The Kraken

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

"Yes, well, just remember that if you want to turn me in, I'm the one with the handcuffs."

Kasai smiled again and chuckled at the joke. Though she was far from being a corrupted cop, she knew that some in the city were. Those were the types of officers whom she looked to overtake and fire if she ever got her way. Disrespecting what the badge stood for just didn't do for her. Unfortunately, most matters like that never made it all the way to Chief Beifong unless they were serious.

Kasai winced a bit at Avani offering to pay for dinner, considering she walked out the other day. Technically, it was Kasai's fault she left in the first place, and the comment was like rubbing salt in a wound that she'd soon rather put past her. She lay there a moment more, garnering the strength to get up. Once she did, she cautiously stood and put weight down on her injured leg. Much to her relief, it didn't hurt any worse than the other.

"Breakfast shall be served."

Steadily, she made her way into the living room and scanned the floor for her crutches. Though she wasn't in any great pain, she didn't think it wise to go walking around on her leg any further than she had to. She found one lying on the other side of her living room and retrieved it, then made her way to the kitchen.

From the fridge she pulled out everything she would need to make them a decent breakfast. The stove was already heating up a couple of pans, and Kasai got to chopping up the ingredients she laid out on her counter and started throwing them into their respective pans. A batter was whipped up, as well as several eggs. Kasai grabbed spices and herbs from a cabinet, but refrained from adding as much heat to the dishes as she normally would. Fire nation cuisine tended to be a little on the spicy side, and she didn't want to scorch Avani's palate right off the start.

A few minutes later, the smell of her cooking filled the apartment. Kasai retrieved a couple plates and utensils, setting them before adding the food to the table. It wasn't a five star meal, but she had the ingredients to make eggs, sausage, fried dough, and tea. Kasai walked back to her bedroom and found Avani bound up in the sheets again. Smiling, she went over and kissed her head, waking her from her nap.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey Avani."

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai was fast asleep, exhausted from the weekend activities. Her body had been wrecked repeatedly, not against her will though. It was definitely unlike any experience she had had before, both terrifying and electrifying. But it was something she was not likely to forget anytime soon.

Not much had crossed her mind over the last few days other than the woman lying in her bed next to her. Kasai was fixated on Avani, somehow captivated by the woman who had invaded her bedroom. For what reason, she still did not know. All she did know was that she was sort of drawn towards her, ever since they were pitted against each other so many days ago in the spirit world, despite her annoyance with the woman at first.

Kasai felt something shaking her, and she grumbled. Slowly, her eyes peeked open and she saw Avani leaning over her. A smile grew on her face and she laughed lightly before rubbing her face to wake herself up. She started to stretch, attempting to wake her muscles up.

"I'm great, how about-"

Her eyes squeezed shut again and she winced, stopping mid-stretch as her muscles cramped up. A groan slipped out and she went limp, smiling weakly as she kissed Avani back. Physically, she was just worn out and her body didn't hesitate to tell her so.

"Trust me hun, I fell your pain. You know, I have these wonderful pain pills the doctor gave me."

She laughed again and laid her head back on her pillow, looking over at Avani with a smile. The sheets of her bed were a tangled mess, and she assumed the rest of her apartment was as well. It wasn't like they had stayed in one place for three days. Eh, it could all be cleaned in due time.

"So, how about after I learn how to move again I cook you a real breakfast? Not that canned crap I made us last time."

Kasai smiled at the memory in the spirit world, when all she had to feed them was some government issued mystery meat from a can. Granted, it turned out to not be as bad as expected. Still, she had far better ingredients in her own kitchen and much better means to cook it with. Kasai sat up a little in bed and slowly tried to keep her body from rebelling at the notion of activity.

The Circus At The End Of The World (Engel X The Kraken)

Elijah shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the ground, piddling with a few blades of grass as he pondered. What in the world would cause them all to share the same nightmare? It was a mystery to him, but he was beginning to look at the bigger picture, the strange events that had been occurring around the circus.

First had been the horrific incident with his and Kate's act. That had never happened before, sure she had nicked him before but nothing ever came close to his carotid like that had. It was almost as if the knife had strayed from its path, an invisible breath of air that sent it a few centimeters off course, right into his throat.

The following acts all experienced similar irregularities, though none were quite as violent. Still... there was something off about each of them. Not to mention the ring master, Elena's final act. It almost looked of witchcraft. The thought made Elijah question the possibility that their boss had something to do with what was occurring.

"Something strange is going on here..." He looked at Kate with his brow in a knot. "Do you think it has anything to do with that weird chanting Elena did last night?"

Kate shook her head and pressed her lips together in thought, "I don't know. She's done chanting before, it's all part of the act. But that was some strange stuff she was managing to conjure up."

Kate felt Claire sink into her and she looked down at her. She looked troubled while she slept. Surely she wasn't still trapped in a nightmare, was she? Or perhaps flung into another? No, otherwise the incident with the tiger would not have been resolved so convincingly. Kate wondered what was bothering her friend, but she decided to let her sleep. After all, she was probably still feeling the effects of her hang over.

Her mind wandered to the murder that they had the unfortunate privilege of witnessing earlier. The oddity of it made her wonder, how was such a feat pulled off without leaving a trace? Granted, the police had had little time to investigate much further. Still, she thought that such a bloody ordeal would've definitely resulted in a equally bloody trail to follow.

"What of the woman this morning? Do you believe that to be of the same nature?" Kate questioned.

He looked down in thought for a moment and then nodded slowly. "If I had to take a guess... yes. I don't see another explanation for it. And that nightmare that we were all thrown into? Together, no less? It all has to be related, so many freaky events could hardly be coincidental."

"Well if that's the case, we need to get to the bottom of what's happening. At least to save our own skins. I don't know about you, but I'm not fond of the idea of being thrown into a demented nightmare every time I close my eyes."

Elijah shook his head with widened eyes, "Oh, hell no."

Kate laughed lightly, trying not to disturb Claire who soon started snoring. Something sounded off though... Claire wasn't usually a snorer. At least not like that, to Kate's knowledge. She narrowed her eyes at the woman in her lap and patted her.

"Claire... I know you aren't sleeping anymore. Wake up, would ya?" She gently shook her friend, "We've got some stuff to talk about."

The Circus At The End Of The World (Engel X The Kraken)

Kate kept her eyes squeezed shut, not wanting to see the look on Claire's face since she had practically just assaulted her face with her own. The blackness of the back of her eyelids was the last thing she saw before falling back into slumber. Her body was relaxed while her mind caught up to the switch in realities.

Slowly, she stirred. Peeking her eyes open, she came to. Met with the same scene that she had originally fallen asleep to, she was pleasantly surprised. It made her question if the nightmare she had just experienced was some crazy lucid dreaming or an unfortunately real event that took over her subconsciousness.

It took her a minute to realize Claire was still sleeping on top of her, her head on her shoulder. Kate's arm was still wrapped around Claire too, but luckily this time it was resting comfortably on her side. She breathed a sigh of relief and figured that the whole experience had just been some terrible dream brought on by the gruesome scenes she had witnessed over the past two days.

Unfortunately, that meant that the warm fuzzy feeling that she felt with Claire in her arms wouldn't be a shared experience, but something she was doomed to keep to herself. Gently, she rested her chin on Claire's head again and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment before the others woke.

Eli groaned and rolled over, his eyes cracking open and squinting while his vision turned from fuzzy to clear. Blinking, he looked over at Kate and Claire, who appeared to be sleeping. He sat up and rubbed his face, a hand passing over his neck at the memory of his nightmare. The water he had fetched earlier was still sitting to the side, and he took a drink.

Kate noticed Eli was awake, and she thought she could see Claire's eyes moving beneath her eyelids. Still, she whispered when she spoke.

"Did you enjoy your nap, Eli?" She asked, knowing that hers was not as well as she could have hoped.

He looked over and greeted her with a smile, but it didn't last long and he shook his head.

"No, I had an awful nightmare."

Kate's eyes narrowed at him and she took on a questioning tone.

"As did I, you and Claire were both in it."

With that news, Eli's face went flush and he shook his head in disbelief.

"You two were in mine as well... It wasn't, I mean, did you-" His eyebrows raised and he motioned towards Claire, who was still lying on top of Kate.

Kate's eyes grew wide and her face grew hot at the realization of what Elijah was insinuating. So it was all real, afterall. Hesitantly, she nodded at him and her face showed the concern she felt.

"What sort of craziness is going on here?" She questioned.

The Circus At The End Of The World (Engel X The Kraken)

Elijah and Kate stepped back as the big cat began circling Claire, growling and appearing rather intimidating. It was unknown to Kate what fear this was, or why there were two tigers instead of just one. However, it made sense to her that it involved a version of Solomon. Claire's life revolved around those beautiful creatures, and without them she wouldn't be the same.

When the big cat grew more aggressive and bit Claire's leg, Kate instinctively took a step forward. Eli grabbed her arm and shook his head, pulling her back towards him.

"She needs to do this."

The pair watched nervously as the whole scene played out. Something as simple as striking the tiger with a tamer's whip ended the gruesome event and Claire fell to comfort the now tamed beast, which soon disappeared. All that was left of the ordeal was the charming baby tiger, as if it were the reward and symbol of a fear overcome.

Claire and Elijah were now fear-free, or at least of one of their fears. It all fell to Kate now, who looked nervously from Claire to Eli as she questioned what she was supposed to do.

"Well, uh..."

It occurred to her that she didn't really know exactly what she was afraid of. Was she afraid of Claire finding out about her feelings? No, not really. She had pondered the idea of telling her before. Was she afraid of herself? Of others finding out? No, and no. Kate wasn't one to entertain the opinions of others, nor was she uncomfortable in her own skin.

Thinking back to the events of when she first woke up in this horror-ridden wasteland, she remembered how her arm had decided to take it upon itself to feel up Claire. Recalling that she was unable to move her arm, she thought that may have something to do with it. Why would a part of her body fall under something else's control?

Kate would never imagine touching Claire while she was asleep or unknowing of it, and she was certain that she wouldn't subconsciously do it. The reaction though... the reaction that Claire had at the discovery was of pure disgust and broken trust. That was what had gotten to Kate so badly, it had shaken her to the core.

Kate realized she wasn't afraid of Claire finding out her feelings, she was afraid of losing Claire over them. That was the reason she had never decided to tell her, because having her as her friend was invaluable compared to driving her away over some silly emotions. That was what scared her the most, not having Claire in her life because she didn't feel the same way.

"Claire..." Kate turned to her and scratched at her neck nervously.

Yet she still didn't know how she was supposed to face this fear. She supposed the only way would be to fess up and face the consequences, no matter what they were.

"First of all, I swear that I had no control over what happened earlier. But, if I'm being honest..." her feet shifted nervously under her, afraid that all Claire will be able to do is giggle at her.

"There is something I've been needing to tell you. I don't remember when I started thinking of you differently, but, I uh... I need you to know that I think of you as more than a friend." She winced at the sound of her words, knowing how silly it must sound. "I fancy you, Claire. There, I said it."

But she didn't feel any different, the words that she spoke were true and yet she still felt afraid. Nervously, she swallowed and looked at Claire.

"Oh, for God's sake. Screw it."

Kate stepped towards Claire and pressed her lips against hers in a gentle kiss, closing her eyes and praying that when she opened them, it would all be over with. Elijah stood off to the side, trying to contain the smile and chuckle that was threatening to burst out.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai left the police department with a heavy mind. She wasn't used to taking orders from anyone but her superiors, but more than anything Avani's demands made her nervous. The motorcycle was taken care of easy enough, left outside the PD for Avani when she got out.

The next day, Kasai put on her official Republic City Police uniform and joined her fellow officers to honor their fallen brother, Barron. The funeral service was held by the PD, with a sea of decorated officers mixing with friends and family. Kasai was called upon to say a few words, Barron was her friend and partner at the department.

Kasai did her best to not choke up during her turn to speak. Memories from the academy and silly stories from their time as partners were told before she went on to explain that Barron died trying to save her and fellow task force members from an unimaginable force within the spirit world. Most did not understand this, as they could not imagine anything other than the bubbly spirits that lingered in the spirit wilds within town. Nevertheless, she told of his heroic efforts and spoke of his valor before again taking her spot among the other officers.

The funeral ended and Kasai was dropped off at her apartment by a friend. That day was spent reminiscing about times spent with both Barron and Kieron. Her mind wandered to the alcohol cabinet in her kitchen, but she staved off any desperate attempt by her brain to drink it all away. The day turned into night and she woke the next morning on her couch.

That morning, the words Avani had whispered to her back at her cell ran through her mind. It was an intimidating task, and Kasai had never entertained the idea of pleasing someone in that way before. Yet another reason that she may have had few real relationships. It scared her, though at the same time it sent a spark through her at the thought.

It took some thought, but an idea was forming in her head. She took the time that day to clean her apartment, straighten things up although she figured it may all get trashed the next day anyways. The bedroom was separated from the living room by a wall, the entrance to the room was simply a break in that wall that allowed for an arched entrance. The wall of windows continued on the other side of the wall from the living room into the bedroom, filling the space with the same light all around.

On the third day, Kasai made herself some coffee in the morning to calm her nervousness a bit. She figured Avani would be released by mid morning, so she wasted no time in taking a shower and getting ready. She let her dark hair fall in long waves down her back, and then stared at her closet as she decided what to wear. It was difficult enough getting sweatpants around her cast, so she decided on slipping on a pair of tight black shorts that left little to the imagination.

As for the top, she opted for a red bandeau, which left her abdomen exposed. She slipped on her rookie police jacket over that, leaving it unbuttoned. Lastly, she put on her police belt and made sure that her handcuffs were visible hanging off of her hip. Kasai went to sit on the couch and wait for Avani to arrive, a bottle of sake and a shot glass full in front of her.

The longer she sat there, the more ridiculous she though she looked. Sexy cop, really? Just as she was about to get up and change into something else, the door to her apartment opened and she could hear Avani calling out for her. A look of embarrassment flooded over her before she quickly replaced it with a more appropriate smile as Avani walked in.

"Come on in," she said with a grin, trying her best not to show how nervous she was. Hoping that Avani wasn't going to find her foolish looking, she stood from the couch and leaned against just one crutch to help with her balance, the shot of sake in her other hand.

"Never have I ever wanted anyone in this room." She said as Avani entered her apartment, then she downed the shot and put the glass on the table, smiling at the other woman.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Footsteps could be heard coming from behind Kasai. Assuming that Avani was coming to either hit her from behind or bold out of the door before her, she stiffened. It took her more by surprise to find herself being pulled back into the room, and Kasai was sure that Avani was going to strangle her to death right there.

The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the metal table staring straight into Avani's face as she leaned in and kissed her. It was sudden and unexpected, but Kasai pushed against her lips with equal ferocity and sighed.

"C'mon, Avani. Haven't you ever wanted an office romance before?"

Kasai was forced down as Avani crawled onto the table and on top of her. Wrapping an arm around her, Kasai pulled Avani down further and met her lips. A shiver swept over her as she felt Avani's hand over her abdomen, and she wished now that this could have taken place earlier at her apartment. She couldn't complain though, because now Avani was on top of her and not walking out of the door.

Kasai looked up at Avani when she pulled away, her amber eyes blazing with desire. Her head shook and she frowned.

"No, it's my fault you're in here. I've got to make this right."

Avani's last comment made Kasai curious, but before she could question her, Avani had rolled off the table and a pair of officers had barged through the door. Kasai sat up and straightened her shirt. At the sound of her surrender, one of the officers cuffed Avani and picked her up, leading her away towards the holding cells.

"Wait!" Kasai shouted at the cop, but his partner was already hovering over Kasai and asking her a million questions. She shoved him away and told him to get her crutches so that she could walk. Walking out of the interrogation room, she started to follow the other man towards the cells, but she was stopped in her path by the lieutenant, who immediately asked her what had happened.

"Sir, we need to talk. My information was wrong, this woman is innocent." Kasai stated.

"What? Kasai, it is highly unlike you to order an arrest without proper evidence and probable cause." His tone was disappointed, but he shook his head. "Regardless, she attacked the officers at that bar. We've got her on resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer." The man started to move away but Kasai stepped in front of him, unsteady on her crutches.

"Sir, she was drunk and felt threatened when Tai and Zari approached her." She could tell he was not amused with this defense, but Kasai wasn't going to let Avani rot in a cell for things she didn't do. "Look, she just watched two of her closest friends die. She entered the spirit world under the orders of the mayor. She fought off things you could not imagine. And then, she saved my life."

The man looked stunned at the last bit of information, but he shook his head. "My hands are tied, Inoshi. She still assaulted two officers despite what she's been through." Kasai held her stare, it almost appeared like she was looking through him. He sighed and looked down at his feet, "I'll see what I can do. But I'm going to have to write you up for this, Kasai. This whole situation has caused the PD too much trouble."

Kasai breathed a sigh of relief, though she knew she would probably be restrained to desk duty when she returned to work because of her actions. It didn't matter though. She headed towards booking to find out how long Avani would have to stay in the cells.

About an hour later, Kasai arrived outside of Avani's cell. She approached and looked through the bars at the earthbender.

"Okay, well I've got some sort of good news." A small smile played across her face. "The PD and the DA have agreed to let you out after three days if you agree to plead guilty to assaulting those two officers. Then, you'll be released on probation, which will last a month." She frowned, knowing it was all her fault that Avani was in this situation.

"You'll avoid a court hearing though, and a longer sentence of up to six months... I'm sorry, it's the best I could do." Kasai exhaled slowly and looked down at the ground, knowing that she was the real guilty one here. It wasn't fair, but it was the best she could manage without overstepping her boundaries and getting fired.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai let Avani down and out of her restraints, pleasantly surprised when she decided to sit at the table and not bolt out the door at her first chance. Kasai sat down at the other side of the table and folded her hands in front of her.

"First of all, you weren't supposed to be arrested," she pointed out. "However, you decided to run, and then fight with the officers. Which just made this situation a whole lot more complicated than I had intended."

Kasai sighed and looked down at her hands, piddling her fingers before she looked back up at Avani with a genuinely sorry expression.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier and explain a few things to you." It occurred to her how silly that must sound. The fact that she had the police haul Avani in was not going to give her any brownie points, and it probably seemed like extreme measures just to apologize. Then again, maybe the fact that she had gone through so much effort to talk to Avani again would prove to be in her favor.

"I didn't mean to upset you earlier, nor was I leading you on." She frowned for a moment when she remembered the sight of Avani walking out of her apartment and slamming the door. "Look, the fact is that I'm an idiot. And I'm sure you'll agree with that..." Kasai paused briefly, to read the expression on Avani's face and gauge whether she was even listening to what she was saying or just hearing words.

"When you said that thing about fantasizing, and I didn't drink... I should have explained right then and there why that was." This was nerve wracking for her. Never before had she felt the need to explain herself to anyone, and Avani's stare that bore straight through her soul was not making it any easier.

"Not that you would know, but I was unconscious for my first three days in the hospital. When I woke up... I had no one. My two best friends are gone, and that hit me like a freight train. But you know how that feels too." She sighed and fought off the tears at the thought of her friends again. "But I did have something. I had the memory fresh in my brain, playing over and over." She looked at Avani and smiled ever so slightly.

"You saving me."

All of this probably seemed like bull to Avani, but Kasai wanted to finish what she had to say. Then, she would let the other woman decide if she ever wanted to see Kasai again or if she wanted to disappear into oblivion. Kasai prayed for the former.

"That was the only real thing I had to hold on to. So I guess in a way, you could say I did fantasize about you, just not in the way that I thought you had implied." Kasai smacked her palm to her face and squeezed her eyes shut, "I. Am. An. Idiot."

"But if you hadn't done what you had, I would be a skeleton in the spirit world right now. Not here, going through hoops just to apologize to you because I feel like I may have fucked up something great." Kasai pointed towards the door and the people bustling around outside of it. "I've put my neck on the chopping block just so I could see you again. And I'll have to do it again to get you out of here without jail time."

"But I'm more than willing to do that." She realized she had began to ramble on with seemingly no end in sight, so she sighed and looked at Avani. "All I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, and I wasn't leading you on. I like you, okay? And I don't want to just let you slip through my fingers." The words were hard for Kasai to say, she had never really been one that expressed herself outright. For some reason though, she wanted to for Avani.

"I understand if you never want to see me again. But please, forgive me. I'll go tell my superiors that I was mistaken and that you need to be released." She looked at the door, wondering if Avani was going to leave and be gone forever, or if when Kasai returned she would stick around. Hesitantly, she stood and grabbed her crutches, walking out the door to find the lieutenant and the captain.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai had made it to the station before the two officers were able to find Avani and bring her in. There was muttering around the floor where Kasai had gone to wait at her desk. Technically she wasn't cleared to be back at work yet, and she could tell by the glances and murmurs directed at her that she had unintentionally caused a ripple withing the PD.

The captain had probably already found out about her having some fellow officers bring in a woman without any prior probable cause. Nothing she couldn't wiggle her way out of... hopefully. An officer with a good reputation had a little leeway within the department, so Kasai had that to her advantage. The problem would be getting both herself and Avani out without any harmful side effects.

A younger officer approached Kasai and grinned.

"We got her. She's in the interrogation room now. Er- the third interrogation room..."

There were two rooms with the standard table and chairs, used for day to day questioning and witness statements. But then there was the third room... it was furnished with some special equipment for those who were particularly difficult or dangerous to get into an interrogation room.

Kasai put a hand over her face and shook her head. It was somewhat expected, she knew that Avani wasn't fond of the police, nor would she go down without a fight.

"Alright, thanks Tai." She stood and began to make her way over to the booking area, where Avani would be.

"Say, isn't that the same girl that was all over you this morn-"

Kasai's glare cut through the kid like a laser. He coughed and cleared his throat, then turned on his heel and walked the opposite direction. Continuing towards room #3, Kasai had to steady her breathing for fear of going in there all flustered. Unfortunately, she was met outside the room by the Lieutenant, and she cursed under her breath.

"Sergeant Inoshi, glad to see you're still making yourself useful considering your condition." The man motioned towards her cast and she shrugged. This definitely wasn't going to be easy to get out of...

The lieutenant opened the door for Kasai and followed her in. Avani was strung up from the roof, arms bound and mouth gagged. Kasai had to physically prevent herself from letting her jaw drop at the sight. Must've been one hell of a fight for this kind of treatment... The lieutenant explained the significance of the arrest and it only made Kasai realize she had dug herself a pretty deep hole. Avani was allowed to speak and the lieutenant left, leaving only the two women.

It was pretty obvious that Avani was drunk, intoxicated by whatever combination of drinks she had managed to down before the cops caught up to her. The hatred and hurt was apparent in her eyes, like Kasai had feared. She looked up at Avani with sorry eyes.

"Avani, please, I just want to talk to you. But you need to be sober when I say what I want to say." Kasai turned her back to leave, ignoring anymore hateful statements that would come her way as she exited.

Kasai waited a few hours. It was well into the night now, darkness seeping into the streets and alley ways. The whole time was spent thinking about what she would say, how she would say it, and what she would do if Avani still hated her. Enough time had passed that Avani should be sobered up, so Kasai went back to the room and opened the door, looking at the woman hanging from the ceiling still.

There was a sincere look across Kasai's face, and she frowned. It wasn't likely that Avani would agree to genuinely listen to Kasai, but it sure would be more convenient if they were both facing one direction.

"I'll let you down, but you have to promise to listen to what I have to say."

The Circus At The End Of The World (Engel X The Kraken)

"Do I look like a bloody magician?" Kate directed at Claire, who was being far too sarcastic for her liking at this particular moment in time. "I don't know how the hell we got in here, but I want to get out and your smart ass comments aren't going to help."

It didn't matter how they had gotten there to her, at least not right now. The multitude of things that had been weighing on Kate since they woke up in this hell hole just ten minutes ago was beginning to push her to a point of frustration. She was pretty convinced that they all were in fact trapped together in one nightmare, each with a fear to face. For what reason, God may not even know.

A look of pure vexation spread across Kate's face as Claire had finally seemed to put two and two together. It was offensive to Kate for Claire to even question her reasoning like that, as if it were really that simple. The laughing that resulted from the accusations was equally perturbing, unsettling her even further than she thought was possible.

"Is this funny to you, Claire?" The volume of her voice had raised, and tears threatened to well in her eyes again. "Does slapping me around and ridiculing me make you feel better?!"

This was far from the ideal situation to face this particular fear in. A sunny day, picnic lunch, laughing and smiling from ear to ear. That was how Kate had hoped it would be, should she ever want to bring her feelings to light. Then again, maybe that was the point in all of this. Fears would never be faced unless they were breathing down your neck while you shake like a terror-stricken infant.

Elijah clenched his jaw at the questioning of his fear. The thing that Claire seemed to be neglecting was that this fear was fresh. Never before had he been shy of the blades, confident in both his and Kate's ability so that he trusted her with his life. All of that changed two days ago when his confidence had been shattered and his neck stabbed. Granted, the whole thing turned out to be some sort of insane illusion. However, the fact that it all mysteriously disappeared did not prevent his mind from becoming fearful of a repeated situation.

Both Eli and Kate turned when Claire suddenly quieted. A tiger could be seen approaching a distance away, in its mouth a smaller version of itself. There was something off about it; it seemed to be feral, not tame as the big cats of the circus were. Claire's reaction was proper for coming face to face with something she was not fond of, and Kate felt like commenting on it.

However, she quelled her frustration in light of the situation. It was not fair for her wish Claire such a terrible experience. Hell, it wasn't fair for any of them to be treating each other like they had. She sighed and stepped towards her friends, weary of the wild animal that had just appeared. If it was part of Claire's fear, maybe it would remain focused on her and away from Kate and Eli. Or at least she could hope it would.

Kate looked at Claire and then spoke softly, "It's okay Claire." She refrained from placing a hand on her friend's shoulder, "I'm here for you." Then she turned to Elijah, "You too, Eli." An idea formed in her head and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, three blades were lying in her hands. She looked at Eli and pressed her lips together into a thin line.

"Look at me, and relax." She drew her arm back, staring straight at Elijah. His breath grew ragged and his pulse quick. Sweat started to bead on his forehead, but he kept his gaze straight at Kate as she threw her arm forward and released. Not once did he blink, and the blade whirred past his head. He swallowed the lump in his throat and waited for the other two to fly at his being. They too passed without a quiver in their path, and his eyes did not close until the last blade had flown past him, daringly close to his neck.

One fear down, two to go.