke up with about half of her boyfriends, but it had never been like this. Normally it was just differences or problems large enough she actually noticed and couldn’t deal with. Not being groomed and having her friend there ready to go onto the attack.

“Oh? Well, if she makes you more comfortable… You know I only want the best for you. Have a seat. Anything to drink, Kiki?” Though it was subtle, his tone was awful like that of a teacher talking down to his students.

”No thank you. Television sounds nice. Uh, what about when Luci comes? Have you- Sorry, Lon, I forgot, do you bring her here?”

Kiki didn’t have a lot of thoughts in the moment. She was lightning focused on the task. Of dragging something out of this guy. An admission, or something. Enough to justify it when she took all her frustration from the previous day out on him. After all, he was just about nothing to the edifice of the Whispering Flesh. Her personal self justification was simple: I am above you. Nothing else existed, even the cursory reasonings of Loni’s problem fading into a singular point of light at the end of the tunnel.

The “Shit-to-Mouth Pipeline”. The fact that problems above her caused pressure directed at her, and her lower status overall in the system she occupied, created the joy of abuse. Of treating Blinds as animals to be shepherded, while lesser Adepts like this man were little more than chattel slaves for the grand design of the Ancients.
In her mind, her social, physical and supernatural superiority equalled out to an overwhelming sense of moral correctness. The self-affirmation that she was doing the correct thing, in spite of how it made Loni feel…

Because she needed shepherding too. She needed hands holding onto her. Guiding her toward a light, rather than the listlessness of her current situation. Ergo, Kiki didn’t bother with many formalities. She handled it how she’d seen Moriah handle things in the past: With brazen confidence and joy. Taking joy in causing discomfort for someone she saw as lesser in all regards.

"Oh, no, I ain’t brought her around yet!" Loni shook her head, standing awkwardly in the livingroom with some distance from both Kiki and Adrien. He’d said to sit down, but did she want to sit down? Wouldn’t it make it harder to leave? But wouldn’t things be more awkward if she stayed standing? She didn’t know!

“I haven’t brought her around,” Adrien corrected gently. He smiled, managing to keep any annoyance he may be feeling hidden- even disappeared for a moment into the next room to bring back that coffee he said he’d made Loni. It wasn’t long enough to let the two do anything without him there, though.
“Unfortunately I haven’t met Luciana yet, just heard so much about her from Loni. She sounds like a great child- unsurprising, since Loni is doing such a good job as a Mother, even for her age.”

So Loni ended up sitting down, perched awkwardly on the couch because now she had a coffee in her hands. And if she stayed standing she’d just spill it. She didn’t say anything, glancing between the two nervously.

“Are you worried I’d have a problem with Loni having a daughter already?” Adrien raised his eyebrows, before letting out a soft chuckle.
“I definitely don’t. It’s one of the things I like about her… After all, I want to be a Father sooner rather than later myself.”

Kiki’s face outwardly twisted into a disgusted grimace. She couldn’t even think straight. All she could do was react toward the light she’d set for herself.

”Awwww, fucking disgusting. Jesus fucking Christ… Y’know? Y’know? God, that… Fuck… And you’ve got magic? Fuck, the Spider is an absolute bastard for giving anything to you. You… You…”

Rather than letting herself reel further, Kiki cleared her throat and paused.

”So… What is this, Mr. ? You just, uh, y’know, reliving the moment? Everytime you thrust, you remember her sitting at her desk in school? How wrong it was? That’s what you like, right? The wrongness of it? Ephebophilia is common in Men. So’s total pedophilia, but I’m guessing that you’re not exactly into little girls. Or, you’d be pressing harder to get her here, wouldn’t you!?” she accused, body tense and locked up for conflict.

“Excuse me?” Adrien's eyes narrowed slightly, the friendly smile disappearing immediately.
“Do you understand what you're accusing me of? I don't know who you think you are to be coming in here with such harsh and false accusations.”

”Loni? When did you guys first meet, sweetheart? And how old were you when you had your first trist with this man?” Kiki asked, face becoming smug as she witnessed his joy fade from his body. She knew Terror would only make his magic stronger, but it was fine… What could Yellow magic really do against her overwhelming physique?

Loni was still processing the fact that he had magic- she hadn't known! Had he? Yellow wasn't exactly the informational type… but her attention snapped towards Kiki when asked the direct question.
"We- We met when I was fourteen. Slept together when I was sixteen."

Adrien let out a somewhat tired sigh, before laughing.
“That's what this is about? She'd reached the legal age of consent. It was between two fully consenting adults… And has no bearing on our current relationship either, almost six years on.” He turned away from Kiki to look at Loni.
“Alondra… Has she been feeding you lies about what she thinks this is? Is that what you wanted to talk about? I promise you, it's not what she says.”

"B-But, they said cause you were my teacher, it ain't alright. Even if it's been so many years."

“But I wasn't your teacher anymore, was I?” Adrien shook his head, not looking scared but… disappointed.
“There was- and is- nothing wrong with our relationship.”

Kiki’s body was starting to steam with Green magic. She’d never be a Matriarch: That was never her right. It couldn’t be. She’d missed that. She hadn’t been that egg. But there wasn’t anything that said she couldn’t observe and imitate everything she’d ever seen. Copy, and doppel it in her own way. Even magic. Even spells that she couldn’t see were still things she felt. It wasn’t joyous that she’d never be the Queen of the Sun, or the Deer in Culla.

But she’d be the face this man remembered for the rest of his life. She just… Needed him to say it again.

”Listen, uh… Y’know, I think that your justifications are just plain adorable. And, y’know, the fact that you can stand there and present those justifications with such a smug, superior attitude? It really tells me all I need to know about you. But, hey, I was educated in the North. We tend to have a better grasp on things like intuitive power structures in social applications. Granted, you must be educated somehow. They let you teach at a shithole like South-Central High School, so… You must’ve attended a few community college courses. I’m guessing, you maybe even went up North for it! Hell, Mr. Evans… I’m thinking now that maybe you even come from the same place I do. Because, really… Us people from the North are the only people around who come down here, settle in, and use the local population for our own ends until we can’t anymore. Until there’s nothing left to use.”

She had been getting a little closer, every few seconds taking a gentle step toward him as steam started to curl up and off of her body. The imitation of pure Green power and manifestation. Migliorato, in her body, tended to make everything far warmer than she was able to sustain beyond a few minutes. She’d burned herself out, last time, within three.
But even this most basic form of Matriarchal improvement was more than enough to give Kiki the sensation of confidence needed to finish this.

”I… I want to hear you explain it to me one more time. But, don’t explain it like I’m some shithead you’re in charge of teaching. I want you to justify your position to someone like, oh… Your Mother, maybe. Fifth Ward? Geraldine Heights apartments, number two-eighteen. Ms. Tanya Evans? What about your father, Clarence? What about if we asked them how they’d feel, if your sister Wendy wound up being groomed and fucked by her teacher before she managed to get out of Pacerton Academy?” she cleared her throat, letting out the information that their intelligence people managed to scrounge up.

”Go ahead. Justify it again like I’ve got the same education that you do. I can handle big words.” she said, not but a couple inches away from him. Their chests almost brushed against one another, and he’d be able to feel the heat radiating off of Kiki through her clothes.

While Adrien could feel the uncomfortable heat, he still wasn't scared. He didn't understand magic enough to know what type Kiki had, and why it was so impressive she was heating up at all. While he didn't expect her to try to hit him or anything, a thin shield still formed around him.

“That's quite the illegally obtained information you have there, Ms Motta. Are you trying to threaten me? My parents already know about Alondra. It wouldn't make sense to keep the woman I plan to marry one day secret from them. And they know how we met.”

Normally, hearing that kind of thing would make Loni feel happy- because it meant security! Someone who loved her! But right now, she just felt sick. She trusted both Momo and Kiki, which meant she believed what they said about him being wrong. So listening to him try to justify it… it wasn't pleasant. But that didn't mean she wanted him hurt! She could sense the Green Lux thick in the air, and see the steam curling off Kiki's skin.

"Kiki, please, you said you wouldn't?" Loni spoke up nervously, putting down the mug she'd been gripping onto and standing. She didn't know if she should get closer. Could she even stop Kiki? Should she just trust her?!

“It's fine, Alondra. I'm not worried.” Adrien vaguely waved in her direction.
“I'll justify it, as you wish. When we first slept together, I had no intentions for it to go beyond that. Alondra has always been very loveable and bright, and I've always been fond of her. While I don't think there was anything wrong with what happened then- especially since she came onto me first- it is unrelated to our current relationship. We met again by coincidence. It's the current Alondra- who's hardworking and family oriented, while still being so lovely- that I fell for. There was no grooming. Just two adults starting a mutual relationship. Grooming would require me to retain that ‘power’ I supposedly had, wouldn't it? Though, us teachers don't have much power over South Sider children… But that's beside the point. It's balanced now. We both have jobs, places to live, external support- Alondra's even a mother already. Any perceived inequality is just you looking down on her education level, isn't it?”

”Balanced now!? Like it’s a fucking beam-scale in a classroom!? What you did was wrong! Justifying it as a child throwing themselves at you is disgusting beyond the pale! You had a responsibility to guide and steward her as a guardian and a teacher and you failed when you took advantage of your power over her and allowed the situation to progress! You accepted it and let it happen, and then have the utter temerity to continue to point toward her? Like she could ever see you as anyone other than ano- No. No! Y’know what?-”

It all happened so fast… Was violence any more justifiable in the moment? This world was dog-eat-dog. Aggression and physicality was the only thing that equalized all before the primal, sinister nature of Dazzle. Of this plane of existence which both parties found themselves in for the moment… Kiki had been taught to use her words first… But that seemed reserved for those who garnered respect. Words had been used the day before, because there was some level of respect that Moriah had for that asshole’s father. She’d explained, of course, that it wasn’t the boy. It was the power structure behind him. The fact that his family had wealth power.

None of it mattered as her hand slipped down to the heavy math textbook on the cabinet next to her. All she could remember was Moriah’s qualifier… That if he’d been anyone else, treating them like that? They’d have disappeared. Kiki took that to heart; and believed truly that Moriah’s feelings would vindicate the action that came next. With the speed of hatred, and the joy of knowing the outcome was inevitable, the spine of the book met the side of Adrien Evans’ face with a hollow thump as the paper dispersed the impact pressure through each square millimeter of its surface area.

The weak, infantile shield he’d allowed to form shattered like it was made of glass, the little shimmering particles of light still clumped together tumbling into nothingness all around him as his legs gave out and his torso locked up. She’d nailed him right across the side of his face, cheekbone giving up the ghost until it could no longer defend a sensitive area like the temple. When the pressure arrived there, as if the shards of bone trying to vacate the flesh weren’t enough, vessels in the skull ruptured and sent immediate bruising across that entire part.

It looked like a giant flicked him… By the time he hit the ground in a convulsing heap, it was clear that his face wasn’t put together properly anymore. The book had split the skull around the left orbital, the cheek bone pushing up and absolutely crushing the soft palate inside his mouth in order to make room for the row of teeth in his top jaw to curl over and touch the other side.

Kiki wasn’t shocked. She laughed aloud, Joy filling her as he was unable to even whimper a pleading apology. Maybe things wouldn’t have been so bad if she bothered to stop there, but she didn’t feel like she wanted to be done. And she wasn’t going to let him just escape. No, no… She’d teach him. She knew enough healing magic to at least fix the problem she made… Keep his brain alive, now that his emotional field was so weak from being unconscious.

She turned her head as her arm dipped down to grab Adrien by the collar.

”You’re free to go, Loni… Or stay. I intend for him to be apologetic by the time this is done… But, don’t worry. I won’t kill him yet.” she said, her free hand wrapping around his face and pushing Green Lux into him until he was screaming and struggling again.

Loni was standing frozen, hands covering her mouth to suppress any sounds that might alert others to what was going on. Not that anyone would care… Unless they were unlucky and there happened to be Hollow members nearby. She trembled slightly, eyes blown wide as she stared at Kiki.

While Loni had constantly seen and experienced violence growing up, she'd never grown numb to it. Some violence was necessary, but the protectors in her life always seemed to go beyond what was necessary. They enjoyed it! His- His face was already caved in! He was screaming, how wasn't he apologetic? She couldn't even look at him without feeling more sick.

"Kiki…" She whispered, managing to shuffle forward and put a trembling hand on her friend's arm.
"What do you mean yet?! You said you weren't gonna hurt him- nevermind kill him!"

But Kiki wasn’t shaking. She wasn’t doing anything besides standing there, staring down at the trembling man as the pain of his face being rudimentarily reconstructed by the equivalent of a blind person putting together a jigsaw, caused him to roar out again and again. How the fuck was she supposed to know exactly how his nose had looked before, or how his cheeks came up and formed a little ridge on his face rather than being a smooth and soft surface?

She didn’t care. She wasn’t concerned with anything other than keeping him alive for the process of reeducation.

”Y’know, Fio sends letters sometimes? Telling us about places she’s in, or what she’s doing there. She’s always shocked when she finds a place where the men protect the women. Shocked… At that? When I was younger, it was a little harder to understand. I just figured she was, y’know… Just weirded out by Men doing things instead of how we grew up.”

Classic Kiki; her head reeled backward, and her throat made a terrible noise as she choked up a loogie and hocked it in Adrien’s face.

”But I got it pretty much as soon as I started working. That it ain’t about us as a Coven, or Culla as a place with its own culture. Fio’s heart bleeds. It bleeds for Blinds. The ones who have zero options: No way of defending themselves. She’s constantly shocked by the horror of knowing there’s a world where something made one group more physically imposing than the other, yet didn’t program them to behave in a way that makes that not a bad thing.”

She turned to look at Loni now, eyes no different than if Kiki had been going over a dance she was working on in her off hours.

”He needs a lesson. A good one. One that’ll stick. And then, I need to hear him apologize. And mean it. That’ll only happen if we make it happen. And if we can’t? Death’s a natural part of the process. Ain’t like you gotta worry about your stuff ‘round me anyway. Black Lux don’t freak me out.” she intoned, the unclear implication parting from her lips on the front end of a devious grin.

”If I break him, just… Keep the skin as a puppet.”

"I ain’t doing that! I ain’t gonna use Black Lux!" Loni’s breath hitched, more panicked at the suggestion that she reanimate his skin than that he’d be dead in the first place.

Her fear of that part of herself wasn’t because of Momo. Momo had just reinforced what already existed. She’d watched her Mama wither away from summoning spirits into her body day on day… Just the thought of that happening to her was terrifying. And it would, because her magic was so like her Mama’s! Her Mama had said so when she was still alive… And she’d learned some of her spells where Vin had never been able to.

She could barely think about reanimating a corpse without wanting to throw up.

"I don’t want it! If- If he dies, he’s dead! B- But, ain’t this enough? You already caved his face in! Why… Why get your hands dirtier?!"

Kiki waved her concern off.

”It’s his fault! If he’d just fucking understood, he’d be fine! I’d not have to fucking-” she stopped abruptly, letting her foot surge forward until the heel dug right into his chest, snapping a few ribs in the process.

”-get my fucking makeup runny! Make me hot! Stupid fucker!” she shouted, kicking him again as her constant recovery spell tried its absolute hardest to help him cope.

Loni winced, reactively flinching back. She didn’t want to watch this… But she also didn’t want to leave Kiki to just beat him over and over again!
"B- But you don’t have to! Maybe he already understands- look, he’s crying, that’s basically an apology! That’s enough for me! And you- you ain’t the one he- he groomed!"

”And we can’t trust the victim’s judgement! You already let this slime wriggle into your life! Stand, animal!”
Kiki had, in his unconsciousness, slipped in enough Pink tendrils to keep a hole wide open. Her command spell, a gift from Fio before she left for her last Tour, was enough to force Adrien into considering standing up in spite of the pain.

But the body could not do what it was unable to do. Still, she urged his mind, flooding it with Pink Lux until his brain was entirely mapped out. Every synapse, every neuron firing back and forth in rapid timing.
It wouldn’t hurt, however… Just itch. At least, until she became more frustrated that her puppet wasn’t following orders. She was trying to force him to kneel, to give up his innermost feelings at their feet…

But she’d just have to settle for him screaming on the ground.

”Give yourself to me… Give up your mind, and reveal your inner self!” she commanded aloud, Green Lux pushing up against the Pink like a crowd of bodies behind a battering ram.

The puppet couldn’t talk, it couldn’t do much more than writhe in agony and scream each time the wounds were healed enough for his vocal cords to work. But all of his thoughts and feelings flooded into Kiki. Perfectly laid out plans. Sure, meeting Loni again had been a coincidence. But it was one he’d hoped for.

It was lucky they’d stepped in now, because he’d been getting ready to enact the next ‘part’ of his plan. A couple of months of dating was enough he wasn’t worried Loni would leave him. And she’d already had an accidental pregnancy before… What was another? Then, all that time subtly convincing her that it was alright if she never amounted to much and let someone support her would come to fruition. He’d get the perfectly obedient wife and mother of his children that he’d always wanted…

"Kiki, stop it!" Loni had backed away further, chest heaving up and down as she watched in wide eyed panic. As much as she hated the violence inflicted on him, and the forceful control of Pink magic, it was more the loss of the friend she normally knew. She was worried that Kiki would go somewhere she couldn’t come back from.

"Please, stop. This- This isn’t like you!"

Incredibly frustrated by the whole situation, there was a moment of Kiki’s face twisting in visible discomfort followed by the sound of Adrien’s simpering voice. She heard Loni… And didn’t want this being what stuck. She didn’t want to kill this man… But she had all the evidence she needed to be confident.

But it didn’t stop the argument coming.

”No, it ain’t! But, y’know what? This is exactly like you! Always trying to defend people who don’t deserve it… Do you know how beautiful that makes you!? How nobody can fucking touch the color of the soul inside of you? Because you’re fucking radiant! Yet you let people walk on you and stain you and mark you with shit and don’t even bother fighting back for yourself! How the fuck are you ever supposed to protect an Apartado for Moriah? How are you ever supposed to protect Luci, when you won’t even protect yourself, Lon!? This guy ain’t sorry! He’ll never be sorry! Because he sees you as a slave, and not as a human being!”

Her eyes were vibrant pink from sclera to iris. All the information she’d wrung from his mind was at the surface of her eyes, experiencing memories… Memories of all those years ago. Of the first feelings this bastard had toward Loni. And that made her want to vomit just as badly as it probably felt for Loni to consider raising the dead.

So she turned away from Loni, eyes falling on this half-awake man as his face continued to create new knitting for the bone to fuse.

”You! Pig… You’ve been judged, and found guilty of conspiracy against a member of the Twin Hill Coven. Under Cullan law, you’ve violated the Primal Oath. Were it our world, your punishment would be Gourmation… But this is Cloverfield… So you get to suffer with a fucked up face.”

And she spat on him again, for good measure, before turning heel and making way for the door.

Loni was trying her best not to cry, rubbing her eyes desperately to stop any liquid escaping. Not for him. Because of what Kiki said. But she could protect Luciana! She knew she could, and she had… This wasn’t protecting. This was hurting! Horribly! She probably couldn’t ever do something like this, unless really pushed. But she shouldn’t have to. Because she’d protect Luci from ever being near anything that would require that kind of reaction…

She just stood for a moment, staring at Kiki’s back. Finally she followed towards the door, weak words clawing their way out of her throat.
"I can protect her. How I’m treated ain’t any reflection on how I’ll let people treat her- But I didn’t know! And I was already gonna remove him from my life. That’s… That’s enough for me. Revenge ain’t protection! And- And I didn’t ask to have an Apartado to protect…"

It was difficult for her to speak, and she didn’t want to fight with Kiki. But she also couldn’t just back down on how she saw things. She got close enough to Kiki to reach out and grasp her greatcoat, worried she’d just walk away.

Feeling the hand gripping the coat, a thousand memories flooded her senses. A thousand hands reaching out to hold someone back… To keep them from leaving. She remembered her eighth grade graduation, when Elay was allowed to attend and see her. Or, the last time she saw Her Lady, the great Cadenza, whose own eldest daughter tried to get her to stop the course of fury and revenge…

But none of that was this. The hate was gone with the writhing body, after all. Gone, letting him deal with the fact that Loni was no longer in his head, and that there were significant patches of the last decade ripped from his memory; including his ability to do basic arithmetic.
He’d not escape this ordeal without complications, after all… That wasn’t allowed. Every little difficulty she left him with was a heartbeat that felt lighter knowing that she’d put him in his place. She did make sure that he’d remember her face, however, along with the primal fear association necessary to cause Adrien to uncontrollably piss himself if he ever saw any of the Motta family ever again.

So there was only one thing left to do. Apologize to the person who was actually worth a damn.

Kiki spun on her heels, surging back toward Loni and wrapping her arms around her tightly. She didn’t cry, though she wanted to; rather cleared her throat and spoke calmly as she could.

”I’m sorry, Lon… I shouldn’t’ve said that shit. I shouldn’t have, but, like… I’m so sick of seeing you hurt! Of, y’know, seeing… All these assholes take advantage of you. ‘Cuz, y’know, sometimes you really don’t know no better! Like this! You ain’t know he… He-”

She thought about his intentions. At their most basic surface level, they were at least somewhat noble. The idea that he did want to settle down didn’t escape Kiki at all. He wanted a familial unit, and had the intention of taking pride and care into the scenario. But, his underlying motivations? How could she ever hope to explain in a way to Loni without-

”-... Please, Lon… Let me just fucking show you? I need you to see what I saw. What I knew from the moment I knew who this guy was to you.” she spoke sternly, both eyes locked into Loni’s.

Loni hugged Kiki back, sniffling. She was actually crying now, the stubborn fight in her draining away the moment her friend apologised.
"It’s- It’s okay. I know you ain’t sayin’ it outta anythin’ but… frustration that I ain’t good at keepin’ myself safe." Her voice was slightly hoarse as she sniffed and cried, tear stained eyes looking back into Kiki’s.

Did she want to see? She… She didn’t really. She didn’t want to know, because it was easier not to. Sometimes, not questioning things or learning was just another way of protecting herself. It was easier to be so happy when she didn’t have the knowledge. But… Kiki was more important. She shouldn’t have to suffer alone over something Loni had been oblivious to!

"You can show me… I wanna understand. It ain’t fair you gotta keep it all in… I should know." She nodded, not particularly confident. But her love for Kiki outweighed the nervousness anyway, and she dropped one hand to hold Kiki’s to open herself up for a Recollection- or however Kiki wanted to show her.

The Recollection flooded Loni's head as easily as water poured into an open pitcher. The intrinsic ability for all Supernatural beings to share moments and memories with full sensory understanding was oftentimes more than just a useful party trick. It was a way for Adepts to gain insight and understanding that otherwise wouldn't be available to the Blind population…

Even if that was often what they needed most. One could never avoid feelings and emotions lingering after the deed was finished; but Kiki's own Pink Lux backing the vague transluxal magic of the recollection would ensure that her vision of the situation remained unobfuscated.

And so, the memories and emotions flowed through Loni. Kiki's point was deceit and manipulation were happening. They always had been… Adrien's first sexual thought about Loni had been directly tied to her perceived lack of intelligence, with a lingering mental statement included.

”What else could she ever be good for?”

Kiki showed her all of his fantasies, from the sickest to the most coddling. His desire to trap her in Motherhood, which Kiki was only more angry over as she imagined that's probably still what Loni wanted in the end. Because of assholes like this, never looking to build up her confidence and independence.
But, at the same time, showing her that he was never intending on faithfulness being a trait for him to observe…

She showed her his new school girl. The one who, days previous, he'd deflowered in nearly the same fashion as her experience. It was a tremendous amount of detail for a recollection to cover, but that's exactly what they were for.
After a physical minute, the memories stopped passing back and forth, until Kiki was just standing there holding Loni's hand and looking at her.

Loni felt reactively sick, curling forward instinctively like she was going to throw up. She wouldn’t- she had the magic to stop it even if she would. But seeing everything he’d thought and felt made her skin crawl. She’d thought he’d genuinely liked her. Even when she found out he was grooming her, she still thought he at least cared for her. Not just who she could be.

Not someone with her wings torn so she couldn’t go out. Loni did want to be a wife and mother- to have more children than just Luciana- desperately. But she also wanted to be a dancer and a coven member, to be as free as she was loved and looked after.

And he’d been cheating on her. It wasn’t the first time she’d been cheated on- and she’d learned you couldn’t expect cheaters to change. Forgiving them and trying again just resulted in getting hurt the same way… But it had never been like this. The grossness of being cheated on, but also knowing he’d had another victim- many more, maybe. Other girls just like her. Girls who may not have the support she did now.

"I- He-" She sucked in a harsh breath, squeezing Kiki’s hand tight. She was sobbing more now- the ugly kind with deep heaving breaths, streams of tears down her reddening cheeks and loads of sniffing.

It was so difficult to see and think about. It reinforced what she thought about herself- that she could never amount to anything more than she was. But it was also horrible to be put in that box… To have someone want to strip away other things that made her who she was. She knew she wasn’t smart, not in the right ways, but she could still do things. Even if it was something other people looked down on… But she’d like to see them on a pole…

"Why don’t anyone see me for who I am?! All’ve it! I- I ain’t just stupid… Or a Mama… How am I meant to find someone who’ll marry me and have kids with me but also lemme dance and still be me? Why ain’t there anyone who wants all that? I- I thought he did, even with all the… problems."

This was the expected and, selfishly, desired outcome of the scenario. Not only was she hurt, but she was asking good questions.

”Believe it or not, Lon? It's way more normal for people to feel nothing. Momo says that's why most Blinds can't kindle; their emotions are all fake. This guy was magic… Yellow Lux. Genetic, partly, but he must've felt true Terror at some point. Which, in my eyes, explains everything.” she said, reaching out with both arms as she let Loni's hand go and fully embraced her.

Of course, Kiki hadn't exactly known any of the deeper parts without having hurt the guy first… She was intent on violence solving the problem long before the severity was ever revealed. Which, along with what Loni was saying, started to give Kiki the feeling that she needed to assess herself.

But the feeling passed like a heartbeat. She wanted Loni for Loni. Physically, spiritually, emotionally: Her sweet nature and spontaneous attitude made her fun and emotionally intelligent. And Kiki liked knowing more because she enjoyed the idea of teaching Loni. And being the one to help her sort out things in a logistical fashion appealed to her logical parts.

”I… really, really love you, Loni. I don't think you get how much I- We -care. I… Its… It ain't fair. But, if you ain't smart, and you ain't physically imposing, you give off prey vibes. I see it all the time when we're out down here! Dudes think you're just some easy mark! And, uh… Well, by your nature, you kind of are! But that should be okay! Only, it attracts the worst people in our society to you! People like…-”

She turned her head to look back at the groaning Adrien. A false sentencing. In light of new evidence, Gourmation was the only option.

"I know… It ain’t like many of the better people’d want someone like me anyway." Loni hung her head despondently. She felt like it would be fine if she was an easy mark if she at least saw red flags before they hit her right in the face. Sometimes she didn’t even know about them! Or if she didn’t see them, but was strong enough it didn’t matter.

Like Vin. Loni was fairly sure Vin had no idea that this whole thing had been wrong- they would’ve hurt the guy themselves if they’d known. But the relationships they had seemed healthy! Though, they had lost the love of their life during the Cataclysm.

"But… It ain’t like everyone I dated’s been bad… Just… the majority, maybe. Like- Like Luci’s dad! He wasn’t so bad till I got pregnant, and he was only nineteen too. I was the one who wanted to keep her. Like- Like imagine you got someone pregnant right now! Would you want- wait, that ain’t right. You’d be… Gettin’ pregnant?" She frowned, managing to ramble about an entirely different shitty ex. Sure, put that way he wasn’t so shitty, but he’d still completely abandoned his pregnant girlfriend.

"Uh, anyway… I just dunno how to fix it. I guess I gotta just keep tryin’." In her rambling, Loni was completely distracted from paying attention where Kiki was looking- or picking up any cannibalistic intentions.

Kiki couldn't help but latch onto the one thing that she felt made any kind of difference.

”You… Loni, I can get someone pregnant. And if I did? It'd be because I knew I wanted to! It ain't supposed to be like that! You can't just fucking… Smash your pelvises together and not expect a fucking goblin to pop out! Luci's incredible, and you're lucky for that in spite of her asshole dad. But you don't know how his crumbling bum genes are going to affect her later in life! She could become a natural fucking asshole, just like… Like… That Asshole!”

She tried to figure out what to actually say that may get some point across to Loni that wasn't covered up by dredging up her previous choices.

”You… I think it'd be prudent to start by observing people with actually healthy relationships. Which are at a premium here in Cloverfield…”

She thought for another second before a smile came over her face.

”Loni… Will you go to Roanoke with me!? You've met my Nonnas before, but it was during the Cataclysm, so they weren't exactly huggin’ and holdin’ hands constantly, but they've got the best relationship I've ever seen! They've been together all their lives, but they're still just as in love with one another as the day they emerged together!”

It was… A strange scenario. The Cullan Matriarchs Allegra and Belladonna Motta were twins. This information would've been obfuscated, as Loni had only ever been exposed to Motta-adjacent Matriarchs. It'd be easy to assume, simply, that all Matriarchs just looked the same. To understand their status as sister-wives would only serve to confound the mind, as their post-human forms entirely bypassed conventional Blind understanding of biology.

To Kiki, it was mostly normal. Normal enough that them being “as close as the day they emerged together” was just a beautiful fact of true love, and certainly not a vaguely programmed behavior created by an even more obscure figure that she'd only heard cursory things about. Certainly normal enough that it looked, by all accounts both close and distant, like a rather ideal partnership.

”Please!? They can help! I know they can! Nonna Bella even reminds me of you a bit!”

Loni tilted her head, sniffing a bit more. The tears were starting to slow at least. The day they emerged together sounded a little strange, but she decided not to question it. Matriarchs were strange, after all! They were born in green vats and shit!

"I ain’t gonna say no to somethin’ like that… So long as Luci can come? And we can get enough time off work… I suppose it ain’t gotta be a long trip. Just a night or somethin’. If you think they can help, I believe you." She responded sincerely, starting to smile at Kiki through the tears. It’d be better next time. She always believed it would be.

She’d find the one and be happy. She could move on from the hurt. It might just take a little longer this time with everything Kiki had shown her.

"It’s a shame Vin’s partner ain’t around anymore… They had a real healthy relationship, I think. Not quite together that long but it’d be closer to home. Not that I got a problem with goin’ on a trip together… It’d be real nice honestly." She was properly bouncing back now. There was a possible solution. At least, something to do to help.

"Are you, uh… Do you gotta go back right away? You ain’t able to hang round a bit longer or anythin’? Maybe see Luci?"

There was a sad, longing look on her face.

”I… Should stay here, actually. Moriah will make his life a lot worse if she pulls this recollection and realizes that I didn’t hand out the proper sentencing. I’m… I’m sorry, Lon. There’s too many laws that aren’t yours, but still protect you from shit like this. If he was a Blind, he’d be fixed. But, he’s magical; he falls into a completely different category for that kind of thing.”

She cursed her study of Cullan Law. She wished she could plead ignorance, and further still the ignorance of what Moriah would do to him if she didn’t get this done. And she wished moreso that Loni was for it. She hated the idea of death, and Kiki knew it. But, neither were in charge ultimately.

”If you want, go home. I’ll… I’ll meet you there, hopefully. If not, I’ll call. We’ll send someone else to pick you up.”

"I’ll- I’ll wait outside!" Loni said with a hint of confidence. Just a little bit. She… Didn’t want to see whatever the proper sentencing was. Or even know about it. She wanted to run home to her daughter- but it wasn’t like she was going to escape the speak of murder.

Vin would probably want to do it themselves when they found out.

But more than that, she was worried if she just went right home she wouldn’t see Kiki again for days. She didn’t want that!
"If I’m allowed to? I don’t wanna… see… But I’ll feel worse if I just leave. That ain’t fair."

”I’ve never done this before… I don’t know how much he’ll scream. I’m told a lot.” Kiki admitted quietly, taking a deeper breath.

”So… Put some headphones on or something. Gather any of your things that may be here.”
She leaned forward again, pecking Loni on the lips, letting the little “innocent” kiss linger a moment longer than it needed to. Then, she brushed past her, moving toward Adrien’s body. He’d stopped shouting at least, and was starting to come to enough that he had a sense of the world around him again.

Enough to protest when Kiki took his ankle in her hand and started roughly dragging his half-limp body toward the basement door.

Recollections: Primal Sinister

Nessa Mendoza & Elay Motta

St. Alexia’s, North Side.

Successfully avoiding the toll and making his way back up into the North-eastern section of town, Elay was enjoying the relative peace and quiet of the drive with an empty front seat. Garf had wound up, as usual, sprawled out in the back seat with one set of paws touching one door, and the other at the opposite.

”This isn’t the sister I was hoping to see today…” Garf moaned, having nothing but bad associative memories with the St. Alexia’s underground lot.

”Then stay! Nobody wants a big ass cat in the doctor’s office; you smell like a fucking garlic patch anyway.” Elay snapped as he pulled into the spot and threw the car in park.

Not even waiting for Garf to climb out, Elay had already slammed the door shut and made way for the trunk. At least the promise of heading to Chessa’s later to get some food gave the cat enough impetus to not let Nessa’s unfiltered raw hate-telepathy flow into his mind. He knew she was trying constantly, but it was a much different experience than it would’ve been if she’d succeeded… Thank the Lord.

Coming around the back, he made sure to smash his fist off the trunk lid half a dozen times before making his way to the lock and turning the key to pop it open. Now, in all fairness, Elay’s car was fairly large to begin with, leaving her with ample leg room to not be cramped into a fetal position… But it was a trunk. Utilitarian, bare metal with rivets where it was bolted to the frame. There wasn’t much else but a flashlight and a spare tire sunk into an open well for it covered by the jack and wrench to replace it.

The trunk opened up into the dim lighting of a North side parking garage, complete with the typical art-deco bronze eavesdroppers set in a neat line along the beams crossing the ceiling. The cars around them were much nicer than Elay’s, but there didn’t seem to be any people to witness Elay pulling a woman out of his trunk.

”Alright sunshine, up and at’em! Or, does the leg still hurt?” he fake pouted at her as he stretched his hand out to help her.

As the trunk opened, a heavy wave of Pink Lux spilled out. It was thick enough it could practically be smelt, a hint of acrid sweetness in the air before it dissipated. Even though there'd been more room than she'd expected, Nessa had still wound up curled up on her side, holding her injured leg close to her chest to stop it hitting off anything.

She looked terribly pale. Like all the colour had been drained out of her skin from a short period of no sunlight. It was a combination of the wound, deep enough to still be sluggishly bleeding, and being trapped like that. She fucking hated being crammed in dark places against her will… who didn't?! But maybe Elay would assume it was from the constant attempted mental blasting… Which even as it was blocked by Garf had drained very little over her large Lux reserves.

”Oh it’s all better now! Perfectly healed thanks to the magic of your amazingly smooth driving! It only got a bit worse when it hit off some shit in here- Yeah, it still fucking hurts, you moron.” Nessa glared up at him, eyes squinting still as she adjusted to there being any light at all.

She unfurled, wincing and keeping one hand pressed into the bandages around her wound. The other reached from the offered hand. The moment she clasped it, Blue-Yellow lux subtly sparked off it… Painful and itchy boils sprouting up on Elay's hand and rapidly spreading up his arm.

A sensation that Elay instantly recognized, and became incredibly upset over within the blink of an eye. He felt his skin blister like something was ripping at the surface and causing fissures to erupt from from his muscles. Instinctively, he hurled her onto the ground as he clasped around his arm in frustration. Which, unfortunately, only caused it to spread to the other arm. He angrily slammed the trunk lid back down.

”Dirty cunt! What the fuck, Nessa!? Garf!?”

Garf had magically transferred himself to the boot lid, using the transitioning sightline as his point of convergence in timespace.

”You should’ve taken us to Allebella’s instead. Now suffer.” Garf replied coldly, tail swinging before he finally hopped off the trunk.

In the time it took him to get from air to ground, he grew to a large enough stature that Nessa would be able to clamor on his back rather than walk. He made sure to sling himself low so she could get on his back with the least resistance.

”Come on, girl. The wound won’t heal itself, and you’re both holding up my dinner.”

The bleeding had only gotten worse when Elay threw her into the floor, but Nessa didn't give a fuck. The smug satisfaction outweighed any pain she felt. In her mind, if she bled out at least her last act was making him suffer. Her shoulder hurt like hell now too, and she'd have a bunch more scrapes and bruises… but she really didn't care.

She didn't expect Garf to help her. But it clearly was for his own stomach, rather than out of the kindness of his heart. Good. That was easier to deal with. With a wince, she got up onto her knees before pulling herself into Garf's back as best as she could. The curse wouldn't affect him- though she got rid of the protective spell around her anyway. Dispelling it on herself wouldn't stop the curse on Elay, however…

”All curses can be broken! If you're nice, maybe I'll tell you how.” She sneered at him.
”Otherwise… Good luck. Have fun for thirty minutes, just like you did after putting me in the fucking trunk!”

Elay very quickly made it a point to cross both arms and lean back on the hood. Pain was only as intense as one allowed it to be in their mind, after all…
”You gonna last thirty more minutes, moron? Go on, go get the doctor yourself then, I’m sure they’ll love you with no I.D. and no proof of insurance! Remember, the hippocratic oath only extends to other humans! You don’t count up here! They don’t have to treat you!” he replied hastily.

But Nessa didn’t have much of an opportunity to throw anything back in Elay’s face. There was a massive vibration underneath her as Garf’s sphere of influence burbled out a harsh tone of control. It didn’t make Elay move, but it did wrack him with just about every single pain he’d ever physically felt all at once. As if to combat his theory of pain only being in the mind, Garf quickly sought to remind him that there was no pain like living in the moment, squeezing his nervous system with the flames of Hell until Elay finally yielded mentally.

By then, he was buckled on the ground in pain, and Garf was walking toward the nearby elevator with Nessa on his back.
”He’ll be along. Can you press the button?” the cat asked softly, nose wrinkling at the scent of Blinds approaching from above.

Nessa's suspicion was pungent in the air as she stared down at the cat, but she reached out to pressed the button like he asked. She almost felt sorry for Elay… would have a bit if he hadn't treated her so badly. None of this would've happened if he just let her sit in the front seat, so it was his own fault. He deserved it.

”You must really want that dinner.” She snorted as the elevator doors pinged open. She couldn't see any other reason for Garf choosing to help her over Elay, the man he was literally attached to- an asshole, but someone Garf lent his magic to nonetheless.

She frowned.
”... He'll really come along?” As much as she pushed him and enjoyed dealing pain back to Elay in equal measure to what he gave her, there was the frequently increasing anxiety that he'd quickly leave just like everyone else. How far did she push- could she push? Not that she could stop herself from crossing the line… It was because she needed him to survive right now, but also the blooming attraction and obsession within her. The part of her that so easily latched onto someone, no matter how bad they were to each other.

”He’ll start walking soon, or things will get worse! I really don’t think you understand our relationship, Nessa… I am the boss. He gave up his Lux for me. I can walk away anytime. I can withhold every bit of protection I offer him. I can even pull all the funny little lingering spells that make his body a fitting host out. I can dance into his mind, sever every string, leave him mindless and drooling, and simply. Walk. Away.”

As Garf spoke, there was a pampered relaxation to his voice. Like how one would imagine a cat would sound if they were sprawled out across the back of a comfortable sofa. Looking down, Nessa would even be able to see his massive front paws kneading at the concrete beneath them in pleasure.

Meanwhile, Elay was slowly getting up in the distance, forced once more to overcome everything that he’d ever felt in a raw test of willpower. It was necessary, from time to time, to renew their vows in such a rotten way. For Garf to know that Elay wasn’t just going to collapse one day from something less than this. He was even starting to shuffle toward them without holding the car!

”And, yes… I only recently learned one can fill a lasagna up with a cheesy sauce, rather than just the standard tomato affair. It’s exquisite.”

”Oh? Sounds it.” Nessa intoned. At this point in her life, any food sounded good, regardless of the sauce types. Just the thought of being full each and every day was exciting to her.

She stared at Elay actually moving with a hint of relief, and a good deal of shock. She was impressed. Most people found the boils she inflicted difficult enough to deal with… She couldn't resist raising a hand from Garf's back to wave at him mockingly.

”Go fuck yourself with a hot iron rod!” he shouted at her in an immediate reply.

”Awww, is that what you're into? That's fucking sick, Elay! Keep your twisted fetishes away from me!” Nessa shouted back, wave turning into a middle finger before dropping back to Garf's soft fur.

”Fucking impressive stamina too.” She mumbled under her breath, surprised he still had the energy to be so verbally aggressive. Once again, she almost felt another sliver of sympathy. After all, she knew what it was like to have someone else in your brain causing you pain. But he'd chosen to adjoin with Garf. She hadn't chosen her suffering.

”Are we waiting for him?”

The elevator dinged open, and a small cluster of people immediately pushed their way out. Surprisingly, or maybe not so after thinking about who they were with, nobody said a thing about the woman being carried by the giant house cat, nor about the man with leaking blisters hobbling like a cripple toward the elevator.

When it emptied fully, Garf stepped in and left his tail swinging in front of the motion sensor to keep the door open while Elay stumbled in. By now, it was all fading back to just the boil pain… Easy.

”N-o shit… You’re wa-itng for me-e… Who’s gonna get the d-doc-tor?” Elay coughed painfully into his arm, then stretching to reach the button for the private clinic at the top floor. Garf could already feel Giovanna’s magic at the top of the building, so there was no doubt she was in, at least.

”Assuming they're magical… Garf!” Nessa smirked, quickly shifting back to looking incredibly smug now that he was in the elevator with them. She tilted her head up towards him, eyes narrowing slightly.

”Ready to beg me for the cure yet?”

”You ready to shut the fuck up yet!? God I didn’t learn my fucking lesson and you will go back in the trunk.”

Garf could only laugh, at least knowing that the elevator was unavoidable as a step. They could argue all they wanted here.

”I’d be more helpful if we were dealing with Blind doctors. Actually… Why are we not-”

”I need money.” Elay said rather plainly, if not in a bit of distress from the pain in his arms.

“Put me back in the trunk and next time it'll be worse." Nessa's eyes narrowed into a glare. At least if he tried, she'd make sure to stab her fingers in his eyes and knee him in the balls before he got her in there.

”Wow… in what world is a magical doctor cheaper? Oh, I see, you're planning to sell my body to some fucked up Green Adept to use for horrendous magical experiments, aren't you? Typical.”

”She’s my sister, and I did something for her recently. So, I should at least try to collect while we’re here.” he grunted, forcing himself back up on wobbly knees.

”She paid you already!” Garf responded, snapping with an annoyed voice.

”What? No! No, she- She didn’t. Not for this.” he replied adamantly, clearing his throat and stuffing his hands into his pockets as he weakly leaned against the wall.

”If it’s the Tithe score, she did.” Garf growled, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

Elay just shook his head, totally unsure of his own standpoint. He was drunk enough most times that he frankly believed that she could’ve stopped by with money just for him to spend it before he woke up to full consciousness… Worse if it hit the bank account in a transfer, as bills just automatically sucked any funds away like a hungry leech.

But the door opened before the conversation continued. Inside, a comfortable office space filled with ladies of different colors and sizes, but all of whom gave a glaring shift in demeanor as Elay’s hill-giant figure limped into frame. The immediate receptionist gave a grim look up.

“M-Mister Motta!? Y-you know that Garfield isn-”

”Don’t lecture me in my sister’s office, Lenora: Get her out here, tell her there’s a gunshot wound. Now!”

There was the sound of something loud snapping, like the end of a whip as it cracked through the air. The projectile was so small and thin that, as it came through the wall and whizzed past Elay’s face it barely left an entry or exit hole. A needle of titanium, fired from a bio-organic hydraulic system, embedded itself into the steel of the wall behind him and oozed a terrible blue liquid from its open rear end.

Elay didn’t flinch. Just rubbed his nose with the sleeve of his coat before stepping forward and ushering Garf to follow.

Down a small hallway, Elay opened the door to the exam room, where his sister was waiting on a swiveling stool. Striking in appearance, her long black hair was tied into an incredibly tall updo, glasses adorning her angular features and steely green eyes. The white lab coat she wore covered her austere professional attire, but nothing could cover the smoldering hole in her hand that she now pointed at her brother.

Another needle slowly crept out, letting him know she was more than ready for Elay to fuck around and find out.

”Three!-”

”I’m not drunk!-”

”Two!-”

”He’s just helping carry her!-”

”One!-” the needle shifted ever so slightly forward.

”It’s not me, it’s a girl, she’s been shot, just help!”

The snapping of half a dozen high-pressure needles flying from Giovanna’s hand breaking the sound barrier reminded Elay of being shot so badly that he probably would’ve pissed himself if he had any in the tank. No matter what, it was hard for him to keep anything in when that loud ass cracking noise started getting closer and closer to you. But, standing for another second, he realized she either purposefully missed, or fucked up real bad.

Taking a deep breath, Gia closed her hand and lifted her hand to usher Garf forward.

”Drop her and get the fuck out, Fleabag! You’re not meant for a Temple of Healing, and your feet stain the ground! Shoo!”

Garf didn’t hesitate to upheave himself in a cloud of smoke, letting Nessa hit the floor with a thud. Gia took a long, deep breath, finally leaning forward.
”Well? Must I carry her myself?” she asked aggressively, sweeping her arms from Elay to Nessa in annoyed gesticulation.

”I can walk myself.” Nessa probably should be polite to her would be healer, but she didn't really have it in her. She pushed herself into a kneeling position with a wince, before unsteadily getting up. Her weight centred on the uninjured leg, blood soaking out of the dressing that had been haphazardly wrapped around the wound.

She stared at Gia without much emotion, limping forward, but unsure where exactly to go.

Typical of someone who lived steeped in magic, Gia flicked her hand and allowed another stool to simply materialize from materials around her. A true student of Cullan Green Magic, there were few naturally occurring materials that she was unfamiliar with handling in large quantities. It was like stamping a product out of a mold from a solid block; all she had to do was bring the particles together!

The solid metal stool rattled as it hit the tile floor.

”Now, sit and settle your Emotional Field so I can fix you and be done with this visit. Like, who the fuck even are you? You weren’t around a few days ago when I had to deal with asshole over there! So, what, were you hiding? Or are you his new beer girl?” she asked coldly.

”What’s it matter to you? You need to know to heal my leg?” Nessa sneered in response, taking a seat and carefully stretching out the injured leg. It was difficult, as the longer the wound was left the harder she found it to control. As for settling her Emotional Field… It was strong and stable no matter what pain she went through. Trained to be so.

Even though her Father always hurt her using the thin cursed crack he’d formed.

”I’m not lowering my Emotional Field, if you need that. Pretty pathetic Green if you do.”

”Stubborn Yellow-Pink idiot, it’d be for your convenience, not mine.”

Before Nessa could even think to reconsider, Gia cranked the pain up as high as she could. Of course, that meant everything was passing by at celestial speeds. The bullet still lodged in Nessa’s leg didn’t droop out, but was rather ejected by the force of the wound sealing itself up. This wasn’t a leg cramp, nor was it even like being shot in the first place…

The Cullan method started with the nervous system no matter what. Meaning that every single damaged nerve ending reformed first, and was exposed entirely to the rest of the process. The grating sensation of veins and muscle fibre forming rubbed and stretched them, sending hot searing pains back into Nessa’s mind.

Elay smirked to himself, having had to perform the exact same procedure on himself more than once. As it turned out, wounds like gunshots were way easier than, say, full limb amputations. The wound started smoking, little white curls climbing from the rapidly closing hole until none of it even showed.

”And what the fuck do you even know about Green magic? Answer my questions, or I reopen the wound! It’s still my flesh for another ten minutes…” Gia growled, the metal of the chair quickly spreading and forming around Nessa’s thighs to pin her in place.

”I know enough.” Nessa snapped back through gritted teeth. Her eyes were red with reactive tears, but pain was nothing compared to risking her mind. Her Emotional Field and the Pink-Yellow protection densely layered on top of it was the only thing ensuring her freedom.

It was agony as her nerves reformed, the pain shot through them something she couldn’t suppress with Pink. It took everything to keep those extra shields on her mind instead of letting them drop. But it was something she’d experienced before. Whenever her Father decided the mental torture wasn’t enough, because she was still acting out. Growing resistant. Then, it was physical torture, doubled when his assistant healed it.

The healing was excruciating, but she was used to pain. She wasn’t as weak as she looked…

”Which questions? Who I am? Nobody! I’m a nobody that your brother’s fucking.”

”And you get no red flags? Or are you suicidal?” she asked very bluntly.

”Alright, this is too much now, Gia… What the fuck ha-”

From the back seat of his car thirty stories below, Garf felt the wheels of fate turn as Giovanna’s truth welled up in her mouth. She was ready to tell Elay everything, which meant:

Investigation complete!

The event stretched back to almost three weeks ago, when Gia had in fact arrived at his apartment to pay him the money for scoring materials to help the hospital’s tithe to Twin Hill. Money that, in Elay’s blackout drunk state, just didn’t seem like enough to him at the time… Rather than negotiate, things quickly became violent, which Garf allowed due to his own conflict with Gia and her policies.

She was, of course, an Adept born of the infamous Motta lineage. While she may not have won the day, she was able to escape relatively unharmed and hadn’t approached their eldest sister over the incident. But she had subsequently put policies in place to prevent him from coming to her in the future… Policies that only worked if he had guilt or shame in his heart, of course… Which neither existed in the context…

But, all of this information came crashing into him at once, leaving him sad and frustrated with himself…

”-aaahhhh… W-well.. Well, why didn’t you just leave and come back!?”

”That’s not the point, Elay! You would’ve killed me over a few hundred more dollars!”

”And that’s not her problem!” he shouted, pointing at Nessa.

”Why would I ever let another woman be alone with you!?” Gia shouted back at him.

”This woman can make her own decisions, thanks.” Nessa intoned, not bothering to shout like the two of them. She stared at them both without much emotion behind it, now that the pain was subsiding.

Red flags? Suicidal? Yeah, she was just that… But everyone had red flags. The worst people were the ones who hid it. It was all normal, anyway. In fact, Elay treated her better than most people ever had now. At least, anyone who wasn’t after her for the money she used to have. Not that Charles was so open about her being his daughter, but the name had been a dead giveaway…

She did look more at Elay for a moment. There was a hint of something in her gaze then. It wasn’t fear or disdain… No, it was that light she got when she was about to taunt him. Try to make him uncomfortable.
”But I thought you weren’t a woman beater? I feel lied to.”

Elay immediately pointed a finger at Gia.
”That’s not a woman, that’s my Sister! Way different!”

Gia’s head snapped backward instinctively like an offended bird of prey. Both brows curled downward, and she looked from Elay back to Nessa. After a moment, the stool completely released Nessa and Gia stood up.

”If you ever come back here, leave him in the basement. He’s not allowed on our grounds anymore.” She spoke to Nessa rather than Elay, lazily throwing her hands up.
”And if it’s ever anything he did to you, I don’t want to see you… Because I won’t treat you.”

Nessa let out a short laugh. What was he going to do to her that’d really require urgent attention? If he tried to kill her and almost succeeded, that just meant it was time. Better dead than alone and hopeless again.

”I can’t afford your services anyway.” She stood up, carefully testing her newly healed leg.
”I’ll just let a Southern Doctor cut off whatever he hurt, don’t worry.”

”There’s easier ways to kill yourself. I recommend guns, they’re usually anti-emotional field tech. Now, please, if there’s nothing productive happening here, take your free leg and go.” Gia said coldly.

Elay cleared his throat.
”Giovanna, I’m-”

”Elay… Come on. Don’t make it awkward: There’s nothing you can say that-”
”I talked to Moriah!” he blurted out.

She stopped, paused, and there was a gentle click of her jaw.

”When you quit drinking… Maybe I’ll care about what you have to say. Until then, you’re that guy in my head now. Deadbeat loser; willing to steal from people you love. Everyone else loves making excuses for Mommy’s little boy ‘cuz he got sent away and mentally fucked up by a bunch of poor people. Not my problem anymore, Elay. Now scram, seriously, or I’ll call Momo and tell her what happened.” Gia replied with that same coldness, shaking her head and turning.

Elay only looked back at Nessa, a blank expression on his face. He shook his head again, then turned to leave.
”Come on…” he said weakly, still feeling the pain of the boils ripping his arms apart.

Gia could smell the necrotic tissue, but could only muster a smile at her little brother’s suffering.

Nessa listened silently for once, not having much energy to care. She didn’t have full blooded siblings, so she didn’t understand. As for the younger half-brothers… She’d hurt them with her magic before her Mother stopped letting her be around them unattended. If anything, the fact Elay had a Mother that loved him in any capacity stifled her sympathy.

But it was a bit unfair that he was still covered in boils after bringing her to a healer. Shitty method of getting her there… But she was smart enough to know without him she’d be in a much worse place.

”Sure, but I’m getting a drink first, or I’ll faint.” Nessa intoned, moving over to the sink before anyone could stop her. They had some paper cups, thankfully, and she filled one as much as she could without spilling it.

Then she followed Elay out into the hallway. She didn’t wait, unceremoniously dumping half the cup of water onto one of his arms. The effect wasn’t immediate- it would take a little while for the curse to really recede. Silently, she moved to pour the other half over his other arm.

Elay didn’t have any response besides half-verbalized annoyance, his grunt of dissatisfaction fading as he assumed she wasn’t just being an asshole at this point. Nobody said a word to the two of them as they got back in the elevator and started for the bottom of the building again.

Still, Elay didn’t say anything. There wasn’t anything to say. She’d have her own opinion, do what she wanted, and however he wanted her to feel didn’t matter. But, he had to agree with his elder sister for once: If she didn’t leave him, she was either dumb, or suicidal.

”So, which one was it?” he asked quietly, finally breaking the silent whirring of the elevator’s motor with his voice.

”Which what?” Nessa asked in return. She was still holding the empty paper cup and crumpling it in her hands. She stared at his arms, the water finally and silently taking its effect. Unlike the healing she’d experienced, breaking such a simple curse was easy and painless.

That’s why it was a basic one with such an easy removal condition.
”What your sister asked?”

”Yeah… What my sister asked.” he said coldly, feeling the sensation of the flesh in his arms finally calming down as it returned to normal.

Nessa’s eyes narrowed slightly. Why did he want to know? So he had an excuse to get rid of her? So he could mope for how she wasn’t sticking with him for his brilliant personality.

Sure, she struggled with having the will to live. But it was more than just that. In the moments she didn’t, she wanted- needed- companionship. But what kind of person did someone like her even deserve? He’d given her more attention than she’d really had in a long time. It wasn’t just restricted to bed, even though so much of it had been fighting.

He hadn’t even hit her yet.
”Oh, come on. You think a South Sider is scared of a bit of violence? Your sister can ask that question ‘cause she had a privileged upbringing. What red flags do you have that’re worse than whatever I’d find at home?”

Elay sighed and shook his head as every time he’d ever placed his fist anywhere close to a female in anger flashed across his mind.

”You not answering with suicidal just kind of proves you’re dumb. So, I think you should probably just leave. Tomorrow, we’ll go back to the old lady at the apartments, and I’ll make sure the agreement stays in place. Just live there, don’t worry about your rent. But, I don’t think you should be around.” he said in a calm, measured voice.

”No.” Nessa’s immediate answer was simple, tone shifting up from flat to irritated.

She wasn’t doing that again. She wasn’t just going back there. Sure, she wouldn’t have to worry about rent, great. Then she could just wither away without care. No motivation to keep going.

Did it even matter? It’d barely been two days? Why’d she let herself feel a spark of hope? Was it because the fucking cat said there was some connection there? She thought he wouldn’t just dump her like everyone else did? But the reason was fucking new. What, because he was some violent asshole? Like the moment she managed to pull herself out of bed she wasn’t just going to run to someone worse?

She stepped forward so that she was right in front of him, pushing into his personal space and glaring up at him.
”And if I’d answered that I was suicidal you’d think, what, it’s fucking fine? For me to stick around someone so ‘violent’? You’d still throw me out, wouldn’t you? Because you’ve got it in your fucking head that ‘oh no, I hurt my sister, what about this other poor weak woman in front of me.’ Or do just finally have an excuse you think’ll work to get rid of me?” She snapped back.

There was no hesitation. Elay’s fist cut enough air to ruffle Nessa’s hair as he swung from a dead standing position. The sound of the metal panel bending behind her wasn’t immediately obvious, so he threw a second one in the exact same spot with the exact same force. The entire elevator rattled, and as he withdrew a bloody fist, there was a new sensation of rushing air next to Nessa’s head.

Turning, it was obvious that he’d put a hole clear through the wall.

”Giovanna Motta isn’t a weak woman. That is my point. You will die. Yellow Lux, Pink, Blue; if I hit you, you’re not getting up. And I’m not going to be the one who kills you, no matter how cozy your degenerating brain tissue makes that sound, because I’m not your fucking… Ticket punch to Heaven. Delusional bitch…”

”You’re the fucking delusional one if you think I’m getting anywhere near heaven.” Nessa hadn’t even flinched. She’d witnessed and experienced so much violence, and instead of developing any fear of it she’d only developed a numbness. Fear didn’t help. Not unless she was using it to fuel her Yellow Lux.

”Are your fists that uncontrollable? You just can’t resist? You’re that fucking pathetic? Oh, it’s just so hard for you being so strong that can’t beat me up like you want to. You have such strong willpower!” Nessa mocked. If this was really the end, then she was going to do as much damage as she could on the way out. To him, to herself…

”Why wait till tomorrow?! Just chuck me back over the river, why do you even give a fuck?! What, want another fuck before you throw me in the dump?”

”I DON’T WANT TO PUT YOU IN THE TRUNK AGAIN!” he finally shouted, both hands gripping at the shoulders of her coat.

His face was completely pale and full of confusion. He just couldn’t understand what her obsession was, to the point that the real reason faded into the myriad of alien possibilities that escaped Elay’s logic. It almost felt like stubbornness for the sake, which reminded Elay of Bryn… And that just pissed him off more, because she was another girl who he felt he actually should’ve hit, but never did.

Why?

”Fucking… For the love of God! Just, fucking…
Elay threw his hands up as the elevator came to a stop at the bottom of the building and opened up once again into the garage.

”Just fucking what, Elay?” Nessa hissed, arm shooting out to wave in the elevator door and stop it from closing. She didn’t make a move to step out… Not that she could stop him from leaving if he wanted to.

”Leave? Or have you changed your mind? Because if you want me gone I’m not waiting for your pathetic ass to wait until tomorrow.” She was shaking slightly- pissed off, upset… She didn’t want to leave at all. But if he was getting rid of her, it was better to rip the bandaid off right away. Then she had a better chance of finding something to stop her spiralling. Spending another day in a ‘maybe’ state would be even worse.

”But you’ll regret it. And it’s not what I want- but I can’t stop you doing anything!”

”Oh, how delightful! One doesn’t listen, the other doesn’t want to bring it up again because he knows he’s an asshole. He can’t actually leave you, girl!” Garf’s voice echoed about the parking garage like a loudspeaker.

Ahead, a shifting mass of orange dragged itself between two cars leaving a slick trail of red behind it. Coming from around the other side, Garf sauntered with an infinitely long rear end stretching back behind the car until it managed to jitter through the solid object and realign with his torso.

”We need to go now! Before the Sisters above sniff out the gift I’ve left for them.” Garf practically grinned, sauntering forth toward the car.

Elay gritted his teeth, breaking into a sprint toward the patch of red that Garf had dragged around. However, when he got to the other side of the car, there wasn’t anything there… Then he looked back again, and there was no red whatsoever. He gripped at the bridge of his nose for a moment, then covered his eyes with his palm to press against his forehead.

Garf was already waiting for Nessa by the car.

”Did I not tell you before, that you’re linked? Machinations of the most delectable kind are brewing thanks to you, Girl. He’ll never get rid of you now.”

”How comforting. Like I’m a tumour.”

”A sexy tumor. Yes. Malignant, and able to kill him at a moment’s notice.”

Nessa laughed, before her voice dropped to a quieter tone.
”As if. I couldn’t hurt him unless you let me. And I wouldn’t.” Never again.

At least she was fairly certain she was safe to stay for now. She shoved her hands into her coat pocket and actually walked over to the car, staring at Garf.
”And I don’t trust any ‘machinations’ or bullshit links. Only what I can see.”

”Then, tell me: Have you seen Nikita lately?” the cat’s tail swished about playfully, a wry grin forming on his feline face.

Nessa flinched, hands curling into tight balls in her pockets. Nikita… She knew he’d dragged things out of her head. So he was speaking about the Nikita she knew. Her father’s right hand woman… Someone she’d had a similarly conflicted relationship with. Unlike Charles, Nikita had actually shown her slivers of kindness in some moments.

And been so incredibly terrifying in others.

”Who? I don’t know any Nikitas.”

”Shut the fuck up… Don’t know… Please. Gods, let that fruit come to bear and you’ll see one fat cat in your lifetime.” the cat practically hissed, ducking into the car as Elay got a little closer.

”I don’t suppose you’re full now, Garf?” he asked as he shot Nessa a dirty look coming around to the driver’s side.

Nessa rolled her eyes at him in response.
”Please, stop trying to strip me with your gaze, not here.” It was easier to go back to completely twisting his irritation after talking to the cat.

”Why do you think I have any kind of emotion toward you besides disgust? Do you think your hole makes me like you any more than if I didn’t have free access?” he spat on the concrete before opening his door and sliding in unceremoniously.

”We need food for the week, Elay. Especially with another mouth.” Garf groaned, rolled on his back with a paw on his gut.

”I already said, she’s gone in the morning.” he said coldly, waiting for her to get into the passenger seat.

She rolled her eyes at him again, getting in with a huff and slamming the door behind her. Her legs swung up onto the dashboard, and she turned her head to stare at him.

”Then I’m eating a week's worth tonight. If you’re already disgusted by me, why should I hold back?” She sneered. He was right to feel disgust anyway. She didn’t really deserve any other emotion directed her way. Didn’t really expect it, apart from lust. But lust kept people with her, even if they only wanted one thing. It was so easy to pretend it wasn’t just that.

”Or you lose your final night of free access to anything.”

”Oh my God! Why the fuck can’t you save yourself!? Why? What the fuck is it!? You’re literally impossible to please, you won’t sit still and shut up long enough to have anything good in your life happen! God, why can’t you just… Fucking not take what I say as everything that is!? I contradict myself; I’m a person. I don’t want to hurt you physically because that would be a stain on me. Another stain that I don’t need. But you? God, it’s all about you! Everyone, crowd around and listen to Nessa bitch about what’s happening around her!” Elay snapped back through clenched teeth.

”Hold back like the desperate homeless bimbo you are once and a while! For fuck’s sake, y’know how I can tell you’re some rich girl on the run? You act just like my sisters. Entitled, spoiled rotten, you think that the sun shines out of your ass don’t you? Like even as a victim, you still run the show… God, go fuck yourself.” he waved his hand as the car started.

Nessa’s eyes narrowed at him. Pink Lux flickered in her mind, grasping her panic and suppressing it before it surfaced. So he’d guessed that she was a rich girl on the run. But from what? Family, he probably assumed. Hopefully. The only silver lining about the truth was that it would be difficult for anyone to believe.

”But you fuck me so much better.” She put on a mock pout, legs pulling off the dashboard and moving to where they should actually be.

It was ironic that the rich girl had been the quietly obedient type. At least at home. Forced obedience from spell upon spell layered on her brain… This was the true, free her. The her with nothing else left to lose.

Nothing good was going to happen in her life, no matter how still or quiet she was. Nothing. She didn’t deserve it anyway. But she would deserve him hurting her. Maybe if he did, she’d be kind enough to spill everything before he died. So she wasn’t another stain. Just a deserved death.

”Oh no, you got me.” Nessa intoned sarcastically.
”What are you gonna do about it? Call my dead parents? Oh wait, I’m making it about myself again, sorry- Wow, you’re so amazing, Elay! No wonder you’re a detective! I’m so impressed.”

She clapped her hands together a couple of times before scoffing. She was pissed off enough by what he said to not just let it go, but not particularly upset. Maybe most of it was true. Maybe she hated herself enough right now that it didn’t matter if it was.
”This desperate homeless bimbo can’t and won’t hold back. This is just who I am! An entitled bitch! Because, you know what, I’m also a person.”

Her arms folded across her chest, eyes moving up to the ceiling of the car. At least Pink Lux made it easy to fake nonchalance about the reveal. Force it magically, really.
”So what else have you figured out, oh mighty Detective Motta?”

”That I don’t really like you. It’s not a big development. But your lack of deflection is making me feel pretty good about myself. And its a little better for your case. If you’ve been up here before, it means you do have some kind of record. It’ll be a cinch to snag some of your hair and bring it down to a lab to figure out who you are.” Elay shook his head, backing out and letting the car jerk forward as he started toward the exit.

”Dumbass… Just lie more! Why would you confirm something that I’m giving you practically no basis- Y’know what, never mind. Clearly all that’s way over your head.”

Nessa stared at him, and let out a short laugh. Maybe he'd gotten her there. But she'd always known the South Side born and bred act would fall through if she spent enough time with someone from up here. Or someone with enough brains…

But the panic dampened now that she knew he really didn't know that much. If anything, she felt smug again. He could go ahead and take her hair to some lab. Sure, she had a record- legal paperwork, a birth certificate and social security and all that. But other records? Painfully lacking. For whatever godforsaken reason, Charles treated her like someone that shouldn't exist. No medical checks from outside his organisation, any trace of her from the internet frequently erased… The only person who might have her DNA was the aforementioned Nikita. She didn't know why her Father had been so paranoid- and was under no illusions it was for her- but it had worked out in her favour the last year and a half.

”Oh you're right, I'm too dumb to understand! But how do you know I ain't lying about everything? It's every street rat's dream to be treated like a rich girl! Maybe Daddy and Mummy left me loads of money I don't know about!”

She laughed again, before shaking her head to let her messy hair cascade around her shoulders.
”Go on! I’ll let you take some! Just let me know what you find out.”

Too confident. The first thing he noticed was the rapid tonal shift as he played his lack of a hand on the card table. Of course, she bit right down like a good snake always does. Nothing she did overtly could avoid Elay’s deepest scrutiny, and of course he was prone to jumping at conclusions without concern for making a pivot later. This situation could’ve been anything…

But, Garf didn’t mess with people like this. Random discontent and chaos was not an ample fertilizer for the trees of pain that the Grover cultivated. The barometz of agony yielded the sweetest nectar from true pain and fear… Heartbreak, sorrow, nothing but the worst of the worst. They were presumptions… He presumed all was as such. Bold.

Yet it was the only logic that had held firmly the last few years. The only concrete platforms: Garf’s habits. Elay’s life had molded around them like melted plastic in a form. He was an industrial tool that understood its base mechanisms.

He grinned. Too confident.

”I’d take it whether you gave permission or not. Don’t act like you’re doing me a favor; you were in my apartment one night. I already found a hair in my asscrack the length of your forearm.”

”Oh, that one? Yeah, I stuffed it up there on purpose. It was a gift, so it's only right you use it for something so exciting!” Nessa waved a hand dismissively. She really wasn't worried about the hair.

Well… Not more than she was constantly paranoid about being found out. What could she do to stop this? If somehow checking her hair did return in big blaring letters 'Daughter of Charles Beaumont', well… Maybe she could piss Elay off enough that he'd kill her before the police got her. But she really didn't imagine someone as careful as her Father- right until the end- would have let anything so sensitive as his DNA get anywhere outside of his direct control.

Hopefully.

”Anything else you want to steal? Body fluids? I can get ‘em all over your apartment too. Or in your asscrack if that's what you'd prefer. It's only fair I make nice to poor Lazarus to make sure he doesn't accidentally snap my neck.”

”Oh you just keep on. Go ahead.” Elay grinned, taking in a deep breath through his nose.

”Are we, or are we not, going to Allebella’s?”

---

The lobby of the New Leopold Building wasn’t a place that Elay wanted to be in. Thus, in the interest of minimizing the chance of seeing someone he didn’t want to, he pulled into the designated spot that he and his younger sister had agreed upon. There was a biological sensor under the concrete that gave a signal whenever it detected Garf’s strong magical signature, giving Venecessa the necessary time to shift her focus from the restaurant, to her special guest.

Unlike the elders, who all had opinions and negative feelings in some way toward him, Elay found consistent affection and genuine concern in his younger sister. Chessa had nothing but fond memories of Elay, occasionally traveling with their mother to visit him in Raven’s Rest. On days like that, their Mother’s joy was well noticeable in contrast to most other days. Quiet care and determination was temporarily placed with goofy love and affection, which had always trickled back to her when she chose to go.

Associative memories are, of course, powerful things. Powerful enough that, to her, they clung about Elay’s neck. Even the dread scowl of his face held vestiges of their mom’s slow, passive smile. The tender care she wielded in one hand, and the cold detached discipline in the other. Chessa missed her. More than their Matriarch, she missed that little woman with short black hair and deep green eyes. She missed getting lectured about how she should spend less time cooking and eating, and more time studying.
If she could only see her now…

But, as she mentally prepared to feed her dear brother and his hungry tagalong, Elay was mentally preparing for the chance of anyone else showing up. Garf said Momo wasn’t here, but he was also a liar.

”Alright… Rules that I doubt you’ll follow, because making a bitch out of yourself seems to be priority one: Speak when spoken to. Fat chance. Don’t engage with anyone that doesn’t have a Chef’s coat on. If strippers approach you, spit at their feet. If one of them tries to talk to you about how cool millipedes are…-”

Elay paused for a moment, taking a breath and a thought.
”Well, she’s alright, but you’ll be stuck in that conversation for an hour. Just… Don’t make me look like an asshole, and you get to eat a bunch of free food without me bitching. Be nice to the lady with the tattoos, call her Chessa, tell her the food is the best you’ve ever had and we’ll probably come out of this with enough for a couple extra days.” he instructed in a business-like fashion, head finally turning to Nessa for visual confirmation.

Nessa's immediate ‘confirmation’ was an eye roll as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, making it look a bit neater.
”I can be nice to people that actually deserve it. You do plenty to make yourself look like an asshole anyway, I don't have to do anything to help you there. You're already doing it by putting in rules like I'm a fucking child! Only speak when spoken to, you think I'm some fucking help?”

She sneered, waving a hand. She wasn't stupid enough to fuck with the source of their food. She could play nice if she had to… she was incredibly good at faking it. Just, she could only keep it up for a short while before the real her slipped out. It was why relationships always fell apart when she moved past the heavy flirting and pleasing initial stage.

”Are we going inside? Because if we are, I'm changing. Unless you want me to really look like you just dragged me off the streets.” Her gaze moved to the large patch of now dried blood on her cargo pants, joining various other much older stains. But it was painfully obvious… and her suitcase was in the car. She did have cleaner clothes.

Elay paused for a long moment, then looked down at his own clothes. They were covered in other people’s blood.

”Do I look less homeless to you? Do what you want.”

He hadn’t thought about changing at all. He wasn’t even sure if there was a spare shirt in the bag under the back seat at this point, but after a moment of letting her start to do her thing, he decided it’d be a waste not to check. Shoving her suitcase to the side, he popped the back seat up and pulled a small duffel bag out. Unzipping it released a terribly potent skunky smell, and Elay immediately groaned.

”When the fuck did I get this!?”

Inside, wrapped in his clean shirt which was now almost as useless as the one he was wearing, was a tightly sealed kilo brick of marijuana. With no recollection of his own placing its origins, Elay could only speculate as he began to pull the bloody shirt off and replace it with the stinky one.

”Well… You know anyone who’ll buy it down south? It’s basically worthless up here, the dispensaries can hand it out so cheaply it’s like buying cigarettes…”

The odd disparity of many things actually being cheaper to buy in the North came from the ease of vending. Obvious bias against South clientele meant that businesses were plain unwilling to vend south of the river. That meant that all supply was funneled into the North, which in turn meant that the demand could never outstrip the supply.
Simply, there weren’t enough people looking to “score” for a bale of street weed to have any kind of appeal. If he thought about it hard enough, he could vaguely remember a conversation with someone in Raven’s Rest about needing pot, but nobody had come looking yet!

Nessa's nose wrinkled a little at the potent smell released. She was an efficient changer, having already managed to swap worn cargo pants for a short denim skirt while still sitting in the car. Her tank top wasn't so bad, but it was still what she classed as her low effort clothes- the kind she wore most days in the South, when she wasn't trying to attract someone or make a decent impression. Elay'd already shown himself to be enough of a slob she didn't have to care around him, but some restaurant in the North Side? Yeah, she'd rather look like a slut than homeless.

"You not gonna smoke it yourself?" Nessa asked, pulling off her tank top to leave just her bra as she leaned back to rummage in her suitcase again. She pulled the first top her hand found- a dark red low cut crop top with a slight sheen to it. Clean. Nice enough.

"Depends. You willing to beat up another ex? I know a guy who deals all sorts of shit. He'll probably buy anything, or know someone that would." She shrugged one shoulder, pulling the top over her head before continuing.
"Either, he'll be an absolute dick or he'll have gotten over it and want to fuck me again. Otherwise… You can always just stand on a street corner with it."

”It’s pot… It’s a fuckin’ afterthought, I’m not standing on a corner to push some other asshole’s BOGO dump.”
Elay’s extortion button was being smashed by every part of his brain.
”Who is this guy? Small timer? Know anyone worth knowing?” he interrogated as he flattened the shirt out as best he could.

”Depends who you thinks worth knowing.” Nessa replied, struggling between wanting to be needed- useful- and regretting bringing up the guy at all. He'd been a bad boyfriend during an extra rough patch in her life. Five whole weeks before he dropped her because she refused to to become like all the other obedient drug addled girls in his life.

Not that she didn't do the drugs he offered her- or coerced, more like. There was that desperation to not be abandoned, leading to her doing things she didn't really want to just in an effort to please around all her bitchiness. But it had never been enough to get addicted. Not properly- not something she couldn't solve with her own Pink Lux, which she'd used to carefully track all the effects.

But the want to be useful won. To not be dumped back at that shitty apartment block tomorrow, and start over again.
”Y’know the Fourteenth Ward- not far to get into it from my place? It’s one of the few outta Hollow control. The gang who runs it- never bothered to remember their name- but he's part of it. Small time by city wide standards yeah, but he's one of their main dealers. The kind with a bunch've guys under him. So… Yeah. Knows people worth knowing if you want to know gang members.”

The fourteenth wasn’t a ward he did a lot of business in. Disorganized, dangerous, listless; it wasn’t a moneymaker. The people there weren’t either… But Elay couldn’t deny his desires. For blood, and for sensation. Carnal pleasure of hitting and being hit, and of danger at the heart of it all.

”Set it up then. Worst comes to worst, you’ve got one less ex to worry about.” he said coldly, pulling his coat back over the half-fresh shirt and closing the back door of the car with a slam. Garf was sat on the roof now, staring up at Elay with a grin.

Not a kind thing to do.
Good, it makes up for being stuck with her.

”Fine.” Nessa said shortly, pulling her own worn coat back on over her much less weather appropriate clothes. But it was all she’d kept. Her practical clothing had become more worn and dirty, while the rest was there just to attract people. She didn’t have any in betweens.

With a tight frown, she dug her phone out from her coat pocket. She scrolled down her blocked contacts, finding him later than she expected under ‘Scumbag Kieran.’ Creative. He’d probably blocked her too. So she’d seem useful, but not have to deal with-

The text went through. Great. Whatever, she’d cope. If it made Elay a bit more reluctant to drop her, then it would be worth whatever shittiness was thrown at her. Because it wasn't going to be nice for her even if it didn’t end in a murder.

”Done. We’ll see if he replies.” She shoved her phone back away, pulling her coat around her with a slight shiver. Bare legs and midriff weren’t pleasant in this weather…

”So you’d kill him? That not gonna be a stain on you or whatever?”

”Scum is scum. Maybe if he was sucking my dick, I’d have to hear him long enough to consider his side of the story, but I’m not exactly looking at the moment.” Elay admitted freely, now leading Nessa toward a blank door half-set into a gap between structural columns.

Pulling a key out of his ring, he stuffed it into the lock and twisted to get the door open. The strong suction of the air pressure change caused it to stick for a moment, pulling away with a hollow sucking noise until it revealed light beaming out from inside. It was immediately warm, and stepping into the isolated hallway allowed one to hear the sounds of an industrial kitchen from a slight distance. Enough that one wasn’t immediately thrown into the hot mess that was Allebellas’ workroom.

There was, however, already a figure standing half in the way between the entryway and the exit at the other end.

”Ayyo, what the fuck? Is that a woman? Hallelujah; next you’ll tell me Hell’s freezin’ over?”
With her figure totally covered by her chef’s whites, Chessa Motta’s stature wasn’t exactly clear. While the previous sister had been somewhat demure and reserved, she’d also been built like an armored personnel carrier. This one… Far more ambiguous. But her face was slim, gaunt almost, and she wasn’t nearly as tall as Gia had been.

Her hair was either short, or tied up under the beret she wore, but her side-parted bangs framed her face with one side of black, and the other viridian green to match her eyes. Her hand slipped out, and its equally slender fingers unfurled to meet Nessa’s.

”Name’s Chessa! Welcome in!” she finished warmly.

”Thank you. I’m Nessa.” Nessa reached out to shake Chessa’s hand with a polite smile.

It was like she’d completely transformed from the Nessa that Elay had started to know. More similar to what he’d gotten only briefly when she tried to curse him. But that pretense had completely dropped when he’d gotten nasty over it, and there’d never been any point in rebuilding it.

It’d only fall back down.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t be nice. She’d spent years having her brain zapped just for speaking out of turn…
”It’s nice to meet you. Is it that surprising for Elay to be with a woman?” She asked with an innocent arch of an eyebrow, as if it wasn’t incredibly obvious why he wouldn’t be.

”Oh, either you’re a fresh date or you’re a client!” Chessa laughed, snorting slightly before squishing herself up against the wall. As she did so, her body actually flattened and got taller, until she was like a wrapping paper pressed against a curbside.

Allowing the two to pass, they came out into the light of the kitchen. Or, Nessa was able to. Garf slipped in behind her, making sure to bat at her leg with his tail in a sly fashion.

”Ches’ a good one. Only one totally oriented on her own goals. The rest all hunger for other things; she hungers for a decent Minestrone.” he explained with confidence, like he was talking about an equal or some respected person.

”She’s not a client…” Elay quietly intoned to Chessa as he started to pass.

But her elastic body blocked the door in, and she stretched over it until she was fully blocking him before she let her stature shrink back to normal.

”Then, does she know?” Chessa asked coldly, arms crossed.

How Elay imagined she felt was true: Chessa really did love and admire her older brother… But that was the problem. So often she let him off without saying what needed to be said. Not now.

”Yep.” was his only answer, voice unwavering.

Chessa’s head turned a full hundred-eighty degrees to look at Nessa.

”You know he’s… Not nice? Not a safe man?” she asked sincerely, her face unbothered by its orientation.

Nessa held back a short laugh. Why was everyone suddenly concerned about her? Why did his sisters even care? She was basically a stranger to them. What did they gain from it? What did they want from her?

”I know. Who is safe behind closed doors, anyway?” At least that was her experience. She’d yet to be proven wrong. Everyone had their limit, and she pushed most people to theirs. If her own Father had put mind torture curses on her, why would anyone else ever treat her well?

She’d learned from a young age that the people who hid it were the worst of all.

”Why? It’s not like you know me.”

”I love him. But, we’re both women, as far as I can tell. I wouldn’t let another woman be stepped on by anyone unless it was truly what she wanted. Though, I ain’t a moral busybody like my big sis, so… I ain’t here to fuck your night up. If you know what you’re getting, and you get what you want, then it ain’t harmin’ anyone.” she finished, raising her hands in a symbolic backing off.

”You’re welcome at my table anytime.”

That only made Nessa more suspicious. Why? People weren’t just kind for no reason. It didn’t make sense. Then again, they didn’t know her. She probably thought Nessa was someone normal. Innocent. Someone who’d just fallen for Elay’s good looks- messiness aside.

Not someone who saw the slimmest proof that he was someone who could handle her, and latched.

”Thanks. But I won’t be able to get into the North side without Elay driving me so…” She trailed off, and shrugged. She then glanced over at Elay.
”He’s manageable. You’d be surprised.”

Chessa wasn’t the type of person to let one little thing suddenly color her opinion. Elay tried to push around her to get into the doorway, but Chessa’s arms wrapped around Elay and held him tight. At first, he was coiled with frustration, but slowly and surely, he softened.

”There’s really nothin’ you can say avoidantly to change reality. We ain’t just a family of Green Lux users, you’ll have to forgive. Your feelings toward him-”

”Chessa? It’s covered.” the Cat spoke up simply, clearing his throat.

She furrowed her brow, then let her head rotate back into the proper place to stare at Elay.

”She’s his guest.” he quietly explained, leaving out so many details…

Both of Chessa’s hands climbed up to slap either side of her brother’s face.

”Fine… But if I see her with a bruise-”
”I’m not gonna lie to the woman who feeds me…”

Her admiration was in her eyes, and her thumb ran across his upper cheek with a smile.
”Good. Good. Then-”
There was a moment where Elay was about to resist her calling of a recollection… But he couldn’t imagine fighting it now. She had to see the truth, and he let her. She took a long breath, then nodded and pulled both hands away.

”-let’s go.”

She didn’t turn her body, rather flipping the entire skeleton within and letting the flesh morph back around it in the proper way. Within two or three steps, her entire biology had reset into its proper place. Walking through the kitchen itself smelled like being strangled by a basil plant. There were dozens of stock pots and boiling cauldrons of water waiting for on-order pasta servings, pans with meat and sizzling garlic, olive oil, and all manner of Italian staples in various stages of completion. The sensory feast was one that all people coming in to eat at Chessa’s chef’s table would experience: The windup to an incredible meal.

The setting itself was fairly intimate, a clean booth set into a back wall that had a full view of the entire kitchen. Garf was quick to take his spot in the middle where the table was thickest, and let himself spread out a bit as two paws grew into massive slabs. He pressed them against the tabletop like he was ready to get onto it…

”Sit, sit! Hurry, she’ll bring the food faster!” he stamped one paw, rattling the table in demand.

Nessa had been going to sit down anyway, but she paused, staring at Garf.

”Oh, wait. Maybe I need to use the restroom.” She intoned.

There was a subtle tension in her body- only noticeable if one knew what to look for. It had happened from when Chessa mentioned not just being Green Lux. Pink… She’d been reading Nessa. And Nessa hadn’t even noticed. Reactively, the Yellow-Pink shield centred around a specific part of her mind expanded and strengthened until her brain was fully fortified. It took more of her energy, but it was a necessity.

”Can’t you be a bit nicer? You ate a shit ton this morning.” After dragging out the pause long enough, she slipped into the booth seat. Right against the wall, body turning slightly so her back was against it.

She glanced at Chessa, slipping back into politeness.
”I don’t eat as much as either of them.”

”Was saying that a compulsion? Or, just… Small talk?” Chessa asked with a wry grin.
”Or, your way of telling me you want a small plate? Because I’m just gonna bring some pans and plates over: You guys feed yourselves here. Bad enough I’ve gotta ask like four commis to stop whatever they’re doing to wrap up his food for the week; if I had to plate for Garf we’d be here a fortnight.”

The waiter on deck was already bringing drinks: a large carafe of red wine, followed by a similar of white, a few glasses, and at least six beers… Clearly they got Elay’s needs out of the way quickly so they could get back to what they were actually paid to do.

”Do I get anything to drink?” Nessa said with an almost joking tone. She’d seen Elay drink, and even though it had only been about a day she was confident that he’d drink all of this.

After a glance at the drinks and Elay, she went back to Chessa.
”It was the third option. Nothing worse than forcing myself to eat more than I can. I’m not that bad at small talk, nor that desperate to appear polite.”

The latter was maybe untrue. As much as she revelled in pushing back against Elay, the temptation of free food and remaining in his bed for more nights was enough for her to try to be nice. At least, to wear the mask that had once been second nature.

”I don’t need to worry about it if it's self serving. Well, maybe then I have to worry about getting any.” She hit both Elay and Garf with a hard stare, practically daring them to deny it.

Chessa stared at Nessa for a moment, barring the similarities in their names. That was something she wanted to joke about instantly, but got a very unfriendly welcoming flourish from her subtle probing. A naturally hostile Emotional Field meant there wasn’t going to be a lot of figuring from the inside… Which put humor off the table almost completely. She didn’t much like that feeling: That she wasn’t genuine. That the person before her was just some kind of hanger-on without any kind of welcoming sensation within. There was no love, even if there was Pink Lux in there…

For a brief moment, she wondered where it all went.

But then she spun her head and caught a passing waiter.

”Go grab a menu? And double the wine.” she said, pointing at the table.
When the waiter ran, she looked at Nessa again.
”Order whatever you want. Because you’re right: Fighting these two over what’s on deck is a nightmare. And enjoy: I’m going to get back to cooking.”

And then she turned, not-quite-jogging back toward the hotplate where she was supposed to be expediting. Shockingly, Elay was already pouring Nessa a glass of red, sliding it over to her.

”At least Garf don’t drink, eh?” he tried to joke solemnly, his usual attitude totally suppressed.

Nessa did let out a light laugh at it, extra layering over her emotional field lowering slightly. At least, a quick investigation of the surface with her own Pink didn’t find anyone prodding at it anymore.

”You make up for it. I’m surprised you’re letting me have any!” She shot back, tone more clearly teasing than normal. She took the glass, raising it to her lips to have a sip.

It was good. She hadn’t had wine this nice since… A party when she was seventeen. Rich highschool ‘friends’. They’d gotten drunk on one of the girl’s parents’ alcohol collection. The subsequent punishment from her Father hadn’t dulled the memory. A rare happiness, even if it was only when drunk. It was what had led her back to alcohol when she escaped Charles’ grasp…

”I understand. I’d be as stingy with it if it took that much to get me drunk.” She admitted with some honesty, before raising her glass. Her lips curved up into a playful smile.
”You know… This is a pretty nice location for a second date. Or is it a third? Did this morning count?”

”Everything costs money.” he replied, not caring to engage her on the topic of dates. After all, he didn’t agree. It wasn’t a nice place. It was stressful, that anyone could walk back here at any time. Rina, Cam, Kiki… Moriah… There was only one hope. The dark red liquid rolled over itself as it fell from the vessel into his own glass. Elay tilted it, thick rough fingers still daintily holding the stem of it with experienced practice. As it filled, he swirled it a few times, letting air in and pausing a moment before tucking the entire thing back in one go.
”Tomorrow… We’re getting you an I.D.. Fake, real, I don’t care. But it’s gotta be enough to pass the checkpoints. Since you’re so fucking insistent on sucking my wallet dry… And you need clothes. I’m not working with you walking around like some pimp’s runaway.” He explained quietly as he poured a second glass and set it to rest on the table.

”I’m not asking for your opinion, by the way. I’m telling you what’s happening, reasonably, as I feel up until you’ve been somewhat unreasonable in your expectations and the treatment of the situation therein.” his voice continued, calm and collected, rather muted still thanks to the setting.

Despite being in the kitchen, it still felt tucked away; and that only felt more real by the fact that nobody was interested in going anywhere near Elay. The last staff member who made issues with him had to go to a healer, after all. His reputation wasn’t good, and the only people who wound up caring were the people practically forced to make his food. After all, if it was shit, you had to hear from him. Maybe. They presumed… In truth, he’d never be able to tell. And every mistake was just a new flavor to Garfield, so there was hardly ever impetus to become food aggressive.

But he’d also had his one and only warning. That, among other behavioral issues, formed the base of his and the Matriarch’s strained relationship…

”Do you think that sounds unfair?”

”You think I'm gonna kick up a fuss cause you’re gonna get me a fake ID and clothes?” Nessa raised her eyebrows over her wine glass as she drank half of it in one go.

The buzz was nearly instant, when all she'd eaten was that bagel in the morning. It was always something she could reduce and stave off with Pink Lux… but she rarely bothered to. If she was drinking, she wanted the effects. The momentary emptiness…

”I walk around like this cause you get treated a little better looking like a slut than looking homeless. And I ain't got any clothes that don't fit into those categories.” Not anymore, at least. What she'd been able to take before her Father's place was locked down had been limited, and she was able to get some money for the stuff that wasn't useful to keep. Nowhere near what it was worth, but that didn't matter.

”No, that doesn't sound unfair.” She leaned her body forward slightly, smiling at him. It was still that same teasing, slightly smug smile… But she wasn't jabbing him right now. Teasing, sure, but it wasn't to hurt him.
”Buying me clothes on top of identification? You're acting more and more like a sugar daddy by the minute!”

”I need you to work. It can’t be… Whatever you think it’s going to be. You’re an Adept, the condition of your Emotional Field tells me you’re experienced. You’ve got a useful combination for an investigatory skillset, and you don’t look like someone tried to roll your head out like pizza dough when you were a baby.”

But all that sounded too much like he wanted her to begin with. That was certainly not the case…

”But as soon as whatever this little fetish Garf has ends? It’s over. You can go do whatever or whoever you want after that. But you’re not gonna be my problem forever.”

Garf let out a small chuckle.

”I don’t know about that, Elay. You know what happens when you start to feed a stray cat.-”

In his fashion, Garf had been sitting with his head slightly rested on Nessa’s leg. But, like he was never there, suddenly he was draped across the back of Elay’s neck with two front paws on his head.
”-They tend to hang around. Get comfy.”

That was certainly Nessa's plan. The ideal… Somewhere she didn't have to leave. She didn't actually expect it even though she wanted it. No matter how much Garf may seem ‘on her side.’ She couldn't trust it.

But she could make herself useful. Her whole life, her magic had been the thing people really wanted her for. Over her body, even, when they knew about magic. With Elay she could use both. Eventually, hopefully, he wouldn't be able to live without her. And she had an inkling now about what Garf meant. What ‘connected’ them. Nikkita… it wasn't something she could act on. She had no idea if the woman had survived, or where she was. But if she could carefully make sure whatever she knew wasn't discovered until she'd secured her place…

Even though finding her would probably mean the end of Nessa herself.

”He’s right. I'm already super comfy.” Her eyes creased slightly, like a smugly content cat.
”And you'll realise I'm too useful to get rid of, anyway. Even after whatever Garf wants is gone.”

She smirked, finishing the rest of the wine in her glass. A soft sigh escaped her lips, body going a bit more lax.
”Just wait and see. You’ll try and kick me out, go on a case and realise 'oh, Nessa would be really useful here.’ Or even just going back to a cold, empty bed. You'll come crawling back to me then.”

Elay’s head drooped slightly, face turning away. If there was softness, he may’ve felt a slight bit of attraction. There was a time where he wanted a confident woman like that. Well, confident was a stretch. But she was playing it, so he couldn’t entirely distinguish the difference. All he really knew was that her smile, and the things she said, did make her attractive. What followed in his head was a burst of frustration before he finally managed to get a response that wasn’t going to feed into her.

”Sorry… Not happening. You’re too fucking annoying to let things get that far.” he finally looked back at her with a blank expression.
”Whatever your little bitchswitch flicks for, don’t really matter when you act all cunty. Ain’t an attitude I need in my life. But, setting you up with an ID and some respectable clothes at least gives you a leg up when you are finally out of my life.”

At the same moment, two more pitchers of wine were brought and placed on the table. Silently, a young woman handed a menu for the restaurant to Nessa before scrambling away like the place was cursed.

Nessa laughed softly, still looking at Elay with the same smile. A hint of self deprecation, maybe.

She knew. Her personality was always what turned people off. Even the scummiest people she'd dated. Often they were the fastest. They wanted someone to fuck, who just took things silently. Obedient and broken. She'd never be either of those things. Not again, at least. And she wasn't going to change. Changing meant going more towards the person she'd been forced to be. This was her.

It wasn't like Elay had a shining personality. He was just as bad as she was, so she wasn't exactly taking his judgement to heart.

”Right, cause there's only room for one cunt in your life- and you're already filling it?” She shrugged one shoulder, pushing her empty glass towards him with a slight eyebrow raise. She'd pour for herself, but she was a little worried he'd break her wrist for daring to touch his wine.

”I’m so grateful you'll fill my wardrobe back up so I have something to sell again when you kick me out. Maybe I won't starve for a couple of weeks.” She intoned, casually looking at the menu. She was just going to order whatever seemed easiest to eat…
”But… You already bought my apartment. You're extorting my landlady. Are you just going to abandon that to avoid seeing me? Not that it'll matter, because I still stand by you crawling right back.”

”It's shit like that, see… I’m not sure who you’ve dealt with in your life. I don’t know what’s been done. But, when you talk like that? It makes it really sound like you’ve got zero goals or aspirations for yourself.” he started, pausing to pour for her and drink his own glass again.

”Like you don’t see anything besides your garbage situation. No way to make it better on your own. What’s up with that? I say you need clothes so people don’t treat you like shit, you’re automatically thinking of selling them. I contract a safehouse in a shitty ward in case we need the space, you think you’ll be there the rest of your life. How about; you take my work until it's over, and then you find another job! Like, y’know, normal people do!”

He was being sarcastic, and maybe a little crass, but for once it didn’t seem like his voice was raising toward anger. Frankly, he didn’t want to be angry. Coming in here was usually the only time he got to feel close to any kind of family, and in spite of the constant danger of being discovered by them, he always hoped someone would show up. But his brain still did its absolute best to keep any of the more aggressive tones to a minimum, knowing that Moriah would be able to hear him yell from her office deep underground.

”Like, why sell the clothes? They’re an asset? And, if I’m paying you to work, you should be saving money. Because you’ll be leeching off of me directly. Part of the pay goes to room and board, obviously… But, whatever I hand to you is yours. Do you understand me yet? You may feel like you need someone like me? But, I’m going to treat you like every bird treats its babies. You get big and strong, let your feathers grow… Then a push. You'll never see me again.”

”How charitable. Why do you assume I won't save the money?” She replied, surprisingly calm. Edging towards emotionless, maybe. It was easier with the wine in her system. She really didn't have any goals or aspirations. How could she, when her whole life had been planned out for her and then torn away.

But she didn't plan to spend any of the money he gave her. What would she spend it on? Every paycheck was more time kept fed later. Maybe enough to leave the city, if he didn't kick her out so quickly. That was the second best option, after finding a person who wouldn't leave her.

Because he was wrong. She did need someone like him. She needed someone- and what good person would ever want her? Being alone wasn't an option. Not if she wanted to retain what little will to live she had left.

”Where are those clothes an asset? The North, where they refuse to hire anyone from the South? The nicer parts down there, where there's very few jobs anyway? Have you tried finding a job down there?” She tilted her head, before shaking it. Technically there were opportunities. They very ex that Elay had her contact would be thrilled to pimp her out for a reasonable cut. But she wouldn't do anything like that. In her mind, she was using her looks to get a relationship- it just happened to help her survival right now.

She took a big gulp of her newly filled glass, letting the pleasant buzz settle over her brain. The things she really didn't want to reveal would never slip out, so she wasn't too worried.
”I’m being realistic. Most jobs won't hire someone like me. Especially since they can't directly kick me out of their bed when I don't want to get out myself.”

Elay gave her a terribly flat look. His hands rose up, and eyes looked from left, to the ceiling, then down to the right. A broad gesticulation commonly used to express a sentiment of “look around.” Eyebrows raised, he smiled.

”New Leopold is roughly eighty-five percent Southie staffed. Restaurant, hotel, club. Like a dick and balls sticking out of the upper left corner of the city. Tuscania’s pride and joy, sticking it to the stuffy fuckers closer to the River.”

It was often much easier to tell where the lines were between Wards in the North. Tellingly, Ward Four was once the city’s Little Italy. In the old days, it had mill houses of its own, and used to be the place where people went to learn things like engineering and machining. Cloverfield’s own rustbucket, by the time Nyrah had devastated the area, most of it was decrepit and abandoned despite being north of the Nimtake River.
Now it was Tuscania; land of the hedonists. Owned almost entirely by the Twin Hill Coven in one way or another, Tuscania was full of “reasonable” housing meant for the North’s younger population to downsize into either during or after university in order to reestablish themselves as their own people.

There’d been plenty of initiatives that were talked about when the city was being rebuilt. That had been one of them, along with the unfulfilled promise that more Southies would also have the opportunity to move up in the world. It’d happened to a certain extent, but most of the residents wound up being those caught between their salary and their debts. The quickly vanishing American Middle Class…
Who also happened to be Moriah’s top Tithe contributors in both money and material. Elay thought about all the silly little systems in the sewers under Cloverfield, with the local water treatment facility acting as a very clandestine temple to the Deer’s influence.

”Ain’t a job you couldn’t get hired in here for.” he pushed, ignoring her questions about the clothes being useful. If she couldn’t see it, after all, there was no helping her.

Nessa knew about the Leopold Building. The old one, at least. Even if it wasn’t a place her Father would ever visit, or even acknowledge, there were plenty in the upper class who did. She remembered boys in school, in the later years, talking about how they’d go as soon as they turned eighteen.

Which was exactly why she could never work there. In any part of it. The risk was too high. It was too high in anything too people facing, that wasn’t one of the stores in the lower Northern District.

”Oh, really? How was I supposed to know they hired Southies here?” She played stupid, of course. She wasn’t going to give him more ammunition about her being some rich girl on the run… At least, not where she could avoid it.

She could even play along, smiling again.
”What job d’you think I’d be able to get here- what would I be best suited for?”

”I told you, anything you want. But, what you're best suited for?”

Elay paused a while, taking a deep breath as if he actually had to think. He had an answer queued up, even if it was the worst one. But, it struck him like a dollar's worth of pennies inside a sock.

Why not an actual suggestion?

He was the good guy in just about every direction if he got her an actual job that paid well and didn't ask a lot out of her. Otherwise, he still got to gauge her reaction based on hot and cold… Typically, people in her situation would jump at the chance for Northern money. If she didn't, it didn't necessarily mean his theory was true: There was always a chance that she was just uninterested in working honestly. But, then he could more assuredly judge her character overall.

After all, leeching off of random John's was basically one step below escort work. Living hand to mouth by the grace of whatever Sucker she was sucking that week? At least prostitutes could save a little.

”Well… I was gonna tell you to go down out and across the foyer to Sin Sisters. If you danced, I bet you'd pull a few grand a night. But, then I thought about it… and I can't help but think about my little theory. And about how you ain't gonna run the risk of anyone seein’ your face, so me offering you any kinda job is just a waste of breath.”

He grinned, tucking his newly filled glass back. He'd done the pouring during his little monologue, letting the sip be a punctuation mark as he tried to find weakness in her face.

”So, go work in the accounting office. They're in an office on the fifteenth floor. Go up, and the first door on the right is the office. Talk to a lady named Galina. Tell her you're a Pink Adept, and you're guaranteed sixty thousand a year to start. It ain't Northside money technically, but I bet we can get you something rent-locked. A lot of the buildings here in Tuscania are half-vacant because they're historic buildings. Ordinance says there's only a maximum you can charge for renting them, ‘cuz they're usually a little haywire and you ain't allowed to fix ‘em. Costs the landlords more to keep the place lit and heated than they'd see back in rent, thus you don't see any Southies sliding into ‘em.”

Offering the perfect solution to the imaginary problem, she'd only deny if she was spoiled… or actually afraid of being seen. He waited, leaning in slightly.

You know the rules… No help on wild speculation, or guesswork.

It was a pretty good offer, if she was someone who just wanted to work and live. But she didn't. She wasn't sure if she could… When she came out of survival mode, had no one left, would she be able to keep going? Did she even deserve to?

And the risk was still too high.

”But I already have a job. One that's far more exciting than accounting. And I quite like the bed I'm sleeping in right now.” Her hand slid forward across the table, fingers curling onto his forearm and running down it gently. Her smile only grew more playful instead of wavering. No indication of how right he was. After all, she knew he was pressing for it… and she wouldn't have made it very far if she showed everything- or anything- on her face.
”When you're done with me… If you ever are… Then I'll take it. We were talking about the after. You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Elay.”

His theory was right, after all. The risk of someone seeing her was too great. But it wasn't just that. She needed the thrill of her current situation to live. The pain inflicted on her helped her feel alive… It dampened the guilt for a moment. And she wanted love. So desperately. How likely was she to get anything like that in an accounting office?

She'd already latched her claws into Elay, and didn't want to let go.

”I’m glad you didn't suggest dancing!” Her smile widened, a genuine laugh escaping her lips. Even her next words were completely honest.
”I ain't gotta sense of rhythm. The stripping, putting on a show with it, I can do easily. You already saw that. But dancing? Trying to keep time with music? It's a disaster. I'd get fired before the end of the night.”

”You ain’t have a problem keeping rhythm with those drums last night, liar.” he scrunched his nose. A rare expression while the guard was lowered slightly.

Of course he didn’t like most of what she had to say, and frankly had no intention of responding to it. But it was the inflection… When she was trying to be something else. Maybe it was just part of the con. Maybe it worked ten percent of the time. Neither mattered on the occasions where she turned into who he believed she really was. A fucking harpy. A Dirge Singer. Pink and Blue; didn’t matter what the other colors involved were. Those cruellest and most sadistic Adepts who held the power of Truth over the head of the innocent Blind humanity.

They’d classified them all. The Bureau, the Vaticanite, the Singh Dharma: Hundreds of magical institutions over humanity’s creation had come to discover, observe and categorize every little bit of magic that existed in this plane and beyond. And histories were, as far as those lopsided accounts are concerned, distinctly unkind to Adepts like her. It was, in this moment as he found himself terribly attracted, and terribly unbothered by her company, that he could almost imagine why.

This could be nice, if there was an actual person in there.

Alas, there simply couldn’t be. She was too much of a nightmare. A walking lovebomb looking for the next moron like the bat on a horse’s neck. She could never be anything far from the explosion, as to bask in the sadness beyond was almost certainly the real treat. Garf knew that feeling too. Almost confirmed it to Elay without even asking. No matter how benevolent the Wampus of Dazzle had been, was all ruined by their endless gluttony. The deep pit, the need for more and more.

Could he give her that? He couldn’t give himself anything better… But, then… Maybe that was perfect. Maybe she needed it. All the sadness you can eat.

Garf sniffed loudly, moaning to himself.
”Ohhhh, something’s coming. Prepare for-”

Then he stiffened. There was suddenly a great deal of anxiety, and Nessa would be privy to it by the very low growl which vibrated just beside her.

“Yeah, somethin’s coming alright, you fat slob.”

Massive pointy-toed heels, three inches but built like the structural beams of a skyscraper, clicked around the corner followed by the white-and-red pinstripe slacks of an outfit Elay recognized. An outfit that wasn’t supposed to be here. This was a nightmare. This was the worst. They’d only just had a conflict this morning, and he really wasn’t ready for this. Not in front of Nessa… The rest of the pantsuit revealed the massive frame of the Matriarch, Moriah Motta.

Her mass of hair was tied up in a tight bun, and almost instantly the connections could be made that placed her squarely in line as a Motta sibling. Any stranger could recognize that… But what was far more striking was her relative appearance to someone long ago. Someone who Nessa believed was dead. But that voice, then the face? The body. The way she walked as she carried the massive tray over her head. The way she made Elay automatically look more nervous.

Even if she didn’t know who Moriah Motta was… She’d know Cadenza. She’d know that face. The one which, as it approached, didn’t bother looking at either of her dining companions. Only at Nessa, both bright green eyes in full luminescent bloom as she adjusted them to the dimness of the corner.

“I’ll be damned… Another victim. Y’know this guy’s a deadbeat, right?” she asked very simply, smiling down at Nessa with almost a knowing grin.

A subtle thread of pink wrapping around Nessa’s own mind, suppressing the jolt of panic that shot through her so that it never reached her face. Pink Lux was such a blessing sometimes- the ability to manipulate her own emotions temporarily. Dampening the cloudy tipsiness for the moment.

The surge of guilt and sickness in the pit of her stomach was easy to hide even without magical manipulation. She’d spent so many years hiding it from the man who believed everything he was doing- was making her do- was right. And she’d wanted him to love her. So she couldn’t show it.

But it was difficult, when suddenly faced with a previous victim. No, someone identical to one.

Because the woman- Cadenza- was dead. She’d seen the body. Felt the lack of life. There was fuzziness to parts of the memory, meaning someone else had tampered with it, but that much was clear. She couldn’t forget. No matter how much she wished to, it could only be locked away by her own magic… and the lock always slipped open.

She’d been a rare case. Someone important. Nessa didn’t know why- and if she had then, it was all erased by him. But they’d both worked on her. There’d been someone else there too, a lot of the time- but their appearance was blurred and so many of the conversations turned to static.

Nessa had been in charge of further weakening a cracked Emotional Field, and layering more and more curses on top of the horrific ones her Father had already cast. Because he had so many other things to attend to. And it was good practice for her. There were few others as strong as that woman, she remembered him telling her.

What she remembered most was the smile. Cadenza had never stopped smiling. And that voice, reaching out as Nessa cast cruel spells within her mind. Telling her everything would be alright…

It wasn’t.

”Yeah, that’s what everyone’s been telling me.” Nessa responded calmly, the playful smile fading before being replaced with something more polite. The internal struggle was well hidden. The recognition completely suppressed. The only tell was a hand inching its way towards Garf, fingers seeking slim comfort in his fur.

He already knew, anyway. As long as Elay didn’t. But did that matter? Maybe he had no relation to that woman. Maybe they were half siblings on the other side. She could only hope so…

”I already got the warning from two other sisters today. I assume you’re… The oldest?” Based on the anxiety both Elay and Garf reacted with. Oldest, or most powerful. It didn’t particularly matter. Nessa’s mind shield held strong, in case this one had Pink too.

”I’m Nessa.” The hand not gripping Garf’s fur was held out to Moriah. Her head turned towards Elay to utter a sarcastic comment.
”Y’know, normally I’d save meeting the family for the third day.”

She appeared so nonchalant, just as she had with the other two sisters. Like her chest wasn’t restricting with horror. Self-hatred. For a brief moment she’d forgotten just how awful she was. But it all came back. Everything she’d done, could do. She’d used her magic again today. The curse on that poor man, then starting to crack an emotional field. Fuck, it was so easy to slip back into it. Because that’s what she was. A murderer- an abuser- just like her Father.

There was a momentary temptation to let it all out based on her assumption. To just say, I killed your Mother! If the woman in front of her now was anything like Elay, maybe she’d kill her immediately. It didn’t matter if it was slow or drawn out either. Just that it was deserved. But she couldn’t. Not when there was a sliver of hope, given to her by a fucking Eldritch Cat.

”You’ve got one thing wrong, though. I ain’t his victim. He’s mine.”

The two Motta both knew the subtle fluctuation of Luxal energy telling of a Pink Lux spell. Since neither Emotional Field was touched, however, both first could only assume that she'd done something to the opposite. Elay and Momo both waited for a reaction from the other for the briefest of moments, only for it to fade away.

Must be nervous… Fucking Pink garbage, gotta-

”Y'know, that's actually funny… Well, I hope whatever heartache and pain you decide to inflict on him, it's all natural. Magical pain is easy to inflict, after all. Right, Garf?”

Garf had been running double duty, pacifying the inquisitive nature of his charge who wanted to outright snap at her for using magic in the presence of a Matriarch, while simultaneously pacifying his own ego's feeling of wounding as he realized something far scarier than Nessa's own revelation…

”You can camouflage your energy from me, Moriah…”

”And you can sit at my dinner table tonight… Because we have a deal. A new case, Gentlemen.”

Moriah's massive arms swung the huge pan of cheese covered sauce down onto the table. It jiggled as it settled, and Moriah quickly pushed into the booth next to Nessa, taking her hand to shake.

”So!? What was it?” the massive woman asked, having to lean herself to the side to look down at Nessa.

Garf, of course, couldn't resist. Momo needed time with the humans at the table, so of course the little worm got his fill first. Keep the bastard distracted.
It was the oddest thing to feel the cat totally shrink away from Nessa's hand… Quite literally, in fact, as his rapidly shrinking form hoisted itself up into the pan of lasagna before literally diving in like a lake of pasta sauce. The finger sized cat dug a hole right through the top layer of cheese, then disappeared like an actual worm beneath the Earth.

”What was what?” Nessa’s eyes narrowed slightly. The magic she used? Could she tell? When her magic had been so subtle, and self targeted? It would be easy to come up with an excuse if that was the case. She could just say she was anxious, or some shit.

”What was it you find attractive about my little brother? I can spare you the time, energy and probably a black eye for your troubles…”

Maybe the Woods siblings still had some kind of love for Elay; they'd been with him longer technically… There was more sentiment between them than there was between the naturally Drowish society of a Cullan household and the only male offspring therein. But Momo certainly didn't have a problem making herself known… Not when it was by her grace alone that Elay wasn't starving. At least, that's how she wanted herself to feel…

The actual question wasn’t actually that much easier for Nessa to answer. Did she go with the surface answer? That he was attractive and actually good in bed? Actually satisfied her where a lot of exes had failed? Hurt her enough to alleviate the guilt and help her feel alive…

The deeper answer was out of the question. She wasn’t about to spill her guts about her loneliness, or that she hoped he’d be the one to put up with her. That the cat was convinced there was some connection, and she’d use anything she could to stay with someone. Didn’t matter how shitty a person they were. She was just as bad. Worse, maybe.

”His sparkling personality, of course.” She intoned, forcing herself to not shrink further into the booth and against the wall.
”It’s refreshing to be around someone that actually says what he means, even if half of it’s the most crass shit I’ve heard in my life.”

Her tone was dry, but it wasn’t all sarcasm. It was much better in her opinion that someone said what they meant. Then she wasn’t surprised by shit. Though, it wasn’t like she was stupid… She’d known many of her exes were toxic going into the relationships too. But the lies had been so much more frustrating.

”That, and the sex is pretty good. Surprisingly. I assumed he was all false arrogance. Most guy’s that big are. Maybe it helps that I'm enough of a crazy masochist to enjoy it all.” She shrugged one shoulder, not losing that dry evenness in her voice.
”But I don’t need another speech about how he’s dangerous, or a piece of shit, or whatever, thanks. I’m perfectly fine.”

”I mean it should be self evident, so I guess if you’re interested on getting off with sandpaper, grind that box away girlfriend. But the lecture ain’t about that. It’s about you, sitting here, and that you’d been offered something that the check cannot actually cash.” she cleared her throat, speaking in a rather businesslike fashion.

”I feed him because, when he’s actually on, he makes for a half-useful man. At the very least, he’s a torso and legs that I own. Now, this may not give you a very good impression of me. That’s fine. If you wanted a better one, you’d have come here seeking employment.”

”Moriah, ple-”

A thick burst of Italian arguing came from both sides, automatically translating in Nessa’s head thanks to her hours upon hours of stealing languages for free school credits.

”-Address me as you should, Cur! The disrespect is incredible, Lazarus! What I put up with!” she snapped, turning almost instantly to a griping tone that could’ve made anyone cringe.

Of course, Elay didn’t want to bow the knee… He only hoped Nessa didn’t speak fucking Italian, which… She did.

”Think for a second! Think! Why would I bring a woman here without business to attend to!? On what planet would I disrespect the Most Holy Sanctum, my Matriarch!?” he cowed, having to bite his tongue and refrain from using the more colorful and derogatory term for a Cullan Matriarch: Gluttonwomb.

For a moment, Moriah let the gears tick away in her head.

”Then what is this? She said-”

”We met on a case, she was on the same mark I was. She was working the angle completely differently; had me rethinking my whole approach when it comes to things like that. She’s an asset in more ways than one, My Matriarch. She’s your new Detective.”

Moriah’s eyes lit up. Suddenly, all the tension was gone. Suddenly, she could function without the fury of knowing there was a leech in her building eroding the little bit of goodwill she had left. Her grin became real, not something that was painted on her face as she mentally prepared to eject a lesser Adept and a greater Eldritch Abomination all in the same swing. Her head turned back to Nessa, nose scrunched up.

”You aren’t… You’re… Are you actually my employee?” she asked, conspiratorially as she desired to really confirm with Nessa without expecting that she’d understood the conversation.

Nessa didn’t give any indication that she’d understood the entire conversation between the two, head tilting in genuine confusion. She was trying to figure out what Elay’s angle was- but it would look like she was trying to figure out why Moriah was asking the question in the first place.

Presumably the right answer was yes, if Elay had pushed her towards it.

One hand came up to point at him.
”Oh, did he say that?” She smiled politely, like the idea of having to interact with this woman more didn’t make her skin crawl. Like the guilt was eating her from the inside. But to keep the company, and the house and food…

”Well, yes? I’d have to be, if you own him, and I’ve been working with him.” She decided to play it as safe as she could. Especially since she didn’t want it to be obvious she’d understood everything else they’d said… She’d save that for later. The strange fucking mental bowing from Elay… What the fuck exactly was a Matriarch, anyway? A sex thing?

Momo slapped the top of the table, causing a crack to rupture across the wooden surface.

”Well I’ll be wetter than a jaguar with a cayman in its mouth! Dumb shit, should’ve started off with that Elay!” Momo hooted, her bullhorn voice causing half the staff to quake with fear. Even Garf shot his head up out of the slowly collapsing lasagna lake to check on things.

Funnily enough, she looked embarrassed. Enough that, when she slid her finger across the crack to send a reconstitution spell into the wood grain, she playfully mouthed the word “oops”.

”We both have a tendency to act out, don’t we?” Elay asked her simply, wanting to point out that she had indeed not left him much of an opportunity to say anything.

Of course, he could have interrupted her, but with the way she’d tripped out over his so-called attitude, he had no reason to think she’d have even listened to begin with. And Momo didn’t do much to dissuade that way of thinking either.

”Ohhhh shut up, you deadbeat blackout fuck. Pointin’ out my tendencies, I’ll point you back toward the door. This woman don’t need your ass: She’s my new Detective! You said so yourself! So, what, Southie? You look like you had it rough; I can see the subtle wrinkles on your face. What kinda lights are flashin’ around in there? I felt a little Pink drag earlier; I’m guessin’ it was you since this idiot gave his away for a housecat with a weight problem.” she joked, immediately discluding Elay from the conversation as she graciously poured more wine into Nessa’s cup.

Nessa was distinctly uncomfortable with the idea of her being this new Detective without Elay. The possible job itself was fine, even though she didn’t actually have the skills. But only with him. At least, she had to stay close. Was this really just another way to get rid of her?! It didn’t matter if she had some financial stability if she was still alone. It would all slip away anyway.

She was smart enough to not react to her inner conflict or any of Momo’s sharper comments.

”Southie, yeah. Pink and Yellow. It was me… just dampening the wine’s effect.” Nessa smiled, half truthful on both accounts. She decided to leave out the Blue for now. Forever, if she could. Because it was never something seen positively… And then, with all she’d used it for towards the person she presumed was Momo’s mother. Did she know? Probably not. Her father was great at covering things up.

”Better with the Pink, though. My mother died before I kindled, so I didn’t have anyone to teach me the Yellow shit.” She continued, easily pulling up the story she’d been using the whole time she was in the South.
”Father stuck ‘round long enough to teach me a bit at least.”

She paused, picking up her glass to take another sip. The resisted the temptation to down it all. She would, later. To drown out all of the thoughts…
Putting it down, she inclined her head towards Elay.

”You’re right, I don’t need him, but he gotta lot I don’t. Makes up for my weaknesses, I suppose. I mean…” She gestured to herself- short stature, borderline unhealthily underweight.
”Makes things easier when I got someone who looks scary, and can back it up, y’know? Two brains are better than one and all the shit, specially when one can beat people up.”

Momo nodded.
”Oh, yeah… He’s real scary. Used to be scarier. Used to do things the rest of the Sisters couldn’t. Like make our Denmother weep over his treatment. I was gone by then, but I heard plenty.”

”Garf’s got a lot to offer, Moriah.” Elay said in simple protest.

Though, by then, the waiter was coming around with more wine, and was asking after what meals Nessa wanted made for her take-home. Not that it was implied at all, that she’d be ordering food by the catering tray the same way Elay and Garf did, and that the fact that she wasn’t eating like that hadn’t been relayed from chef to staff… They simply asked her what she’d been interested in on the menu, and knew to bring sample plates of each.

Nessa was a little confused when just pointing to one thing on the menu didn’t seem to be enough. Was there something wrong with just ordering a simple Lasagna? Some Italian tradition where they needed something else as well? Well… Whatever. Garf could just eat it, or something. After the waiter stared at her a little longer, she pointed to a couple more dishes just to be done with it.

Temporary distraction aside, Momo was already thinking about all the cases this woman could handle that she really didn’t need anyone like Elay involved in. Things that needed finesse and work ethic, not… Whatever he was.

”Nessa, Honey… I ain’t tellin’ you you gotta break up with your boytoy. If you like gettin’ whacked around a bit, or whatever, that’s fine! So long as it don’t affect your ability to work, I’ll never complain! But, and maybe my Omitter here did what he does so well and neglected to mention: But if you’re workin’ in my employ? I expect you to work. That means what I say it means, or I ain’t the Dutchess of Tuscania.”

That was a name that Nessa definitely would’ve heard in the news and on television. Madame Motta, the Dutchess of Tuscania. Alderman of the Fourth Ward. Well known for charitable contributions post-Cataclysm, as well as the city’s overall waste treatment facility found in the Sixteenth. Nessa had long escaped that kind of worldly influence by the time Momo rose to power, but local news was local news. Even if her Alderman seat was, like all 18 Aldermen, purely ceremonial, she was still a big deal for Cloverfield.

”And that, to me, means you’re going to be an asset whether or not Elay’s available. And, pretty soon, there’s going to be some time where that’ll be the case. I’ve got him working on a credible threat to Cloverfield as a city, which is going to be work up in the mountains. I expect that while he’s there, you’ll be able to dive in on some of the cases I know will get us good capitol. Northern cases, stuff that I think a more subtle touch will be necessary for. You may look a little tired, but with your skillset, any Blinds you meet ain’t gonna have any questions for you. Hopefully you ain’t as soft as some of my other girls when it comes to where you’ve been… Deer above, I’ve had a fucking long day…” she finished ominously.

Things were just getting better and better. A long stretch of time without Elay? Northern cases?

Looked like things weren’t going to work out after all. If these cases were anywhere near the upper echelons of the city, she’d be caught. Even if they weren’t… She probably wouldn’t have the drive to work them. Maybe the first few days, before the loneliness hit. Before she just stopped and hoped her life finally would too.

But that didn’t matter. What was the worst that happened? She got fired? Back to where she was, again? The inevitable? Fine.

”I ain’t soft with most things.” She answered, not entirely sure what was meant by that. She couldn’t ask, because it might give away that she wasn’t really from the South.

”Elay was pretty clear about there being actual work expectations.” Which was true, even if she hadn’t expected it to end up like this.
”It ain’t a problem. North’s much safer than the South- so I’ve heard, at least! Only gotta worry ‘bout anyone with magic anyway. So I’m sure they’ll be well within my abilities, don’t worry.”

She was certainly good enough at talking the talk, and pretending there wasn’t a gaping void inside of her. Slowly moving towards completely shutting down. She could feel it tugging at the edge of her mind, the depressive slump that came whenever the guilt got too bad. Of course seeing that face made it so bad. But, she was good at pretending too. Her whole life had been pretend!

”But… I’ll need identification and stuff. All’ve mine got destroyed by acid- y’know, cause’ve the attack. They ain’t been handing out new ones in the South either. It’s made things really difficult.”

”Tomorrow morning then. Don’t be late, Elay, getting her into the office down on Sefora. Denine will be there, unless you’d rather your secretary handle it for the Fifth?” Momo spoke confidently.

”Can you get it faked?” Elay asked in response, calmly mulling over a feeling in his head. His theory.

”What’s there to fake?” Moriah asked in a slightly confused fashion.

”She… Ain’t got a good face. People remember pretty ladies. They remember striking features.” he explained vaguely in return.

”Now’s not the time for flirting…-”
”-The Tazzakin Mask. Just… Imagine she didn’t have to blast every client? Hell, imagine if Kiki did Detective work?”

Momo considered their Changeling little sister’s prolific ability to be whoever else she wanted whenever she wanted. The Tazzakin Mask wasn’t an artifact that she wanted getting into the wrong hands, but…

”Hmmm… How about that? Sure, we’ll get your real idents replaced so you can live your life normally… But, why not let your work speak for itself? We’ve got this little mask, a temporary illusory field. Indistinguishable. Pop it on, we’ll make as many fake IDs as necessary to keep your game running. I kinda like it.”

That helped solve one problem, even if Nessa still wasn't too thrilled about the whole thing. But at least she wouldn't be risking being thrown in jail…

”Wow, does it work on people with magic too? I assume White Adepts'd see through it, but there ain't much getting past them anyway.” Nessa asked.
”Either way… I'd be stupid to say no to something like that. Magical manipulation isn't always foolproof. There's residue left behind, sometimes…”

Not by her, though. Not when she was trained by a Pink Lux master. Brute force had never been Charles’ way, anyway… And he needed to leave no traces on those he released from his experiments. Nessa still didn't know why some had been let go.

”Then I won't have to worry bout anyone guessing I'm from the South either. Not that I care, but it makes it easier to get places. Without magic. Like Elay said… Better to not have to blast everyone, right? Ain't exactly subtle.” She nodded.
”But I'll do whatever you want. You're the boss.”

Really, she was hoping for this to be over soon. The talk and the meal, which she was going to struggle to stomach. Then she could drink all the wine she wanted. Convince Elay to fuck away all her feelings, maybe. Or curl up and lose herself to it.

”Ain’t exactly subtle… Fair. What’s he got you on now?”

She took a fork from the table, leaning in and jabbing down into the tray to snap up a chunk of gooey cheese from the top before Garf ate all the lasagna from underneath it.

”Westwood, there’s a flop complex, maybe a hundred fifty rooms. Lady who runs it says she ain’t been gettin’ her usuals in. Says there’s been some kinda scheme going on with some magical cards. We’re lookin’ into it, Mo.” Elay promised.

”For what? You’re leaning on her?” Moriah asked.

”Place is a fucking maze. A few Orange Adepts would turn it into a fortified nightmare. We could have a strong base of operations to gain control of the Ward should the necessity ever come to it. Otherwise, she’s paying up for my hands, yes. I’m leaning.”

”How hard?”
”Close to six grand a month, official once we take care of this case. Five grand up front.” he said, waving his hand.
”Which, you already saw a cut of.”

”Ah, so that’s what that was? Right. Well, then fair’s fair. I have nothing to bitch at you over for once, Elay. Keep it up, there may be hope for this city yet. Nessa?-”

Moriah slipped her hand into the breast pocket of her pant suit coat, sliding out a bright gold business card.

”-Keep in touch. Because otherwise, I’ll have to make sure you do. The plan doesn’t change: Report to the registry building here in Tuscania tomorrow morning, my contact will get the paperwork made for you to use inside. We’re pushing the holiday here, so I want it done as soon as possible, no gaps after Thursday. We’re in the hole on the business and I want us to crawl out. Capice?”

She stood from her seat, and the whole bench relaxed. As if she didn’t much care about the answer, she was already half backing out.

”Good, glad to hear it. See you on the other side, then.”
And she was gone. Elay turned his head to look at her with a dead expression.

”And… That’s the woman who feeds me. You were right. My oldest sister, Moriah. Doesn’t leave much room for discussion on things.” he shook his head, taking a deep breath.

”No kidding…” Nessa intoned, the polite smile melting away from her face to leave very little emotion. She stared at the business card in her hands for a moment, before putting it away in her coat pocket.

Then she reached for her nearly full wine glass, tipping it back and drinking until it was dry. The Pink spell on her brain to prevent alcohol's effect from really taking hold loosened. She needed it. Fuck, she needed it. But before it could get to bad she carefully tightened her mind shield, locking a section away from herself. Easy to unlock sober, a little harder drunk.

”I probably could've just nodded the whole time and it wouldn't have changed shit, would it?” She asked, already knowing the answer. Wasn't like Moriah had needed anything other than agreement- had expected it.
”Fucking hell. You're lucky I'm quick on my feet… but I ain't looking forward to dealing with that more.”

She frowned even as her body relaxed slightly as the wine started to circulate her system, though it did nothing for the sickness she felt towards herself. She wanted to press. Find out if that woman was Elay's mother too… To know just how guilty she should feel. But she couldn't just outright ask it. Did she even want to know? Wasn't it better to be left in the dark? To just have one face to feel horrified over. Ignore all the similarities she was now seeing in the others. But it wasn't so bad, for him. Didn't bring up the memories, thank fuck.

”So… how many other sisters you got?” She asked, reaching to refill her glass.
”Any of them… Normal? I hope there ain't any others as intense as that. And there's only so many times I can go through the 'y'know he's a piece of shit' talk before I snap. At least you don't have to worry about it for me, cause I ain't got any family to warn you ‘bout shit you already know.”

Elay shook his head.
”A few. And no, none of us are normal. My family comes from a hidden place, where we still follow a lot of old rules. It's like a spider colony… the biggest ladies make the rules, all others fall in line to avoid being eaten. For men? We're expendable. Thus, the whole… Owning thing. When Our Lady, the previous Matriarch leading our house disappeared, Momo took things over and ran with it.”

The case… The case. She was so willing to drop the ball nowadays, it felt like she had to be involved. How else would she feel nothing? How could she not force every bit of herself into doing what he couldn't: To physically turn the city upside down in the hunt for the single greatest Cullan Matriarch in their histories? He could only assume she was willfully non-compliant.

But she fed him. What good was he otherwise, if not physically intimidating people she wanted him to while solving rich people's petty matrimonial disputes through court servings? Worthless. Of no good use. She saw him for what the rest of their secret society saw him as: A workhorse.

”But, they do get less intense the younger you go. Little Miss Kiki is nineteen, she dances next door. Mo is… Hard to remember how old she is, but I think she was sired like thirty-two years ago? 13 long, happy years to collect ‘em all.” he explained, just trying to avoid a deeper conversation by giving her what she asked for at the surface.

When Our Lady disappeared… it was a strange thing to call your Mother, but Nessa could only assume that was the case if his oldest sister had taken over. So Matriarch was used in the literal, age old sense? Head of a household, some shit. But it could be someone else. Maybe… Maybe Our Lady wasn't his mother! Maybe the woman she knew was dead wasn't the one who'd gone missing!

The slim hope made her feel just as sick as the guilt.

”Sired’s a weird fucking way to put it. But that's a lotta years between oldest and youngest.” Nessa commented, taking long drinks of her wine. Was it part of old rules stuff? Was it why Elay was such an asshole? Suppressed his whole life for being a boy, became the biggest dick around when given some freedom? She could understand that. A bit.

”So… Was your dad completely subservient to your mom, then? Like she owned him?” She couldn't hold back her curiosity about the whole thing. It was so different from what she knew…

Technically, her parents had been equals. Maybe not emotionally, with her Mother actually in love and her Father just wanting an heir. But she wasn't subservient to him at all. Malaya was a successful woman of her own accord. A defence Engineer who now had her own Engineering and Security Company… it was nothing on what Charles had, but from what Nessa knew she'd never used his money. There was no ownership. Not between them.

Just her.

”And I thought my parents relationship was fucked up. Well, maybe convincing someone to have your kid under false pretenses is just as fucked. But ain't like they lasted anyway.” She waved a hand, alcohol pleasantly buzzing in her mind now. It didn't make her happy, or anything. Just dampened things a tiny amount. Enough to stop her from falling apart…
”Assuming 'Our Lady' is your Mom, course. It ain't exactly the normal thing to call her…”

”Our Lady was my genetic sire. Hence, the odd phrasing. Green Lux. Our mother was… Not that. Still subservient, in a way. But, Our Lady never treated her like that. Some Matriarchs were abusive toward their Consorts, but uh… My Ma was a Motta. Our Lady was sure to give her the name, so that she’d have the same kind of rights as my Sisters did within the structure of our greater Coven. Protection under the direct stewardship of the Highest Dame, Esponadia Motta, and the assurance that should Our Lady no longer be able to provide for us, that the family would be able to subsist.”

He remembered it all like he’d never left it. The structure, the position, his place among it all, had been so tightly crammed into his head that it felt like a cyst ready to burst at all times. Garf had long undone the actual programming, but the passages that the Pink Lux had intentionally burrowed into his brain had been doing so for so long that it was an unavoidable tick. Probably the same reason he was so willing to put up with Nessa’s crap now.

Why he was so willing to just… Talk. Even with her gone, he could feel his Ma’s tender magical touch, like the hand through his hair across the surface of his mind. Tingling. He remembered the old Trattoria Culla in the Leopold Building, and eating spaghetti only to scarf down half a basil leaf and start choking. How that face looked down at him and giggled as he hacked it up, then patted his head when she expressed her pride. Pride that he’d handled it himself… A strong boy.

”When I finished up in the service, I was… Supposed to start looking for ‘em. Cadenza and Nikkita Motta: Missing Mom’s Matriarch. That’s the file in my drawer… It’s just about empty. Can’t find a fucking thing. And if I can’t find anything, Garf won’t help. Since he won’t help, I can’t find anything. But that's all I want to do. The only case that interests me is the one that helps me find something that has to do with either of those fucking names… But the fucking city blew up!” he snapped finally, not knowing what to do with the mounting tension in his own mind.

”And so, obviously I’ve got a business to run. She wants me to just be that now. Even though I’m the one who got sold off to a cult of hillbilly coal miners!” he instinctively went for the carafe, guzzling from it like it was a massive stein of booze.

Nessa was struggling to keep calm, half choking down the rest of the wine in her glass. Fuck. Fuck!

It was the worst case. She’d been so focused on Moriah looking like Cadenza, that she forgot Garf asking her about Nikkita. But she never would have guessed they were Elay’s mothers. How- How did that work?! Nikkita had been helping her Father. His assistant, perhaps the closest he had to a true equal. And Cadenza had…

Fuck. She knew. She knew what had happened to them. One, at least! She had no idea where Nikkita was now. But she could guess. She’d betrayed Charles after all, she was probably continuing his work by herself. She was the reason Nessa was in this fucked up mess in the first place. There’d been a warning she hadn’t from the woman before… To come to her place for that night…

So, she probably wanted Nessa too. The controllable Pink-Blue Adept.

She barely heard what Elay said after the case. Didn’t have the capacity to reflect on how open he was after being so touchy up until now. It certainly wasn’t alcohol loosening his tongue… But it didn’t matter what had caused it. Because now she was stuck. What did she do?

Leave. Protect yourself. Being alone is better than-

”I can help.” Why?!

Alcohol made people say impulsive things. Loneliness, and wanting to be finally judged for what she’d done, sealed her own grave. Whatever happened, it would be something she wanted. He was grateful and stayed, or he hurt and maybe killed her. So long as… She never had to go back to that… To doing that. Hurting people. Not when she’d finally escaped. The state she’d been in was better.

”I ain’t like the cat. There’s no rules… Or any of that shit. I can- I bet my magic’ll help! It ain’t white, but it’s pretty good for finding things. People. Just not b-bodies…”

Fuck, but she knew. She knew already. She could just tell him. And what, lose any chance she had at all? It wasn’t just her that had killed Cadenza. In reality, it was all of the curses layered on top of her. But she’d been in her mind when it happened. When the light was snuffed out. It was her Pink Lux that was the final blow. Killing the one victim who didn’t blame her… Someone who seemed to genuinely believe she’d get out of it. She’d felt it in the end. All the Joy…

It only made it all feel worse.

She grabbed a carafe Elay wasn’t holding to refill her glass, taking another long drink. It wasn’t smart. She should stop… but she couldn’t.
”I don’t understand any of the Coven or Matriarch or Dame shit… But we ain’t so different, y’know. Sold, used, abandoned, whatever. But at least I know my parents are dead.” I wish they were. “So I’ll help you find yours. Cause I’m nice like that. I- I know people in the South that went missing. Before the Cataclysm. It almost happened to me! I- Maybe it was the same thing?”

She needed an excuse to ‘find’ things. Because she didn’t want him knowing who she was, or what she’d done. Not until it wasn’t possible to hide it anymore. But she could drag it out. She would need to figure out where Nikkita had ended up, anyway…

”You think it’ll help your fuckin’ case… Whatever. Look all you want. If I ain’t found anything, sure as shit you won’t.”

Garf breached a near empty pan from the last full corner of lasagna. Blood-colored and distended in this tiny form, he was all sauce and matted fur.

”Oh, Lazarus my boy. Why not let her in?-” he asked with a somewhat strained voice.
”-What harm could she possibly do? Have you ever sought a fresh scope or perspective since you started?”

”Every person questioned was a fresh perspective.” Elay snarled.

”They weren’t! It was the same story, over and over again. Nobody knows anything. What was the only consistent lead?”

All memories died after a walk in Cardamom Park. A little park up in the Ninth Ward, where it was almost always empty on the weekends. A Saturday stroll, nobody around, suddenly everyone self-actualized in the same place. The same park bench. The same little Pink spell that just melted away whenever Garf tried to grab it.

He tucked his head. Garf simply didn’t have the subtlety. That was exactly what Moriah had suggested then, and it was the same now. Finesse of a Pink Lux Adept. Just like Nikkita would’ve done. Like she never taught him to be.

”If… You’re serious about this at all? If you really wanna keep your setup how it is? You’ll go to Cardamom Park up in the Ninth District when I leave. I’ve got reason to believe that the people I questioned in my initial investigation were mind-wiped by a Pink Lux Adept. I think you can help. One woman still goes every Saturday. Garf keeps tabs.” he admitted, knowing exactly where his last lead would be at all times was crucial… For picking up where one left off.

”And, you’ll do it, right Nessa? Because it’s certainly something you can handle? A little trip to the park one day?” he asked her ominously.

Nessa looked at Garf, eyes narrowing slightly, then back to Elay.
”I will. Pink Lux is my speciality, after all. There aren’t many spells I can’t figure out.”

What choice did she have, anyway? Maybe this was a chance to atone. To prove she wasn’t like them… Even though she knew she was. But she had to help if she was going to stand any chance of not being thrown away the moment Elay found out anything.

Either, it was Charles magic, it was Nikkita’s, or it was her own- somehow. Charles did have her erase memories sometimes. She could trace all of them… Figure any out. Because both had taught her. But if it was recent, there was only one person it could be. Unless it was unrelated entirely.

”Has this been happening since the Cataclysm? The mind wiping? I assume your Moms didn’t go missing recently?”

”No. Six years ago. I was on my first tour of duty, earning my stripes killing for my Government. I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. But, the wiping seems like it stopped then. Like none of the subjects had been tampered with after a certain date.” he replied calmly, staring into his glass as his and Nessa’s meals for that evening finally arrived at the table.

He had four or five plates, which he spread apart from the last of the Lasagna so Garf didn’t breach out and into his minestrone soup.

”Ahhhh, you’re already further than you were five minutes ago… See? She’s useful. You want her around, Elay.” Garf intoned, dragging himself clean with his tongue before inflating back up to a normal sized cat.

He batted the empty pan off the table with his tail, clearing his throat and smiling with his eyes at Nessa.

’You did great. She’s got no clue. Moriah Motta’s nothing like Cadenza was, honey… Sharp as a river stone, frankly.’ he intoned between their minds.

’Hah. Most people wouldn’t think their shitty brother’s new girl also killed their Sire, anyway.’ Nessa shot back, not feeling much comfort in his words.

Temporary safety, maybe. But how long could it last?

”Six years ago… Must be strong if it’s still lingering.” She commented out loud, looking down at her food with a frown. Multiple plates… Why were there multiple plates? Because the waiter had expected her to order that? Her portions were nowhere near the size of Elay’s, but it was still far too much.

She not so subtly pushed the Carbonara and Risotto ai funghi plates towards Garf, leaving just the Lasagna in front of her. She very slowly started to pick at it.
”Whoever it was probably moved location. I’ll be able to trace it.”

If it was some of their victims, it sounded like a cursed command. On saturday, go to Cardamom Park. But what would be the reason for something like that? She didn’t remember casting it. It was too late to be when she was practicing such rudimentary spells anyway… Maybe it wasn’t that. Maybe it was a non magical habit.

She knew why the tampering had stopped, at least, even if she’d never been privy how Charles got people. Or why he released them- just that he did. Layered curses, then let them back into the world as if nothing had changed. Memory wiped. Dormantly cursed.

No, she did know, didn’t she? It was part of his plan to take over the city. The plan that failed because Nikkita betrayed him…
”But it won’t be to the source if it’s been so long. Probably to the next place they got people- assuming they did, and it wasn’t a short lived thing. But all magic has a signature. Pink’s easily traceable with other Pink… But you probably remember that, right?”

”I do.” he replied very simply, suddenly clamming shut again. Or, maybe it was the fact that there was something he actually wanted to eat in front of him. His fork dug into his plate of alfredo, dragging the noodles into his gullet over and over again.

”He knows that if whatever information I find would be too revealing, I won’t give it to him.” Garf grinned to himself, quickly going to town on Nessa’s order of carbonara. With a mouth half-full, he spoke perfect English still.

”So, you’ll have to let him know what you find out there. It’s not a dead lead, you two. I promise.”

Elay only took a break to pour more wine down his throat. Then it was onto the cutlets, giving Nessa and Garf plenty of time to know with one another.

”Can’t you swallow before you talk?” Nessa made a face at Garf, gesturing with her fork to Elay.
”Even he knows not to talk with his mouth full…”

She paused to eat a little bit herself. It was really good. The best food she’d tasted in a long time. It was a shame she felt so sick it was difficult to swallow. It would probably come back up later…

”Good to know it ain’t. Then I’ll trace it, find the source eventually.” Like she didn’t already know who the source was. But she had to find one. Maybe… Maybe it could all be pinned on Nikkita.

”I won’t even try use anything I find as leverage. I’ll share it with no fuss… Ain’t that nice of me? I don’t seem so bad now, do I?”

Her head tilted slightly, a mental thread opening with Garf again.
’You really won’t reveal anything?’

’We’re not so different, you and I… We both want the same simple thing. A willing host, and a little bit of tender love and care. I can share them both knowing that the key is so close to the lock.’ he replied in her head with a smugness that couldn’t be measured on his feline face.

”Just quit being so fuckin’ annoying and we’ll be golden.” Elay commented as he split a roll open to slide a few cutlets onto it, followed by a scoop of the leftover alfredo sauce.

”Quit being an asshole and I’ll consider it.” Nessa shot back, before digging into her own meal.

---

Elay's Apartment

While Pink Lux helped control the effects of alcohol on the brain, it had its limits. Especially with the amount Nessa drank by the end of the night. She could still walk- could absolutely still fuck like she planned to later. But the last thread of Pink holding back all the shit that shouldn’t spill out faded when they got back to Elay’s apartment.

At least she’d locked away everything she really couldn’t let him know.

”Oh nooo, looks like I’ve ended up in the place so many people told me to avoid today.” She slurred, before giggling. She was able to hold it in long enough to get out of the entrance hall, at least, before she turned to look at Elay with squinted eyes and a playful smile again. Both flirtatious and taunting.

Back to what she’d been like before, only further fueled by the alcohol and lack of outside company. All the things she hadn’t brought up before clamouring in her mind. She wanted to taunt him. Piss him off… Get him to react in some way that might hurt her. Cause she deserved it. Fuck, she did, and she needed it to shut down her fucking self hatred.

She moved closer to him, whole body leaning toward his. One hand moved towards his chest while the other went to caress his arm.
”So… You gonna reward me for all my good behaviour? Or did your ‘Matriarch’ rip your dick off earlier along with your balls?”

He’d been dealing with Nessa’s usual crap since they managed to get out of Allebella’s with the order. Garf was kind enough to carry the large bundles up, bones poking from his flesh as morbid hangars to keep the bags held on during the ascent. Back to that cold, quiet place. Lifeless furniture, cold lights. But, a warm touch. Perhaps the first time he’d felt like there could be more than whatever they’d been doing up until now.

Just for her to ruin it. It didn’t matter how warm her skin was, or how much she clung to him after the fact. She just couldn’t help herself, and-

”Why the fuck would you say that?!” he blurted out, pulling away from her instinctively and stepping a few paces off.
”You… Fuckin’ dumb? What? ‘Sat sp’osed’a turn me on or sum? Explain that shitty dumb logic to me, huh?”

Nessa pouted when he pulled away. Wasn’t like he was winding up for a strike, or anything. She’d have to push more. Or did she throw it all away and lean into the flirting, the fleeting warmth…?

No, no, no. She didn’t deserve that. She only deserved suffering. Hatred. Especially from him.

”What, I was just checkin’! Don’t wanna get too excited if it ain’t workin’ anymore… You wanted me to wait and see?! Strip first and hope?!” She snorted, rolling her eyes. She stepped forward back into his space.
”It’s s’posed to rile you back up! I ain’t into grovellin’, submissive men.”

His brain couldn’t quite wrap around what the fuck she was getting at.

”So… You think I’m a pussy? Is that it? What, me cavin’ someone’s head in front of you ain’t enough?” he gripped his hands into themselves slowly, taking himself out of the sightline so he didn’t keep staring at her.

She was questioning him about his manhood. About how Momo had treated him in front of her. Of course she was.

”Great. Great! Glad I brought you there. So good to know you fit in so well with every other cunt in my life. You gonna be Moriah’s little spy now? Gonna go blab to her about every time I’m drunk, huh? Get in nice and close? She’ll happily fuck you! Bigger dick than me too, knowing her. She can’t fuckin’ keep the same shape day after day, Big Green Bitch. Go ahead, Nessa. Go, go and get your fucking Matriarch, go and be with the goal.” he said coldly from behind the wall.

Garf was busy putting bags into the freezer with his manipulatory hands, leaning his body to one side and listening to the conversation with the other.

”Oh, you think I’m that much of a slut? Why would I let that bitch fuck me?! Just cause she’s some psycho misandrist?!” And she looked like someone Nessa had killed! But she couldn’t say that.

Like always happened, her goading turned back on her and she began to get pissed. Until he dropped her she’d be loyal- she wasn’t a fucking cheater, even if whatever they had was mostly just fucking.
”I didn’t even want the fucking job! I just played along to stop you from getting kicked out! I don’t give a fuck about her or whatever the fuck she wants… But yeah, you looked a lot like a pussy in there! The least you could do is prove it ain’t the case. Cause you were the one going all ‘My Matriarch’ this and that- why the fuck would I wanna do that same shit?! It was bad enough seein’ you do it!”

There was a loud thrashing: the wrenching of a side table and all the things on it flying into the door next to it, snapping it in half with the main bulk continuing on into the wall beyond. As he came around the corner, he had a lamp base in his hand with the chord half-snapped. It was only in his hand for a moment before it was hurdling past Nessa’s head. It wasn’t like he wanted to miss, he just wasn’t exactly sharp. He would’ve happily beamed it off of her head.

But she ducked, and that only pissed him off more. His body, still contorted from the motion of throwing, twisted back toward the opposite direction to straighten out. His right hand followed the momentum, catching her just beneath the nose across the chin and mouth. It was a deep backhand, causing the noise of slapping flesh to echo across the half-empty apartment. His left hand automatically moved to grip her by the collar, right hand cocking back.

”Act like you know any more and I’ll fucking kill you! Do you fucking hear me!? Are you fucking listening!? Shut the fuck up!” he screamed down at her, only for the loud thumping of paws to end before abruptly knocking the massive man out of the way.

Garf blocked Nessa’s body as she righted herself, both massive front paws smashing off the floor with a tremendous roar.

As Nessa tilted backward to catch herself on the wall behind her, she let out a short laugh. Her lips pulled up into a smile- a bloodied one, but a smile nonetheless. One foot kicked out as if to knock the massive cat out of the way.

”Let him fucking do it, you fat piece of shit. You know I can take more. You fuckin’ know.” She sneered, smirking at Elay beyond him.

It was what she’d wanted, after all. Goaded him towards. How fucked up… She wanted him to get violent, then still expected the night to proceed like it should have. But wasn’t it mutually beneficial? He got out all his anger, and she was able to feel like maybe she deserved to live for a moment.

”I know plenty, Elay! I heard it all... You became subservient so quickly! So go on, prove that ain’t you. Get more violent, keep screaming at me! Non me ne frega una cazzo. (I don’t give a fuck)”

She… Spoke Italian? She spoke Italian… She heard him talk, and lie to keep her there. Lie to keep her fed. Only for it to backfire in his face. And here she was, throwing it all at him. And he had no defense. There was little hesitation as he pushed himself back up onto shaky legs and moved forward.

”Elay, Elay, no! No!”

Garf pushed up on his back legs, and was at a paw’s swipe from Elay’s head when he vanished. Just as Garf had his private time, so too did Elay have the opportunity to cash that in. He never usually did, and thus never worried about not having an instance to use when he really needed the peace. Like now, when he was going to do what he wanted right now.

Within a few seconds, he was bent over top of her with both hands around her shirt again. Yanking her close, he pressed his face into hers.

”You wanna act like you know shit, Nessa? Know shit somewhere else.”

He slammed her up against the wall, planting his lips against hers as his free hand swung the door to the apartment open. The hand still gripping her shirt forced her away, tossing her into the hall like a doll as the door slammed shut.

Nessa landed on her ass, before immediately rolling over onto all fours and pushing herself up. But she wasn’t fast enough to stop the door. All at once it came crashing down.

Of course he had his limits. Of course he was too much of a pussy to actually kill her. The throbbing pain in her back and face was at least a temporary relief. Right back where she belonged.

A thread of Pink slithered under the door, slamming words across Elay’s Emotional Field.
Mangia merde e morte. (Eat shit and die)

The response wasn’t Elay. It was never his Emotional Field to begin with, after all.
Nessa, don’t go anywhere! Just, sleep in the hall! It’ll be-
And then he was gone.

It’ll be what? Okay? Even if he’d finished what he was going to say, Nessa wouldn’t have done it. She didn’t believe it. It was over, again. Her fault, again.

Smart enough to realise it, but never to actually change…

Mentally projecting a middle finger towards an inaccessible Emotional Field, she pushed herself to her feet. It had been an almost fun two days. She’d felt more alive than she had in a while. How nice.

Now, she’d go back to the filth where she belonged.

Iron and Honey: A Love Story [FernStone & AtomicEmperor]

“Is that what you’re hoping for?” asked Ezra, pushing up from his chair. The faintest twitch at the corner of his lips hinted that he was possibly just fucking with Casey. “I got a security force on overwatch prepped for evac if things get too awkward. Unfortunately, I have an unusually high tolerance when it comes to annoying little brothers.”

“I am just dying to see the remains of this feast,” said Tansy, obviously unhappy about the whole honored guests being left to scavenge through the cold scraps that had already been rummaged through and picked over by the dirty little hands of the common man.

Tansy took point, with Ezra falling in behind Casey and Trisha, effectively trapping the couple in an unhappy Vanburen sandwich. Tansy appeared to have pulled something in her neck, given how frequently she was shaking it as they came closer and closer to the spread. Perhaps she was even suffering a minor stroke, given by how her lip had curled up into a sneer on one side of her face and seemingly froze. Ezra seem unbothered by the whole affair, although perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he appeared uninterested.

He did take the opportunity to engage Casey, if only to avoid being interrogated by Junior more about his mother while they were in line. Big fucking surprise–the cult baby had mommy issues. Ezra doubted Junior was the only one.

“So what is the plan once the honorable discharge goes through?” asked Ezra. “We can quit trying to pretend that anyone in either of our families actually has to do anything to get by better than most, but surely you still want to be somebody.”

Trisha had been bombarded by so much love by Casey that any displeasure at being trapped between her siblings was overwhelmed, for now. She was just happy to be standing beside him, able to slot right in at his side and lean on him slightly as they joined the queue. She only hoped a little bit that Tansy was actually having a stroke rather than showing her displeasure, not even urging it on like she normally would… She was trying her best to hold onto the positive. The warm feeling of love she got from her fiance to be.

“Casey’s already left the army. He's working in security now." Trisha answered Ezra first, glancing up at Casey with a smile that turned much less sappy when her gaze when back to her brother.
“He isn't the type to stay idle-” like me- “just because we're comfortable financially. Isn't that right, Case?"

She was curious what Casey was going to say. The truth? That they planned to move somewhere remote together and buy plenty of land, so Casey could have his animals and plenty of place to dig his holes for hot springs, bunkers and the like. That wasn't likely to go down well with Ezra… So would he lie, make something up that'd sound better? Would she want him to, so Ezra didn't judge them? She wasn't sure…

Casey let the gears in his head turn for a moment as he tried to figure out what Ezra meant. He presumed that there was a military job? And that he was… Just leaving? He immediately straightened out and stuck out his hand toward Ezra.

”Dude… I get what happened, so I’ll just apologize outright. Honestly, I thought you were calling me a leech just because, but clearly we just misunderstood one another. The job thing. Trisha’s right, I’m working security as we speak. I’m head of Temple security! Up and down the West Coast! It’s been my unsteady gig for as long as the War’s been over, but recently I came into it full time! Been great, but it’s always been a temporary stepping point!”

His enthusiasm was immediately filling his voice again. Granted, he’d not fully considered the idea that crashed through his head, but it wasn’t an impossibility if it was something that could be explained. Maybe he’d actually be impressed.

”I’ve got plenty of my own money to finance my ambitions… I’m not looking for investors, nor am I interested in dipping my hands into whatever Trisha has. Never have been. But, being somebody is good! I’ve gotten used to being somebody in the scope of my career, and doing security in the private sector has kind of rekindled my appreciation for, like, leading people.”

“Oh good,” said Ezra with a faint smile, assuming Temple Security was some kind of euphemism for Thought Police. “I was worried that you would say something stupid like how you planned to pursue a degree in literature.”

As they got closer to the serving area, the actual makeup of it became more clear. All of Andrade’s restaurants were represented, and there seemed to be two lines for each serving area. This was no normal buffet: The gastronomic requirements of this lavish expenditure of foodstuffs made full-fledged kitchens located just off the side of the platform. It had to be a hundred and fifty or more people toiling like madmen, while the serving area itself spiraled off into tendrils leading to each of the serving tables.

People carrying steaming hot trays constantly replaced food as some of the Richoux clan took two plates from each table. There was a decision before them, as to where to find food from. Noticing how confused and frustrated Tansy looked, Junior had a perfect opportunity to sweep in.

He held an empty tray with a few empty plates, and offered it up to her.
”Miss Tansy! Come on, let me help you love, you look so confused! I’m surprised my Mother hadn’t explained her grand vision for the food did she? Surely, you’ll be interested in the Madre Verde table? Definitely the most health-forward table here tonight, come on! Fresh salad, beautiful greens, something to be thankful for!” he chided, waving her on like a six and a half foot tall butler.

“Darling, I think you must be the one confused if you think that is what that look was,” said Tansy, meagerly hiding her repulsion as she produced a hidden handkerchief to add a degree of separation between herself and the salad tongs as she very cautiously plated three leaves and a single slice of cucumber onto her plate. ”I suppose it must be nice for the kitchen staff to not have to work so hard. It is a holiday after all.”

Junior instinctively leaned in toward her like a cat looms over a mouse before the final blow.

”Oh my God... You… You don’t know, do you!? Oh, you precious soul, never change.” Junior smiled with incredible smugness, shaking his head and making his bid for the first plate.

As for poor Casey, he simply couldn’t make heads or tails of Ezra. Not without magical prodding to get the job done partly. As if a degree in literature was any less useful than a degree in biochemistry at any kind of basic human level? Or any other silly degree people went to school for.

But he didn’t shake the hand… As if whatever that had been wasn’t worth finishing.

”Nah, no literature degree. No degree, really, but I’m one Hell of a fast learner. I intend on finding people to teach me the ropes around business, then surpassing them in capacity. Total job security, right?” he asked, looking around at all the different tables.

”What uh… What line are you getting into? Italian food? Hispanic food? Or are you going straight for the desserts?”

Trisha’s nausea started crawling back into her throat at the overwhelming smell of all the food. The appetite that had come back for a short while was gone again, soundly destroyed by all the belittling conversations at the table. But she had to eat something, otherwise Casey would worry more. And she definitely couldn’t look as picky as Tansy, with her barely existent salad.

And she was worried Ezra would latch onto Casey’s lack of degree and try to insult his intelligence because of it. She didn’t want that. Maybe she could redirect him…
“Andrade had a hand in deciding the menu for every table. All the chef’s are trained by him… But no matter what you pick, it’ll be something he thought of.”

“Greatest chef in St. Portwell yet still managed to somehow forget a classic like stuffing?” said Ezra, drifting past the lack of degree comment like he’d drifted past the ill-timed attempt at a handshake. His tone lightened. “Thank god. It’s nice to see some variety. I’ve already had enough bread, so maybe we’ll see how a turkey taco translates.”

As Ezra moved to fill his plate with a Thanksgiving meal that would make his forefathers roll in their grave, Tansy seemed more distracted by Junior than the food in front of her. The thought of not knowing something was absolutely haunting, especially if it was some kind of juicy gossip.

“Now Maxwell that is just simply unfair. I thought these Temple events were the time to share family secrets. You simply must tell me what it is!”

Unfortunately for her, expecting gossip out of this particular string tug was the wrong direction to look. As Junior promptly loaded one of his seven plates, intending on making a preliminary goaround before settling on what provided the most joy. But, what gave joy now was superseded by Junior’s ravenous need to “educate the ignorant” as he saw it.

”Tansy, there’s no secret here… A top-quality buffet style dining experience, served in quantities that you see around you? It’s so much more work than banquet-style formal dining. Knowing exactly how many portions you’re serving versus an infinitely depleting buffet table… It’s a big difference. This is a lot of work.” he explained calmly, pointing out at the toiling masses.

”There’s a chance you’ve never bothered to look at a professional kitchen, but rest assured that every single member of Andrade’s staff across all seven restaurants are here at a hundred and ten percent capacity. Please eat a little more than a slice of cucumber. At least let me put something together for you.”

Calmly in voice alone, the expression on Junior’s face was one of murder. As if, in her abject disinterest, Tansy Vanburen had somehow managed to trigger him instead. Truthfully, he was. There was a reason Andrade held eleven stars across the five establishments that qualified, and the way he saw it, there was an ultimate ignorance being perpetuated. The same mouth that would eat at its private table now stuck its nose up at the food open for all God’s creatures to consume…

Except for one tiny detail, insignificant to anyone outside their world… Tansy was a Blind. There wasn’t even a sniff of Lux on her. Pure as the driven snow, unable even to perceive the subtleties around her. He only wished for Pink lux of his own in these moments.

“Really? Well, I suppose food is better when someone else plates it for you,” said Tansy, either not noticing Junior’s face or, more likely, noticing how she had struck a nerve and now taking the opportunity to further poke it.

Casey, meanwhile, watched with far more joy as Ezra bothered putting things on his plate. Even if he ended up not eating any in the end, at least he bothered to save face… Otherwise, he feared Junior may have an actual crashout. He could tell when his younger brother was no longer having fun: When he got polite. When he could no longer avoid extrapolating every single point as moment to moment became one slight after another.

”French meat stuffing: May not even recognize it, honestly. Spiced pork, bread crumb, but it ends up being a different consistency and visual than the American boxed stuff… Or wherever it comes from, I uh… Don’t really like stuffing. Babe? You okay? Don’t try too hard, y’know we’re gonna have weeks and weeks worth of leftovers available.” he looked down at Trisha and smiled widely, doing his best to get her smiling too.

After all, they only had to be here so long. Food, then wait for Casey’s spot in the night’s speaker list. Formally announce things, then off into the dark of the night. Right?

“I’m okay. It's just, y'know, earlier…" She didn't just mean the potential Lynette child conversation by earlier. It was everything. All the conversations. The setting. She struggled to eat in a group setting as it was. Nevermind all the other things affecting her appetite… Casey knew at this point how variable it was.

But she couldn't help but smile back at him. They were in this together, at least. Her smile turned softer and more present. Just having him notice she felt a little off helped ease the nausea.
“I’ll be alright as long as we're together. So don’t worry, I'll eat more than a couple of leaves. I should be able to manage a small plate, I think. I don't want to miss out on having some while it's fresh from the kitchen. Anyway, it's our first Thanksgiving together, it'll be less special if I don't make the most of it- food and all."

Her eyes creased cutely at Casey before she took a plate. As she started to serve herself, it became quickly obvious she was just following a bit behind Ezra like a baby duck. Maybe it was that they had the same taste… But more than that, it meant she didn't have to decide where to go. She would have followed Casey, but she knew he'd ask what she wanted. She didn't actually have a strong preference. But she was careful to only put stuff on her plate she knew wouldn't be a problem for Casey- avoiding red meat completely.

“I’m impressed that you’re putting up with this,” said Ezra lowly to Trisha, still acting as if a private conversation was something possible after feeling all of those pesky brushes at the dinner table. “Going to something like this in the first quarter of a relationship is typically a dealbreaker for me. I prefer to be able to pretend that the person I’m dating is an only child orphan for as long as possible. At least I don’t have to worry about being the biggest asshole brother here tonight.”

Ezra nodded towards the other table, where Junior was helping Tansy make a pasta mountain upon her plate that would surely go untouched as she said, “I believe we’ve already made enough work for these poor souls forced to man the kitchens, haven’t we Maxwell? That’s good.”

“I know neither of us are her biggest fan, but do me a favor tonight? Keep an eye on her glass whenever he’s nearby,” said Ezra with a dark chuckle as he continued to fill his plate.

“R-really, that’s enough Maxwell! Think of the proletariat!”

”Oh, I am, darling! Thinking of those poor starving children with flies around their faces, and how fortunate we are to be able to indulge like we can! Besides, Andrade’s food is magical! It’s worth pigging out!”

Trisha turned her gaze away from the food to stare up at Ezra. Did he expect that she was going to agree that it was actually a dealbreaker? That she was miserable because she had to suffer through Casey’s family? Sure, Lynette and Junior made her pretty miserable. But the rest were fine. And he was absolutely worth it.

“Sure- but he won’t be able to do anything on Casey’s watch anyway.” Trisha intoned. At least she assumed Casey wouldn’t let his brother spike her sister’s drink… As much as he knew how much Trisha disliked Tansy. It wasn’t to that level. At least, dealing with that would be an absolute pain in the ass.

“And I’m not putting up with anything.” She continued quietly, even though she knew perfectly well half of the people from their table could listen in if they wanted to. She certainly expected Casey would be…

“I actually like all of his siblings- the biggest asshole brother aside. So it’s clearly not a dealbreaker for me! I’d much rather be here than at whatever Tansy was planning to organise for us this year.” That bit was true, at least. She’d been dreading Thanksgiving apart from Casey.
“I love Casey enough to deal with a lot of things. That probably surprises you because you don’t actually know me very well… I’m happy to meet his family and be as involved in his life as I can be. You probably wouldn’t understand, though, your marriage did fall apart, didn’t it? You’re not really a good authority on relationships.”

“That’s unfair,” said Ezra, not sounding too terribly upset by the mention of his forever ago divorce. “I’m an expert on bad ones.”

Trisha rolled her eyes at him. She wasn’t going to let the implication get to her. She knew her relationship with Casey wasn’t bad… Because she’d be in plenty of bad ones herself!
“Oh, then you won’t be much help here, since my relationship isn’t bad. It’s very good, actually. I’ve never felt so loved or cared for before- not that you actually care about that. But anything you say isn’t going to change my opinion on my boyfriend.”

“Wasn’t trying to. If anything, I was praising him,” said Ezra, glancing down at Trisha’s plate before handing the tongs in his hand directly to her instead of setting it back in the serving dish.

“It didn’t really sound like praise.” Trisha frowned, taking the tongs and serving herself a tiny portion of what he’d just taken. She was filling her plate up with small amounts of everything she wanted to- or thought she could- eat from this table... Though so far that really had entailed essentially following and copying Ezra. The more variety the more likely she would be able to stomach it through her nausea and lacking appetite. Her head twisted around to glance back at Casey.

“Are you praising his ability to drag me to family functions?” Her frown lightened and she laughed a little bit. Now that she was looking at Casey instead of Ezra, her lips began to tug back up into a smile. Her free hand naturally stretched towards him with a tiny grabbing motion.

Seeing his face, she couldn’t stop words she normally wouldn’t say to her brother slipping out.
“That’s… fair enough. There aren’t many people who I’d come to something this big for willingly. So, that shows just how important he is to me. This time it’s real.”

Casey was a bit further back, having been caught by a couple of his cousins who were loudly blabbing to him in French. But his attention was fixed mostly on Trisha’s conversation. Said cousins were all Richoux, thus harboring a rainbow of secondary luxes that simply weren’t white. They couldn’t listen like he could. Couldn’t hear the strangeness of the Vanburen conversation.

Though, was it any more strange than his own conversations?

“Caseau!? Is she Asian?”

Casey was taken out of his attention bubble to throw a glance at cousin Marshall, the latter’s accent thick enough to make Casey wonder if he heard correctly.

”Why would that matter?”

“She looks Filipina, I wondered if she spoke Spanish.”

Casey narrowed his eyes. At least the cousins weren’t part of the usual family gossip column, so their questions were often sincere in spite of being ill-advised.

”Again, Marsh, struggling to see where that becomes relevant.”

“He’s been learning Spanish!” Cousin Holly said calmly, her voice chipper and excited.

”Oh… Well, no, I don’t think she does. Wouldn’t it be, like, old school Spanish anyway?” Casey asked, questioning the logistics.

Marshall shrugged, sliding his second full plate onto his tray.

“I’m sure it’s translatable.”

“No, he may have a point-”

Casey’s attention faded away again as he avoided the prime rib trays, thankful that they had lids to keep the heat inside. Strawberry-cream salad was hard enough to look at, the massive pink bowl of whipped cream and strawberries looking like whipped fat spread across a blood soaked mirror. He wished it looked as good as he knew it was, but the mental image made intake impossible.

Rather than stick around for more dumb questions, he surged ahead and slotted in close to Trisha.
”Hey, finding enough interesting food? Don’t feel pressured to eat too much, either of you. I’m not sure about you, Ezra, but I know Trisha’s not a huge eater. Whatever doesn’t get eaten gets donated, after all.” he commented, practically announcing his insertion in the conversation.

Trisha relaxed more when Casey got close to her, the subtle tension held in her frame washing away for a moment. She tilted her plate towards him to show off the myriad of food on it, all neatly placed to avoid much cross contamination. None of it was his no go food, and she'd tried to use some of her own judgement to avoid things that could bring up images of dead people…

“I’m finding plenty… I'm making my own little taster menu, see?" She smiled up at him. Her eyes flickered towards Ezra, before going back to Casey.
“Ezra was just praising your ability to get me to things like this. I feel like we're one step closer to getting a sliver of approval from my side of the family!"

Trisha knew Casey had probably been listening in but Ezra wouldn't, so she was making sure it would be fine if he brought anything up…
“Praise is hard to come by from the great Vanburen family head."

“Only for some people,” said Ezra with a ladle full of food in his hand. He didn’t put the food on his plate. Instead, the ladle hung in suspense over the one empty spot on his plate as he turned an eye towards Casey. Dryly he said, “Should I put this back? As much as I enjoy couscous, it now feels like I’m stealing food from the needy.”

It was probably a joke, given how he then immediately plated the couscous as Tansy rejoined the group, carrying two loaded plates. One was an absolute garden of leafy greens and chopped veggies drizzled in a pungent vinaigrette. The other was an amalgamation of slaughterhouse victims, an absolute meat mountain with perilous crags of steak cooked so briefly that it was blue, juices cascading down the sides to form a small, bloody spring at the base. A large dollop of horseradish crowned the summit, like a snow covered mountain or a snapped bone punching through seared flesh.

“Has anyone seen a trash can?” asked Tansy, gesturing with the plate of beef.

Trisha's eyes widened at the sight of the bloody massacre that was Tansy's meat plate, completely taking her out of her annoyance at Ezra's pointed comment. It was Casey's worst food nightmare served up right in front of him.

Reactively she put down her own plate, both hands going up to hold Casey's face. She practically forced him to look at her, hoping that she was somehow fast enough to stop him seeing the meat mountain.

“Just put it down somewhere if you don't want it, Tansy! Someone will take it or clear it up." Trisha snapped unfairly at her sister, without taking her attention off Casey. She looked at him with soft concern. She wasn't actually sure what to do, but she wanted to try to help. When he'd been triggered on the mall that time, holding her had helped. Her voice turned incredibly gentle as she spoke to him.
“Are you alright, Casey? If you aren't, just look at my face, okay? It's much better than anything else, isn't it? Just look at me…"

By the time Trisha could get a hold of Casey’s face, he was already clearly turning pale. A little bit would’ve been fine; he’d even been trying to condition himself lately by cooking beef. But, inevitably, it’d end up as a hunk of grey and brown tissue fibre in the pan before he was able to eat it. This stuff was, as he’d heard a million times, perfect medium well with the prime rib erring even further back toward “blue”.

First came the sensation of chewing. He couldn’t really help but feel the grit of the meat between his teeth, every instance of eating a tough steak coming back all at once. That very quickly spiraled into a more active association, the half-cooked smell of freshly seared meat changing in his head to fit a more sinister scent profile.

He closed his eyes for a moment, instinctively smiling at Trisha.
”Woah… Hey… It’s alright, Trisha. We’re fine. N-no worries…”

Junior was very close behind Tansy, and instinctively snagged the plate.

”The day Andrade Salamente’s famous churrasco goes in the trash is the day I get rid of my keyboard you- Fucking… Lovely lady! The least you could do is say No I’ll stick with the salad Maxwell!” he snapped, taking her plate as his own and storming off in a huff back toward the table they’d be eating at.

At least Casey wouldn’t be tormented with it… It clearly wasn’t inte-

”Oh, Caseyyyyy… You want any, Bro? Limited supply, I hear they’re only doing like two sides of this shit per serving order!”
The plate of beef quickly came up between Trisha and Casey, meant to waft up into Casey’s nose which it did.

He reeled in response, knowing that only by the good grace of all that fresh seasoning was he able to stand it being so close. It even made him a little hungry, were it not for the-

”Can you not?!”

Casey’s hand subtly flicked upward, wrapping into Junior’s collar and very intentionally starting to force him into a direction that wasn’t right next to Casey.

”Heyyyy, hey! Don’t embarrass us in front of guests, huh? You used your words!” Junior replied, unable to raise his hands due to them being full of plates.

Casey untensed, releasing Junior’s collar and backing off slightly.

”Sometimes you seem not to care.” Casey replied quietly, hoping that Ezra wasn’t just staring as this happened.

Like the asshole he was, Junior grinned and brought the plate of meat back up into Casey’s face, causing him to close his eyes in frustration.

”I really can’t believe how much of a pussy the military turned you into; it’s crazy. See you at the table.”

And before Casey had the chance to retaliate further, the bastard was scuttling back off toward the table leaving Casey to deal with his reaction. An embarrassing one, but he couldn’t help the irritation. Especially not when it came to Junior, who very clearly did what he did on purpose! He could only clear his throat and shake his head.

”Sorry! Sorry, my apologies, he… Really loves starting shit, unfortunately.” he finished with a sad tone in his voice.

“You don't need to apologise for him." Trisha said very firmly, slotting back in beside Casey and taking his hand. She held it firmly, subtle floral scents beginning to raise off her skin and overwhelming any lingering smell of meat. Holding tight to him, her concerned gaze moved from Casey to glaring at Junior's back. She was like a tiny guard dog- a little chihuahua ready to bite anyone that did anything she wasn't happy with.

Her glare turned to her siblings, warning them against disagreeing.

“He really shouldn’t disrespect our brave vets like that!” said Tansy, seemingly outraged. She wedged her way between Trisha and Casey, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “These boys today think that being a keyboard warrior compares at all to a real man. Don’t worry Casey, none of us think the military made you into a pussy.”

Ezra had been staring as Casey had put his hands on his brother and gave Trisha a quick glance that might’ve held some actual worry in it, but it evaporated as soon as it had arrived. Tansy pulled away from Casey before Trisha had a chance to nip at her, cutting a warpath towards the table. With a shrug, Ezra turned to follow after her, curious to see where this disaster was heading. Tansy loudly set her plate down on the table, grabbed her wine glass, and smacked it hard with a fork.

“Excusez-moi,” said Tansy loudly. “It is a Vanburen tradition to go around the table to say what we are all thankful for. I would like to start by saying how eternally grateful I am for our military protecting our freedoms, and I am especially thankful to share a table with one of these heroes. Without men like Casey, we surely wouldn’t be able to celebrate one of the great American traditions.”

There was no hint of the usual winking irony or insincerity in Tansy’s words as she put her hand on her heart and raised her glass towards Casey, “I would like you all to join me in thanking Casey for his service in keeping us safe at home.”

Tansy set her glass down so she could start a round of applause as Ezra sank into his seat, not bothering to back her up.

“Yeah, the Huns were practically knocking at the door,” muttered Ezra.

“What was that, Ezra? That didn’t sound like you were saying thank you,” said Tansy, lowering her voice as she continued trying to get an applause to happen. “I think it would mean a lot to Casey if he heard you say it.”

Trisha had let go of Casey’s hand and grabbed her plate to follow after Tansy, hoping to stop or suppress whatever she was going to do. But of course there was no stopping Tansy when she set her mind to it… And Trisha was mortified. Not because she didn’t think Casey deserved recognition. But she highly doubted he wanted all of this attention.

She turned to look at her boyfriend with a wide, apologetic gaze. Then she looked at Tansy, putting her plate down and staying standing.
“Thank you, Tansy, but let’s not force our rarely- in fact, never- used traditions on all of these people? Everyone knows Casey, they’ve probably already thanked him for his service individually.”

The Eldest Richoux, Big Maxwell III, hadn’t bothered to get up knowing full well that there were dozens of grandchildren who would all offer him up a plate along with diminutive Sylvie beside him. Thus, in the vague half-crowding of the tables in the VIP section, people raised their glasses half-assedly until Max finally stood with his own. He didn’t know this Blind woman from a hole in the wall: Wasn’t even sure why she was up there with them to begin with, but wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to rally his clan and kin behind something he vaguely agreed with.

”Oui! To Casey, Blade of his Chantry; and to all of my Grandchildren, living and passed, who gave their bodies up to preserve Liberty and Freedom in our time! May our dearly departed rest in the arms of the Ancients to which they owe their lives… SANTÉ!”

To that, rather than an embarrassingly personal cheer that some outsider tried to faust upon them, those still sitting in the box and the immediate area around it cheered in a wild uproar. Maxwell the eldest raised his glass at Tansy directly, winking in the way only a charming old man could before sitting back down to his actively growing hoard of food.

Casey was arriving behind Trisha by the time the cheers were happening, and some of his nearby elder cousins happily patted his shoulder, even kissed his cheek as they passed by with their various assortments of plates. However, he just wanted to make sure Trisha knew he was thankful. So, he mostly brushed them off before scooping the plate out of Trisha’s hand and wrapping his arm around her.

”It’s alright… Thank you, Babe; you’re always looking out for me, ain’t you? Means more than you know, probably…”
He was being a little quiet and reserved at this point; clearly because of the attention. He didn’t want to play it too far up, for fear that it may make her more uncomfortable than he was.

“You’re welcome… I’ll always try to.” Trisha said simply, managing to smile gently up at him. She leaned into him for just a moment, eyes flickering closed to enjoy the feeling of his warm body next to hers and the strong arm around her. It was easier to ignore everything with him there. She allowed herself the short moment, ignoring all the looks from people around them, before going to sit down.

Junior, having to save face for his beloved Grandparents, was one of the most active clappers, forcing his recently reclaimed seat back to stand and give raucous applause - Much to the dismay of the cousin behind him whose chair was mashed into. As Casey came up the stairs, Junior sarcastically started clapping at him directly, like he was some kind of dog.

It only took a second for Leon to snap at him.
”Can you act like a normal dude for ten minutes?”

”Can you act like a normal dude for ten minutes? Shaaaaat aaaaaaaaaaahp Leon… God, you’re always the fuckin’ family lawyer, you should go back to school for your Bar.” Junior snapped back immediately, shunting himself back down into his seat to sit and dine with the rest of them…

Now with food, there were still several more guest speakers in line before Casey was set to be up. Of note was the Matron herself, who had disappeared at some point in the transition for food, thus leaving the MC for the night to wrangle the next person in line. Some representative from the new German branch of the New Dawn, reformed after… Well…

It gave Junior the chance to cause more mischief regardless, rather than having to pay attention to Mommy’s last speech. Though, he waited for his real target to return and sit fully…

”Wow! Ezra! Look at all that food compared to Trisha and Tansy! I know, obviously, guys eat more… But, do you ever get extra hungry when you expend too much Lux?” he asked very casually.

For just a second there was the briefest telling look on Ezra's face that said as much as any acknowledgement ever would before he was able to suppress it with a look of disinterest as he chewed on his food, calmly put his fork down, turned to Junior, and said, “Sorry kid, I don't subscribe to the same redpilled grindset sigma male bullshit that you're clearly hyped on. What are you even talking about?”

As soon as Trisha heard the word ‘Lux’ coming from Junior’s lips about her oldest brother, her gaze shot to Ezra. She tried not to look too shocked, but she was practically staring a hole into the side of his head. Enough so that she saw the look, momentary as it is. She didn’t know Ezra’s tells anywhere near as much as she did Tansy, but she’d spent enough time around him growing up to… Know what it meant.

He had Lux. He knew he had Lux- well of course he did. And as much as she disliked Junior, he wouldn’t be lying- because he had White Lux! And a magical superiority complex! Since when had Ezra kindled? How long? Had everyone else figured it out and not told her. No, no… Of course Casey hadn’t mentioned it yet, how could he with people perpetually hanging around them! It was fine. She wasn’t freaked out at all. Absolutely wasn’t staring at Ezra like he’d grown a second head, fork hanging near her mouth with the shredded chicken on it dropping back onto her plate.

”Oh yeah, he’s just talking ‘bout some bullshit toxic masculine online shit! All based on superiority and all’a that- I wouldn’t worry about it, Ezra! Lux is what they call, uh, masculine aura or some bullshit! I dunno, just had to get my brother off it a while ago!” Cass lied out of her ass, trying to save Trisha from her shock. Of course, Cass had no idea Ezra was an Adept before right now! She was resisting every urge she had to confirm it with Leon, who could sniff that shit out!

In the time the others had been getting their food, Cass had already gone through three plates. She was practically inhaling her fourth.
”Obviously he just eats more cause he’s gotta bunch’ve height on em, c’mon, Junie!”

”Oh, you happy gang of goons… We're all feeling reflexively defensive today, aren't we? Look, I mean- The girl won't remember a thing. That was already a plan. Neither of you were supposed to, Y'know the grand joke.‘I saw you at Thanksgiving, you were there!’” Junior started, admitting to something as his frustration and impatience for chaos overwhelmed him.

Casey and Leon exchanged the most brief glance between one another. Obvious thanks to the half-empty ghost salt Shaker, Junior was already on another planet. His White Lux was clearly twisting about him in staunch masses as the magically enhancing food bolstered him. The two elder brothers knew immediate conflict, the sensation of natural curiosity that filled the Richoux mindset made them want to press.

”We're approaching party foul territory, June.” Leon said simply, head turning to stare down the seats at Junior, who in turn picked up a hunk of prime rib and let it tumble down from his hand into his waiting maw.

With a snap, he shut his trap and grinned widely. Casey's behavior was telling enough, that he couldn't look up long enough without feeling like he'd be sick from watching Junior.

”I don't exactly think it's fair. Guy's an Orange Adept. Just like us.-” Junior started, turning his head slightly to look directly at Ezra.
”-You can feel scared that people know a little secret about you, or you can actually relate to people you don't know for once. It's not like we didn't already know, right Casey?”

Junior was a tyrant, surely; but even broken clocks are right twice a day. Casey turned to Leon, then did his best to look at Junior before he finally leaned into Trisha.

”Do I need to dirty my hands with this?” he asked her with the kind of zen concentration that screamed “I have more important things to worry about.”

Trisha frowned. The whole thing made her feel a bit tense, but more than anything… She was in shock. Ezra wasn’t the only sibling with magic- Sabrina, Izzy, Brooke… But she’d known about the other three for a while. Whereas she hadn’t known about him this whole time. Ten years she’d had her magic… He was almost definitely kindled by then! Probably long before!

Did she want the conversation to continue? Not particularly. But she didn’t want Casey pushing himself either. Or any more of a scene being made. That’d be worse.
“No, it’s fine. As long as… no one’s head is messed with too much…” She trailed off quietly, reaching out to place a hand on Casey’s arm gently.

Cass’ deflection completely failed, but Trisha seemed a bit less like she was a step away from panicking. Maybe? She was talking to Casey at least… Cass glanced up at Leon, before shrugging one shoulder.
”Well fuck me! That’s why you were going on and on about weird ass shit earlier, Junior? Fucking hell…”

She waved one hand, quickly finishing her fourth plate of food in a couple of gulps.
”Is everyone an Orange Adept around here?! Like whatever that God- Ancient, whatever- was just went ‘you have Orange, and you have Orange, and cause you got Orange you gonna end up rich as fuck’? Like, damn… But don’t worry about it being outed, Ezra, more people got Lux than not round here.”

Ezra had gone full stonewall of stoicism, his face appearing almost bored. His mostly uneaten plate was pushed away from him, unlikely to be touched again, as was his half-drank beer as he sat back in his chair and merely observed. Anya had already wisened him up to Trisha’s involvement with Sycamore, and he had held some suspicions on the Temple’s nature, but he wasn’t going to start sim sala biming out in the open. Especially not after Junior had revealed him and Casey had already known that Ezra had magic. It didn’t so much color the guy’s relationship with his half-sister in a new way; rather, it reinforced some previous doubts.

He turned sharply as he felt someone approach him from behind, ready for the bag to be pulled over his head and his arms and legs tied to the chair. Seeing that Tansy had returned from trying to gold dig someone’s grandparent did little to put the man at ease. People like her and Blake Schmidt were the reason why it was so fucking stupid to talk openly about this kind of shit–one whiff of it and they would do anything to have it. Not that Ezra was trying to be some kind of sentinel or watcher like that Faris chick for something as dull as the greater good. He just preferred his clubs to have some exclusivity.

“Oh dear, I appear to be missing out on some lively conversation,” said Tansy, smoothing out her dress as she retook her seat, trying not to appear too delighted as she sensed the discomfort coming from her siblings. “What’s an Orange Adept?”

“Yes, yes, and how many sizable donations to the Temple must we make before we become a Clear Adept?” jabbed Ezra, still trying to play dumb, if only to see what else it would reveal.

“It’s not something you’d be interested in, Tansy.” Trisha said, immediately realising after the words came out that wouldn’t deter her. It would just make her more interested… Fine, let her know and get her memory erased afterwards. Though her shoulders were tense, only worsened by the joy she could sense from Tansy, she rubbed her hand gently on Casey’s arm to make sure he knew she was alright. She was… almost curious how long Ezra could last, as much as she didn’t want Tansy finding out about the magical world at all.

“Oh, pish posh, I have many interests you are unaware of, Patricia,” said Tansy, leaning forward as she propped her hands underneath her chin. “Illuminate me.”

Trisha took a deep breath. Maybe this was better. She could put it however she wanted. It couldn’t be an outright lie, because she knew Junior would immediately force himself in to keep the conversation on the track he wanted it to.

“It’s a term for someone who can use magic. Someone born with magic, like a witch or wizard. The colour is the type…” Trisha answered simply with a fake smile, looking at her sister with the expectation she’d either say magic wasn’t real or immediately rip into her for thinking it was.

Ezra shot Trisha a “what-the-hell-are-you-doing” look as Tansy shifted in her seat, visibly confused as she pulled back like a cobra poised to strike. The first thought, as was often the case for Tansy, was to assume that she was being ganged up on–a bizarre attempt at some kind of prank at her expense. Her green eyes scanned the table for secret smiles. The second thought was that her sister must’ve been exposed to some of the Temple’s Koolaid through Casey’s backwash. The look of confusion dropped from Tansy’s face as it was replaced with an air of smug superiority.

“Oh, that’s nice,” said Tansy, excited for the future torment she could afflict upon her favorite plaything once she’d moved on to the next boy. Did she tell you about magic yet?

”I’m fuckin’ doin’ it-”

”-Please don’t!”

”Convince me!”

”I feel like Ezra being uncomfortable right now is plenty? And she’s Blind. For once in your life, be a steward and not a tyrant.”

There was a burbling between the two, the signature of their Mother’s White Lux utterly unyielding. She didn’t need to emote; it was an intrinsic understanding that they would simply not be touching Tansy any further. Casey bristled, that there was no explicit order to prevent further talking in the first place. There was a grin on the end of Lynette’s force, knowing that she’d give her baby boy plenty of room to have his fun.

”Fine! Fine. Alright, Ezra! Let’s talk about other Blinds. It’s why I was so curious earlier, figured I’d ask about your Mom. Trisha’s a Warlock, Tansy’s Blind. You? Actual factual Sorcerer. A real, honest to goodness Orange Adept. She happen to be French? Could be a chance we’re related somewhere real far back. The whole table behind us, the rainbow on an Orange background. What was her maiden name? Dubois? Lorent? Martin? Bernard?” he started to ask in a rapid fire fashion.

Casey’s jaw clicked slightly, and he turned his head away from his younger brother to Ezra.

”Like you or not, you don’t deserve to sit through this shit. Say the word, I’ll take you back to whatever security you have here.” he said, trying as hard as he could to not sound like he was kicking the guy out.

If he wanted to sit through it, he could. But, genuinely, Casey hated every little thing Junior did. It was a nightmare to deal with, and all of the embarrassment that was going to take place from here on landed squarely on his shoulders.

“Worried we might be related?” asked Ezra sarcastically. “I know it’s difficult to tell, but Trisha and I don’t have the same mother. We could all spit in a test tube and send it off to some lab if it’ll put your mind at ease.”

“Those tests aren’t always accurate!” interjected Tansy.

“It’s Harrisburg,” said Ezra, ignoring his sister as he turned towards Junior. “English. Harris, originally, but someone along the line wanted everybody else in Pennsylvania to have zero doubt who the city was named after and changed it to match.”

”Ohhh, posh settler English, eh?” Cass piped up. Only those kinds of people could make sure there was a city named after them.

Trisha stared at Ezra, unsurprised he wasn’t leaving. She wasn’t surprised by Tansy’s reaction to her explaining magic- that smug smile that had her insides crawling- either. It was why she’d so openly said it in the first place. She knew Tansy wouldn’t believe it.

“Casey knows we have a different mother, Ezra. It’s obvious.” For more than just appearance. Trisha imagined some here hadn’t even clocked it until they read Ezra’s magic.

Cass laughed a bit at Trisha getting cutely defensive in response to sarcasm, before pointing a finger at Junior.
”You guys really gotta stop with the ‘you might be related to us’ shit.”

”Oh hardly worried! It wouldn’t be the first case of cousin fucking.” Junior blurted out behind a laugh.

The only person suddenly deflated by all of this was Casey. He'd presumed, worked himself up internally predicting, there'd be some great crashing of symbols. Some pin drop that would mark this moment as the opening of hostilities as he had to ferry this rich dickhead from this spot to a waiting armored car. But, it was all just a joke. One that Junior was in on too, it seemed.

”Y'know I heard that before, Tansy! You send your spit in, they just spin it with everyone else's and then expect to be able to pick things out?” Leon could see the rage in his little brother's face as he was trying to deal with the moment internally.

For Leon, it was so much easier letting Junior's antics roll off his back. The revelation of Ezra Vanburen's magic wasn't such a revelation when he'd seen the reports too… But it was his personal reaction.

”Quite the, uh… Calm and peaceful response all in all, Ezra. Were we all tip-toeing around needlessly?” he asked outright, unconcerned with Tansy's response.

”Ain't like there's much else to talk about here besides magic anyway. Y'see how desperate we were for the dam to break!?” Junior goaded.

Casey just stayed shut, purposefully withdrawing into his plate of food rather than continuing to engage this particular angle.

Trisha wasn't particularly comfortable either, but she was used to Ezra's stoicism in the face of all sorts of crazy topics. She remembered there'd even been a game among some of her siblings to try to get him to react. All of the talk about magic should be enough, but maybe it wasn't any worse than having to hear about your father's affair for the fourth time at the dinner table. Trisha was certainly numb to the latter.
She shuffled her chair a bit closer to Casey's, twisting her body towards him and stretching out her legs to brush against his. Her hand went to rest on his thigh, thumb comfortingly rubbing as she just looked up at him. Not saying anything, but just being there…

"Kinda boring that's all you can talk bout June- but Leon's right, you got a real poker face, Ezra! I mean I already seen it before, but this is pretty insane. When I had the shit outed I was fucking freaking out- is there anything that'll break it? If fucking magic doesn't?!" Cass leaned forward enthusiastically, pushing half into Leon's space.

”We could always talk about The Elite! If we're really going for juicy, right?” Leon goaded, unable to help himself.

“Weren’t we already talking about ourselves?” said Ezra without a hint of irony as he deflected, transforming The Elite into merely the elite.

What they should’ve been talking about was Tansy. The look of smugness that had adorned Tansy’s face had hidden itself as the others had continued to harp on this magic chicanery, shifting into something almost sympathetic in how lost she appeared to be. She took a sip of her wine, frowning into the glass, reappearing with a plastic wine-stained smile as she set down the glass.

“So does everyone here believe in magic? Is this some kind of bit?” asked Tansy, failing to sound anything other than bitter, certain that the others were attempting to aggravate her via exclusion.

Junior didn’t hesitate to show Tansy exactly what he meant.
"Oh, you’re simply my favorite bag of hot air. No, watch.”

Junior looked at Leon, who oddly nodded with a small grin forming on his face. After all, Ezra’s deflection didn’t escape him either. This man was practically responsible for withholding information that would’ve directly caused his friends to die. Now, they were sitting at the same table!
But, Junior’s focus fell onto the set of dishes and utensils next to him. He twisted his hand slightly, and on their own, the plate and its constituents began to rotate and fold like they were all paper until they came together and formed a stable little crab construct. Which proceeded to blindly shuffle across the table, bumping into one of the centerpieces before toddling its way across Tansy’s half-empty plate.

“What the fuck, Maxwell?!” Trisha had been looking more at Casey than the table, but she couldn’t miss the crab plate moving across the table. They’d had this discussion earlier! He’d agreed not to make the fucking cutlery dance! Talking about magic that Tansy would never believe in was one thing, but showing it?

She glared at Junior, and then Leon too. He wasn’t stopping him… He was egging him on. At least Casey was clearly so completely broken by the situation he couldn’t figure out how to do anything about it. What did she even say to her siblings?

“Ezra, we’ll-”

”Wait, you’re part of the fucking Elite?! The rich magical assholes?! I thought you were a half decent rich guy!” Cass completely interrupted, standing up and pointing a finger directly at Ezra. The words just came out- she couldn’t hold it in! Even if it’d piss off Trisha!
”Holy fuck!”

“Holy fuck!” shouted Tansy in unison, knocking over her glass of wine as she jumped up from the table and pointed at the crab construct nesting in her salad.

She continued to babble something, her words nonsensical, as Ezra grabbed the large dinner napkin out of his lap and draped it over the spilt wine so that it did not spread closer towards him. It was the only thing that could keep him from rolling his eyes at Cass for calling him a rich magical asshole while she had been indulging herself in a bounty of food provided to her by other rich magical assholes. He moved his hands back to his lap, covering his wristwatch to mask the faint orange glow as he made motions to cover up Junior’s party foul.

“I don’t recall ever saying I was,” said Ezra, squaring up his shoulders as he looked directly at Cass. If there was any hint of untruth in his words he didn’t show it. Besides, it was her fault for assuming he’d ever been halfway decent. “Typically, people who are part of the elite don’t call themselves that. At best they say they're fortunate. At worst? De–”

There was a shrill scream as Tansy snapped out of her stupor, grabbed her plate, and launched the crab construct as well as the salad away from her and directly towards Junior.

“–serving.”

Being next to Junior, Cass was right in the salad splash zone. But the subtle Green Lux constantly circulating her body made her reflexes far above a normal person’s. It was easy to grab Leon’s shoulder with one hand, pulling herself up and out of her chair and into his lap- avoiding the stray vegetables that splattered her chair.

”You- You know we mean a specific group, right. Not just any elite, rich folk? You ain’t that dense, are you?” Cass stared at Ezra, impressed by his still lasting poker face. Had he been at Elysium Island? Did he know the whole time Leon and Trisha were part of Sycamore? Did it really matter in the grand scheme of things when he was here as Trisha’s family.

“Are dense people typically capable of making that kind of self-analysis?” said Ezra, straight-faced, ignoring the actual question.

She turned her head to Leon, looking a little helpless.
”Babe, I don’t think anything’s gonna get through that wall.”

Trisha was doing her best not to panic. She found herself desperately hoping they’d call Casey’s name right there- then he could do his speech, and they could leave. But did she want him to propose while this was going on? While her older sister was shrieking. It would completely overshadow it… She glanced at Casey, who’d clearly completely detached. She couldn’t… Expect him to deal with everything.

“Tansy, calm down!” Trisha pushed up out of her seat, closer to both Ezra and Tansy. Normally saying something like that would have the opposite effect, but a gentle floral scent was suddenly leaking from her. It wasn’t strong enough to affect anyone with magic, but it would have an incredibly calming effect on Tansy.

It was surprisingly easy to adjust the pheromones she normally used on bees to work on people… Especially when it was just the opposite of her normal alarm pheromones. Taking a deep breath, she purposefully kept it at a level that wouldn’t start to get through Emotional Fields, even though they’d be able to smell it. Concentrating it on Tansy as best as possible to stop her from freaking out so much.

“You’re causing a scene, Patricia,” said Tansy, settling back down into her seat, reaching for her empty wine glass. “No need to raise your voice.”

Trying her best to keep her own temper under control, Trisha turned from her siblings to Junior and Leon.
“Can you two not ruin another dinner?”

Junior didn’t stop cackling, even as he commanded the construct to break apart and cease to be. The constituent pieces clattered back down onto the table as mundane bits, leaving behind only a vague crab shape to remember it by.

”Between that and what’s coming? Oh, I’m satisfied.” Junior finally cooed through half-taken breaths.

Leon had, however, gone from vaguely satisfied to wholly annoyed. After all, maybe now wasn’t the time or place, but he was clear of mind these days. Clear enough to know that he had the chance to ask some rather pertinent questions.

”Trisha, I’m… Sorry in advance, for this getting brought up, but the Archweasel here is at least sitting there somewhat stuck. The least he could do is explain what the thought process was behind stealing and stashing some pretty serious circumstantial evidence pointing toward the people responsible for the deaths of over a dozen Sycamore Tree Coven members over the last six months. I figured the grace period had just about run its course, since we’ve at least acknowledged magic.” Leon spoke calmly, gaze turning directly back to Ezra.

There was, of course, no response from Casey. He’d long stopped moving, going for his plate, reacting with anything other than his hands gripped together with his elbows on the table. His forehead rested against the knuckles of his thumbs.

“Actually, I could do less,” said Ezra. He turned towards Casey and Trisha. “Common occurrence for family dinners to be brought to a screeching halt by conspiracy theories and wild accusations, I take it?”

“We should’ve been served sooner. Not enough bread to soak up all of the drinks,” said Tansy, slumped back in her chair. “Why hasn’t a wizard cleaned up this mess yet? Why hasn’t the help?”

Trisha had moved back over to Casey, forgoing her seat to drape herself over him after a moment of hesitation. Her arms wrapped around him as best they could, her head coming to rest at the back of his. She didn't stop shooting daggers at Leon with her eyes the whole time. Sure, right, the Elite stole Kari's notes. Blake Schmidt did. There was no fucking organisation to the group! No checks before doing anything… Technically she'd known, too…

She temporarily ceased glaring at Leon to turn to Ezra, nodding as she answered his question.

“Something like that. Casey was the only brother the hotheaded gene missed, obviously… It's got nothing to do with alcohol. They just like making an ass out of themselves." She side eyed Tansy, doing her best to not look too pissed off at her for immediately turning back into a bitch now she wasn't freaking out.
“I’m sure if you signal for them a staff member will come clean it up."

Then Trisha looked back at Leon again, over the top of Casey's head. Her gaze was less heated as she forced herself back to some semblance of calm.
“Now’s not the time, Leon. If you want to ask about that, I can give you Blake Schmidt's phone number- why not go right to the source! Or at least wait until the end of the meal. But if you're expecting Ezra to be able to explain Blake’s thought process, you'll be disappointed. You've found the notes anyway… Please let it go for now."

”Oh, God, she’s gonna cry! Look at her, its like a beaten bichon frise!” Junior intoned from the side, hand waving at Tansy on display.

He just wanted everyone to be aware of the absolute state. He wasn’t exactly familiar with all of Trisha’s powers, but if she could deflate such a vapid bag of air with such haste, her lungs must’ve been huge. Not that he figured it’d help when he grabbed a stack of napkins and forced them into a weakly constituted paper gollum. It’s life was meant to be used to clean, and it proceeded with a fork and its own body to scoop and wipe any of the messes around Tansy.

Leon’s grip around Cass tensed. It wasn’t Junior anymore. It was the information he had. The very real threat, credible, that existed in the cracks of St. Portwell. Express from Miami, like a bump of blow scattered in the breeze to trap itself among the cobbles. How the books really cracked the case open once there was a concerted effort to translate them. How the Hearts, and the last bikers and every other group in the city was being looked at as competition… Even the ones who never had their hand in the cookie jar.

And how the Temple had been complicit. How his Mother had known, and how his Aunt had been responsible for the real shady deals. The ones behind both Leon and Greyson Devola’s backs. The proposed secondary plan, some kind of contingency…

”Trisha… I…-”

Casey cleared his throat. His head shifted, and he looked up at Trisha.
”Unless we can all come to some kind of agreement for parley elsewhere? I think Leon’s line of questioning may wind up in everyone’s best interest. The game’s not so simple, and we have more than enough evidence to suggest that the remaining members of the Elite are in grave danger. The talk of security wasn’t hot air, Ezra. They’ll be coming for you next. You, Lin, Johnny V… Blake Schmidt’s dead. Blake, his son, Jiao-long Liu, the wife…”

Leon simply held his hands up, not quite expecting Casey to spill the beans like that.

”But, how could you trust any of us, except if we made sure you were in a nice, big, open public space with thousands of eyes on you? After all, we’re just… What did that memo say?-”

”-Ehhhhh… We’re not dredging up what can’t be changed. Point is, Trisha’s a family member now. Which makes you family by proxy. Which means, we’d hate to see anything happen to you at the hands of the real boogeyman. It’d help a lot if we… Had an understanding of mutual respect? Since, frankly, we’ve had no reason to assume you have any other opinion toward us besides whatever was said in your memos…”

”It’s mostly true, by the way. Your research and surveillance over there must be top dollar. Or, uh… Gosh, y’know, I’d really hate the alternative.” Casey intoned, clearing his throat.
”The off chance that you’ve been… Working with the folks from Miami… You haven’t right? And the Elite was just keeping Kari Wilson’s documents for leverage later on?”

If the deaths of the Elite had been a revelation to Ezra he didn’t react to it as such, instead maintaining the mild look of dissociating disinterest an adult held on their face as a child excitedly explained to them whatever the hell a “row block” was. The spell he’d cast on himself was doing some heavy lifting, allowing him to maintain the perfect poker face as his mind raced a mile a minute. He shouldn’t have been so surprised that the Temple had done their homework, although if they were wanting to ace the test they should’ve been more worried about making it to that day–talking about the Floridians was a good way to get expelled. Blake allegedly had good security, too.

Now how to get away from this table without making his exit look like some kind of admission to anything. Circle back to something said earlier? Reveal, or maybe just pretend, that he was shaken by the news? His finger twitched. Lying and acting weren’t quite the same thing despite what some would suggest. Ezra wasn’t sure he could risk trying to cast another spell now that there wasn’t a failed attempt at a food fight serving as a distraction.

“Casey, I…”

“Wait,” said Tansy as she lazily held out a hand, taking her eyes off of the miniature garcon raking the leaves of her discarded salad with a fork. Something had shifted in her. It wasn’t just the wave of calmness drowning out the feelings of terror or the worrisome possibility that Junior’s magic meddling had unlocked some arcane secrets hidden away inside of her. It was something slimy: a snake that, instead of merely shedding its skin, decided to thicken it instead. Tansy rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms, no longer feeling the need to appear as anything but what she actually was–the absolute worst.

“Patricia is family now? Oh, that is funny,” said Tansy with a mild titter before saying the part that she would usually leave unsaid. “What a colorful cast of conmen. This close to starting to buy the shit you’re selling.”

Tansy held up her finger and her thumb about an inch apart before gesturing with her hand towards Trisha, turning the table’s attention away from Ezra as he took the opportunity to pull out his phone, threw up a finger as if to say “one minute”, and put it to his ear as he stepped away.

“Nobody wants her as family,” bit Tansy, baring her teeth instead of pretending to smile. “Just ask her whore mother. Lost all interest in her daughter once big brother locked up the inheritance in trusts.”

Trisha was still getting over the news that half the Elite was dead when Tansy shifted. This was a Tansy she knew just as well as the fake, saccharine sweet Tansy- the one who openly ripped into her rather than trying to subtly tear her down.

But being used to it didn't mean she could handle it any better. The calming, floral scent in the air cut out completely. She managed to stop it from switching to something harsher, but panic quickly clutched her. Her whole body tensed up, hands gripping onto Casey. It was difficult to breathe. She didn't want to react like this in front of so many people… Fuck, fuck.

Tansy had spilled the one thing Trisha didn't want anyone else to know. She couldn't bear to look at Cass and Leon. Or further down the table, to people who might be listening in. Mia, Hari… She didn't want any of them to know. Because Tansy was right. Nobody wanted her as family. If her own mother didn't- every single other person biologically related to her didn't- why would anyone else? Why would anyone ever want her?

Casey, maybe. That was different… But his family? The people around him? The longer she was there the quicker they'd realise how awful she was. Leon already knew. His dislike of her was valid, no matter how much Casey and Cass tried to change it. It was only a matter of time before everyone else felt the same.

“You-" Trisha sucked in a deep breath, eyes narrowing into a glare that tried to burn a hole in Tansy. Fear clutched her, threatening to escalate into a full blown attack. But it pushed her to attack more than it did to shut down when faced with her bitch of a sister. Cold anger settled in her voice, incredibly harsh without properly shouting. The distress was still audible even without it.

“Don't talk about my Mom like that! She isn't like that. She doesn't care about my money. Why would she?! She wasn't even with Dad for it. Just because all you care about is money, doesn't mean everyone does." Defending her Mom before she defended herself… Because she loved her. More than she did herself, sometimes.

Cass was absolutely speechless for once. Reactive anger writhed underneath her skin, her Lux trying to push up and out with it. But it was… Trisha's sister. How would Trisha even react if Cass stood up and fucking punched her in the face?! Fuck, she definitely couldn't, cause she probably fucking kill Tansy by accident. She dropped her hands to be hidden by the table, clawed fingers doing their best to not rip into Leon's thighs. She only looked at him for a moment before her head jerked towards Casey, and Trisha. Surely he'd-

“And- And you're just jealous because I've actually found people who care about me. Because you'll never find the same- And you don't want to lose the easy target! Fuck off, Tansy. Casey loves me and his family actually like me. Is that so hard to believe?!" She wished she believed it. She didn't. She couldn't even bring herself to lie and deny that her Mother had abandoned her.
“Just because our family's awful doesn't mean others are."

There was a terribly noticeable silence that was falling across the main branch tables. Not just at their end either… While the world outside the box seemed to move along without the slightest bit of attention paid, suddenly the immediate surroundings seemed to be a wholly enraptured group. Totally taken in by the Drama which very few had actually been keyed into from the beginning. The other end of the table erupted into cheers, even from some unexpected sources. It seemed like, either through passed-along information or first hand observation, the entire other end had found a way to come to the conclusion that Trisha had a spine.

Which bade well, as they all had cataclysm at the tips of their tongue. Each woman and man knew in themselves that death would come soon. That the end was nigh, and all of this was just a silly end. A sendoff. It didn’t have to be serious. Maybe Lynette knew everything, and all of this was just part of the dinner drama for her entertainment ultimately. Her last Harvest.

”You fuckin’ tell em! God, if only your Mom was here, you could disown her too Trisha!” Lynette called across the table, raising her wine glass with a massive smile.
”What’d you say that day, Tansy? Every woman deserves her fair opportunity to crush… Insects? Or was it expectations, I… I’m drunk.” She finished, letting her tongue playfully snake out of her mouth.

Leon was the first person to stand, one hand clinging desperately to Cass as he felt her tense up into a coiled spring. He could smell the tension at all angles. So, when he shot up, it was almost reactionary. Like he’d have to stop… someone... from coming to violence. Maybe it’d be Casey, if he weren’t so taken aback by the moment himself. He’d certainly not expected the Tansy outburst, and was truly dumbfounded for the first time in quite a while.

Leon had to be the spiritual heart. He had to lead by example. This couldn’t stand. His free hand reached for the mug still half-full of Last Round, and raised it up.

”Trisha was an Ally and Companion to me long before anyone else at this table. We have never seen eye to eye, but she fought and killed and bled beside me. I claim her as a sister with pride.” he said, staring down at Tansy and Ezra before turning his head to Trisha directly.

”I mean it… The only other people who saw you then… Clearly aren’t your kin or kind.”

"Yeah! Trisha's already my best friend- and I'd gladly have her as a sister too! Cause she's one of the strongest people I know, and I love her!" Cass practically shouted, able to move away from feeling completely murderous to full of love towards her friend.

The next person to stand was unexpected as well. The golden afro down at the other end of the table stood and smashed her hand off the table. Clarissa Natale, who Trisha had only seen sparingly since relinquishing her home, raised her wine glass and spoke with conviction.

”We stood idly and waged a war of our own while the Stygian Snake ravaged our home. Our children stopped that evil, and Trisha was among them. And I watched her act with courage and valiance, and I’d happily take her as a Niece.”

More and more stood, following by example until everyone surrounded them. Even if some were doing it purely to spite others. Even the small butler mockingly raised his fork-tool to the sky in allegiance.

Casey hadn’t stood yet, but his fury had abated in favor of pride. Some, he knew, were simply signalling their virtue in the face of Lynette’s unwavering matronly judgement. But, he had high hopes as his eyes trailed from Leon and Cass down toward his sisters at the other end of the table. He even felt that his Grandfather had stepped closer, and was looming behind him like a human bastion.

The final person to stand and raise her glass formally was Lynette, whose devious grin hadn’t died.

”The girl I’ve dreamed about all my life. I know you think I’m terrible… But I wish we had more time. Shouldn’t I be ashamed? I’m not. Divest thyself of what was never part of you. Who are they? Vestiges of hopes long gone. Go forward in love, sweet Trisha. We’ll have our time again, in the Sunshine.”

There was a rousing cheer, and the group collectively knocked their drinks back, giving a few moments for those parties still sitting in defiance or indignance the chance to introspect.

But Casey pulled his lips back from his teeth in a grimace and leaned forward, clearing his throat.
”Ahhh… Look, the offer still stands. I’ll… I’ll happily walk you out. ‘Cuz-” he shrugged, waving both hands gingerly.
”-this ain’t a great look, is it Tansy?” he asked, looking toward Trisha in the last moment, hand returning to hers to hold it comfortingly again.

Trisha held onto Casey's hand tightly, squeezing it like he might let go again. She didn't say anything, just nodded slightly to him. She was overwhelmed by the reaction. Didn't believe a lot of what was said, but she tried to from the people that mattered. It was hard to dismiss Leon's especially when they clashed so often. Even Lynette's- maybe she really felt that way... It was strange enough having one person defend her, nevermind so many. She just wished she could accept it more easily, and stop clinging to the past. Go forward in love, like Lynette so aptly put it. Her head dropped slightly, taking a deep breath through the residual panic, before she looked at Tansy again. Calmer this time, waiting for her response.

“I…I…” stammered Tansy, her face resembling a prune as it wrinkled and became flush with embarrassment as her new found superpower was stripped away with the removal of the floral fragrance. She looked around helpless and confused at the gathering that now stared at her in defiance.

“I was just teasing, Patricia. Everybody is just too sensitive. It was a joke!” barked Tansy, looking as if she were about to cry. She ignored Casey's offer, scared that she was about to lose her favorite toy. “You know I didn't mean it. I'm sorry, it should be obvious that I think the world of–shit!”

Tansy jumped back as she registered the fork-wielding monstrosity and cried out, ”What the fuck is going on!?”

Junior turned his overenthusiastic clapping to Tansy.
”Congratulations, Tansy! The third eye opens just like that!”

Casey took a long, deep breath and stood up.
”Come on, Honey… Let’s get these two out of here before they explode, maybe.” he intoned, looking around the table with quiet admiration before his head turned more to search for Ezra.

Nodding, Trisha leaned up onto her tiptoes to softly speak in Casey’s ear.
“We should see if Ezra will meet us another time. I don’t love him, but I don’t want him to die… Maybe he’ll actually talk then.”

She lowered herself back to her heels, gaze turning to Tansy. Staring at her calmly, trying to figure out how a confidence boost was enough for her to evolve into the ultimate fearless bitch. She didn’t particularly want to experience it again, but she also wanted Tansy to pay attention to what she was about to say. To not be freaking out over magic. The floral fragrance lightly filled the air again- an even smaller dose than before. Probably enough to clamp down on the freaking out.

“You weren’t teasing. I know you meant it. I’m not going to let you get to me anymore. I know that you and all my other siblings don’t want me… But that doesn’t matter, because I’ve found people who do.” She looked up at Casey with a brief warm smile, before it slipped away as her attention went back to Tansy.

She moved forward, past Ezra’s empty seat and leaning down to whisper to Tansy.
“Thank you, by the way. You really helped me and Casey confirm our relationship further.”

She straightened back up, gesturing for Tansy to move with one hand, the other holding out towards Casey. There was still a simmering panic underneath the surface, but for once she didn’t let it control her. She pushed past all of those insecurities to stick up for herself. They were still there, but it was a big step.

“You should leave. You’re only going to make yourself look worse. We’ll find Ezra, then you can both go.”

A quivering lip and a lost look were enough to tell that there would be no signs of protest from Tansy. Finding Ezra would prove to be no tall task either, as he was already making his way back to the table, hovering just out of earshot as he continued with his phone call. Unlike before when he had been nigh unreadable, his face now openly expressed a look of profound sadness.

“Yeah, neither can I. It’s just horrible. Of course, Angela. No, it’s no problem. That’s what friends are for. Okay. See you soon,” said Ezra, allowing the last words of his conversation to be overheard as he rejoined the table with a heavy sigh. He looked absolutely drained as he turned towards Trisha and Casey.

“I’m so sorry to do this, but I have to leave. I thought you were bullshitting me when you said that Blake was–” Ezra grimaced and then gave a bitter smile. “Always thought this day would’ve made me happy. Weird. Anyway, well, this was…” Ezra’s eyes flitted around the scene he had returned to, decided he did not give a shit, and continued to sell that he was hit hard by the death of an associate. “Something.”

Casey was half-sheltering Trisha who seemed far more apt to make headway toward her sister. It was a sticky situation overall, but at least she was coming mostly quietly. Ezra being something of a snake, however, gave Casey cause for concern. He simply felt uneasy leaving the man unaddressed, but at the same time, there was little he could do besides offer the out again. It’d be different this time: They were far past courtesy, and his siblings certainly didn’t seem to help. The entire family had been utterly unhelpful over the entire situation, and now the problem had become real for everyone.

”Yeah, man… You’re… You’re really something yourself, Ezra.” he replied simply, bringing his hand up slowly to wave toward the main exit path.

”Listen! I know it probably doesn’t feel like you owe me much? Anything, really, for a man in your position. But, uh, we should really talk. Privately. Just for a few minutes here, away from everything else? Hell, keep as many people around as make you comfortable to tell the truth.” he intoned with a false enthusiasm at first, slipping back as Trisha and Tansy started to walk slightly ahead.

“The truth?” said Ezra, slowly down so the gap between them and his siblings widened.

Ahead, Trisha glanced back at Casey to catch his eye for a moment, flashing him a slight smile. She… didn’t particularly want to be stuck with Tansy, even with her newfound- temporary- confidence. But she could manage for the time it took him to talk to Ezra. Would rather her oldest brother survive, if possible. Not so much out of familial love as practicality. He was the only one that could handle the family businesses.

As they got further away from the other two, Trisha turned her head up to Tansy.
“Well, thanks for ruining another Thanksgiving. At least it wasn’t just you this time. Since ’nobody wants me as family’, I won’t be spending any family holidays with you- or my other siblings- from now on. No point being where I’m not wanted.” Not that she expected Tansy to respect any boundaries, but calmly and confidently verbalising them was a big step for her.

“I didn’t…that wasn’t what I…” uttered Tansy, fighting the urge to sob as she quickened her pace to separate from Trisha. “...did this just to embarrass me…”

Behind them, Ezra put his hand on Casey’s shoulder.

“The truth is that I want to like you, Casey,” said Ezra, his voice lowering as his grip tightened on Casey’s shoulder. “But if you do anything that hurts Trisha then you’ll find out just the kind of people I work with.”

Ezra gave Casey a pat-pat as he let go, striding forward to join his sisters.

Casey was left with nothing but burning rage. Indignation. The kind of people? They knew the kind of people. There was only solace in knowing that, after this, Trisha may have no reason to ever speak to him again. A sinister thought passed through his head:
Flee, or die. You prick. I'd do you myself if I didn't think it'd break your pretentious little rule…

”Ezra… Me? Hurt Trisha? You're sincerely barking up the wrong tree.”
Good translation as he picked up the pace to be among the Vanburens.

His mind wandered to his White Lux, and he began sending notifications to security to keep twice the eyes on the path up to the parking lot.

”Say… Are you skipping town? Or, are you available for a meeting? We'll call it a debrief, y'know? After this whole problem is taken care of?” he asked, a sincere tone in his voice as they escaped the warming field of the platform.

”After all, uh… You'll miss me proposing. You'll miss the moment we become actual brothers… In, y'know, in law… But, still!” Casey finally started grinning again. Maybe it was smugness, maybe it was the overflowing joy of being engaged to Trisha.

Ezra stopped in his tracks as his head turned to give Casey a dark look full of ill-intent that soon broke as Ezra threw his head back with a loud, gutbusting laugh. Of all the accusations and quiet threats that had been thrown his way, that was the one to actually break through.

“Son of a bitch, you nearly got me,” said Ezra as he wiped a tear from his eye between chuckles. With a shake of his head, he turned to leave. “See you around, bro.”

Trisha looked at Ezra in abject shock when he started laughing, trying her best not to get too pissed at what he was laughing at. She'd told Casey she wouldn't care what her siblings thought, and was doing her best to stick by it.

She moved back to Casey's side, taking his side and staring at Ezra's back.
“Laugh all you want, Ezra. I'm not going to end up like you. Casey and I have our whole happy future ahead of us. We will get married… We're basically already engaged anyway. This is just the formal proposal. But I'm glad I don't have to share it with you. Thankfully I don't need- or want- your approval."

Casey wasn't angry anymore. Truly, there was no point.

Ezra's face firmed up, returning to its typical indiscernible expression.

“I hope you're right.”

Iron and Honey: A Love Story [FernStone & AtomicEmperor]

The trek back, regardless of its length, was punctuated by little moments of love as the two casually joked along until their destination. By now, the first tables were being allowed to go up and get their plates sorted. Strategically, they’d been organized so that the highest volume of families would be served first. Prioritizing the children eating was philosophical, but not without practical reasoning. Family tables kept units together, made sure that those who needed most ate first…

For their turn, it’d be at least another hour. They were included in the third block, which was Temple staff and honored guests. Which was, frankly, the only company Lynette actually wanted to be around. Thus, parties were satisfied waiting and-
Getting back, the tables were already piled with snacks, hors d'oeuvres and pitchers of beer. Bottles of wine were uncorked, being passed about, and there was a fucking bread basket in front of Casey and Trisha’s seats. The note, hand written in red ink, was penmanship Casey knew well.

Dinner will be a while. Try my newest recipe: Safe for all parties. A gift for coming festivities. I encourage scrutiny, followed by delight. Enjoy, and see you later.

There were also little jars of her honey specially packaged after being whipped with a uniquely prepared butter. A special request that Andrade had been working on for Trisha after talking about what would make the product better for her. Thankfully, for the moment, Ezra and Tansy weren’t there. Leon and Cass were, at the moment, thoroughly distracted at the next table, having a seemingly enthusiastic conversation with Max and Sylvie, which gave the couple enough time to formulate a short gameplan.

Casey could immediately tell that they weren’t normal pastries… But that didn’t mean they were like the usual formulae. Whatever this essence came out of, it’d been farmed. Sourced, even… Some extraplanar alternatives to the typical. Casey couldn’t confirm, however, until he ate it himself.

”Uh… You read this? What do you think, here?”

Trisha scanned the note, tilting her head as she did so. She could guess what the honey was, but the bread? A new recipe? To scrutinise and then enjoy? She wasn't sure if she had an appetite at all after everything they'd talked about… And if the bread wasn't made from normal ingredients, she was a little suspicious about it.

“I’m not sure." She admitted. She picked up one of the honey jars, popping it open. It smelled good… she reached out for a knife, scooping out some of the honey before carefully tasting it.

It wasn't as sweet as normal. The distinctive taste of the honey still shone through, but it was more evened out by the savoury taste of the butter. It meant it didn't lose any of the taste she liked about her honey while reducing the sickly sweetness that led to her eating less and less of it. The gooey goodness coated her mouth, perfectly chasing away the remaining bitterness after her heaving earlier.

“Well, this is the honey-butter me and Andrade talked about… it's really good. I assume the bread isn't normal? I know he says it's safe but… I'm not sure about trying it until I know what it is? Or, might do."

”Well… I think that’s what he meant by scrutiny? I’m trying them, I mean… I can smell them, they’re beating my nose up.”

Casey reached down, taking in a delectably warm cinnamon swirl bread slice and tipping it off into his mouth. Then another, and one more slice as he furrowed his brow and sat down. White Lux was practically bubbling off of him as he came to a memory from long ago, when he was still a boy. There were plenty of good ones mixed in with the bad, after all… The quiet times. Andrade’s little dorm room on the old Temple grounds, mixing ingredients and running them down the hall to the shared kitchen. It stank like sugar and laughs, and Andrade’s music filled the entire dorm hall.

Casey was just a boy… But the others didn’t get time with Andrade like that. Never had…

But there was a reason for it to be so strong. So surfaced... With it, he influenced a trailing spell to track the life of the ingredients. Back, back in time further and further until a time when the world was primal. Goliath Grain, straight from stalk to table pulled through temporal means across time and space itself. It wasn’t like infusing usual grains with Apparitional essence, in that it simply had the same energy naturally.

Granted, as he traced it back, he could feel it getting stronger and stronger. Clearly it lost a great deal of potency in the harvesting and processing, but that was for the best. If it retained full potency, he doubted there were many Adepts who could handle it as a regular dietary supplement. They’d invariably rip themselves apart in some sort of Luxal accident.
But it was clean. There was no instant gut reaction like the usual food, and he didn’t see many of the others necessarily liking it because of that. It filled, but it didn’t fill. Yet, the same initial sugar rush-like boost to his Lux occurred…

And with what he’d noticed himself, he thought maybe there was merit to getting a boost. Especially without using the super secret table seasoning.

”Oh, Babe… Eat this. It’s good, it’s good stuff. I think it’s really special, actually. I hope we see more of this, actually. See what the Queen thinks…” he intoned, offering Trisha the basket to pick from.

“It's not too filling?" She asked, looking through the basket before picking up just a simple roll. She held it, looking at Casey for an answer before she ate. Not because she didn't trust him… but because she needed to at least force herself to eat some of the actual dinner, and that would be more difficult if she ate extra filling bread beforehand.

”Yes and no, I guess. Magically, it is. So, still don’t eat a lot, but… Here, let me see-”
He took the little jar of honey butter and slathered a big glob on a second piece of bread before chowing down.

”Awwww, fuck… I’m gonna kill that guy, I swear he wants me fat and useless.” he joked, taking another scoop out and offering it to her for her roll.

”Pretty sure they found the way to go back in time. Which is a way bigger deal than I’m even going to give time for. Frankly, there’s a good chance the research is gone in a few months and totally unrecoverable.” he admitted to her.

“Oh… So we should try enjoy it while it lasts?” Trisha smiled slightly, quickly cutting open the roll before accepting the big scoop of honey onto it. She’d just eat the roll, then. If it wasn’t… physically more filling than normal.

She was a little curious by what he meant by magically filling. And he didn’t really need to go into details for her to know how impressive properly going back in time was. Even the Stygian Snake couldn’t go back in time like that, even if it could manipulate it.

She raised the roll to her mouth, taking a little nibble. Her eyes widened in surprise. The bread itself wasn’t entirely overpowered by the stronger honey butter, its own unique flavour blending well with all of it. It was… really good. As she took another, bigger bite she heard a soft sigh in her mind.

You should eat more of that, my darling Beekeeper. Ah… how nostalgic.

Just this piece. I won’t be able to eat anymore.

Ah, you mortals and your pathetically tiny appetites. The Queen’s gentle voice rang teasingly in her mind.

Trisha shook her head, before proceeding to eat the rest of the roll. As she did, she felt the strange rush as it boosted her own magic as well as appeasing the Queen. It was like… She was more sensitive. She could sense a faint pheromonal trail for her to Princess in her bag at her feet- one she knew she could grasp to connect with the bees within. She could also practically smell all the pheromones she’d soaked Casey in- where she normally didn’t pick up the non-active ones. If she actually had any bees with her, or tried to infect anyone with her pheromones… It would probably be easier than normal.

“It’s good. It’s really good. The Queen agrees.” Trisha said as she finished off the roll. Her hand listed forward for a slice of bread, picking up another jar of honey butter to slather a light layer across it.

“If I could, I’d just eat this instead of the rest of the meal… But I shouldn’t, so I’ll just have this other piece.” She started to nibble at the slice, savouring the flavour. While her Apparition didn’t say anything, Trisha could feel her contentment.
“If the Queen had her way I’d eat the whole basket… Not that I could ever do that.”

Casey was fist-deep in an eclair full of the most incredible filling he’d ever tasted. It’s white frosting atop the actual finger was laden with colorful sprinkles.
”It’s a fucking Dunk-e-doo flavored eclair… This guy, he doesn’t forget anything. When I was little, I’d go and visit him in the dorms, and he’d always have a stash of Dunk-e-doo packs that he’d let me have. I’d eat the cookies, then scoop the cream out of the container with my tongue…” he grinned.

”Someone said Dunk-e-doos? Oh, we were so trying not to get into that thing when we got back. What’s going on with the note?” Leon asked, turning back to them to start heading for his seat.

”Yeah, it was seriously testing my self control!” Cass was right beside Leon. She was carrying a whole bowl of… nuts, it seemed, which she was throwing into her mouth near continuously. The earlier Green Lux usage had left her even more starving!

“I never actually had those. Whenever we had them in the house the biggest, fastest siblings would eat them, and by the time I was old enough to go to a store myself… I wasn’t really eating that kind of thing.” Trisha admitted, looking at Casey’s eclair with a hint of curiosity. It seemed like… A lot of sweetness. She turned from that towards Leon.

”The note feels like it’s Andrade being cryptic. If Casey didn’t have White Lux, I’d have no idea what the bread was.” She said with a slightly joking tone.

Casey was so keyed up from the Goliath Grain, it was harder for him to ignore seeing the interest in Trisha’s eyes. Rather than fousting the half he still held upon her, he ripped a chunk of the end off and brought it to the open end to scoop out a bit of the filling. The best of both worlds, which he delicately offered to her.

”Uh… Nah. It’s not cryptic enough. Security’s on high: It was either try and get this out so me and her would actually eat something, or risk us being less effective.

Leon was probably, maybe secretly, the only Temple Member somewhat unaware of there being any kind of threat. With no desire to overexert, he was clamping down significantly upon Lelou’s influence. It was incredibly limiting to his senses, but it was all he could do at this point to keep her calm.

”Security is on high? Your call?”

Casey shook his head. If Lynette was listening, she didn’t respond, but Casey made a very clear gesture toward her at the other end of the table. In response, Leon’s head tilted backward in a nod.

”Ohhh… Guaranteed?”

”I don’t know. Something big would be incredibly bold. Play it by ear, Big Brother. Have a pastry.”
As Leon reached out, Casey turned his head to Trisha.
”I’m really hoping that there’s not much else to go wrong… But you know how life can be.” he admitted with a hint of sadness.

”Go on, Cass! I bet if you put some nuts on that sticky bun there, you’ll have an awesome snack.” he wagged the basket. Turning his head only slightly, he smiled back at the two of them as they took their seats fully.

”Oh dude… I already finished the nuts!” Cass laughed, gladly grabbing the sticky bun and tearing right into it even without extra nuts on top. She hadn’t realised there was a risk of shit like that going down… But it just made her more glad to be here.

Trisha furrowed her brow, finishing off the end of the eclair. So that was what Ed had been looking into… She’d guessed something was up, but she hadn’t realised it was on that scale. Bad enough that she needed to be effective too. At least now she could sense the bees through the connection that Princess had with their hive. It brought some comfort.

“It’s alright, if anything happens we’ll handle it together.” Trisha said softly. What other choice did they have? As long as whatever might happen waited until after the proposal… Her head turned away from Casey to glance at the empty chairs where her siblings should be. They were both Blind… So if something happened, would she have to protect them?

”Oh, where are you siblings?” Cass asked, pointing to the empty chairs as she noticed Trisha’s gaze going towards them. She leaned forward to snag another roll.
”I know we ain’t getting food for a while, but everyone else up here is sat down!”

Trisha shrugged one shoulder.
“Probably mingling or something. I should be glad I get less time with them, but I’m worried Tansy will have accosted some poor staff member and Ezra’s boring some other business owner to death.”

For once, her arrival was not announced by an ear shattering trumpeting of Trisha’s full name. o As if summoned by her name from the pits of hell, Tansy Vanburen approached the table as swiftly as her high heels would allow. A singular swathe of hair had come undone from her updo and she swatted it away with a furious backhand. She had a quiet look of fury in her eyes of a general who had just learned that their men had disobeyed her orders and were now being outmaneuvered by their enemy because of their insubordination.

There was no hello, nor nod, nor even look of acknowledgement as Tansy marched past her sister, just an almost silent muttering to herself as Tansy bitched, “How fucking hard is it to put a fucking pair of tongs back? Im-fucking-possible. Stupid to think a single one of these fucking suckers have a working fucking braincell. I fucking said there should’ve been fucking servers. Fucking cheapass bitch, cut my fucking budget? Suck my dick, you tax-exempt cu–”

Tansy cut herself short by snagging a piece of bread from the basket and shoving it into her mouth. There was no reaction towards the deliciousness of the sweet, sweet carbs she had let herself indulge in for the first time in weeks as Tansy snatched the pair of tongs meant to accompany the basket and departed as swiftly as she had arrived. She strolled past a man in a casual fall suit who held a cell phone up to one ear and covered the other with his hand as he paced near the edge of the tent. Tansy gestured at him with the tongs and drew his attention to the table, to which he answered by holding up a finger to show one minute and turned his back on her.

There was the briefest pause from Tansy as she squeezed the tongs and glared at the man’s back, as if she was determining if the tongs were sharp enough to murder him with, before she clacked them at his back and made her way towards the catering catastrophe. The man turned his head and, seeing that Tansy was heading in one direction, headed in the other towards the table. He quickly finished up his conversation on the phone before making it to the table, rolling his eyes as he put away his cell.

“Sorry I’m late. Gotta love multiple Thanksgivings. I see I already missed the first blow up. What did you say to set her off?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Trisha before locking eyes with the fellow next to her. He extended a hand towards Casey. “Hi, Ezra. Nice to finally meet you.”

Whiplash aside, Casey found himself looking at this man for the first time in the Flesh. He could only vaguely see the places where the two siblings shared some genetic lineage; position of the eyes on the head, shape of the ear lobe, length of the neck, amazingly… They were siblings in the loosest possible sense short of being unrelated. Which made a lot more sense when the White Lux of a dozen different Adepts crashed across Ezra Vanburen’s robust Emotional Field…

Casey’s in particular wasn’t subtle, and given their proximity, even an untrained Adept would have a pretty good indication of the source of the spell… Of course he was an Adept. Successful people weren’t just successful, after all; typically they were lucky like rabbit’s feet earrings. Whether he was trained, however, or simply gifted was a completely different question. Casey’s hand stretched out, wrapping around Ezra’s and shaking it.

”St. Portwell’s best kept secret. What’d you mean, though,-” he asked finally, tilting his head slightly to look at Trisha before looking back.
”-like, Trisha? Puffy red eyes? We were actually out by the beach… Really talking about what we’re thankful for. It gets emotional, you know I’m sure. Welcome, welcome, uhh… It’s a big table, do you want introductions all around? You’ve… Met dear old Mom before, I know that.” he admitted, pointing down the end at Lynette.

In return, the Coven Matron gave a wry smile, blowing a kiss at Ezra before tucking back into her massive wine glass. The conversation over there seemed to be extensive, with voices being raised and laughter from a group Casey wasn’t expecting to see it from.
”Yeeeeah, she remembers you.” Casey giggled, smiling at Ezra.

“Sure,” said Ezra quite tersely, although it was unclear what he was sure-ing. Perhaps it was just a knee jerk reaction to respond to whatever Casey had just said to pretend like Ezra hadn’t noticed the magic fiddling around with his Emotional Field. It could’ve been that he was dismissing his alleged familiarity with Lynette out of fear of being further associated with an alleged cult. It could’ve been that he was trying to work through the coded language to figure out what this fucking guy had actually been doing with his little sister on the beach. Possibly, he’d just simply agreed to wanting introductions.

Trisha wasn't sure if Casey had purposefully or actually misunderstood what Ezra had said. Of course he wasn't talking about Trisha. Like he'd look at her closely enough to notice something like that. Obviously he meant Tansy storming off like the tongs were the clue to who'd stolen her latest designed bag. For once it wasn't even her… But, wait.

“Are my eyes really that red?" Trisha frowned, raising a hand to her eyes. She'd made sure her makeup hadn't run… But it wasn't like she could prevent any signs that she'd cried early. Not that the tears had fully escaped her eyes.

It was probably fine.

“Anyway- He meant Tansy. I have no idea what set her off, it wasn't me. I haven't said a word to her… Nice to see you too, Ezra." She managed to keep her tone from being too snippy, smiling at her oldest brother.
“I’m so glad you could tear yourself away from your mother's Thanksgiving to join us."

It was difficult to keep up some semblance of a mask when with Casey- who it slipped so easily in front of- and talking to Ezra- who it had never really existed with, nor did it with any family. Not unless they were at public, fancy events where they really had to pretend to tolerate each other. But the more comfortable she began to feel the harder it was to pretend and cover up what she actually felt…

She tilted her head back towards Casey.
“Introductions make sense… Oh, but you'll have to do them all again when Tansy sits down. Maybe just the people near us? I know Ezra doesn't like wasted time." Her eyes flickered back over to him.

“Oh, most of these people are a waste of time?” said Ezra with a wry smile, pretending like he hadn’t just checked his watch. “Well, I’m happy that we got sat at this side of the kid’s table then. You’re looking well, Cass. Good to see you again. And is that the living reincarnation of Gravity Richoux? When are you gonna stop dominating these shallow waters and go after your next major title?”

Trisha rolled her eyes with a slight laugh. She was glad she didn’t have to sit through the same introductions twice… Or Ezra greeting everyone at the table. It wasn’t like she’d be able to talk to anyone else, sitting between Casey and Ezra as she was.

”Thanks! Great to see you again too, Ezra!” Cass grinned as if she hadn’t totally forgotten she’d met Ezra before. When was it? Probably… sometime when she came with Trisha to St Portwell while they were at University? Obviously nothing interesting had happened if she didn’t remember it… But that was fine! Fake it till you make it!

”You’re right to be happy being at this end of the table- this is the fun end! Ain’t that right, Trish?”

Fun was one way to put it. Trisha shot a sarcastic smile over at Cass.
“Sure… It’s not like it's any quieter down there. But at least this side isn’t drunk yet.”

Cass tilted her head back to laugh, before one hand lashed out to slap Leon’s arm multiple times.
”Yeah we ain’t lightweights! But shit, Babe, who would’ve thought the Ezra Vanburen knows about boxing!” She spoke as if she was a St Portwell native, as opposed to someone who’d only heard the full details of Trisha’s family background over the past month.

Leon didn’t stand, rather reaching his hand out across the table with a very casual motion. He was at least smiling, and seemed to have not concerned himself with the comment about shallow waters.

”Yeahhhh, the type of fan I usually don’t see: Those guys in the stadium boxes with the one-way glass. Good to meet you, Mr. Vanburen. Why don’t we remedy the sad state of affairs; we’d love to see Vanburen Limited’s name come across the sponsor boards, honestly!” Leon grinned, hoping to part a rich man from a fist full of dollars.

”I bet you’d be able to sponsor a real title fight, and the current World Champ is a bit of a douche. Put us up, I’ll win it for you no problem, we all make enough money to come home with.” he winked.

”God, Leon, are you begging? Or is this just how things usually go for you guys in the league?” Casey giggled, poking his brother on the shoulder across the table. The reply was a grin and the shaking of his head.

”Anyway, Ezra! Gosh, I mean I wish Tansy had stayed; if she bothered to ask, we’d more than willingly accommodate someone assisting her with getting food… I mean, she’s not even meant to be up there right now… But, you’re patient! Bread? Please, help yourself, it’s Andrade’s newest flour blend. An old-world oat we’ve managed to revitalize…” he grinned, holding up the basket.

”Trisha, have you mentioned anything about the honey since the last time you guys talked? I thought it was great that you were worried about her, Ezra; when she brought up all the business stuff to Andrade, I was thoroughly impressed.” he offered, Richoux chaotic nature slowly manifesting in a manic enthusiasm for a conversation that was being forced out by circumstance…

The opportunity to trap an unwilling participant…

Trisha shook her head. It wasn’t like she and Ezra had so much as exchanged a text since that last phone call.
“I sent him a jar of honey after, but never heard anything about it.” She said simply.

Ezra had responded to Leon’s offer of sponsorship with a little smile and a soft laugh, treating the suggestion as if it were a joke. The last thing he wanted was for his family name to become further intertwined with the Temple of Carnies and Grifters. Already one of his half-siblings was literally in bed with a cultist and another was running events for them. He looked at the bread with a bit of apprehension as if he were trying to determine if the ancient grain had been cut with some kind of psychiatrics to make him more susceptible to joining the drum circle or whatever other pagan bullshit they were bound to bust out as the evening progressed. Apparently he detected no tomfoolery, or perhaps he simply decided that seeing how Andrade had managed to iterate on bread was worth the mental mindfuck, as he picked up a piece, took a small bite, and placed the bread on his plate.

“How the fuck does that guy keep doing it?” whispered Ezra, shaking his head in bafflement at what had to be the best damn slice of bread he’d ever had. If only he’d gotten his hands on Andrade first.

“The honey?” said Ezra, stirring back towards the current conversation.

Oh, right, that would explain the jar that had arrived mysteriously at his office. He’d just assumed after his phone call with Trisha that she would’ve given up on the whole thing sooner or later and had filed the memory away to the part of his mind reserved for unimportant information like birthdays or the names of the friends of the people he was dating at the time. What had ever happened to that thousand dollar jar? He’d probably given it to his secretary.

“Yeah, it was alright,” said Ezra with a nod. “How is the honey business faring now that the bees have settled down for a cozy winter?”

Alright? It was alright? Had he even tried it? If he had, it must have just been a quick taste. Because there was no way everyone around her- Andrade- was lying about it, right? What would they benefit from it? Andrade was literally paying for it…

Trisha was so caught up in stopping herself from getting visibly mad at Ezra that she almost didn’t think about his question and just gave the honest answer. Her eyes widened slightly. Shit. Shit. What did she say? She couldn’t exactly say there was a magic Greenhouse outside their home that had so many flowers in it the bees couldn’t hope to pollinate it. Or that if that wasn’t the case, there’d be no way she wouldn’t have at least a hundred with her right now…

“Oh, it’s doing just fine. Greenhouse technology is quite impressive these days. We have a state of the art one near our home. Bees don’t need to hibernate for the winter if they’re given a hive in a warm enough spot, so they’ve been collecting nectar like normal.” Trisha answered as smoothly as she could without bringing up the reality- magic.
“I have a standing- contracted- order with Andrade, which has been fulfilled so far. In fact… There’s even a raffle for my honey tonight! A whole thirty two pounds of it. So that’s sixty-four jars, made just in the last fortnight.”

“And this is that thousand dollars a jar shit?” asked Ezra, tearing off a bit of bread and gesturing at Trisha with it. Or perhaps he’d just checked his watch again. “That is a pretty hefty prize to donate away for some raffle. Hopefully you got a receipt so you can get a tax break. The ticket price would have to be pretty steep to compensate, too. Do you know who benefits from the proceeds?”

It was a loaded question, aimed to drive more doubt into Trisha that her busy little bee business was being exploited by the Temple. A hostile takeover could easily be disguised with a warm smile, a firm handshake, and an initial promise of mutual benefits with actual follow-up. Ezra would know. He continued to pick at the bread instead of eating it just as he would’ve continued to pick at Trisha’s business sense if she wasn’t saved by a shrill, “Darlings~!”

Tansy clopped over to the table, all signs of her previous frazzlement reversed by a quick touch-up in the bathroom. She descended on the grouping like a bird of prey, swooping in to give a peck on the head to Ezra, Trisha, and Casey in that order, hands pressed firmly on their shoulders to pin them to their chairs if they attempted to struggle or get away.

“Isn’t this just going swell? Everything is just absolutely perfect. I already know what I’m thankful for, don’t you?” she said to nobody in particular, laughing at her own attempt at a Thanksgiving flavored joke. “Have you tried the bread yet? It’s absolutely marvelous. What are we all talking about? Oh, Cass, you made it! I was worrried that Patricia wouldn’t invite you.”

Trisha was, for the first time in her life, relieved when Tansy appeared. It was short lived, disappearing the moment the dreaded Tansy grip- one that every Vanburen sibling knew they couldn't escape, because she'd honed it to perfection- pinned her to her chair for the kind of ‘familial affection' she hated. Brief as it was, reactionary disgust still clutched her.

But at least she didn't have to keep answering Ezra's questions. She'd managed with the first, but by the second she was beginning to falter. A receipt for tax breaks? She didn't have that. She knew the ticket price was plenty with the amount they were planning- and expecting- to sell. As for the proceeds… had she even asked? She wasn't sure… It was difficult to ignore the creeping doubt. A couple of compliments about her honey and some success, and she was already acting like everything would work out. But it wouldn't, would it? Not when she was the one running it.

She forced herself to stop thinking about it by facing the new horror that had descended upon them, turning to face Tansy with a smile. At the same time she subtly shifted her body towards Casey, one hand under the table reaching out towards him.
“Tansy… I'm glad you could drag yourself away from torturing the poor staff to join us. Ezra was just enlightening us in incredibly interesting business strategy. You know, the typical stuff."

"Tansy, hey! It's been a while… A year or so? That last time I visited Trisha and you swung by? Wow, you haven't aged a day since!" Cass' response was much brighter, as she grabbed another roll and tore into it.
"Of course Trisha would wanna invite me… But I dunno how many invites she got? Course she'd prioritise family and all!"

Trisha held back a laugh at that, knowing both her and Cass knew that was a lie. If she'd had any choice in the invite list neither Ezra nor Tansy would be here.

"Y'know, I almost wasn't here cause someone assumed I wouldn't wanna come, what with the being English and all. Like that stops me enjoying good food and company!" Cass laughed, patting Leon's arm and shooting him a teasing grin.
"Oh, you ain't actually met yet, have you? Guess I get to do the intros… Tansy, this is Leon- Casey's oldest brother and my boyfriend… I'm sure you've already heard plenty from Lynette!"

She was hoping to turn some of the attention away from Trisha, to give her a bit of breathing room, and onto her attention loving boyfriend.
"I bet you'll get on… you can share oldest sibling tips or some shit!"

”Being the oldest isn't something you really trade tips for. It's instinctual.” Leon joked, hand stretching out to Tansy.
”Funny, though; I always expected Ezra to be the oldest. Kind of explains the whole ‘Should’ve gotten waiters’ thing, at least.”

They had happened across one another at some point, of course. While Leon had been taking care of Layla, Tansy and Lynette had been in a meeting over plans. Though, from everything he'd heard, the giant was sure that she'd forgotten the entire moment. It was lost somewhere, stuck in the endless void between her ears.

”We met very briefly after few days ago. You seemed stressed, like you did a few minutes ago.”

Slowly, surely, there was another face edging its devious way into the moment.

”Well nowwwwww… Vanburens worth talking to. Tansy, Ezra- Maxwell Richoux V, please call me Junior. Youngest brother, fourth of five, a pleasure, seriously. Tansy? You. Are. Gorgeous tonight, Sweetheart. And, Ezra, so dashing!”

Leon's face scrunched up slightly as Junior inserted himself into the conversation. Suddenly, he was flanked on both sides in a situation where he was just as ready to run… But from where Casey was sitting, the imminent scenario wasn't such a nightmare. If Junior hitched his horse to the Vanburen carriage, then that was time he wasn't going to focus on Trisha. And if they got uncomfortable enough, maybe they'd leave?

What little remaining connection between the two brothers went into the rapid formation of a mental uplink. Casey wasn't interested in receiving very much, but a quick broadcast between them was easy. It was purely intention-based, allowing both parties to declare without speaking. The understood agreement was that the two Vanburens were fair game, so long as boundaries of play were established.

The Richoux Entrapment…

”Little Brother here is an internet wizz: Impress ‘em, Juni, maybe Ezra will be kind enough to find you a job.” Casey joked knowing full well what ‘impressing them’ would entail.

”Oh, I couldn't possibly. Besides, Trisha's here, Cass is here. Women in the STEM fields should have the platform to shine these days.”

That was not the expected stance, leaving Casey confused and unsure of what was coming.

“Oh, what a humble little charmer. But don’t you think that work should go to the most qualified individual, shouldn’t it?” said Tansy, the wound from being incorrectly identified as the eldest Vanburen soothed by Junior calling her gorgeous. She shifted her shoulder ever so slightly to cut Leon out of the conversation as she turned towards Ezra. “Do you not agree, big brother?”

“The small businesses I work with don’t typically have extensive IT programs,” said Ezra with a dismissive shrug.

“Well, I for one would love to actually see something impressive today,” said Tansy, the corner of her eyes slightly spasming as her stepford programming malfunctioned at the sly insult that included herself in its targeting. She smiled through it as she turned towards Junior and took her seat. She leaned forward, propping herself up just so that her hand disappeared Leon from her periphery like he was an enemy of the State. “Ezra isn’t the only person here who can offer you a job.”

“This a pour-your-own affair?” groaned Ezra as he facepalmed and looked for a drink.

Junior was immediately taken in by the allure of crawling into Tansy’s life. Even the slightest hint of acceptance was like carrion to the vampire’s senses. He licked his lips. Watching, Casey was beyond curious to see where this would go.

”Only if you want it to be… Beer? Wine? We can get things brought up here as you can see, it’s just… The actual dinner, y’see. We’re big eaters, you’ll see people coming back with three, four plates. We can’t possibly expect wait staff to dedicate all that time. But, there’s almost double the alcohol staff. Since it’s beer garden style, they- Oh, look. See?”

And there, in the crowd, were three people carrying what looked like three equally brash mountains of beer to a nearby table on the main floor. As Casey hopefully distracted Ezra, Junior had a mission of his own now.

” Now, Tansy… Tans? Ah, Hell, Pretty Lady... What sort of information technology services are you looking for in your day to day life? Tell me how I can make your day- No! Tell me how I can make the rest of your life easier.” he grinned with a sickeningly sweet smile that really showed off just how charmingly built his face was.

Leon just looked at Cass with a joking frown, somehow feeling suddenly put out of the conversation!

”Awww, Babbyyy,” Cass giggled under her breath, hands coming up to cradle Leon’s face. She squished his cheeks- somehow- while still keeping her body turned to retain her involvement in the conversation.

”I need a drink too,” Trisha muttered, looking much more similar to her oldest brother in the moment she also looked around for alcohol to help deal with Tansy. Her eyes followed Casey’s direction to stare at the staff in the hopes they’d come over. At least her siblings had completely ignored her STEM involvement… Well, no. Tansy had taken it and implied she was worse. Which was true, of course, but it didn’t make it sting any less.

Sensing Trisha’s despair, and seeing that no one else was going to valiantly step up to prevent the strange flirting between two literal nightmares, Cass saw that once again she had to step in.

”Whoa, that women in STEM thing went out the window fast, June! Damn!” Cass laughed.

”You don’t sound like you’re just offering a tech solution… I mean, shit, you planning to make some kinda robot to do everything for her? Oh, but Tansy, didn’t you see that wellness influencer… What’s her name? Oh! Joanne White… Anyway! She recently did a video about how using too much tech in your day to day life is really bad for your skin and could give you cancer, especially if you're in your thirties!” It was, unfortunately, a real- if completely bullshit- video. As for why Cass had watched it? Because one of the people she worked with on a contracting job had found it hilarious.

”Watched it; shit source. Come back with science. Besides, you clearly have no schooling in marketing this shit, despite how good your portfolio looks. I mean, I know you didn’t go to school for any kind of business. Good, good. Anyway, Tansy, listen; I could offer you a computer service that wipes your digital ass: It’s all a matter of what you’re looking for!” Junior very quickly redirected back to positivity.

After all, he knew how to speak rich cunt. Gender neutrally, of course, he figured he could probably just as easily sell a service to Ezra. It was all about plying the ego and slipping into the crack made wide. Easily learned from his dear Mother.

Tansy appeared to be deeply enraptured by the tech conversation, but in truth she was merely pleased that the conversation was revolving around her. A chatty table was a good sign for any dinner party and was even more impressive considering the ungodly wait that it was to get some food. The fact that the Vanburens and Richouxes hadn’t started tearing each other apart with fork and knife was, clearly, because she was such a fantastic dinner guest and an even better host. While she stroked her ego, Ezra had laid claim to some beers for the table, passing one off to Trisha and leaving the remaining ones for the wolves.

“Well that’s just the problem, isn’t it Maxwell,” said Tansy, finding it impossible to call someone who wasn’t wearing a propellor hat with an ice cream stain on their Mickey Mouse shirt Junior. “I’m so technologically inept that I wouldn’t even know what there is to look for! Although I wouldn’t mind that robot Cass mentioned. It could manage my socials for me and shield me from that dangerous blue light.”

Tansy let out a little chortle as if to say that, like Junior, she believed Joanna White to be an absolute charlatan as she made a mental note to look up that video after dinner. Meanwhile, Ezra sipped his beer and made a faint ‘eh, not bad’ face. He wasn’t a beer guy, but he sure as shit wasn’t about to subject himself to whatever well whiskey was stocked to for a dinner this size.

“So big brother is a boxer and little brother is in charge of polishing the glass ceiling,” said Ezra, gesturing with his beer towards Casey. “What line of work are you in?”

Trisha was more than happy to have her hands on some form of alcohol, drinking the beer like it was water until she'd finished about half of it. It helped her zone out Tansy and Junior's equally grating voices. Hopefully Cass would give an extra buffer- even if she too had grabbed a beer to chug to cope. Trisha looked up from drinking at Ezra's question, gaze turning to Casey. It was almost earnest- like she hoped that by answering, it'd put any stupid worries Ezra had to rest and then she wouldn't have to deal with further questioning.

“Tell him where you served," she said softly, as if Casey wouldn't if she didn't prompt him to.

Hearing Trisha urging him along made him want to go full gungho over his service. To laud it over yet another man too old to serve and be called upon. People like Ezra didn't go to war anyway, they paid the draft office fine and continued along their lives. But someone like Ezra also contributed more in war bonds and other fundraising endeavors than any other tax bracket. Just like everything else, they must believe their freedom is simply purchasable.

He bought it. Knew others who bought it too. They called it “Buying a Farm” in the exact same way you send a dog to the great dog park in the sky. A better place, free from the pain of war and the suffering of its indifference. Cradled in the arms of the lord, the asking price is young men's lives. By the thousands. Who did Casey really need to impress? Small children, elderly folks, the broken and beaten, the downtrodden; people who needed the inspiration to see a future with themselves in it. A reason to get up, stand up, one more time. Again, and again.

His head turned slightly to Trisha, and he smiled warmly, then looked back at Ezra with the same expression.
”I was a Chief Warrant Officer with the United States Armed Forces. Warrant Officer is a weird position, because you're basically a man attached to a bigger group; someone above you said ‘These guys need your help’. You usually have some kind of skill or training others don't have, and you slide into a unit to impart your knowhow. Started in a different outfit, fighting in French Indochina, joined the Army once we got involved, fought with the Brits in Africa, crossed to Italy, scaled the Alps and made it into Berlin to see the Ruskis demolishing the statues.”

He took a sip of his drink, leaving his older brother to lean forward.

”Y'know, the amount of times I heard you say ‘Chief Warrant Officer’ could probably clog my brain. But, for the life of me, I don't remember what it is you specialized in.”

Casey realized only then that he'd never really bothered with the specifics. Mostly because it felt hard to quantify, and didn't do his participation any kind of justice. His specialization made him feel like a camp vendor in an RPG.

”Well, my MoS was logistics and repair. I'm a licensed, trained, fully accredited gunsmith. I've got certs having to do with everything from ammunition loading to shit you probably wouldn't want to think about. But my tactical specialty is force multiplication. I took a lot of classes in between getting shot at. Lots of qualification courses. Aptitude tests. It was determined that I'm pretty competent at setting up things like coordinated assaults, ambushes; things that require a creatively devious mind.”

He grinned at Ezra now, lips pursing slightly.
”I'll be out of a job here, pretty soon. No chance you're looking for a new head of security, hey Ezra?” he playfully stuck his tongue out knowing full well he didn’t need to work a day in his life.

But it'd be potentially useful to see more of him. To get closer. Even if Trisha thought he was boring, Casey had experienced worse. Boring only meant there wasn't a lot of extra shit going on. Direct and to the point made for the best orders…

Meanwhile, a devil was trying to sell lightning in a bottle to a presumably unsuspecting victim.
”I do have access to a basic AI infrastructure. If you're willing, Tansy, we can uh… Train it. To fit you, essentially. We feed it as many of your text messages and social media posts as we can, it replicates your texting patterns, and voilà! A machine that you feed basic information, and it spits out a blog post or a social post. Whatever you tell it to. How's that sound? Your own digital you!” Junior grinned, pulling out his phone.

”Also, uh… Can't polish something that doesn't exist, big business man… Look at your sister, look how successful she is and tell me there's a glass ceiling… God, men in women's issues am I right?” he did his best to stifle the evil in his grin.

“And imagine how much more successful I would be if there were two of me,” giggled Tansy, quite certain that there was no other sister that Junior could’ve been speaking about.
“There’s a difference between being fortunate and being successful, but I digress,” muttered Ezra into his beer. It was a snipe not only aimed at Tansy. He leaned back in his chair and gave Casey a curious look. He had taken the long, go-around way of saying that he was gainfully unemployed. “Does the Temple’s Thanksgiving typically double as a job fair? Or is this just special treatment caused by the jangling of pockets?”

”Well, it’s really all we know you by around here. Seems to be the tune St. Portwell dances to, ain’t it?”
Casey spread his arms dismissively.
”As for the job fair vibe, I mean sure. There’s plenty to be done in a thriving community. Probably nothing like that conglomerate of yours, but hey the little guys need someone to play the music closer by. Especially if the other pastures are gated communities. Fair, I guess, shepherds typically don’t want their prize livestock tainted by that other guy’s wretched freakish herd.”

Casey’s attitude had plummeted, though he maintained a chipper tone in spite of it.There wasn’t a great deal to talk about besides these sorts of things, were there? But his words were escaping the tone regardless; so it’d either be damn the entire dinner and piss Trisha off, or pull back and save face. A subtle look at Leon’s expression told him how he should handle it.

”Hey, now… We dance the ol’ raindance in these parts. Vanburen money is not a major concern, we get by just fine under the patronage of the Church and our generous contributors. But I don’t think it’s wrong to be of a fundraising mind at all times. Who knows, as in we certainly don’t: You could be a quiet fan of the league! You could be looking for an expert soldier to head up some internal security force. Tansy here could be looking for someone to fix her up with a social media bot.”

Leon’s massive shoulders shrugged, and he took a sip of beer, free hand playing with Cass’ in his own.

”You can let go of your purse strings, my Man. Nobody’ll cut’em here.” he finished, raising his glass up slightly at Ezra.

”We could always talk about the other thing our beloved Temple is famous for…” Junior leaned in, suddenly far more interested in the brewing of tea than the financial pillaging of his saxon forefathers.

Trisha was getting visibly tense. She was doing her best to hide it, but it was difficult when she felt like she was being pressed on all sides. The polite smile had dropped into a flat line. Her shoulders hunched up and her hands clutched her skirt, fabric bunching up between her fingers. Of course it was going this way. Of course Tansy was acting like she was the best. Of course Ezra assumed everyone wanted his money. He’d come in with suspicions and was just having them confirmed. She could practically feel him judging her for it. Sure, she wasn’t successful. But she wasn’t stupid either.

“Casey was clearly joking about the job, Ezra.” Trisha said tersely, shifting herself forward in her chair to be more in between her brother and boyfriend. As if she could hide someone almost a foot taller than her… She didn’t like how Casey had responded, but she didn’t like Ezra’s questioning either. Casey’s tone had been so obviously non-serious! He didn’t need the fucking money!

None of them did! The only one who needed a job was the one person who hadn’t asked for one yet! And why did she even care? It wasn’t like she needed her brother’s approval-
“Nobody’s looking for your money. It’s like Leon said. They don’t even need it. You don’t always need to assume the worst, Ezra. Please? Stop acting like the Vanburen company head- like dad- for just a couple of hours?”

”I dunno, I actually need a- Just kidding!” Cass went to joke, stopping herself as Trisha twisted her head round to stare at her. Like Cass would actually want another boring office job… No thank you! She smiled comfortingly at her friend, going back to chugging her beer and gently scratching her fingers against Leon’s. He had given a pretty great answer, after all.

Trisha’s head then snapped over to glare at Junior. The other thing they were famous for? What, being a cult? Magic? No, that was only known to the magical community. Ezra and Tansy were blind.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Maxwell, but I doubt my siblings are interested in discussing anything related to the Temple.”

Ezra generally kept a fairly strong poker face, but the glances he’d started throwing at his watch were quite telling that he wasn’t much interested in discussing anything with someone related to the Temple, let alone about it. He’d clocked Casey’s change in temperament, too; he imagined the soldier was simply upset because he hadn’t bent over backwards and thanked him for his service. However Tansy, having sensed the downward shift in the atmosphere because someone’s name was being said more than her own, became animated at the idea of quickly shifting the conversation away from whatever boring drivel they had all been going on about.

“Patricia, please. Perhaps you don’t want to know, I would absolutely love to hear more about our gracious hosts. There’s just such an intriguing air of mystique surrounding the Temple. I always hear so much about them from my girl friends, yet nobody even has the faintest idea of what they actually do,” said Tansy, putting a finger to her chin and tapping it. “A bit of common ground they share with you, dearest brother. Go on, Maxwell. Illuminate us.”

Both older brothers were also keyed into the fear of not knowing what was coming next. This bastard…

”Andrade’s cooking, obviously. Big Brother? Can you pass that bread down here?”

Casey deflated at Junior’s menacing grin, eyes twisting from the high of recognizing the shifting Emotional Field from his brother’s face to the basket and back. Leon could only start laughing.
”Y’know? That’s great. It’s a good topic, honestly. His entire repertoire of styles is on display tonight.”

”Now, I know carbs ain’t friends, but Andrade really knows how to make ‘em friendly, Tansy. Uhhhh-” Junior paused, mulling over the basket as he received it before spinning it around to Tansy.

”-There’s a petite dinner roll, just at the base of the precarious baguette sitting so wonderfully erect in this here basket… I would encourage you to try a piece. And when you like it, try the whole thing. These are, I’m told, from Andrade’s new Guiltless experiments that he’s doing over at his test kitchen. All the love of bread, none of the pain.” he finished, chordling in a French accent.

Trisha wasn’t sure what Junior was trying to do. Have Tansy gorge herself on carbs and spiral about her health, taking it out on everyone else around her? Not, that didn’t make sense. The bread was safe, so he wasn’t trying to kill her Blind sister somehow. Tansy had already eaten from the basket. Was he hoping she’d somehow pick up on the subtext of what he was saying and assume most bread was made via the murder of ghosts?

She couldn’t even argue that much, because Casey had handed it to Junior.
“Tansy already tried some earlier. She knows how nice it is… And it’s not really any different from the rest of the food. High quality, made by or under the guidance of Andrade.”

”Oh dude, you cannot hold that this close to me.” Cass’ hand shot out to snatch up the pointed out baguette, unable to resist when she could smell the bread again. Damned extra sensitive nose…

“Oh,” said Tansy, staring at the temptation placed before her as her eyes briefly glossed over. She’d been hoping to hear something a bit more scandalous. She quickly course corrected with a wooden smile. “Of course! I did already try one, but I suppose it is Thanksgiving. A bit of indulgence is always apropos.”

She grabbed the tiny dinner roll and took a miniscule bite, “Mm, scrumptious! How does Andrade do it?”

“MSG?” offered Ezra.

“Be serious, brother,” snipped Tansy as she scarfed the rest of the roll. “Andrade would never. Everyone knows that stuff is toxic.”

"It definitely ain't MSG. This is just real good fucking bread," Cass commented as she munched on her baguette, not even bothering with Tansy's belief MSG was toxic.

“It’s only toxic if you believe everything you read from those ‘wellness’ magazines of yours," Trisha rolled her eyes at Tansy, before managing to go back to the act of pretending to be a good little sister. Anything to keep the conversation on food, rather than risk Junior actually start talking about unsavoury Temple issues- or god forbid, really decide to cast magic in front of her siblings.

She held out a little tub of honey whipped with butter towards Tansy with a smile.
“Since you've already indulged, why not a little more? Try some with this- Andrade made it too. You'll never guess where the honey came from."

Junior’s hand swept out.
”Oh, no no. See, you’ve all totally missed the point. Forgive me; I’m nowhere near as good at selling food as I am software. I guess using terms like ‘Miracle’ and ‘Magic Product’ just feel silly, but… Well, if you can believe it, these really are guilt free. Absolved, as it were, of their demonic carbs and sugars, these breads are made with incredibly rare ingredients. The caloric sum of that little bun? Ten calories. Ten precious calories, dedicated to a full dinner roll experience.”

It may’ve been gauche to use the phrase “magic product”, but under the circumstances, there was no chance they were getting away without rounding back to the actual topic. He wondered how long Ezra would be able to hold out once it started being broached in a heavier fashion.

”Obviously, I’m not some gastronomist. I don’t know how Andrade did it. But, I mean, he was telling me all about it before the event: Really, truly impressive stuff. You guys ever hear the rumor that he’s, like, a Wizard or something?”

”Oh, he is… Kitchen Wizard. Big doings, that kind of a life. But, the bread is impressive for how filling it is. Definitely tricking the stomach with that kind of thing.” Casey added, never sure of where his demonic little brother was on the move toward next.

”How would you make a guy like that better, Ezra? Like, the perfect version of himself. It’s gotta be hard getting much more perfect than a chef who cooks like this. I guess, what, you just… Make him taller? He’s a lil’ Latin hunk, he doesn’t need the height from what I’ve seen.” he grinned, presenting a very non-veiled question so long as the context was appreciated.

Wizards, magic, making people perfect… Maybe he was worse than the others because he didn’t just read the dossiers and files gathered up by the Temple’s vast network; he compiled them. Who else would take the time and effort to organize these sorts of things digitally for easy access by Temple security and the absolute upper crust of their society? All that mattered is, White Lux prodding him or not, Junior knew a Hell of a lot more than the others at the table about Ezra. Maybe not terribly personal things, but personal enough to be concerning.

The very subtle Orange Lux; he’d titled the observed abstraction “Midas’ Touch”, and only wondered if the stuck up businessman before him had ever bothered to name his own abstraction. There was a pang of doubt, of course.

”Also, Tansy, trust me: MSG isn’t any kind of problem. You look at any modern study, it’s no worse than table salt. Now, if you wanna stay away from both, fine, but your body’s not gonna thank you.” Leon shrugged, unable to let the sweet, sweet embrace of MSG be put down by an ignorant fad dietist.

“I think the real problem is this honey. It’s to die for! I’m afraid at this rate that I might fill up on bread and honey before we even get around the having the actual meal,” said Tansy.

If Ezra had picked up on the obvious undertones of Junior’s rambling then he didn’t show any signs of it. He treated Junior as if he was the one guy who had drunk way more than everyone else and started to express some poor takes on the actual effects of vaccination–by showing him enough attention that he wouldn’t feel like he had to repeat himself, but not engaging so he wasn’t trapped in a stupid conversation. His gaze drifted away almost immediately, and it was only when it returned to find Junior still looking his way that Ezra finally felt obligated to answer.

“Oh, I assumed that was rhetorical,” said Ezra, shifting in his seat and shooting his beer a look of disappointment for not being stronger. He sighed ever so slightly as he repeated the question. “How would I make Andrade better? Well, frankly, I wouldn’t: I’m not a chef. Now if we’re assuming he’d come to me for business advice, I would suggest that he avoids catering. It might feel like it’s easier, but the loss in revenue you could’ve made by forcing people to actually go somewhere could empty out your retirement fund faster than Tansy is going to empty out that jar of honey. ”

“It’s positively diabolical. Anymore and I fear that I may have to hibernate this winter,” said Tansy with a titter, smearing another roll with a honey-covered knife. She turned enough to finally grant Leon some attention.“Cass. You and your friend simply have to try this!”

Trisha had no idea what Junior was trying to do, and that made her nervous. Why was he going on about making Andrade perfect? The constant heavy leaning on the words magic… She could see the angle. But her siblings were Blind. They weren't going to pick up on it, were they? So why? She turned to look at Casey with a slightly furrowed brow, looking a little confused.

At least Ezra easily brushed it off. Maybe that's what Junior was looking for, for some godforsaken reason. Business advice. Ezra was well known for improving and perfecting small businesses he invested in.

And the topic turned back to the honey. Even though she'd handed it to Tansy, she felt conflicted. She wanted to brag. Each compliment from Tansy was a tiny confidence boost. She felt smug about it. Because it was coming from someone who'd spent Trisha's whole life putting her down… but did she want her to know? And risk the compliments changing to snide remarks?

"Oh, I already tried plenty earlier! Andrade was going around brandishing a honey covered spoon like a weapon!" Cass laughed. But she did stretch out a bit in her seat, hungry look in her eyes at the thought of more bread with Trisha's honey. Plus, she didn't have to worry about filling up- cause her appetite was way beyond human at this point.

She didn't take the little jar Tansy was making her way through, angling her body slightly towards Trisha, who handed her another jar. Then Cass grabbed a roll and absolutely smothered it in honey. She took a big bite, groaning slightly.

"Fuck, it's good… Want some, buddy?" Cass snickered, holding the honey covered roll towards Leon. Her other hand had returned to his, fingers playfully wriggling in his. She was completely unbothered by Tansy calling him her friend, and whatever was going on there- after all, she was confident enough in her relationship that it didn't matter what someone else said! Nevermind Trisha's pretty awful sister.

“I’m glad you're enjoying the honey, Tansy. You know, Ezra said that it was just alright." Trisha couldn't resist at least saying something, further bolstered by Cass' enjoyment. Just not quite outright saying-

"Which is fucking insane! This is the shit- God, Trisha, your bees are fucking insane. How do they make honey this good?!"

Leon’s mouth easily wrapped around the end of the roll that still had honey on it, and rather than let Cass have the rest, he purposefully jawed down on it. Sliding the whole thing out of her hand, the wolfman swallowed it with little to no effort, simply grinning back at Cass. There was already a lot going on between his two brothers muscling around; he didn’t want that much friction on Thanksgiving. It was nice just to be with Cass in the atmosphere of a public space. So many bodies gave his brain a tingling sensation thanks to Lelou.

Meanwhile Casey, still doing his best to not let what Ezra said earlier drive him off the edge of the conversation, took Leon’s subtle queue and resigned into his side of the table slightly. He leaned on his right side toward Trisha, taking in what Tansy was saying about the honey. Sure; better conversation overall; more open and positive at the least.

”It’s because Trisha really puts in the effort. Just because the flowers are down for the winter, doesn’t mean that tending to your bees just stops! She actively feeds them still, and more than they need, so they feel stimulated enough to continue producing honey. She’s real attentive, it’s a great quality of hers.” he grinned warmly at Trisha, hand reaching out for hers.

But Junior was brewing… Boiling. How dare his prodding be deflected? He would have his reaction… Whether anyone else wanted him to have it or not, he was hungry now. Like a wolf on the hunt, he smelled blood before it’d even leaked. It wasn’t so much a question of why either. To Junior, the why so often faded into the background. The philosopher’s problem becomes the engineer’s, and the motivation is simply finding an in. A tiny, little crack. Though, it was no secret that Pappa Vanburen was a known playboy. When considered in conjunction with the dirty little secret quietly dispersed across the table, however…

”Well, Ezra, the catering’s clearly not for his profits. He’s a good friend of our family, loves cooking, and community… Makes enough from the restaurants, I think he can lose a night on the catering. Anyway, since you’re clearly tense and not enjoying our company, let me ask a new question, something maybe that’ll clear the air. Correct me if I’m wrong, but… Well, actually I don’t know! How many Vanburens are full siblings? God, there’s more of you than of us by like threefold.”

He reached out to take another roll for himself, and not-so-subtly doused it in the special Apparition table salt that was in his personal shaker. Casey’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he watched Junior ingest a concentrated dose of the good stuff, and all the perceptive Paranormals at the table would be able to feel an intense wind of White Lux as he instinctively bolstered himself for the conversation to come…

Because if this guy stayed this tight? Junior knew he’d have no other choice but to bring in his observational skills… And he didn’t want to. He wanted a nice, easy surface kill. Something he could spear from the boat.

Trisha had been looking at Casey with an incredibly sappy smile, a light blush colouring her cheeks as warmth spread across her expression. She immediately took his hand, fingers curling in between his. But as Junior talked again- as he asked about how many Vanburens were full siblings- her expression dropped. Her whole body went tense, and she gripped Casey's hand like it was a life line. Wasn't it at least obvious she wasn't the other two's full sibling?! Ezra and Tansy if you squinted, maybe. Of course Junior would ask something like that. Of fucking course. Trisha didn't say anything, but she wasn't able to hide her awful expression as her gaze turned to Ezra… Waiting to see how he'd respond. Dreading the possibility of him immediately, coldly, saying the truth.

“We’re still at zero as far as I’m aware,” said Ezra, utterly unphased by the question.

Perhaps it had been a sore spot when he was younger, but his father’s legacy of “trying to collect one of each” (as the late-night hosts and tabloids had put it years ago when people started catching wind of his galavanting) didn’t bother Ezra anymore. Or, if it did, he didn’t let it be seen. Tansy, on the other hand, sat there with a hand over her mouth as if Junior had just pulled it out at the dinner table. As if Trisha’s stupid gross little bees being the source of such scrumptious honey wasn’t shocking enough! A sharp “Ah!” that would often be followed by a request to speak to the manager escaped Tansy’s mouth. Her hand twisted the table cloth, perhaps because she found herself sitting too far away from Junior to strike his across the cheek.

“I-It doesn’t matter anyway! Daddy always said it’s bonds, not blood that makes a family. I love all of my half Vanburen siblings like they were my full Vanburen siblings, even if they are different,” said Tansy. “Such a dull question! Why even ask it?”

“Technically, Tansy doesn’t even have half-siblings. She’s adopted,” offered Ezra unhelpfully.

“Ezra! Stop saying that!” said Tansy with a whine that temporarily deaged her by over a quarter of a century. Growing up it had been a mean game amongst the others to tell Tansy she was adopted, although the validity of that statement was uncertain. Somebody had once told Tansy if it upsetted her so much to just get a blood test. Who knows if she ever actually did, but it was around that same time she began expressing the viewpoint that you couldn’t really trust doctors and instead started investing heavily in alternative medicines.

“It’s simply not true,” said Tansy, shaking the honey jar in her hand as she tried to shift the topic of conversation back to something more pleasant and sweet. “Just like how I cannot believe that this honey comes from you bees, Patricia. Maybe Andrade actually is a wizard!”

Trisha’s expression only continued to get worse. From Ezra coldly confirming it like she feared, to Tansy acting like… Tansy. While Trisha didn’t like any of her siblings, the whole half-sibling thing was a sore spot. It wasn’t like any of them had full siblings? So what was the difference? It was just another way to put her down. Making her more inferior…

She was gripping onto Casey’s hand tight enough that it would’ve really hurt if she was stronger- and he was weaker. It stopped her from running, or from completely snapping. Because of course Tansy couldn’t believe it was her honey. Because she didn’t believe that Trisha could do anything!

“Oh, Andrade didn’t touch the honey! In fact, he loves the raw product so much he’s practically buying my whole regular supply!” Trisha managed to not quite fully snap, if only because she didn’t want to ruin things. Not when there was still the proposal. Not when Cass, who didn’t know as much as Casey did about her family situation, was right there. Years and years of experience with Tansy helped.

“We can even ask him later if you don’t believe me. But why wouldn’t you? Didn’t you say you love all of us like we were full siblings? Are you not happy that I’m making something so nice?” She tilted her head, though her expression was tight enough it was pretty impossible to read anything but annoyance. Suddenly, the topic being about her honey wasn’t so nice anymore. She should’ve expected that.

So she glanced over at Junior.
“I’m surprised that you hadn’t heard any of the rumours about our Father. It doesn’t even take much digging.”

”Oh, who hasn’t heard, Patricia? It’s not about hearing from a tabloid, it’s about the pearl falling out of the swine’s mouth. Adopted… Y’know, Tansy, they hit me with the same one whenever I come around. For the first few years there, Leon had me convinced I wasn’t part of the family. That they kidnapped me from an alternate dimension. Creative, that one.” Junior grinned, clocking the guarantee that Ezra’s mother had to be his real focus. The next target to catch strays, from wherever she happened to be anyway.

Casey gritted his teeth.
”That’s a family name, June.” He intoned quietly, not loving one person latching onto Patricia, never mind two…

”Oh, chill. The warlock’s hardly my concern at the moment.” Junior waved a dismissive hand, smiling.
”An alien.-” he continued, trying to take Tansy’s attention off that and back to a place he wanted to explore. Discomfort by sledge. ”-Can you believe that? How rotten a big brother is he?” he laughed aloud.

”Yeah, yeah. We’ve all been cruel to children at one point or another, haven’t we?” Leon’s vague yet unavoidably sinister remark passed across his lips like any other breath.

”Oh, yeah, sure! Definitely, we were all truly cruel as children. It's all they know, which is why they’re so precious. We need to help them, edu- Ooooh, you sly dog! You got me monologuing, I see you… Anyway... I’m sure, Tansy, that you and Trisha never had any problems like that, right? Being such a diverse group of kids, must’ve been a great reminder of just how beautiful the cultures of our world really are!” he continued to prod, leaving few if any clues as to where this was going next.

“Sure, right, that’s what I meant,” said Tansy dismissively to Junior, turning her attention to Trisha with a too big smile. “Of course I’m happy for you, Patricia. I was simply teasing.” Tansy turned her head to Junior. “See, we’ve never had a single problem. Not back then, not now. Isn’t that right, Patricia?”

“Right, no problems at all," Trisha intoned, sarcasm dripping from her words. But it was easier to say something that Tansy's twisted mind would take as agreement in that moment…

“Speaking of children: where’s your father, Junior?” asked Ezra, almost innocently.

”Chances are high, probably dead. As far as the law’s concerned, he’s a goner! Tragic: Maxwell Richoux IV, vanished! Thin air! He finished his fight at the venue that night, all of us were there, he seemed fine! Went off with his crew, we go to the hotel, and woke up next morning, Dad’s not there! No info to this day, in spite of having international police investigations and the like.” Junior’s hands raised in the air sharply, as if asking the powers above for answers.

Casey shook his head in annoyance. The same person who so often made things about the honor of their name so casually talking about their Father’s situation made him sick. It only made him sicker that he had answers. Not that he could ever tell whether or not Junior also knew… He only hoped that wasn’t the case. Nobody else needed to know where he was. What’d been done…
Looking up slightly, he saw Lynette’s eyes open wide and unblinking, staring across the table as she listened in on their side. Her expression dared him to do anything but sit and take it.

He grabbed his beer and stood. He’d not be made a fool of. The glass raised up, and the massive frame of Max III instantly shot up from his chair with his own stein, setting off a chain reaction of people standing for an expected toast.
”Thankful for you, Father of mine! May Maxwell IV rest forever among the stars!”

There was a rousing Santé and glasses clinked. People drank, then clinked again where applicable, and sat back down. Leon hadn’t bothered to put Cass down, clinking his glass with her rather than his brothers. For Casey, Lynette’s expression of expectant discomfort became one of quiet appreciation. He could only return fury.

But Junior’s hands waved around as the cheer finished, and he comfortably smiled at Ezra.
”Ah, Big Brother here, giving us a nice demonstration: Really, he’s always in our hearts. Now, where’s uh… Well, I heard Trisha’s Mom was supposed to be here. But, where’s everyone else’s? Ezra, really, I think everyone here would love to talk to your Mom specifically.”

“Oh, that must be because they don’t know her. She sticks to Florida this time of year,” said Ezra before lifting his beer in salutation. “Sorry about your old man. I’d hoped to meet him.”

Had he? Hard to tell. Ezra very well could’ve been attempting to cover up a failed jab as innocent ignorance.

Trisha's breath hitched slightly at the mention of her own mom. She'd managed to get past the point where she immediately panicked when she was brought up, but it was still difficult to stop the immediate spiralling. Her hand went for Casey's again, both to ground herself and comfort him after all the talk about his dad. Because she knew he was dead… Her gaze turned to Casey, eyes filled with warmth and sympathy. Being there for him helped to dull her own anxiety just a little bit…

”I love you.” She did her best to mentally project at him, hoping his awareness of her Emotional Field would mean he picked it up.
She just wanted the evening to be over so they could go home together…

"Why're you so interested in his Mum?" Cass bluntly asked Junior, gesturing her beer towards Ezra. It was hard to miss the sudden focus and she wasn't the type to leave questions unanswered.
"You hoping to find some juicy family secret? Ain't really the time or place, is it?"

Casey wasn’t terribly tense. It was more Lynette than it was the idea of Max being dead. Sure, that sucked, but at least knowing for sure meant that his cheers could really be sincere. He had taped his channeler to his thigh, the skin on skin contact being plenty for casting spells efficiently. He’d let another subtle burst go in order to check on Trisha, and caught her trying to project her love toward him. It was adorable.
He was no Pink Lux Adept, so he couldn’t simply impart the emotion he felt. But, he could easily return words to her.

All at once, spread so tightly that individuality was lost for the bigger picture, Casey’s voice repeated something a dozen, maybe a hundred times as one loud, cacophonous ”I love you.”. The thunderclap of emotion was followed by a long trickle of mental images taken from Casey’s POV, each one lovingly staring at Trisha until she was looking at her own face being projected back to her in real time.
Then it all faded away, and he was there again, smiling at her.

”This is a Temple event. It’s always time for family secrets around here.” Junior giggled, having no intention of backing off now.
”But, also, if enough people know about something, is it really a secret? I mean, come on… James Vanburen, leaves behind a pile of kids, and none of them make much of themselves, yet here we’ve got the oldest son. Clearly, most successful-”

However, loud speakers that had been announcing the different sections of guests to head up for their meals opened up overhead:

”Section C: Temple staff, honored guests and friends of the Richoux family, please stand and make way for the serving area.”

The interruption brought Junior’s exposition to a halt as bodies filling the private box stood and damn near sprinted out toward the catering area. Leon knew he didn’t have to wait, and was up with Cass before the announcement was finished. He had her by one arm, and with the other hand, pushed off the edge of the box to hurdle them off and toward the food. Whether such a move was because he was hungry, or because he was uncomfortable, had yet to be seen.

But Casey could only laugh as he watched the two feral wolves sprint off for their meal.
”You two sticking with me and her?-” Casey asked, pushing up from his chair and looking down at Tansy and Ezra.
”-Or, you gonna take a break and fade into the crowd?” he asked casually, still hoping that things weren’t going to be a nightmare between himself and the elder Brother. Soon to be brother-in-law…

How Dogs Are [FernStone & AtomicEmperor]

Friday Nov 24th -> Mon Nov 28th.

The next few days were a consistent struggle, filled with a lot of pain for Cass and far too much time hooked up to the dialysis machine. But it was working, getting all the toxin out of her blood at the same rate as her Lux started to replenish. By Saturday evening she had use of all her limbs back, even if a trip to the bathroom ended in exhaustion.

But after the overnight dialysis, Sunday was looking much better. She could move, the pain was beginning to ease. She could even feel her magic coming back- though she couldn’t quite access it. But it looked like there was just one more dialysis to go.

Then she was back to herself. It honestly felt like a fucking miracle. Sure, she’d lost four days to it, but it wasn’t forever! There was still some lingering pain in her joints, and a slight headache, but that didn’t stop her… From immediately jumping Leon now that she was back to fully functioning. How was she supposed to stop herself? And they deserved to celebrate after a shit few days!

So the evening and night were spent enjoying each other again before falling asleep curled up together in the early hours of the morning.

It wasn’t until the sun was fully up, as morning crept into afternoon, that Cass started to rouse on Monday. She had all of her magic back, of course- that insane amount of Lux flowing through her veins- but using it to stay awake constantly would just have knock on effects. And it was the first night she’d slept with very little pain and no tubes attached to her… Of course her body was reluctant to leave it…

But when her mind fully woke up, any restfulness was over. Her legs flailed out, accidentally kicking Leon as she tried to wriggle herself into a sitting position.
”Rise and shine, Baby! I ain’t staying lying in a bed any longer than I gotta!”

They’d ended up in her apartment, since it was the closest to the one being used when she was sick. It was good it was so close, because Cass had been so impatient and excited that she would’ve had her way with Leon in the corridor if they had to walk much further.

This morning- well, afternoon- her thoughts weren’t immediately horny, though. Not after the hours spent together last night.
”Oh, oh, we gotta celebrate today! Well, we celebrated all night, but different kinda celebrating! Cause I can actually move! I could totally punch through a wall right now!”

Leon’s canine circadian rhythm meant sleep wasn’t ever as deep. Only when he was truly exhausted or feeling secure did he let himself slip into the deepest parts of his half-consciousness. Her rousting was enough to wake him, but kicking him by accident was basically the sun shining through the window. It was just like her, which was a great sign, and made him even more enthusiastic to wake up than he had been before. It felt great to know that she was feeling good, even if last night was probably the single best indicator he could ask for.

It didn’t make it feel like it wasn’t unstable. Like she wasn’t just going to collapse again in a couple of days. It was a creeping anxiety that he presumed would only last as long as he was uncomfortable with it. Once this cycle of Cass’ life stopped being new and started being routine, he’d not worry. Because, obviously, in that ideal scenario everything is regulated. Flareups have predictable intervals. Life isn’t scary with routine.

But she could have fun now. She could endure, and live as she pleased, and life would go on like that. And everything would be fine. Not wasting more time than was necessary, Leon practically launched himself out of bed.

”Fight check!” he barked loudly, spearing Cass in the side with the intent to wrestle her to the floor.

This is, after all, the kind of entertainment she was craving, wasn’t it?

"Hey, unfair, attacking right away!" Cass shouted back, letting Leon grab her like she really was taken by surprise.

Because rolling out of the way just wasn't fun, was it? Green Lux flowed through her body, enhancing it as easily as she breathed. Her body shifted unnaturally, stretching out so he lost his hold and twisting around so she was upside down. Her legs wrapped around his neck, trying to get him onto the floor while having the upper hand.

While he was big and strong, there was no panic, and thus no magic. Nothing that would tip Mia off to get up and do her job… Rather intentional after Saturday’s debacle. Besides, he didn’t want to hurt Cass! But, she loved her roughhousing, and Leon wasn’t above a good morning wrestle being the same as a good morning hug.

He felt her strength overpowering his base level, but kept struggling even though he knew it was futile. Odd as it was to say in his head, he knew she liked a struggle. Only problem was, physically speaking, strange things were happening.

The pure brute force she was capable of regardless of her size created an incredible sense of cognitive dissonance as he struggled and failed to not just… Start walking around. She was strong, sure. She was capable of choking him out, and of tugging his limbs around, but she’d need technique if she wanted to actually make a pin.

But he made it look real good. The world of Professional Wrestling came to mind, and the few superstars he knew had given him a basic understanding of how to impress weight upon the weightless. Rather than just saunter, he struggle-stepped once, then buckled his knee and tried to step again, then ultimately fell to the floor while never really giving up the struggle for his upper body.

It was, after all, a real struggle there. She was just so strong. It felt like wrestling anacondas.

”Aaaah… AAAAAH! My n-neck! Not-too-ha-a-ard…” he started to tap her leg, a massive smile forming on his face.

She’s fucking back, Baby…

Cass started cackling. She loosened her legs around his neck, hooking them over his shoulders instead. In an impressive demonstration of strength she pulled her upper body right up from dangling upside down to upright. Then her hands pressed into his shoulders to let her swing off him entirely, feet landing on the ground.

With him kneeling, it was easy for her to go in for a passionate kiss. As she pulled back, she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Sooorrryy, I'm getting used to having my strength back!" She half sang, practically beaming at him. She knew she hadn't actually hurt him at least… Even after days without her magic she'd gotten to a pretty decent point of control. At least when she wasn't emotional.

She then threw her arms up, whole body vibrating with energy.
"Fuck, I'm so excited! I'm gonna… have a fucking shower! No more baths for me!" It was a strange thing to be excited about… And she was grateful that Leon had been willing to help her bathe in the first place. But she hadn't properly dealt with her hair since, cause it was just so much hassle with the fucking curls! Such a specific regime she couldn't be bothered stepping him through… but they were starting to get really frizzy now, poofing out all over the place. Plus, she couldn't exactly dance in the bath, could she?

"You ain't gotta babysit today, do you? If you do I'll… well I'll be a bit sad but it's fine! I'll go fucking pester Trisha now I got all my energy back!"

She asked a good question. He didn’t actually know what was going on with Layla now, especially since she’d essentially been given an out: Once they had knowledge of Father Wolf, Dollhouse, and the intentions surrounding them all, it was easy to clarify things with Andrade… That Layla, once she’d departed from Void Heart, essentially became a non-target. After all, she’d never seen the Tree. She’d been too little…

By the time the group got there, Leon remembered her sleeping. That Greyson had to do something different to scrub her brain, if he remembered that far… For a second, he got a flash of a little wooden platform or something. A cot, with little Layla sleeping peacefully. They’d done something about the Rhil in those days, but it was all so foggy…

Never the less, she wasn’t important. Neither of them were, ultimately. Casey said he was going to cut her loose somehow. Not that he knew what that meant either…

”Chances are, Lynette’s not worried about Layla being covered anymore. She’s adjusted well enough to being ‘one of the girls’, y’know? Just… Another face in the crowd of Adjoined now.” he smiled, ultimately relinquishing his duties in his own mind.

After all, who was going to get him in trouble? Between Andy and Andrade, then Casey… The power seats were no longer playing the game the way it’d been played for twenty five years.

”So, nah… I think, even if I was supposed to, I don’t have to. She’s a big girl: She’s got friends. Andrade’s got most of the Void Heart still locked up. And, stupidly enough, I think I trust that guy more now than I did a few days ago.” Leon admitted.
”Maybe… You wanna hang out with people? Want me to see what the girls are up to? We can head upstairs, bother Casey and Trisha…” he offered with a smile, trying to avoid returning to the grim place he’d been in a couple of days before.

"Fucking hell yeah! Sounds like an amazing plan!" Cass immediately latched onto it, bouncing on the spot. She wrapped her arms around Leon's neck, much more gentle than before, and swung herself to wrap her legs around him too.

"I, uh, really gotta apologise to Mia… And tell Trisha. Maybe we can ask the girls to come up a lil later? Like just thirty minutes, that'll be enough to tell Trisha and get her through whatever reaction it is. Then… we can have a fucking party! Well maybe not a party party, but a good time! With people! And no risk of me exploding cause of pain!" She got her face real close to Leon's, shining eyes staring right into his.
"Fucking amazing suggestion, Babe. A thousand points to you."

Leon was never sure what to do about the barnacle. He liked her clinging, but the whole entire hanging thing? He could take it, at least…

”Oh, I’m getting points now? Come on, go take your shower, ‘cuz if I’ve gotta bring you in there, we’re stuck here for a few more hours. If you think I’m done with you, you’ve got another thing coming.” he implied with a devious grin, only half holding onto her so she could scramble down easily.

"Oh don't tempt me. Fuckkk- No, I ain't giving in and fucking the day away again!" She laughed, leaning in to kiss him again quickly. She swung her legs down and let go, letting her feet hit the ground. Then she was off, bouncing out of the room.

---

After getting home from their wonderful date in the late morning, Trisha and Casey had been able to continue relaxing for a bit. Even with Thanksgiving just around the corner, there were no urgent matters requiring their attention. That meant Casey was still in their home rather than having to head down to the office as soon as they got back.

Which Trisha was happy about, obviously. She was more relaxed than she'd been all week. Able to push down the impending sense of doom about what was to come in just a couple of days… Perhaps not a couple of steps away from a panic attack triggered by the mention of any of her family members. Because of all they'd talked about yesterday and all the time they'd spent together.

Casey was making them something for lunch. Which meant Trisha was out in the main area of the house, watching him like there was absolutely nothing else for her to be doing. But he was her favourite thing to look at. She didn't want to have her attention split with anything else.

Though, she had no choice, when a group of bees were crawling over her begging for some attention. Well, not really attention… They wanted the fruit that had been so readily on offer. Were upset they hadn't gotten any the night before because they were out.

"Babe? Is there any fruit already cut up in the fridge?" Trisha broke the comfortable silence softly, already slipping off her chair and making her way towards the fridge.

Casey was still getting used to the different techniques Andrade had allowed him to pull psychically. Knife work felt natural, but it was such an odd thing to do when you’d never spent a day in your life actually working a kitchen. Imposter syndrome, maybe… But he was dicing the garlic by hand rather than doing it in a food processor because it turned to mush in there. He didn’t want mush, he wanted little bites of garlic.

Otherwise, the fish was sizzling in the pan skin side down; one whole fillet that he figured they’d split down however Trisha was comfortable. The honey and szechuan pepper glaze he’d snagged from Andrade’s house after he and Leon left the other day was a perfect fit for the beautiful pink salmon’s mild taste.

”Yep! Left hand top shelf; I asked Theo to get some ready and put up here for when we got home, figuring the bees would want it. It’s all technically for them, so go crazy.” he grinned, sliding the garlic out of the way and into a little bowl from the cutting board.

He’d long ago taken to keeping his glove tucked somewhere close that pressed it to his flesh. Now, it was between his belt and his waist, tucked to the point it wasn’t going anywhere. It let Casey use his White Lux at a low rate pretty much consistently, and gave him a bead on the little triplines that dotted the hall and stairs leading up to the roof. Which said nothing of the actual cone of triplines pointing in all directions at the sky and forming something of a teepee shape to cover their most vulnerable defensive vector.

Enough of a connection, at least, to know that feet were coming up. Not ringing, either, which meant they were family of some kind. He tuned into his projection just long enough to see Leon’s big dumb ass waddling up the stairs. He smiled.

”Oh… No peace. Your girlfriend’s here…” he said with a smirk.

“My… what?" Trisha was primed for a drive by cheek smooch when Casey said that, pausing to look a little confused. In the end she still followed through with the cute little kiss to his cheek before shuffling to the fridge and pulling out some fridge. The bees were swarming around her now, a thick cloud ready to descend as soon as she let them.

“But you're already in here?" She teased after a pause, still not entirely sure what he was talking about. She was still looking intently at the plates, spreading out the fruit in a way that'd let as many bees eat at the same time as possible.

By then, Cass had crossed the roof with a little magical speed boost. She assumed Casey would sense em, knowing about his whole spying shit now… But she still pressed her face right up to the glass and just stared at Trisha's back.

Casey had already wiped his hands and was headed to the door. Rather than letting her wait, or bothering to worry about permissions, he simply swung the door open and stepped aside. After all, he was on a tiny, little time crunch. He wanted the salad to be ready for when the fish was done cooking, and the fish was probably just about done cooking in the pan. There was a plate already set up to let the salmon rest.

”No, Babe… Not me this time. Hey guys!” Casey smiled half-way at the both of them, not entirely in love with having to come home and entertain already. Of course, their lives would never truly be private, but this timing shit had to be worked out.

"Hey! Y'know how fucking amazing it felt to climb up those stairs?!" Cass bounced in with a bright grin towards Casey. She raised a hand to give him a friendly shoulder pat.
"Trrriiishhhaa! I fucking missed you!"

She made a beeline for Trisha, who'd just turned around and let the bees go for the fruit. She didn't have time to avoid the hug that was coming her way, Cass wrapping her arms around Trisha and lifting her right off the ground. She would've spun her around if Trisha wasn't hitting her with a reactive death glare.

“Put me down, Cass." Trisha wasn't particularly happy about their peace being interrupted either. She loved Cass, but she definitely didn't love people just appearing without any kind of advance warning. Or asking?! What happened to that courtesy?!
“Why would… climbing stairs be so exciting?"

"Uh, well, I'll explain that in a moment! And why we're here to celebrate! Didn't realise you were just having lunch though, sorry!" Cass shouted brightly, not sounding sorry at all. She wasn't really… From what she'd heard the two of them had plenty of time just for them. And would do in the future! So it was only fair Cass intruded on a bit of that time.

"We ate before we came up, cause I ain't so rude to steal food outta your mouths and shit!"

Casey only laughed, half-sad that she hadn’t given him a real hug. Why? Was it something Leon had said? She was never worried about it before…

”Pretty hard to do when there’s not that much. If you did, I think we’d all end up having to order a pizza.” he giggled, moving back to the counter to start actually putting together his homemade caesar dressing. Anchovies, oil, seasonings… It was delicious, and Casey was working straight from someone else’s memories to make it.

Leon, unaware of his brother’s sudden panic, made way for the counter where the fish was now resting on a plate.

”Jesus, Man… You’re not wasting any time, huh?” he asked, referring to the fact that he’d essentially watched Casey suck everything out of Andrade’s head. A necessity, of course, but Leon assumed Casey would be more coy about using what was essentially coerced knowledge.

”Well, I always liked cooking. I just… Practiced other things.” Casey admitted, feeling his brother's vague judgement through what was probably a veiled question.

”You’ve got Orange… Why-”

”I like being able to do it. That’s all.”

Leon took a sharp breath through his nose, then moved to dip his finger into the dressing… Fantastic.

He shrugged, smiling and patting his brother on the head.
”Well, then… You starting a restaurant?”

Casey shook his head, doing his best to laugh it off.

”Cass? Rip the bandaid off, dude!” he intoned back across the room, hoping to redirect Leon’s focus toward Cass. Successfully, thankfully.

The large man moved closer to Cass to make sure he was there to support her, though the look on his face toward Trisha was a little regretful.

Trisha slipped into the empty spot at Casey's side, not quite pressing into him like she wanted to- he was still making their food, after all, and she didn't want to get in the way. Her head tilted slightly, shooting a confused look at Casey and then Cass and Leon.

Rip what bandaid off? What… did they all know that she didn't? Had Leon done something? Was that why he was giving her that look? Her lips pursed together, trying not to react before she'd even been told anything.

Cass took a deep breath, hopping from foot to foot. How did she say this in a way that didn't make Trisha immediately freak out.
"I assume you dunno much about magical genetic diseases, Trish?"

“Uh, no? That's… A thing?"

"Yup! Unfortunately!" Wait, shit, this definitely wasn't the right way to go about it. Just fucking get it all out!
"I've got a genetic curse called the Shame! It means the bit of my DNA that's meant to regulate Lux is pathetic as fuck and my skeleton is my fucking channeler and I got way to much Lux in my system! So I gotta use it continuously and fucking drop when I ain't got it anymore, and it's also poisoning my blood so I'm gonna be bedbound every few months! I actually just recovered from my first burnout… I ain't been able to move for the past four days! Not till yesterday after a shit ton of dialysis… Basically there's no cure and this is gonna keep hitting me for the rest of my life."

“W- What?!" Trisha was absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of information thrown at her by Cass, all jumbled up. But she picked out the most important thing. Genetic curse… Regular burnouts… Blood poisoning…

“Is- Is your own magic poisoning you?! And- And you've been… sick for days… and nobody told me?" She looked from Cass to Leon, then up at Casey.

"Well yeah that's on me cause I wanted to tell you myself and couldn't figure out how- obviously still hadn't! And to be fair I didn't tell Casey either, just everything goes through him so y'know… He found out!" Cass threw her arms into the air, much more erratic and just a tad nervous. Because what if dealing with something like that was too much for her friend? And she hadn't exactly explained it well, had she?

Casey wasn’t thrilled about the fact that he’d been implicated as well, but he probably wasn’t going to avoid it if Trisha asked any questions whatsoever. Even the most cursory investigation would throw him right back into the interconnected ring of people who, ultimately, want to keep Trisha safe. Safe from herself, mostly.

”Almost got away with it too, if Andy hadn’t brought that massive fucking machine in downstairs. She was trying to falsify the fucking bill too, if you guys had brought that all the way downstairs, I maybe wouldn’t have even thought about it.” Casey admitted openly, hoping to pad out the argument later.

It wasn’t going to work, obviously. He could already feel the tension in her body ramping up for the crescendo.

"Heh, it really ain't subtle, is it? I didn't even think ‘bout how they got it in! Or me, for that matter, since I was out when I got brought back!" Cass laughed slightly, caught up in her own flustered energy and not noticing the storm brewing just across from her.

“There’s- There's massive machines involved? You… were in the Cannery the whole time?" Trisha's face scrunched up, shoulders lifting towards her ears. So Cass hadn't wanted to see her while she was sick. Everyone else had kept it from her because they thought she'd be shit about it. Of course. That made sense.
“I get it. None of you-"

"Whoooaaa, hey! I told Casey not to tell you!" Cass interrupted, attention snapping over to Trisha. It wasn't entirely true, more like the two of them were on the same wavelength with that… but her whole plan had been neither of them found out until she said. She kinda figured even if Casey did with his position or magic, like had happened, that Trisha wouldn't be too upset because, well… Cass had wanted to keep it from both of them.

That hadn't really worked out, though.
"If you're gonna get upset at anyone, get upset at me! I just… wasn't ready to tell you! I couldn't figure out how to. Honestly, I ain't told anyone, people've just barged in and found out."

“Other… People knew too?"

Oh shit.
"Trisha… I really wasn't keeping it from just you. Not on purpose. I couldn't even move till yesterday, so how could I tell you?"

“By text? By letting my boyfriend tell me? By-" Trisha took in a sharp inhale, mind coming up with even more crazy worries.
“Is it cause I didn't try visit? You think I'm not a good friend? You- You all do, don't you, because none of you thought I'd help by being around."

Casey tucked his face into Trisha’s hair, not really sure what to do about this reaction.

”Trisha Bee… Think. Think real hard about how you feel right now. Live in the moment with me here, and now.” He spoke softly to her, his hand around her tightening into a clutch.
”I know, maybe it’s hard to consider… But if you feel this way right now? How would you have felt knowing Cass was sick, and we maybe didn’t have any way to stop her from dying. You’d have been miserable. And the beautiful day we had yesterday? Never would’ve happened.”

In truth, it had nothing to do with whether or not she would’ve been miserable. She was going to be miserable now. He already accepted that. In reality, it was for Cass. To spare her the need of dealing with emotional Trisha while her bones tried to melt through her muscle tissue. And now, he’d hopefully spare her the further need to engage this sort of pain. The kind of thing that made Trisha truly difficult to deal with.

Leon was doing his best not to interject. To say the exact thing that Casey was thinking… But he knew the implication would only confirm her suspicions… That she really wasn’t an easy friend to have. He felt she was good, at least. Knew, even, that she could be a good companion. From what Casey said, and what Cass said, she had plenty of great moments.

But fuck if he saw them. He always seemed to get the worst Trisha. It made all those feelings of her being a shitty brat flood back into his brain.

”Cass wasn’t any fun to deal with either. You think, maybe with how you react to things, we may have a policy to preserve your good mood around here? You and her getting into an argument because she’s in pain and you’re unstable wouldn’t be good for any party involved.” he said firmly, trying not to let his voice climb.

Cass reactively winced, knowing that even if Leon wasn't shouting at Trisha in any way, it wouldn't dampen her reaction. He was right. Trisha could be difficult to be around, and they probably would've gotten into an argument. That didn't mean she didn't want her there in the future. Honestly? She hadn't wanted anyone to know! Because she hated being fucking stuck like that.

"Leon, that-"

“You think I can't prioritise a suffering friend over myself?" Trisha interrupted, though it wasn't entirely on purpose. She'd been trying to think about what Casey was saying. She would've been miserable. He was right. Just the thought of her normally energetic friend being sick was enough for her to panic. She wasn't sure if she wanted to deal with seeing Cass like that.

But wanting to and being able to were different. She absolutely could! She wasn't squeamish in that way.

And she knew she was reactive. But she was trying to get better! How was she supposed to when they treated her like some dangerous bomb… Like she was so self centred she'd take things out on someone in pain.

Her hands grasped onto Casey's arms, trying her best to not completely fall over the edge. She'd just be proving them right… but it was so hard. Because she knew she could be a bad friend! She knew Leon was probably right that she'd just fuck everything-

“I- Maybe I'm unstable. And it would've upset me… Because I love Cass! But you wouldn't even let me help? I'm… not that fucking bad…" She trembled slightly, struggling to keep her breathing steady.

"It's not like that. Quite frankly, I didn't want anyone aside from Leon around! Because I'm still accepting it… But-" Cass paused, glancing between Leon and Trisha. Trying to find the balance.
"In the future… I think everyone will need to help. But at times when you're stressed and more reactive? Leon's right that it won't be good for either of us. Because either you'll snap, Trish, or you'll withdraw and pretend to keep me happy. I don't want either of those things, because I love you. You know you can be touchy sometimes. That doesn't mean you're any less of my friend, or I want you around any less. And I ain't treading on eggshells around you or any shit like that- but I just wasn't myself. It ain't fair to put our friendship through that."

Trisha pressed her lips together, practically shrinking against Casey. Her face turned downward to look at the floor instead of anyone else. Cass was right, it was all right, it just made her feel… so useless. Like a friend that may as well not be there. It made her feel inadequate, and then that fear was creeping in. That Cass would realise she really didn't want her as a friend at all.

“I don't want to only be allowed around when things are good and fun."

Leon couldn’t quite deal with it.
”I’m going to walk outside and let you guys do this. I don’t think I’ve got anything good to say, and I really really don’t want you thinking that I’m here to attack you, Trisha. All I’ll say, is maybe it’s hard to believe that I feel like this? But frankly, I do like you, and the decisions that were made here were made with your best interests at heart. At least, that’s my perception.”

He threw up his hands slightly, rubbing Cass’ back and giving her a kiss on the head before walking away fully to the door, then outside into the cold to go around the side of the house that wasn’t all glass. He didn’t even want to see. Tuned both his ears out completely, even.

Which left Cass and Casey to deal with her, just like Leon said. Casey had a question for her, but was trying to consider a way to ask it that wouldn’t trigger her further.

”What… What about what we talked about? How, y’know, things are crazy right now, and that life wasn’t always going to be this game of secrets and omissions for the sake of safety. Like, I mean… Okay… Let’s get this out of the way right now: It was wrong of us to hide this. It’s wrong of us to hide anything, and when it does, it breaches our pact of trust. Cass? Agree?” he asked, doing his best to bring it back to reassuring Trisha…

Which, ironically, was exactly the kind of thing they were hoping to avoid by not telling her!

"Uh- Yeah! Trust is super important, and sorry I didn't tell you earlier!" Cass nodded vigorously. She really, genuinely, hadn’t meant to hurt Trisha by keeping it from her. She was just grappling with it herself. Maybe a little part of her hoped it wouldn't be true before the burnout…

“But… The fact you do want to hide it from me…" She paused to take a deep breath, leaning into Casey more. She was closer to panicking than she was to having an angry outburst, at least.
“Means I'm a bad friend. And nobody trusts me around someone sick."

"Hey, whoa, that ain't the case!" Cass bounded forward so she was right in front of them, reaching out for one of Trisha's hands.
"I really ain't! I know you can handle a lotta shit! I remember that time Diyah got real sick and you ‘n me did shifts of looking after her! It really ain't cause we don't trust you. It's cause… Like Casey said about things being crazy? Why stress the people out more that don't need it. Like…"

She grimaced, not sure if this would push Trisha towards feeling worse or not.
“Mia found out cause she felt Leon's pain through the leash and came over. I… Also wanted to wait to tell her- I wanted to wait to tell everyone!- because I knew the first one was gonna be bad! And I ended up snapping at her… I didn't want that. And I didn't want to put more on you either, because I know you're dealing with so much of your own stuff! But there'll be a time when, like… Leon's got shit going on and you don't! So you'll be the one I need help from!"

Sure, that was a highly unlikely scenario, but it was true that she'd trust Trisha to help when she wasn't already so incredibly touchy. Cass didn't know everything going on, but her reaction right now was more extreme than she'd expected- visibly closer to the panic attacks Trisha tried to hide and pretend she didn't have. So it was obviously bad.

“I…" Trisha frowned.
“It’s really not because you don't trust me and never want me there?"

"Not at all!"

“And… You… Didn't tell me because of all the other things going on?" She asked Casey, trying her best to force herself to reason through it.

Casey cleared his throat.

”There’s a lot happening at this point asking for our attention. I hear what you’re saying, and I recognize it. You don’t feel adequate. But, all we can do is sit here and look at you as two people who desperately love you. Like, I’m *madly in love.* Like, absolutely nutty about you. I don’t want you dealing with Father Wolf, and Lynette… And then Thanksgiving stuff, and, y’know… Now this? Especially when her being sick is kinda gonna be for the rest of her life. So, yeah, we’re just gonna sit here and try to convince you about the truth until we pass out! Because we love you!”

Not to mention the creeping selfishness. Why would he want her upset when he had tremendous things to deal with mounting higher and higher on his shoulders? The last thing he wanted to come home to was despondent Trisha, and he still got that thirty percent of the time. All it took was an errant text, or even the vague idea of not being texted, for her to spiral quietly into a ball of anxiety. Sure, she cuddled and pretended to be there, but he could always tell.

The White Lux didn’t help… He could see the subtle wrinkles in her face, the stress lines barely creased, but wrinkled from subconscious tension of the anxious kind. Even if the outward response was sorrow, or some other form of mental wounding, the root had tension all the same. Terrible tension.

Was he really a bad guy for wanting that to not be the case? To not have her face scrunched up in frustration all the time, even if she wasn’t actively doing it? He didn’t think it was bad.

”And, even Leon said he… Well… I’m sure he would’ve used love if he thought you’d be receptive to it. I know maybe they don’t mean the same things to you, but Leon still really values the days where you were Covenmates. He does, uh… Y’know, hold that in a really high regard! You probably don’t feel like you have a lot of reasons to believe us, but at least believe Cass… I’m certain she’s never lied to you, and certainly hasn’t ever kept anything from you with a malicious heart!” he pleaded to his near-fiance practically with tears in his eyes, hoping to God this would be enough that things didn’t end in a massive explosion later.

Trisha found it hard to believe that Leon felt anything but dislike towards her… But she couldn't deny that Casey and Cass loved her. Even though she was so worried that love wouldn't last, she knew it was there. It'd be unfair on them and herself to not accept that. Casey had proposed a few days ago! Cass was still… choosing to spend time with her when she could spend it all with Leon instead.

It didn't stop her from feeling like she just wasn't worth it. That she'd never really be good enough, because she never had. It was all those deep seated feelings… and she struggled to see this as anything but her not being good enough. It was hard to see past her assumption that they thought she'd fuck everything up and see it coming from a place of care…

"Yeah, I ain't ever done that! I didn't say cause I love you Trish… and I wanted to tell you myself. Honestly, I hoped it wouldn't be the case! But I'm going to be dealing with this forever and I'll… really need you around when you can be. It really ain't cause I don't trust you or some bullshit you're thinking bout not being a good friend. You are! You're my best friend, and I'ma keep yelling that at you until you believe me!"

Trisha looked at Cass for a moment, then back up at Casey. He looked so desperate for her to believe him… And she couldn't keep spiralling when both of them were throwing so much verbal love at her. She was trying to do better, and to believe what people told her. At least in the moment.

“Alright… I… I know you both love me. I'll try to believe you and trust that it isn't because… I'm not good enough." her voice got quieter as she spoke. It wasn't much, but she was at least accepting what they said as much as she could. She shuffled her feet to turn around towards Casey, hiding her face against his chest and hugging into him for a moment. Trying her best to calm down… She really didn't want to get upset, or ruin the rest of their day. Not after they'd had such a nice one yesterday, and it was only going to get more difficult over the next few days.

Cass waited until Trisha seemed calm enough and was starting to withdraw from hiding herself in Casey's arms to join in. She came from the side, one arm wrapping around Trisha and the other around Casey. Of course she couldn't get much around both unless she stretched herself- but it was a strong hug nonetheless. There was much more strength on Casey's side, like she was trying to squeeze him so her arms could encompass them both- cause she assumed he could take it where Trisha couldn't.

"Good! Cause we fucking love you!"

Trisha nodded, squished back against Casey by Cass' bear hug.
“Sorry… I know I'm not doing a good job at being better…" Her voice was so quiet it was almost impossible to hear… But not a problem when the two people listening had super senses.

The vague buckling noise of Casey's massive spinal cord readjusting under the pressure of Cass’ squeezing.

”I th-think you have a ske- Cass!? Too much!” he said, the arm wrapped around her starting to flail as he tapped at her.

"Oh, shit, sorry! Still getting used to having shit back!" Cass shouted, immediately loosening her grip.

As she released her grip, Casey cleared his throat and adjusted himself at the neck.

”God… Those casting bones… Anyway!-” he turned his head and full attention back to Trisha.

”Ehem- You have a skewed vision of what's progress and what isn't, Baby… Your whole life, you were expected to just pick things up the first time! You think progress is all vertical climbs and plateaus, when in reality you've been walking up a gradual slope your whole life! You are already so much better than you were a few weeks ago! A few weeks ago, I think if this happened, you would've been inconsolable!” he admitted, rubbing her shoulders and looking at Cass.

”Am I wrong?” he asked the curly-haired bruiser.

"Not at all! You're doing so much better, Trish, honestly! And you don't try to fucking hide it so much… As if it wasn't the most fucking obvious thing in the world when you were upset!" Cass nodded enthusiastically. It had been so hard to help Trisha before because she refused to admit anything was wrong. Like the world would collapse if she did. She just suffered in silence alone… Cass was so fucking glad that was getting better.

“Am I really better?" Trisha peered up at Casey, eyes widening slightly. It didn't seem like it to her. But he was right that she never saw the gradual change… it didn't seem to be enough unless she rapidly climbed upwards. That was what everyone else always expected.

“Nobody’s ever been alright with things being gradual. They've always just expected me to change immediately." She admitted quietly, like it was some big admittance- and not essentially what Casey said anyway.
“Because I really don't want to react badly, but it's hard to change."

"And that's fine! Cause you know it's a problem you gotta work on! And the Trisha I knew a month ago? She wouldn't have said that! And she would've just exploded or withdrawn completely earlier!" Cass shouted enthusiastically.

Trisha slowly nodded, before glancing between them. She was managing to wind down again, the tension held in her frame loosening.
“I… Thank you both… and sorry again…"

Casey held her close and tight now, rubbing both her shoulders and planting a big kiss on her head.

”You have nothing to be sorry for. I am sorry, for making things harder by keeping you in the dark about another thing. I said before, and I'll have to say again by the time this year is done: This situation isn't permanent. Our lives will never be this shadowed again, Trish. We'll make it better together. You, me, and anyone else you want in our lives.” he confidently nodded at Cass, a smile finally crossing his face.

”You've got an amazing friend, Honey… She'll be fighting for you in the end, no matter what.”

“I know…" Trisha replied softly, shuffling in Casey's arms to look over at Cass. She did know, even if she worried that one day Cass would decide she'd had enough. Because she was too good for Trisha… But she didn't want to dwell on it right now.

And she knew the situation wasn't permanent. Truly hoped it would be better when they came out the other end.

"Good! Cause he's so right!" Cass nodded vigorously, hopping up to slap Casey on the shoulder- making sure to not use too much strength in it.

She hopped back a few steps, grinning.
"I'm sorry shit got so fucking low so quickly! I planned to tell you when I came up, but most of all, I wanted to fucking celebrate that I was better! With both of you! But, uh, if you ain't up for it I can go grab the grumpy dog outside and go?"

Trisha tilted her head up towards Casey, before shaking her head. She wasn't sure how much she wanted people over right now, but she didn't want Leon thinking even worse of her. And it would be nice to spend some time with Cass… to actually prioritise her like she said she could.
“It’s ok."

"Really? So I can go drag Leon back in?"

Casey’s brow furrowed, and he took a few seconds of staring at Trisha. He was wondering deeply whether or not he should reassess her feelings and make a different choice. Every bit of him wanted to make sure. Otherwise, what kind of man would he be? Knowing that she didn’t really want people… He could sense it. Felt it in the vague tension of her arms and the way she looked at him with her head shaking. That was clear enough.

She’d never been good at hiding that sort of stuff. Cass confirmed that without any kind of trouble. And, ultimately, was it fair for them to faust this upon her without any real warning? Not to mention, she didn’t see Cass when she was sick. What the fuck was she actually celebrating? Nothing she had personal context for. It was Cass who wanted to be around people she loved…

And, like most of the time, he came to the same conclusion: The right thing is not always the thing we want to do. And, sometimes, it was okay to just submit.

”Well, I think he’ll probably walk in here on his own, but yeah! I’ll uh… Call other people? You want me to see what the girls are doing? I’m pretty sure they’re downstairs, I-”
He stopped, withholding the fact that he had all the doors marked off with a far more subtle spell than Lynette would ever bother with. He knew when people came in or out of every single apartment in the entire building. Even the gym and the laundry room, all the way down to the individual washers and dryer doors.

”-haven’t heard anything from them suggesting they’d be gone. Today is their shared day off, after all, and if Leon’s home there’s no way they’re getting high.” he offered.

”I can call some of the others too? Theo would probably hang out, y’know the uh… The soft looking one? With the dark hair?” he mentioned Theo, knowing that he’d had a shift keeping track of her in case she needed anything. He wondered if they’d actually met, or if she’d just seen him cursorily..

"Uh…" Cass scratched her cheek, tryna remember if she'd met him. The last few days were a bit foggy because of all the pain… And she'd met a fair few people, both medical or not.
"Oh- Oh yeah! I remember him! He was real nice when I was kinda extra fussy with shit I needed, heh. Feel free to invite him! The more the merrier, though it ain't my house!"

Trisha pursed her lips, looking up at Casey. She didn't mind having Cass and Leon round, or the girls. Even Theo. He was easy company, someone she'd become surprisingly comfortable around… Because he wasn't intrusive like so much of the rest of them. Or loud. But if the number increased much more? She'd struggled.

“Can we eat before we invite anyone else round?" She asked him softly. If they didn't, she just wouldn't eat. Casey probably knew that too, since he'd know her eating habits well enough.

"Oh yeah, don't risk more people tryna steal it!" Cass joked. She moved towards the door, pushing it open and poking her head out to shout- though not quite as loudly as she wanted to, out of respect for Trisha and Casey.
"Lee-on, get your sexy ass back in here!"

”Wait, Cass…-”
Casey stepped forward, clearing his throat.
”-Maybe… Give us twenty minutes? Just so we can, y’know, eat and put the dishes in the washer? Is that something we can, y’know, make happen?” he asked pretty calmly, knowing full well that Trisha was asking him about the food to begin with.

After all, the more people, the less likely she was to eat. A habitual trait he still disliked, but wasn’t exactly sure how to break her of. He presumed that she’d get over it eventually, once the ownness and power of the situation became hers rather than something she was still relinquishing to past traumas. How long would that take? Would she ever get used to being in a big family that actually wanted to be around one another? He didn’t know. But he knew he loved her, and it was all he needed to know to make sure she was taken care of in the best ways he knew how.

Trisha tilted her head up to smile at Casey, her thankfulness visible where she didn't verbalise it. If it was just the two of them it was so much easier for her to eat a full meal… especially when she was going to be struggling to get up her appetite anyway after that talk.

"Oh, yeah, of course! We can entertain ourselves!" Cass grinned, winking jokingly.
"Maybe we can go collect the girls… Save you from calling ‘em or whatever!"

”Yeah tha-”

She didn't wait for an answer one way or another, bouncing outside and pushing the door closed behind her. She bounded a few steps forward before sniffing the air, trying to figure out where the fuck Leon had gone. It wasn't that difficult, of course… but he wasn't exactly on the way to the door off the roof. Not that she was going to leave him or anything.

"Babe?! You ain't moping round the corner or some shit?"

Leon was doing his best acrobat impression. He was on the raised wall guarding the edges of the roof, one leg in the air and the other making long, striding hops as he hopscotched his way from one support pillar to the next. She’d inspired him to start doing silly things again. Of course, he’d maybe get hurt falling from this height without the seals being primed beforehand. But, the wall was thick, and he had confidence that with the way he was jumping, he’d be able to tuck all his weight back toward the roof rather than the ground eleven stories below.

”When have you known me to be a long-term moper? I’d like to think I’m pretty good at getting past little shit like that.” he smiled, pushing himself forward and back down onto the roof with both feet.
”What’s the deal, we not welcome?” he asked simply, assuming the worst but hoping for the best internally.

"Mr not a big moper assuming I got kicked out right away? Damn! Y'think they'd do that? To me? With this adorable face?!" Cass laughed, puffing up her cheeks. She wouldn't have been that upset if they weren't… but it wasn't the case.

"Nah! They just wanted some time alone to eat. Y'know how Trish is." She commented. Trisha thought it was something she hid well… but all it took was one meal to realise how poor her eating habits were, and how affected by other people around her she was.

Cass was happy to accommodate in this way, anyway. They had interrupted their lunch, after all. With a goofy grin, she pulled up one leg, imitating what Leon had been doing while hopping towards him.
"Twenty mins is what Casey said… I figured we could go get the girls? Then I can properly apologise to Mia where she's comfortable, instead've causing those two-" she jerked her head behind her- "more trouble."

Leon nodded happily.
”Sounds reasonable. Did you… Like…-” he paused, letting his mental hang out for a second as he tried to figure out what question he was trying to ask.
”-well, did you have anything you wanted to actually do in mind? Is there, like, an activity you had in mind? Or, are we just expecting to stand around up here and appreciate you?”

He held out his hand to her with a smile, orienting himself toward the door back downstairs.

"Ooo, you caught me! I want it to be a massive circle jerk where everyone's gotta tell me how awesome I am one by one. Gotta boost my ego back up!" Cass cackled, slapping her hand into his and holding onto it tight. It was nice with how tall Leon was- it meant he had arms long enough to hold hands even with her bouncing all over the place.

"Nah… I mean, I hadn't really thought bout it. Maybe we can grab one of my consoles on the way up, plug it into their TV and play some kind games? I ain't been able to do any of that shit either cause my hands were as bad as the rest of my body!" Cass suggested as she hopped down the stairs to the floor with all the offices. When she said consoles, she didn't mean… actual consoles. Instead, it was old computers and laptops she'd played around with herself to emulate various consoles. Just a bit of fun, really, but came in handy.

"I bet Trisha'll be happy to do something like that too- she ain't a pro gamer or any shit, but she ain't as bad as she thinks she is. It'd be fun!"

Leon knew they had a massive couch… As long as that little living room wasn’t some kind of strange inner sanctum that nobody else was allowed in, there’d probably be plenty of room.

”I don’t know, she seems like a pro to me! She’s playing all of you like she’s multiboxing.” he giggled, happy to whip out a little vocab he’d picked up from Ginara.
”Do you want me to get it all gathered? You head downstairs from the elevator, just knock on the front door down there?” he half-explained and half-asked.

"Do y'know which ones it is?" Cass asked back, before scratching her cheek.
"Best one's probably the Xbox one- it's still in a box with all the shit I need, labeled on the side with xbone… Heh. Though it's, like, all xboxes- anyway! That box has the laptop and all the controllers and shit in it so you can just grab it? Unless you think I should bring up the fucking playstation shit too?! Or nintendo- fuck, no, bring that one, cause it's got a bunch've other multiplayer computer games on it! The fucking storage I installed on that thing, Babe, it's massive."

She couldn't hold back babbling, taking them right down to the elevator.
"Y'know I still got a key to your place, right? But I guess knocking is nicer since it ain't so intrusive!"

”Front door’s a different lock!” he smiled.
”When they took that side of the apartment, I had the locksmith come and do it. Normal guy, normal locks. The goal was to give them a sense of normalcy, since we’d dealt with magic locks our whole lives.” he smiled.

”Granted, it’s probably unlocked regardless, but you should probably at least knock to let them know you’re coming in. Lord knows what state of dressed or undressed they’re in.” he grimaced knowing the amount of times he’d walked face first into an accidental flashing.

As they got into the elevator and made it down to Cass’ floor, Leon got out with a kiss before making way toward her apartment. Now alone for a moment, the elevator continued down to floor “B”. When the door opened up, Cass would be hit with the immediate sensation of heat and stench of skunk as the walls were utterly lined with lights and scaffoldings with mechanisms that trickled water into feeders. The lights were bright, with a deep purple hue…

And the marijuana plants stood half-way up Cass’ body, or rather half way down as they seemed to be growing entirely upside down from hanging hydroponics. This entire front entry way was a small pot farm, with maybe fifty plants lining the walls entirely. Through the vaguely packed jungle was the big black wooden door leading into the other side of the apartment. But, it was also wide open on one side, with music blaring out from within.

”And lets start piiiiiiiickiiiiiing up the little eeeeeeeextraaaaaaas”

”OF LIFE, OH HALLELUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUJ AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Mia was singing, but Ed dropped a quietly hidden talent: A deep, wretched and painfully high quality metal vocalization. Her throat sounded like it was caved in completely, and the way she held the note was more than impressive through the raspy and aggressive growling.

Walking in, Cass would probably almost walk into Hari, who was grinning from ear to ear and bobbing her head while she had a wash cloth in her hands. She was scrubbing the walls, all the pictures having occupied it now leaning against the door between Leon’s side and their’s down the hall.

”Oooooh, look at you Babe! Shit!”
She dropped the cloth, immediately wrapping her arms around Cass. She was in a t-shirt with a big pumpkin against a black background, with a white witch’s hat on top of it and some yoga pants.

”Fuck! Standing, walking, what are you doing!?” she asked with a wide grin.

Mia and Ed popped around the corner from the old dining room, and Mia was the first one to make it to Cass and Hari with her long arms collapsing around the both of them. Ed started laughing, slowly closing the last gap and consuming Cass in hugs.

”This bitch is aliiiiiiiiive!” Ed goofily yelled.

”The Mobile AAAAAAAAASS!” they all started laughing.

"What- I wasn't fucking dead!" Cass cackled, hugging them all back as best she could. It was a bit more difficult when they piled on one after the other, but she managed to stretch her arms a bit to hold them all tightly and lift them off the ground for a moment. Just to prove how much she was back to normal.

"Oh yeah, I'm back, fucking mobile as ever! Have been since last night, honestly- but Leon get's first dibs on this mobile ass, y'know." She snickered, eyebrows raising up and down as she set the three back down.
"Did I interrupt some winter cleaning, huh? Though I'm here to invite you to a super awesome gaming party that may involve telling me how awesome I am- kidding! Well not about the gaming party. Location: Trisha and Casey's flat. Time: like, twenty minutes, long enough for Trisha to eat in peace. You're all expected. Oh, and…"

She trailed off, looking at Mia specifically- the brightness of her smile didn't dim, but it did get… more gentle?
"Can we talk? I mean, it ain't anything private, it can be right here if you're more comfortable with that! Ain't anything bad- on your part- anyway! I just don't wanna force it on you, y'know?"

Mia nodded bravely, knowing the probability of avoiding this was slim to none. Whether or not she’d talked to Leon about things already was irrelevant: The way they’d left off wasn’t the way Mia wanted Cass to think of her.

”Of course. Uhhh-” she looked at Hari as the group spread apart just enough to not be in a hug anymore.

”We’ll get it all later. Do you want to wear something else? Or, you just-”

Mia shook her head.

”Just, uh… Clean shirt. This one’s got all cat hair and stuff from the vacuum debacle.” she giggled slightly, causing Ed to laugh aloud.

”Alright, well… Maybe make it quick and wash your hair too then, or get it brushed, Mimi. You’ve got dust and stuff all in it.” she playfully ruffled Mia’s hair, causing a dust bunny to leap down in turn.

Mia smiled, nodded, then took Cass’ hand to bring her back to the other side of the wall in Leon’s apartment. She closed the door behind them, then made for the coffee machine.

”Coffee, love?” she asked, figuring Cass wouldn’t hesitate if there was a problem.

"Nah, it'll only make me more buzzed! I ain't gonna make anyone deal with that." Cass laughed lightly, waving a hand. She waited a moment for Mia to sort herself, before moving back forward to grab the younger woman's hands.

"I am… so fucking sorry, Mia! I did not mean any of the shit I said while sick! Well I meant the shit about it not being what Leon wants and him becoming a monster being a real shit possibility- but fucking hell, not about the fucking listening and panicking. I don't want you thinking that was me being actually honest cause I was in pain… absolutely not! That was me being a big fucking grouch that would've snapped at a plant that moved wrong! It ain't who I am or what I think at all… and I'm seriously fucking sorry I snapped at you like that!"

At least she had an immediate sense of tension diffusal. Anything involving Trisha felt like a never-ending anxiety attack that faded and strengthened based on proximity. But, ultimately, it never felt resolved. Like the distance would always be there…
But this? She was apologizing for saying things when, ultimately, she wasn’t in the wrong. Like her brothers and sisters, Mia understood what a strong moral position was. She was acutely aware that she’d abused her brother’s emotions in order to hurt him into making the decision she wanted. She lauded a threat in a man’s face using her own body as a hostage, and for what?

To look like an ass in front of her own girlfriend as well as her brother’s girlfriend? Who, mind, was at the time quite literally crippled by a magical curse condition. Yet, here she was apologizing. That was a strong moral position if Mia’d ever seen one.

But she couldn’t stop herself from cracking up as Cass went on just a little longer than she needed to.

”Cass! Cass… Jesus…-”
She put her coffee cup down on the counter nearby and embraced Cass again, this time tighter. Her laughter turned into a little weepiness as she considered how unworthy she was of being around another person in her life like this. Like all of her mistakes made her worthless.

”-I accept… But please, please… Tell me how you feel? How you really feel… Do you, uh, like… Even really remember what I said? You were in a lot of pain. But, everything I said? To Leon? In front of you? Do you really feel like your reaction to that was out of line?” she asked, pulling back just enough to look Cass in the eyes for her answer.

"Yes, absolutely! And I remember it all!" Cass didn't even hesitate, hugging Mia back. One hand rubbed her back comfortingly. While there were a lot of fuzzy periods from the last few days, that was one she remembered very clearly. It was easier to remember the times in between the dialysis, or after she'd actually managed to sleep.

"I don't think you threatening Leon like that was ok at all. But you were distressed… Shouting at someone is never the solution! I should've been sympathetic, or just let him handle it. Me adding more stress isn't fair. There can be two wrongs, y'know? What you said can be wrong and my reaction can also be wrong." She spoke more evenly now, though there was still that normal Cass energy in it. The energy that had been missing when she was sick.

"If you wanna know how I feel? I feel the whole things unfair on both of you… but it's what it is. You're allowed to struggle with it, but it ain't alright to threaten to hurt yourself to someone who loves you that much. And… I know it's really hard right now, Mimi, but I think it'll be good for you! When you get more used to it cause it's like… Leon needs your support. It's giving you the chance to take that role!" She nodded, smiling brightly at Mia.
"But it's ok if you don't want that! Either way, I'ma be completely honest with you- about whether you do something wrong, or don't. But I ain't gonna shout at you like that again… At least I'm gonna try not to. And I'll help you however I can!"

Mia took a deep breath, clearing her throat.

”I’m… Not. I’m not a good fit. Leon doesn’t think so now, or, at least he’s acting that way. Whether it’s because of what I did, or if he’s had reservations for a while, I don’t know. Even, uh… When I recanted, and tried to apologize and… Y’know, I told him I’d give it another shot, he shut it down. Said he’d rather, uh… Deal with Lelou like he had been. Said he was getting used to it, and that maybe Lelou ain’t so bad. He said she even mentioned the treatment you’re taking now. That she’d predicted it, and that uh…-”

She stopped, shrugging.

”Maybe it’s for the best. Nobody else can possibly control him if there’s no leash and collar. We were thinking of destroying them, honestly. Maybe, y’know, so that Lelou would be more willing to trust him overall.”

Her frown was downturned and despondent.

”It’s better off I’m not an accidental burden, or worse a hindrance. Obviously, if he and I had that discussion, you’ve gotta know I already apologized to him directly. A thousand times by now. But, now I can tell you that I’m sorry too. And, that if I’m relinquishing this responsibility, maybe I’ll be able to take up a new one. Like, y’know… Running your treatments. Maintaining the machine. Being your nurse! I’m not uh, y’know, trained or nothin’. But, White Lux is nice for that. I don’t need to train. I can ask, and someone will let me learn in a few minutes. I just, y’know… Wanted to ask about how you feel about that.”

Cass hadn't heard anything about Mia stepping down, or Leon considering just not using the collar at all. Nevermind straight up destroying it. It made sense if he wanted to work with Lelou, since she hated that thing so much… but it didn't quite sit right with her. He'd been so happy to be rid of the voice in his head, and now he wanted to go back to that. Because Lelou had predicted the beans? Obviously, there was more to it than that… She could understand the reasons for it, but she wasn't entirely comfortable with it.

But she wasn't going to dwell on it right now. Not when Mia had moved on to something else she could do, and get excited with. She'd just have to talk to Leon about it later.

"Of course! I'd love to have you as my nurse, so long as you don't mind dealing with me at my grouchiest? You only got it once, poor Leon got yelled at a fair few times! But aside from that, of course! More time with Mia? I ain't gonna say no to that, am I?" Cass grinned, hugging Mia tighter before letting her arms loosen so Mia could escape if she wanted to.

"You gonna get to hook up the dialysis machine and shit? It's pretty fucking cool, honestly- ‘course I'm sick of it, but there's something real fascinating about all those tubes circulating my blood. And I don't gotta sleep with it anymore cause of the beans, at least!"

Mia nodded her head wildly, smiling and giggling.

”I… Wanted to be a nurse when I was little. Very little. I used to hang around Doctor Andy and stuff, and she’d show me weird medical shit. Probably testing me, to see if I’d shy away from that kind of thing. Never had a problem with body stuff. Even when I saw my first Fleshbane Ghoul, I wasn’t really scared or grossed out. Mostly just curious to see the way muscles look without the skin.”

She said this all so casually, as if those sorts of things weren’t what would stick with a Blind person.

”Then Grandpa taught me how to make toys. I… I think I’m at a point in my life where I should really be thinking less about the drugs I want to do, and more about the activities I always wanted to do. Nothing says I can’t make toys and help you. I’m only afraid of… Well… This being a manic episode, and not a shifting in my mindset. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve felt this tug, but then wind up not strong enough to do anything with it.” she admitted.

”It really scares me. And, honestly, that’s what scares me about the leash too. It’s… It’s the dedication. I’m really fucking scared, Cass… And nobody at all makes me feel safer about it. It’s not their fault, or yours, or anyones. Just… I can’t find a reason to believe it won’t happen again. So, uh… There’s your… Disclaimer, I guess.” she shrugged, suddenly looking downtrodden again. Her mood swings seemed tremendous…

Kind of like someone else Cass knew.

"Hey, look-" Cass' hands went to Mia's cheeks, squishing them slightly before trying to make sure she was properly looking at her. So she could see there was no judgement on Cass' face, no kind of negative shit.

"Recovery ain't linear, and it ain't gonna happen all at once! Does it suck if you fall back down? Yeah, of course! But it doesn't mean you've failed so long as you pick yourself back up… the fact you keep trying means you ain't failed. You've already taken the first step… you want to get better. That ain't easy. Nothing that follows is either. So it's ok if you struggle, or the mindset doesn't entirely shift. Cause while you gotta be the one to do it, it doesn't mean you're alone! You've got your girlfriends, but you also have me and Leon and Casey. I'd say Trisha too, but she's got her own issues with self belief… Anyway! What I mean is, it's fine if it happens again, cause I'll still be there! And I'm happy to help you pick yourself back up. You can try again and again till it sticks! Each step forward is a victory, y'know? You ain't just gonna wake up one day and be perfect."

Mia wanted to imagine that the first sign of her using would turn Cass off completely. That she wouldn’t bother trying, because Leon would be there to tell her about all the times she’d fallen before. About how it was just a pattern, and the only reason Hari and Ed put up with it is because of guilt and loyalty. How Hari was the addict first, and had gotten Mia into it, and how Ed only stayed because she was to Mia what Auntie Rissa was to her Mother.
But she’d been down that cycle to. Expecting the behavior and treatment she got from a few to be the norm from everyone…

But really, it was her own problem. The problem that… Maybe she could get help with where others may not be so strong. After all, she was the only one incapable of actually handling herself. Hari had Pink Lux: She could set a timer on her high, and wake up out of it refreshed and renewed. And for Ed, the differences between Serenity’s high and the actual stuff were so negligible that she easily tanked any side effects like they were just part of her Abstraction.

It was only Mia, who was being told that the way she handled herself was wrong… When in reality? She didn’t really want to give up that part of her life. It wasn’t something she felt was actually detrimental until people started putting their own wants and needs upon her. Until they made her feel like she had to cater to them. It built immediate resentment, which in turn became spite.
Thus, the bad habit of intentionally using when she was actively told not to became more than a bad habit. It became her modus operandi, and suddenly nobody trusted her with anything. They couldn’t know if or when she was high, so they just wouldn’t bother.

She looked at Cass with moisture pooling at the corners of her eyes.
”Am… I setting myself up for failure with this? I… I really need to want to do something other than shooting up, Cass… But, I’m scared that I don’t really want to move on yet. Obviously, I’m stupid for that… But…”

Hesitating, Mia cleared her throat and looked down at her left foot. She could feel the throbbing pain under the nail of her big toe where the scar tissue was building up.

”Well, I feel like I can’t. And I know I shouldn’t. But, that… Fuck! Fuck, this is so wrong! What the fuck is wrong with me? I have a thought, then I immediately think about it again and fuck right off! Like, fuck, I… Why don’t I wanna stop, Cass!?”

She started sobbing right then and there, tucking into Cass with a great big hug. She figured, if Cass really was who she said she was, and wasn’t just acting like she felt they all wanted her to, maybe she’d have some kind of solution rather than just hollow words of vague support.

Cass held Mia tightly, rubbing her back comfortingly as she tried to figure out what the fuck to say. It wasn't like she could fix it. If Mia really didn't want to stop yet, what could anyone else do but be there for her and make sure she didn't really hurt herself? But saying shit like that wasn't going to help.

"Because nothing's changed around you." Cass said bluntly.
"The shit that made you start using is still there, ain't it? So you're fighting an uphill battle at the moment! And when you fail you blame yourself, like it's something easy to just fix. But I don't think you're setting yourself up for failure just cause you wanna try. Like I said… Even a step forward is good!"

It wasn't really a solid solution… She didn't have anything she knew could work, but why not throw some shit out there anyway?
"Look, I'm only gonna be that bad every three months. So… Try to be there next time. And if you can't? The time after! But… if in between you feel like using? Fucking… Call me! Especially if you're alone! I'll come and be with you, maybe talking will help- and even if that doesn't, it's ok! But I'll try to actually help. I ain't gonna judge or any of that shit, I genuinely want to help you, no matter how long it takes!"

Maybe judgement wouldn’t come. Sure. But, if not judgement, then what? It certainly wouldn’t be fucking support…

Unless…

”Well… What if you could help me in a very direct way in return! Like, well… Uh… Well, when I ask most people who can help like you can, they turn their noses up! Like, y’know, using magic to help the problem would suddenly ruin their lives! But, I figure if you’re so strong, maybe… Maybe you can give me a scrubbing! Like, y’know, some… Freebies. Where I can sleep! Actually drift off, not get all nervous and have a bad trip, then sleep longer ‘cuz I’m embarrassed and exhausted!”

She wasn’t being very direct. She was afraid to ask, but she was equally afraid of herself acting squirrely. This was… Well… Morally speaking, this was actual addict behavior. Bargaining and the like. But, if this could all be handled with a little more openness and a little less morality, maybe everyone could get what they wanted!

”I mean, like, Doctor Andy won’t help. She refuses to do anything that may let me enjoy what I enjoy and function! But, I always imagined she’d be able to, like, cleanse my body of the toxin with her magic! And, y’know, reset my chemistry so I don’t deal with shitty withdrawals! Because, essentially she figured if she let me just use, and then fixed it every time I did, I’d never appreciate bein’ sober! But I do! I really do, I just… Y’can’t use that shit recreationally! And, I don’t want to do shit like that in front of Serenity… She’s a little girl, she shouldn’t see her moms… Doing that shit. But, I wasn’t fucking ready to be a parent either!”

She was rambling slightly, frustrated tears still falling. She wasn’t sure whether or not the other girls could hear her, but at this point it was just nice to have someone she felt she could speak her mind to completely.

"Most people ain't- but you are real young to be one." Weird ghost situation aside, it was still three girls barely in their twenties handed a… Heroin baby, really. Extra tough.

Cass had to actually think about what Mia was asking. She wasn't a doctor or anything, so she couldn't know all the reasons Andy would say no. She assumed a busy doctor didn't have time to just cleanse Mia everytime she wanted to use either. She wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of Mia still using, but that was going to happen anyway, wasn't it?

"If you really think that'll help? I'll try! I say try cause I don't really use my magic on other people much, so I'm kinda worried I'd maybe give you another limb… But! If it's just sleep you want, I can do that for you too! I know it probably ain't always, but the times it is? I can help. Well, I think I can help! I'll practice on Leon first." Cass said, though she wasn't entirely sure if it was the right decision. But… Sure, she had high morals, but with shit like this sometimes the ‘morally right' decision wasn't what actually helped people.

She pulled back a bit, one hand moving away from around Mia to be held up in front of her. It curled into a fist aside from the pinky.
"But you gotta promise me it ain't forever. I'm doing this to help you recover, not so you can keep using the rest of your life, ok? It don't matter if it takes years and years, cause I'll be there. Just promise you'll keep trying."

Well that just sounded like enabling behavior, even to Mia. She grinned, giggled, shook her head.
”I promise it ain’t gonna be forever… If… If we can come up with something else that gets the nightmares to stop, I’ll go for it. But… I think something else maybe needs to get taken care of before that part. Maybe the dreams’ll never go away, but the curse sure as fuck will when that asshole dies…”

She frowned slightly, then took a step back to pull her t-shirt up. Along her stomach, running up and over the center of her chest only to sink back into her breast, was what looked like the bite pattern of a massive predatory animal.

”I won’t show you where the binding link is, but I’ll say for a while it looked less like a fun place and more like someone shove raw-”
Mia closed her eyes in frustration, shaking her head before a grim smile came back for her to laugh it off.

”-He said, that if I didn’t want the dreams, he left me one option. And that I’d kill myself one way or another. That was uh… Right before our Emancipation Day. He said that none of us would, uh… Escape without him.”

Him… The wretched thing…

”But, I know the scrub works. Andy did it once, because I forced her to. Flushed it out of my system entirely. I even felt good for a couple days. But, fatigue’s an unstoppable monster. Other fucking drugs don’t keep me up, magic can’t. I’ve tried every funny little supplement. But, Wampus magic is like Pink and Blue Magic’s methhead child. Or, maybe it’s the father… I don’t know, I’m fucked. I know I liked the shit before I needed it as an actual dependency. This was just the ironic ‘get away now’ that I’ve been left with.”

"The Wampus did that to you?" Cass vaguely gestured towards Mia's stomach. Fucking hell. And their parents had just let that thing be around the whole time they were growing up… Leon had brought it back too… Fuck.

"So first step gotta kill the fucking evil cat? Got it." She shook her head. The whole situation was fucked and it was tragic, really. She felt bad for thinking it, but what chance did Mia have? What chance did any of them have, really. Sure, the older few seemed to be somewhat alright… but Leon and Casey both clearly had their own fucking problems too. And sure, Cass herself hadn't had the best upbringing, but it was this!

"For now, I'll try the scrub- or we try my magic to put you to sleep for a bit. I ain't sure how either will work out… Like I said, I ain't using my magic on others. And mine is kinda like Green on steroids! We'll do that as a temporary situation till we can get rid of that thing- and we fucking will, I don't give a fuck what anyone else thinks. Then, we deal with what comes after. At least if you don't have some fucking crazy curse, maybe some shit like therapy will actually work." Cass knew it wasn't the perfect solution, or even one others would approve of. What the fuck would Leon say… But if there was a chance it would actually help? Why not?

Mia’s decision to accept the status of the agreement was enough to bring her baseline mood up to a point where, for the first time in a couple weeks, she felt naturally able to participate. There was no wolf energy, no daytime drinking, none of the blissful haze before torpor took her again. Just Cass. Just a smiling outsider welcomed into the deepest parts of a family whose proximity only exacerbated their constant anguish. It was all centered around those painful little moments where things became untenable and someone else had to step in and do the saving.

Would Cass be another cog in the machine? Or would her new shape among the other gears offset their world in the same way Trisha did? And then, would it be worse? Was Trisha making things better for anyone besides Casey? Would Cass make things better for everyone?

”I’ve wanted to kill that cat since I Kindled. Did you ever want to kill anything when you were six years old? Can you imagine what growing up with that hatred is like?”

She sighed and closed her eyes thinking about the first time anything had happened. How she didn’t understand. The track had been so much different, after all… Until she had magic, the cats had protected her. Or, made it seem that way… She’d long since realized they were isolating her. Discouraging her siblings, even her parents, from getting too close. Only her Father and Leon had ever had the impetus to push through that barrier. Casey was wonderful, but he’d been weak. Useless, practically, until he left and came back with incredible magics…

But Cass wanted to just fucking kill it. And Mia wanted to just. Fucking. Kill it.

”I’m gonna stuff it. I’m gonna turn that prick into a giant stuffed animal, and re-enchant it like a taxidermy idiot. I’m gonna make it do stupid dances, and stuff itself with lasagna until it turns fucking orange… I only hope we can lock its soul up somewhere and force it to watch.” she spoke with an incredibly monotone hatred belying the fury beneath.

”I can’t wait.”

”Normally I wouldn’t support that kinda revenge torture, but I think if anything deserves it, it’s that fucking cat.” Cass let out a slight laugh, patting Mia on the shoulder. Sure, it wouldn’t be healthy in the long run… But Cass was sure Mia wouldn’t turn into some creepy murderer otherwise. And hopefully killing the Wampus would be enough in the end.

Its existence around them pissed her off. How many generations had suffered? Been fucking gaslit into thinking it was normal.
”I am… Gonna talk to Leon about all this, though. I don’t wanna have those kinda secrets between us. It just ain’t health… But it ain’t gonna change my plans to help! Or to kill that thing cause fucking hell, why he kept it around ain’t worth the suffering its put you through.”

Sure, it knew what had happened to Gravity. Leon was close to his father. Cass understood… But he was almost definitely dead if it had been this long. The still living shouldn’t have to suffer for that information.

”I ain’t sure ‘bout how killing someone like it works, but I sure gave it a good beating last week.”

Mia took a deep breath.

”They’re gluttons. Across every single realm you find them in, apparently. Some are, like… Apparently nice? Or, at least… God, fuck that! Anyway, we cram it to death. They have bad reactions to food they don’t like. I… I have a plan for that. There’s not a day I don’t think about the contingencies.”

She knocked back the rest of her coffee like it wasn’t still piping hot, letting the cup smack on the counter.

”Fuck it. For now, there’s a plan right? Sister?” she asked sincerely, her focus coming back to Cass entirely. She let her pinkie extend toward Cass: The beginning of a pact by returning the pinkie promise was in the air.

Cass grinned, her own pinkie coming back up to hook around Mia’s.
”There is, little Sis! I swear I’ll actually help you.”

She let her hand drop back down, still grinning.
”So… How bout you go wash your face and get that clean shirt, then we can go upstairs? Assuming you want me to wait? Trisha’ll definitely be done eating by now so I’m sure we’re good to head up.” She then tilted her head, scratching her cheek.
”No idea where Leon’ll have ended up, though. He was grabbing shit from my place… Maybe he’s just standing up there like an abandoned puppy…”

Mia reached down into her pocket and pulled out her hat, letting a shot of White Lux climb the building in its entirety.

”He’s on your couch. Go get him, we’ll be upstairs in a few.”

Mia wrapped both arms around Cass, planting a kiss on her cheek before stepping away and back into her side of the apartment. She left the door open for Cass to pass back through to the elevator, and upon exiting, she’d be able to find Ed already dressed and checking on the plants.

”Hey dude! Have you ever actually been in here? Like, before today? What do you think of the babies!?” she asked with a big grin.
”Shit’s mint, ain’t it?”

Cass laughed, grinning right back.
”I ain’t- And yeah, pretty fucking sound! Ain’t so sure ‘bout the smell, but that’s just the super sensitive nose, y’know?” She wrinkled her nose to make a point of it.

It wasn’t a smell she particularly minded, but when everything was enhanced it was overpowering. Sure, she could put her senses back to normal… But that was more difficult than keeping them as they were. It was one of the few easy, continual lux uses she’d figured out so far.

”You could supply the whole fucking building with this.” She continued as she made her way for the elevator, pressing the button and waiting for it to come back down.

”We do! Gotta keep costs down, right? This building, and a couple others!” she laughed aloud.
”I’ll wait for the other two. Uh, you and Mimi all good?” Ed asked very simply, not wanting to pry beyond what she’d heard. She wasn’t there that night, after all.

”Oh yeah, all good! I apologised, we talked ‘bout some other shit, so here’s hoping things get better.” Cass smiled, not going into too much detail. If Mia wanted to tell Ed, she would, after all.

There was a ding as the elevator doors opened behind her.
”I’ll see you in a lil bit! I gotta go pick up an abandoned dog on my way back up.” She laughed, waving to Ed before stepping in. It was only a couple of floors up to hers, a very brief period of time spent humming to herself and tapping her foot. The humming- to an indiscernible tune, just whatever was in her head- continued down the corridor and to her apartment.

She practically flung her door open.
”I heard there’s a real hot guy waiting to be collected from my sofa!” A hand flew up to her forehead like she was searching, immediately honing in on and bounding towards Leon with a grin.
”There. He. Is! Why’d you wait?!”

Leon had both his legs up, and was laying back comfortably with his phone in his hands when she came in. He smiled up at her.

”Well, if I came down, I’d hear what you and Mia were talking about. Not cool. But, if I went upstairs, it’d just piss Trisha off. So, I brought the boxes up into the stairwell for the roof, then came back. Got into your dirty laundry, ate all the crotches of your panties. Y’know, it’s how dogs are.” he grinned almost evilly at her, shifting to stand up.

”Fucking all of em?!” Cass cackled. She didn’t let him actually stand up, jumping up and onto his torso. She made sure her knees hit the couch first so she didn’t just slam her full weight onto him. They had a little bit of time, after all.

She pressed her hands into his shoulders, leaning forward with a grin.
”What am I supposed to wear, huh? You want me to go fucking commando the whole time? God, and I thought you couldn’t become more of a perve!”

Leon’s hands immediately grabbed around places that were overall detrimental to them getting anywhere besides stuck on that couch.

”Careful… There’s still fetishes to discover. Don’t leap before you look.” he growled lowly, craning his neck to kiss her collarbone before trying to pick her up wholesale in order to escape the rapidly mounting tension.

”If you were gonna do this to me, you should’ve waited for your party until tomorrow… Or a week from now…” he giggled.

”A week? You planning to skip Thanksgiving? No complaints here, I ain’t ‘murican.” Cass grinned, leaning forward to give his ear a proper bite. But thankfully for them both she could resist the allure of just staying there the rest of the day- or week. She let him pick her up, even if she very quickly wriggled her way out of his arms and hopped back down onto the floor.

”You brought it on yourself making comments like that, Babe!” She snickered, hopping a good distance away towards the door.
”C’mon, we can start the sex marathon after the party!”

Because Cass was so nice and caring, she kept a bit of a distance in the lift so he could cool off… Not her as well, of course, because she had amazing restraint. But she didn’t hesitate in grabbing his hand as they reached the top floor, tugging him along the corridor towards the stairwell to the roof.

She let go as she went straight for her boxes, crouching down and carefully opening to the top one. A quick look over confirmed everything she thought was in it was in fact in there.
”Oh thank fuck- I was worried I’d put shit in the wrong boxes! Or I forgot to put something back last time I played around with this shit… Honestly, even if I label stuff it doesn’t mean shit when I just throw it fucking everywhere!”

Leon picked the other box up as well, showing her the xbone label on the side with a precocious “r” scrawled next to it where the word ended. He giggled to himself.

”I figured Casey would maybe like this one… I think we had one? Or, we knew someone who had one more likely. Unless, is this like, supposed to be a newer one?” he asked, unsure of whether or not these shell laptops could play the older games and the newer ones or not.

Cass’ grin widened, a little ‘heh heh’ escaping her lips. She didn’t immediately answer, instead beginning to make her way towards the stairs with her own box.

”It’s… All of them, Babe! I gotta bunch’ve emulators- and y’know, made one for the modern shit- and you can like… Boot into whichever you wanna. It ain’t really a normal laptop anymore cause’ve it. I replaced a bunch’ve parts, and it’s gotta real hefty external hard drive to it- that’s why the box you’ve got is so heavy. I spent like… A whole summer on that one! It’s really my baby, I didn’t bother getting all the newer stuff for the others. I did a playstation one and two cause I wanted to play some games on em, and I just grabbed a bunch’ve emulators that already existed for the nintendo stuff.” She absolutely over explained, babbling away as they got up onto the roof.

”Any games you remember, I probably got!”

”Man… Casey begged and begged. I figured Mom would relent, given the whole not expressing Lux and shit. But, I bet they both just assumed if they let him live like a Blind, he’d stay one. Joke was on the both of them, right? Should’ve gave the kid his game system, maybe he’d have had enough nostalgia in his life to kindle beforehand.” he shrugged, climbing the stairs after her and pushing out into the cold again.

He really thought about that kind of thing often. About how all of those Richoux techniques to get kids to kindle were just bullshit spitballs. How their whole childhood had been full of the whims of someone who didn’t know anything more about raising a child than the children did. Just… Bullshit rule and disciplinary action after bullshit rule and disciplinary action.

”I hope I remember all the shit that happened to us as Kids when the time comes. I hope he does too.” Leon finally intoned, holding the box in his hands with a tender sense of care toward this machine he’d never even seen.

At least she sounded incredibly proud of it. Hell, she’d practically made her own video game system; it sounded terribly interesting. He made a note to bring it up as pillowtalk for later, so she had all the time she wanted to dump the information.

Cass managed to hold her box in just one arm for a moment, reaching out to rub Leon’s arm.
”I’m sure you both will.”

Recollections: Primal Sinister

Loni Rodriguez, Moriah Motta
Kiki Motta & Little Sister

Tuesday. Midday.

_{with @AtomicEmperor}

New Leopold Building.

---

The three ascended the stairs and made it back out into the mall without trouble right around the time Momo got a text message.
”Ah, your buddy’s here, Lon.” Moriah chuckled as she slipped the phone back into her pocket.

And the “buddy” wasn’t far off either. She could be heard from dozens of feet, her echoing voice singing the most melodramatic Italian opera she could. People stared, people gawked, but Kiki Motta was everything that Loni ascribed to be in terms of sociability. Utterly confident, she traipsed across the tile floor of the mall barefooted in something like a greco-roman toga with lace… Wings? Curtains? Accessories, banded in gold, that stretched from the main gown to the bangles on her wrists. Her mass of black hair was tied up into a braid that wrapped down her neck and tucked itself into the straining fabric around her chest.

And with her, a face that Loni had only seen a scant few times while visiting Momo at home. It wasn’t clear immediately, given that the one called Little Sister usually had a covering over her eyes to render her physically blind. But, she seemed to be free of that for now, and even dressed like she actually had possessions of her own! Loni had been told that, by her own choice to study directly at the feet of a great Matriarch, she relinquished all of her own holdings beforehand.
But today, her hair had been styled in a bun, and she was wearing a beautiful red dress that held itself aloft with plenty of lacey ruffles. Just as used to being barefoot, and equally shameless in her Joy as per the teachings of Culla, Little Sister had no problem indulging in her time outside her cloistering with equally enthusiastic singing.

The two held hands, letting the union swing between them as good and decent people stared with rapt confusion. Even anger, over the fact that they weren’t properly following social dress codes. But, Kiki knew best: There were no rules about shoes in this mall. And Momo loved that. She could only smile at her life-loving baby sister acting as a fantastic role model for her only real student.

”Is that her!?” Kiki called out from maybe fifty feet off, pointing at Loni and Luci with a shaking hop.
Little Sister could only match Kiki in enthusiasm, her grasp of what was happening exactly falling away almost instantly. But, she was a great copier, and pointed directly at Loni and Luci as well with great excitement!

After the talk with Momo, Loni was feeling much more comfortable- or at least safe with present company. She didn’t have the ability to throw away social norms quite as much as the other two, but she shifted Luciana to one arm to wave enthusiastically.
"Kiki! Hello!"

“Tea!” Luci wriggled in Loni’s arms, hands grasping forward. She flailed her limbs all over the place.
"Mama, down! Dooowwwnnn!"

"I’m lettin’ you down, Baby, you don’t gotta struggle like that!" Loni wasn’t so worried, as she knew exactly where Luci was going to run. Still, as she put the toddler down on the floor, she prepared to follow right behind her.

Luci immediately barrelled towards Kiki with outstretched arms and excited giggling.

There was a near imperceptible moment where Little Sister’s entire Matriarchal body tensed up. A massive influx of Green Lux washed across the floor of the mall, and for a split second Little Sister’s right leg shifted to catch her weight pressing down. Readying like a coiled spring to protect Kiki from the approaching something. Obviously a child… But as a Matriarch, one was never told to idly presume.

But Kiki’s own leg flicked out, and there was a slapping noise as bone impacted bone. Two dogs snapping at one another without making more than a cursory motion. Of course, Little Sister couldn’t have known… But Kiki loved Luci just about as much as Momo did. She wasn’t going to let anyone even come close to posing a threat.
Her tall frame crouched down, legs spreading and showing off far more than they should’ve. But, again, shame simply didn’t exist for the Motta clan. Scooping Luci up, Kiki stood back up to full height.

”That’s the giiiiiiiiiirl!!!!!!” she shouted, nuzzling in and starting to approach Loni.
”What’s up beautiful bitch!?” she laughed, holding out her free arm to wrap around Loni.

Loni had sensed the Green Lux washing over her, immediately panicking with nothing she could do about it… But it was fine! Kiki made sure there wasn’t a problem, and Loni relaxed again. She leaned into the hug, returning it with one arm while the other reached up to ruffle her daughter’s curls.
"Heeyyyy- Mo’s just been taking me shoppin’! Well, we ain’t done much of it yet, but still! And Lu gotta chocolate from a Turkey earlier!"

“Ta-di!” Luci giggled excitedly, hands slapping against Kiki’s face. Thankfully, Loni had made sure to clean them of chocolate and then dry them off after their trip to the basement.

"That’s right, Turkey!" Loni laughed. Still smiling, she stepped away a bit to look at Little Sister. She still didn’t have a complete understanding of how things worked- but Momo tended to just act like a super strong, slightly odd person. There probably wasn’t any special greetings required, right?!

"Hello, we ain’t properly met before! I’m Loni, and this is Luciana. Say hello, Mijita."

Luciana was pretty distracted slapping Kiki’s face and pulling at her cheeks, but she just about heard her mother.
“Oh-lah!”

Little Sister’s blank face said everything about her grasp of the English language. Her Matriarch had elected to withhold language training from the young heiress. An old but stubborn tradition, most were left to learn any secondary language on their own through whatever method they could manage.
But English was in such profusion around her, she couldn’t help but hear some of it. Whatever it actually meant, she never bothered piecing together.

”C-che?”
Though, there was an instinct to look toward the child. Any of them brought joy, but this one seemed connected. Little Sister could feel the Green and Black Lux swirling around her even in the earliest youth.

”Ehh… Bambina tu figlia?” she pointed from Luci to Loni.

”Si, si! Lei è Ispanica, non Italiana, Sori.”

Sori, short for Sorella as the Italiano for Sister, instantly nodded. She turned back to Loni and frowned.

”Eeeenglish bad. Girl you? Ehhh… Cyoot. Very nice.” she said, giving Loni a big thumbs up as her expression became a smile.

”Ella Luciana, e Alondra… Luci? Loni.” Kiki pointed from the baby in her arms to the woman in front of them.

”Ahhhhhh…-” she emoted, her hands moving to point passively at Loni again.
”-No Italian? Luciana, Alondra… Italian!” she concluded, the only logic in her brain leading to that conclusion.

There were some very vague similarities between Italian and Spanish. At least, a couple of the most basic words were the same. In her time at Sin Sisters, Loni had picked up a tiny bit of Italian. But she'd also picked up words from about ten other languages…

"Uh… Mexican! Not Italian, not at all, that'd make things easier…" Loni trailed off, scratching the back of her neck and glancing up at Kiki. While she didn't really mind the whole gestures for words thing, and was used to people who didn't speak fluent English… Basically not understanding at all was extra difficult!

“Meh, meh!” Luci had no such compunctions about the whole language situation. She barely recognised the difference right now, Spanish and English and the bits of Italian she got all mixing into one in her little brain. She leaned forward in Kiki's arms, waving her little hands at Sori. She babbled away in a language none of them could understand. Even Loni didn't know what she was saying, she was just adept at reading her daughter's body language.

"Oh… She wants to say hello properly! Like- Like her Aunt Momo taught her. Uh… Salve?"

Momo smiled and grinned.
”Yes, but ciao is better in this case. Less stuffy.” she explained.

”Right… Sorella here isn’t established enough to be concerned with how others address her. You’re higher on the totem pole than she is, Loni…” Kiki giggled, letting Luci bumble toward Sori with all of the childlike curiosity she held inside.
”Go on Luci! Ciao! Ciao!” she added, pointing the girl toward Sori.

In turn, Sori’s eyes welled up with both fear and admiration. Nobody else seemed scared of the little Black Lux bomb… She remembered Loni’s magic only vaguely, and inborn anxiety over the Hound’s light made it hard to understand why she was allowed around… Just the fact that she was Green?

But a child was a child.

”Ahhhhh!!! Si! Si, ciao bella! Ciao bella, bambina!” Sori grinned widely, her hands coming up and grabbing at Luci playfully.
”I hold!?” her head spun to Loni with a wide smile of adoration.

"Si, si, you can!" Loni agreed readily. She wasn't worried at all about someone Momo trusted. In the end, she trusted that Momo would never let anyone near her daughter that could hurt her.

“Ow! Ow!” Luci was doing her best to imitate what Kiki said, leaning towards Sori and trying to grasp her face with chubby little hands. She giggled happily, completely comfortable with this relative stranger. She was an easy child… And she was always influenced by the mood of people around her, especially her Mama.

She was trying to get her little face right next to Sori's, giggling and squealing the whole time.

Loni was overcome by warmth and joy watching her daughter, a little question bubbling up from innocent confusion. She pointed a finger at herself, glancing at Momo and Kiki.
"I'm higher up the totem pole than anyone?"

”Hey now… There’s plenty of girls and guys who’ve shown up since you joined. It’s mostly seniority, but there is a reason for us to consider your abilities.” Momo explained with a giggle.

”Nothing you’d ever be burdened with unless some kind of big disaster came back. Then, it’d be relevant for whatever other Cullans were around to support us.” Kiki nodded.

Sori wasn’t shy about getting as close to Luci as she possibly could, their cheeks rubbing together as her eyes closed like a satisfied cat. There was a tremendous amount of Italian babble being cooed into the child’s ear, which didn’t seem much different than Momo. They were both Motta, after all: It was expected that Sori would have the same instincts as their Bloodmistress. The eldest Motta, even to the current day in the Canon of Culla’s faith, is the arch-mother and pinnacle of maternal instinct…

A trait that, perhaps, skipped generations on occasion. But, not here. She seemed natural with the child, a thousand years of holding babies at one point or another kicking into overdrive. She released another burst of Italian toward Momo and Kiki, her grin splitting her face in pure bliss. They both laughed, with Kiki replying before Momo had the chance to explain.

”She’s happy. This is the first time she’s had a chance to hold a child. It’s not uh… I guess that’s not really… I wonder if that’d be something to do intentionally?” Momo started, but very quickly pulled herself into a vague introspection as she clearly began to consider a new idea.
”I mean… She looks so happy! Look, Loni! Motherhood! They should be exposed to that! They are, I mean, in the Commendatore! We feel matronly over our auxiliaries and shit, so… Of course she’d respond to this!” she snapped to attention in her eyes.

Luciana was babbling away in response to Sori- a conversation where neither side could really understand the other. She paused her babbling just to shout another “ow, ow!” before stretching up to see through her initial plan… Smacking a wet kiss on both of Sori's cheeks.

"Exposed like… you wanna start handing out babies?" Loni asked with a little confusion, though it didn't dampen her joy. She knew the feeling… She'd held a couple of children before having her own, and it was part of why she was so determined to have her daughter. She remembered as well when Vin held Luci for the first time- it was their first baby experience too. They'd looked so soft, somehow… It was such a rare expression on them.

She grinned brightly at Luci and Sori.
"But, I mean, who wouldn't love holdin' her? She's the cutest lil girl in the world, ain't she?"

Luci was starting to wriggle a lot more in Sori's arms, limbs flailing as she leaned her body down towards the ground with grasping hands.

”She’s pretty fuckin’ awesome!” Kiki snickered, motioning her hand to Sori.

Without hesitation, Sori squatted down and let Luci plant her feet on the ground and stood back up to height. An already long arm just kept stretching as her hand held tight to Luci’s. She didn’t want her to sprint away, of course, but walking bent half over would be terribly uncomfortable! So, it was easier to just let the arm grow! From the shoulder to the elbow, then the elbow to the hand, until she could easily stand without any discomfort, the limb proportionally stretched with the same kind of eerie elasticity that had marked the wretched doppelgangers a few days prior.

Momo’s face went blank, but she hoped to the Deer and all the forests that it would be subtle enough in a little girl’s mind that she’d hardly pay it any mind. Though, if she didn’t, there was a small piece of Momo that still preferred desensitizing the little girl, as opposed to letting her fear and panic rule her. Each time a new strangeness happened with magic, she was tilted closer and closer toward being able to perceive it all completely, after all… The burgeoning Emotional Field of a Third Eye Open was still better than the weak and soft belly of a Blind.

”We bring her eh… Giocattoli?!” Sori asked with tremendous sincerity in her eyes.

”Toys? You and what money?” Kiki replied in English, causing Momo to laugh in spite of the nerves.

Thankfully, Luci didn't seem bothered by the extra stretchy arm. It was that terrifying face that had stuck with her the most, the rest hidden from her when she hid against her Mama and then Elena. She wasn't even really looking at the alien arm, doing her best to tug on the hand holding hers so she could run away. She had a little pout when she realised the grip was unyielding.

Loni had been ready to catch, then comfort, but was relieved when she didn't have to do either.

"My money! She is my daughter after all!" She pulled out a credit card proudly, completely contrasting what she'd said to Momo earlier about having no money. Technically she didn't in her bank account… but that wasn't a problem! That was what a credit card was for! What was the point if she didn't max it out?!

Still, she was a little nervous about something else, gesturing to Sori's lengthened arm and the little girl straining to run against it.
"Should… Can't other people see it. What if-"

“Mama, uhn! Uhn!” Luciana interrupted with a stomp of her little foot, giving up and shuffling round to stand between Sori and Loni.

"No, Baby, you can't run here. Mama'll lose you…"

Sori took two pumping steps to catch up with the little girl before scooping under her arms and sprinting off. The copper band wrapped around her spine radiated Green Lux, and she was hunting for the signature of carved wood, whose corpses still resonated with residual Green Lux in the distance. Little horses, toy soldiers: She’d trained to see with Green Lux alone. The walls couldn’t stop her, and the people certainly couldn’t prevent her from passing between them on a mission.

Momo’s eyes widened, and she grinned with a shake of her head.
”Well, she knows what that meant, I guess. Intention reading through the binding energies, probably. C’mon, let’s catch up!” she grinned, grabbing ahold of Loni’s hand and tugging her along.

A few shops down, Sori was standing outside a rich beacon of life… Pets was sprawled above the entryway in big letters, and inside was a cacophony of life’s domestic noises. As the girls approached, Sori pointed in with one arm.

”Per favore!?” she asked with a childlike intonation.

“Peh fah!” Luci imitated, waving her arms towards Loni and giggling away.

"They… They gotta pet shop this big?!" Loni was shocked as she turned to stare into the shop too. She'd expected them to have some kind of pet shop of course, but not one this big. She'd never seen one this big… not that there were really proper pet stores in the South anyway! Loni had to get most of the stuff she needed for her bugs online.

She turned to look at Momo with wide, shining eyes, joining the increasing ranks of excited children.
"Can we go in? I promise I ain't gonna spend hours in there- Please? Per favore?!"

”Oh, well… I do love an all-you-can eat buffet.” Momo grinned evilly as she made it next to Loni. One hand patted her back, and the other swung forward to usher her inside the store.

Sori made sure to hold on tight to Luci, doing her best to impart an understanding upon the girl despite the language barrier. She couldn’t help but coo away in Italian, instructing the girl to be still and good to the Deer’s smallest and most vulnerable creatures as the domesticated animals of Humanity. None of this would translate, of course… But perhaps good intentions made things easier.

"Please don't eat any of em!" Loni whispered to Momo with wide eyes, before rushing in after Sori and Luci.

Luci was squirming again in Sori's arms, all her limbs stretching towards the floor. She didn't really understand what was being said, just that her eyes were suddenly filled with cute creatures and she still wanted to run.
“Down! Down! Maammaaaaaa!”

She started properly kicking now, inching towards throwing a bit of a tantrum.

"You, uh, you can put her on the ground!" Loni was quick to say, squatting down in front of Sori and patting the ground. She wasn't so worried in here… At least, she was confident enough in her ability to keep an eye on her energetic daughter. It was one of her best talents!

She just had to ignore the sign pointing to insects… Not let her eyes stray… she'd look at them later.
"We just need to watch her carefully! But I ain't worried."

”There’s not a lot that could peel Little Sister away from our littlest sister. The Baby’d have to Kindle and start blasting Hound magic, which… Not zero percent chance, but very low. Comprehension is an important part of Kindling, so…-”

”-Oh, Mistress… You’re so talented at comforting people.” Kiki giggled, shaking her head.
”We won’t lose Luci, Lon. It’s a practical impossibility.” she added, tossing an eye-roll at her eldest sibling.

A thick burst of Italian spewed from Momo’s mouth toward the rapidly disappearing Sorella, catching her attention and bringing her back to heel in a very slow fashion. Instinctively, she allowed the exploring child to “explore” her way back to the group. Thankfully at floor height, most of the animal enclosures were full of creatures that preferred to remain unseen, otherwise it may’ve taken longer…

”Well, these two are clearly just here to play zoo… So, what are we buying, Loni? I hope there aren’t going to be any purchased creepy crawlies in my hotel?” she asked knowingly.

"No, they wouldn't get outta their enclosures. Someone would have to let em out!" Loni said, immediately caught in her desire to increase the amount of insects she had. Especially now that she had a bit more space to work with! The little apartment she shared with Vin was filled with so much things for Luci that it was hard to find space for her tanks outside of her bedroom… And Vin's, but they were very adamant they weren't going in there.

She glanced over at her daughter, content in her safety for now. Luci obviously wanted to run around and look at everything, letting out little excited coos. Her little hands came to pat Loni's legs after she'd bravely returned with Sori from the tiny venture.

“Mama, ipe!” The rest of what she said was complete nonsense, and she squatted on the ground and hit it with her hands.

Loni shook her head with a light laugh. She was surprised that Luciana could put together the presence of furry animals and her love from chasing Vin's fluffy tiger tail…
"No stripes, Baby. Just lookin'! Maybe you can pet some of ‘em… But you gotta listen to your Aunt Kiki and Sori."

Loni gestured to the two, though she knew Luciana at least knew who Aunt Kiki was. Luci pouted, which quickly disappeared as she ran back over to Sori to reach up and tug at her skirts. Clearly wanting to go back to exploring.

Loni turned back to Momo with a bright smile.
"I gotta get substrate for my new millipede! He's gonna be a real big fella, and I gotta fill the whole new tank I got with it… Uh, I wanna look at what they got too. Just a look." As she said that, she hit Momo's with the most cute, wide eyed begging face she could muster.

”Just look.” Momo’s gentle neutral expression peeled into a well knowing grin.

Leaning in toward Loni, Momo let both of her hands tuck behind her back to coyly match the expressed posture.

”The rules were clear. If I find any outside of their enclosures, they join the Tithe.”

In truth, they were the Deer’s creatures just like everything else was. She’d no sooner wish the insects that Loni stewarded harm than she would the humans which she herself played steward to. Keeping pets just grew in complexity the more necessity was involved… But, she had to make sure there were certain boundaries that remained. Primarily, pets were not allowed in the New Leopold Building. Neither were living plants, nor anything that wasn’t in some non-living component form.

It was a sterile environment. Cleaned up of Green Lux and the deer’s influence purposefully. It was no Temple to her grace, nor was it a sacred ground. The Lugar Apartado beneath was so deep that the water table around it pulled energy from the nearby parkways. There was purpose to that, of course: Magical Entities hunted Lux signatures, meaning any great deal of Green Lux would tip off the Deer’s enemies of Her temples.

No… The only time the NLB was a temple was when its Mistress was presiding. There, she was in a constant state of overwhelming joy, thus surrounding the place in Life’s energies by her own merit. Thus, when she wasn’t there, her main livelihood would have no direct association to her Ancient… Crude Luxal camouflage.

”Because they’re noooooooooooot-” she waited for Loni to finish her sentence.

Meanwhile, Kiki heard something about stripes, and couldn’t possibly deny her niece the pleasure of what she could only assume was some basic physical change. Her gaze turned to Sori, and she grinned conspiratorially.

”Loni says the kid likes when her twin turns into a tiger.”

”Oh? Uhhh… I’m not familiar with animal form…” Sori responded, tucking her head slightly embarrassed.

”To be fair, your favorite animal is an Elephant. That may scare her, and it’s definitely not as subtle as a cat tail.”
As Kiki’s Italian rattled away, there was a hardly noticed appendage unfurling from beneath her dress.
”Damn… It’s too long…”

Reaching back, there was a small shredding sound. Then a look of relief formed on Kiki’s face as, from behind, a black furry tendril lifted its way into a curl by her shoulder. Then, uncurling, the tip flicked back and forth. At the same time, Kiki’s ears had grown slightly, rounding off while her face was subtly framed by thickening black hair. She grinned at Sori, and her teeth were terribly sharp.

”There we go… She’ll love the monkey tail.”

Sori’s face lit up like her world was brand new. The expression of fascination became admiration.

”Deer be praised! I had my doubts that you could get much more attractive, Kiki… But your face is-”
As Sori gushed, Kiki shook her head and her face flushed with embarrassment. The tail, with a vague mind of its own, was now pulling the ghost shoulder trick on Luci, tapping one shoulder and then ducking from her vision in playful repetition.

“Ipe! Ipe!” Luci let out peals of laughter, chubby face lighting up with delight. She spun from side to side as she tried to follow the tail, hands coming up to try and catch it. She played a similar game all the time with Vin… Or just chasing the tail across the floor like a little tiger herself.

She was absolutely delighted, her joy contagious as she jumped up and tried to catch Kiki's tail.

"... Allowed?" Loni finished for Momo after a moment's thought and brief distraction by her daughter's loud laughter. But she'd started to wander away towards the Insect section at the same time, eyes scanning the wide variety of substrate and other enclosure items they had.

"Archie's only ever escaped when Vin left the enclosure open! And he's an extra smart millipede." Loni defended her insect care, as if she wasn't the one who forgot to close it half the time. But he was much smarter than millipedes probably should be… the ways he managed to sneak out…

"I ain't brought him anyway cause've the rule."

”Exactly! Good, you get it. So, I would be very careful and selective about looking at new friends while this crisis is going on!” Momo nodded simply, clapping her hands together.

"I know…" Loni pouted, hanging her head a little bit. She understood, of course. But…
"I got plenty more space at home right now cause I ain't living there! It ain't like I gotta keep all that space for Luci to run around! Oh, now would be a perfect time to install a bunch've enclosures on my walls to use up all've that wasted space. Oh, but Vin said they've been savin' to move somewhere bigger when Luci's too big to share a room with me… Hmm…"

Like an addict told she couldn't buy more crack, Loni was doing her best to try and find a reason she could definitely buy more insects here. She paused at one of the glass enclosures, face getting real close so it was practically pressed up against it. Stick bugs… She loved them. They were always so hard to spot too, especially when they were still.

"Ooo, look, there's one!" Like a child, she pointed to the relatively well disguised insect as one of its legs waggled around.

Momo could only shake her head in vague disbelief. Loni wasn’t dumb; never had been. But this? The reaction was so much stronger than normal. Was it nerves? Should she enable it?

”Oh, speakin’ of finding a bigger place… Ain’t no way you guys are thinkin’ of sticking with the South, right? You have the means to live up here, even if it’s a roommate situation. You and Vin, then if she was cool with it, Me and Panda could join and we’d have four different people chippin’ in. Plus, Ma’am wouldn’t ever let us starve.” Kiki let her tail playfully flick Momo’s hair.

”The two of you together are devious.” Mo replied simply, staring into the little enclosure at the stick bug.
”It looks like dry spaghetti.”

"Don't say that!" Loni gasped.
"They're not food, Mo! Well maybe in some places- but not these ones!"

With another little pout, awfully similar to her daughter before she got a tail to chase, Loni moved on from the stick insects to the large selection of substrate. As much as she wanted to look at all the isopods they had… and the millipedes… how would she resist?

"Uh… I dunno, Kiki. Vin suggested somewhere in the Circle. They got real nice houses there, even for the South. It ain't like it's a bad place, y'know? We just don't get the funding. Vin says if people like us move away it'll only get worse cause then there really ain't any money." Loni said with more hesitation than she generally had. She loved Kiki. She'd love to live with her, but…
"Vin ain't ever gonna want to move up here. And I can't leave em! They really don't have anyone else."

Which meant Momo would be investing in a set of school at some point soon… There wasn’t a world where she’d let Luci be educated in a system that didn’t want her to begin with. She dared not suggest the alternative, not wanting Loni to feel like there was some effort to isolate her from the outside world.
They weren’t a cult, they were a Coven. Her urgent desire to assist came directly from a place of love, and wanting the best for her dearest Loni.

”You know we only want the best for you both, Lon. Well… Sometimes I imagine you need someone to save you from yourself, so I have to accept that it’ll ultimately be Vin before it’s me. Y’know… Your Coven Matron. The person you can go to for anything. Just… Y’know, reminding you. In case, not that I thought you’d forget, but one can never be too sure.” she gave the exact same pouty face back, having studied it and stored it in her mind a thousand times over.

”That Vin of yours can be so stiff sometimes. She’s great, nobody you can count on quite like her… But it's rough! We all love you! So, how come she don’t love us back, Lon?” Kiki half-bumbled, still focused on what she wanted, rather than what reality was dictating.

”They just aren’t comfortable with our bougie lifestyle, Keek.” Momo replied simply, emphasizing a fact that her sister just never seemed to get right.

Loni nodded at Momo's words, though it wasn't only. Vin hated the North. Not everyone in it, but what the divide represented. They had done since they were children.

"Vin's just slow to warm up to people… Always has been. Like Momo said, they ain't comfortable with that kinda thing. It ain't that they don't like any of you! Well…" Loni glanced at Momo awkwardly, expression falling a bit.

Vin really didn't like Momo. Loni didn't understand why Vin disliked her so much.
"And- And- I do go to you! I do! I'd never forget that! You're- It ain't the same as how Vin is to me! I love them, and I love you, and I love everyone in the coven and club!" She was getting a little upset. Just a little bit. She didn't want Momo to think she wasn't a massive part of Loni's life. Integral! Sure, she'd be managing if it was just her and Vin… but she wouldn't be thriving like she was!

”You’re both different types of important to me." Her head hung a bit.

”Of course we are, Honeysuckle! You ever gonna get used to me teasin’ you?” she asked with a loud laugh, poking Loni in the stomach and wriggling her thick finger to make sure she felt the tickle. Kiki also hugged around her for good measure.

”We love you Loniiiii… We love Vin too, even if they feel weird about us. That’s fine, ‘cuz we’re never gonna give ‘em a reason to be right!” she clapped behind Loni’s back.

At the same time, Sori longingly stared at the small cuddle puddle with every ache of a young woman starved for affection.

“Mama, Ahn ahn, ah-bahh!” Luci excitedly threw up her hands and bounced her way right into the pile, hugging at their legs.

Even the child was confident enough to simply take what she wanted… So, there was no reason for her to wait. As Luci slipped in between the other ladies, Sori closed the last little gap and snuggled herself up to Loni.

”I love you!” her half-broken accent mumbled out.

Warmth replaced the slight anxiety Loni had felt. How could it not, surrounded by so many people filled with joy. She stooped down slightly to scoop Luci up so that she wasn’t having to hug their legs, letting the little girl properly join.

"I love you all too." Loni said quietly.

“Wuhhhhh!” Luci echoed as best as she could when she couldn’t form most of the sounds in the world. To prove her point, she lovingly patted each face she could get to from Loni’s arms.

"And you- you don’t tease like I’m used to, Momo! Even then… I still don’t always get it with Vin, and I grew up with ‘em!" She added a bit louder, easily back to her normal bouncy self. It was easy to get her to swing back, unless something really major had happened. Quick to get upset, but just as quick to get over it.

"Mama used to always say I was a lil special cause’ve it. Dunno quite what she meant by that, though."

”You’ve got a big heart, emotionally speaking. And, it’s full of love! That’s definitely what she was on about.” Momo confirmed, a grin on her face.

Though, she still felt a little bad. Couldn’t help it when Loni got like that…

”C’mon… Arthur ain’t gonna last forever, right? Lets get him a pal to train, or… Some new obsession. There’s a whole other section with desk pets and creepy crawlies. Save the logistical bullshit you need to carry for when we’re ready to go.” she patted Loni’s face, tilting her head to motion them along.

Kiki hadn’t put the monkey getup away, however, and was still happy to let Luci absentmindedly play with the temporary appendage. In truth, her main task was to keep Little Sister safe, meaning at this moment she could at least slack a bit. With Mo here, everyone could slack.

Loni’s eyes immediately lit up. She didn’t even notice Luci wiggling in her arms to be put down at first, until her daughter patted her face with an indignant, “Mama!”

"Sorry, Mijita- there you go, go back to playin’ with Kiki’s tail."

Luci giggled with delight, immediately jumping up to try and catch it.

"His name’s Archie! Honestly, he’s older than I expected- properly kept millipedes can live up to ten years, but he ain’t exactly good stock… I got him from some guy down the street. Dunno how he got em all, but he’s still going strong. I’d worry he’d kill a pal- not that millipedes are aggressive or anythin’. He’s just a special lil guy." Chatting away, Loni’s feet led them all towards the section Momo had pointed out.

The millipedes were quite far in. To get to them, Loni had to get past a massive section of isopods… Which of course, she couldn’t do. She loved isopods. All insects, really, but there was something extra adorable about their plate armour like bodies and the way they curled up.

Being such a large, successful shop meant they had a massive variety. From the more standard isopods at around five to ten dollars, all the way to some insane ones that cost a thousand dollars. All of the ones with a price tag above three hundred seemed to be some kind of spiky variant.

Loni excitedly pointed to some, priced just over three hundred, with a distinctive white stripe down the middle of an otherwise brown body. Their spikes were almost goofily blunt looking.
"These are Thai Spikey Isopods! They’re pretty rare… At least in the wild now. They ain’t super easy to look after either… Some y’can just leave and they’ll thrive. These ones you gotta water and stuff. I’ve always wanted some kinda Spikey but… There’s so many!"

And they were pricey, but Loni hardly saw price when it came to things like this.

”Forbidden popcorn, Gods… Look at them, imagine dipping you hand in and just-”

”-Mistress, please. I fear I’ll be sick.” Kiki interrupted Momo’s joke, shaking her head with a sheepish grin.

”Ask yourself what the Deer made these poor things for! They’re the planet’s nanomachines. Fodder for the beautiful processes. They make dirt, they clean dirt, they fuckin’... Are little potatoes. Why shouldn’t we cultivate them to eat?” she asked, her voice becoming somewhat sincere until she saw the price tag.

”Oh! OOOOOOAH! Imagine by the pound? You’d die, your wallet would turn into a bomb and explode in your pocket!” she laughed, pointing before turning her head to Sori and babbling in Italian. Her finger pointed at the price tag again, to which Sori only shrugged.
”Ahhhh, you don’t know fuckall, you’re right. Still, damn Loni. I ain’t even know they came this expensive.”

"They are rare. And in high demand cause’ve how they look! They ain’t all that expensive. The spikys are the priciest. Does mean if you’re lucky enough to get a guy and girl, and they have babies, then you could make a fortune!" Loni grinned. Not that she’d ever sell a single critter she ended up with.
"Also… Nobody buys em by the pound! Normally you get a couple… Cause they ain’t for eating!"

But as much as she loved how these ones looked, she wasn’t planning on getting them. She knew how to look after isopods, and had already done so with a few local species she’d just picked up… But she didn’t want to risk messing it up. Not with Momo pointing out the cost!

She moved along, stopping with a gasp. Her hand went up to cover the sign saying the species, turning to the others with a grin.
"Guess what this ones called!"

These isopods weren’t spiked. They were much more flat, with the plates curling out against the ground, especially at their front. The front plate was yellow compared to the dark brown of the rest of the body. They had two goofy looking black eyes above another bit that stuck out, an awful lot like a beak…

”Brick shithouse the bug!” Momo piped up without thinking, her face pressing up tight to the glass to watch the sizable isopods rattle around inside.

”Uhhhh… Duckhead Wigglers?” Kiki offered, jumping slightly when Luci grabbed a little too hard at the tail.

”Che?-” Sori asked Kiki, who turned and spouted a bit back.
”-Oooooh! Cyoot-e-pie?” Sori finished with an enthusiastic nod, her face getting close to Momo’s to peer in at the summation of life within.

"Not so hard, Luci." Loni chided her daughter gently, rubbing the top of her head. Really, she couldn’t blame her- Vin didn’t mind the roughness. Encouraged it, even, as much as she tried to stop them.

But that thought couldn’t keep her from the excitement surrounding the little creature she’d been showing off.
"Heh heh heh… Kiki was closest! They’re called Rubber Ducky Isopods! Cause y’know, they kinda look like a rubber duck! Ain’t they cute?! I’d be worried if I got em Lu would start mistaking em for her duckies and wanna take em into the bath."

“Du-ee?” Luci repeated, little head tilting to the side. She pushed in between Sori and Momo, trying to see what they were looking at so intently.

As if they were the same person, Momo and Sori both mindlessly responded with the exact same little scoop and tuck motion that would’ve brought Luci up perfectly to see. But, because they did it from opposite sides, they only managed to absentmindedly turn Luci into a tug-of-war chain.

Not long enough that anyone got hurt, of course. For little Luci, it would’ve been as quick as any other motion to get her to move somewhere, and utterly indistinguishable from that. Sori felt the opposite tug, and instinctively yielded to the Greater Dame presiding. Having not had the chance to notice herself, Momo just brought Luci up to look at the little duckies, blissfully unaware of Sori’s reactions at all.

”There you go, Bambina… See ‘em? Duckies?” Momo’s finger traced along the glass, and all at once the entire cage of isopods were sprinting toward where her finger was. Big ones, little ones, all running over one another trying to get up to the natural source of good vibes.

“Du-ee!” Luci shouted excitedly, banging the glass and causing some of them to freeze up before curling into balls.

"Careful, Mijita." Loni said quietly from behind.

“Du-ee!” She tapped the glass with a bit less force, head tilting back to look up at Momo with the brightest grin. Then she went back to staring at the little creatures, making soft cooing sounds.

"I think… I’m gonna have to get some of em, ain’t I?! You really like em, don’t you, Baby? So, for you?!" Loni couldn’t help herself as she also wriggled in between Momo and Sori to get the same sight as her daughter was.
"God, they’re so fucking cute!"

”Cyoot!~” Sori grinned and nodded.

”What eats ‘em, Lon? Worms? Spiders?” Kiki asked, still not quite as enthused about the little creepy crawlies as her pal was.

"Not worms! But a mixture of creatures. Spiders are right- also centipedes, beetles, reptiles and small mammals. I dunno what eats this type specifically! That ain’t the kinda info in my books, it’s more generic than that! I know Vin says they look… extra tasty when they’re in their Pangolin form. Again, not these ones, just the kinda ones you see out and about in the city." Loni talked like they were walking around like humans, going to work or shopping, rather than insects scurrying into homes.

”Add Matriarchs to the list…”

Kiki couldn’t help but giggle as Momo dragged her finger back and forth, causing the surging gaggle of little fellas to waggle from one end to the other like they were doing the safety dance. Momo mumbled something in Italian; asking Sori if she felt any sort of inclination to eat the little creatures… Which she looked a little appalled over. Most Motta were hedonists, which made Sori’s vague sensitivity toward the Deer’s life a bit odd.

But, they couldn’t broadly add Matriarchs to the list of predators if they weren’t all interested, could they?
”Nah… Little Sister won’t eat them.”
”Cyoot, not eat!” she replied adamantly.

”What’re those tree-dwellers with the long ass finger? Like, they all have one fuckin’ bat finger? Think they eat these?”
If there was anything poor Kiki was lacking in, it was actual schooling. The drive and impetus toward dominant success had tapered off by the time she’d come around, and she’d long slipped through the cracks of the education system with promises that she’d go to a magical tutor later.

But, in truth, she liked not knowing things… She got to ask questions herself; agency she felt she was demonstrating in her actions by bothering to at all.

"Uhhhh…" Loni tilted her head as she tried to think. While she was an absolute expert in insects because of her interest in them, she didn’t know so much about other animals. That had been Vin’s thing. Well, dangerous or interesting animals. This one… Well, she tended not to look into specific predators of what she loved.

And it wasn’t like she’d paid any attention in school either. She’d spent more time by the end skipping it than not. She had deep knowledge in the few areas she loved- mostly from her own reading, with it being one of the reasons she could read quite so adeptly- but was lacking otherwise.

"A… Uh… Long fingered tree… Possum…" Loni completely made up a name, clearly not confident in it at all. She waved a hand.
"Probably! Isopods climb a surprising amount! Some even live in trees! It’s pretty cool… It’s why you gotta have a proper lid on the enclosure. While they live in soil and stuff, they do like climbing things."

”Long fingers was my name in High School.” Kiki was quick to joke.

”You didn’t go!” Moriah whined at her, finally pulling herself away from the enclosure with Luci still in her arms. Kiki was playfully smacking her cheeks with her tail, trying to get Luci to smack Momo too.

”Aw, shucks, you caught me.” Kiki shrugged with a smug grin on her monkey face.

Momo gave a skeptical grunt.
”So, Lon? These the ones? You shopping around more?”

"I dunno… Let’s look around more. Maybe they’ll have the isopod of my dreams!" Loni exclaimed, before starting to laugh as Luci did just as Kiki had hoped she would.

Her head had tilted from side to side watching the tail, before giggling. Little hands started to smack Momo’s cheeks like they were drums, in an irregular rhythm.

"These ones would be for Luciana anyway." Loni continued with a playful little smile, which turned to Kiki.
"Also, highschool’s overrated! Ain’t much you get outta it… Well…"

She trailed off, giggling with a little blush as she started to further down containers upon containers of isopods.
"I did meet my boyfriend in High School."

”The one who you said used to give other kids swirlies?” Kiki asked, doing her best not to laugh as Momo’s free hand quickly but gently snapped up both of Luci’s.

She’d done this before, of course: Had to. Thousands of mothers were contributing their instincts to hold onto Luci’s arms in a way that was least likely to freak her out and cause her to tantrum.
”Ahhhh, babababa… No hitting, Luci. Not nice, Bambina, not nice.”

It was the quickest little motion, redirecting the child’s hands into the mane of black hair where they could tug and explore without care. Though, she managed a glare at Kiki, who tucked her face into one hand to stifle another giggle.

Luci tilted her head with a little bit of confusion. Her Tio never moved her hands like that… But she gave as solemn a nod as a toddler could, as if Momo was revealing some big information to her or she really entirely understood what was being said. Then, she went right to playing with her hair.

"Nooo, I broke up with that guy months ago!" Loni replied to Kiki with a disappointed shake of her head, as if it was easy to keep track of her boyfriends. It wasn’t like she changed them super regularly… There just weren’t so many long periods where she was single. She was always looking for the one!

Though it was seeming less likely to happen. It was a shame she couldn’t make a family with a woman… Then it’d probably be easier.

"He’s far too sensible to do something like that. He’s the real smart type like, reads a bunch of fancy books and knows a bunch of complicated math. Nothing like my ex."

Momo hated nothing like she hated a “smart” man. “Smart” men were usually hiding some very base level fetish, or otherwise had tendencies toward narcissism that weren’t desirable traits. She was a master at hunting, tracking, identifying and isolating genetic markers which she found in correlation to mental health issues. And with the closest thing Green Lux had to prescience, the process of transferring genetic memories through the Deer’s light had allowed her to prove herself right time and time again.

”Smart type… Reading a video game strategy guide doesn’t make him a bright boy, Lon…” Momo chided.

”If only that was for us to decide…” Kiki responded hesitantly.

"He doesn’t play video games. I seen the books and couldn’t understand anything in em, so they gotta be smart books." Loni replied firmly. She wasn’t really upset, yet. She was used to Momo questioning things about her boyfriends. And she wasn’t telling her to break up with him yet! So she just wanted to correct things, because Momo was wrong here.

"He’s a Math teacher. You gotta be real smart to be a Math teacher."

”Ohhhhh, a South Side mathematics teacher. So, he knows long division?”

It was easy for Momo to insult other people’s intelligence. If she wanted to know something, she tasked a Pink Lux user with gathering all possible relevant information, cataloguing it into what was essentially a mental file, and utilizing their connection to transfer the necessary knowledge over the course of roughly ten seconds. And, thanks to her anatomy, the supercomputer that was her brain could not only store more in the forward memory for short term recollection, but had a deeper access to the recesses of her brain through the Deer’s Light.

Not to mention her various contributing Matriarchs, whose own contributors formed an unbroken chain of intrinsic knowledge a thousand years old. Being an elementary school math teacher in a school zone more than likely unaccredited by the Department of Education didn’t impress her.

”More’n I know… I used to count my own money at the end of the night ‘till you installed those special bill scrapers, Ma’am.” Kiki mentioned calmly.
”Now, I’m startin’ to forget what numbers that ain’t one, two, five or zero look like.”

"He knows more than long division!" Loni retorted indignantly, though she didn’t entirely remember what long division was. She didn’t remember much about Math. It wasn’t like they taught them much useful… and they could use calculators! The classes had been so boring most of the time.

"Sure, there ain’t much funding down there, but they don’t let just anyone become a high school teacher. You gotta know your stuff! Some kids do go to University outta South Side schools. They ain’t gettin’ there without teacher’s who actually know stuff. He’s shown me the textbooks he teaches from for the smarter classes, their real complicated stuff. Well beyond anythin’ I was able to learn."

She folded her arms with a frown.
"I only know any Math cause’ve him anyway. Everyone else said I was unteachable."

Kiki's half-running noggin was picking through what was being said with the efficiency of a gold miner panning with a colander. She only barely caught this nugget with the tips of her fingers.

”Wait… You met this guy in High-school? Or, you met him in a High-school?” she blinked rapidly, suddenly confused by what could only end up being the craziest double switch up she'd ever seen.

"In highschool?" Loni tilted her head, not quite understanding what the difference was. They hadn’t re-met at a highschool or anything. It had been a coincidence really.
"He was my math teacher."

”Oh, for fuck's sake, Lon!”

But Kiki's reaction was hardly the one to worry about. As if someone had turned on a switch, the entire store descended into momentary chaos. Every animal in the place would be able to feel the bomb blast of Green Lux that shuddered its way from the epicenter that was Momo. Snakes smashed off their glass cases, insects ravaged one another. Birds in the big cage plucked their own feathers from their bodies in brief mania.

Sori, feeling her Matron's reaction with intrinsic understanding, rapidly tensed herself in turn. Her skin, from the outermost extremities inward, began to bubble and crack like burning bark. But Momo's awareness hadn't up and left her completely, at least… A hand raised, waving Sori off before finally taking a deep breath.

”Usually in this situation, I fly off the handle. I tell you a thousand times this ain't it for you, and you get all stubborn and do what I tell you not to, ‘cuz that's in your blood. I ain't gonna do quite like that, see. I'm just… Gonna express to you firmly, that it's imperative you break up with that man and find someone else, Alondra.”

Full names only came out in those moments where Momo was proving to be short for Mother's Mother. Only the most intense version of her care was expressed like this.

"Why?" Loni sensed the bomb of Green Lux- heard it in the animals. Luciana started absolutely wailing at the chaos that suddenly unfolded around her, leaning out of Momo's arms with hands waving towards Loni.

Loni stepped forward to take her, staring at Momo with confusion rather than stubbornness. She really didn't understand. What was so bad about it? They were both adults. They'd both been old enough back then too! Sex education had been pretty lacking, but one thing her Mama had pushed (aside from condoms) was that sixteen was when it became alright. So why was Momo so upset? Why was it imperative that she break up with him?

"I don't understand. Why's it so bad? Cause he's too smart for me?"

Yes… But not in the way she was thinking.

”Kiki?” Momo gritted through her teeth.

She was already annoyed enough that her reaction had been uncontrollable, and felt great shame that her first thought was a fantasy of something evil that gave her enough joy to cause the reaction. So, rather than take the opportunity to express her emotions toward the situation in the raw, she trusted her sister to get things taken care of.

”Uhhh…-” Kiki started, having a hard time finding an angle to come at this from. Her low grade transformation faded over a few seconds, a string of monkey tail bones clattering off the floor below her.

”-Dating this dude's like dating Moriah. Sure, you like her. She may like you too. But, she's someone who has an intrinsic advantage over you. There's a power dynamic there that isn't appropriate, and it makes it so you'll never be equal in the relationship.”

She let the moment hang for a second to let Loni process up to that point, but not so long that she'd get a word in edgewise.

”And, no. It's not how smart you are or aren't. He was your teacher, and you were a teenager when you met him. You weren't prepared to make an adult decision, and rather than being a man who was willing to push you away, or better try to help you learn your self worth at the time, he gave into his animal instincts. It's not a good look.” she finished, grimacing in fear at the reaction.

Loni was still a bit confused. She was doing her best to understand what Kiki was saying. Trying to compare it to Momo… But she hadn't thought until now that that would be something inappropriate either. She frowned thoughtfully, while simultaneously trying to comfort her daughter. At least Luci had stopped wailing when the animals did, and was just curled up against her. So Loni held her and gently bounced the little ball that was her daughter.

"But… I wasn't in school when we started dating? That was only a month ago? And he wasn't my teacher when we slept together then? I had someone else for eleventh grade Math. So it ain't like he could've failed me or somethin'... Not that I passed anyway… And it ain't like I ever cared much what teacher's told me? Not like I care bout what Momo does… Most've the time…"

She just looked confused, overwhelmed, and uncertain. Questioning things as she tried to process it. Did he have advantage over her? Sure… Probably… But it felt that way in a lot of her relationships, cause she didn't always get things. She wasn't the brightest. But had he taken advantage of her on purpose? She wasn't sure anymore.

"I thought it was okay, so long as I was sixteen? Mama said so long as we was sixteen and used protection, it was fine. That ain't right? I don't… I don't know… nobody ever said somethin' like that could be wrong?"

”Jesus… Uh…-”
Had her Mother consented? That was a whole other bag of worms.
”-Yeah. Like, sixteen ain’t really it, sis. Like, sure, if you’re doin’ it with another teen. But, this guy was a teacher. Maybe not yours, but, like… That doesn’t really matter. It ain’t…-”

Looking at Momo with a lost look, Momo returned the expression with frustration.

”Is it a problem if she’s not traumatized by it?” Momo asked simply.

”As a moral principle? Yeah. Your first reaction wasn’t good, so don’t try to play moderate at this point.”

Momo’s eyes turned to Loni with quiet sadness.

”When you were a teenager, he was a man. He’d gone to college, and was hired by the school to teach, mentor and protect his students. To have their best interests at heart. At sixteen, you were a minor and one of those students he was meant to protect. Maybe he’s never made you feel like there was anything wrong about it, but that’s only because he’s not willing to provide you context.”

There wasn’t going to be shouting. There never was with Loni… She just didn’t have the speed necessary to ramp Momo up toward that kind of frustration. And besides, there wasn’t any point in screaming at someone unless you knew they understood and just weren’t accepting. She had to be considerate of the fact that Loni, often, simply didn’t get it.

"Oh…" Loni didn't have anything to immediately say for once. It was a lot to process and think about. Her head dropped, face pressing into Luci's curls as she gently rocked the quickly calming child.

It was making more sense now. She didn't think it had affected her negatively… but she'd never known it was supposed to be wrong? And maybe it didn't make her life any worse, but thinking back, he hadn't made any effort from then to make it better. Only those two years as her actual math teacher where he hadn't quite given up like all the others… He didn't just concentrate on the few bright kids who actually tried. She'd trusted him. Or at least, not felt so judged like she did by all the other teachers. Or dismissed. But had it all just been so he could… take advantage of her…?

"So… He should have helped me do better at school when I went to him, instead of that? He said it was alright cause not everyone was made for it… I dunno, it helped at the time, but maybe…" She trailed off, frowning. Her face tilted even further downwards until it was completely buried in Luci's hair, next words coming out muffled.
"I'll break up with him."

”But, you’re right! That was the line of thinking… And, him saying something like that? Like… He actively dissuaded you from pursuing education, and the only alternative he offered you was carnal. Maybe he’s different now, but…-”

”-if he’s old enough to have taught you in the last six years, he’s at least in his thirties. I’ll bet, older than twenty-five… Meaning, naturally, his mind should’ve been fully developed. There’s no excuse for manipulating and grooming a teen girl just to show back up later and pluck the fruits. That doesn’t fill you with disgust?” Momo asked Loni very plainly.

"I don't know." Loni answered honestly. She was feeling too many things, it was impossible to parse out a single feeling. Most of all she felt… lost. Sure, this was probably the most influential incident. The one that came back later to ‘pluck the fruits' like Momo said. But it wasn't the only one.

How could she have known then? The only person who really ‘protected’ her was working from the exact same base of knowledge as her. By the time she was sixteen her Mama was much too sick to do anything but work to keep the roof over their heads. Had her Mama even known something like that was wrong? Would it have mattered if Loni told her? Loni tried to remember what she knew about her upbringing. Not… Good.

"Should I? I- I don't know. I don't feel manipulated… Didn't… Now I ain't so sure…" As much as it was understanding the problem, it was difficult for her to step back and think about the possible negative effects on herself. Because she was happy with her life. Content. But that didn't stop it from being wrong, did it?

"I think…" She frowned, glancing down at Luci. At those big brown eyes staring up at her now, red from tears but quickly brightening up.
"It does. I don't want someone like that around my Baby. But there was never anyone around to tell me somethin' like that's wrong…"

Kiki threw an arm around Loni without hesitation, kissing her cheek.
”It’s kinda like the snake tricking Eve into eating the apple. Like, yeah, the knowledge is great. But, it's also cursed. You don’t ever look at people the same after you get it, things aren’t ever as shiny.”

Not that she knew much better… But she’d been around the Whispering Flesh’s culture her whole life. The Male gender was already looked down upon based solely on their usefulness to the establishment. Her various wild interactions with the Men outside that circle, unfortunately, had never disproved the need for healthy skepticism.

”I’d like to meet this individual… I want to ask some questions that you never thought of asking, Loni.” Momo quietly admitted.

"Oh- Oh- Okay." Loni stammered out with slightly wide eyes, leaning into Kiki a bit.
"You're not… gonna hurt him, are you?!"

“Mama, eye?” Luci piped up, hands coming up to pat at Loni's cheeks. Then a bit higher to just underneath her eyes. They were a bit red…

"No, no, Baby, Mama's not gonna cry! If I did it'd be happy tears, hmm? Cause I got the most beautiful daughter of all, yeah?" Loni diverted for a moment, shifting Luci in her arms so she could gently tickle her. Luci giggled, catching Loni's hand and squeezing it.

Fingers playing with her daughter's much smaller ones, Loni looked back up at Momo.
"I was meant to meet him tomorrow, cause he's busy today. I'm gonna break up with him then so… you could come along?"

Kiki cleared her throat.
”Let me, Ma’am… How’ll it look if you do something foolish?” she asked, knowing her sister full and well.

There was a long silence in the middle of that aisle until she finally nodded.
”I can’t promise I won’t hurt him, Lon. Will you accept Kiki being there?” she asked quietly.

"Of course! I ain't gonna say no to something like that!" Loni declared, like she hadn't been stubborn about things a million times before.

“Ah meh!” Luci threw her hands up, smacking Loni in the face.

"No, Baby… You gotta keep Aunt Momo company."

“Ahn Mo?” Luci tilted her little head, before babbling towards Momo with her hands flailing about everywhere. Probably something along the lines of what great company she was. Not that she had any understanding of what was going on. Thank God… Loni would protect her from the things no one was there to keep her safe from.

"I'm sorry that I was so stubborn about it…" Loni admitted.

”Oh, Lover Girl… You ain’t stubborn. If its somethin’ you don’t get, you won’t even ask questions! Never mind listening to what other people have to say about it. And besides, I know you’re just looking for someone to love you. It’s hard to get away from that feeling when it’s been given to you!” Kiki admitted, her hand coming around Loni to squeeze her tighter.

There was only a brief moment before the hair framing her face became thick again, and the same long, curly black tail moved back up for Luci to play with. Kiki only smiled admiringly at Loni.

”As much as Our Lady wishes she could be your one and only savior, you need someone outside our system… And the day you find the right one? Well, that’s the day us bitches’ll have nothing to say about it.” she nodded.

”It’s settled then? We’ll make sure he knows what’s wrong without harm. Got it?” Momo asked with her usual matronly sternness. It was the same tone she used over any of Loni’s boyfriends.

"Got it, Coven Matron." Loni replied with much more formality than she normally would. It was only ever Momo or Mo, unless Loni really wanted her to know she was listening. That she really did agree and wasn't just brushing something off like she often did.
"I really do this time."

Luci had started to wriggle in her arms, beginning to get bored with all of this adult conversation, but then there was a tail again! She giggled, swaging from side to side as she chased it with her hands, trying to snatch it.

At the same time Loni leaned into Kiki, onto her tiptoes to press her cheek against her friends.
"If only I could find someone like you, Kiki. Then it'd be way easier!"

It wasn't obvious what exactly she meant. Someone with Kiki's personality? Beefed up with Green Lux from birth? A woman? Technically, there was nothing stopping the first or third point… Just that the former wasn't the type she tended to go for, and the latter… Well, she was just as attracted to girls as she was guys! But sleeping around was one thing, dating another. It was expected to date a guy right?

Pushing aside her internal thoughts, Loni smiled again.
"The next one'll be the one! I feel it! Someone who loves me, loves Luci, ain't ever been my teacher, and wants to have lotsa kids! And likes my bugs!"

”Right! Right… The whole thing…” Kiki replied with a pang of hurt.

It wasn’t the first time Loni was saying something like that, and she knew it wouldn’t be the last. Loni didn’t make good decisions; if she did, she’d forget about the hunger for someone else in her intimate life. She’d realize that she’s the only one she needs, and that all the other bullshit could be cursory if she treated it that way. But she was desperate, lost, and it almost always pissed off Kiki to no end.

After all, three years didn’t seem all that bad! At least they could’ve been students at the same time, for fuck’s sake! I can make a cock! What the fuck am I missing!? Why doesn’t she-

”Why not try Joe? Joe Mura?”
Joe was Momo’s head of security for Sin Sisters’, until he was recalled to the Roanoke Coven for special assignment. Now he was back in town, but no longer looking for work… Momo couldn’t necessarily abide this kind of lazy behavior, and hoped that maybe, if she wanted a slightly older man, she’d be interested in someone Momo could at least vouch for.

”You know Rachel; they broke up because he was leaving! I’ve never seen that guy present a flag lower than lime green.” she admitted happily.

Loni made a face at that suggestion. She was completely oblivious to any hurt feelings on Kiki's part. She had never been the best at reading things like that unless it was… well, Vin, and then her daughter. She was empathic, but certainly not observant. Never noticed something unless it was right in her face- and right now that was Momo's misguided suggestion.

"Joe Mura? But he's so boring. What would we even talk about? We ain't got much in common, do we? I ain't sure he'd be all that excitin' in bed either."
She remembered liking the guy enough when he was the club's security head, but not like that. He was attractive enough, but there'd never been that urge like she'd had with all her exes. That undeniable attraction! Sure, she wanted stability and someone who'd love her daughter… but she also wanted love and excitement!

"Also, he ain't workin', right? Last time I dated someone without a job they got me pregnant and left. I ain't riskin' that again." Loni declared, as if someone Momo trusted was in any way the same as the freeloader that Luciana's father had been. As if suddenly her decisions were sensible… or just stubborn, maybe.

But she shouldn't entirely write it off, if only to keep Momo happy…
"Maybe if that changes and I'm still single, I'll try a date or somethin’."

Momo’s head tilted, grin on her face wavering as she tried not to laugh aloud at what she’d said about him not having a job.

”Well… Yeah! Sure! Honestly, Honeyplum, I’d rather you be single anyhow! I ain’t beatin’ that horse again, you heard it plenty, but-”

”-Anything’s better than some deadbeat asshole, Lon. You’re damn right. ‘Til then, how ‘bout you just uh… Try on me! Not, not kissin’ or anything, but, like, uhhhhh-”

Kiki had interrupted Momo in what was usually a no-go move. The kind of impulsive behavior that was telling of her late arrival into the family. The least amount of time with their Lady meant she’d received the least amount of etiquette training. Not helped by Momo’s inherent distaste for mundane social posturing, of course, the girl rarely had any guidance short of the eldest Adeptal sibling.
It had been Gia’s job to raise Chessa and Kiki through puberty into adulthood. All she’d really done is “set them up for success” by maintaining the status quo after both their parents had disappeared. None of them ever really adjusted.

Now, even Momo had her limits. Normally, she’d have taken the initiative back. However, what Kiki was saying specifically piqued the interest of the Matriarch. She’d felt little whispers in her Green Lux, usually whenever Loni and her were performing together. The magic was a little stronger. The Pink, which she was so unfamiliar with but pervaded so deeply across the rest of her family, always flared in an amplification effect that brought Joy and Love to peaks.
She was peaking now. Blushing slightly as she tried to stammer out the words.

”-Like… Like… I’ll… I’ll come up and live with you at the Leopold! We’ll get cozy domestic, you can observe how things are, and when you see a trait you like, or a trait you don’t like, we can hash it out! What else is Pink magic for, than for getting crazy mind things going! I can totally simulate anyone else you can think of!”

As was the nature of an Adeptal Changeling. Her predilection for shapeshifting was second only to her ability to store and recreate simulated minds. Pink Lux psionics, the splitting of the consciousness and formation of secondary or even tertiary biological additions to her mind, allow her to be the perfect infiltration and interrogation specialist. Not that she often was, but if she had access to your mind and could see you? It hardly tested her abilities to become you.

”We can start with Joe still… Just in case? If Mistress ordered him to, I’m sure he’d open up his mind to me.” she admitted.

Though, what good was it if she’d never be able to be herself? It didn’t matter; she’d do anything to be by Loni’s side for just a few extra hours…

Loni tilted her head. She didn't really understand why Kiki was offering something like that. It wasn't like it could ever be permanent. She didn't want something temporary! Well, she did get real lonely when she was single… but it shouldn't be as bad living at Leopold like she was right now? At least, plenty of people around!

"I ain't so desperate I'd make you do something like that, Kiki!" Loni rejected the idea after thinking. Though, the thinking had more been trying to figure out the why. It wasn't something she'd ever be happy with… But she got that Kiki was just tryna be a good friend. A best friend!

"That ain't fair! And it ain't like I'm just lookin' for company… I don't wanna make you pretend to be other people like that! Not for somethin' like that- or at all! But especially somethin' that ain't ever gonna work out-" Cause they were both women. And friends!
"That ain't fair on you… I'd rather you just come round more often cause I'll be lonely. I don't wanna lose a friend cause you're doing somethin' like that for me. Why would I want you to become someone else?!"

Loni shifted Luci in her arms as she spoke, the little girl still mostly distracted by Kiki's tail. But she did reach up to pat Loni's face, nodding as if in agreement.

"Is really nice you'd be willin' to do somethin' like that for me… But I wanna real relationship, Kiki. I don't wanna just fill a bunch've time like that… if I did I'd be happy spendin' loadsa time with friends, and fuckin' whoever!"

The tail did slack for a moment. It wasn’t like she was the type to spiral from a rejection, but she’d certainly underestimated Loni’s inability to separate one from the other. It was understandable, of course; she’d never exactly been a hypothetical kind of person. Direct, forward, frankly what else could Kiki expect?
But she knew how she felt inside, and knew that hearing ain’t ever in context to their union still hurt. She simply wasn’t convinced, whether because of her generally hedonistic surroundings or a lack of situational empathy, that Loni was straight.

Nobody she hung out with was straight. Even Ryan Kaber, the three-chick-a-day playboy who had a weekly rotation of ladies he spent his time with, had demonstrated that preference did not mean exclusivity. That everyone had their ratio, and that it just took a special person to slide into that slot perfectly.
How could she find out what Loni’s ideal traits were? Ask? She didn’t even fuckin’ know! Besides the previous qualifiers, all of which Kiki felt she fulfilled, there could be a billion different turn offs and turn ons. What mattered was purely based on interest.

”Kiki… You’ve got a fever coming on, and your Lux is welling. Are you distressed?” Sori asked innocently, having also been lazily playing with Kiki’s tail alongside Luci.

Momo broke into a grin, laughing and shaking her head. It was hard now, with everyone staring, for Kiki to explain herself. She could only thank God Loni hadn’t picked up Italian from a magical source.

”I’m fine, Sorella. Don’t concern yourself with it.-”
Swapping back to English, she put on her best fake smile. The one she used when she didn’t want to make Elay worried.

”I totally get it… You can bet on it then; I’ll be up every day if you’ll have me. I’ll even watch Luci for you, y’know if Vin or Our Lady can’t.” she nodded, letting her tail slip forward to brush Luci’s cheek before playfully tickling her nose.

Luci giggled, her whole face scrunching up as she playfully tried to bat the tail away from her face.

"Awww, you're the bestest friend I could ever ask for!" Loni brightened right up again, shifting Luci to one arm so that she could throw one around Kiki in a tight hug.
"Course I'd have you every day! Well maybe not every day cause if Vin's there they get all grouchy… but otherwise! Ain't that right, Lu? Gonna get to spend loads more time with Aunt Kiki too!"

“Ahn Ee!” Luci giggled, hands throwing into the air towards Kiki. Then towards Momo too.
“Ahn Mo!”

"That's right, Mijita, loadsa time with Aunt Mo too." Loni giggled.
"And… with some rubber ducky isopods! You want those, huh, Baby? It's only fair you get some and I get some after your Aunt Mo made me break up with someone, ain't it?"

Momo laughed.
”Show me the text telling me you want to see him tomorrow, and you get anything you ask for. Deal?”

Loni's whole face lit up, and she grinned.
"Deal!"

---

In the end, Loni ended up only getting a small colony of Rubber Duckie Isopods and some Armageddon Spiky Isopods- which she got incredibly excited about.

Since buying them required buying two new glass enclosures (though smaller than Archie's), and a bunch to fill them, they didn't actually have the Isopods to immediately take home. Instead, it would all be delivered to the Leopold building at a time slot that suited. Of course, Loni wanted her Isopods right away, but she was enough of a bug lover to also want what was best for them too.

Excitingly for Luciana, there was also a little ‘Petting Zoo' area deeper into the massive pet store where she got to play with and pet some incredibly docile rabbits and guinea pigs.

But all that excitement, and the subsequent toy shop trip, tired her out. It wasn't so obvious when they came out of the shop, with the little girl giving Momo and Sori an enthusiastic wave when they went to find a toilet- but she was growing more limp by the second. Her little head nuzzled into Loni's neck, legs dangling. She was heavier like this, somehow, though Loni didn't particularly mind holding her.

"Let's go find somewhere to sit! It ain't like we gotta go far, Mo'll find us- we can text her!" Loni suggested brightly to Kiki, shifting the quickly napping Luci slightly so her weight wasn't entirely on one side. Sure, Momo had basically said she'd get them back there, but it wasn't like they'd go far.

"There were plenty of cafes with like… Sitting areas outside've the actual cafe! In the hall! Then we'll be extra noticeable! And Lu's gonna need somethin' to eat or she'll be down for the next couple hours."

Too bad for Loni, Kiki wasn’t particularly thoughtful at that point. She’d been able to stifle her previous problems at the cost of a slight dissociation. Something Momo had noticed coming on long before Sori had to use the facilities. Tithe had to be collected; something Momo didn’t need to be there for at home, but couldn’t risk spilling into the city’s actual sewer systems. Too dangerous to have Matriarchal biological material circulating in a place where enemies of Culla could lurk, after all.

But she was happy to leave. To force Kiki to sit with the emotion again, even if she couldn’t perceive exactly what it was. She had a good feeling after noticing the Pink outburst, however, and knew that if she was stuck with it, she’d pull through.
The short absence hadn’t given her much to say yet, but she was listening more intently at least. Not just listening to Momo and Loni talk about the logistics of keeping insects in the New Leopold Building.

”I could do with a frozen something. Frosty Brew is an, uh… You know, Frozen Milk cafe.”

She could never forget the courtesy of learned behaviors, however. She was simply too courteous of an individual to forget how Luci acted whenever she heard ice cream. Maybe Loni wouldn’t mind her having some, but the benefit to this place was that they didn’t do the crazy ice cream counter. It was pretty subtle, still focusing mostly on the drinks one could make with the frosty component. Kiki, sweet tooth supreme, wanted nothing more than to suck down on an espresso milkshake with two double shots.

”They’ve got coffee and stuff too, pastries and the usual cafe cra- Stuff.” she hesitated slightly, not wanting Loni to think that she was annoyed with the suggestion.

"Sure!" Loni nodded. She wasn't too worried about Luci going rabid over ice cream right now, considering her daughter could barely keep her eyes open. A little shut eye then some ice cream would probably perk her right up. At least, for another hour or two before she really needed to nap.

Obliviously cheerful, Loni would've grabbed Kiki's hand to drag her onwards if hers weren't full. Instead she just had to settle for bumping her shoulder against her friend, before venturing forth to find Frosty Brew.

Which wasn't so hard when one person knew where they were going, and they walked right past a map too. It was a little further away from the spot they'd been waiting at than they probably should've strayed, but… the exhausted kid was always a good excuse! And it wasn't like Loni and Kiki were kids themselves that needed to be watched.

"Normally I ain't the milkshake sort at this time've year- y'know, it's a summer drink!- but I dunno, somethin's pretty appealin' about it today." Loni said as they reached the place, having talked away without much pause the whole way there. Mostly about whatever came into her mind, constantly distracted by the things around them.

Thankfully Frosty Brew wasn't super busy. Loni was able to snatch them a four person table where it'd be pretty impossible to miss them while walking past. Sitting down, she moved Luci so she was curled up sideways on her lap with her head on Loni's chest.

"You want some ice cream, Mijita?" Loni asked in a hushed tone, pinching one of her daughter's cheeks. Luci let out a whining protest, turning to hide her face against Loni's body with a sleepy mumble. Loni tilted her head up towards Kiki with a grin.

"All'a that really tired her out! Bet it was cause've chasing your tail so long… Soon as there's some in front of her she'll wake up I bet." She was filled with joy and motherly love, rocking her body gently as Luci basically drifted off into a light sleep.
"Uh… You wanna get your stuff first? Then we can swap, she ain't gonna complain much if I give her to you for a lil bit."

Kiki smiled and scrunched her nose. She loved listening to Loni just go on and on, only half-realizing when she was actually done. It was soothing most of the time, having her there to just talk. Motta kids didn’t say much. Chessa and Cammy were both so career focused that Kiki felt their bonds fraying. Every time they saw one another, there was usually some kind of tiff now. Usually telling her to find something better to do than dance.

What was better than dancing? Pervy old people, pervy young people, all drunk, all with the same attitude problems and loneliness that called their wallets up to the podium. She loved watching them financially gut themselves over her. It was a rush, and one that she couldn’t understand her siblings being bereft of. Maybe Elay would’ve, but that relationship was even worse. She hadn’t seen him recently, and the last time she did, he was so drunk that he didn’t even recognize her. Just slurred at her to get away from him before the nice cat ushered her off.

At least Loni couldn’t judge her for that. Wouldn’t. Understood, mostly, even if their reasons for dancing differed.
But she knew she didn’t want to part like that. Not even for a second.

”You’re cute. Why’d we ever order separate? Momo’s gonna get a hot coffee, and Sori doesn’t eat dairy so I’ll get her the same thing that all Matriarchs like. Two things that won’t melt while we wait.”
She stood up, holding her arms out.

”But, I’ll still take the baby… If you want.” she smiled gently, wagging her fingers.

"Wanna go to Aunt Kiki?" Loni giggled, rocking Luci up and down. There was absolutely no response. She'd fallen asleep just like that… Loni would be amazed if she hadn't seen it so many times before.

"Here, I ain't gonna be able to order her… You got longer arms!" Standing again, Loni carefully shifted Luci into Kiki's waiting arms. She let out a sleepy mumble, before curling up against Kiki just like she had been for her Mama.

"What's it that all Matriarch like? Or is it a secret?!" She asked as he made her way over to the counter, staring at the written options for milkshakes with wide eyes.

”Water…” Kiki replied simply, tucking Luci up so she curled into the crux of her collar and shoulder.

Loni's eyes widened, then she giggled. Water! Of course. Still giggling she went back to looking at the menu.

She was getting more used to these kinds of places, but was still often shocked by the sheer selection in North Side cafes and restaurants. In the area she grew up in it was either the cheapest fast food joint, or something small owned by a local. Of course it was more normal in the better areas like the circle… But Loni had fond memories of the guy down the road who sold pretty crappy ice cream he'd made at home. She was pretty sure now it had been to cover up his dealing so local gangs didn't find out… He was pretty dedicated to make the ice cream and all.

"Ugh, I dunno if I should get somethin' with coffee in it or a milkshake and coffee. Probably that, so Luci can have some've my shake… She ain't gonna eat enough it's worth gettin' her somethin'... Boring's safest when you gotta child!" Loni declared as they reached the front of the short queue. She quickly ordered herself a chocolate milkshake and a coffee, turning to Kiki with a grin.

The person at the counter seemed to know Kiki’s face, and it wasn’t a good look that passed from her. She could never know what it was specifically that made this girl seem to hate her, but she had a guess that it was about the usual order.

”Frozen quad espresso, extra whip cream; can you put-”

“-No. I can’t put three scoops of protein and a scoop of oats in. We’re out of both.” she readily snapped in return.
Kiki frowned a little bit, feeling the pushback.

”O-oh… Okay, I’m sor- Rrrrr…-”

No. Fuck you.

All it took was a little flick of her middle right toe, the ring around it reacting against the cold tile of the parlor. Immediately, the woman seized up in front of them, and Kiki gritted her teeth as she oriented herself firmly in the Blind’s brain. This asshole…
Because you have to clean the machine after? Because of the oats?

This is why she couldn’t date in her own wealth bracket. This girl was the same age as Kiki, and came from some lower-middle household in the Fifth Ward. Just the right bracket to breed spoiled and entitled people without them being so far removed from wider society that their tendencies could be hidden. This girl had to go out and work, because her Mother told her to. Because it was expected. She didn’t want to be here, for money or fulfillment.

Which had been the most obvious part, but Kiki needed confirmation before she did the next thing…

”I said: Frozen quad espresso, extra whip cream. Three scoops of chocolate protein powder, and one scoop of maple oats please. I’ll also need a double-quad espresso hot, black. And the biggest cup you can get me filled with ice and water.” she spoke with great purpose and intention, and wordlessly the blind thrall started in on her tasks, no longer with an attitude.

”There we go… Nobody’s gonna be rude to us.” she quietly intoned to Loni, satisfied with her own handling of the situation.

Loni watched with wide eyes, before carefully watching the worker going about her job. Just to make sure she didn't seem… in pain or anything! She hadn't really grown up with magic like the Mottas or some other coven members had, and before joining had only her Mama to learn from. Pink magic hadn't really been part of the learning…

Just carefulness with Black Lux. It wasn't to be used on living people.

What was it that Momo had said about this kinda stuff? Controlled responsibility or something… this seemed pretty controlled! Kiki clearly wasn't hurting her! Sure, Loni maybe sympathised with the worker, but she'd also never be like that… she couldn't imagine being so comfortable you didn't just do everything a customer wanted! Especially here! Wasn't she worried about something happening?! Really, Kiki was doing her a favour! Helping her! Not even throwing a tantrum or shouting at her or threatening to hurt her or anything! Not reporting her to the manager! Ruining her life!

"G- Good! Hopefully she'll learn so no one ruins her life or anythin'..." Loni said after reaching the conclusion Kiki hadn't done anything wrong, but in a strangely extreme way.
"Some customers can be really dangerous! Ain't it better to just always be nice?! Cause it's a job!"

She nodded, though she struggled to ever view herself as the customer. If it had been her, she would've immediately apologised and assumed the worker was correct… It was the same at work. Loni would always bend over backwards to keep her customers happy, cause she didn't want to lose them. Even though Momo was so firm that she didn't need to worry about that…

"It can't be easy to get a job in a place like this, can it?" Loni continued to ask in a hushed whisper.
"I know a bunch've people from the South work in grocery stores and the like here, but I bet they ain't lettin' many like us into such a fancy place. The place I worked as a teen was just over the river and they were super fussy bout how we acted."

That was information Kiki could easily peel out of this girl’s skull directly!
”Our friend’s impression seems to be similar. People working here live up here. Seems to be a Mall policy that you have to prove North Cloverfield residence, exceptions being the national chain outlets, like the Cheers department store. I guess they have enough stock in the mall that they can probably out-contract whoever owns this place. Lawyer bullshit, leave that for the Third Ward.” she waved her hand as if to wave off the problem.

Truthfully, she wished more South Siders could work in places like this. The service would be better, and people who actually needed the money would be taking it home to feed their families… But that would also mean more people making the crossing, which… The bridges were already dangerous enough to cross in the morning and evening rush. She couldn’t imagine the foot traffic that would build up alongside all the vehicles. Tramplings, or worse people just downright rioting and bowling over the checkpoints.

Them being gone wouldn’t be bad either, but there were better ways of making the city even… Like actually investing in wards below the Ninth. There were eighteen districts in this city, for fuck’s sake, but it seemed like only a few of them ever got attention. The best, and then the worst.
The hot stuff, or temperature non-specific stuff, came first. Peacefully, quietly, the girl behind the counter slid the entire cup of espresso onto the tray, as well as the massive water and Loni’s own hot coffee.

“M-milkshake… co-m-ing r-right up.”

”Hey, thanks girlfriend. Sorry about the machine, I know it’s a bitch to clean ‘cuz of the oats.” she said knowingly, the grim dishonesty in the action giving her a modicum of pleasure in this.

”Gotta sell it. For the others in the back.” she giggled, shaking her head.

"What others?!" Loni asked, looking behind her with the assumption someone would be watching. Which they weren't… Oh…
"Oh, hypothetical? Not actual others in the back? Unless someone's magically watching?!"

Kiki narrowed her eyes, pointing to the person handling the other register next to them.
”Coworkers, Lon.” she giggled, still slowly letting her torso swing back and forth to keep Luci placid.

"... Oh!" Loni laughed in response, because it was a bit ridiculous her first reaction had been someone else watching them. But Kiki never judged her for the way she thought or reacted.

After a little bit they got their two milkshakes, with Loni's more simple chocolate one coming before Kiki's machine destroying monster. Loni insisted on carrying the tray, since Kiki was carrying the sleepy toddler! Right back to the table Loni had chosen when they first came in.

"Wait! I forgot to text Momo! Did you?!" Loni didn't wait for an answer as she pulled her phone out to shoot off a text- better for her to get two instead of none! Once that was done she put it down on the table, pulling her coffee towards her first. It had cooled enough to get immediately drinkable- at least to Loni- while they waited for the milkshakes.

"I can take Lu back, if you want! I'm an expert at eatin' around her nowadays. She ain't allowed any of your shake, either, so if you keep her you gotta not let her snatch it if she wakes up." Loni giggled, smiling brightly at Kiki. It wasn't likely to happen, with how contentedly Luci was curled up against Kiki right now. Drifting in and out of snoozing…

It was so cute that Loni couldn't help but pull her phone back up, snapping a photo.
"Aw, you're both so fuckin' cute! Look! She's so comfy with her Aunt Kiki, almost as comfy as she is with her Mama!" She turned her phone towards Kiki to show her the photo.

Kiki made sure to pose slightly, tucking her own face into Luci’s curls and planting a kiss on the top of her head.

Remember this, remember this, remember this, remember this, remember th-
”Awwww, that’s a super cute picture. Send that to me when you can.” she replied with a grin, trying to ignore the little spike of fury as she disconnected from the Blind inside. She heard something glass fall and shatter, figuring it was the girl accidentally dropping the carafe full of coffee into the metal sink.

As they set their drinks down and Luci was successfully swapped, Kiki sniffed the air for any signs of Momo.
”And, to answer your question, you know she can smell better than a hound can, right? Her and Sori both could probably track us from half a mile off if they got a whiff. Not sayin’ you stink or nothin’, just… We all have a scent! You ‘member after the Caty, when we were out rescuing people? How she’d just kinda know where everyone was and not hafta ask any questions?”

”I can make it so you can’t smell me back, too.”

Momo’s voice carried, simply from the air capacity in her lungs and the capability of her larynx. It was hoarse, but only in the way that sounded like she’d probably just smoked a cigarette or something, without losing any of the softness that came from her genetic assignment. It was easy for her to adjust it, after all; and after she’d permanently upticked her natural testosterone production, she did have to do some editing.

But as she rounded the corner, she came bearing a surprise. Boxes.

”Ah, you got my coffee. Thanks. Here, I meant to get you both a pair a week ago when they came out. Consider it part of the work uniform budget.”

The black boxes had no markings, save for a very small “DD” in gold letters on the edge of the lid. Dolores Daylights… These were shoes, and there was a fat chance they were below a thousand dollars a pair. As Kiki stare wide-eyed at the shoebox, she caught a glimpse of something else that was way funnier.

”Mistress! You got her a pair too!?”

Kiki’s gaze could only be focused on one thing. The Daylight-Moray six inch heels with the crossing foreleg braces. In her pretty, fire engine dress, the subtle white laces crawling up her shin and down around her ankle made Kiki ooze with envy. But, also humor, as Sori was clearly getting used to walking in them. She looked a little uncomfortable physically, but still happy. Kiki could feel her unbridled joy and affection toward Momo.

She maybe couldn’t appreciate the incredible price tag, but she definitely knew how special getting gifts from the Matrona de Matrona was, especially as a Lesser Dame.

"The- the- there's no way the budget covers that!" Loni exclaimed, as if Momo hadn't used the work uniform budget as an excuse for this kind of thing before. There was always a bit of push and pull before Loni accepted it.

She couldn't deny that she wanted a pair too. They were beautiful. Thanks to Sori wearing them, she didn't even have to guess which shoes Momo had gotten…

"Whoa! They look so nice… Bellissima?" She did her best to drag out her rudimentary Italian knowledge to compliment Sori with a bright grin.
"It won't be long before she can dance in em too! She ain't even fallen over!"

Six inch heels were quite high for a beginner, after all.

”Well, thank her when you can! If she hadn’t dead stopped to stare at them in the window, I never would’a remembered.” she grinned, taking her seat.

Grabbing ahold of the coffee and practically pouring it down her throat in a single dump, Momo simply smiled and nodded at Kiki. It was really difficult trying to figure out if Momo ate and drank things because she liked them, or if she just wanted the vague biological material she could pull from processed products. She never seemed to savor anything, at least not openly. The truth was, she’d long ago vacated her stomach of acid. There was no microbiome, no gut health to consider. So, rather than it being a useless pit to store materia in until she needed the energy, she usually lined it with taste buds.

In that regard, she was always savoring a meal. The complexity of taste was fully explored, sometimes for hours before she either claimed the nutrients or completely atomized them via a direct injection of hot plasma into the gut. Sori hadn’t learned this ability yet… Probably never would. Momo didn’t recommend it to any of her compatriots who she kept in touch with, as it took a great deal of focus to actually absorb the nutrients she actually wanted.

”Oh, Bellissima! Yes! I… uh… uh! S-so cyoot! No?”
In response to Loni’s kindness, Sori tucked both her hands into one another at her front, kicking her right foot backward in the classic cutesy pose.
”I am Monroe! Ahhhh, Mista Prezzzzzidaaaant!” she laughed, hiking her skirt up playfully before taking her own seat.

Momo could only laugh and smile at her Lesser Dame student. These were the moments worth storing in the brain, and Momo took a mental snapshot of Sori’s grin as she looked down at her ten-grand shoes. Kiki’s box opened up to reveal a black pair contrasting Sori’s white… But there was a burst of color that came from Loni’s. Hot pink, with gold accents while the other two pairs had what looked like burnished copper.

"Whoa, they're so pretty!" Loni exclaimed immediately, jerking forward with enough excitement that it disturbed Luci's slumber. A little hand came up to rub her eye, sleepily pouting up at Loni.
"Sorry, Mijita, sleep, duérmete…"

Still tired out, Luci did just as her Mama said, head falling back into Loni's chest and eyes closing. Loni pressed a kiss to her curls, moving more carefully to really look at the shoes.
"These'll go with with some've the new outfits I've ordered! Well not that they wouldn't go with current ones- Y'know I gotta lotta pink…"

It was certainly her go to- and favourite- colour in all walks of life. Of course she had more plain toned lingerie and dancewear, primarily in white, for work- mostly for when she was sharing the stage, cause you didn't want to contrast or outshine the other dancers. There was a lot of softer pink too- a myriad of butterfly designs especially. But hot pink like this? That was always her favourite bring out…

"Now I'ma have to plan what I was gonna wear for my next shift!" She laughed playfully. There was another jerk of her body- this time it wasn't from her excitement, but rather a shove from behind. A group of three young men taking the table behind them, the tallest of the group shoving his own chair directly into Loni's.

She didn't say anything, just gently rocking Luci to calm her again and shuffling her chair as forward as she could without crushing her daughter. To make room… sure, it was a bit strange they'd sit right there when the place had plenty of free tables further away from people, but she was never one to complain.

"Vin's gonna hate em though! They complain everytime I getta new bright pair, sayin' it hurts their eyes." She joked, but in a quieter and more muted tone.

Momo’s first reaction was to bark. To dominate the ignorant. She could feel a lack of care from the action in front of her eyes, but did her best to hold back from the baser instinct. And the fact that Loni had only reacted by, what a Matriarch would see as, submission. To lower her voice and shy away from requesting, nay demanding, an apology. Just an apology was all the situation needed from-

Sori’s arm swept across the table behind Loni, mashing the guy’s chair.
”Ey! Strozno! Vaffanculo a chi t’e morto! Scusa dire!” she snapped with a growl, not wanting Luci disturbed further.

Before Momo could do anything, Sori was reactive. That was her Mother clan, clearly… Motta would never fly off the handle like that! Kiki nearly spat her sip of milkshake out!
”Woah, Sorella!?” she questioned, humor filling her half-concerned voice.

"Eh?" The guy who'd shoved his chair into Loni's twisted around. It pushed it back further, his arm draping around the back of both of their chairs. She subtly leaned her body forward to avoid any kind of touch, cradling Luci closer into her chest.

The three of them absolutely screamed ‘rich boy'. From the branded clothing, to their haughty demeanor and the way they held themselves. Like they were the most important people in the room, taking up as much space as they could. The other two just snickered, looking at the four women with barely hidden disdain. They all had to be in their mid twenties- visually at least- but their body language was much more like teenagers.

The cause of the problem was clearly the worst- richest, perhaps- of the three. Lazily leaning in his chair, legs spread apart and fully pushing into Loni's space now. His dark brown hair was slicked back with gel, in a way that made it seem like he was trying to look tougher than he was.

"What the fuck are you tryna say? Why don't you speak in a proper language, huh? English- that's what you're supposed to speak around here! Not whatever the fuck that was." Then he gestured to Loni, who was softly whispering Spanish into her daughter's ear to try and stop her from waking up screaming. His hand was painfully close to hitting her.
"Or that."

Sorella didn’t hesitate in spitting in the lead man’s face. She didn’t speak English either, but she knew the phonetic apology. For a short moment, she just stared as he wiped it away. A pink knock drilled against her Emotional Field, and she probably would’ve reacted with immediate physical violence if she hadn’t recognized the pattern. Kiki was trying to give her something, and she happily let it in before things escaped her.

The translation ticked over in her head, and her teeth gritted together. Perfect English: In that moment, Kiki violated the rules, and gave the sleeping dragon the fruit of knowledge from the tree.

”I… Said…-”

Momo’s eyes widened to saucers. She instantly snapped her head to Kiki, who was clearly smoldering in her seat as she tucked the straw back into her mouth. Little curls of steam rose from her skin.

”-that if you don’t apologize, I’m going to introduce you to your Great Grandfather anally. Bone by precious bone.”

Well… She ate the fruit. Momo couldn’t escape that. She could only sit and watch now… Until she needed to step in. Clearing her throat, she grabbed a hold of the table and pulled it toward her so that Loni had plenty of room to push forward and slip out of the situation that was brewing.

Loni did so immediately, shuffling forward and cradling the rapidly waking toddler in her arms. Luci didn't understand what was going on, but she knew her Mama was stressed, and her eyes immediately started to well up with tears. Loni could only hug her closer, tucking her right in as if to hide her from view.

"Apologise for what, bitch? Taking up space that's mine. Do you have any idea who I am?" There was no apology from the man, only ugly anger. In his words, on his face… in heat radiating off his skin. He stood, leaning forward as intimidatingly as possible. His hand snapped out towards Loni.

"To her." He slowly looked her up and down, gaze both leering and judgemental. It wasn't quite like Loni said earlier- the rich couldn't smell the poor. But he'd heard her speak, and the reaction was so different from the other three women. Though he was above them too.

"I'm not apologising to some South Side slut just cause I bumped her chair a little. You should all be grateful I'm even in the same room as you- Just try touch me, see where it gets you." The heat radiating off him increased further.

One of his friends cleared his throat nervously. “Hey, Reese, no need to get so worked up over some foreign Bimbo!”

”You bumped the poor woman’s chair. She’s got a baby in her arms. It’s court-”
”Kiki… Enough.” Momo’s voice growled.

With Loni and Luci close, out of harm’s way, the fury was rising. But, not in the way that she wished it was. This was an utterly joyless occasion, to be face to face with the absolute worst possible asshole to run into in the city. Not only was he Paranormal, but he was unfortunately more wealthy-by-proxy than she was on her own. If she rallied enough Matriarchs, the combined financial capital of Culla may be able to out-lawyer the Voclain, but that was worth far less than accepting a small defeat and making plans for revenge later.

”The Voclain don’t say things like sorry, and they certainly don’t believe in courtesy as a necessity. Even I’m not dumb enough to try and tell the Sun where to shine, no matter how much the light’s bothering me. Now, if you’ll be so kind to recall, Mr. Voclain, that when you were removed from my establishment in the New Leopold building, you were removed physically. Now, your Father and I spoke after the fact, and I did take his more than generous donation in order to keep your behavior quiet. Please, sit down and don’t make me reestablish that line of contact. I may not be Voclain bougie, but I can certainly buy my way up to the top of that tower. Capice?”

Momo spoke with an even, cool temper without letting any kind of reaction escape her. The truth was, she didn’t expect William Voclain to have much to say to his Son… But she wanted to make it very clear that the ghost his son was carrying simply wouldn’t save him if blow came to blow. And, sure… Daddy may save him once. Twice. Ten times. But if it had to be? There would be war. She’d happily drive the Voclain out… There was no Grove to maintain balance.

Kiki’s face had gone from cold calm, to frustration, finally to defeat when the name Voclain started getting thrown around.

”Reese!? Auuuugh, fuuuuuuuck! I wasted all this emotion on you!?”

Like a rapidly disintegrating platform, everything was starting to tumble away. The only person still standing like there was about to be a fight, rather than a healthy concession of vacating the infected area, was Sorella who had zero idea of the names being thrown around. But, even she couldn’t escape her Mistress’ commanding aura. Confused, still furious, she couldn’t just leave.

”You… Choke on your order, dogfucker.” she said with an absentminded sniffle afterward…

Oh, no… It was a second loogie. But by the time it landed somewhere on the tip of Reese’s shoe, she was already spun around and walking as though she’d been born in those heels. Kiki had already taken Loni into her arms to hopefully prevent any sobbing from the VIP, kissing the little girl’s head lovingly as her hand rubbed Loni’s shoulder. Their backs had turned, and Momo was waiting for Sori to fully disengage. Just enough time for something to go wrong if it was going to.

"You fucking bitch-"
Reese had been forcefully winding down after what Momo said. Not that he was worried about what his dad would think- just that he'd been warned after that incident to be a little more low-key about things. There were, after all, people on the loose trying to kill whatever rich person they could!

But being called a dogfucker? The spitting again? He shot right back up to boiling mad, jumping out of his seat and lunging towards Sori.

Loni physically flinched, leaning right into Kiki as she did her best to also keep Luci calm. The toddler was trembling, confused and scared, but not full on wailing or crying yet. Because there were two people protecting her from seeing or understanding what was going on. It was hard for Loni to keep herself appearing calm with the threat of violent brewing. Because it was everything she'd worried about, but Momo had said it would be fine! And it wasn't!

Before Reese could get far, his two friends stood and caught him, grabbing onto his arms on both sides. One winced from the heat, while the other seemed to be actively cooling him down. It wasn't that they cared about stopping some lower class people getting hit. No, of course not. Just that Reese's sister had offered them some very good deals to stop him from making a massive scene in public. Namely, violence.

“C'mon, these bitches aren't worth it. Don't dirty yourself with them.” Cooling man said.

Reese sneered.
"Fine. Consider yourselves lucky that I'm feeling gracious." He threw off his friends hands, stepping out from their table.
"I can't stand to suffer through the stench of this area any longer, anyway."

With her newfound joy of the Queen’s English, Sori was like a new woman! She was ready! There was absolutely no reason, she felt, to stop the current course of action. Especially not when she now understood that he was the one backing off! Why drop the meat when the dog had a good grip?

”Little spit and you get all cool? Where’s your balls, Whoreson? Come, I can feel your cheap Apparition like the tuscan leather your wallet’s made of.-”

Kiki heard Sori pipe up again, despite the concession from the other side. The rare concession. There was no time to ask for permission now… Just a quiet bubble of pink pressing against a weak part of Loni’s Emotional Field. It was comfort begging to be let in magically. To push aside all of Loni’s fear and anxiety as it did with the crying baby in her arms. She’d had no choice… Monitoring Luci closely, thanks to her lack of Field, meant that Kiki knew the instant that would push her over the edge…

And she brushed it away, sending Luci into a gentle sleep just as Momo stepped forward and drove her fist like a hammer onto the top of Sori’s skull. The knock wasn’t just loud; it was devastating. Like dropping a board of drywall on its edge, the crack echoed across the open thoroughfare of the mall. Sori went limp near immediately, and the same fist that ruined her head grabbed her by the back of the dress.

Momo gave a single tug, and Sori’s unconscious body was now on her shoulder. Her eyes were closed at first, clear frustration fading as she shook her head.

”You can consider that as my apology to the three of you. Now, scram.”

Reese glared at Momo, then at the unconscious Sori.
"Fine, but don't think my Father won't-"

“C'mon, Reese, she just caved that lady's head in! Soph's gonna be pissed. We gotta go or-”

"You think I give a shit what my sister thinks? But fine. Fucking cowards." Reese shot towards his friends, turning and leaving with the false pretense that he wasn't a dog tucking his tail and running. The bravado had to keep up…

Loni had let Kiki in without much hesitation. She recognised the press against her Emotional Field, and trusted her friend to never do anything she shouldn't while in there. Why wouldn't she? The magical calm was what she needed to stop herself from being pushed into a full panic attack over the whole situation. She couldn't, not with Luci to look after, even if she was under the gentle influence of Kiki's magic too.

The fear was pushed away just in time, stopping a more extreme reaction to the crack that echoed in her ears. Her body still trembled, not quite caught up with her mind as the panic slipped away. But slowly the tension left her frame, letting her uncurl from the tight ball around her daughter she'd been forming. She still leaned on Kiki while hugging Luci close and gently rocking her.

She looked up towards Momo, unshed tears shining in her eyes. While Kiki had dulled her current fear, it didn't change who Loni was or those constant lingering anxieties. Especially not when she was calm enough to actually think about the situation.

"I'm sorry. That wouldn't've happened if I wasn't here…"

Momo’s form seemed all the more imposing, carrying Sori and her big fluffy red dress… But, she bent her torso and let her lips press against Loni’s forehead. There was a gentle noise as she pulled her lips away.
”You have nothing to be sorry for, Loni.”

She’d probably never wind up here on her own. She’d probably never get over it now. This one instant would probably stick in the poor girl’s mind for the rest of her life, because of course she’d managed to find the one person who actually did have poor sense. The single asshole who could’ve ruined their day.

No. Not ruined. He’d pulled away, and maybe Momo would hear from the Father again… But they’d not lost. Just… Just this little part.

”This actually wouldn’t have happened if someone else hadn’t decided that now was a good time to teach our little Hellion how to count to ten in English.”

”Mistress, I didn’t recognize him! I wouldn’t have-”

Momo’s free hand climbed up to her lips, a finger crossing both. Kiki knew that expression… And now she had to deal with Loni without having a panic attack of her own: Because she was fucked. Royally. Thankfully, she wasn’t using any Green at the moment, because all the joy inside of her died. The love burned, of course, with the intention of making sure Loni knew that she was cared for. She could, at least, speak for Momo with intrinsic emotion.

Until Momo snatched her necklace off of her neck. Kiki was in awe as she felt the grip of her spell begin to cause a rupture-headache.

”-Enough. Go. Take this moron with you.” she said, a gentle hand swinging Loni into her arms while replacing her with Sori’s unconscious body.

Thankfully, nothing could take away Kiki’s inhuman physique as she shouldered the near two-hundred pound Lesser Dame. There was only a gentle frown that formed across her face as she looked at Loni and Luci one last time. But she didn’t let the spell down. She wouldn’t leave Loni… There was a sensation of weakness and struggle inside, the spell not-quite-wavering but definitely growing unstable as the spell tried to channel directly through her brain.

Loni was attuned enough to Kiki's magic- used to it, at least- to feel the wavering in her own fluctuating anxiety. She knew what Kiki's channeler was… And the worst moment was gone.

"I'm okay, Kiki- We'll be okay!" She made sure to reassure her friend before she could be sent away. She held Luci close to her, preparing to comfort her when she woke up. At the same time she tried to gently push Kiki out of her brain. Back beyond her Emotional Field. She couldn't force her out once she'd let her in, but the message would be clear.

Loni didn't want Kiki to hurt herself for her! Sure, she was scared. Momo said it wasn't her fault and was being gentle with her, but that didn't mean she wasn't also mad at her. But she knew there'd be nothing that could further scare Luci… No harsh words until her little girl was back to normal.

She looked up at Momo, steeling herself a little bit.
"Please don't be too upset at them! He- he would've done somethin' anyway! I know the type… it's… it's like I told you… there ain't anythin' anyone could've done…"

”Our Coven’s actions were oriented toward the same goal. Even with disharmony, we are unified.” Momo intoned quietly, taking a deep breath and rubbing Loni’s shoulder.

”But, actions have consequences. I’ll be as harsh as is required.”

Which Kiki knew to be true. Momo was, if nothing else, a just and even-tempered disciplinarian. Because discipline brought her no joy, obviously. She did not relish in punishment of Kin and Coven. And with Kiki being both, it was wretched. But, there’d be a far greater struggle trying to take English away from Sorella than there would be dealing with the fact that she was no longer pure.

She was never fresh snow. Lesser Dames typically had flaw lists as long as one’s arms. But, her own Matriarch-Dame had specific expectations that Momo wanted to meet. It was important for her image among the Matriarchy. Kiki knew that, and still let her write the check that she knew her own mouth probably couldn’t cash. Or, didn’t want to. Momo couldn’t know if she was lying, after all.
She could find a thousand different reasons to think that Kiki knew. That she recognized Reese, and hoped that someone without sense would push him toward deadly action. Revenge for that shitty night eight months prior.

But Kiki swallowed her pride and bit the bullet. The spell faded out of Loni and Luci both, leaving them with a temporary hole where the magic had been. A sense of love-once-had, now lost. But the young Adept simply nodded her head in agreement.

”I knew, Lon. I’m sorry.”

She just shook her head, sorrow on her face as she turned. People stared as she trudged away, not even bothering to get her shoes.

Loni couldn't say anything to that as she watched Kiki leave. She wasn't brave enough. Not when the magic comfort blanket was pulled away and the panic set back in. But she could hear Vin's voice in her mind. The little part in her that cried over the unfairness of the world where the rest was so content.
Why does it matter?! He ain't any better than anyone else! And he deserved a good beating.

Course you'd say that. Loni found herself thinking, as if her twin was actually in her head rather than her own imagination. Letting herself think the things she normally wouldn't. She still felt guilty. It was the natural order of things- how the world worked. But nothing would've started if someone like her wasn't there in the first place. She truly believed that. Because then Kiki wouldn't have had the excuse…

But Luci was waking up. She couldn't deal with the sudden emptiness like Loni could, tears immediately filling her eyes.
“Mammaaaaa!”

"It's ok, Baby Girl, ain't anything wrong anymore. You're alright, hmm- Look, Mama's alright! Nothing's wrong! Don't cry, Mijita." She cuddled Luci close, finding it a bit awkward while she was still in Momo's arms. But nothing would stop her from comforting her daughter… and the little girl clung to her, reactive wails becoming quiet sobs.

“Mama…” She sniffled, rubbing her wet face against Loni's chest. She was still scared and confused, even though there was nothing obviously going on.
“Ma… Mama, Ahn ee?”

"Aunt Kiki had to go home… Ain't anythin' wrong with her! Don't worry, my little star… Everything's okay…" Her voice turned to a whisper as she pressed her face into Luci's curls. Was it okay? Was it-

"It ain't fair." She whispered, thoughts she tried not to have forming into words.
"I don't… want Luci to grow up with this… but she'll never get away from it cause I'm her Mama."

Momo cleared her throat. She didn’t want to do this again. Didn’t want the self pity when the only one who had no consequences to face was her.

”You just… Focus on Luci, Lon. We’ll make a better world for her. Later… For now, we do what we must. And, must right now is leave.”

Mostly because the Mall Security was approaching from down the thoroughfare. She gave Loni a directional nudge, scooping up the shoe boxes and bags of toys.
”And remember… They’re kicking us out because someone just told them there was a fight. Not because you’re a Southie.”

With Matriarchal dignity, she waltzed directly toward the oncoming security expecting Loni to follow.

Recollections: Primal Sinister

Nessa Mendoza & Elay Motta

Nightmare > Elay’s Apartment

Screams. There were always screams. And it hurt. Her nerves shooting off pain signals for injuries that didn’t exist. A punishment for disobeying that had her curled up on the floor as her brain hurt itself. Just like she deserved.

”Don’t pretend you don’t enjoy it, Vanessa. Disobeying me won’t save you.”

Her father’s voice echoed in her ears, distorted. But he wasn’t actually there. As she uncurled she was in that dreaded room. The sterile chamber where she was forced to use spells that she hated, and she was locked in when she refused to. Only she wasn’t alone. No, worse. People stood, staring at her lifelessly. Judgingly.

Victims. People she’d killed or changed beyond recognition. Faces that she recognised without them actually being faces. They were shadowed, but she could feel their burning hatred. She deserved it. She deserved all of it. But she didn’t want to be down here… not again, not forced to do all those things again.

”I’m sorry,” she whispered. But it wasn’t enough. It never would be.

The bodies moved towards her, and everything began to shift. The sterile white walls became patched with colour, like the walls of her bedroom. The environments merged. A gentle meowing came through harsh accusations.

A calico cat, white paws stretching out towards Nessa. She was so soft… Nessa hugged the only thing that had truly loved her close, burying her face in her fur. She was alive, she was alive, she was- No, no, no.

Her hands were sticky with blood, the cat cold in her arms as she floated in nowhere. Her victims were still there, watching. Amber eyes narrowing. Like cats. They were merging into each other. Cat-humans yowled and blamed her, human and animal screams crashing into her mind. But it was weird, it wasn’t the normal nightmare, it was-

A dream.

---

Nessa woke up with a gasp. Hazy eyes squinted, trying to figure out where she was as her heart stopped thudding in her chest. For once, it wasn’t solely panic gripping her when she woke up. Everything felt… odd. The dream had turned odd.

Everything hurt, and there was a heavy weight on her chest. She knew why everything hurt… The sex had been more like a fight until she’d finally, eventually, given in. And it had been good. Amazing, even, for how fucking rough he’d been. She’d only goaded it on… it had been part of what made it so enjoyable… but she’d fallen asleep able to breathe. So why was there-

Finally, Nessa’s eyes adjusted to reality. It was light enough now that she could see the massive cat lying on her chest. Her whole torso, really. Her eyes narrowed. Why was it… the dreams…
”What the fuck did I say about getting in my head?” She hissed, voice rough. She didn’t care enough to use telepathy. If it woke Elay up, it woke him up.

”Oh the things we leak out in our sleep…”
The deep orange tabby was perched loaf-style atop Nessa’s body with his face staring directly into her own. His eyes were the eyes that had filled her dream, and there was a wide cheshire grin escaping from under his half inflated jowls.

”You give up a lot more after a passionate night. His nightmares, I’m rather dull on. But yours? What a wealth! And you want to stay? Be my guest, kid; I’m on your side until I’m not.”
But he didn’t move. And from the other side of the bed, Elay erupted into an elongated snore that should’ve woken him up twice over. But, it didn’t… He just started breathing normally again. Garf didn’t flinch.

”So, Daddy, huh? Elay’s got issues of his own. You wouldn’t believe it.” he chided smugly.

As Nessa properly woke up, the mental shield she cast to protect her secrets quickly reformed. Not that it mattered. If he could get in while she slept there was nothing she could do about it… Which only pissed her off. But maybe this was retribution, somehow.

”No one’s on my side.” Her head turned to the side to stare at Elay for a moment, distracting herself by being impressed that he was still asleep. At least she didn’t need to worry about him hearing anything… Her glare turned back to Garf. How nice for him that her nightmares were enjoyable. Almost worth having them! Nothing quite like waking up from reliving shitty moments to a smug cat staring at her. And this would keep happening? Was it really worth staying?

It was. It was better than being alone.

”Oh, he got a psychopath parent too? That’s nice, something we can bond over.” Nessa didn’t ask more than that. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to know- of course she did. But she didn’t trust it. No one- nothing- gave out information for free. So she answered with practiced nonchalance. She’d pretended to be unbothered by her nightmares many times before, when they’d been so violent she woke up whatever partner she had at the time. The asshole cat adding to it was just an extra challenge.

”Yeah, I’ve got Daddy issues, surprising no one. Just because you snuck into my dreams doesn’t mean I want to sit here and talk about shit with you.” Her body was tense the longer she lay there, scowling at Garf. It hadn’t been the worst dream she’d had… But she couldn’t stay in bed and dwell on it. That would just drag her further and further down, until the guilt was unbearable.
”Can you get off me? I want to shower.”

”You are mighty presumptuous, Vanessa. Your life? Very sad. Sad enough that I wouldn’t want to waste brewing time on talking about it.”
Garf’s lower end stretched high into the sky, belly dragging against Nessa’s chest as he did his yoga. Just enough to stay limber. Enough to remind Nessa that it was a massive cat.

”Were you sober enough to remember where the bathroom is? It’s not a big apartment, I’m sure someone as bright as you can find it.”
Garf skipped off Nessa, passing over and onto Elay’s shoulder. There was a gentle light shining through a nearby window that cast a shadow across that cat whose eyes became amber. The shifting dark of it gave only a vague hint to the horror of what was a true form. Many-Legged Beast, the Thing from Saturn whose nature was beyond human understanding.

It simply sat, mouth agape and drooling with burning eyes staring into Elay’s skull… Burning a literal hole through it the same color as the cat’s eyes. But it wasn’t doing it to Nessa…

Nessa pushed herself up to sit with a suppressed wince, head turning to look at the cat. The monstrosity. It was horrifying. Viscerally terrifying. Just the glimpses she could see beneath the ginger facade… But she didn’t actually feel herself feeling any more scared than she had before.

She was always a bit scared, underneath it all. Of so many things. What was a creepy ancient cat burning a hole into someone’s skull when she’d frequently seen the worst of humanity? At least it was in its nature, awful as it was. She was pissed it had gotten in her head, pissed it had enjoyed her nightmares- but at the same time, she had them anyway. It hadn’t made them any worse. And it probably wasn’t killing him… hopefully… that would be a shame…

And it was right about her life being very sad. Sad enough it almost wasn’t worth living.

”I didn’t down a bottle of ethanol like him, I know where the bathroom is.” She rolled her eyes as if she wasn’t witnessing some eldritch horror, swinging her legs round to get up from the bed. The moment her feet hit the ground her legs gave way underneath her, and she shot out a hand to keep herself standing. Fuck. A moment's wait, and her legs seemed alright to support her again.

Obviously her body wasn’t happy after last night. It wasn’t the strongest, but if there was one thing Nessa was good at it was enduring. Years and years of pain inflicted on her meant she could just push through it. Ignore it. Enjoy it, even. So she made her way to the bathroom after another moment, even if her whole body was a bit shaky.

She’d slept without clothes, and didn’t care to put any on for the short trip there. It made it easy to just turn on the shower and get right in. Cold water quickly turned warm, hitting bruised and marked skin. It felt so luxurious. It was her first hot shower since the fling with Billy… and the Hemlock Inn had shitty showers. She was tempted to stay in there forever. But she couldn’t. Even a long one could result in a certain someone demanding money for a heating bill she couldn’t afford…

So she cleaned herself thoroughly, making the most of being able to properly wash her hair. She reluctantly dragged herself out. Hair dried enough to not be dripping anywhere, towel wrapped around her… She made her way back into the bedroom.
”You haven’t sucked him dry, have you?” She intoned, heading straight towards one of the closets and pulling it open. She was just looking for a t-shirt… something to pull on that wasn’t her own minimal, not particularly comfortable clothes.

”I could never.”
The voice beyond had long abandoned its sustenance meal for something more worldly. There were loud clacks and clangs echoing from the kitchen. Moans of pleasure followed soft, wet slapping noises and a final loud belch.

”It’s simply my turn for a little extra control. We’ve got a schedule you see… He sleeps nicely once or twice a week, and I get to shed my little coil…”
It was Garf, but it wasn’t… There were clear signs of red spatter across the walls that could be seen from the kitchen.

”Though, respectfully, I’ll cut it short for your sake. Ohhh… More… We need more of this pasta! That woman, that… Chef! Her hands are angelic in the organization and composition of ingredients!”

Thankfully, the closet Nessa had opened was full of things like sweaters and coats. Something easy to slip on and big enough to hide in if she had to. With the gurgling and bubbling voice in the kitchen, it was probably good to have a place to hide.

”Lucky him,” Nessa muttered with a grimace. She grabbed a sweater, pulling it over her head as she considered just climbing in and staying there until Elay woke up. Just like when she was younger, crawling into her closet in hope that her nightmares would go away…
They never did. Maybe this would, but she wasn’t that scared. What was the problem, really, if she went through and it decided she was its next meal. Maybe not the nicest way to go… but imagining Elay’s reaction when he had to clean up the mess offered a sliver of joy at the thought.

”Oh thank you, you’re too kind, doing that for me,” Nessa called back sarcastically. She pushed up the sleeves of the sweater she wore- large enough to swamp her, going just below her knees- so her hands were through. A careful casting of her Alarm Bell spell… just in case. It probably wouldn’t do any good, but better to do what she could to survive.

She did her best to fake calmness, even as her mind swung between two places. Hypervigilance, body tense for an immediate flight, but also a lack of care for whatever might happen to her. Contradictory, but both feelings somehow existing at the same time.

”So you eat what, pasta and bad dreams?” Nessa walked out into the kitchen to absolute carnage. The red splatters that on closer look weren’t blood, but some kind of sauce. Trays scattered that had presumably carried the godly pasta. So much red… She felt a bit sick. She covered her nose, eyes moving to Garf. Or what she presumed was Garf. A much scarier version of him.
”Is there anything else edible in here?”

That scarier Garf had exploded in proportions from a house cat to something one would see at an exotic zoo. Massive, fluffy orange and black fur shimmered with every color of the rainbow as it contorted the light of the open refrigerator behind it. It had to be something like fourteen feet of massive cat with paws the size of pizza peels. The tail thumped heavily against the floor as its attention was solely held on the prospect of eating from multiple pans at once.

Not to miss the second body. The underbelly, the two extra limbs like hooked arms scraping at a pan and raking food into the face of some other thing growing from inside the cat. It had the face of a man… One she knew? No. Only for a moment did that wretched parasitic thing look like her Father. It couldn’t. But it greedily shoveled the violently red sauce into its gullet, using its thick and padded pseudo-fingers to greedily push that nightmarish mixture into its face.

The cat head cricked downward to look at Nessa fully, grinning from ear to ear and revealing a nightmarish set of teeth.

”You had zero qualms about swallowing what he had to offer last night. Surely that’s enough.” the monstrous Garf intoned with a greedy shake of his tail.

Nessa couldn’t suppress her shudder at the sight of that head, and the shadow of a face she hated- but desperately wanted to see again. Even her braveness- or more accurately, lack of care for her own life- had limits. Just don’t look at the creepy face and hands. Look at the slightly less creepy massive cat.

Though the smile- with the red sauce staining it like blood- wasn’t much easier to face down. But she did, eyes narrowing slightly as she stared up at him. He was big enough that one paw could easily take her out… It would be a shame that her blood would blend in with the pasta sauce.

”That’s not exactly filling. It’s not like I bit off his dick and ate it,” Nessa retorted, managing to push through the horror and weirdness of the whole situation.
”So you’re a voyeur cat too. Did you enjoy it? No wonder you had so many comments about what he’s into… I’m just surprised you’re into watching like that. You gonna do that every night?”

”I only enjoy it as much as it fills my gut afterward. Your pain, your pleasure; it is the excess I crave. And you are a buffet, my dear. But, amazingly, you manage to be important to more than my nagging hunger. Thus-”

Garf’s entire mass shifted, those strange human hands sliding against the floor and buckling up to grip the checkered tile floor of this North-end apartment’s kitchen. One released itself as a great, many-toed paw slapped into the cold red sauce spattered against the corner of the floor near Nessa’s feet.
”-I offer you an accord… Someone to ’Be on your side.’ as it were.”

As Nessa’s own voice echoed back into her head, there was a moment where Garf’s neck craned back to allow that face half buried in fur to witness and observe her face. Her reaction.
”Your dreams and nightmares: Gone. Dark sleep. Like you’ve never dreamed of… Feed me, and I will guarantee that this moron is more attached to you than any silly Pink Lux spell could make him.”

Nessa folded her arms, staring at Garf. It was difficult to know where to look - the cat face or the much more disturbing one. Her body tilted back naturally as he got closer, but her feet stayed rooted on the spot.
It was such a tempting offer. Dark, dreamless sleep… something she hadn’t had in a long time. Not since she started helping her Father. Before that, her sleep was more of a mixture. And someone who wouldn’t leave her like the res…

But what was the catch? Nothing was given for free, and ‘feed me’ was too vague. She didn’t trust it.
”I don’t want someone attached to me magically. I want something genuine- someone who actually wants me.” Rare honesty, but only said to a creature that had already pulled so much from her head. She used her magic on men when she was desperate, needing them to survive… but it wasn’t what she really wanted. It’s why she tried flirting first, or using the simplest spell that only influenced them enough for her to slip into her bed. She wanted to live, but she also wanted someone who liked her. They never did, leaving her in this painful cycle of deserved abandonment.

”And feed you what? My pain, pleasure, other emotions? You’re already eating them. Or… is it my magic you want?” Nessa’s eyes narrowed, lips pulled into a thin line. Her whole expression screamed scepticism.

”I did have a taste. But if you open the restaurant to me at night, I can guarantee your stay. Not only that, but I can guarantee that he comes around to you. And it won’t be a trick… Just the right nudges from me, and the whole house of cards folds into a nice and even deck. You get to pull every card in an organized fashion, life flows-”

Garf’s massive hands bumped into a tray on the floor, sliding into a streak of sauce. It greedily brought the saucy appendage up to the cat’s face, letting it lick and bite and snap until the hand was gushing… Ragu. It smelled like oregano and parsley, and then the hand was there again as if it wasn’t still being crunched in between Garf’s many teeth. The beast belched again, shaking his head.

”Fucking… Just let me do that every night, and you won’t have nightmares. G-o-d… The cryptic bullshit, am I right?”

The second face hissed out laughter between eating gobs of its own gloppy gore from the spot that it splashed out onto… Mostly out into an empty pan thankfully.

”Also, no… There’s spoiled eggs. Worcestershire sauce. Several bottles of isopropyl alcohol. A severed human head. Nothing edible to your rudimentary human stomach.” Garf’s voice was so full of slop that it was hard to tell what he was saying.

Nessa couldn’t hide her disgust, whole face scrunching up as she watched Garf devour Ragu like it was a carcass, his own hand and all. It was awful, and nearly destroyed any appetite she had. Nearly. She had to eat after last night. She didn’t quite get the end of what he said, beyond it being clear there was nothing for her to eat here.

”Fine… just my nightmares? Not my magic, nothing else?” She still didn’t trust it. But could she really say no? Would her life be any worse if it turned out to all be a lie? What was the downside? Perhaps, that she’d lose the reminder of what she’d done… No. She deserved the nightmares, but she’d never forget. Couldn’t.
”I’ll take it. The accord, or whatever- as long as my magic isn’t touched.”

She frowned, head tilting back so she didn’t have to see the red sauce mixed with spattering of gore.
”And I’ll go out to buy something edible.”

”You intend to leave?!”
Garf made the classic cat stretch look nightmarish as sections of his body split apart to reveal breathing organs and other arms desperately trying to escape their prison.

”Go to the Club! Go to that green marble floor, and those black chairs with the dark leather! To that establishment where the woman makes the sauce! Get more for me, and you will be rewarded handsomely!” the creature demanded, giant paw stomping and bapping at an empty tray.

”I intend to go to the nearest store, buy some eggs, and come back,” Nessa rolled her eyes, mostly to avoid seeing Garf’s internal organs for more than a couple of seconds. What Club? How was she supposed to know? And she wasn’t going to go buy him some more fucking Ragu sauce to slurp off the floor.
”I’m not running errands for you. Fuck, you think I’ll risk trekking across the city to carry back more pasta? If you want shit from a nearby grocery store, I can do it.”

”Fine, whatever. Like I care…”
Whatever the emotional shift was, it wasn’t right. There was a sense that the creature had instantly drummed up plans for revenge and was carrying them out as they spoke. Like his entire nature had shifted to vendetta despite the words being so innocuous.

”The coffee shop downstairs. I demand two dozen bagels, and two pints of that delectable hot-pepper cream cheese. Three pounds of bacon, two dozen eggs inside each bagel top, the dried salmon, sausages-”
Then he looked at Nessa again, head cocked to the side.

”-I do hope you’re taking my order. They won’t be shocked.”

Nessa’s jaw went slack as Garf just kept going. It was enough food to feed her for a week. Longer, probably. Could she even afford that? Technically, she shouldn’t even spend her money on it… If she used Elay’s, would he get the cat to eat her whole self? Surely not. Maybe he would… It was worth the risk. She’d put a tiny amount of trust in the cat to stop it, if only for the more frequent meal she’d be giving it in the future.
”Yeah, yeah, I’ve got Pink Lux. I remember it all. Shit ton of food that I’ll barely be able to carry, but I’ll get it to appease you.”

The curse of mental magic… inability to forget unless she erased it permanently from her own mind. She frowned, looking around the kitchen.
”Where’s Elay’s coat? I need his keys and shit… wasn’t exactly paying attention to where things went last night.”

”Oh… Y’know, you really hid your thieving inclination well from me. I honestly thought-”
Garf started to chastise her about stealing, but quickly started to laugh.
”-Baaaah, I’m kidding. Now, think about where you came in. If you can remember the bathroom, you can remember where the jacket is.”

And then the blasted beast continued to make its order as he watched Nessa from his fat haunches. The jacket was easily found on a chair near the door, coincidentally near the bathroom. There was a wad of cash in it, as well as the keys to the apartment as was expected. It was only as Nessa was getting ready to open the door that Garf spoke up again.

”Actually… Forget it. I don’t want it anymore. Get whatever you want… Elay will be mad if you don’t get him a hot cocoa though. And don’t go into the agency. Just pass it going down the stairs, and head outside to the right.”
Garf’s voice sounded strained, as if he’d become bloated further and was having a hard time breathing.

”Seriously? I gotta remember you’re whole fucking order cause I can’t forget it and you don’t want it? You are so annoying,” Nessa turned around, foot out to hold the door partially open. But just hearing him was uncomfortable. Had he eaten too much? Was that even possible? She didn’t really care. She had to care about herself firstmost, after all.
”I don’t have energy to snoop around, anyway. I’ll get his drink.”

She properly pushed the door open, lips pulling up into a slight, not particularly genuine smile.
”Don’t miss me too much. I hope you’re normal size when I’m back.”

---

One quick trip to the coffee shop downstairs, and Nessa was back up with a satisfactory breakfast in her arms. She’d planned to go for the cheapest thing on the menu- but everything was so fucking expensive it was about the same. She ended up with one bagel with an egg, another with bacon- in case Elay wanted something too. And if he didn’t? She’d save the second one for dinner.

The bagels were in one hand, takeaway cup of hot cocoa in the other. It made it a little difficult to unlock the door… but she managed eventually, pushing it open with a soft grunt from the effort.
”Honey, I’m hommeee!” She put on the most aggravatingly cutesy voice she could as she let the door slam shut behind her.

”Oh, good. Mop with legs.”
Elay’s voice wasn’t a snarl so much as it was a huff. One loud, annoyed huff.
”I can’t imagine you-”

As Nessa made way into the kitchen, she’d find Elay completely naked and working down with a mop and bucket. Garf hadn’t gotten any smaller, but he did have a rather strained look on his face. His stomach growled loudly, causing the second entity to writhe and scream in pain. Elay’s face was plastered rage, and he held up the mop at the cat.

”-Do not! Do not throw up! If I didn’t know any better, I’d be so much more pissed off! But clearly it's my fault, I didn’t have Beth come over to re-ward the fridge, so you win! But do not vomit or I will actually seal you and become a fucking wimp.” Elay snapped. Then his face turned back to Nessa.

”And what’s with you jackin’ my shit, huh? You don’t steal my ass, what; you think you earned the extra because you lasted a few more rounds than I figured you would?”
His arms shot up, crossing over one another in a big X pattern.
”Wroooooong. Cough it up, c’mon; how much money did you waste?”

It was really hard to take a naked man holding a mop seriously. Nessa didn’t bother stopping the quiet laugh that escaped her lips, before she rolled her eyes at him.
”Can you get back in bed and maybe wake up on the right side of it?”

Of course she shouldn’t have expected him to wake up any less of a dick than the night before. Hadn’t really been hoping for it, either. But she wasn’t just going to cower because he was difficult. Of course she was going to push and push, until eventually he gave in. Even if it meant dealing with this shit because she decided not to take her own money.

”Yeah, actually, I think I earned breakfast after the shit I put up with. I should’ve reported you for fucking domestic violence.” Nessa sneered, holding up the bags with the bagels and the hot cocoa. Then she put them down on a counter.
”Two bagels, one hot cocoa, calculate it yourself. I don’t remember.”

”Domestic violence? Show a cop around here your I.D., Sweetheart: You’re getting dunked on your way back down South. If you care to remember, there was a border guard giving me a hard time over a certain someone not coughing up a pass?”
Elay didn’t laugh, but he did smirk. His eyebrows rose, and his lips pursed as he tilted his head to look at Nessa.

”Now… You got my drink at least. So, I guess I’ll write it off as a business expense. Get my bagel out… Feed me while I clean this fucking mess.”
He looked like he was cleaning a murder scene, the bucket full of deep red liquid. It was never going to be easy taking a naked man mopping seriously, but he held himself with a strong and demanding confidence that wasn’t common among men Nessa was typically around.

He started mopping again, like there was nothing else to do on the planet. Elay kept staring at the stains on the walls and mumbling to himself quietly while he waited.

Nessa stared at him for a moment in disbelief. Was he being serious? Of course he was being serious… it was obvious he was being serious. There was a certain sexiness to the way he ordered her around after last night… but that didn’t mean she was going to start doing whatever the fucked he said! Especially not after his smug comments. Did he really think she was going to roll over after yielding a couple of times in bed?

She picked up one of the bags, wriggling half of the bagel out of it.
”Feed yourself. You think I’m your fucking servant or something?” She took a bite out of the bagel she’d picked up- the one with the egg- and chewed it slowly. Loudly.
”Did I even say the other one was for you? I’m really hungry… I got you ‘your drink’, the cat didn’t put any other orders in for you.”

Elay smacked the mop back into the red water, causing it to splash out slightly.
”Oh marone, you’re already giving me conniptions! Hand over the money in the pocket and lemmie count it: If there’s a cent missing, then all this is mine. I told you, I’m not in the business of taking in strays!”

His hand was outstretched waiting for the money that had been in his jacket pocket. Had he really remembered how much was there? After dinner last night, and buying more booze? And bribing that bastard at the Checkpoint?

”You’re just gonna count it and claim shit’s missing anyway,” Nessa rolled her eyes again, not even flinching at the aggressive mop action. She was trying to figure out how far to push. It was in part testing boundaries. How much she could get away with. How much she could get from him. At what point would he snap and hit her. Making sure not to go so far she got kicked out on day two.

”Here, take the fucking bagel.” Instead of the money, she slapped the other bagel bag into his outstretched hand. It wasn’t that she was planning to hold onto his money. She didn’t even plan to hold onto his jacket for much longer. She just didn’t want it to play out the way he wanted it to.
”If you want this one, you’re gonna have to take it from me. You seemed pretty good at going into my mouth last night.” She smirked, before taking a large bite.

Elay rolled his eyes and shook his head in a disappointed fashion.
”No, no… See, I’ve gotta teach your dumb ass everything.”
He held the bacon bagel up, quick anger flaring across his face.

”No cream cheese? No cheese at all? Were you raised by animals? Christ! And when I tell you to feed me, it’s because I need my hands to do something else! What kind of assistant are you supposed to be?” he snapped, ripping off a piece of the bagel and putting it up to his mouth.

”Like this: ’Oh, Elay, thank you! You’re the best, Daddy! Thank you for cleaning and mopping so that I don’t have to get my hands dirty’ he mocked her, then popped the little ripped off piece of bagel into his mouth.

Still, his head shook with disappointment and frustration. Then Garf’s stomach flared up again, and he groaned in the background. Elay’s expression changed in a split second, eyes looking at Nessa with something else. It was only for a moment, but it was enough to see that there was something other than this. A cry for help, maybe.

Nessa’s head tilted to the side slightly, immediate sassy comment dying on her lips. A slight peak below the incredibly rough surface… not that the tiny hint looked any less rough. Of course not. Happy people tended not to be massive fucking assholes.

”Ugh.” She backed out of the kitchen for a moment, before coming back carrying her worn jacket. She pulled out her money and keys, before dumping the jacket in front of Garf. She pointed at it.
”If you’re gonna throw up, throw up on that. I need a new one anyway, and I don’t want to be made to clean it up.”

A shitty solution, but what else could she do? Start feeding Elay the bagel? No way, she wasn’t feeling that much sympathy after one tiny little look. She turned back to look at him, eyes narrowing. Right back to normal.
”Also, I thought you didn’t do roleplaying? What was it… you called it cringey! Have you changed your mind? Want me to start calling you Daddy now?” She raised an eyebrow.
”Won’t make me clean up your cat's mess.”

Elay frowned, then groped at the bridge of his nose.
”God… Fuck… This is it! I’m actually going to die of a brain haemorrhage, and all that money I had stashed away would be useless!”
Melodramatic as always, Elay tossed his free hand up with the bagel still gripped between his fingers. His faux exasperation was palpable.

”You have zero concept of something like sharing, do you? What’d I say? You don’t mop up my cat’s mess, and in return, you show a little fucking hospitality! I ain’t tryn’a make you a slave. But you oughta be thankful!”

”Ohhh, thank you so much for taking me home and fucking me and letting me buy a bagel the morning after! I’m so grateful, what would I do without your generosity? I’d be starving on the street corner I used to call home!” Nessa threw back mockingly. It was like his annoyance fueled her. In a way, it did. Reactions meant he was listening. And the way he talked… it just made her want to push and push.

But she did hold out her hand.
”I’m so sorry, I just assumed the feeding was a kink thing! But if it’s what an assistant does, of course I’ll feed you, because that mess might run away if you take a break to eat!”

Elay just stared at her and ripped into his cream cheese-less bagel.
”Seems like you heart’s not really into it. Like you just want me for my body. I feel so used.” his voice remained emotionless, monotone.

”Go… Be a bitch somewhere or something, I don’t care. Just do it being naked, so I know you’re not taking anything else from me.”

”Alright.” Nessa inclined her head, seeming to acquiesce. She took off his jacket first, throwing it over a chair, then the sweater underneath. It was given the same treatment. Then she turned around, going over to the counter she’d put his hot cocoa on. She moved it to the side and lifted herself up onto the counter, spinning around to face him. Her legs crossed over each other as she looked at him from a slightly more even level.

”This is somewhere. And look, I didn’t take anything.” She held up her hands, though there was still most of a bagel in one. She managed to, impressively, hold back any comments on how she was here for his shining personality. Instead she tilted her head, voice losing a bit of the mocking edge.
”You’re less violent than I expected.”

Elay shook his head, eyes narrow and nose slightly scrunched.
”And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

He approached her, stepping forward until he was brushed against her leg.
”Just because you kept asking for me to go harder, doesn’t automatically make me some woman beater. Mentally, maybe… But I try my hardest to mentally beat the shit out of everyone I meet. Better to be taxing than be forgotten.”

And then he leaned in to kiss her again, like his tongue was trying to steal the bagel from her throat, not that it could.

---

Deciduous Apartments. The location of Nessa's shitty, shitty ‘home’. Located on the outskirts of Westwood in an area not so fondly known to the locals as Junglelands. Nessa didn't even have a place in the 'nice' (slightly less awful) Evergreen Commons apartment complex... Which this much worse building had been named to match, or perhaps mock. No, she couldn't afford to lock into an actual rent contract. Didn't even have the identification to do it! Instead she lived in the one place that accepted weekly rent and where absolutely no contracts needed to be signed, filled with all of the South's undesirables.

She was able to direct Elay to park right outside. Calling it a parking spot would be a stretch - someone had half assed drawn lines on the wider bit of road right in front of it. It wasn't like anyone but the owner, and a few exceptions, owned cars here anyway.

The building itself was four stories high, square and squat. The outer walls were a patchy grey- whether by design or years of fumes from the factories staining it, it was difficult to tell. The disrepair of the place was obvious from just a look. Cracks, broken pipes, some windows completely boarded up. It was run down. Hardy vines valiantly fought against the horrendous environment, winding up parts of the wall and pushing into the offered cracks.

There was one door at the front, one at the back, leading into dirty corridors and the internal staircases. It made the most of its space, with apartments at the front and the back- small square windows pointed out onto the street they were now on. At this time it was quiet. Depressing, almost. It felt like there was a dark aura hanging over the entire place.

”It won't take long. It's not like I have much shit.” Saying that, Nessa didn't immediately get out of the car. Instead she twisted her body around to face Elay. She leaned over the centre console, one hand reaching out to rest on his thigh. Her head tilted upwards, lips pulling up into the little playful smile she seemed to use when she wanted something.
”Y'know, if I move outta here you won't even have to pay me much. A little for food- cause you're clearly stingy there- and other essentials... it's not like your rent would go up. I'm going to be sleeping over anyway...”

It didn't actually matter what he said. It wasn't like he knew how much shit she had. She could turn back up with a suitcase full of all her things and he'd be none the wiser. If she was going to spend every night in his bed anyway, she might as well save herself the cash…

Elay’s hand swept hers away with the care one would offer a fly. He could practically smell the disingenuous nature in her voice, and it gave him a nagging feeling. Another woman in another age. But it was enough that he didn’t think he wanted much more of it. Not like that at least…

”Oh yeah, real convenient for you. You wanna wake up every morning with a chance that shit like this morning will happen again? I bet not… So we’re gonna go in there, pay a month down, and then grab whatever shit you think you’ll want.” he ordered with a cold and dispassionate tone.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want her there… He kind of didn’t. Mostly not. It was taxing having her there in that regard. Like he knew he wasn’t going to want to be that close to her forever. Or, maybe they could use the place. Having a second apartment in such a shitty and unassuming place was something he could write off for the business. A second office didn’t have to be listed, and maybe it was win-win enough that everyone could find some kind of satisfaction.

Besides, if she had a place she could go back to with relative safety, at least he’d know where to start looking for her if she ran off. The box for the stray in the rain.

”Then if you’re serious about earning a little money, we’re gonna need to rustle up a case. Something bigger than mugging a fuckin’ John. I’m not above hitting dealers and shit though, if… You know a good route?” his grin was clear as he spoke thinking about the violence.

”Oh, right! I forgot to tell you about all the drug routes I know!” Nessa rolled her eyes, withdrawing back into her own seat. She gestured out the car window.
”If you just stand on that corner for a couple of hours you’re bound to find someone tryna sell you something. But y’know people who stick their nose into that shit tend to get killed. No, I don’t know a good route. Do I look like I do that shit?”

She did technically know a dealer or two, if she scanned back through her memories of the men she’d been with. There’d been the one guy that was doing pretty well for himself… parts of her memory with him were too fuzzy for even her to access. She’d blocked his number, but could find him if needed. It would be nice to see him beaten to a pulp- but no, she didn’t want to see his face again. Only if it was absolutely necessary.
”The only person in that building with any money is the owner, so unless you wanna get paid for Garf catching rats for her… We’ll need to look in another area. I can get something, if you’re really that incapable of finding your own cases.”

”Christ, Nessa, you always make it so fuckin’ personal. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours, and you’ve already given me the fuckin’ breach load like nine times. I ought’a just drop you here and leave like I originally planned, but our orange friend seems to have some fucking plan for you.”
Elay’s hands shot up, gripping at nothing with a very meticulous and slow motion. So slow they didn’t fully close before being brought back down to his steering wheel.

”And that was my shock at you not being a powder queen. Had you pegged for ice or something honestly. You seem like a real upper girl, y’know naturally down and wants to cut loose?”

Elay pushed the driver’s seat door open, slipping out of the car and into the cold of the early afternoon here in the South…
The fucking toll! I’m going to need to smuggle her back up! God damn it all, why?

Garf didn’t speak. Just placed the image of a magic eight ball in his head. The result?
Future Unclear.
There was a devious laugh out loud as Elay shuddered the mental prod out of his head and slammed the door shut.

”Yeah, whatever… Stay warm fuckface.” Elay grumbled under his breath.
”C’mon, Chessa. I mean Stressa. Fuck, sorry, Bessa?”

”Haha, I know you know my fucking name,” Nessa rolled her eyes at him, not entirely rising to the bait. He’d said it only moments before… She was more pissed off that he was surprised she wasn’t on drugs. Sure, maybe she’d considered it when everything first went to shit… but the idea had very quickly gone. It was expensive and would leave her vulnerable. There were better ways to ‘cut loose.’

She got out of the passenger side, making sure to slam the door behind her. Her hands immediately shoved into her jacket pockets and she shivered slightly. Too fucking cold. First thing she was doing when she got into her shit place was changing into pants that actually covered more than her ass.
Instead of moving towards the building, she turned towards Elay, eyes narrowing.
”You don’t need to come. I don’t have much… and you can just give me the cash to pay for the next month, or whatever.”

Elay scoffed again, this time waving his hand.
”Give you the cash? Trust you to pay a bill like this? Absolutely not, you’ll pocket the money and spend it faster than I can say ‘don’t pocket the money’. So, nah. I’ll go with you, and I’ll pay.”

He had a stuck up way of saying that he was willing to pay her rent. Granted, a shitty place in a specially shitty part of town, but Sugar Daddy behavior was what it was. In his demented brain, this place was a safehouse now. Somewhere they’d be okay to crash if worst came to worst.

They. Us. The inexplicable draw to pull her just a little closer despite all the growling and barking and snarling… The beaten dog wanted to be loved, but the hand that pet was the one closest to the mouth. Not to mention the deeper things. The real feelings that were buried miles below the surface. He couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong with him, which was obvious to anyone else. But maybe he was too far gone, or maybe the ego was too strong to let go of all the bad.

But he was still waiting for her to cross the parking lot at his side. He wasn’t waiting for her for no reason.

Nessa wasn’t quite able to hide her genuinely irritated expression at Elay insisting on coming along. Contrary to what he probably believed, it wasn’t because of the money. She wasn’t stupid enough to pocket and run with his money when it would be way more beneficial to stick with him. Things paid for, and company. Really the latter was more important, as much of a dick as he was. She’d had all the money in the world once, and only felt a little more alive than this.

But what if he saw the state she’d been living in, and it disgusted him enough to leave there and then. Sure, he wasn’t exactly in a great state. But the hovel she reluctantly called home was on another level. At least he was paying… small blessings, a month's rent paid before he saw the shithole it was.
”Fine, but don’t blame me if a rat bites you.”

It wasn’t exactly a long walk across the ‘parking lot’, across the scrawled in lines and around the potholes. Nessa stuck close to Elay, anyway, pretending that she wasn’t keeping a fragment of Pink active to detect anyone nearby. It was an awful part of town, after all. Unsurprisingly nothing befell them on the short walk.

She wasn’t particularly happy to be back here, twisting the handle of the front door in just the right way that the broken lock meant it just swung open. Instead of going up the stairs immediately in front of them like she normally would, she veered left onto the first floor corridor. Little paws could be heard scurrying along the floors and scratching in the walls. There was a musty smell that hung over the place.
”The owner uses the first apartment as an office.” Nessa explained, just in case he somehow thought she was pulling something. She rapped on the door, hoping the landlady wouldn’t be in a talkative mood.

A few moments later the door opened, revealing a dark haired middle aged woman. She was a fair bit taller than Nessa, a fair bit above average even, but nothing close to Elay. Behind her a sliver for the inside apartment turned office was visible. It looked neat and tidy, with undamaged walls and a bookshelf just past the woman.
“Oh, Nessa, I didn’t expect you t’grace my door.” Irene, Nessa once again belatedly remembered, raised an eyebrow. Her gaze moved up to Elay immediately, lips pulling into a mocking smile.
“Another man, huh… Leaving again? You gotta pay yesterday ‘n today.”

”No,” Nessa responded sullenly, hands clenching into fists inside her coat pockets. It was hard to try not to rise to it. Often she did, and it just landed her in a shittier situation where her electricity ‘mysteriously’ cut out for a day or two.
”I’m paying for the month. Like you suggested yesterday?” She then looked at Elay expectantly.
”It’s two hundred.”

Irene whistled, before letting out a short laugh. She didn’t seem intimidated by Elay’s size at all as she looked at him with an expectant, almost mocking and definitely fake, smile.
“Bringin’ someone round to pay your rent’s a first.”

Elay didn’t mince words, sliding out something other than cash for once.
”You take checks? If we’re renting it for the purpose of the business, I’ll also need a statement from your end.” Elay spoke plainly to the woman inside, explaining the circumstance as was necessary.

”And you’ll be dealing with me directly from now on. The rent will be paid on the same day every month, so have the statement written up because I don’t like to wait. Understood?”

In his hand was a small ledger, with a checkbook tucked into one side which he was writing two-hundred dollars out. It was a steal for a month, and whatever rats were inside were practically free beef jerky. He didn’t need the pomp and the lights shining into his window from the river where the bridge and the checkpoints were. He’d seen some of the most disgusting hovels, slept in environments so dank he thought he’d grow mold.

”And how much do I need to pay to modify it? We’re using it as an office-living space for the Columbo and Waiting Detective Agency.”
He turned over his business card to the old woman, along with the check.

Irene’s eyebrow was raising higher and higher, at risk of pushing into her hairline. She took both the business card and check without immediate comment.
“North Sider, huh? Ain’t anyone else who uses checks round here- aside from Gideon Cross himself!”

Nessa wasn’t sure how she felt about all of this, but she managed to stay silent for once. It could be positive. It suggested Elay planned to keep her around for a while. But it also meant if- when- he got rid of her she’d have nowhere to go. While she’d been in a constant cycle of leaving and dragging herself back like a cat from the rain, it was always to the same shitty apartment. Irene didn’t bother renting it out to anyone else. A small gesture of kindness, or some shit like that. But then she’d be really fucking stuck.
Maybe it wouldn’t matter by then. Maybe she’d be too far gone to want to continue after being dropped again.

“I can get a statement done in no time- soon as you finish whatever other business you two had here.” Irene was sharp as ever as she looked down at Nessa, but there was none of the normal subtly snide comments. Money talked, after all. She held up the business card Elay had handed her.
“We can talk ‘bout somethin’ that’s been botherin’ me a while, too. Fix that and you don’t need to pay anythin’ to modify it.”

”You’ve got a case that needs handling? You gotta quote the price high first, y’know? So that when you say ‘or you can take care of something for me’ I’m more inclined to accept. For next time…”

Sharp as a whipcrack, Elay didn’t miss a thing.

”And if you must know, yes. Northsider. That doesn’t mean you’ve got carte blanche to start raising the rent on me either; I’ll figure out what every single other person in this borough pays for rent and bury you in logistics.”

His hand swept up under Nessa’s arm, moving her less by force and more by suggestion.
”We’ll discuss it when I come back for the statement. Lets go, Nessa.” Elay grunted in a directive fashion.

“Check the borough and you’ll find this is the cheapest you can get,” Irene laughed. She didn’t acknowledge the rest, holding up a hand in a half wave before stepping back and letting her door close.

Nessa let out a light huff even as she let Elay move her. Only because she would rather get going than stand in this corridor any longer, or deal with Irene’s looks. It just made it more annoying how she basically treated Elay with respect because he handed over a check. Fucking money!
”Oh, so you remember my name now?”

Contrary to her sharp words and glare, she turned around and did exactly as he directed- leading him back to the stairwell. Then it was up two flights of stairs, and along another almost identical corridor. Nessa stopped in front of a door about halfway down. With a frown, she reluctantly pulled her keys out of her pocket. The two locks were undone and she, even more reluctantly, pushed the door open and let him in.

What was revealed was a small, messy room. Damp was evident on the outside wall, with mould spreading from the corners and across into the room. In the back right corner was a small double mattress. No bed frame, just the mattress pushed against the wall, with a ratty duvet and pillows strewn across it. Various clothes were thrown on top of that. At the back left was a ‘kitchen’ consisting of a small refrigerator, gas stove and one countertop. A pan had been left on the stove. To the left of the kitchen, a sliding door was half open to reveal a tiny bathroom.

There was one small square table with two chairs just in front of the door. The final piece of furniture was a wonky, very broken looking wardrobe. Empty glass bottles on top of a pile of shattered glass haphazardly shoved into the corner nearest the door. The whole place was barely warmer than outside.

Nessa went for the suitcase beside the mattress immediately, crouching down to pull out some clean underwear and a dark tank top. Without much care she stripped down until she was in just a bra, throwing what she’d been wearing on the top of the suitcase. She pulled on the replacement underwear and tank top, moving to the mattress to pick up a pair of cargo pants. They looked dirty thanks to the various stains- darker ones from the constant dirt of the place, and a variety of reddish-brown ones that Elay would recognise as blood.

As she changed, she turned her head to look up at him.
”So, what am I doing? You said to grab the shit I’ll want, but then you’re turning this into an office-living space? So I can’t exactly leave anything behind, can I? I’m basically homeless now. Where do you want me to sleep, the streets? Cause you sure didn’t sound like you wanted me in your place.” She wasn’t stupid, she could read between the lines that that wasn’t the case. But she needed verbal confirmation that she wasn’t just getting tossed out. Then she could trust it a little bit.

Elay’s face turned up in a sneer. He’d absolutely seen worse, they just needed a little luck in scoring some furniture to spruce it up. Hire a magical cleaner, have them give the walls a good once-over for sound proofing and insulation, then you can work on other things. Like, for instance, the door… Already having two locks on it was great, but it was cheap just like everything else, and looked like it was made of balsa.

He’d happily replace the door with something better, or at least get barring on the back of it with a magical access. Surely if she knew they were cracking the apartment, she’d request keys for any new locks. But fuck trying to get into the magic barricade. Call the cops, they’re not going to come down here to bash the door open for the property owner.

“Do it yourself.” they’ll say.

”Th’fuck do you think? It’s a safe house. Office, whatever you want to call it, we’re gonna keep it in our back pocket. Capice?”

Nessa narrowed her eyes slightly, crouching down in front of her suitcase as she half assedly folded the clothes she’d thrown in there.
”So you’re graciously letting me stay with you? Really?” She spoke more monotonously than she did hopefully. Really pushing to confirm it without seeming desperate. The she probably already looked pretty fucking desperate.

”Oh, whaaaaaat? Am I speaking Italian? I know I said ‘capice’ but that’s a pretty well known slang term regardless of its origin!”

Elay gripped at the bridge of his nose.

”I’m saying don’t be afraid to leave shit here! Take it all if you must, but you’re gonna hate transporting it back and forth… And remind me next time we’re coming south to bundle up that spare dresser I have… This place needs a piece of furniture that isn’t schifoso…”

Nessa stared at him for another moment, before nodding. She’d just wanted to hear him say it. Just in case. She turned back around to her suitcase, considering what to leave behind. She didn’t exactly have much clothes now… so she pulled out just a few outfits, the nicer more revealing clothes she’d wear out, along with some tops so she’d be able to cycle through for her more practical outfit.

”You’ll want to replace the mattress if you’re ever gonna sleep here. It’s way too short. And lumpy.” Though she wasn’t sure how much he cared about comfort. She turned around towards the mattress in question, lifting it up slightly with a soft grunt. Her other arm went under, and into a tear on the bottom. It came back out with a small stack of cash. All the money she had to her name… slightly increased after she sold the valuable thing she owned. Frowning, she stuffed it underneath her clothes.

”Oh, and also…” She stood up, having to go past Elay to get over to the tiny table. She squatted again, pulling a thick leather bound book out from underneath one of the legs. It immediately tipped towards her, stopping when the broken end of the leg hit the floor.
”You need to provide your own book to keep it up. Or buy a new table.” She stared up at him, holding the book against her chest as if it was some kind of treasure, rather than something she used to keep a table from tilting over.

”Oh, wow… Tome worth keeping, right? Crazy, I mean I guess you’re already part way through that one?” Elay asked sarcastically.

It was fairly curious, that she’d have to keep the book under the table. Usually those sorts of things were meant to stick around: Someone’s forgotten distraction left to serve a more divine purpose at the end of days. Yet, this book gets raptured? He had to see for himself at some point. The burning curiosity fell from the sky into the pit of his stomach to give birth to another tree in the Grove.

”Is that everything? I assume you’ve got zero food that’ll spoil in the fridge?”
Elay’s long legs took him back to the door, looking around one last time.

”The fridge isn’t even on.” Nessa shrugged. She didn’t have any eggs left, and she’d finished the last of the pasta yesterday… Maybe there was some dried food in the back of the cupboard, but that wouldn’t go off. It’d probably just be eaten by the rats.
”I don’t keep a lifetime's supply of Ragu around.”

She shuffled back over to her suitcase, dumping the book on top. She quickly slammed the suitcase shut over it. Maybe she should’ve just left it where it was. Hope that the building burnt down and destroyed it too. But it would probably survive a fire. It was so fucking enchanted that it would probably survive anything. So it was safest with her… even though the sight of it made her feel a bit sick.
”This is it. I leave my large collection of clothes bought with stolen money somewhere safer.” Tone heavy with sarcasm, she lugged the suitcase towards the door.

Elay was quick to take the bag from her. It wasn’t clear if he was just impatient watching her lug it around, or if he was subconsciously being gentlemanly, but it left Nessa free of weight to do things like lock the door back up. With his long strides, he was down the hall and back down to where the people walked the Earth. That long corridor, in Elay’s mind, felt like a tunnel to another world with its long, monotonous series of alternating doors without windows. Every apartment building or complex felt like that.

It was like the tunnels… Safe.

”I’m gonna pull the car up! Gotta talk to the old lady about whatever this job is.” he called backward, foot hitting the first step to go down into the parking lot.

A minute or so later, he was pulling around with Nessa’s suitcase already in the trunk. It paid to keep cars in neighborhoods like these close as possible to where you were going to be. Even if it was just a little nicer, someone probably had a reason to break in. Hell, even if it was a shitbox, there was reason enough. So, pull up to the office, take out the key, lock the doors again and beckon Nessa toward him.

”Alright, you know this lady vaguely more than me. Any reason I should be suspicious of whatever line she’s about to try and cast for us?” he asked with a serious tone.

Nessa shrugged, hands shoved into her jacket pocket. Was there anything suspicious? Maybe that from what Nessa knew the landlady was stingy. Hiring a private investigator was more than Nessa would expect for someone who’d rather deal with criminals to supply the building’s electricity than pay decent money for it. But more than that…
”She has some kind of magic. I’m not sure what, but a strong emotional field. Not mental, because I didn’t feel anything against mine.”

”No shit…”
Surprise was registered on Elay’s face. He hadn’t even bothered checking, so to hear that was completely unexpected.
”So, what? You think it’s gonna be some kind of bullshit? Does she know you’re magic?”

”I don’t know. Maybe. She’s never fucking said anything, but that doesn’t mean shit.” Nessa frowned. She could know. Probably did, if she’d felt Nessa’s tap against her emotional field. It was difficult to tell, because Nessa had worked hard to perfect a more subtle initial intrusion. But if someone was strong enough, they’d always be able to tell.
”She didn’t even react when I first checked, but us South Siders aren’t exactly flaunting our magic to the world. But it might not have anything to do with magic. Just important to know, isn’t it?”

Elay shook his head.
”Could mean everything. Could mean the difference between a smile and a worm crawling into your brain to rewire you like a puppet. Predators don’t always love sharing territory, never mind parley.”

Still, Elay’s head nodded into the office, directing Nessa forward.
Did you read all that?
No response from the cat. Nothing except a gentle little snore.

Garf… Wake up.
Mrmmmhgnm
Useless fuck…

Elay moved to the door and held it open for Nessa without even thinking about it.
”Alright, Granny… So this job you mentioned. What’s going on with it?”

Irene looked up from the desk she was sitting behind, smiling slightly.
“It’s polite to knock. Have a seat.” She gestured to the two rather uncomfortable looking chairs in front of her desk. The one she was sitting on looked much nicer.

Nessa was quick to sit down, looking around with a frown. It always irritated her how nice this place was when all the apartments for rent were absolute shitholes. Cheap shitholes, but still shitholes.

“Here’s your statement.” Irene pushed it over the table towards Elay. Her gaze stayed on him, practically ignoring Nessa, which just made her more annoyed.
“As for the job… Recently, I’ve been having an issue with tenants not paying. Of course, there are plenty like Nessa- worthless people without a coin to their name and no drive to actually earn it. I frequently have to chase them for rent.”

”You fucking old-”
“But,” Irene forcefully cut off Nessa before she could respond, leaving her to stew in silence. She wanted to snap back with more, but she didn’t want to lose out on possible money. A rare moment of self control for the greater good.
“I have many who have jobs. Low paying jobs that leave them living here completely hopeless and near destitute… but jobs that pay the bills. Recently, people from both groups have stopped paying. More than that… some barely respond to my threats to evict them. Like they’ve been changed somehow.”

Irene pulled open a desk drawer, pulling something out.
“Someone in the area is luring away these poor people and scamming them out of their hard earned money. It’s awful for my business. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about this person. Which is why I need someone like you to look into it.”

She held out the thing she’d pulled out- it looked like a card from some game. It was green, with a picture of someone transforming into a bear on it.
“I found this on one of the victims.”

Elay’s hand instinctively reached for the card, examining it in his hand rather thoroughly. After a moment of this, there was a faint giggle in his head. The faintest giggle. Whatever it was, someone knew something.

”You’re telling me… This card? That’s all you’ve got? And you’re convinced that whoever this individual is, they’re… What? Pied Pipering your tenants away? Sounds like some drug dealer shit.” Elay remarked, shaking his head and looking back up at the old woman.

”Also, uh… Did you… Hear yourself? Just, like, y’know checking to make sure. Anyway, I’m sure we’ll be able to figure something out. But, what do you actually want done about it? You just want us to, y’know, identify the culprit? Or is this something else?”

Nessa leaned over a bit to look at the card, narrowing her eyes. It just looked like a card to her. If she had White Lux she’d be able to glean something from it… but her unique combination was useless here. It looked and sounded stupid. Like, one of those card games people got into at school… but people were spending all of their money on it? Disappearing? That was insane.

“Well, what are you willing to do? Can you ensure they leave the area permanently?” Irene raised her eyebrows.

”You want us to kill him?” Nessa frowned.

“Intimidate him,” Irene smiled.
“And you’re correct, it’s surprisingly similar to a drug dealer. Addictive, somehow. The way people are hooked is almost… magical.”

”Yeah, well… I hear you’re a little magical yourself.-”
Elay’s cold, dead eyes looked down at the old woman with knowing intent.
”-So, say we intimidate him into leaving… You offering extra? After all, we agreed upon permission to modify the apartment. We never negotiated any actual price.”

“Well…” Irene pulled out a small bundle of notes, pushing it across the table.
“How about two hundred up front, which covers a month of rent… which you can write off as a business expense while freely using the cash. Then… Three or four times the amount when it’s finished, and permission to modify the apartment. Assuming you do the job well.”

She clasped her hands together, chin resting on them as she watched him without much true emotion.
“Or do you think your services are worth more?”

Elay’s face went from vaguely intimidating to entirely deflated in a matter of a moment. He could only clear his throat and reach into his pocket for another of his business cards.
”I’m having a hard time here. Y’know, I could’ve sworn I gave you one of these earlier. Handy little business card. Says the name of the detective agency on it? Also, y’know… The address. In the North. Which I pay rent in.”

He looked down at the miserly two hundred, then thought about it turning into eight hundred, or even a thousand.
”So, what do you think? You think that a thousand bucks is all you can spare?” he asked expectantly.

“Do you think I should pay you more just because you're from the North?” Irene responded.

Elay’s eyes narrowed.
”No… I think you should pay more because we’re going to be dealing with one another long term. Potentially very long term. And that’s probably going to be good for you, because having someone like me around means you’re safer. Because, well… If I wasn’t around, who knows what could happen to this place. Scary to think about, isn’t it?” he asked, jaw half-clicking into place as he thought about a beautiful burning motel.

”But if you scratch my back, then I’ll be sure to keep yours scratched. Keep all the roaches and rats out of your larder so to speak.” Elay finally offered, nodding slowly.

Irene took his barely hidden threats with a straight face. After all, you couldn’t show weakness in this part of town. But after a moment, she started laughing.
“You’re sharper than I expected, for a young Northerner.” There was a hint of surprise in her expression, and she went back into her drawers to pull out another stack of cash.
“A thousand upfront. Up to eight times that after, if it's a job well done. Because you’re correct. Strength is everything here. Perhaps you can even hold off Gideon Cross and his gang before they take over the whole area.” Another thing that would be, of course, bad for business.

“Plus, you’re taking in my favourite street rat.”
”I’m none of those things,” Nessa huffed. She’d been watching the negotiations with a silent glower, knees drawn up to her chest and scowl permanent on her face.

”Five g’s cash, up front. No rent; rather, from now on, I expect two and a half percent out of your end every month. You’re paying me, or Gideon Cross is gonna be the least of your concerns. Consider it insurance. Then you’ll know that if this problem of yours is real, I’ll be here to do something about it.”

Elay wasn’t about to let this lady get off scot free. If her whole problem was trying to soak up whatever income the poor people around could give her, it was only right that some of it be relinquished all the same. This was, of course, the law of the bigger fish. The small yielded, and the evil would always be wiped to the side. It was a historic imperative. Constant.

In that moment, he let out a burst of Garf’s senses from his head, passing across her Emotional Field and sinking subtle teeth into the surface to get a sense of the strength. If it got through, a jolt of horror… Barely visible, a piece of cloth seemed to appear and hang down from Elay’s head. It didn’t obscure him, except for the single instant in which it was necessary to use his power. Like a single frame lost in the reel of a movie.

Irene flinched slightly. Elay would be able to feel she had an Emotional Field of moderate strength. Not so easy to get into… but the Apparition within recognised Garf’s magic and cowered from it even while its host held relatively strong. It wasn’t weak by any means, but it wasn’t at the level of the Wampus Cat.

“Fine.” Irene responded after a moment's thought. A quick internal conversation. More cash was pulled out and added to the stacks already on the table.
“I accept the cost of your insurance services.”

Nessa looked between them with a frown. She could feel the magic in the air, though she couldn’t tell anything about it. Just the heaviness… she was attuned to it. Well trained. For a brief moment a strand of pink floated out, before withdrawing back into herself. What was she hoping to get from that? She didn’t have an in to either of them. Yet. No, she never would.

Irene stood up to lean across the table, holding out a hand to Elay.
“Let’s hope you do solve my very real problem, or you won’t be seeing much from your cut.”

”Lets hope your problem is real enough that I come back and apologize to you. Now, other than the card… Do you have any leads? Where they’re getting from, what’s the drop, who are the biggest players in the apartments? Anything?”

“Floor two, number seven. Floor three, number nine. They ‘play’ and haven’t left. I don’t know where they get it from. I don’t make a habit of spying on my tenants,” Irene replied, to the point.

”Well, we’ll consider changing that policy in the near future, right?” Elay laughed smugly in return, having just barely heard the shriek of fear from within. It was always better when the Apparition was the one scared.

Turning, Elay nodded and waved his hand.
”Columbo on the case, Ma’am.”

Nodding his head at Nessa to direct her toward the door, he opened it again and held it for her to leave. Once they were all alone again, he smirked.
”Well? What’ya think? Ever hear anything about this crap?” he asked, holding up the card one last time as he let himself examine it for any magical properties.

”No. I haven’t seen shit like this since highschool. This one’s new too.” Nessa leaned over to look at the card too. She wasn’t exactly social with people in her block. If she was here, she was in her apartment struggling to do anything.
”There was something a few months back about new competition on the streets… but I think that was drugs. Not card games. It seems like bullshit, but she wouldn’t waste money on that.”

Not picking anything up, Elay shook his head in return.
”Well… Either the cards are enchanted so well that Garf and I can’t tell they’re rigged, or they’re not rigged. They’re just normal cards.”

Looking at Nessa, he narrowed his eyes.
”So… You been working on any spell having to do with addiction lately?” he asked in a sarcastic tone… Despite that, however, he didn’t seem to be budging or moving on from it.

”You’re hilarious.” Nessa sneered, glaring up at him. Of course this asshole was turning it on her. As if she’d use easily trackable Lux like that. If she had the inclination, she’d just overload Blinds with cursed commands that had them coming to her with money for nothing. But she didn’t. Refused to.

”The only thing I get people addicted to is my body, and there’s no magic to that.” Half true, half false, since she did have a curse that made people magically want, need or love her. That was, in a way, a spell to do with addiction.
”Do you think this is some kind of big play to keep my addictive card game empire running, or some shit?”

”Could you stop asking asshole questions like that? I don’t fucking know, Nessa. Could be! Literally could be anything. Do I have to remind you that magic is involved? Or can you extrapolate what the fuck that means in terms of our ‘realm of possibility’?” Elay snapped.

Stepping away, he started to make for the stairs again.
”Now, there’s no chance you’ve spoken to these neighbors, is there? Two-seven, or three-nine?”

”In case I’ve Pink Luxed their brains and have them under my control?” Nessa scowled, still very much pissed about him practically accusing her of being behind it. Then he just moved on like that. Oh it could be her! Sure, could be, but it fucking wasn’t!

”No, I haven’t. People in this building aren’t exactly talkative. I try spend more time out of this shithole anyway.” Nessa followed behind him towards the stairs with a light huff.
”Ooo, careful, if I get behind you I might nail you with a card addiction spell.”

Elay shook his head, laughing and starting his way up the stairs to the second floor.
”Would you get over yourself? God, you can’t let it be, can you?”

---

It was about fifteen minutes later, after having waited at the door of two-seven for far longer than was necessary, they’d made their way to the end of the third floor. Three-nine was before them, closed with a small layer of dust built up on the knob. Elay had knocked a few moments ago, but the two were left without an answer.

”Right… With Garf asleep, I’m kind of useless. I can get some pretty basic senses out, but… Well, usually I’d just smell them through the door. I can’t. You got anything to pick up people through walls?” he asked Nessa with a sheepish tone.

Nessa reactively smirked.
”What was it you called me yesterday? Most useless witch or something like that? Not so useless now, am I?” She was so smug about it. Of course she was, after how he’d treated her.

It wasn’t difficult to send a Pink tendril through the door. Solid matter didn’t block mind magic. She couldn’t actively control people she couldn’t see, but she could get to their minds. It was easy to hear their thoughts… or hit the blocking emptiness of an Emotional Field. She felt out a wall of negativity inside. Unsurprising.
”There’s someone in the back corner. Pretty unhappy right now about ‘not getting what he needs.’”

”Is that all you can tell? Magic around him, any curses or anything?” Elay asked, body moving to take position in front of the door to open it.
”What about physical capabilities?”

”All you asked was for me to sense something through the walls.” Nessa rolled her eyes at him.
”Can you normally smell how fucking buff someone is?”

After some unnecessary cattiness, she shifted herself to lean against the wall beside the door. It wasn’t that sensing that stuff was difficult. It just required going in, unless it was incredibly potent or poorly cast. She closed her eyes, face going blank.

Gross. This guy’s mind was horrible. Cluttered like a hoarder's den. He probably didn’t even need addiction magic to get deep into a game like this. But… there was a tingling feeling that Nessa would get when she delved into a mind her Father, or his assistant, had touched. External changes. Well hidden… threads of a subtle spell intertwining the space she floated in. She could sense that it had been a few hours since it was cast by the way the threads, now that she pulled them out, glowed brightly. In a few days it would dim and disappear.

So it wasn’t magic like hers. Not a permanent change. Something that needed frequently recast, but dragged the victim back to the caster. Moderate strength…

Pink Lux. Pretty smart spell. Nessa didn’t actually talk, instead the words were whispered across Elay’s magical field. Another thread of Pink from her to him.

But he himself was not magic. There was a chance this guy could lead them back to the source if they waited long enough. But, that would be incredibly long. So, Elay’s new dilemma was whether or not it was worth waking up Garf, or asking Nessa to get any further. He had to test her capabilities sooner or later, so…

”Alright, so you got that… Can you get memories? Track our source without us even touching this guy?” he asked in a matter of fact tone.

Nessa had to withdraw from the guy a little bit to properly hear Elay. She could, but it was muffled. Like she was underwater.
Could she get memories? What was she, recently kindled? She’d dug her own hole by pretending to be so weak for self protection.

What happens if I say no? As Nessa replied with her magic, outside body expressionless, the her inside the guy’s mind scoffed. It wasn’t difficult to go through his recent memories. She knew where she was looking, following the thread of Pink magic.

Oh, smart. Whoever it was had blurred out the location. The memory was still there, but it was like it was corrupted. She could undo it with enough time… but that was a hassle. Irritating, when they could just follow him there. It was simple for her to implant a command on a blind.
Feel the need to buy more, go do it immediately.
Then she grasped the Pink thread inside, supercharging it.

”Why would we track them when we can follow him?” Nessa asked as she pulled out of his mind, eyes opening again.

”Well, obviously because sitting here waiting for him to do it would take ho-”

The door opened before Elay could finish his sentence. A short, scrawny man dragged himself out. In his hands were a couple of cards, similar to the one they’d seen earlier. He was muttering under his breath about bullshit pull rates and how the next one would be the one as he shuffled into Elay.

He didn’t even seem to notice. His eyes were glazed over and he turned to go around Elay. It was both the subtle curse Nessa had cast on him, and the addictive Pink magic already there. Nessa stepped back to let him.

”Oh look, I bet that’s where he’s going right now.”

Elay’s eyes swapped between Nessa and the man’s back several times before he finally shook his head and moved to follow.
”Yep, alright. Fine. This kind of thing? Makes me way more inclined to treat you with a modicum of respect. Not that I’m afraid, but… Clearly you’ve got more tricks up your sleeve than you wanted me to know.”

He walked with a purposefully slow stride as they trailed the man, one arm wrapping around Nessa’s shoulders and pulling her close.
”You’re telling me this ain’t satisfying? Doing work, instead of just doing whatever? We’ll actually get to see something. Do something about it, and there’s a good chance that there’s profit at the end of this rainbow. D’ju hear what the deal was? She’s paying me two and a half percent of her turnover monthly. Sucker should’ve never tipped her hand.” he grinned.

”Well she’s normally the top of the food chain. Those kinds of people always think they’re gonna win. Easy for someone bigger and stronger to knock ‘em over.” Nessa shrugged, leaning in towards Elay. She held back the more snide, immediate comment on the tip of her tongue for once. She should enjoy him being a bit less of a dick for a moment rather than poking the hornet’s nest.

”Sure, I find so much satisfaction out of dragging shit out of someone’s mind and manipulating them. Now that you’ve shown me how fun it is, maybe I should set up my own rival detective agency. I was always just getting with guys cause I didn’t realise how satisfying magical detective work was.”

Elay couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. She was utterly unstoppable when it came to this kind of shit. Her terribly crass and biting sarcasm, the disregard for the humanity of the subject, the blatant disrespect toward whatever was in her crosshair… It wasn’t exactly a desirable trait, but it was certainly more fun than some girl like his sister Rina. Quiet, almost beaten down; what good was life without a struggle?

Are you romanticizing her trauma-filled aggression right now? You are a disgusting little man, Lazarus Motta.
Oh now you wake up, you cheeseball looking fart… What’d God kick you out of Heaven again?
It was the one where the refrigerator comes alive and consumes me.
Ah, yes. The Ouroboros.

Along the path near the stairs, Garf was standing and watching the man come down until he hit the stairs. Then he hopped up on the railing, giving the puppetted man a once-over.
”So the Wicked Witch turns her hand! This feels intricately woven. Skillfully… Would you say it took you long? Or is this sort of thing natural to you?”

Garf’s question came with an unblinking yellow stare. He was looking at Elay’s hand comfortably wrapped around Nessa’s shoulder at a lower point. It was like they were watching their toddler walk to the park by itself.

Nessa stared back at Garf unflinchingly. Of course it was natural. She’d used it day after day for at least ten years. Basic mind control had been mastered before she was eleven. Then this, a non active curse, after she’d cracked emotional fields. Using it in this way… didn’t make her feel quite so sick. Not this spell. It was almost innocent. A trigger, and then a command was followed.

She tried not to think about how it would keep happening as long as this man had the addictive spell on him. She’d made sure he’d never be able to resist it.
”It didn’t take long, but it’s not that intricate. I mostly piggy backed off the spell already on him.” She shrugged the shoulder that didn’t have Elay’s hand on it, smiling at Garf.
”I’m best at delicate application of Pink Lux. That’s probably why it looks so intricate. Skillful, but not so dangerous.” It was a lie of course, and he’d know it, but she was walking the fine line of being useful to Elay while not revealing her full horrific capabilities.

”Wow, real compliment taker. Great.”
Garf shrugged off her response with a turn and a couple of steps forward into the middle of open air. He was trotting forward just as he would on solid ground, turning around and sitting down in mid air to watch Nessa and Elay walk down the stairs.

It wasn’t until Elay was far below him on the ground floor that he broke eye contact with a position on the horizon, and like a cartoon, gravity came out from under him. This caused the massive cat to fall three stories onto Elay’s shoulders, with every single claw on his massive double paws sinking into Elay’s greatcoat.
The searing pain didn’t matter too much… But instinctively, Elay’s hand gripped Nessa’s shoulder a bit harder. Enough that he could see it hurting someone frail. So rather than keep the hand there, he pulled away fully and stuffed his hand back into his pocket.

”Oh, thanks Big Guy. That was great, I loved that greeting. Really.” he grunted, shaking his head before turning it to Nessa.
”I’d say sorry for squeezing, but we both know you can take it.”

”That’s not the enjoyable type of pain,” Nessa shot back, with an exaggerated pout as she reached up to rub her arm. The reaction was noticeably delayed, waiting for Elay to let go and talk before it happened. She’d barely registered the pain. It hurt, with her body weak as it was, but… it wasn’t so bad she even really thought about it.

And contrary to what she said, all pain was enjoyable in some way. Even if it was a reminder she was alive. Or a delayed minor punishment for using her Father’s spell.
”But you don’t need to use Garf as an excuse if you’re horny like that! I understand.”

Elay wasn’t so bashful as to pass the opportunity up. His right hand came back out of the jacket and flicked through the air to wrap against one of her cheeks.
”Don’t get fuckin’ fresh with me… Jesus Christ!” he shouted, shaking his head.

Was this the kind of thing he was looking for? Fun? For five seconds he could forget that she was anything but there to make him feel better. She wanted what she wanted, but maybe that wasn’t all she was? Or maybe they were just two animals drinking from the same fetid pool. He didn’t know why Garf had any feelings toward her, but he thought he could imagine why just for that short moment. Joking around as they followed a mark to a possible target…

This was probably a better first date.

”You like it when I do,” Nessa retorted with a smirk, voice slightly more breathless. Her hand came around to capture his before he could withdraw it. It wasn’t anything romantic like holding it, rather her nails scratching against the back of his hand. She wasn’t worried about playing around too much and losing the person they were following… she had a Pink tether on him now.
”I’m hot and interesting. You’d already be bored if I kept my mouth shut like you originally wanted. You can’t deny it.”

Elay didn’t answer her, just leaving his hand where she apparently wanted it to be. He grinned, then shook his shoulder to let Garf drop down onto her. The tubby cat was a heavy weight on her shoulders, and his nose gently brushed against the hair on the back of Nessa’s neck.
As easy as pulling from a brand new deck of cards. Not… Not the ones you’re following. Real cards, the fifty-two-in-four.

Being so close to Garf, one could feel his voice just slip into the littlest places in one’s Emotional Field. So tight, so cramped, so sure that the old wound was closed up and not bothering… But once was enough, and he could worm his way in whenever.

Just continue to placate his ego. He’s a simple thing at this point. the cat intoned, letting his voice echo around Nessa’s head.

Nessa had grimaced slightly as the heavy weight dropped onto her shoulder, using it to cover up her annoyance at him getting into her head again. She leaned slightly more towards Elay to help with the weight, managing to hide the irritation back down under a playful smirk.

Not sure you can call what I did ‘placating his ego’, but sure. I’ll keep flirting with him. It’s the same with every guy. She responded even as she was annoyed he was in there. How? His own magic? Or was it…
No, it couldn’t be. She’d gotten rid of all of his magic. No more curses on her. It was all gone. It didn’t matter that it felt similar. It wasn’t that.

But how many times do I need to tell you to stay out? It’s not fucking hard. Pass the message without getting in my head.

You don’t even know how this works. Telepathy, mind reading… All tricks my people developed. But I don’t need it, because no matter how much you feel me inside you? You can’t stop the future from happening. I have been inside, I will be again. Thus, I simply am.

Like he had never been on her shoulders, he was back on Elay with his face looking down at Nessa. Garf’s tail swung side to side, and he smiled a wry smile that looked terribly fiendish on the face of a cat. Abnormal.
But they had to cross a street away from the apartment building, so Elay was sure to take a few swinging strides to cross behind Nessa from side to side. To effectively cover her from both angles as they crossed, and prevent her from being the first to be injured in the event of a reckless driver.

”Christ, where’s this guy headed? Too bad it wasn’t isolated to the complex, this would’ve been much quicker…”

”The Pink Adept’s too strong to keep it to one building. Maybe at first… but this has obviously been going on a while.” Nessa responded, tilting her head around to glance at Elay. She was surprised by how he was acting as they went across the road, as if he’d actually try and stop her from being run over. Huh.

”He’s not that strong. But strong to do this across an area of town.” As she spoke, Nessa tried to figure out where they were going through the thread she had attached to the man they were following. But with him following a magical command, his head was practically empty. On autopilot.
”It can’t be far. Most people in this part don’t drive, so… it should still be local.”

”Fair… Garf, who is this guy anyway? Anyone we should be worried about?”

He was talking about the man they were following, to which Garf gave a vague grunt of address.

”Not a lot to know. Born and raised pretty much within this three square mile area. Didn’t have much of a chance before whatever this was came along, so I doubt he’ll have much of one after we get rid of it.” Garf explained in a nonchalant manner.

”Right. I should’ve guessed. Just-”
”-Curious. I know.”

The cat was gone then, like he’d never even been there to begin with. He was up ahead, walking alongside the dazed man.

”Oh, great… He’s hungry again.” Elay gave a slight frown, looking down at Nessa.
”What’d you think about this morning anyway? Seriously not put off?”

”He was really annoying. Tried to demand I go pick up more of that pasta, and then gave me a mile long list of food he wanted from downstairs… then told me to forget it.” Nessa shrugged one shoulder, taking issue with something relatively mundane rather than the whole horrible cat-human creature Garf had become. There’d been some fear at the time, but… she’d seen a lot of monsters. Created them. It was nothing more than extra fuel for already constant nightmares.

”The second face was disgusting. And I figured if he decided to kill me, I’d get to come back as a ghost and watch you suffer over cleaning up all the guts across your kitchen.” Her lips pulled up into a sarcastic smile. Definitely a dark joke rather than a genuine thought she’d had at the time.

”No doubt that would’ve happened. You haunting me and everything.” he joked.

Then the mark hooked a right. A few more twists and turns through the maze of buildings on this particular block, and he was headed into a nondescript bar room with a couple of toughs outside chatting and smoking. Elay grinned.
”Oh, man… A drink! he said brightly, following not far behind into the bar.

”You’d be better off buying paint stripper than anything here,” Nessa commented as she followed behind him.

Inside was about as run down as could be expected. Dirty, it smelled like spilled booze and smoke. The furniture was an odd, half broken assortment. It was about half full. Regulars, probably, tough looking guys from the area. Even the bartender looked like the rest. It made it extra easy to see where the scrawny guy they’d been following went.

She followed Elay over to the bar, sensing what the man was doing rather than actively watching. The neurons firing as they controlled his movement… then he was further away. Downstairs. She could still sense him, but it was a bit more difficult to follow.

He showed one of his cards and was let through the back… Into a basement. She thought to Elay, while wrapping her arms around one of his and pressing her body against him. While she assumed he was going to the bar because he was a fucking alcoholic… it wasn’t like the person they were following could get out without them knowing. But everyone in this place could be in on it.
”What’re you getting, Babe? Can I have the same?”

”Don’t call me Babe, that’s gay.” Elay snidely replied backward, leaning into the bar and waving a massive arm for attention.
”Two seven and sevens!” was his request, spinning and waiting to look back out at the bar. He wasn’t trying to look like he was actively scanning, but the place really just revealed itself to him.

At least it was mostly a cube. He tried to get a read on where Garf was, but he wasn’t locating back. It was either interference, or Garf’s subtle suggestion that he should come and look for himself. But he wasn’t going anywhere without some new alcohol in his gut.

”It sure is gay, since you’re acting like a massive pussy over it. We might as well be two fucking lesbians,” Nessa rolled her eyes at Elay.
”I can practically see you growing tits in front of my eyes.”

”My pussy is massive.” was the only reply Elay could muster, just smiling and shaking his head.
”Who taught you how to joke, anyway? Where’d you get your humor from, really?” he asked, nothing better to do with this moment of waiting for the good stuff.

Nessa shrugged one shoulder with a short laugh.
”Dunno, picked it up from people around me. Guys I hooked up with. Always kinda leaned that way naturally.” It was a genuine answer. That, and hours spent as a child allowed on the internet with absolutely no parental supervision. But she’d always had the inclination to be a bit crude… it’d just been suppressed for a long time.
”Certainly wasn’t my parents. Both were fucking tight asses.”

”Oh, Daddy issues? Or was Mommy the one who hit you more?” Elay grinned, totally insensitive to the nature of the question.
It’s not like he didn’t know what he was saying was bad… He just couldn’t muster enough of a fuck. Either she would stick around, or she wouldn’t. Either way, he didn’t feel like it was any sort of problem he had to solve. No change necessary. No doing anything differently.

”Is it not allowed to be both?” Nessa raised her eyebrows, as she clamped down on the sickness the question made her feel in her gut. The hint of buzzing in her mind, a phantom pain left from years of magical brain zapping.

It was Daddy issues, of course. Total abandonment didn’t quite beat out constant abuse.
”What’s it matter? Tryna figure out if I’ll drop you for a hotter woman that’ll treat me the same?”

”Nah. If I was worried about that I’d introduce you to my Matriarch.”
The comment was given, and passed away, without any real context. The drinks showed up, and Elay threw a crisp five down on the counter before tucking the entire thing back ice and all. The glass hit the counter, and he admired a couple of half-shocked faces nearby.

Then Elay started to stretch his shoulders and arms slightly.
”Alright. You coming down? Or you just gonna let me handle it?” he asked.

”Coming down. I want to make sure you don’t fuck it up.” Nessa grabbed the other drink. She didn’t have the ability to just chug ice like that… but she did finish off the drink as quickly as she could with a grimace. It burnt as it went down her throat, but that was part of what she drank for.
”How will you even know which guy it is?”

”Well, Garf’s awake at least. I can tell who's magical and who's not. Then, determining Lux from other stuff is fairly simple. I can see it all, if you can imagine. People’s eyes, their teeth; I can see all their veins if I try enough, outlined in whatever color they practice. If there’s more than one, it shimmers between the colors. Sometimes it gets hard to tell then.” Elay explained, starting to saunter over toward the door that led downstairs.

”We’ll figure it out. Now… Will they let us both in with only one card, I wonder. Can you check anyone’s mind to see if they’ve seen people throwing packs away in the trash cans up here?”

”You want to rifle around in the trash for some cards?” Nessa stared at Elay incredulously. Seriously? One minute he was bragging about seeing Adeptal colours in people's veins like a weird kind of vampire, next he wanted to act like a raccoon in a trash can?
”Fine. Don’t let me stop you having a trash shower.”

It was a bit annoying to check minds like that. She chose a few people near the door. Her feet walked on autopilot as she gleaned the information, leaning slightly towards Elay. Then her head very slowly nodded.
”Yuuuppp, your trash can awaits.” She subtly gestured towards the one nearest the door.

Elay nodded, looking around, the floor to see if there was any kind of magic user who would notice his illusion when it came. There weren’t, and then suddenly there was Garf. He was high above, his favorite place to be, and swinging his tail.
Lord… You’re going to pay me extra for all this running, right?

You’re paid handsomely. Now come lounge.
With pleasure.

Garf leapt down onto Elay’s shoulders, letting his gut hit the back of Elay’s neck. In that motion, the impact of it forced Garfield’s skin to stretch in a cartoonish fashion, snapping back as a fully formed scarf that hung down the open sides of his greatcoat. There were a few moments where Nessa would be able to see Garf’s eyes peering back at her as they slowly faded somewhere into the depths of the scarf.

Then Elay raised his hands, holding one side of the scarf to twirl around his face. There was a wave of magic that Nessa would be able to feel wash across the room, and suddenly everyone was laughing at Elay. But all their eyes were at once on his scarf, which meant every single observer was now caught. It was a sticky trap for Blinds, as there was little chance for them to distinguish reality from his design now.

He could play with their heads in funny ways. Like, making them think they were all naked. And always had been. Or into simultaneously weeping at once, which he did just to make sure the few people who weren’t looking actually turned around and saw. Then, all of it washed away. The bar room returned to normal, and the whole operation carried on.
Without skipping a beat, Elay moved forward to the trashcan and opened it up, then rummaged around for another card until he found a whole stack.

Taking one, he dusted it off and stuck it into his pocket, then put the lid back on the can and snapped his fingers. Garf was gone, the scarf was gone, there was no sign that anything happened besides Elay moving back to Nessa’s side.
”And nobody’s the wiser. Now, here.”

He pulled out the old card that the landlady had given them and handed it to Nessa, then nodded toward the basement.

”The scarf flick was so lame,” Nessa couldn’t hold back the dig, after having to witness it. Sure, the magic was impressive enough. But the delivery? Hilariously lame.

Taking the card, she headed towards where she’d seen their target go. Back corner, a more shaded area with an opening for the stairs down. There was a muscular man sitting right beside it.
Nessa didn’t even wait for him to say anything, holding her card up in front of her, and out of sight from most of the bar, with a smile. He narrowed his eyes at it, then Elay’s, and nodded.

”Strange security system,” Nessa said under her breath. The stairs were dimly lit, and the smell of smoke only got stronger as they got into the basement below. It didn’t even have the ‘homely’ dirt of the upstairs bar. Just concrete walls.

There was a narrow corridor that then opened up into the main underground room. More oblong than the bar above it, it clearly spread out under the house below too. Artificial, bright white lights hung above table upon table laid out in long rows. The place was packed. Men and women sitting opposite each other, slapping down cards in a furious game. There was shouting, cheering and crying. Aside from the people playing, there were people ripping open packs and trading with each other. Everyone had a slightly glazed look in their eyes, along with almost feverishly high emotions.

Right at the back was a slightly separated table, where the man they’d followed was. Across it were what looked like boxes filled with sealed card packets. Two men sat behind it. One was clearly serving, while the other’s chair was pushed further back as he scrolled on his phone. A woman leaned against the nearby wall and stared at him.

Nessa was incredibly careful as she opened her mind, sliver of Pink Lux moving into the air. Not looking for magic like Elay could see. Looking for a specific signature.
But it was everywhere. Everyone but the three at the back had it, now that she knew what she was looking for. It was overwhelming enough that she stumbled slightly, tilting her body towards Elay to hide it. Unnecessarily when everyone was so focused on the cards.

Elay could almost crack up with laughter at the scene before him. There was no way these dudes were actually hooked like this, but the more he opened his senses to what was going on, the more he realized just how serious this was. Worse was the triple-Adept combo at the back of the room. Yellow was never great; they were simply ready for a magical invasion of their mind better than others. But then there was an Orange-Pink… Their mark? The Red was most concerning, as they were generally combat oriented… Of course, she wasn’t sat at a table either. Clear security behavior.

Elay quickly bridged their minds using Garf’s connection.
You got it too, right? The three in the back? Got anything to bring the crowd under our favor?

Nessa’s eyes narrowed slightly, glancing past all the Blinds to the three in the back. Trying to zone out the background noise was just a moment. Focusing in… None of them were the one. She knew what his magic felt like now, and he wasn’t there.

Thankfully. Because yes, she could mind control every single Blind in this room if she had to. That many were difficult to give intricate commands to, but just to help them? To be bodies in between? She could.
But she really didn’t want to. Just the thought of it made her chest feel tight, another panic attack pushed down swiftly by her own magic. She could do so much more than that too. What if she used too much, and killed them like she had many before? She couldn’t.

They’re not who we’re looking for. Not the one. None of them have the same magical signature. Nessa did her best to not change her expression, staring at the card she had intently for a moment.
I can’t. This size of crowd is too much.

What about dispelling the effect? I just don’t need all these potentially hostile bodies in here if we’re gonna have a fight over this…
Elay’s voice was adamant coming through Nessa’s mind, and gave a sense of confidence that could only be presented in that theatre of the mind.

Nessa didn’t feel confident if there was a fight when there were three Adepts. But… she could run. If it all went to shit, she’d just turn and run.
I can do that. It’ll take a bit. I’ll have to release them all at once, I think. As Nessa replied she moved away from him, spinning herself round to sit in a free chair. There was no one opposite her, and thankfully everyone seemed caught up in their current games to not immediately fill the spot to try to play with her.

Maybe talk to them? Be less suspicious?
Where she sat her eyes glazed over slightly, still staring down at the green card. Her body slumped a bit as she carefully, subtly, sent out tendrils into every Blind in the room, while keeping a light thread attached to Elay so she could still speak to him.

Elay wasn’t exactly dressed like he was some card game junkie from the south side… Kind of stuck out like a sore thumb in that regard. Never the less, he did what he could do and took a deep breath before making his way to where the vendors were. It took a moment for the small line that had built up to clear out. Enough time that Elay got to see some pretty crucial behaviors to mimic.

Chief among them was the sheer bulk at which people were buying these cards, and the voracity with which they shredded them open. It was actually comical, but also necessary to play the part as best he could. He could see them shaking harder and harder as they got closer to the front, until they said those magic words.

”B-boxes… Eight.” his deep voice timidly spoke, still remembering the days of utilizing voice manipulation in his Pink Lux. It was amazing how much less intimidating a meek and quiet voice was than an absolute bullhorn.

He pulled cash from his pocket. They always only had just enough for what they were buying, so he’d ripped off a few hundred from the wad without taking it out.

The Yellow Adept nodded, having to pull up some more boxes from underneath the table after the small line Elay had stood in. Eight boxes, neatly put in two stacks. But he kept his hand on them rather than immediately pushing them forward. A hint of suspicion is his eyes he didn't bother hiding. He knew how to get customers talking too- hold back the goods and they'd get desperate.

“Just eight? You ain't buying for your girl too?” He nodded over to where Nessa was sitting.
“I ain't seen you two round before… you new? Or just tryin' a new location?”

Elay could’ve given any excuse.
”Nah! F-fuck her. She can do w-what she wants! She’s the whole reason we gotta go this far down t’get anything!”
He hoped the “clerk” would bite, and let Elay spin a yarn about her freaking out over a match.

Mr. Yellow glanced over at Nessa again, then at Elay. Of course he bit- getting information about their ‘customers’ life was an important part of the ‘job’.
“Oh? She kick up a fuss in another location? Lemme guess… didn’t get the card she wanted?”

Mindlessly, Elay’s hands ripped into the first box like an animal, ripping the top and snagging the first pack out and splitting the perforation with dextrous ease. His head tilted downward, then shot to attention as he robotically flipped through cards.

“Lost… Bad match.”
He had no clue what to look for, but he knew how people who played these kinds of games were. Kiki had been into this, and there was a time where a group of the kids from Raven’s Rest had been into a similar card game.

He knew what ripping a pack of cards open was supposed to look like. Looking through them, he started to get a feeling for it. Then, in classic fashion, Garf’s knowledge came into play. This was a “Discovery Moment”: Enough knowledge had passed through his brain based on reading mechanics of the game that Garf’s understanding was able to diffuse into his own mind.
None of it was organized, of course. Garf was never going to let it get like that. But, for what he could gather within a few moments, this pack was dogshit.

”FfffffUCK!” he snarled, going for another pack. Purposefully fumbling around, he was trying to take as much time as possible out of these people’s days.

”Listen, Man… You had anyone pull any Trombone of Earth and Darkness cards? Not the whole set, just the core monster. I can’t fucking get it!”

“Hmm, not sure,” the man said, a glint in his eyes as he saw Elay’s distress. He tilted his head back towards the other man sitting behind him, playing on his phone.
“Anyone got the core E n’ D Trombone?”

“With one per ten boxes? Not here.” The Pink-Orange Adept looked up, going from bored to grinning in a moment.
“But that just means it’s still out there, don’t it? Maybe the next one’s the one, my friend. Buy two more boxes and you’re practically guaranteed it. Going for E ‘n D, though… you gunning to win in the big leagues?”

”Why the fuck else would I be doing this? E ‘n D, Googly-Verse, the Ramen King. I want the big three themes: Pure collecting. She plays them. And when she’s got money, she rips her own. She was already bad off a bad set of rips and then-”
This pack was shit too. He became even more distressed.

”Ohhhhh my fucking God! I swear, I swear I’m gonna kill someone over this man, I fuckin’ can’t stand this shit…”

“You’re just a collector-”
“Oy, no violence in here,” Yellow Adept interrupted his suddenly overly enthusiastic friend, though there wasn’t really any bite to his words. No fear, just some gruffness.

“Sh, we’re talking cards here…” Pink-Orange shook his head.
“You got good taste. Which is your favourite theme… since there’s no point askin’ what your favourite strat is then, since you ain’t the player. She signed up for the Tournament?”

As the guy started talking excitedly about the card game as if he was also magically drugged, Nessa’s mental voice spoke up again.
Ready?

Elay spun, grabbing the box in his hand.
”No! No, no no! You said one in every ten boxes!? I’ve bought twenty-five so far, so you’re lying to me! And I know it!”

The escalation of involvement was turning into something more. He could feel everything on edge.
Hit it.

“Calm down, man, it ain’t guaranteed-”

All at once, Nessa pulled the remaining thread of addiction out of all the Blinds in the room. As the glazed look in their eyes disappeared, it was replaced by violent emotions. Nessa subtly pushed emotions in various ways. Some bolted, running towards the small corridor that led back upstairs. Others turned to violence. She didn’t need to control them to direct them towards their scammers now that their minds were freed. Just boosting their anger a little bit had a couple flipping tables.

“- you can’t- What the fuck?! Gus, control ‘em.” Yellow looked back at Pink-Orange, Gus, as a light glow flickered into life around all three Adepts. The woman who’d been on standby pushed forwards.

Nessa quickly moved herself off the chair, crouching down and shuffling under a table. As Gus’ Pink Lux moved out to try calm down the suddenly riotous ex-card addicts, she swiftly moved to negate it. It was easy. Pink obviously wasn’t his stronger type.
“C-can’t, magic-!”

There was immediate panic. Overwhelmed by the stronger presence of Pink control, the weight of Nessa’s magic was too heavy for the Orange-Pink, and suddenly his presence was totally lost among the sea of newly raging people. There was a long moment where everything was too wild for anyone to pick up the dropped ball, and Elay tried his hardest to bring the distance between himself and the Red Adept down to nothing.

Only to hit a brick wall. A literal brick wall, not even face height. It was strong enough to stop his charge dead and nearly knock the wind out of his chest. The thing was rapidly expanding around the little tables that had been the vendor’s desk,
”Oh, no! Not a wall! Who taught you how to do that?”

Garf was already perched atop the ever-expanding brick wall, and his eyes were staring directly into the eyes of the Red Adept. It wasn’t a meow. It was a roar. A scream from beyond the belt of meteors protecting the inside of the Solar System. All at once, every dropped phone screen and set of glasses on a face was broadcasting the same orange and black static.
In a flash, Garf became a new piece of clothing. A thief’s hood, complete with shawl, wrapped around Elay’s face, and as his face was half-covered, his eyes disappeared into blackness behind it all. Two dark yellow cat eyes opened with thin pupil slits in place of his own.

He shot a glance back at Nessa, then held a hand up to wait for a bite.

“Where?” Yellow Adept hissed, more concerned with the Pink competition than Cat Man. Guy pointed a finger towards Nessa under the table, trembling slightly as he backed away towards a back entrance. His eyes moved towards Elay.

Which was his mistake.

All at once, the Orange-Pink could see a star falling through the streaks in the fuzz of a phone screen. The trail it left spun itself together slowly, inch by sacred inch, into a loop thirteen passes long. A winged, halo sporting individual formed within the noose, and jerked to the side as the apple crate was kicked out on front of him. More and more detail formed, until Guy could see his own face in the eyes of that winged figure.

Vines slowly crept from his mouth, then a melon-like fruit depositing itself upon the ground before the hanged man. All of this in the minds eye, not but a few layers deep into the Emotional Field of this low-class Adept. They weren’t ready to defend themselves.

The Yellow Adept peeled off from his friend, oblivious to what was happening to him. There was one goal in mind. Glowing, secondary shields surrounded his fists, allowing him to knock out the Blinds on his way with relative ease.

Fuck, fuck. Nessa cast her reactive shield just in time, but the shields flaring into life across her hands were useless as he grabbed her leg and dragged her out from under the table. Her other foot came up to try and nail him in the face, pathetically hitting his chest. She struggled, rearing up to try and grab his hair.

But she was too weak to do anything. One hand grabbed her wrist as he flipped her onto her back, pinning her to the ground. Her mind raced. What did she do- cover him in boils, cripple his confidence so he backed away? Boils- It’s weak! It’s so weak- he’s weak!

With his hands on her wrists, Nessa could sense his emotional field. It wasn’t as strong as she’d expected. He… he wasn’t a strong adept.
Immediately, she changed tactics. It was almost scary how quickly she turned to that magic when threatened. The subtlest thread of blue started prying at his Emotional Field. It was like a second nature, something she could do as easily as breathing. Ten minutes, just survive ten minutes.

His hand moved towards her throat, and Nessa shoved her head forward to bite it as hard as she could. He reeled back.
“You bitch!” He went to slap her across the face.

Elay’s trap worked perfectly. The Orange-Pink had observed the static, and a Seed of Knowledge was implanted. This gave Elay an incredible range and ease of movement in the small area, utilizing the power of Doorstepping. Wampus cats, their strange ways and all, require unique skills to operate as they have for so long.

To that end, the way of Doorwalking: Folding space between two distances at the behest of the Cat, and using that path to step between short distances. In Elay’s case, it was mostly in a short radius around a particular target, as he had to have a stable connection point to base his walk around. Like a beacon, a lighthouse in the fog by which he could navigate during his short period in the dark.

Surprisingly, the Yellow seemed to be the aggressor, while the Red was seemingly occupied with keeping their supplies safe. So, one was trapped. The other was hitting his new sidekick… Elay’s body spun, and in the motion of transferring himself in reality, he spun himself through the Dark and back out next to the Yellow Adept within the blink of an eye.

Then his fist was careening toward the guy’s head at full tilt, Elay’s back leg pulling up off the ground to deliver as much downward force as possible.

The Yellow Adept hadn’t expected teleportation, too busy acting out whatever sick abuse dreams he had on the ‘helpless’ woman he had pinned. Elay’s fist slammed into the light shield around him first. It flickered under the impact and immediately shattered, the fist continuing right into the guy’s head. It knocked him back, allowing Nessa to roll out from underneath him.

”Fuck,” she hissed under her breath, scrambling backwards. Blood sluggishly dripped from the corner of her lip, her cheek throbbed, but she barely noticed it. Her chest heaved up and down, eyes wild with panic- but not from being pinned down, as much as it would seem that way. No… she’d started using it. The spell. Fuck, fuck- why couldn’t she stop herself?!

Surprisingly, the Yellow Adept recovered enough from Elay’s punch to turn around and throw a shield enhanced one of his own. It was a wild attack, footing unsteady.

Elay felt every little bit of the impact from that shield against his hand and wrist. It felt like punching through half a dozen layers of glass without gaps. Elay’s hand throbbed, and he tossed his head back to howl like an animal before stabilising himself. He was getting a look around when he got bumped around by a few of the roiling people in that basement. Just enough that he could see the hand closing in on him from the crowd with intent. He slipped underneath a bystander, flicking his head down and letting the blow crash into the Blind’s face.

His body rolled up under the newly unconscious man, pushing up and forcing himself forward harder than before. In a single fluid movement, the shawl around Elay’s head split in twain, crawling down his arms and wrapping around his fists. The orange and black wraps shimmered, and he let the glimmer flash upward to distract. The chance to throw off where his hands would be in a strange afterimage shimmer.
”Eat this!” he screamed, letting the fist catch air like a bullet from space.

The Yellow Adept was caught in the distraction of the afterimage, shielded hands moving to block a blow he expected to go to his face again. Instead it slammed into his gut, knocking him back with a pained yell. He stumbled, before falling onto his knees. In a desperate attempt to not get kicked in the face, he launched himself at Elay’s legs.

”Can you fight with a bit less yelling?!” Nessa hissed, attention snapping to the back of the room, where the Pink-Orange had snapped out of his trance enough to start fleeing out the back door.

Elay wasn’t a slouch with Garf’s feline reaction speed and perception coursing through him. The speed of light traveling in and being processed near instantly to send a reaction back through the muscles. He pushed up on one leg, forcing his whole body upward like a spring and crashing back down onto the Yellow Adept’s back. There was a very clean reactive instance, and Elay felt the resistance of a new shield. Thankfully, his emotional field wasn’t doing so hot. There was a small resistance, then a pop as his fist crashed downward like a rocket into the back of his neck.

A small plume of steam curled up from his hand, and he stared down for a moment. Just one, before his boot rose up again, stuffing the Adept’s head into the floor like a smashed pumpkin. The Red Adept had missed the show, but heard the shriek of pain that came from the first blow and knew her companion had fallen. It was on her now. Brick walls fell away, and in their place rose ferrous towers strung with lights and peaked with razor sharp tips.

”What kind of element is this… Architecture!?”

The two miniature Eiffel Towers rattled slightly, then sent themselves soaring through the air. One toward Elay, and the other toward Nessa.

Shit. Nessa scrambled backwards on her ass, getting under the table just in time to avoid meeting an untimely (or deserved) death on the peak of the Eiffel Tower.

”Maybe she’s just French- Fuck!” The metal strips that made up the tower peeled away, lancing out towards Nessa. She let out a pained moan when one embedded itself in her leg, before wrapping tightly around her calf. Weak shields fizzled in and out of existence on her hands. With a grunt, she managed to maintain them and leaned forward, trying to rip the metal off her leg.

”Can you smash her head in like you clearly love to do?!”

Elay was fully grappling the other tower, their various iron crossings turning into an army of tendrils looking to hook and stab anything they could. They weren’t just towers… Architect Elementals. Golems made of pure control of the structure they’re made out of. Quite the thing for a Red Luxer to mimic…

There was only one real option here. He’d have to leave her alone and hope that she didn’t get stuck to death because he decided to let the second one go. But the seeded individual was escaping. He only had so much time and room left. Trying to drop the tower’s attention for just a second to swap forms, Elay kicked its base out and dumped it on its sharp tip to embed in the ground. For just one moment, it let him loose enough that he could stop gripping.

No longer in need of Garf’s strength, the hand wraps quickly receded back onto Elay’s head, encompassing his face again. In that same instant, he was gone. The elementals both pulled back at that moment, responding to a threat to their source. But before they could get close enough, the wall crumbled. The two elementals sadly wandered about before flaking into rust and eroding into nothingness.
Behind the falling wall, Elay had the Red Adept by the face and was squeezing. Nessa would be able to catch the last moments of struggle before the hands stopped trying to pry him away and the legs stopped kicking.

Dropping her, Garf pulled himself off Elay’s head and hit the floor with a thud before perching on top of the victim.
”Still alive… What’s in the fridge?”

Eyes became massive and saucer like, just like that morning when Nessa woke to Garf. His mouth peeled open, and there was a slurping noise as drool poured from the creature’s mouth. Meanwhile, Elay was moving back to Nessa. He didn’t say much, but he was already checking her wound and rummaging around in his coat for something.

”I can’t be everywhere at once… You’re really gonna need to hold your own in those situations.”

”Oh right, I should’ve fucking developed some combat spells right before we got here! The card game den I knew was gonna become a battlefield!” Nessa snapped, grimacing. Her hands moved to press the material of her cargo pants into the deep wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t so bad that it’d kill her… unless she just let it bleed and bleed until she had none left in her body. She’d been cut plenty of times before. Normally not so deep… but it wasn’t the end of the world.

There were still some conscious blinds around, looking around with fear and confusion. Before they could properly react she was in their minds. Making what had just happened fuzzy in their minds, erasing the three of them, then nudging them towards the door. So it was just them.

”Maybe you could stop being an asshole and rouse up some sympathy for just one moment. Or do you just think this is a little scrape I should shrug off?”

”It is.”

It wasn’t. It was a serious wound, it’d be expected that you pull whatever soldier sustained that off the field for medical attention. It was the kind of wound that would get infected easily. They didn’t have to worry about that here, however… So, it was unfortunately something she was going to have to deal with. Elay’s sympathy didn’t come from voiced concern anyway: It came from action.

He was pulling her hands away now, leather gloves gripping her hands tight and pulling them away.
”I get what you’re trying to do with the pants, but you’re just begging to get an infection like that. Stop.”

He had a package, and ripping it open smelled like sterile alcohol. A bandage roll, that he deftly began to pack the wound with until it was tight enough that he could wrap. He’d long since placed her hand above the wound to apply pressure.
”We’ll get you to a doctor. Just hold it for now, and don’t move around too much…”

The last of the trio of clowns was gone, but whenever Elay closed his eyes he could see this sapling far in the distance. The Seedbearer, trying his hardest to escape. It was the best lead Elay could ask for, and now they had five days to follow up. So, there were two bodies in a basement under a seedy bar in a shitty part of a shittier part of a shit city.
But there was still a spell protecting something. Elay could see the Red Lux clear as day, as Garf was feasting upon its channelling host. It was an enchantment of some kind, or… A ritual?

He smiled.
”Garf… Turn her off.”

There was a wail of pain that left the Red Adept’s lips, then nothing. The little protective circle around the strongbox faded away, and Elay patted Nessa on the shoulder.
”Lemmie see what they had, then we’ll go. We got what we needed for now.”

”Sure, take your time, it’s not like I’ll bleed to death.” Nessa rolled her eyes. Of course she had enough energy to be sarcastic, so she wasn’t dying. It hurt like hell, hot pain spiking down her entire leg, but she was used to pain. Had become numb to the lower level of pain from shallower cuts, so something like this… was bearable.

Though the sterile alcohol going in it had been way worse than just pressing pants fabric into it. Which had never given her an infection before.
”You not gonna take all the cards? Rip open a bunch of packs and join the addicts? It could make you so rich.” She sneered, head tilting up to narrow her eyes at Elay slightly.
”Maybe rich enough to find a doctor that’ll take me and not make shit worse.”

”Would you stop worrying about a fuckin’ doc? It’s covered. Consider it a medical plan from the company.”
There was a moment where Elay wasn’t sure if there was something else going on with the box… Security. The Seedbearer had it rigged to get a picture of who it was that opened it as an absolute failsafe. Funny, but Elay could see right through a cheap enchantment like that.

So he did what any good thief did, and pulled his jacket up before opening the box. Some distance away, the fleeing Adept got an image of Elay with his jacket flipped over his face, and his middle finger sticking up, embedded into his brain. It wouldn’t have been so bad if that guy hadn’t just implanted the worst nightmares he’d ever have into his brain too… Now he had to remember that.

Elay wasn’t aware of the extent of psychological damage done, but he was satisfied with the pay for it. Like most criminal enterprises, this was a cash business. Which meant there was at least ten grand in the hold for operations. He quickly stuffed handfuls into his empty inner pockets, then spun and made way for Nessa.

”You probably gotta get carried, don’t you… Little Baby.” Elay mocked her with a pouting face, but didn’t wait for an answer to scoop her up.

If she hadn’t been injured, Nessa would’ve tried to kick him in the face. She had to settle for a heated glare. The effect of it was dampened by her pained moan as her leg was jostled a bit.
”Fuck off, I bet you’re enjoying this! Getting to be the big strong man carrying the damsel in distress… And you’ve got all of the control! I can’t even run- oh I bet you love that, fucking sadist.”

”Oh yeah. I love babysitting, you know me. Christ, you think this is preferable to us walking out of here on four legs total? Are you beamed out of your mind?”

Still, they could get out at all. That was the most important part. Pockets were more full than before, granted there were a lot of ones. Garf would stay behind and take care of the bodies. Check wallets too, or at the least bring them back to him intact.

”It’s gonna take all day for Garf to feel like doing any more work. So let’s get you fixed up. You’re goin’ in the trunk, by the way; I’m not paying that fuckin’ toll anymore. And once we’re done, we’re gonna see about getting you a work pass so we can avoid this from now on.”

”With my fucking leg like this?” Nessa’s upper body tilted back slightly so that she could properly glare at him. The hands that had gone to his shoulders for stability gripped tightly.
”You want me to suffocate and bleed out? Might as well just slit my throat and throw me in there like some shit murderer.”

She gnawed on her lip, brow furrowing as she tried to think of another solution. Because as much as he was an asshole, the ‘toll’ - bribe - was a rip off. She wouldn’t want to pay it either. Her face scrunched up in annoyance. For just a moment, she disappeared. Not physically- Elay could still feel her weight- just visibly. But after just a couple of seconds she blinked right back.

Fuck! Because of course she didn’t just miraculously perfect that spell. Trying while injured definitely didn’t help.
”Do any of the border guards have magic?”

”No, I really don’t think you get it. I’m not, morally, letting you blast some poor borderguard because he’s trying to get extra cash to feed his kids. And frankly, I want to put you in the trunk. Because I’ll get to drive without you bitching in my ear. And you can’t really do much to stop me either, which is just better for me.” Elay explained as a big smile crossed over his face.

”Are you fucking with me?” Nessa hissed. She wasn't planning to blast anyone. Just erase herself from their view, or nudge their brain to not notice her. Subtle Pink magic without any long lasting effects… she wasn't some crazy brain changer. Not… not anymore. Not by choice.

Her fingers dug into his shoulders, but her tight grip was much more likely to hurt her than it was him.
”Nothing’s gonna stop me from bitching in your head, you fucking sadist. What, so fucking excited to shove a woman in your trunk just cause she talks a bit? Fucking put me down, I'll limp to a fucking ditch to die in, I'd rather do that than give you the satisfaction of shoving me in there.”

She pulled back her good leg, trying her best to kick him in the chest.

”Talk a little bit?!” Elay blurted out with laughter as he ascended the steps and back out into the cool Cloverfield evening.

”Maybe if you shut the fuck up? Like, now? I’ll forget that I’m carrying you between here and the car, so when I get in I’ll still be carrying you!” he continued to taunt her, truly unconcerned by her physical assault. She simply didn’t have the leverage to get any kind of upper hand, even if her physical performance was higher than average thanks to her Adeptal bloodline.

Nessa shot him the most vicious glare she could, lips pulled into a nasty scowl. They got a few looks as they went outside, but most people minded their business on this side of the river- or just didn't give a fuck. They could try kill each other out here and nobody would bat an eye.

She really didn't want to be thrown in the trunk… but she also hated being told to shut up more than anything. There was a moment- just a moment- where she considered trying to breach his emotional field. The cat was distracted, sleepy- No, no, she couldn't fucking do that. She wasn't going to do that anymore, not even to this asshole.

Her disgust with herself manifested as choosing to continue bitching.
”And let you have some peace and quiet before you decide to throw me in there anyway?! I know your fucking type- 'Oh just do that and maybe I won’t do this'- where maybe’s always the most important word. Like you'll just forget instead of mentally bitching about how much of a hassle this is for poor you.” She really didn't let up in mocking him in return, even with the cramped, dark threat looking over her head.

As she mentioned him throwing her in the trunk anyway, Elay had to stop walking to start cracking up. His laugh was so loud, it scared a passerby into tripping over a rogue cable strewn across the sidewalk.
”Oh! Oh, fuck! You-You’re good! You’re good, Nessa… Excellent call.” he finally finished. It almost made him want to keep her in the front seat out of respect… Almost.

Iron and Honey: A Love Story [FernStone & AtomicEmperor]

Beppo Park

With their view of the road above Beppo Park clear, the headlights of the cars pulling into the parking lot by the boatload were easy to see coming. Ed turned her head as there was an uproar of people cheering and clapping. Right on queue as the congregation was arriving, those who were already waiting for admission to the event were allowed to begin their descent into the event space as they pleased. There was quite the commotion as people shuffled in and took seats everywhere they could. People put down jackets and scarfs to mark reservations, and everyone who Cass and Trisha didn’t know seemed to carry a little card.

Before there was anything else, Trisha would be able to feel a familiar tickling against her Emotional Field. Probably the only kind of disturbance she’d even allow at this point, and still only familiar enough to assume it was who it was. But, like the needle on a record player, there was scratching in a gentle rhythm until it finally popped into song. From the distance, as they were pulling in, Casey was already searching and hunting for Trisha’s presence.
And to tell her he’d found her, he began to play her a song across the surface of her Emotional Field. A warm, loving and tender greeting, and a song he’d shown her fondly.

More than once, people came up to the ramp to try and climb into one of the prime seats, but the “Reserved” signs with the red rope across the staircase leading up kept most people out. Those who it didn’t, Ed was on hand. She stayed right by Trisha until they could all see the small crowd of coastal giants sliding through the mass of humanity like an Addams Family ripoff.

Both men seemed to lock eyes upward, the raised section not so tall thanks to their significant heights. To compare the looks of admiration to one another was to see two different versions of the same smile. Two men, so alike in their absolute passion for what was closest to them, had both gained this feeling from the same place. And now, as they turned their heads to share the moment, Leon and Casey wrapped their arms around one another.

Being at the rear of the group, the others were perhaps not so privy to the sight, but for Cass and Trisha? Those smiles were there… And they looked so, so warm…

There was a great deal of commotion at the bottom of the steps, with lots and lots of French being exchanged in various tones indicating only disharmony among them. It was loud, loud dissonance that only ended with the shuffling of bodies until an organized filing was formed. Plenty knew their seats already, and it became clearer that the cards actually showed people where their seats were specifically on a little chart.

At first, there were no familiar faces. Lots of European dialects that Cass would possibly have an easier time picking out. Alongside them, other peoples whose languages couldn’t possibly be described. Tribal languages from the hundreds found in central Africa, congregational representatives from all branches of the New Dawn throughout the Old World, and even Asian representatives hailing from India and China, Laos, Cambodia, Korea… They filtered into the rear table as the first place to fill up, and none gave the two girls already seated anything more than a well wish. Then came the filling in of the second table, and alongside the other cousins and close relatives of the Richoux branch, Ed filed herself in.

Not, however, before giving Trisha an extremely quick introduction to her Mother; the youngest daughter of Maxwell and Sylvie, whose closeness in age to her daughter could only conjure more uncomfortable questions. Most, again, had no regard for Cass and Trisha. The two girls were left to their devices as the cursory nature of their relationship to their slightly distant cousins from the West remained unexplored. People simply shuffled in, taking their seats and settling down for what they all knew was coming.

More talking, mostly. There was another podium at the front of the platform, after all, for other people to stand and talk at. It was a little menacing…

Was that where the Proposal would happen? In front of everyone? All the way up there, where everyone had to look at them? At least, perhaps thankfully, the eyes of those who she’d see again the next day, would be totally obscured by line of sight. Classically, if you can’t see the predator, they clearly can’t see you, right?

But it was interesting to see who in her life Trisha had met that was actually included in that table of Richouxs. Nestled among them, quiet Theo sat and gave Trisha a friendly wave… Whatever the relation was was terribly unclear, especially given the difference in his stature compared to most of the others at the table.
But, with that table nearly full came the first actual meaningful interaction of the night…

”Ooooooh, Sylvie! Two beautiful ladies are sat down in front of us!
”Max… I can’t. Too much noise.”

Maxwell, his giant frame half-dwarfing Sylvie’s lithe and frail figure, was keeping her guided with one hand in hers and the other on her side.

”It’s Trisha, Love…”

Suddenly, the old woman looked a little more excited… Both hands gripped around in surprise.

”Merde! Trisha, please forgive my rudeness… My brain in this place, I am eh… Mush! The day is so long already!” she was immediately attentive, leaning in toward Trisha.

“Don’t worry about it, Sylvie, I understand. Social events like this are… Tiring.” Trisha shifted in her chair to face both of them with a polite smile, though she knew one couldn’t see it. They weren’t familiar enough to bring much comfort, but it was at least nice to have some more positive attention.

And there was the gentle song that had played across her emotional field combined with Casey’s smile to boost her mood slightly. Not too long until he was there too…
“It’s nice to see you both again. Hopefully you’ll enjoy the… less ceremonial part of the Harvest Festival.”

Cass had half jumped up, leaning across the table to stick a hand out towards both Maxwell and Sylvie. She tried to keep her voice at a more normal level- not shouting like she often did.

”Hello, I’m Cassandra Wallace- but please, just call me Cass! You probably already know I’m Leon’s girlfriend, but just as importantly, I’m Trisha’s close friend. It’s nice to meet you both… I can see where Leon gets his charm from.” She grinned at Maxwell, then Sylvie.
”And where Casey gets his good nature from too!”

Maxwell was quick to reach out his hand.
”You would be so charming if I didn’t know you were British!”

The old man’s face brightened up like a lightbulb, his big bushy beard half blocking his open mouth which began to howl with laughter from within his chest.

”Kidding, kidding! But I got you… Manchester! I hear this in your voice!” he exclaimed excitedly.

”Ah, really?! That’s impressive!” Cass said back with matching excitement. Especially when she’d been trying to tone down her accent… Just a little bit. She was a bit out of place surrounded by all of these rich people. Not that anyone had given her issues before! And really, it was just trying not to use certain words. The accent itself would never go away.

Still grinning, her eyes narrowed in mock suspicion.
”You can really tell? It isn’t cause Leon told you, and now you’re tryna pull one on me?”

”Oh, love… We’ve spent many years up and down the coasts. Three in London, and another two on the other side in Liverpool.” Sylvie spoke up, holding her hand out to slide against Cass’ face.

”Beautiful girl. Beautiful. Max, seat? Please?”

Max looked over at their seats and laughed.

”The only thing Leon has told us Cass, is that you have a great passion for our family business. We will speak, I’m right here.” he pointed at the seat.

”Yes, Dad! Please, move your fridge-like body out of the way so some of us can file in!
Lynette’s voice was loud, almost grating. Max’s head swung backward, and he grumbled something else in French before sidling off. And then, there she was. With no barrier, for the first time directly in front of Cass. But, it was guaranteed that Trisha would get the attention.

”Good heavens, you two must’ve gotten here early. Trisha, honey, I love you! And, honestly? I’m fucking thrilled your sister’s sitting at your end of the table. You can keep her.” she spoke with a smirk and a drink already in her hand, a soft cardigan bundling around her. The free hand stretched like a cat’s paw out to Cass.

”Lynette, love… Pleasure. Leon treating you well?” she asked with an heir of aloof disinterest. Elise was, of course, right alongside her mother. And she didn’t look pleased. She did however stretch her own hand out to Trisha.

”Can I say I missed you yet?” she gave Trisha a gentle grin, trying to be calm about her own day.

“Who am I to stop you?” Trisha gave her a polite smile in return and took Elise’s hand to lightly shake it, a hint of understanding in her gaze. The recognition of one covering up anxiety to another.

Cass let Lynette’s disinterest bounce right off her, taking her hand in greeting with a wide grin, acting as if she didn’t even realise. It seemed easier in this case. Don’t give her anything to dig into… And Cass genuinely didn’t care if Lynette wasn’t interested in her. Her only disappointment was she couldn’t take some of the negative attention away from Trisha.

”Cass- though I’m sure you already know that! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you too. Of course he is, would you expect anything less? He’s clearly been raised to treat women well, after all!”

Some women. Trisha thought but didn’t say, turning from Elise to Lynette with her smile turning much more fake.
“Lynette… I’m surprised you don’t want Tansy on your end. You two seemed to be getting along so well.”

”Ooooh, you’re so good at this game Trisha. Listen, it’s been a long day. The mask is honestly worthless at this point. Congratulations, by the way. I’m thinking of a way to fuck with you over it, but-”

Elise didn’t bother talking this time. There was a strange new dynamic in all of this, and an outcome in the near future wasn’t exactly clear. The only clear thing, was that whatever happened in that chapel today broke something in Lynette, and now Elise was somewhere between hospice nurse and new management…

”Yep, go ahead. Talk your shit, Ma. Trisha, Cass, seriously don’t worry about crazy, here.” she tried to regard the two of them with reassurance.
”She’s in for at least a fifth from the time we left the Temple to here. It’s all just, y’know, hitting her at once.”

Cass raised a hand to half wave off Elise, head inclining slightly towards Trisha. She wasn't bothered at all! Well, not for herself. For Trisha… a bit, a bit, but that just meant watching her closely and making sure she was alright.

Trisha's expression didn't waver much as she stared at Lynette. The mask wasn't just for her. So the smile remained, even if her eyes narrowed slightly.
“It’s alright, Elise. She's just saying what she actually means for once."

It was almost frustrating that after all this time, the last few weeks of torture, Lynette was acting like she was the one suffering between the two of them. Sure, she was preparing for her own death… But Trisha struggled to feel sympathy for someone hurting so many others. Hurting her, and Casey. After the talk with Ed, she had a new understanding about why Lynette was specifically targeting her.

It only made things worse. All of this shit, her own suffering, over a dream? When it wasn't even her fault in the end?

And the congratulations? For the… engagement? She couldn't have found out from all the times her and Casey talked, so it must've been from this morning… Of course. As long as she didn't ruin it? Trisha was going to try not to let it bother her.

“And thank you Lynette." Trisha stared at her unwaveringly, voice lowering to a level where it shouldn't spread beyond their small group. Not for those with normal hearing at least.
“But if you don't intend to fuck with me over that or anything else, you should make your way to your seat. You're blocking others from getting to their seats- particularly people I'd actually like to spend my time with."

”Sure, sure. People you don't want to see too. Though, Gods, that girl- Your sister may be wonderful at her job, but she's an utterly miserable person. I tell her I'm terminal, she asks which airport. I ask her to lunch, she says how many months from now. Rude, rude, rude, and runs in the family. The only time I ever met your fa-”

She had to spin around to not bump into a niece as she stumbled up the inner aisle. Elise was shoving at that point, trying to get her up to the front. Furio and Clarissa slid through with their daughter in tow, following just behind Lynette. Furio didn't bother speaking, but Clarissa gave a warm welcome.

”Trisha! Cass!
Of all the Temple members, it was terribly easy to “run into” Clarissa just about anywhere their organization could be found. More than once, she'd dropped in on Cass and Leon unannounced. Mostly to ‘take the cats for a walk’, which Leon expressed horror over every time it happened.

But Clarissa had never let the mask drop in front of her, so her arms spread wide as she tried to pull Cass into a hug. These feelings were genuine anyway: the girl was totally outside the plan. Whatever influence she had was either mirrored, or she really was just a sweet and good natured companion for her admittedly precious nephew.

”Crazy times coming, huh? Make sure you're thankful for today's peace and calm.”

"This shit ain't crazy? Man, these massive events must be the norm for you all!" Cass laughed, easily returning Clarissa's hug. She figured it was best to go along with these things, continue being friendly. In her mind her main job was to make things as easy as possible for Trisha, especially right now. Keep her happy and don't make any other problems! Even if she disagreed with all the shit that was happening in the Temple, and as an extension didn't exactly have a positive view of a lot of the inner circle.

“Clarissa, Furio, Ivetta. Nice to see you all." Trisha politely greeted them all, even if only one had greeted them. She was just as determined to keep up the mask to a certain extent. She was used to things constantly brewing underneath the surface- or always assumed they were. Outright aggression was more difficult, because then she couldn't stop herself from reacting or panicking.

“Hopefully it stays peaceful… or as peaceful as a large dinner can be."

”No reason for it to not be peaceful, we'll take care of anything that isn't.” Furio intoned as she stuffed Richoux cousins tighter into their seats. He was making a path for his ladies, like any good husband would.

”Caaaaaaass!”
Mia was already shuffled into the dead zone left as the Natale's shuffled up to their seats.

Mia gave Cass the full glomping, her dress tumbling down as long legs made purchase around Cass. Hari was close behind, and held her hand out to Trisha.

”Hey T… You managing?” she asked Trisha calmly, simply, and without any clear intent besides concern.

"Whooaa, you're gonna knock me over! You're lucky I'm so strong!" Cass laughed, wrapping her arms around Mia as she jokingly tilted herself backwards as if about to fall. She quickly righted herself with more laughter. She was more than happy to hug the much taller girl even if it was a bit awkward with how cramped everything was.

“Mhm, managing is about the right word." Trisha smiled at Hari with a bit more genuinity behind it than had been there before.
“It’s nice to see two more friendly faces. How about you two? I guess Mia missed Cass loads."

She turned her head towards Mia and Cass with a smile, tone clearly light and joking. She was doing her best to take the new knowledge she had about Mia, about her dreams, and… to be more gentle? At least?

Hari’s eyes said more about the day than any words she could’ve given. It’d been some days since she shaved her head, and the natural blonde was creeping back in to coat her head in a golden sheen.

”I think everyone’s just ready for everything to be over. There was a scene; we were already an- Y’know? Never mind.”

”I missed you too, Sis-sha! I just- Y’know, Cass doesn’t mind me being unchill and like, grappling her.” Mia smiled, definitely drunk just like her mother was. At least it was a somewhat socially acceptable method of blocking out the pain of life.

”Where’s my Dwina? Etienette!?”

Her tall, lanky frame looked over the table of cousins. But Ed’s seat was vacant. Other people were already pushing past the little blockage at the front. Other Temple bigwigs that Trisha’d never had a reason to speak to, and tucked betwixt, Ed’s arms wrapped around both of her anchors. Tugging them together, all three knocked heads by accident, causing Mia to wince.

”There you fuckin’ are! How’s my girls!?”

She was too drunk to focus, but Hari wasn’t at all. Pink Lux only needed love, and for a moment while she was being hugged, it looked like her eyes brightened up. Kissing Ed’s cheek, she did wriggle away in order to square back up with Trisha and Cass.

”Hey, Cass. I’m, uh, in case I don’t get to say it down the row, I’m thankful you’ve both come into our lives. Seriously.” she said sincerely, hands reaching out to both of them.

"It's Trisha you should be thankful for, really! I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her." Cass grinned, taking Hari's hand and squeezing it.

“Then you show be thanking the person who punched me in the face." Trisha said dryly. But she took Hari's hand and smiled again.
“I’m… thankful too. Even for the negatives, I haven't had this many people around me for a while."

"Same here! It's like I've gained three lil sisters overnight- I always wanted one! So three? Fucking great!"

”Good, good. Keep ‘em.”

The innocuous comment came with a shoving that knocked Ed and Mia off balance and into what would be Casey’s chair. They didn’t fall, but Mia’s instantaneous dejected look gave away her discomfort all the same.The voice wasn’t one Trisha would’ve heard since Casey’s coronation dinner… And back then, his presence had almost ended with a physical altercation. Would this time be any different?

Junior’s face turned over to face the knot that’d formed at the head of the table.

”Now, girls? Please shuffle your flat asses up the aisle so that the rest of us can actually sit?” he continued, snapping his fingers quite loudly in spite of being surrounded by all that noise.

”Great to see you too, Juni.” Ed replied, venom in her tone.

Giving both girls one last kiss, Ed made way to her seat. Junior’s face took up the spot that Ed had been in before, the gaunt and chiseled Richoux features trimmed short, a devil’s goatee on his chin and lips. Whether it was all that had been said, implied, and personally witnessed, or it was just a natural aspect of him; but Junior just looked evil. His smile wasn’t malicious, but bloodthirsty none-the-less.

”You can get by, Max. Go sit. We’ll be done in a-”

Three sets of eyes locked in across the table at a single point at the other end. Junior didn’t hesitate, breaking up the narrow aisle toward his Mother. Mia, however, huffed. In spite of the clear stress, her hand reached out and really took Trisha’s tightly. She leaned in.

”We can do this. We can do this. We can do this.”

In truth, all the young woman wanted was a life of her own that wasn’t attached to the corpse of her family’s faith. She wanted to have a mostly normal life, and especially to share it with someone whom she’d seen so long.

Though Trisha was normally touch shy around anyone but Casey, she managed to clamp down on her normal reaction. She was trying to get more used to it, and had become more accepting of the occasional hug from Mia and the other girls. It was a bit more difficult when she was anxious too but… She didn't want to fall so short of Mia's expectations. She already would by a lot…

There was a hint of a long dead feeling inside Trisha: a nurturing, older sister feeling. Barely a spark, but it was enough for her to rest her other hand over Mia's, clasping it from both sides.

“It’ll be fine." Trisha said softly, with as much conviction as she could muster. She didn't entirely believe it herself but… She tried.
“We’ll be fine. I believe in us."

She really was trying her best, covering her own anxieties with as close to a genuine smile as she could muster.
“You should get seated. At least it'll be Cass dealing with him." Though even as she spoke, Trisha didn't fully let go of Mia's hand. Letting her let go…

"So true, oooh, I already want to punch him." Cass hissed under her breath.

”God, don’t punch me, I’ll cum.” he blurted out as he was sliding toward his seat.

”Maxwell! Damn your tongue!” Max the Elder snapped, raising a massive hand up to point at his Grandson.
Junior stuck his hands up as if to waive apology, then made his way to his seat.

Mia could only keep her frustrated look so long before it was no longer worth it. Looking at Trisha, all she could do was genuinely smile again.
.”Minecraft tomorrow… It’s supposed to snow!” she mentioned before pulling away.

Hari was in tow, and smiled with a head nod before walking along. Then, there really wasn’t anyone left… Just two looming figures beyond excited to see their ladies. Casey’s arms wrapped tight around Trisha, pulling her close and guarding around her like she was the most precious treasure on the planet.
Leon, by contrast, leaned down and planted a kiss on Cass’ lips before letting his head slink around to bite at her ear.

”Couldn’t get the stink of you out of my nose all day… Missed you, missed you.”

Casey didn’t say anything, of course. He didn’t have to. His arms, his deep embrace, the way he cradled Trisha like there was going to be a kidnapping attempt… His head swiveled around, trying to get a read on every single face he could see clearly.

"You saying I smell?!" Cass laughed playfully, lips pulling into a wide grin. She twisted her head around to kiss Leon too- it was only fair! And she really couldn't have him biting her like that, not when she was trapped like this.
"Missed you too… but calm down a lil before I jump over the table and abscond with you!"

As Casey's arms wrapped around her, Trisha's tightly wound nerves slowly started to unravel. The tension she'd been holding in her frame disappeared as she leaned back into him. She turned sideways in her chair, face turning fully to press into him. Her eyes fluttered closed as she slowly breathed in and out. Just feeling him there. Starting to feel safe again. Loved.

Her eyes opened again, looking straight up at him. One hand reached up to caress his cheek.
“Hey. I really missed you."

Casey’s hands slid up her body until they were both holding her face. She’d be able to feel them shaking slightly, calming moment by moment as they embraced.

”That’s fine… I’m a big target, you’ll get better with practice.”

He smiled brightly at her, lips peeling up into a goofy, toothy grin.

Trisha stared at Casey for a moment, before laughing. It was such a bad joke, but it didn't matter because it was from him. He was so incredibly goofy, but that was part of what she loved about him.

“Then you'll just have to stay close so I can keep practicing." She giggled with an incredibly soft smile.
“You’ll just have to keep missing me, though, since I'm such a small target."

”The only way I can miss you is when I can’t see you, Trisha. Here, let me sit. Uh, did-”

As Casey was taking his seat, Leon was sitting down with Cass on his lap.

”God damn, what a long fucking day.” he said softly to Cass, eyes passing around the table to get a look… There were a couple empty seats left. Vanburens? He could only presume.

”-did anyone tell you how food and stuff is gonna work? I know we planned, but uh… I think most people in this box are getting actual meals delivered, rather than using the common buffet we set up? So, it’s probably just gonna be you, me, Cass, and your siblings going out to get something… Unless, do you think either of them would bother braving the lines?” Casey asked Trisha with genuine curiosity as he sat down in his massive high-backed chair.

“I…" Trisha trailed off with a small frown. She hadn't realised most people around them would have meals delivered. She should've. How else would they get their Apparition meals? Then again, she'd assumed there would be… a special table or something. There was no way her siblings would be happy having to queue if everyone around them was getting food delivered.

“Probably not. I don't think Ezra will kick up a proper fuss- but he probably will comment on it, maybe complain directly to us as the organisers? I imagine he'll just try and get one of Andrade's staff to bring it for him? As for Tansy… she'll definitely make a fuss when she sees almost everyone else getting food brought to them." Trisha's brow furrowed, hands automatically listing towards Casey's as she thought more about it. She wasn't actually confident in what she said about Ezra. They rarely saw each other outside of mandatory family holidays - which always involved a completely catered and served meal of the highest standard.

“I’m not sure how she'll make it, though. She's not always predictable, especially when it's not just the two of us. She might even try and make me do it for her. Or you, since you're her ‘precious’ little sister's boyfriend. Or…" Trisha's gaze moved past Casey, to Leon and Cass.
“Maybe she'll even try and flirt with Leon to make him? Cause y'know… strong man who could do it all for her."

"-don't worry the long day will definitely be worth it, tonight we'll- Whoa!" Cass had fairly quickly moved on from comforting to flirting, with one hand carding through Leon's hair while the other trailed up and down his back. She had absolutely no reservations about her current sitting position when around his family. If anything, she was pretty fucking happy with it. But the enhanced hearing didn't turn off, and she couldn't help but pick up the conversation from the other intimate bubble next to theirs.

"Sexist much! I'm a strong woman who could do it all for her too."

Trisha laughed slightly.
“You’ve met Tansy, is it really surprising she'd go for Leon over you? Would you even want to?"

"Hell no!" Cass pulled her upper body back a bit from Leon, staring at him.
"I ain't normally like this- but I'm laying down a rule… no accepting flirting from Trisha's siblings! Specifically her sister."

Trisha shuffled in her seat to get closer to Casey with a slight smile, speaking quietly- not that it mattered with the super sensed couple beside them.
“I think it'll be… interesting. I'm honestly not entirely sure how my siblings are going to act."

Casey shrugged. At worst, they’d have some kind of reservations about how things were organized. Maybe they’d dislike the fact that there was someone scheduled to speak in five minute blocks pretty much entirely throughout the event. They only really needed to make it until just after his block… But that was another hour or two at least. And he didn’t really want to miss the food either; they’d planned the food out so well with Andrade that it’d be a damn shame to not get as much as he could…

Not that there wasn’t a huge cooler sitting outside their rooftop home full of pre-made collections from each of the lines or anything… Andrade had done some rather special catering, after all, not just for the Blinds, but for everyone’s sensibilities. There was a yawping from down the table.

”Caseau Richoux!? What boogie fucks do you think we are? We’re all waiting in line with our people, because that’s where we belong.” Lynette yelled, arms raising in a shrug to ask her son what was wrong with him non-verbally.

”Ain’t enough food in that buffet for the entire clan plus you, Glutton! Where th’fuck d’you think Andrade’s sourcing food from, the fucking food realm?” Casey shouted back, the overall noise of the crowds surrounding them drowning it out to more of a casual conversation.

”How about you look at your tableside seasonings! Tell me if you notice anything!”

Casey furrowed his brow, then looked at Trisha before looking down at their little spot of salt and pepper… Both were there, and so were a bunch of other things… Parmesan cheese, butter pats, the typical restaurant spread… And then one other shaker. It was full of some kind of cayenne or other finely ground chilli, but when he picked it up, he knew right away that it was concentrated with Apparitional essence. Essentially, a demon-spice shaker… And it was at every single condiment station on the table.

Immediately, Casey’s White Lux filtered out across the tables nearby. Of course, the New Dawn was no stranger to the practice; so he expected them around the other box tables… And thankfully that seemed to be the only place. They weren’t unwillingly spiking all the blinds and magical guests that could be out in the crowd, at least… He immediately slipped the one that would’ve served Ezra and Tansy out of its slot, along with the one in front of him and Trisha, and Leon and Cass’. Subtly, he passed one off to Leon, pocketing the other for the meal.

It wasn’t like he couldn’t, after all… He needed some energy anyway, and an actual meal that did something would help tremendously.

”Well, I guess that solves that problem then… We’ll just make sure your siblings don’t have a fuckin’ accident, huh? At least we all get to file up like the peasantry.” he half-joked, smiling at the little corner of warmth.

”Please, waste the good shit on the rich Blinds? I can’t believe they’re even allowed up here. Trisha, you think your sister would freak if we got her silverware to start dancing?” Junior piped up, leaning into the vacant seat where Cass would’ve been sitting.

Trisha was fairly certain Tansy would still freak out when she found out they had to line up with the ‘peasants’, nevermind if the silverware started dancing. On the other hand, Ezra would probably act like it was nothing and get offended they'd dirty silverware like that.

“That depends. With all of these people around? No. She's quite good at keeping up the mask." Trisha said drily, not wanting to encourage any magical use in front of her Blind siblings. Of course Tansy would freak out. Any non magical person would, unless they were a boring borderline sociopath like Ezra.

“I’ve only seen it crack a couple of times… So I don't think any magic will do it. I'd rather the silverware stayed in its place, anyway."

"Oh yeah, the cutlery starts dancing away from me?! I'ma get real murderous… or I'll just start eating with my hands." Cass joked, inserting herself to try make things a bit easier for Trisha.
"She's so right too… Tansy's got like. The most insane stone face. Like, all measured reactions! And I accidentally walked outta my room completely naked when she was round once."

“I’d rather not remember that." Trisha groaned, leaning towards Casey to try and capture a little bit more warmth. Emotional warmth, that was.

"It wasn't that bad! She barely reacted so, like… Magic really ain't gonna cut it."

”Wait, you’re serious? So, you’re telling me that, regardless of reality shitting its pants in a way she can perceive, she’s got the willpower to sit there and deal with it happening? There’s zero chance I’m not doing it now.” he grinned, that same face of whimsy that Cass and Trisha both knew from their respective lads represented now with… Malice.

”You clearly can’t just deal with that. Not without something crazy happening to your brain, so… I’m calling your bluff.”

”You’ll be calling a fucking ambulance if yo-”

Leon’s head turned to Casey, urging patience and calm for a single moment before he turned back to Junior. The grin of joyous malice shifted slightly, concern entering the mind’s eye.

”Brother of mine? Just… Don’t. If you can play nice? For even an hour? I’ll make sure that new Model R ends up in your driveway. One hour, Max. That’s all-”

There was a looming presence. Someone leaning over Leon and Max and the empty chair between them. It was incredible how subtle the movements of such a large man were, but there he was… Maxwell the Elder, rotund ogrish figure half-stretching his suit vest. He leaned as much as his round body would allow the sphere to bend, until his face was right between both of them.

”Maxwell? I did not hear your brother bargain with you to do the right thing, non?”

It was a miracle he fit in that slot, until one looked behind him slightly and realized that he’d utterly displaced the cousins sitting there to step in and handle his familial obligation as the ultimate Patriarch. Treating both boys like the children they were, he pursed his lips.

”I will know. And now I will be watching.” the giant man spoke ominously before stretching out his hand and letting something roll onto the table.

It sat for a moment before popping up on eight little legs… A brass spider of incredibly intricate clockwork…

”D-don’t worry, Puppa… You don’t need t-” Junior slinked low in his seat as he was interrupted again.
”I am not worried. You have been warned.”

He then gave a brilliantly warm smile to Trisha.

”Your siblings are Blind… We will protect their sensibilities.” Max spoke with equal friendliness.

“Thank you." Trisha responded genuinely, with a slight smile. One hand moved to Casey's arm, comforting rubbing it.

She didn't particularly care for protecting her siblings. But she didn't have to deal with the fallout of them finding out about magic. Especially not here… Not at the event her and Casey had organised, at a dinner table where she already felt uncomfortable.

“I was a bit… worried, but I believe that you will. This whole event is meant to be blind friendly, after all, isn't it?"

Cass had gone from raptly watching the situation to suddenly curling in towards Leon, pressing her face right into his shoulder to hide her face. Her body shook just slightly. She fucking couldn't! She just couldn't show her face right now! Maxwell the Elder was just… way too fucking sexy stepping in and handling everything! Like, holy fuck. The way he spoke, the way he didn't accept any shit…

"Holy fuck." Cass whispered under her breath against Leon's neck, unable to completely keep it in.

Trisha had no idea what was going on with her friend so she… decided to ignore it. She tilted towards Casey and forward, pointing to the spider.
“Can you see through that?"

”Yeah, it’s directly hooked into his eye. You’d be amazed how much of that man isn’t actually flesh and bone.” he said, knowing full well just how mechanized his elderly grandfather was.

After all, an Adept’s life didn’t have to end at the stopgap of age. There were no rules, and a million solutions to the problem of a person’s relative lack of longevity. Some material planes, he knew the people lived for hundreds and hundreds of years… But here? They only had about eighty… And for someone like Maxwell, there was the matter of the latest stages of Oblivium. Whatever organic pieces were left were so addled with magical cancers and other problems that the magic wound up being the only way to maintain homeostasis…

He often wondered how much time the two elderly grandmasters had left… Or how much longer they really wanted to be there.

Junior actively stared down at the little machine, nose turning up finally as he tried to redirect his ire toward the people on the other side of him… Thankfully, there seemed to be some willing conversants, so he didn’t immediately turn back to ruin the mood again. But, being at a table with so many talented observationalists made conversing privately difficult. It had to be psychic, or coded well enough that others couldn’t read.

Thankfully, the subject of his Grandfather and the mastercrafted prosthetics that were wrapped up in such a wonderfully fresh pressed shirt was something he took great pride in talking about… Assumed that one day, he’d even do the same. It was a right of passage, he felt, to be able to slowly replace one’s weaknesses as time aged the body beyond repairs.

Leon, however, curled over Cass and whispered into her ear.
”If you just came thinking about my Grandpa, I’m gonna lose my mind.” he intoned, clearly joking by the smile that curled up across his face.
”Grandpa lover… He’s married y’know, not available.”

"Babe, y'know it ain't that easy to make me cum." Cass good naturedly grumbled into Leon's skin. She didn't move her face away- mostly because it was a bit red and she really didn't want to have Trisha look over and get upset or feel uncomfortable.
"Sometimes the unattainability makes it hotter! And if I'm lucky, I'll get my own hot old man one day." She withdrew her face a bit to grin at him, eyebrows going up and down a couple of times.

Cass didn't really have to worry about Trisha looking over at her, her attention captured by the spider and Casey rather than the couple she assumed were whispering about non table appropriate topics.

“Can he still see out his eye normally, or is it just looking through the spider?" Trisha asked, genuinely curious. Her brow furrowed as she thought a bit more about the lack of flesh and bone. Like, he'd replaced it with mechanical parts? Magical mechanical parts presumably? It was incredibly impressive, if a little terrifying. How far could they go? Could they replace everything? Fully prolong their life?

“Is that kind of thing… Normal for an Orange Adept? Replacing flesh and bone- I'm assuming that's what you mean."

”Maybe not too normal. Definitely something that happens though, I mean there’s a thousand magical ways to replace a missing piece. Just kind of depends on if you live a life where that’s a necessary skill to develop. Tells you a lot about what he used to do.”

What he used to do was unclear in scope. Records in the Richoux tomes detailed the magical war for the succession of Bloodlord in the European Grand Cult. Something like the church for wizards and witches… Also something that his family was not on the winning side of, hence their prompt escape from Europe with what little money they had left. It was only by the grace of the EGC’s weakened state in this day and age that their family was able to reestablish old roots with new money.

”Gramps, what’d you do in the Old War again?” Casey called over, leaning back so that he could look at Trisha as well.

The massive man sat back down in his chair, turning his head and leaning.
”I made equipment, and when the call came, I brought my hands to bare! I earned every little scratch… Met your Grandmother shortly before its commencement, and it is to her ring which she gave to me that I owe my life to this day!”

He held up his thick, nearly padded hand. On it was a ring of pure steel that constricted the flesh, causing it to bubble around the band.
”My body has grown since. I can no longer remove it, you see. The knuckle even, is too big. And to change it would break the oath. So, eventually, I will need to replace the finger too. But I do see with the eyes. Both are false. Both see in front of me, and what is not.”

He flicked his hand, and like a practical sleight of hand magic trick, a trio of small orbs appeared between his fingers. While they didn’t fully unfurl as clockwork spiders, they did all open their mechanical lids to reveal the eyes that see through them.

”I am an Artificer now. I began my craft with puppetry here in America. When you come, you will see my friends I have made.”

Casey and Leon were both giving their Grandfather plenty of mental attention. The constructs were a blessing and a curse… Sure, a fully autonomous groundstaff made out of wooden people was cool… But remembering the daily ass-kickings during summer training by a bunch of bronze-clad warrior puppets? Interesting times, not-so-interesting circumstances.

”He is also where Mia got the idea of her specialty. Toymaking.” Casey explained, relating back to Princess the Bee, and the similarity of the magic going into it.

“Oh, I see." Trisha nodded, glancing down towards her bag under her seat where Princess was stored in a shrunk down form. The only reason she was comfortable not having any bees on her right now. She'd been listening intently, even though she didn't entirely understand the distinction between creating living puppets and being an Artificer. Presumably an Artificer made artifacts but… weren't both useful?

Strangely, most of the Orange Adepts she'd known didn't really focus on objects. At the time, Leon used it to fight… As did the Hatanakas at the time. Bianca was almost solely a magic booster, though she'd been learning some magic similar to Casey before the end of the coven. But the distinction was all blurry to her…

“I didn't realise it was that different. Sorry, I'm not that knowledgeable about this kind of stuff." Trisha admitted, a little painfully, inclining her head. But she did have another question about the spiders specifically.
“Do you not get overloaded from seeing through so many eyes at once?"

Cass had unfurled from hiding against Leon, not quite able to hold back her own excited addition to the conversation.
"Can I come see the puppet friends too?!"

Maxwell’s face lit up like a christmas tree, his pure white teeth glinting in the yellow lights of the canopies.
”Can you suppress your wretched accent?”

And then he open mouth, full belly cackled at his own joke until a diminutive hand flicked up to smack him on the back of the head. Sylvie’s whole torso had to lean forward in order to catch Cass’ gaze.

”You are welcome in our ‘ome, Sweetheart. Pay this vulgar putain no attention.” she spoke with genuine care. There was a flash of evil in her blind eyes that glinted upward at her husband.

”Of coooooourse, just be ready! While the puppets withhold their fists, the dog is none-so-sensible!” he laughed again, leaning his hand over to ruffle Cass’ hair.
”You are a good sport! I see why Leon is so attached!” he said with a wink.

Then, turning his attention back, he playfully waved his hand at Trisha.
”Now, as for the confusion? Non, I am simply so used to it. For fifty years, I have had at least four eyes. Conditioning is slow, steady, and constant, as all Luxal conditioning should be.”

The old man was, if nothing else, incredibly informative… Which was clearly where Casey got the trait from. The passion seemed to be an entirely family affair. However…

”Oooh, fighting dogs sounds fun! I’m well used to dogs too!” Cass laughed loudly, hooking an arm around Leon’s neck to more easily turn and grin at both of his grandparents. She didn’t want to take the attention back away from Trisha, of course, it was just rude to not respond at all.

Trisha nodded, once again considering it properly- though it was a bit difficult with Cass cackling in the background. Slow, steady and constant conditioning… Did that work for all kinds of magic? When they’d first met, Casey had talked about how Lux saturated them whether from kindling or an Adjoined Apparition. So perhaps when they said Luxal, they meant magic in general, not specifically Adeptal magic.

“I see. I ask because I can… sort of see through my bees? It’s not really seeing. Not in the same way. But I very quickly can’t use my own senses, so I was wondering what it was like with the spiders. I guess… I just need to keep practicing with it.”
”Goes for just about everything, Queen Bee!~” Lynette’s voice echoed across the table. She’d gotten wine from somewhere despite it not being served at all… Seating would take at least another twenty minutes, and the organized food rush of tables being allowed to get up in organized fashions would take so much longer…

But she raised her glass up at Trisha, swirling the deep red liquid.

”Don’t worry! You’ll get used to it like never before!” she chided, a drunken smirk crossing her face.

Maxwell’s face became a little less joyous, voice quieting as he leaned in slightly.

”Terrible as she is, truth reigns. You can grow muscle two ways, but both require absolute consistency and technique. Casey will help you, surely… For as long as it takes!”

”Awwww, Trisha, see? See how lucky you are? Soon, you won’t be burdened by fucking inlaws.” she smiled back at Maxwell, raising her glass with a smirk.

Gritting his teeth, Maxwell smiled back, but Sylvie’s hand slowly climbed up through her husband’s beard, warding him off further interaction for now. Even Casey seemed to withdraw, looking from Trisha to his Brother and Cass, then back.

”An-ny-way…-” Casey shifted, looking back out at the crowds still filing in.
”-How was the day, you two? You guys have a relaxing day getting ready?” he asked, clearing his throat and shaking his head.

For another moment, Trisha’s narrowed eyed stare remained on Lynette. Then she turned her attention back to the person who made it all worth it. Who made suffering the inlaw that had burdened her with a lifetime worth of torture worth it. She turned her body completely towards him so her legs rested against his.

She wished she could say it was relaxing. It had been, to a point. Before they’d left the Cannery. The time spent with Cass and Ed had been nice. The period of time getting ready…

”Oh, yeah, it was pretty good! Like… I did Trisha’s hair and everything. Ain’t it cute!” Cass answered first with a bright grin, pointing to Trisha’s head. Two dutch braids ran along the top of her scalp, stopping just above her shoulders where the thick waves of hair were left free to tumble down her back.

“Only because you messed it up in the first place.” Trisha responded with a light frown.

”Hey, that ain’t my fault, I was just so excited about-” Cass choked on her words as Trisha glared at her, coughing lightly. ”- seeing you! It felt like it’d been so long.”

Crisis averted- namely Cass’ excitement overriding her ability to keep secrets. Trisha looked back up at Casey with a slight smile.
“Getting ready was nice. The three of us- Ed too- just hung out for a while before getting ready. The journey here… wasn’t so relaxing.”

”Oh yeah…” Cass went still, the normal constant excited movements disappearing for just a moment. She hadn’t forgotten about what had been said when they were driving here, but it had been put to the back of her mind. But with Trisha bringing it up… She didn’t want to talk about it here. Honestly, Cass was a little worried that Trisha might try to. It wasn’t the right place. Her head jerked back to stare at Leon with more seriousness than normal.

”We gotta talk about some of that shit- and it’s bad shit- later. I ain’t like upset or proper angry at you or anything, it just hacked me off enough that we’re gonna talk about it.”

Leon’s teeth gritted in response, knowing only vaguely what this issue could possibly be. With the group he was aware of in that car? It could’ve wound up being fucking anything. But, he was at least confident that whatever it was would be ending sooner rather than later.

”Oooooh, Leon’s in trouble again?” Casey chided before Leon could reply, causing him to frown slightly.

”Geeze, leave her alone with more than two people who don’t like me, all of a sudden I’m in trouble!” he could only joke defensively at that point, unsure of where to go from there.

”Oooh, let me guess…-”

”-No! Absolutely not!” Leon replied with a snappy tone.

Casey could only laugh in response, turning his head to smile at Trisha.
”Is it bad, Babe? How bad is it?” he asked, playfully poking at Trisha’s pouty cheeks.

Trisha puffed her cheeks up further in response to the poking.
“Pretty bad if it’s true. But-”

”Nuh uh.” It was Cass’ turn to interrupt before Trisha could get any further, one hand shooting forward to point at Trisha. The other had wriggled its way through Leon’s hair, scratching the back of his scalp gently- and perhaps surprisingly.
”The whole point of me saying I wanna talk to him about something later is I want to talk about it later and in private.”

Well, as much privacy as they could ever get in this cult. She shook her head, looking at Leon again.
”And you’re no in trouble necessarily. It’s just shit we gotta talk about, cause I ain’t just gonna listen to them and go ‘oh yeah you’re so right how fucked up’ without getting your side!”

“I was going to say but Cass defended him.” Trisha added, only pouting more after getting interrupted when she wasn’t even going to go into it. She’d gotten the message from Cass, and it was her issue to deal with. Trisha wasn’t exactly worried about Cass putting up with bullshit…

How fucked up?

Not only did both brothers look at one another with a new visage of abject horror, but Junior also seemed drawn into the new pain.

”But how fucked up really? Like, fucked up in which direction?”

Leon reached his hand out and smacked Junior’s nose like a dog, driving him off before clearing his throat and quickly trying to clear the subject.

”Whatever it is, the worst things die with-”
”-Time! Time, heals all wounds and all that, I mean… Look at me! Totally… Totally fine!”

Junior stared at the both of them with narrow eyes.

”Yeah, okay. I really believe it too.”

Trisha frowned, leaning closer to Casey as she tense up a little. But before she could really react, Cass was talking.

”Well, who asked you to believe anything?! You ain’t even part of this conversation!” Cass’ original plan of play dumb or just let anything Junior said bounce of her had gone out the window pretty quickly. It wasn’t that he got to her like he did Trisha… But she always got more irritated where people she cared for got involved. Or when people stuck their noses in where they didn’t belong…

”The next thing that’s boutta be fucked up is your face when-”
“Cass.”
”- I can’t even make threats now? Triisshhhaaa- fine! But this is why I didn’t wanna talk about it here… So conversation over, we’re moving on, got it?”

She stared at Junior most intently, though it was said to everyone. She really hadn’t wanted to bring it up. She’d only said to Leon because she was worried Trisha would… but it really was something she wanted to deal with in private! Especially with what Leon just said- or was going to say. The worst things die with Lynette…

Frowning a little bit, she glanced at Leon.
”I believe- and hope- it goes with time.”

”Time this, time that… You’re in on it too then? Good, good. Outsiders, fuck it! Everyone, come eat Lynette Richoux’s corpse with us!”

Junior’s frustrated face turned from Cass to Trisha.

”All Adepts eat free.”

Before Leon or anyone else could chastise him to his face, Junior stood up.
”Gotta be cousins to talk to…”

And then he slid off, heading in Lynette’s direction up the table. The little brass spider broke off into an absolute sprint as it dashed along, picking up momentum before flicking itself off the table to clamp into Junior’s shirt. Whether it was by Maxwell’s command, or some autonomous process, was unclear. Though both would be incredibly impressive in their own rights.

Leon took a deep breath, tilting his head back.

”Every single holiday, can’t even break up into little groups… Conversations get heard across the table, doesn’t matter if you’re whispering or-”

Casey reached his hand across the table.
”-You’re anxious, Lee… Maybe you two should go somewhere and talk? Get it over with while we’re waiting?” Casey offered, face forming into an empathetic frown.

Leon shrugged in response.
”It’s… Fine if Cass can wait. I’m just… Starving, and Lelou’s not enjoying anything about today, and now I’ve got this... Obviously, another thing I’ve done to myself. If it’s something fucked up, then I bet I know exactly what, and who said it.” he implied without any veil of opacity.

Cass frowned, shaking off her anger towards Junior as she twisted around in Leon’s lap to properly face him. She could wait- she hadn’t planned to bring it up until later in the first place. But now it had been brought up, she didn’t want him sitting around miserable or stewing. Especially if he thought he knew.

The worst thing would be if Leon was sitting there trying to figure out what she thought about, rather than just talking.

”Well… I can help with the starvation?” Cass leaned her whole torso to the side, grabbing her sizeable shoulder bag from under her seat. From it she pulled out… A whole loaf of bread. She held it up to Leon.
”I brought it in case I got hungry while waiting. But, uh… I can wait, but I ain’t so happy about it just stewing if y’think you know what it is. I didn’t bring it up to have it hanging over you all evening.”

She tilted backwards to look over at Casey.
”Is there actually somewhere more private where we could talk?”

Trisha didn’t say anything, but she had curled in towards Casey. It shouldn’t have, but Junior’s words directly towards her had set her off. She shouldn’t care… but she did. Because she wasn’t an Adept, and it was just another thing she always felt inferior over.

Leon thought for a moment before nodding.
”Yeah, come on… Trisha? Casey? We may as well get a stretch while we can, because the next big trip is getting packed into a line like sardines. And, uh… I mean, if it got brought up in front of you both, I’d rather clear the air completely, Trisha. That way you both get the same impression. If it’s bothered her, I can only imagine it’s bothering you.”

Casey looked at Leon and shrugged, then at Trisha.
”Your call… I’m not about to get mad or upset tonight. Not uh, with all the good vibes and such. My thanks for my life is pretty much overpowering whatever stink I may be feeling.” he offered Trisha the opportunity on the off chance she’d take it.

Trisha frowned, expression scrunching up in the way it often did when she couldn’t quite make up her mind. In a lot of ways she felt like it didn’t really affect her like it did Cass. But it did colour her already negative view of Leon further. If he and Cass were going to be together then… She probably should give him the chance to clear the air.

If he could.

“Sure, I’ll come. It’s not really to do with me, but I did hear about it so… It isn’t something that I’ll just forget.” Trisha said after a pause.
“So long as you’re coming along, Casey. I’m not expecting you to get mad or upset or anything…”

She wasn’t entirely sure why he’d said he was going to get mad or upset, so she decided to clarify. Just in case that… seemed like an expectation? Like something needed on her behalf?

”Alrriighhht, let’s go talk shit out then.” Cass rubbed Leon’s shoulder before sliding off his lap into the tiny gap between him and Casey.
”Somewhere without eavesdroppers!”

”Oh, yeah! Enjoy yourselves! Stop by the beer stand on your way back, Leon, have them bring us up a bunch of pitchers!” Lynette called toward the head of the table as they were standing up as a small group.

Leon waved at her… It was like putting old Betsy out to pasture at this point…
”Whatever you want, Ma.”

And he would, of course. Though, on their way to the quiet place, rather than coming back from. He was Leon Richoux, after all… There wasn’t a line in that place forming that didn’t somewhat bend to him. All it took was one friendly staff member to know that an order was being asked for up at the Box, and things were sorted. On they went, bundling coats back on as they left the warmth of the canopies. Out by the shore, the sun had properly set on St. Portwell, leaving a dark purple streak across the horizon.

As they walked, Casey took in faces and marked names. People he saw on duty. He felt the buzz of Lux being bolstered by Glass doses. There’d been a threat from an unknown source, and he’d specifically called for an increase in security measures… That meant those inclined to do so were ready for more than just a song and dance. They were instructed to keep a second dose, in case the events and cleanup went on longer than the first. Twelve hours wasn’t enough…

But he didn’t bring it up. No, he was far too curious to hear about what skeleton his brother was hiding that wound up getting surfaced now… By the time they’d reached the spot where the rocks became wet and the foam trickled up to the soles of their shoes, Casey had already enchanted Trisha’s jacket to provide a nice, even distribution of warmth across her body.

”Aaaaalright… You… Want me to guess? Or, you just gonna tell me?” he asked calmly. This was the quietest Lelou had been all day, the wretched thing now teetering on the edge of her seat as she hungrily awaited today’s subject matter.

”Dude… Y’think I’ma make you guess? This shit ain’t unhealthy like that.” Cass gestured between the two of them. She wasn’t going to drag it out. The whole point of coming out to chat about it, rather than waiting until later, was so it wasn’t dragged out.

”Alright so someone-” Cass wasn’t going to throw Felicia under the bus, even if Leon had already guessed who it was.
”- brought up illegally filmed magical porn and your involvement in it. They were pretty certain of your consent in it, and everyone else’s lack of consent. And- to me this is an important point- Lynette’s involvement was pretty stressed. She was, fucking- ugh… They described her as your pimp. So... I assume there’s some truth to the filmed magical porn, but what exactly is happening?”

She was blunt and to the point, looking at Leon with a completely open gaze. A lack of judgement, even if she was nowhere near as bright and bubbly as she normally was.

”And when did your involvement start?”

Trisha remained silent, but she did shuffle closer to Casey as Cass talked. Her gaze was on her friend much more than it was Leon. Carefully watching someone she rarely had to comfort, but would if it came to that.

And there it was… Leon was more staggered by how blunt she was about it. Caught off guard frankly. Lelou could only reel back in utter disgust and the concern of a topic that she found to be nothing more than a good deal. And she made that apparent, only stunning Leon more as he tried to come up with some kind of words to use. But, she was asking about two things:

What’s happening, and when did it start?

Because, when it started was when his involvement started…

”Oh… Fucking…-”
Of course, not remembering wasn’t an option. He was still a White Lux Adept back then.

”-Just before my eighteenth birthday. I’d won the last youth tournament I was in, and Mom… Walked in on… Me. I don’t think she just walked in you know? But… Listen, at the time I didn’t think anything. Really, I didn’t.”

He was trying his hardest to keep himself from sounding emotional at all. Mostly, it was fear of how he’d be judged. He could feel his Brother’s immediate concern. This wasn’t the only incident in their immediate family… Just another abuse to add to the pile. But, illegal porn? Consent?

”The girl cleared out, but Ma stayed. Said she was going to make sure I wound up just like Dad. That the name wasn’t going to die, that she’d make sure I got taken care of until I could take care of her. Understand, Dad was still missing at this point. Wherever the fuck he is now, dead or whatever, we had no clue back then.”

It seemed so obvious to him now as a near thirty year old man. Life was still far ahead of him, yet there was this now. All the weight of a life spent doing wrong and presuming that all the good would make up for it, just for some British girl to knock it all out with a sledge. Life was funny, they said… But he found it ironically cruel.

”At first, it was by ask. Whether they were magically or physically recorded, I have no idea. I was asked to do a lot of things, but I was still an Adept then… There were almost eight years like that… Just, cruising off the fame of being Gravity.”

Cass would probably remember the Black Hole era. For several years, Leon wrestled with his Father’s mantle, winning far more trophies and belts than he had as Timberwolf in the last four. If he had to describe the best period of his life, he’d say it was those years. Those years unbothered by guilt or hunger.

”I assume back then, it was enough… That people would pay to have their own recordings made. Or, that’s what I was told. How far back the tradition of recording my personal life goes, I honestly don’t know. Maybe that started without my consent. But, by the time Lelou was in my life? Frankly, she was making a lot of the deals. I could’ve said no, I won’t deflect the blame… There were moments I knew my willpower could’ve measured up. Or times where I should’ve told the person who I knew would be victimized to leave before they lost their chance.”

Casey was a bit stunned. He’d been away so long, trying to avoid this place like the plague. There was too much pain, and it was all circulated through the gossip column that drove itself through the center of the Temple. So, now for it to come out? Like this? Over Thanksgiving dinner?
He’d pulled a joint out as they were standing there, but at this point still hadn’t gotten around to lighting it. There was so much to unpack…

He could only try and watch all the faces involved at once.

Trisha watched with wide eyes, too shocked to say anything. She’d been shocked enough when Felicia said it, but to hear all this from Leon? It was… difficult. Because she could understand. If she was asked by her own mother to do something like that? Anything, really… She’d do it. Just for a sliver of love or pride.

So she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t feel it was her place to, either. Her gaze moved from Leon, to the floor, then to Cass.

From when Leon started talking- from when he said it was before his eighteenth birthday- Cass’ expression had gotten worse and worse. With the intense emotion came body changes she couldn’t entirely control. Wolf ears were pulled back, a tail straight stiff behind her, with sharp teeth visible as she pulled her lips back into a snarl. Her hands clenched into tight fists at her side, sharp nails drawing blood from her own palms.

She was pissed. Beyond pissed.

But not at Leon. It was just like she’d guessed. Abuse and grooming. While he certainly shared some blame for the later years, it was difficult to look past everything that had built up to it. It had started before he was even an adult. Probably years before in some way- Cass knew about the fucking sex portrait those parents forced their children to witness. It was obvious in the ‘Mommy issues’ that Leon had.

It was incredibly difficult to force herself to stay there, rather than go on an immediate one man crusade slash suicide mission against Lynette. She wasn’t someone who could tolerate something so wrong… And doubly so, nothing made her more angry than someone she cared for being hurt. It didn’t matter if it had started long before she met him…

”Before… You were eighteen?” Cass managed to get out between clenched teeth. Her eyes were red, and she struggled to look at him.

Because she was worried he’d take her rage as being directed towards him. Unable to fully channel it she crouched down suddenly, grabbing a small rock and squeezing it in her hand until it was crushed to fine dust. Then another. By the third, she’d calmed down enough to stand back up and look at Leon. The redness in her eyes was more clear then, unshed tears shining in the corner.

It was rare to get emotional like this, in such a negative way. Trisha had only seen it a few times… Mainly when she or another friend was hurt badly, or on certain anniversaries with her brother…

”Leon…” Cass choked out again. ”That’s… This is why I wanted to talk to you. That’s what I fucking told them! The fucking manipulation and power dynamics there- fuck! I ain’t… I ain’t saying none of it’s on you. Not those last years, if you really could’ve but… Fuck! Fuck, I want to rip Lynette’s throat out right now.”

”Well, let’s not. Like I said when I knew that Felicia mentioned it, once everything’s done, it can’t happen again.” Leon said with intentionally strong conviction.

But Casey’s voice cracked that open.
”What? No, no! Nooooo! Not what’s happening? No, not even fucking close. What? Wait-What? What!?”

His mouth was agape as he stared at his brother. He didn’t have the words… Never mind-
”With her!? You did that to Felicia?”
Leon immediately held up his hands.

”Woah, Casey, don-”

Casey stepped forward on one foot, both hands reaching with violence for Leon’s shirt.

”Hey!” Before Casey could reach Leon, Cass was in between them. One arm came up to block Casey’s hands while being careful to keep her claws pointed away from him. Visible lines of Green Lux rippled underneath her veins as her emotions fueled near thoughtless casting.

”We are not getting violent.”

Trisha didn’t move as Casey stepped forward, arms just wrapping around herself as she trembled slightly and watched with even wider eyes.

Cass made her point, but Leon had a point of his own. He didn’t resort to the brute physicality he knew he could produce to get her out of the way, however… Leon leaned down, getting into her ear.

”I have things to answer for. He has questions to ask. Respectfully: Let us handle how we talk… Please, Cass… I love you.” he said with a rock steady calmness.

Sure, he didn’t want Casey to punch him. He was going to try and use his words first… Maybe nothing would’ve happened besides some shirt grabbing, but… Maybe her intervention was correct… Because rather than Leon’s request being the end, it was Casey who managed to pause and back off. Who managed to take a deep breath, because Cass needed him to just as much as she needed Leon to be okay.

”You… Did it. You, and our Mom… Two reasons for that poor fucking woman to hate Adepts even more. Like anyone could ever forget what the fuck you did back then… I’m just lucky I wasn’t a part of it, I guess. That I left, and came back, and everything happened without my fucking stink on it. So, who handles things? Junior? Ma and Junior?”

”Casey… Please! Don’t be like this to me, Casey… I thought we were-”

There was a lot to unpack. He’d had pretty low opinions of Leon after he left… Mostly for conduct in the same vein as this. Casey was no moral crusader, but he definitely had problems dealing with the shady shit some of his family participated in. But, Leon had been cleaning his closet out lately… And he could understand why this topic may have been one he was waiting to bring up…

”Is there anything that’s been done recently?” Casey asked very simply.

”N-... Not… Not that I’m allowing the publishing of.”

The answer wasn’t just ominous. It brought Casey a boiling rage that he hadn’t felt in quite some time, because he could smell the implication.

Cass lowered her arm, letting her clawed hands dangle at her side. Her head tilted up and back at Leon, yellow-ish eyes squinting in confusion. Recently? Her mind slowly ticked along as the constant, accidental casting took some of her capacity to immediately think things through. Who…?

“What?” It was Trisha who’d been silently watching the whole time that spoke next, taking a step forward. She clutched her bag to her chest. There was no buzzing like there normally would be, just eyes narrowed at Leon.

“Is it with Cass?” While Trisha’s volume didn’t range, there was an intense coldness to her tone.

Cass’s eyes widened slightly. Oh, of course. That would make the most sense. Her eyes narrowed again. For once, it was difficult to figure out what she was feeling.
”Is it?”

He obviously didn’t directly answer with yes.

”Casey took care of all the bugs in the apartment when he became the Blade. I didn’t know where she got it from until I spoke to someone else about it and found out that she’d been… Asking the cats to bring them in. I didn’t think that she was particularly friendly with them, so I never imagined it was a possibility. When we went to San Francisco and came back, she tried to hold it over my head, like she’d send it to whatever fucked up websites Junior sells the prints on. I did the other thing she asked me to do instead.” he explained, looking down at Cass.

”I never would’ve gotten you anywhere near that situation. I thought it was behind me, honestly, and that I finally had the chance to start something fresh with you. But, here we are again. Another girl in my life who my Mother’s violated thanks to their proximity to me.”

So he hadn’t known at the time. Of course, Cass was pissed. Pissed at his mother, and pissed that he hadn’t told her when he found out. Part of her understood as well why Lynette hadn’t made much effort to push her out at all. There was probably the assumption this would come out, and it would happen…

It made her incredibly uncomfortable. Like a crawling sensation across her skin that happened so rarely… More things that they’d definitely have to talk about in private. It would be difficult not to be paranoid now…

”Why didn’t you fucking tell me? I know it ain’t the kind of shit you can just bring up… And it still would’ve been shit! But finding out like this is a whole of a lot worse!” Cass gritted her teeth, body perfectly still aside from the frequent shifting of her skin. She was stuck in which direction to go. Back off, slap him just to feel better, do nothing at all?

And would she be able to hold Casey and Trisha off? Because she could tell they were angry too, feeling the heated emotions behind her. She understood. But this was about her and how she decided to deal with it.

”And what did she make you do?”

”The Caramel Farm… Cass, uh…-”

Casey could only try to pad what he knew she probably wouldn’t have any concept of… How certain things worked in the Supernatural world. Things like Covens, and murder. Even if she had been on that raid, how could he, or either of them, be asked to explain away the things they’d done to placate their mother in her last days.

But Leon didn’t want to run.

”There’s no planet where the answer to this question is explainable. Casey’s probably gonna say that. Try to. But, I can explain. She made me hurt people. Innocent people. Kill them even. She knows her days are numbered, and she’s trying to strip and burn anything she can. Any operation the Temple’s been running up until now, she’s trying to end it. So, she catches people like Casey and I by the nose rings, and makes us do it for her. So our hands are dirty too.” he explained without hesitation.

”I killed twenty five people at that farm. Because I had a bunch of thoughts, and made the decision to find a pathway to avoid them. And I really like you, but if I know you like I feel like I’ve gotten to know you? You’ll probably have the same question I did: Is your privacy as a person worth twenty-five lives? Because, as far as I’m aware, she’s kept her end of the bargain… My hope was that the dirty deed, and whatever else she may ask of me, would mean she’d go to her grave with the footage stashed in that little machine of hers. And that your privacy would be safe forever.”

It wasn’t a question Cass had to ask herself. Or at least, she knew her own answer right away.
”If she holds it over your head again? Tries to get you to kill more people? Let her publish it. That’s my decision.”

It was a difficult thing to swallow. She understood Leon’s reasons for doing what he did, and that he couldn’t exactly ask her first. Not when it was a threat. It was all so fucking complicated. Him and Casey… were somewhat complicit for killing people for her. But Lynette was at the centre of it all pulling their strings. Could either say no?

She knew Casey wouldn’t if it kept Trisha safe. Clearly Leon was the same for her, even if she didn’t want that blood on her hands by proxy. Her head twisted around to look over at Trisha to see how she was reacting.

Trisha already knew about the killing. Casey had told her during that argument, after she went to the Aberration meeting… She’d found it easier to put it to the side of her mind than she should. Casey’s safety, and her own, was just more important to her. So she couldn’t quite meet Cass’ gaze, pressing into Casey’s side and looking down at her own feet.

Cass frowned, looking back up at Leon.
”Look- it’s fucked up. The whole thing is fucked up- and you ain’t escaping all the blame, but she’s the problem. She’s the one manipulating you- both of you! I ain’t fucking blind to that. Even if I’m still pissed you didn’t tell me- if anything like this ever happens again, somehow? I want to fucking know.” She jabbed a clawed finger at him.

”No… It’s never happening again.”
Casey’s hand was rustling in his pocket, and before Leon could stop him, he had a cellphone pulled out.

”Casey, what are you doing?” he asked, confused and a little worried.

”I know where the fucking thing is, Leon. We’re not letting another day go by where she’s got that fucking thing, not a chance. Killing to keep people safe is a far enough leap of logic; it made sense in the army because we were fighting literal Nazis. But here? What the fuck are we doing?” Casey asked, time passing just long enough for the other end to pick up.

”Yeah, Michael? Listen, do me a favor… Get down to Lynette’s office now. And mentally prepare yourself for some effort, this isn’t gonna be simple to explain over the phone.

Casey pulled away from Trisha, absentmindedly turning his back as this wretched situation became a mental priority. Leon’s voice filled in the dead air.

”Jesus fucking Christ, this is not what I had in mind…”

After a short pause, Cass let out a very light laugh.
”What did you have in mind?”

Trisha reflectively tensed up as Casey pulled away, anxiety only heightened as she was suddenly faced with his back during this situation. It wasn’t about her, but it didn’t stop her from struggling to deal with it. His anger towards the situation being twisted, fear creeping in that she hadn’t reacted in the correct way. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself as best she could. It wasn’t that. He was dealing with something.

She was the ridiculous one to expect him to never turn his back, even though she knew he was trying not to… She should be able to handle him stepping away like that. Not immediately feel like she’d been cast adrift…

Trisha stepped slightly closer to Cass, but it didn’t offer much more comfort. Cass had squatted down again, crushing more small stones in her hands as she tried her best to calm down. It was fucking difficult. The whole situation had her blood boiling. Literally, it felt, with the way her magic was reacting.

”Well fuck, I hoped it wouldn’t be so bad either… We ain’t gonna miss the food if I spent ten minutes de-fanging myself, are we?” The topic switch didn’t feel quite right, but she needed it to calm down further. There was still things she wanted to discuss with Leon, at least, but she’d keep that to herself until it was just them…

Leon gripped at the bridge of his nose.
”No, no… We’re not going to miss anything, Cass. I need a moment myself.”

Casey was very intense on the phone as they proceeded to decompress on their own. At one point, he circled back to them in order to pass the joint he was clinging to off to Cass, along with a lighter for her to decide its fate. Describing how to get through Lynette’s elaborate set of traps utilizing a particularly unique Adeptal skill set over a telephone was anything but easy… But, after fifteen or so minutes of him yapping on, he seemed satisfied.

Finally, he was able to turn back around.

”Leon! Call Edict, he owes us a favor. Tell him he needs to stash something for us, that he’s not allowed to ask questions. Tell him to meet our guy at the abnormal spot.” Casey directed, taking a deep breath.

”If we can make this happen, I’ll feel a lot better. At least then, she won’t be able to dangle it over your head… Or anyone else’s. We can make a big deal of gutting it too.”

His arms wrapped back around Trisha like finding home again. She was always so warm to snuggle against, regardless of the enchanted jacket.

Leon was quick to make for his own phone, but had no luck calling Greyson at the moment. He did send a text to him and Linqian in the hopes that one would come through. For now, all the little group could do was sit and hope.

”Family meeting adjourned for now? Or, is there something left on the docket?” he asked, sliding his phone back into his pocket.

Cass had decimated the local small rock collection in the decompression time, before lighting up the joint Casey had handed her. Alternating between smoking and breathing seemed to do the trick as her less human features finally pulled back into her skin. It left a lingering fatigue behind. She knew where it came from, of course, and what it meant for the next day or two... But she ignored it for now.

She stood back up from her crouching position with a sigh. Then she shuffled over to Leon, tilting towards him until she was leaning her entire body against him. One arm draped loosely around his torso and she held up the small remaining joint up to him like a peace offering.
"Nahhhh, not from me."

Trisha had spent the past fifteen minutes particularly unhappy, concentrating on not letting her mood fall further or her anxieties take over. The moment Casey was next to her again she was clinging to him like he was a life raft keeping her afloat. She pressed her face into Casey's chest, taking deep breaths as she practically smothered herself in his arms.

Her head popped back out from burrowing into Casey, twisting around to stare at Leon for a moment. Was there anything else? There was… Did she want to bring it up right now? Risk getting upset at Casey when today was meant to be their day. But wasn't it already ruined? And with the mention of Edict, it was on her mind again.

“Why did you bring Cass along to deal with the House of Cards?" She asked simply, trying her best not to immediately get annoyed. She didn't want to get too upset right now… She was trying to get it off her chest so it didn't longer. Her head then tilted up towards Casey to stare at him. She held onto him tighter even as she continued. Because she had a pretty good understanding of how his job worked now… Nothing like that happened without his approval.

“Why did you let it happen?"

Leon and Casey both exchanged a look. They knew where the conversation had come from, where it went, and what ended up as the outcome…

”I mentioned where I was going, and what it would consist of. She expressed an interest in spite of the dangers, I asked if she wanted to tag along… Just to observe from close range…”

”They came to me, and as two adults, I’m not going to withhold their rights. I think all three of us knew we were betraying your trust, and I’ll make that up to you how I can… But I can’t apologize for doing it. Only for breaching our agreement on my end.”

The two men looked at one another again, and openly nodded with an agreement in their eyes.

”I’d rather ask for your forgiveness than your permission. And, I won’t gush about how talented she is for being so fresh… You should expect excellence out of her, I would imagine.” Leon flourished the conversation, trying to give Cass as much padding as possible, despite her probably needing it the least.

“She just spent ten minutes struggling to get rid of wolf ears.” Trisha pointed out with a frown. Though she knew Leon was right- even if Cass seemed to have some control issues, just in the last few weeks she’d clearly gotten much stronger with her magic. Even compared to some people who’d had it since their teens… But that didn’t make her any happier about it.

“I thought we were keeping her away from Temple issues… I thought you were going to stay away from them, Cass?”

”Well it wasn’t technically a Temple thing.” Cass shrugged, figuring out how to best keep the balance of not upsetting Trisha too much while being firm about her own autonomy.
”But that doesn’t matter! Like Casey said, I’m an adult… And I never really agreed to staying outta shit. Like, I can hold my own, Trish. Even if I didn’t fight all this magical shit as a teen. And I have just as much stake in all this as you, don’t I? You’re dating Casey, I’m dating Leon- I can involve myself as much as he’s comfortable with. You can’t expect me to sit by when all this shit is going on around us- around you- can you?”

Trisha pursed her lips, face scrunching up in an expression Casey would know fairly well now as ‘unjustified disagreement’ - she knew she was being unreasonable, but didn’t want to accept what Cass was saying. She couldn’t stand there and argue that Cass didn’t have the same right to involve herself that Trisha did. Then, she’d be questioning her relationship with Leon. But Trisha had never wanted to be involved like that… She just wanted to be with Casey. But there was that stupid dream.

“Fine. But you all knew and nobody was going to tell me.” And there was the thing that upset her more. Part of her had hoped that somehow Casey hadn’t known as well. That it was something Leon and Cass kept from him. But he knew…

While she didn’t want her close friend to be in danger, she knew she was a fully competent, magical adult. But to have both her and Casey know it was something that she wouldn’t like- that betrayed her trust- and then keep it from her as well?

It felt like she was being pushed out. And it felt like they just expected her to react badly to everything. She did, didn’t she? No wonder they didn’t ever want to involve her…

“I understand. It doesn’t matter, it’s not like I need to know anything.”

Casey quickly took both of Trisha’s hands, slipping in front of her. The hair not tied up draped over her, giving her a moment of total privacy with him… Even if they could both easily hear.

”You clearly needed to know, like you’ll need to know in the future… But, please accept that I’m always going to try to insulate you. And that means there’s going to be things I automatically assume you should be kept out of; things you’re better off just not hearing. For your sensibilities, and the stress in your life at the moment… Clearly, that’s not going to work, right? You need to be told everything. I need to be willing to be the bad guy, and to hurt your feelings sometimes by telling you the whole truth. At least until all this is over, then the truth is whatever we make between ourselves… There won’t be a need for any more protection.”

He didn’t whisper so much as he spoke in a wholly confidential way… Like they were in a room together, sitting side by side. His hands gripped hers, thumbs rubbing across the skin gently.

”You need to know. Because the temporary anxiety you feel now will be better dealt with than the permanent anxiety later: Of never really being able to trust one another, and of always watching to see what the next little white lie will be… And I’ve preached honesty to you, hypocritically withheld information, and implicated others all in the same action.”

He was awfully good at making sure his face was all she could see in that dark shroud around them.

It was hard to get more upset when he laid it out so clearly. Not that she wanted to get more upset. Because what he said was a big part of it. She’d been trying so hard to be more honest. Even if she stumbled, she was getting there. It made her so anxious not covering up things she’d normally keep hidden. But then he doesn’t do the same, for something involving not only him but one of her few friends?

“It makes me feel… excluded.” She whispered, barely making enough sound to form the words. It sounded ridiculous once it was out there. He was talking so clearly about trust, and that was such a big part of it… But she also just felt that childish anxiety like everyone else was in on something that she wasn’t.

“Like you all know something I don’t, and will keep having more secrets, and then…” leave me. She didn’t voice it because she knew Leon and Cass could hear. And she knew it was ridiculous and irrational even if she couldn’t stop the feeling. Her hands tensed in his, fingertips pressing into his palms. She took a deep breath, trying her best to not get caught on the irrational. To actually take in everything he’d said.

“I- I do want to know. Because I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone, and… I don’t want to be questioning everything. I’m trying so hard to reduce that and get better. I understand you wanting to protect me… But insulation would only make me turn inwards and h-hurt myself. So you’re right, I need to know, even if it upsets me at the time.”

”And, again, all this is so temporary, Trisha… So temporary. As soon as things are dissolved completely, and Elise takes the reins of whatever she holds onto, we’ll be able to sit back on our haunches with a booming honey business. At worst, we’ll live off of whatever money we’ve been left, thank God our parents did at least one thing right… And we’ll be free. Free of all this fucking need for withholding and secrecy. It’ll be over…”

He did, unfortunately, keep kicking the can down the road every time something like this came up… It was the assurance of Fate, that the whole situation would be handled and that by this time next year, they’d be cruising or settling, whatever they wanted. But he couldn’t keep treating their relationship like they would be there. He had to worry about the now.

”But, okay… And, I promise I’ll work with you whenever you get pissed… But, you’re gonna get pissed, because you’re going to know about Cass working on a new replacement system for the people working on project Meek… The Eden technicians who are, y’know, gonna stick around with Elise. They need systems to store things, stuff, I really don’t know the computer details but… She’s agreed to help. Any contribution you think you can offer, feel free… Again, not something we considered Temple business, since whatever the entity will be without Lynette could never be this again.” he continued to explain, hoping she’d either understand, or get on board.

Just like with everything else, it had to be aired… Which meant throwing Cass under the bus. Originally, it’d been plans about Junior, but as Leon was able to describe more and more instances of Green Lux being a sleeper-wonder in the world of Supernatural computing, Casey quickly realized the different applications she could work on…

”Much safer, I figure… And a great way for her to train that captures her imagination, but isn’t violent. Leon mentioned she had some doubts after that night… So, I don’t want her in that situation anymore than you.” he admitted finally.

Trisha frowned, brow furrowing. A project to… store things? A replacement system seemed like more than that. If it was related to Project Eden, then that was dipping into proper Temple projects… But it was for after Lynette was gone. For whatever there was after. Not the Temple. Not something as big and controlling she assumed and hoped.

Elise had never given Trisha a reason not to trust her, outside of her natural inclination to not trust anyone.

She took a deep breath, squeezing Casey’s hands as she tried to breath through the anger. She didn’t like it. She could rationalise it, but disliked it.

“It does… sound safer…” She managed to get out, while forcing herself to breathe in and out slowly. She didn’t want to react. Get pissed, like Casey said. Her agitation about it was written across her face, but it was just as clear that she was trying to work through it.

“She’s an adult, I can’t control what she does, even if it upsets me. I don’t like it because I don’t know who’s involved. I don’t… I don’t really trust anyone else. I trust you, I trust you want her safe too- It’s just hard to separate it from the Temple, even if it’s not. But it’s better than fighting. I also know if you offered her a magical computing job, nothing would keep her away from it.”

Trisha took another deep breath, seeming to calm down again. There was still a lot of tension in her body, panic and irritation twisting together just beneath her skin… But she wanted to work through it here and now. Then they could go back together, suffer through whatever their family threw at them, and… Get engaged.

“But I don’t think I can help. I’d just get in Cass’ way- and I have so much to do too. But that’s fine. I’m… glad you told me…”

”Just because you think you have nothing to offer doesn’t mean I think you won’t end up helping. Besides, how else would you get to know the people who may end up still being in our lives… At least cursorily… It’ll be nice to have a place to go, won’t it? To bring out kids, let them meet Auntie Elise, hear about crazy ol’ Grandma and what she used to do to us… And then, when we get there, you’ll be able to be like… ‘Oh, I do know you. You work on this thing, and you helped with the big event we were invited to last summer.’... And that’ll be way better than saying you never bothered meeting anyone in the first place.”

His heart was in the right place, but he could feel the old Richoux tendency. Clamping down on something, because you think it's right, only to piss everyone and anyone else around you off… He couldn’t let himself do it.

”You’re not going to be able to avoid seeing or hearing about her involvement. Either you’ll get curious enough to look into it, or you come to the firsthand conclusion that you don’t actually want to be involved... Just included. But, at least then it’s based on a reality you bothered to observe firsthand.”

“I’m not trying to avoid helping because I don’t want to bother, or want to avoid people.” Trisha said quietly, just about managing to not react as badly as her immediate annoyance could push her too. He’d misunderstood. She understood why he’d misunderstood. Because she’d been like that before… often was. Avoiding people or getting involved outside of her tiny bubble.

But that wasn’t one of her top reasons. It was a reason to not want to, but it was one she knew wasn’t strong enough to resist being dragged into something by the force of nature that was Cass.

For once, she managed to mentally step back. To explain rather than react and just make things spiral as they continued to not understand each other.

“I just don’t know when I’ll have the time. Honestly. Between honey collection, looking after my bees, growing more bees, training my magic and setting up a website for my business. And that’s just for work… Nevermind spending time with you, playing Minecraft with Mia and Ed, visiting your Grandmother… It’s really not because I can’t be bothered. I do struggle with meeting people like that, but I know it’s something I should try and work on. Especially people that are around you- and might be around us. I want to try… But I can’t when I’m exhausted from everything else.”

Casey was through the moon, both arms swinging around her and drawing her in tightly.
”God, I’m so fuckin’ proud of you Trisha… I could just fucking… You’ve done a great job. You were clear, you said what you had to say, and you get the praise and a chance to remind me about what my priorities should look like.” he spoke with tremendous excitement, pulling the veil away and smiling at her in the dim light.

That warm, warm smile…

”Then, y’know… No more dealing with all the Aberrations and stuff… Why put more on your plate sending you around a group who don’t really seem to do much besides stress you out, huh? Ed, Gin, Leon, they’ll pad any interactions you get into. Let’s focus on our future, especially now that the veil’s gone, huh? You heard Mom… The mask? Doesn’t mean shit now.”

Leon had been silently cuddling into Cass, appreciating the fact that she wasn’t dismissive or pushing him away. He’d talk for a million years if it meant there was one person who was willing to go to bat for him in the end… He could only try to show her through actions that he’d do the same. But, hearing Casey say something like that after everything else he’d been purposefully drowning out, he couldn’t just ignore the statement.

”I found a place to store Kane and Abel. Somewhere we hadn’t thought of before. With them out of the picture, she’ll need to come over personally to wreak any havoc she wants to. But-”
He frowned, waiting for them to look at him.
”-I’m just not sure, uh… well, whether or not she’d bother at all. Especially not with Nana and Puppa staying in the Bay, at least two of our uncles, a dozen cousins… Our Grandparents came back here expecting a fight. I just… Don’t think she’s got it in her.”

”Well what’s that mean?” Casey asked, a confused grimace crossing his face as he turned fully to look at his brother.

Leon could only shrug in response.
”It just makes Ma’s statement more oddly placed. Like, she planned to see Trisha more, maybe? Something to be careful about… Which is why I mentioned her Agent of Chaos no longer being around; it could give her a reason to show up herself… You see my conundrum?” he asked openly to the group.

Trisha leaned against Casey with a deep frown, having turned around in his arms to look at Leon as he spoke. It dampened the embarrassed happiness she felt at Casey’s praise. Would Lynette bother, or did she not have it in her to fight anymore? No… She just wasn’t hiding it.

“She’ll try to make my life as miserable as possible before she goes.” Trisha intoned with strange confidence. But did that make keeping the cats around worth it? To just protect her, when they preyed on everyone in the basement flat too?

Cass tilted her head. She didn’t know Lynette well enough to make a comment on whether she would or wouldn’t come over. But…
”She ain’t gonna be coming round to bother me. Really got the idea she couldn’t give less of a fuck… I mean, I’m assuming you heard? Couldn’t sound less interested meeting me for the first time. Which y’know, means if she does bother she’ll be focusing on Trisha.”

“Because it’s… my fault.” Trisha explained, knowing that Cass was thinking the same thing. They’d both heard about the dream from Ed. The clear difference in how Lynette treated Trisha and Cass… And she should be honest about it. Maybe they already knew.
“That she’s going to die.”

”Eh, I’d call you more of a catalyst, Trish.”

”Oh, not the fucking White Lux prophecy bull-”
Leon started up like a car, but Casey was quick to turn the key off.

”-Wait, wait… Mia said Princess of Black and Gold. That could just as easily be her or Elise… They’re both daughters of the New Dawn, we still fly the colors proud at the end of the day. Black and gold this, and that, everything else… Thinking that it’s bee stripes and then pinning this on you isn’t fair, Trisha…” he explained calmly.

“She saw my face, Casey. In a more recent vision. The woman had my face… How can that be anyone but me?” Trisha replied, tilting her head up to look at him. It hardly mattered, because what mattered was what Lynette believed. But the face? The honey dripping from the crown? It was hard to deny.

Knowing the few differences between Mia and Lynette’s forms of prescience, Casey had reason to believe that was probably true. Leon, however, hadn’t ever bothered to gather that kind of context. All he could do was be annoyed by the prospect of ever-shifting imagination turning into prophecy.

He put his hands up, waving the whole thing off.
”Then if you got told that, then you also got told the part about the Princess in Black and Gold swaddling the Ivory Tower like a baby. So, fuckin’... Explain that one.” he said poignantly.

However, Casey got exactly where Trisha was going with it.

”That does not change Mom potentially fixating on Trisha. We both know that, and we’re definitely old enough to understand that her perception is all it takes to kill someone.” Casey grimly intoned.

”But if it’s her and she’s swaddling Ma, then Ma’s not gonna… Kill her…” Leon said, voice slowing to a halt as he put those pieces together.

Not like Ed hadn’t earlier, but neither of the boys had been there to hear it… Which meant that now Casey got to come to the realization, and he had a whole different image in his head of how this could go. His eyes widened, his jaw clenched. They knew, collectively, of one ritual that could guarantee a soul’s selective reincarnation.

Because it was a White Lux ritual…

They had a moment to think about the implication. The fact that, thanks to her connection with some vague static point in a guaranteed future, she could be born again… And had all the time in the world to get ready for it…

”Aaaah… Well… Aaaaat least we can bet on Mom’s superstition being strong enough that Leon’s right. She’s probably got no interest in actually physically hurting you. Hell, maybe it’ll be good? Especially now that uh, if this handoff works, we’ve got massive leverage on her. Hell, we may even be able to spare her now! Showing people that box, she’d have to resign from the internal pressure!” he said excitedly.

Trisha felt a little sick. Even if she didn’t believe in reincarnation… Hearing it again, the possibility of having Lynette as her child, was enough to have discomfort crawling across her body.

But it wouldn’t happen, would it? It wasn’t something that matched her understanding of death, even in the magical world.

“Then what, Casey?” She asked, voice still quiet. She didn’t want to tell him she thought that wouldn’t work out… It was his mother.
“The Temple has a chance to keep going? Lynette… Keeps hurting people anyway, just with less power?”

Cass frowned.
”Eh, uh- yeah, it ain’t my place, but… I don’t really get how Trisha possibly having a future Lynette baby means she could be spared now?”

Ffffffffffffffffffff-
”We don’t have anything to force Severance on Adepts available exclusively. We’d need time to get something to Sever Lynette, so she uh… Can’t use your future-womb as a target for orbital reentry.” he said as flatly as he could, instantly gripping the bridge of his nows in a pained response.

”Jesus, that sounds bad…”

”So we’d need to get that shit before anyone kills her, or she does more- Oh shit, Trisha?!”

“Hu-rgh.” Trisha interrupted Cass as she suddenly crouched, curling forward to dry heave over the ground. There was nothing in her stomach to actually throw up, but just the thought- and the way Casey put it- had the nausea shooting up from minimal to unbearable.

It was horrible. The idea of Lynette targeting her… her ‘future-womb’ like that, and the embarrassment of not being able to hold back such a visceral reaction. Why the fuck was that something Lynette could do? And could Trisha have children knowing it wasn’t just a possibility. But she wanted them so badly too…

One arm wrapped around her stomach as she tried to suppress the retching, gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut.

Casey was immediately shocked by the visceral reaction to this information. In his mind, if there was a solution to the problem, then it was all that was necessary to move on from it… But it also wasn’t his body. Though, the next thing to pop into his head was not going to be said…

Not like we choose who our kids are anyway…

No, no… Certainly not-

”Geeze, Trisha… Can’t be that bad, I mean it ain’t like we pick our kids, right?”

Casey looked up at Leon from comforting his fiance, a mixture of shock and awe on his face.

”Don’t… Don’t talk.” Casey intoned quietly, trying his hardest to stifle a laugh and a smile in front of Cass.
”Now is not the time for jokes like that. Get in touch with whoever you can from the outside, tomorrow… Find out what its going to take. Outside the Temple. Do you hear me?”

Leon raised his hands, looking down at Cass.
”You heard him. That’s my job tomorrow… Not shopping.” he said with a vague snark and another grin.

He was trying his best to get over himself, and the vulgar jokes were about the only copes he could use in the situation.

”Oh my God, Leon, now ain’t the time to joke!” Though Cass’ tone wasn’t as chastising as it could be, she wasn’t really going to just stand around and laugh. Her hands came up to gently push Leon’s chest, not so subtly suggesting that they should probably step away.

”No, no, wait!” he interrupted.
”To be very frank, we don’t actually know how the ritual works! For all we know, Severing her won’t actually help! Maybe her dying is a deal-sealer, and-”

Casey’s look went from humor at the circumstance to dead seriousness.

”I… I do. Remember? The whole book thing, locking minds, passing on knowledge through White Lux? You think I don’t have the blueprint for it in my head? Just because I can’t see a future to send myself to, doesn’t mean I don’t know how it works! Now, do what I tell you! Please! For once in our fucking lives, let me be the big brother.”

Leon frowned, but understood that he’d made a mistake again. It wasn’t hard to tell…

”Fine, fine… Sorry, again. Fuck...” he grumbled, nodding Cass along hoping that she’d follow.

”Trisha, Baby… Listen… It’s gonna be alright. We’re gonna make it, nobody’s invading you. You’re going to be alright, our kids are going to be fine. Here, use my shirt, did anything come up?” he asked with great concern, his entire focus falling back onto her.

Trisha shook her head continually, managing to turn around to curl in towards Casey. It was difficult to suppress the sickening feeling, because just the thought of Lynette targeting her body like that… It made her want to throw up again in the hope it would rid her of any influence that was somehow already there.

But there wasn’t actually anything to throw up. Just a burning feeling in her throat from trying.

Her body trembled, but the dry heaving had stopped.
“N-no, I haven’t eaten today… there’s nothing to throw up.” She admitted with some difficulty. She reached out to grasp onto Casey, while burying her body against him like she was trying to disappear into him.

“Can you really stop it? I… I know we can’t choose our kids but…” Her voice was a hoarse whisper, and she grimaced.
“It’s my body. It’s- it’s violating, it feels so gross, even if it hasn’t happened yet I just… I can’t stop thinking about it.”

”Okay, first? I’m so sorry that I chose the most vulgar way to phrase what the fuck is happening right now. So, relax. Sit, sit with me-” he said, bringing her close and slipping down to sit on the ground. He pulled her onto his lap so she’d be safe from the cold, wet rocks.

”-and hear me out. She’s not going to be invading your body, not in any meaningful way. You’d never know, and as far as I’m aware of the ritual, the child is all their own no matter what. My Mom’s tribe… They made this spell to maintain a single priestess’ consciousness across generations. Essentially, the child’s born. They grow, they are who they are, until they Kindle. Then, they… Start to get funny. With a connection to Lux, the stowaway is able to feed enough to grow actively in the psyche of the host.”

He held her close, speaking slowly and clearly so that she’d hear every little thing he said. And then he tensed, only assuming there’d be panic coming next.

”I’m explaining it because, aaaahm-” he stammered, not sure how to actually tell her what was coming next.
”-I’m… I don’t even know if Severing her Lux actually stops it. This ritual would generally be performed as the first spell a priestess would cast. They’d see their next target, aim, and fire into the future. Essentially, they’d anchor themselves to points in the distance, and drag their tribe there by force… But, nothing outside of the actual use case has ever really been tested. The Bad Omen was always, apparently, when your Priestess could no longer see a point in the future to anchor herself to. Obviously, she’d try continuously over her life, but… Usually there was no seeing a point ahead, because Fate hadn’t made one.”

Which was a statement that had incredibly ominous connotations all its own…

“So she’s probably already done it?!” As Casey predicted, with the nausea reducing it was panic that came crawling in next. She trembled in his arms, trying to take in the feeling of his warmth to stop the anxiety spilling over into a full attack.

“And it’s just… ‘fated’? It doesn’t matter what we do? It- So nothing was ever in our control?” It was a difficult thing for someone realistic like Trisha to swallow. She’d had magic for almost half of her life, but not in the same way Casey or other Temple members had. To her magic was just another thing she could see. It was explainable, in a way.

But fate? Things just being predetermined? She’d never believed it. Still didn’t entirely… But if Lynette could see a point, and anchor herself to it? Did it matter what showed her that point?

She was trying her best not to let all the panic blow over. But it was difficult. Casey’s explanation helped reduce the grossness she felt in her own body, but not the fear she felt for any future child of theirs.
“So no matter what, one of our children is going to have a Lynette parasite feeding on their magic?!”

”No. No, not at all! That’s not what I’m saying; I’m saying we can’t possibly know. We won’t know until we… Raise the fuck out of ‘em. That’s the scariest part. And if she opened her parameters, it probably doesn’t even need to be XX chromosome’d. Boy, girl, fuckin’ lizard… What we know for sure, is that there’s a high probability that her and Mia’s dreams are both accurate enough to recognize your face. And if that’s the case, then Mom’s probably had a long time to live with the moment, meaning that… For as long as she’s known about this ritual, she’s probably been hunting for her anchor.”

He took a deep breath. It was an incredibly complex ritual that required daily tending over a period of literal years. He was trying to remember any of the signs from half-buried memories in his head. Digging for skeletons on the beach… Finding treasure instead.

”Are… You… You… Please, don’t leave me over this…” he whispered, a sense of dread in his voice.
”I-I understand… If you did, I get it, and not wanting to have anything to do with me. If… If you did leave over it, the ironic thing would be that, if she did see an opening, it wasn’t from you. So their prophecy would’ve just been goofy. All for nothing. But, me being selfish, asking you to stay? Just asking for trouble, aren’t we?” he asked, starting to weep quietly into Trisha’s hair.

“W-W-What? No! I’m not leaving you!” Trisha panicked reactively, Casey’s worries about it only increasing her own anxiety. It hadn’t even been a consideration. At no point had she thought about leaving him. She didn’t want to- she’d never want to, not unless he stopped loving her.

“I’m… I’m not so confident about kids anymore… But I don’t care, if we live together without them or risk raising another Lynette- I hate the thought, but losing you would be worse! I don’t want to go back to being alone again… Please don’t even think about us splitting up… Staying with you is more important than anything else. I can get through everything else if it’s with you…”

”Then, obviously we’ll work it out! We’re going to make it work, right? Like seriously: You and I, right now, are going to promise one another that whatever happens with our kid, kids, who knows… We’re going to deal with it like adults, like parents who love their kids, and the moment something like that ever happens? I’ll know, because I know what to look for. We will fix this. No matter what, Trisha. Come Hell, or high waters.”

He spoke with such conviction, as if he even believed himself. He did to a degree, but not the way he should’ve. It was hard to believe, really… The future was so far away, wasn’t it? How could they ever know? He wasn’t gifted in White Lux. Neither was Elise, thankfully… Nor Junior, bless them all…

Just poor Mia…

”And, if it was never actually us? Then we win. But, I’ve got no intention of living our lives like we’re not free or something… We’re in charge of our lives.”

Trisha pulled her head back a bit to properly look at Casey. She had to believe him when he sounded so confident about it. They’d be able to handle it. It was so far in the future… A future where they had children, and their child had kindled. So many years away. Maybe she wouldn’t have all this anxiety she had now. She would be able to handle something like that.

With Casey. That was what mattered most. That she was with him.

“Alright. I’ll try not to let it colour my view… or make me too anxious. I promise that if it happens I’ll deal with it like that.” Trisha managed to say as calmly as she could while slowly coming down from the peak of a panic attack. It was still so much to worry about. But she didn’t want a prophecy or possible future to ruin her now.

“I want to live our life together doing what we want to, instead of worrying about it leading to that. It’s really hard to not panic… But I love you so much. I think I can get through anything if it’s with you, even if it's difficult. I really love you, Casey.”

Casey’s heart bubbled up again, like he was floating on a cloud. Her reassurance was all he needed for revitalization. The tears didn’t stick around, nor did the sour attitude…

”That’s all I can ask you to do, Trisha… That’s all. I love you… So much.” he said quietly, leaning forward and kissing her on the lips with a gentle tenderness.

”You want to take a bit more time? We’re going to be waiting…” he offered.

Trisha nodded, relaxing against him. She couldn’t quite let go of all the tension, but at least she was able to feel a bit more comfortable in his arms. It was exactly where she’d wanted to be all day… She just hadn’t expected to go through all of this…

“I need a little bit longer before I can face anyone else. Especially if my siblings have made their way to the table…” She didn’t particularly want to deal with them at all, but she’d be able to after calming down a bit more.
“Though I’m worried what’ll happen if they have, and Leon and Cass went back. I really don’t think that's a good combination… Because they’re incredibly open, and my siblings aren’t.”

She shrugged, burrowing herself against Casey.
“But I’ll be fine in just a little bit.”

Casey nodded, arms keeping her steady as his body rocked back and forth with the motion of the waves on the shore.

”I think that makes them the perfect warmup. If we get there, and they’re already upset, it’ll work out perfect.”
He grinned slyly at her, kissing on Trisha’s forehead again before looking out at the waves.

”Man… The crabs are being so well behaved. It’s kind of crazy, like I haven’t felt any kind of stirring.” he explained with a laugh.

“So… we probably won’t end the night by being eaten?” Trisha replied with a small smile. When she’d found out the whole event would be on two massive crabs… It was safe to say she was a little shocked and then worried when he said they might be a risk.

“That’s good, since I had other plans. Is there normally something that sets them off or is it just based on their whims?”

”Uh… Essentially. Really, my only control over them is based on a mutual trust. They’ve got some crazy Lux absorption magic going on, but you need White to actually talk to them. So, I can ask what’s wrong. I can check in. But, they’re not particularly inviting. Just not anxious? I guess?” he explained with as much assuredness as he could.

”I did feed them some of my war memories. Maybe they got used to being shelled? And it's helping them cope with all the noise?” he speculated.

“You shared war memories with the anxious, massive crabs to help them cope with the noise?” Trisha’s response was a bit incredulous. If Casey started sharing his war memories with her, she’d become a panicked mess.

“How… Did that help?”

Casey half smiled, shrugging in reply.
”Uh… Orange Lux is representative of Courage. I needed to do a lot of crazy things that took a lot of balls. A lot of explosions happened pretty close to me, but I had a job to do. Had to keep going. So, maybe they’re not very talkative because they’re just locked in.” he admitted, vague pride in his voice.

“Ohhh…” Trisha’s eyes widened, before she nodded. That made sense. If he’d gotten through that without dying, and with courage, of course that feeling would be transferred.

“Maybe they are? Can’t say I’m an expert in massive crabs.” Trisha giggled, leaning in closer to brush her nose against his.
“But I do know that my fiance is very cool and brave. No wonder you’re not fazed by most things I throw at you.”

”You’re too good to me for having upset you so recently… You seem to be pretty good whenever I throw something at you, so maybe I’m just copying?” he asked teasingly, sticking his tongue out.

“Well not to brag, but I did grow up with about twenty siblings. Means you get used to dealing with almost anything.” Trisha joked in response, hand coming up to poke his cheek. Of course her siblings hadn’t made her more tolerant… Even if it made her used to a lot of disappointments. Maybe it was growing up in that environment, and fighting the Stygian Snake, that meant she could handle most things.

That and wanting to stay with Casey more than anything else.
“So of course you’d end up copying me, since you only have four.”

Casey’s grin was one of full acceptance of the bit.
”Oh, yeah. Absolutely, like, definitely gonna have to yield to you on that. It’s not even really fair when you put it like that, right?” he laughed.

”Glad we’ve established a knowledge hierarchy when it comes to something like this.”
Shaking his head, he bolstered his legs and braced both feet firmly before hoisting Trisha up along with himself from a dead squat.

”What do you think? Never wanna leave? Wanna see the ring again before we break the news?” he asked her with a playful look in his eye.

“I’ve been trying to forget what it looks like so I can act surprised, don’t tempt me like this, Caasseeyyy.” Trisha teasingly whined, pouting at him. She’d gladly just look at it for hours… But it’d be on her finger soon, then it’d never go anywhere.

“I never wanna leave you.”

He nodded his head gently.
”Never for long, Trisha Bee… Never forever. That’ll be one of my vows to you, I already decided. Did I tell you? I started thinking about them? I know its a long way off yet, but… To never say goodbye, to always return in storm and unsafe port. Never abandon you, or think to walk without your steps in mine… Uh, poetic shit.” he added the last little flare as if he hadn’t been reading poems about marriage the last three days.

Trisha’s cheeks heated up, followed by a sappy smile. Her eyes creased with soft love. There was a little fluttering in her chest as he spoke… But just as much as what was in the ‘future’ vows, it was the fact he was thinking of them already that made her feel so soft.

“It’s beautiful.” She said quietly, hands gently cupping his face before she leaned in to kiss him softly.
“I can’t believe you’re already thinking about them… You really do want to marry me, don’t you? Uh, obviously… But I don’t know. Every extra thing just makes it feel so much more real.”

”It’ll be all the more real in a few hours. Now, come on. Let’s get back where it’s warm. I don’t want to miss Grandpa’s speech either.” he grinned. Still holding her aloft, he pressed on and up the embankment toward the coastal lip where the dune met the wash at high tide. Then, letting her go of her own volition, the duo made an intentionally slow return through the massive canopied platforms.

How Dogs Are [FernStone & AtomicEmperor]

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 this 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 four 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 not 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.

"Sure, send em in!"

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.

”Caaaaaass!” Hari sweetly cooed, holding her arms out toward Cass before stopping in front of her.
”Ahhhhh, I can’t fucking hug yoooooooou!”

Mia laughed aloud.

”Yeahhhh I mean, how are you feeling Immobile one? Think you can hug it out for a second?” 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 there 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.

"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?" 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 not hug her later. That was just making things worse herself! In loads of pain, unable to move and unable to hug? No thanks!

"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!"

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.

”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.” she explained, blushing slightly as Mia giggled both her eyebrows.

”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.” 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.

”I was giving slutty secretary vibes all day because it is her shirt! Fuuuuuuuu-”

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

"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!" 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.
"Us small tiddy bitches gotta stick together, don't we?"

She reached out to save her game, before closing the laptop to give them her full attention.
"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?"

”You could never take more clothes than that divas bought himself.” Mia intoned with a snort.

”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?”

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.

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

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

"Whoa, no foreplay while I'm stuck in bed! Have some sympathy!" 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.
"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."

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.

”Blessed day, Graceful People!-” Leon's voice and face behind a camera.
”-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-”

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.

"Holy shit! Where the fuck is he gonna keep all this when the Temples gone?! Fucking- Fucking rich people!" 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…
"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… "

She was trying not to laugh too much, because it'd just end up hurting her more.
"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?"

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.

”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.” she offered.

"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!" 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- slight!- 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 bothered 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!

"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!" Instead of just arguments upon arguments like many of the past meetings had seemed to be.

"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!"

Do I tell her, do I not, do I tell her, do I not, do I-
”It… Maybe an evacuation squad? We’re here either until Leon gets back, or until we have to move you somewhere safe.” 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.

”Whaaaaaat does that mean, Mia? What’s going on with Sycamore?” Hari asked with concern in her voice.

”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*.” 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!

”Fucking why Mia?”

”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.” Mia shrugged.
”You know Casey. Hurting the Dradster would never be his first option. Its all about how he reacts to being accused.”

”I… What kinda good news could come outta whatever this shit is?!” 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 she could do about it!

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

”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…-”

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

”Mia? Just… Tug on the leash, Honey… Spare us all the anxiety, maybe.” 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 he 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!
”Holy shit, you’re fucking alive, thank fuck!”

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

”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.” Leon joked, patting Mia’s head.

But she started sobbing, and he could only laugh awkwardly in turn.
”Pleeeeeeease take the fucking Leash! Please! I can’t fucking deal with being responsible for you, Leon, please! 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-”

”Ohhhh boy…-” Hari intoned to Cass, shaking her head.
”-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.” she finished, speaking lowly and half crouching next to Cass so they both got the same angle on the proceedings.

”-Mia, we can’t. There’s nobody else! Who would you ask? Cousin Leah? Aunt Maribelle?”

”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-”

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

”Mia Titania, don’t you ever fucking threaten me with your wellbeing! You and I aren’t the only people affected by-”

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

”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!” Cass practically exploded, completely different from what the girls were used to. She just couldn’t handle sitting around and listening to this.
”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 seriously threatening to do that shit when he could lose himself completely?!”

But she did then very weakly point a finger at Leon.
”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!”

”Cass, I’m so-”

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

”Hey, Shotgun Hands!? You knocked his fucking block off 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 car afterward!”

Leon cleared his throat, prompting Hari to stand.
”This is fucking embarassing, Mia. You know for a fact that it’s all about practice a-”
She turned to Cass.
”You don’t deserve dealing with this.-”
Then turned back to Mia, starting to walk forward and putting her arms up.
”-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-”

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

”-No! I’m sick of it, I’m sick of being asked to d-”

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

”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?” he asked calmly, starting to walk forward toward Cass. His eyes peered up at all the machines before falling back down on her.

”I… Don’t know…” 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…

”Fuck. 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?”

Leon got a lot closer now, running his hand over Cass’s head in a slow, gentle roll.
”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.”

Daisy… She wasn’t dead. Never had been. He really really hated that.

”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…”

He took a deep breath, hoping to get away from the topic with his good news.
”Today hasn’t been a bust, at least. This was relatively easy to come home to… Uh… We found Father Wolf, Babe. The notes? When we rescued those people? Turns out, they had everything 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-...” he stopped, trying to figure out how to explain it, giving Cass the chance to interrupt him with her own questions.

”S-So there’s not gonna be any evacuation?” 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.

”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?” he asked her intensely, his face now staring directly into hers from no more than a few inches.

”Obviously!” 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.

”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!” She declared, face closing most of the gap- slower than she’d like- to press her nose against his.
”You ain’t getting rid of me. You’d have to drag me out kicking and screaming.”

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.
”Fuck… I really missed you…”

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…

”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.”

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 good man. But would she understand that he was the only thing still protecting them?

”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.”

”Fuck, that sounds… Pretty bad…” 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!

”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?” 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.
”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 someone 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.”

”Well…” 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.

”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…”

”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?”

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

”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 all were taught explicitly what that means. And the plan has always 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.” he shrugged.

”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.” he intoned somewhat grimly to finish.

”When you put it like that, it kinda sounds like it’s hopeless.” 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…

”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 entirely 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!”

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

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

”I… If we make it out? I think I’m gonna say it.” he said very simply.

Say what? Say… Oh. 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.

”You Richoux, so fucking fast… and sappy.” 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.
”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!”

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.
”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.”

Traipsing? Andy? Andy didn’t Traipse, she bulldozed.
”Nnnno… What happened? You say it’s your news? Did she find some kind of fucking cure!?” 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.

”I wish, it isn’t quite that awesome.” 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!

”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 bean. It basically like… Traps the poisoning. Collects it in certain places. So it don’t really cure 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.”

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

"Hey, no squeezing." 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.
"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."

She leaned slightly to one side, head twisting to look up at him.
"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?!"

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.

”Oh, those sound like Adept problems to me.” 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 very 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.

”Oh… What the fuck? Why? Why does that do that!?” he intoned, finally shaking his head.
”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.” 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!

"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." 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…

"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! Hours. Then I gotta sleep with it too!" She let out a light huff, before shifting to sink against him further, somehow.

"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."

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

”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.” he kissed her gently.

”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…” he enthusiastically exclaimed.

”Oh yeah, I wanna go down fighting. I gotta get a punch or two in first, at least.” 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!

”What’s Casey gonna do to help? Some kinda funky orange shit- Wait, Casey knows?!”

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

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

”-I’m worried about him. About the power. He was never 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… Just like Mom. Sometimes, I think he’s listening just to listen. Just to… Be with other people, I guess.” he shrugged,shaking his head.

”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.”

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?

”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.” She tilted her head back to look up at Leon.

”I don’t 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?”

Leon’s face was a little more grim.

”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.”

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.

”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!?” 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.

”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…” She trailed off, frowning a little bit up at Leon.

”We gotta be prepared for the fallout to hit us. It ain’t some Trisha’d leave him over unless he just never stops- 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.”

”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.” Leon shrugged, sinking back into Cass.

”Let’s just… Manifest the best. You and me both. Let me see your hands.”

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

”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.”

Cass giggled quietly, leaning back against him. Her body went even more limp, any emotional tension draining away.
”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!”

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.

”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.”

”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.”

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.