Question Only the Surface

Against all possible laws set out by any possible benevolent deity, birds were always louder in the mornings. I suppose for some, that would be proof in their non-existence of the divine. For me, it just meant that maybe the Egyptians were onto something when they represented their sun god with a bird's head. I'm sure Ra would be thrilled that his appearance-sakes were still making people wake up with his sunrise.

I groaned, and rolled to my side, upsetting the cocoon I'd managed to weave my blankets into over the course of the night. Today wasn't going to start until I was good and ready, no matter what those fluffy singing puff-balls thought on the matter.

All I had to do was not think anything too complex, and I'd just drift back into unconsciousness. No need to think about what I had to get done or how I would do them. Definitely not the train schedule or even that I had to get across town to pick up one of Ms. Crane's deliveries. I mean, It's so easy to not...

With a heavy sigh I slowly began excavating my legs from my wonderful nest, hands fumbling out blindly to the bedside table. The light touch of cool glass against my fingertips indicated I had located my prey. Plucking my glasses from the table, I roughly put them on my face. Opening my eyes for the first time, rich hues of gold gently bathed the cluttered room. It would almost be pretty if it weren't for the fact that it was early, and I was awake.

"Shane, it's time to get up," I could hear my Mom's lilting voice echoing from the hallway. "It's a gorgeous morning, and you should enjoy it while it's so bea-U-ti-ful!"

I winced slightly as I heard a rapid drumming on the outside of my door. "You've had plenty of time to snooze and now it's time to be up and about!"

Bags under my eyes, and sand in my brain, I still couldn't do anything but smile. Exuberant people may be tiring, and morning people are some kind of weird genetic anomaly, but my Mom was better than the best.

"Coming!"I responded, perhaps with a little more aggravation than I'd meant showing through.

I should probably keep an eye on that. It wouldn't do to slip back into those habits.

Getting to my feet, I stumbled in a manner somewhere between 'zombie' and 'drunk' to the door, making my way into the washroom. As I passed through the hall, I could hear the radio playing and old tinny recording downstairs, my Mom singing along jarringly off-key. She could hold a tune, she just chooses not to as further incentive for me to get downstairs and stop her.

Closing the bathroom door behind me, I began brushing my teeth as I turned on the shower. These older houses sometimes took some time for the hot water to reach the second floor. The soft vibrations from the toothbrush lulled me into something of a haze as the room began filling heat and humidity.

Doing away with the brush and rinsing out my mouth, I took off my glasses and got in the shower, quickly following my usual routine. The warm water seeped into my skin and eased a few of the knots that had secreted themselves on my back over the last few days. A sharp stinging sensation on my right had me wincing slightly. Looking at my right arm, my recent expedition slowly came returned to my still waking brain in the form of a long line of gauze wrapping from my elbow up and over my shoulder.

Oh. Right. So much for a lazy morning.

Shying my right side from the flow of water, I rinsed off as best as I could, trying to keep my right arm from having to flex or bend too far. All told it didn't take very long, but then, I'd had practise at doing this the hard way.

Getting out of the shower, still breathing in the lovely humidity of the room, I checked several drawers in succession. Finally finding the scissors, I began the painstaking task of cutting the soaked gauze away, and peeling away the now damp tape.

My arm certainly looked grimmer than it had last night. A long scrape from the elbow up the arm glistened a wincing red-brown that spoke of violence of an unplanned sort. It was the upper-arm and shoulder that had my attention though, featuring two small jagged cuts streaming down towards the elbow and a series of bruises around the cap of the shoulder. Unfortunate and aggravating, but necessary.

My next objective's location was well known to me, as I opened the closet under the sink, and pulled out my first aid supplies.

Zipping it open, it only took a moment to retrieve what I needed, as I went about re-cleaning the wound and binding the injured area in fresh gauze. There are worse things, I mused, than having a parent in the medical profession. Sure, it meant that I had to visit the doctor more often than most, and had a parent who was un-phased by conversations where most would feel awkward; but learning how to care for myself was definitely a huge plus. I'd rather not have to explain why I get these kinds of injuries to her anymore.

By the time I was done putting the supplies away, the humidity had drained from the room, and the mirror had almost finished de-fogging. It was an old thing, coming from my Grandmother's house when my parents bought this building. A nice silver finish and a dark wooden frame covered in intricate carvings and symbols. Apparently it had been made by my great Grandfather, and had been restored a couple of times before a proper sealant had been found for the wood.

As a kid, I'd always thought it was magic. The strange symbols, the dark wood that didn't match anything else in the house, it possessed a sense of timelessness and a connection to people I would never know. I may not be religious, but this mirror had always been like my own personal shrine, representing something important, even if it was only to me.

"Today will be a better day", I softly intoned, using my left hand to a smiling face in the condensation. "Because I'm going to make it one."

Whipping my glasses back on in a practised movement, I admired my attempt at art before wiping away the small swath of the condensation and grabbing a nearby comb as I hunched down to mirror height to survey the damage. Short brown hair in disarray? Combing. Morning eye-bags in place? Got it. Deodorant? Application complete. Only Human.exe has successfully completed its operation.

I began lazily making my way back to my room when the smell of bacon wafted through the hallway. That alone was more than enough incentive to speed things up. Quickly dressing the standard undies, jeans, and T-shirt, I beat a hard tattoo on my way down the stairs.

---

---

Mom was down there of course, surrounded by the heavenly aroma of bacons eggs and toast. She pirouetted on one leg, a spatula in her hand and a smile on her soft features. "Well well well, look who decided to wake up." she said playfully, amusement clear on her face. She gestured to the next room, "Breakfast is on the table, serve yourself. Just know that I had to fight your Dad to keep some bacon on the plate."

Morning people are an anomaly, especially when you know you aren't. Despite all that, my Mom was the best.

I hurried over and leaned down to give her much smaller form hug. She wasn't short by any means, but when you're over 6 foot four and built like a brick, most people just tended to be a little smaller. I looked down past the short blond hair to the blue eyes we shared and a smiling face only she could own. As a wise Muppet once said: 'size matter not'. Even while looking down at her, she would always feel like a giant to me.

"And I would have gotten away with it too" a slightly gruffer voice sounded from the table behind a wall of newspaper. "If it weren't for you meddling Mothers..."

The paper fortress folded as I saw my Dad, his orange eyes sparkled with humor his thick black mustache slightly obscuring what I knew would have been a wry grin if there hadn't been a piece of illicit bacon in his mouth, slowly vanishing to parts unknown.

Dad is a mutant. One of those people who through some mechanism found themselves with extraordinary powers or stature. Seeing as he'd never been exposed to aliens, or shot with some kind of atomic ray, it seemed like his changes were purely genetic. While some mutants could shoot energy blasts or fly, my Dad was a bit more subdued. He once claimed that the only thing his changes did was turn his eye orange, but when I was old enough for "the talk", he'd shown me his MID. Level one exemplar, level one gadgeteer. He wouldn't be throwing busses around, but he certain looked good. Made him a great handyman and lawyer though.

"Hi Dad", I rushed over, grinning and giving him a shorter hug. Not only was never the tactile person my mom or I were, but he was a more dense hug-target, having such good muscle tone without much effort. Sometimes I wondered if he was self-conscious about it, I know my older brother was more like him in that respect. "I didn't know you'd be home, or I'd have cleared up my schedule".

My hand closer to the table crept surreptitiously towards his plate, revenge bacon would be sweet.

He smiled, blatantly ignoring his soon to be disappearing bacon. "My meeting at Asylum was cancelled due to an emergency assembly." My eyes froze on his, waiting for him to continue. He knew my weakness. The bacon-hand didn't share that weakness, continuing its operation. He continued as I made my way to my seat, "There's no names attached to it that I was told, but from what I overheard, all the usual names are coming up".

My Dad was a defense lawyer by trade, and despite his status as a mutant, he'd managed to keep a steady flow of clients. When my Mom was pregnant with me though, he had been put on, permanent retainer for 'The North Vigilants'. They weren't Canada's largest or most imposing team, but it was a point of pride for the family to support them. It meant I didn't get to see him as often as I would have liked, but it meant he'd occasionally come home with fun stories. It was just a shame that Mom didn't like talking about it; apparently there had been a few strange phone calls to the house once he became such a public figure.

"Any idea what the emergency was?” I asked serving up my breakfast from the table. Bacon, eggs, toast, and both my parents’ home at the same time, this WAS going to be a good day.

He eyed me warily "You know I'm not at liberty to tell you specifics...”, he replied bluntly. A searching look came across him, as he raised the paper again one eyebrow raising as he stared into the ink. "I think it had something to do with a robbery from some wealthy collector, but the details escape me".

He snapped out of it as the phone started to ring in the other room. Looking up, he saw that Mom had left the room. Leaning over, he held the paper out to me, one thumb suspiciously near an article on the third page. The story seemed to be about a collector I'd never heard of a province over having the door of his vault torn off its hinges. Apparently the vault had been filled with old curious and relics from various cultures.

"So who do you think did it?” I mouthed between bites of egg. "I mean, if they're calling up all the old suspects 'tears metal doors off hinges' kind of narrows it down".

"Well, there really aren't any details on how it was done, or what was taken", he replied. He put down the paper and gave his empty plate a thoughtful look, stroking his mustache with his hand. "Really, it could be anyone known or unknown. I sometimes wonder if some of the recent action States-side may have been pushing some mut...”, he paused for a moment, looking embarrassed. "Some criminals further north than before".

I nodded slowly, noticing the catch. Dad had to be careful with his phrasing; it wouldn't do any good to get into bad habits at home that might make him slip up at work.

"But who do you THINK it was?," I emphasized, getting into the game a little. "Jabberwocky? Dybbuk? Nitron? Omen? White Noise?

Ok, maybe I was a bit of a nerd about these sorts of things. Blame having half my immediate family having the capability to get into the 'business' while Mom and I were sitting on the flat baseline.

Dad chuckled a little, shaking his head. "Most of those don’t have the power to do this sort of thing, don't have the MO, or haven't been seen in over a decade." He frowned a little, folding the paper and looking at the front page again, a familiar name and face popping up on the front page.





Even having seen it a dozen times, the image on the cover always creeped me out. It was the last public image of Dybbuk before his capture ten years ago. A haggard looking man wearing black, green, and brown rags. His hood had been pushed back enough to make out dark rings circling his eyes, and tapered, nearly pointed ears. He seemed to be glaring towards the camera, with a cutting brown-toothed grin on his face. It was hard to tell if he thought it was accomplishing since there was a white plate-metal clad sabaton pinning his head to the ground, and sword with gear-tooth like protrusions stabbed into the ground just to the side of his face.

A chill ran down my spine. "Is he claiming to have left a latent plague again?” I whispered. Even though he'd been imprisoned a decade ago, we were still feeling the waves of his actions.

Mom's voice intervened with a slightly aggravated tone. "If you boys are done talking about this, I'm afraid I've been called in. I'm sure I'll see you both later tonight. She eyed me carefully, "Stay out of trouble". She looked to my Dad, "Don't renovate anything without calling and checking first".

Dad gave a self-conscious smirk, "I'll do my best".

Mom shot him a pointed look, gave me a quick smile then left the room, heading for her car.

I turned back to my Dad when he raised a hand palm out. "I think we should end this here and support your mother's wishes.", he simply stated. "Leave the dishes, and go have a good day, I'll still be here tonight. Did you have anything planned?”

I started heading back upstairs; calling back "I'm just meeting up with Judy, then heading over to Ms. Crane's house, nothing too crazy". I took the steps two at a time, not waiting for a reply.

Quickly brushing my teeth again, I quickly walked back into my room putting on some socks, and eyeing my options. It wasn't quite cold enough for a winter jacket, but the breeze still had a little nip to it this time of year. I grabbed my favorite hoodie off the back of my desk-chair. Black with a silver geared sword stabbing into a line of blue earth on the back. Cogs running down the shoulders to the cuffs just added to the appeal. Some people thought he was tacky or outdated, but among Vigilants, the 'Silver Gear Knight' was just too classy not to love.

Grabbing my wallet and keys, I almost left the room before realizing I'd forgotten the most important thing. Looking back, I winced slightly as I noticed some red stains on the sheets. Obviously the gauze hadn't completely done its job last night, but it'll have to wait. Flipping the covers over the stains, I knelt on the bed and reached behind the headboard. Finding the hook I'd screwed in years before, I pull a small ornate wooden box and an equally small iron key from their hiding place.

Lightly pocketing both objects, I went back downstairs to see my Dad sitting in the same place, but staring towards me.

"You said you were going to see Ms. Crane?”, he asked with a concerned look on his face. "I was under the impression that she wasn't going to be instructing you until the fall"

"Oh! I'm not going for lessons", I grinned easily. "She just needs help getting things done around her house while she's recovering."

He got up, and walked over, giving me a short hug before giving me a cautious expression. "You've really turned things around, haven't you?” he patted my right arm, eyelids narrowing as I winced. "I'm proud of what you're trying to do, just make sure that people don't take advantage of it, alright?". He continued carefully watching my face, "How did she get hurt? I'm afraid I've been out of the loop."

"Oh, it wasn't serious, a rock just sprained her foot is all", I explained, pulling away slightly, my arm still stinging slightly.

"You mean she sprained her foot on a rock?" he corrected.

"Yeah!", I gave a concealing eye-roll. "Me am just not English good".

He nodded slowly, as though waiting for something. "Do you need a ride down? It's a bit of a hike".

I'd already turned, sliding into my shoes and made my way to the front door. "Nah, I could use the exercise. I'll see you tonight!" I hurried out the door, pausing for only a moment. “Oh, and I’ll do the laundry tonight, don’t worry about it!”

Making it safely outside, a bracing wind blew down the street, reminding me why I'd brought the hoodie. The sun was out, giving a warm comforting glow to the world as trees down the street swayed, and the mountains loomed.

I let out just a little sigh as I began walking down the street towards the center of town. Today IS going to be a good day. I'd make sure of it. Though it'd help if I didn't have to go through the stress of lying to my parents. Exemplar or not, they always seemed pretty quick on the draw when I was hiding something.

It took around an hour to start hitting the busier town center. Granted, most of that was uphill. Golden wasn't exactly the largest town in British Columbia, but we still had to build out quite a bit. Tourist season tended to temporarily triple the population. That by necessity meant that I had a bit further to go to get anywhere. Such was the price of living outside the tourist traps.

It wasn't that bad though. The walk always did me good, the brisk air serving to wake me up more quickly than the shower. Something about a chill wind that you couldn't just 'turn off' when you were done always made things feel more alive, vibrant even.

Wait.

At that thought I continued walking, but began slowly spinning around, keeping my head on a swivel. Craning my head skyward, I repeated the process, keeping a sharp eye out. Sometimes you could see them in your peripherals, just edging on the line of sight. Ms Crane told me that once, but never had it actually yielded anything. I wonder if she was just messing with me.

Nothing. Again. Maybe I didn't 'periph' hard enough.

I slowly rubbed my fingers over the wooden box in my pocket, feeling the marks cut into the edges, and continuing around the corners. I'd gone through a few of them doing this, rubbing away at it until it had been rendered useless. At one point, Ms Crane had been so aggravating with making me another replacement; she made one without sanding or finishing. The thing fell apart quickly, but not before giving me a few splinters. Didn't do her much good though, I still liked the feel of the box. Like a good luck charm, maybe I was hoping its purpose would rub off on me somehow.

"Hey Freakshow!” I winced, looking for the source of the voice.

Ironically, I didn't have to look hard; she was only a minute away in the direction I'd been heading. How did I miss that? Right... maybe too much 'Periph''ing.

---

---

"You know, you're not doing your reputation any favors spinning around with your eyes as wide open as possible", She gave me a wry look. "Makes me think you're up to something."

My lips pressed together into what I would hope looked like a perturbed line.

"I really wish you wouldn't call me that, or say that kind of thing." Judy was my friend, always had been, and probably always would be. I just had to remember that sometimes friends could fit into the 'frustrating' slot on a venn diagram.

She gave me an impish grin, brown eyes sparkling with humor. "Well you know that somebody HAS to, so it may as well be me!” She knelt down and grabbed the small plastic cup on the ground. "Voila! A peace offering, oh offended Effendi." Handing it to me, I saw it contained the nectar of the gods, an Ice Capp from Tim Hortons.

I grasped the cup, holding it like the Holy Grail, taking a short sip. Already the headache I didn't know I had began receding, and the world felt just a little bit brighter. Really, I may have been a bit hasty. Judy was solidly in the 'good people' category, and had never shown signs otherwise.

"We thank thee, oh Frost Lords", I solemnly intoned. "May your reign be long and Judy's house not be snowed in again."

She rolled her eyes, flicking her hair back behind her shoulder, taking a sip from her 'peasant's' coffee. "I'm still not sure how you can drink that stuff but not like actual coffee."

I stroked the cup's lid like a cherished pet. "Shhh, don't worry, I know you're special, don't listen to her words." I cooed gently to it. She could only roll her eyes again as we started walking.

"Seriously though Shane," she pointedly said. "You need to work on that public image thing, I realize you have something of an uphill battle, but that doesn't mean shouldn't be trying. I mean, look at me!”

I could only raise an eyebrow at that, "You mean the girl who spends a quarter of the time hanging out with the other girls, then another quarter of the time complaining to me about them?" I asked wryly.

"You're goddamn right", she replied in her most gravelly voice. Somehow, I'm pretty sure that Walter White sound that adorable.

"Seriously though, I'm not going to be around forever, Colin moved to the states, and you basically haven't bothered making any other friends. Even if some of them drive me crazy, I only complain about those girls in good fun. I really like hanging out with them."

I winced a little at that. Despite being gone for nearly five years, Colin was still my best friend. It didn't help that he'd been sent off state-side ahead of his parents for early enrollment into some school. Now the entire family was gone, and it hurt to walk by that husk of a building. Despite being perfectly nice, the family living there now were just a bunch of ... intruders

Judy nudged my arm with her left elbow, "Eh? I really like hanging out with them?” She continued nudging, "All the time?" her eyes took on a manic focused look, her grin growing by the second, eyebrows raising and lowering rapidly. "Ehhhh?"

The nudging was starting to get sharper, especially when it started aggravating my arm. I should probably ask her to stop... but then again.

"Wait.... Judy...", I paused, looking at her with intense concentration, my mouth slightly agape. "Are you ... Are you saying.... you like being with girls more!?"

Judy gave an overly dramatic overly long gasp, breathing her entire lungs full of hair in with a shocked look on her face. "But how did you know my secret? How did you find out!". Her expression suddenly turned grim. "You realize this puts you in a very dangerous place." Her eyes bore into me, her eyelids narrowing "A place where harm might come to you?”.

“A specifically measure area wherein something hazardous might occur?" I whispered, mock fear heavy in the words.

"Danger zooone" we chimed at each other, laughing at the old joke.

Judy could only shake her head, the mall drawing imminent. "I knew that would get you out of your funk. I miss Colin too, but you seriously need to loosen up.", she grabbed my arm, pulling me forward, "now come on!".

Well, she certainly seemed excited. Then again, I only let her make me a spectacle like this every few months.

I faux-groaned, "You want me to loosen up? On the day that I have to be your shopping monkey?"

She turned back, grinning, "What? A monkey? You've been promoted,".

I wasn't certain I liked the sound of that.

"Today", she continued "You shall be known as my shopping squire!". She clapped her hands twice and took several bold steps towards the first store "Let's go flunky!".

I could only sigh, rolling my eyes. "Really? Why do you always do this to me?"

"First, because watching you squirm is the only way I can enjoy shopping", she said with an impish grin. "Second, is that you shouldn't be so awful at making bets".

"And the third?", I deadpanned. "There has to be a third".

"The third is because I make you smile" she prompted.

"But what have you done for me lately?" I intoned weasily.

"I got you that drink". She smirked.

I blinked.

"... Touché", I could only say, giving a lazy mock salute.

---

---

We walked into the store, and my eyes were instantly overcome with pinks and pastels. I probably should have expected this, she always seemed to get the most awkward store out of the way first. I glanced over to her as she surveyed the shelves. Although... That may just be because she thought it was funny that would be the one carrying all of it. Going on automatic, I simply followed her into the store. Despite my expression, I really didn't care about being in here, pink was a colour, girls wore clothing too, and if anyone else made fun of me about it, it was likely they weren't even trying to be someone who's opinion I gave a crap about.

In truth, Judy hated the concept of shopping as much as I did, it was only really through a team effort that we managed to do these things on a regular basis, as embarrassing as it could be. Plus, I got to spend more time with her, something that had been growing increasingly rare these days. Her earlier words still chilled me a little. 'I won't be around forever'.

Well, given my track record, that was probably right, seemed like everyone I got to know would cut ties one by one. I used to have quite a few friends, but it sometimes felt like I was a phase to them. Only Judy and Colin were solid, and if Judy was making the implications I thought she was making...

"How about this one?" Judy cheerily asked me, holding a lacy black bra up to her still clothed chest.

My legs instantly lost control as I sprung away in shock, only barely catching myself after lightly impacting a small rack of sweaters. Judy's laughter could be heard echoing through the store. The clerk looked up from her till, grasped the situation, and grinned, returning to work.

Needless to say, this wasn't the first time this had happened.

"Judy!", I gasped, feeling my heart pound harder than usual. "Why'd, I mean, just."

I grimaced, looking at her grumpily. "You're evil."

She had stopped laughing, but now her grin went from ear to ear. "What? I saw you Freakshow'ing out on me and figured I should snap you out of it", she kept the bra up to her chest walking towards me.

"Now! What do you think?", she said, finally holding it out.

I finally resigned myself to looking at the thing. It was lacy, and overpriced.

"I'd suggest going with something a little more solid, unless you have a special occasion you want this for?", I stated as emotionlessly as possible, feeling a little bit of glee as her face reddened a little bit. Serves her right.

"Well", she paused for a moment, trying to get ahold of her tongue. "I mean, there's nothing in stone just yet, but I may have another date coming up... and her friend told me she likes lace."

My face began to feel flush. Oh... That might explain why she'd been busy recently.

"Well", I started, coughing slightly "I'm not an expert on this sort of thing of course", I glanced up to her from my inspection for a moment, her body language showing more than just embarrassment, also some concern, fear... shame? I smiled slightly, walking over and holding my arms open, letting her walk into a hug.

"But I think she'll love It.", I whispered. "And if she doesn't, she's a damn fool."

Sometimes I wonder who Judy puts a show on for more, everyone else, or herself. I couldn't follow her into the world she was getting into, but that doesn't mean I didn't have her back.

My eyes squinted slightly, face giving off a quiet sneer. Judy was basically family, if whoever this girl was hurt her...

I pulled out of the hug, my face returning to a quiet comforting smile, I was surprised to see Judy quickly wiping her eyes before putting her own smile back.

"It'll be great.", I hummed slightly, my arms still bracing her shoulders, hiding her face from the clerk’s line of sight. "And if it isn't, Ice-cream's on me, and we can watch dumb action movies till dawn".

Judy gave a genuine smile then, you could tell from the way it finally reached her eyes. The world seemed just a little bit brighter around her. Like the air around her wanted to be happy for her.

Gods she's wonderful. I just hope she finds her princess soon. Until then, I guess she'd have to put up with being friends with her knight. I looked down at my hoodie again, the cogs running down the arms. Classy but outdated... Doesn't mean there isn't a need for them. I felt a genuine smile growing on my face.

I waited until she was distracted before taking the lacy thing, and several other items to the cashier.

"I'd like to pick these up", I muttered, glancing back to Judy. "Quietly if possible".

The cashier, Nancy smirked, flicking her blond hair behind her back. "I think we can do that".

By the time the purchase had gone through, Nancy had put the small bag behind the counter, to be surreptitiously retrieved on our way out. Judy made what few purchases she could, citing that her original choice would probably be a bit more expensive than she could afford.

On the way out of the store, Nancy passed me the bag, giving a slight wink and a whispered "Good luck" under her breath. I always suspected she knew what was up, more than likely she was just messing with me a bit. It was an old game.

Judy and I visited several other stores stores, most of them slightly less awkward, but I still couldn't get over the feeling that people were looking at me funny, mocking, judging. Not that I cared of course. I didn't care at all. I was just frustrated with all the waiting, or something.

---

---

We finally managed to make it out of the madhouse of stores, and head towards the food court. Luckily there had been only one incident where the air conditioning had activated while I was standing still, prompting another case of serious "Periph'ing". Still nothing.

The food court was of standard fare, and as per the agreement of my long lost bet, I was buying lunch today. Small pasta salad for her, large cheesy pasta bowl for me. I'd worked in the pasta place for a short time, and still talked to the staff from time to time. I wouldn't say I had friends there, just that it was filled with really good people who put up with me from time to time as a distraction.

Judy quietly munched on her salad, I stabbed at mine with my trident, putting small dents in the monster before making its strength my own. Maybe next time I would go hunt a sandwich. Hunting it meant it tasted like victory.

"So I know I'm booked up for the afternoon" she said, her mouth still half full of food. "But what are your plans?".

She'd been a bit more subdued since the lady's wear store. Knowing her she just needed another hour to de-stress.

"Not much, I have some new swag I ordered coming in from the imports, and a quick errand to run a few blocks over. After that…" I paused, trying to think of a good excuse.

"Going to go see the phantasmal Ms Crane again?" she said in a bored tone. "A girl might almost think something was up, being ditched for an older woman so many times."

"I mean," I stuttered, "It's not like that at all, she's just lonely and needs help with a-". She cut me off with a wave of her hand.

"Yeah, I know, I'm only teasing", she said, one side of her mouth starting its way up into a grin. "But seriously, one of these days you're going to have to introduce me to her, maybe the mojo she worked on you would help me out too".

I gulped slightly, fumbling for words "There really wasn't any mojo or anything, she was just a stranger who gave me an opportunity to turn things around a bit".

She rolled her eyes slightly, "I was only teasing". She gave me a slightly more serious look. "But seriously, whatever she did helped more than I was ever able. She must be some kind of special to help you get your head on right".

More than she knew. I slowly rubbed the wooden box in the pocket of my hoodie. Feeling again the marks and symbols, rubbing with my thumb over and over.

I'd been kind of a bad kid. Not so much smoking or doing drugs, but I'd had something of a perchance to take things the wrong way, to get angry. And then to act on being angry. I scowled, staring off into the distance.

For quite a few years, I just kept getting worse, visiting a few specialists while no-doubt grinding my parents into the dust with my antics. I really don't deserve them. They didn't deserve what I-.

My line of thought was interrupted by a VERY sharp pain on my right arm. I hissed slightly, pulling away. Judy was looking at me with a face of irritation slowly morphing into concern.

"I didn't hit you that hard." she stated bluntly.

I didn't say anything.

"She still has you going on those trips, doesn't she." It wasn't really a question, she already knew the answer.

"Yeah..."

"Let me see. Now."

I sighed, glancing around to see if anyone was paying attention, nobody really, nobody important. I slowly unzipped my hoodie, and pulled my right arm out of the sleeve, keeping the hoodie draped over it like a cloak.

Judy looked at the gauze, her lips a thin line of disappointment. "If you hadn't done as she asked, would you have gotten hurt?" she whispered, an evil look in her eye.

I swallowed dryly. Trying to think of a way to phrase it. "Well, I can't really be sure if I would have gotten hurt if I hadn't gone."

"BULLSHIT", she hissed softly, slapping the table with just enough force to express displeasure without making a scene, "Don't feed me that. You got hurt because you were doing something for her. Again. She is responsible for this, and she and I are going to have words."

I grimaced, putting my arm back into the hoodie. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, she's pretty private, and she lives a ways away".

"Shane." She said, looking down on me as she stood up holding the empty bowls and tray.

"Is there anywhere in your brain that says I can't get you to do what I want if it's for a good reason? You know getting hurt isn't part of your job description. Hell, you don't even work for her, you don't owe her anything. That has me worried that you traded one head case problem with another. You are literally bleeding through your bandages there as we talk!"

"It's gauze actually" I murmured before my brain could pull the emergency stop lever. That was a bad move.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously "You are going to introduce us, and I am going to make sure she isn't just some monster you wrongly feel you owe something.

It hurt to hear her referring to Ms Crane like that. It hurt even more that I knew that she was right. My thumb rubbed over the box, over and over, the bumps and lines soothing.

"Alright." I muttered.

"DON'T GIVE M", she stopped suddenly. "What did you say..."

"I have to ask her if it's ok. So the soonest we can do this is tomorrow. If she's ok with it.", I looked up at her, feeling a few loose tears forming. Just don't blink. "I owe her Judes, I owe her a lot, and what she does is for a good purpose. A really good purpose, and..." I sighed again, losing the moment. "It's important.".

The box, over and over, harsh lines, soft bumps. A steady cadence.

She gave me a wary look, before grabbing the rest of the garbage, and walking away to dispose of it.

Grabbing all the bags, she stood next to me, waiting. "We'll see." she spat, the dangerous look still in her eyes.

She shook her head in seeming frustration as we made to leave.

"You mean all these years, and all I had to do was get mad, and I'd get to meet her?", she sighed again. "You really are a softie."

"Well", I started, "You did buy me coffee".

She turned, finally giving me a small smile. "And don't you forget it."

We walked out of the mall, and down an adjacent road, comfortable in our silence. She didn't let me carry the bags anymore.

---

---

Making our way into her house, we went to a nearby washroom where I proceeded to re-apply some fresh gauze. This time doing it right, I suspect I was sloppy this morning. Despite being terrified of blood, Judy sat, pale but watching the whole process, occasionally asking questions. I answered as best as I could, hoping it would distract her.

By the time it was done, I was running close to being late for the pickup. Judy gave me one last glare on my way out, hit my left arm, and gave me a hug.

I still hoped Judy would find her princess, I just found it odd that I'd only just realized that Judy wasn't some princess in this metaphor, which made our friendship all the stranger. Stranger for the better I should think.

I never thought a dragon would want or need a knight, but I suppose stranger things had happened.

---

---

I made my way down the road to the city center, the wind cool and refreshing after that little emotional spat. Before I could head home however, I took a harsh turn, heading away from home and towards a slightly seedier out of the way portion of town. No need to check the road signs, I'd been this way many times.

Passing an abandoned building, and doing my best not to attract the wrong kind of attention, I walked towards what looked like a small pub.

Walking inside, I got a number of looks from the inhabitants. Most simply got back to whatever they were doing, a few gave me eye-rolls, making assumptions about me based on my age. One or two looked to the bartender, before she gave a slow nod to me, then gesture towards the corner with her chin.

A greasy looking man sat there, dyed red hair shaking quietly while tapping on the table in an unsteady tattoo. His clothing left something to be desired for a professional, but he was blending in well enough I suppose, minus the jitters.

I approached slowly, sitting down across from him in the booth. He gave me a look of apprehension, slow cognition, and then anger.

"Kid", he said in what I expect he thought was a menacing tone. "You really don't want to be here right now, now run along home to your mom or whatever, I have business to do."

Oh, Oh wow, he actually sounded like a cliché mobster, and said that he was doing business loud enough for the rest of the pub to hear.

I glanced over at the bartender, an eyebrow raised. She shrugged, and returned to her work, keeping an eye on the rest of the patrons for reactions.

Well then, let's try to salvage this then shall we? I had places to be.

"You're here for business? That's lucky, that's what I'm here for too.” I spoke slowly, just in case he somehow missed a few of the words.

I always hated it when the Syndicate sent scrubs for the deliveries.

The scrub sat across the booth, continuing to tap the table with an unsteady rhythm. I could only wait for him to finish his thoughts as I surveyed the room with a bored glance.

The room still had that sour smell of spilled alcohol, but mingled with the warm heady flavour of hearty food. One of the patrons on the other side of the room seemed to be enjoying his fish and chips, though the casual glances he kept throwing our way spoke more of his actual reason for being here than just the cuisine.

The greasy man gave me a hard, calculating look. "Business, huh? What for, some pizza joint?". He blinked, and his face turned from hesitation into disgust. "No, no, no, I get it now."

I could practically hear myself screaming internally. Why did the scrubs always seem to go *there* of all places? At least this one was getting things out of the way quickly, but still...

The man halted his tapping, though his quivering still seemed to be on the move. Lazy leg perhaps? He might be on something, but his eyes said different.

"Kid", he gave a huff of air from his nose, "This ain't a path you want to go down. You've got your whole life ahead of ya, and you don't want to be making stupid mistakes this early". He glanced around the pub in a quick manner, before returning his eyes to me, his voice lowering. "I know you wanna get through college, or get that new car or somethin. But there's better ways to do that then by sellin yourself like this."

Hrm, sympathy. That was actually one of the more common responses, but it was still a good sign. Given the way he was acting, if he hadn't been faking the tough-guy act, Andre might have had to take a break from those fish and chips. Generally speaking, separating Andre from his pub-food wasn't good for anyone's health.

I waited for him to finish his thoughts, then stepped in just as he was about to continue. It's better to catch them one foot off the ground, so they didn't have as much leverage. "I'm not here for that", I said, smiling slightly. I waved to the bar-tender, giving a wave with my left hand, index finger crossed over the thumb, while my right hand clenched slightly, pinkie finger out, and thumb tucked into the palm. "I'm here for business, specifically, I'm here for what you brought." I said softly.

He watched the gesture, and gave me a slightly more wary look. He matched my volume and tone, "If you're my contact, then where's the counter-sign?” He frowned, gesturing to my hoodie, "And is that some kind of sick joke? Why would you wear something like that for business like this?"

I held up one finger to him, indicating to wait a moment. He paused in whatever he was about to say and closed his mouth, looking a little anxious. I took that moment to study him. Slight crease in his jacket on his right side, probably a piece either at his hip or back. Eyes not dilated, and not nervously glancing around as much now that he'd found someone to focus on, that was good, dealing with addicts never made my little joke pleasant. Slightly worn down wool coat with a few buttons missing, but general lack of actual wear and tear might indicate that was intentional. At least he'd made the effort. I wonder what else there was to him...

The bartender had finally arrived from her post, interrupting my observations. In her hand was a small tray holding two fizzing glasses filled with coke. She placed them both roughly down before making her way back towards the bar.

"Thanks Cindy", I said as she walked away. She turned back to me and gave an eye-roll followed by a mock curtsy.

I don't think Cindy particularly cared for the deals that went down in her pub. The only reason she let them go through was because the Syndicate kept things quiet, and made sure to not give her any grief. It didn't hurt that her then future husband had been one of the enforcers I suppose. Eyeing Andre, I could only grin slightly as he continued wolfing down his fish. You didn't want to get between him and his pub food. Or his family for that matter.

Hearing a slight chuckle, I finally turning my head back to the scrub. He had a little grin on his face that betrayed some of the 'street tough' attitude he'd been trying to project earlier.

"I'd thought they said my contact would give me some cocaine, as a countersign", he mused softly, seeming to get the hint. "I wasn't sure if that meant they wanted me to use it as leverage, or if it was just some additional trafficking gig they wanted to get done on the side.” He glanced up, eyes searching, "But kid... aren't you a little young to be getting into this kind of work? It isn't always a good life."

More than sympathy, actual human concern. That actually was pretty rare. My estimation of his rose slightly, though it was tempted by a few other pressing thoughts I had. This was more than just a delivery if they were sending me a newbie.

"I'm only here for three reasons, and none of them are against the law", I voiced. "And I'm not looking to get into it anytime soon. I'm just here as a middle-man..."

"You mean middle-kid?" He said, grinning.

"Yeah", I said with a small laugh, "I suppose that works too". I ran my hand down my cogged sleeve, "And this is more of an in-joke for someone else to be honest, but I do admit it's my favorite. However", I gestured to his jacket. "If you don't mind though, I have a few places I need to be today. Do you mind if we move on to business?"

"Yeah, sure thing kid" He chuckled, reaching into the upper inner pocket of his jacket revealing a small wooden box, placing it on the table. Intricately carved symbols and glyphs covering its surface, as the light seemed to reflect off of it at strange angles.

Harsh lines. Soft bumps. Sigils and shapes. I resisted the urge to grab and feel the box myself, sufficing with the one in my pocket, my thumb running over the familiar comforting texture.

I nodded slightly, taking note of the order of events so far. "Ok, now can you also take your phone out please?" I said, as politely as possible, trying to avoid any kind of confrontational tone.

He gawked for a moment, and took a few seconds to process that before giving me a strange look. "That isn't exactly a normal request is it?” He hesitated, before reaching for his right pocket.

I tensed. My heart beating just a little bit faster. Time felt like it froze for an infinitesimal moment, before his hand went into the pocket, eschewing the now visible handgun just over it. Calm down. Sigils, Bumps, Lines.

I didn't really know much about firearms. That sort of thing had never my style. A little bit like a weapon form of my own stature. Too loud, too brash, too obvious. No grace, just harsh manufactured angles and a single purpose. Not like a sword, something you could dance to.

The cellphone now on the table, I gave it a quick look-over. There was the red casing, and there were the three black dots on the side. Everything seemed to be in order. I raised an eyebrow, "Any other phones? I see this is the one you were issued".

He shook his head, "Nah, I figured I didn't want someone I know calling while I was on the job".

I took a quick sip from my drink before responding. "Smart, a few people don't think that far ahead". I tilted my head to the side slightly, giving him a quizzical look. "I wouldn't mind calling you something other than 'red hair guy', what's your name?”

He gave me a short hard glance before softening again. "Dan".

I nodded slowly, "Is that your real name, or an operating name?”

He paused for half a second, just long enough for me to notice, "It's my operating name, I wouldn't give out my real name to anyone that quickly".

I grinned, "Liar".

A frown started forming on his face, "It ain't a lie kid, now why don't we do this business. Didn't you have somewhere to be?"

Did I? Ah, right. Ms Crane. That can wait; this was always the fun part. "Well Dan-with-the-red-hair, I told you I'm here for three reasons. Have you guessed what they are yet?" He'd been quicker than I'd originally guessed. Kinder too, not just the muscle you occasionally see. This one might be worth it.

His face froze, eyes squinting a little like he was trying to see more of me. I wasn't paying attention to his face though. I was watching for the tensing of his right hand that might lead to a gun being drawn.

"You're here to do business", he started. "You're here to do business, piss me off, and kill me I screw something up." His jaw clenched and unclenched.

I nodded slightly; thumb continuing to rub the box. "Business definitely. Pissing you off? Only tangentially. Killing you?" I paused, taking a sip from my drink, letting the moment hold for a few seconds longer. "No. Not that. Though I'll tell you what Dan, why don't we finish our business, and I'll tell you the second reason why I'm here for free". Andre across the room was now very apparently not eating, keeping an eye out for trouble.

His right hand was still struggling to unclench completely; he bit his lip, and slowly pushed the box on the table towards me.

I grabbed the box with my spare hand, and slowly tucked it into the other pocket of my hoodie. I looked up, and chuckled at his tense expression. Task one, complete.

"Now, isn't there something you'd like from me?” I asked, a slight smirk beginning to alight on my face.

He blinked for just a moment, his eyes widening before looking at the pocket now containing the new box. His jaw clenched slightly as he struggled to keep his voice conversational, rather than strained. "You're supposed to give me the envelope". He paused for a moment, before reaching into his left jeans pocket, and pulled out his wallet. "And you're supposed to sign off on these", he lifted two small beige piece of paper with two tiny red symbols stamped on the corner.

Again, I nodded. "That would be the case, yes."

Right on cue, Cindy came by the table again, dropping a small red pen on the table along with an old beaten-up looking ashtray that seemed to be made of charred beaten iron. I smiled and nodded to her again, though this time I don't think she saw it. She never really cared to see or hear any details on this sort of thing.

I grabbed the pen, and examined both pieces of paper. They felt slightly oily to the touch, and one of them had its corners clipped. That would be the one for the Syndicate. I glanced up at Dan; he seemed to have calmed down just a little bit now that the deal was almost done. I tilted my head again, smiling "Do you mind if you tuck your coat over your holster, then keep your right hand on the table?” He tensed. "It's not a threat, just this next part can be startling, and I don't want there to be any... accidents"

He nodded slightly, a curious look on his face but remained silent. At the very least if he did decide to freak out, I'd have an extra second or two to duck out of the way.

Signing an 'X' and a small scribble of one of the sigils on the boxes, I dropped the clipped paper into the ashtray from a short height. Within seconds, the paper was turned to ash with a short blue burst of flame.

Dan had tensed as I expected, though with forewarning he seemed to be keeping it under control. I reached into my hoodie's inner pocket, pulling out a small envelope sealed in red wax.

"I very much suggestion that you don't open it under any circumstances" I said, a little gravely. His face showed that he understood.

I continued to the second piece of paper, drawing the same X and a symbol. As I was lifting the paper to drop onto the ash-tray, I caught a quick look outside; the sun had already started to go down. Damn.

"Dan, would you happen to have the time? I asked, a little irritation touching my voice.

"Why, I don't remember being told you'd ask that? Is it supposed to be a code or something?" He said, voice still a little tense, but now with an edge of confusion.

"No, it's because I need to know what time it is." I responded, just a little more tersely than before.

He raised an eyebrow at this, and raised his left hand up, reaching into his jacket pocket, and pulled out an honest to god wind up pocket watch, gold trim, and with some of the blocking mechanisms removed, dozens of tiny cogs ticking slowly as the seconds passed. "Yeah, sure kid. It's quarter to six". Ok, he just won some classiness points from me.

Then again... damn, that means I'd missed my last easy ride to Ms. Crane's, well unless I asked my Dad, but that certainly wasn't happening.

I gave him a quick glance and a grin, looking up from the paper, "Thanks!”

Putting the paper back down on the table, I added a quick arrow on the front pointing to the side of the paper, then on the back in tiny lettering wrote 'Can't come today. Judy wants come tomorrow. Ok?’ Shielding the paper from Dan's curious glance, I flipped the paper over, and dropped it in the ashtray, another small blue burst of flame consuming it.

I looked up, a confident smile finally on my lips. "Good doing business with you Dan, I'm glad to see your level of professionalism, even on a milk-run like this." I opened my wallet, and searched through a small set of small rectangles on cardstock, plucking one, and showing him one side of it.


'You did ok, but room for improvement'


His eyebrows lowered as he read the read the card, no doubt a little incensed by being patronized by a 'kid'.

I quickly held my hand up, forestalling his next likely angry statement. Flipping the card over, I showed him the other side.


'This was a review. The phone was recording, good luck.'


I reached out my right arm offering him a handshake; he hesitated, but eventually grabbed my hand. A confused, but somewhat contemplative look crossed his eyes. Releasing my hand, he grabbed his phone and wallet and got up, leaving his drink untouched. "You never said your name kid".

"You're right, I didn't" I replied, giving him a friendly nod. Not quite a dismissal, just a signal that he wasn't going to get it.

He looked ready to say something, thought better of it, and returned the nod. He slowly made his way out of the pub.

I sighed a little, nodding to Andre with a short smile; he nodded back and got up to return to the back rooms.

Ever since he'd pulled that box out so close to his gun, I'd had a pressure in the back of my head, I could practically feel it squeezing out behind my eyes. I closed them, and took a few deep breaths, feeling the same pressure slowly forming in my chest.

Standing up, I walked over to the bar, looking to Cindy. "Do you mind if I use the break room for a few minutes?”

She gave me a worried look, concern evident in her face and posture. "Yeah, go for it, you know the way.” she said, looking like she'd want to say more, but simply handing me a small key-card instead. "I'll let her know to take her time getting here."

I gave her a faint smile, the pressure building in my chest as I walked towards the break-room. Thankfully Andre hadn't chosen this spot to haunt. He might have been on kitchen duty come to think of it.

Closing the door behind me, I eschewed the comfortable looking couches and chairs. Instead, feeling like there was a vacuum in the back of my throat. There just wasn't any AIR in here. I slumped over, back to the door, trying my best to breathe again, the pressure in my head a constant stabbing pain. Tears rolling from my face, every possible line of thinking in my mind just kept leading back to that one place, that one time.

The cold, the snow, and the assurance everyone would be better off if I weren't around anymore, as the vibration of an unfeeling engine slowly chugged along the tracks above me.

---

---

It took nearly an hour before I was back in a good headspace again. Harsh lines. Smooth bumps. Symbols and glyphs. I could make this a better day; I just had to give enough.

Taking a few moments to make myself presentable in the employee washroom, I made my way back to my booth, passing by Cindy long enough to return the key card to her concerned face. She was good people, even if she was involved in slightly more distasteful things. Her husband too, now that I think of it. I remember he once gave me a ride home during a rainstorm. That made things a little awkward, but I did find out that he used to act in small plays in high-school. That was something I could talk with him about.

Taking my seat back at the booth I took another sip of my lukewarm coke. Definitely not the nicest way to drink it, but waste not want not. The television was on, suspected to one of the corners of the pub. No sound, but since there wasn't a game on tonight, the news had plenty of headlines running by. Normally speaking I avoided a lot of mass-media. It tended to get me down when I started overindulging, too much negativity, I had enough of that already thanks.

The tickers and headlines were detailing a recent investigation by the Vigilants into a break-in. That must have been the one my dad was telling me about. A few of the front liners looked to be investigating the scene while Cheshire gave a statement. She was looking a little older these days, though I always felt that gave her some feeling of distinction. Given that she mainly operated as the team's sneaky scout and over watch, I always found it funny that she was typically the first one in the public eye.

One thing that DID catch my eye however was in the background, behind a large police vehicle; I could definitely see a white plate pauldron, gears ticking under the sides. Oh wow, I thought he was semi-retired at this point. My interest peaked, I kept watching.

The headline and ticker slowly moved by, giving a few more hints as to what looked to be going on.



Ok, that was enough of that. Sounds like those robberies weren't going to be solved anytime soon. I wonder how dangerous something could be if it's just been sitting in a vault for --. I cut that thought off right away. My time with Ms Crane had showed me EXACTLY how dangerous something just sitting in a vault could be. Well... Dangerous in some ways I guess. I hadn't been able to see Aeslin for nearly a month now, so I was sure she was getting irritable. Or, at least, I think that was irritability. It was kind of hard to tell with her, what with --

Another person sat down roughly in the seat formerly occupied by Dan. She was surprisingly only about five years older than me, with longer smooth hair with red and yellow streaks alternating through it. I *still* wasn't convinced that she wasn't a mutant. Nobody could dye that hair that well. Well, then again, Renee was very good at what she did; I suppose that might transfer over as well.

She'd replaced Dan’s now missing Coke with a beer and was watching the monitor I'd just abandoned as the news story repeated. Not really sure what kind beer it was. Alcohol and I generally don't mix very well, but I could smell the distinct scent of blueberries in there, must be a microbrew.

"Dan thought you were some kind of mutant when he made his first report", she said, grinning, eyes not leaving the screen.

"Oh? What were the 'obvious signs' that tipped him off?" I asked, a wry grin covering my face, as I studied her face. She almost had a pixie cross punk aesthetic. Cut small features, but nose and eyebrow rings throw off immediate expectations. I suppose that really helped in her line of work.

"Well", she started, "Apparently you can create fire at a whim, are obviously older than you look, and very possibly was reading his mind".

We both laughed. At one point we'd decided to start counting how many times the same "clues" showed up for newbies. It got a little boring when they started hitting double digits, now it was just good for a lark.

"Seriously though," she said, taking a moment to take a sip from her beer, her hazel eyes finally turning to me. "What's your read on him? We heard everything that was said, plus Andre's report, but it'd be nice to hear your impression as well."

I hummed for a few minutes, letting her return her eyes to the TV while I thought. She didn't need to wait for the phone to be returned for the full meeting. Despite what my card had told Dan, the phone wasn't recording. It was transmitting.

"The guy is a newbie", I stated simply.

Renee turned back to me waiting, eyebrow raised as though to say 'yes, and?’

"He seems like he's a good guy, a little twitchy but that typically comes with time." I spun my cup around, suddenly finding it difficult to make eye-contact with her. "He put the delivery object in a decent place, but his phone was in the same pocket as his gun was strapped". I frowned a little bit. "That either implies he didn't get the memo, or that he was intentionally trying to be intimidating. Given his attitude, I think it's likely the former.”

My eyes wandered the room, trying to think of more from that meeting. That hour away had taken a bit of the edge off my recollection. I occasionally glanced at her when I knew she was looking back at the monitor. Gods that's sad.

Finally, something came to me. "He didn't wait for the delivery slips, just handed the product over. Once again, nerves, but that sort of thing can make a deal go bust". I frowned, "He was also messing up the contact signal a little bit. Not much, but enough to be suspicious". I rapped my finger in the unsteady rhythm Dan had been making when I walked in. "Not bad, only a few beats off, not bad for a newbie."

Renee took another sip, and gazed into my eyes, I felt just a little bit trapped. She was looking for a conclusion, not just the individual points.

I bit my lip nervously, rubbing my thumb over the box in my pocket. Harsh lines, soft bumps, sigils and glyphs. "He showed compassion, and concern. I don't think he belongs with the rent-a-thugs unless it's a home-guard position.” I hesitated for a moment. "As a courier, he might do alright, but he'll need to get more experience before you can trust him with something big. He seems distasteful of drug use, and a few other... unethical practices."

I rapped the table slightly, my knee starting to shake a bit unconsciously. She still hadn't looked away. "Then where do you think he'd fit in, based on what you know of our organization?" She asked calmly.

I frowned. "I'd say give him a couple of weeks of courier milk-runs, I don't care if it's here or elsewhere. At the same time, get him to work alongside one of your techies. He's not as smart as he could be, but he can be quick on the uptake, so he might make a good lab assistant. You might also want to impress on him the value of pre-planning his appearances. Operation names, how motions and body language might be perceived based on the context. The usual. That's likely your best backup plan... instead of, you know...” She blinked and looked away; I swallowed dryly immediately reaching for my drink. This was always exhausting.

Renee took it all in stride taking a few minutes to think things through. She always did, considering the stakes she generally played with. She may only be a regional sub-manager of the Syndicate, but that also means that a slightly misspoken word could mean the difference between sending someone help, and sending them to hell.

Renee finished her drink, looking up to me, before smiling slightly and nodding. "I'll take it under advisement. I had a decent feeling about this one, fashion sense notwithstanding, but I'm glad to hear you approve of the way I operate things." she said, a hint of both wry amusement and imperious command.

I swallowed, taking the recrimination to heart. She was the one in the room with the power; I was just an external contractor who they thought was a good test to run their new employees through.

Renee stood up, brushing her hair back, before looking down on me. "Well, that settles that then.” she put on her jacket before returning her eyes to me. "First, your old card has expired. Here is your new one.” she placed what looked like cellophane wrap in a cardboard holder flat on the table. "Second, your fee, I assume you would still like it through your preferred medium?”

I nodded slightly. The first few times I'd picked up packages, I'd still been pretty rough around the edges, and had dressed down the contacts with the righteous indignation of a teenager who knew everything. The fact that I actually had been right didn't help matters, but thankfully, only one of those led to any kind of conflict. Conflict which Andre had put down rather harshly before taking the unconscious lump back to his car. I'd earned a few smacks from him for pushing things that far, but maybe he was just worried.

The problem came when they decided that my doing this constituted a service, and as a result, a rather nice fruit basket had arrived at my home every week shortly after one of my deliveries. This led to a LOT of awkward questions, and an eventual hashing out of my actual deal with them. Nowadays, most of the money just towards medical research as a form of charity, but sometimes I'd save a little, for moments like earlier this afternoon. The money was dirty, it had to be. Doesn't mean I can't do something good with it.

Renee waited for me to finish mulling things patiently, when I looked back to her, she finally said "And third, do you need a ride home? It's getting late."

My eyes widened suddenly, realizing that not only was my dad home, but that it was nearly seven. If I didn't take a ride, there'd be some very concerned truth-detecting questions coming my way that I'd rather not answer.

She grinned, "I thought as much, I'll have Andre bring the car around, I think I overheard him mentioning having some errands to run anyway". She immediately made her way out of the pub.

I didn't always see Renee after a newbie delivery, just the ones she was keeping an eye on. Wherever Dan was, I hope he was keeping his nose clean; he might just be going places.

The pub had filled in my absence, the usual crowd and regulars, most had avoided my corner thankfully. Waving goodbye to Cindy, I stood outside the pub, waiting for Andre. No doubt he was going to give me some grief for taking so long after the delivery to pull myself together. Though under that, he was likely just trying to make that I was actually alright.

The ride home was relatively uneventful, Andre indeed giving me a little bit of grief, but also joining me in a short session of singing along to the radio. As we approached my home, he pulled off a couple of blocks away before letting me out. He gave me a short nod, and started making his way home.

Slowly making my way up to the front door, I checked to make sure that everything was in proper order. Wallet, Keys, Boxes (Lines, Dots, Symbols). Getting out the keys, I opened the door, I was finally home.

I occur to me that I never did tell Dan the third task I was there to do during our meeting. I generally kept it to myself, as really it was only a self-imposed one. I made it my job to find as much that was good about that person, and report it. To try to make them seem useful, even in the slightest way. The first time I hadn't done that, I'd made it clear that the guy was a liability that should probably be let go. I found the man's obituary the next week.

---

---

Dinner was a bit of a quiet affair, Mom still being at work. Despite being late, it seems like my Dad had to spend most of his time on the phone. Apparently during a recent investigation there had been several incidents that would require his attention. Nothing big, just litigation issues. Sadly this meant that his "home" time was in the physical sense only. I suppose if Ben were home, he might have made an exception.

Grabbing everyone's bed-sheets, I made sure to apply some extra white vinegar and detergent to my own. There wasn't too much blood, just enough to be noticeable. Thankfully it hadn't gone through to the mattress, or this would be a much larger problem to deal with.

Heading upstairs, I brushed my teeth as quickly as possible and headed to my room. Hanging from the ceiling over the bed was a poster with an artist's rendition of Silver Gear Knight's first encounter with Jabberwocky. His armor wasn't as fancy, and he was still using a halberd back then, but he took on the slate grey monster all the same. The art itself stretched some of the proportions and colours out, giving the implication of movement, even in a still frame. Jabberwocky's form was also out of proportion. I know the creature was huge, but I was fairly certain he didn't loom in the background twice as high as the knight covering the sun. Nor was he supposed to have red glowing eyes. Artistic expression I suppose.

Around the walls were various family photos. More than a few of Judy and Colin having fun on various trips we always seemed to be together on. A few higher quality action figures, if only for some colour, and my computer in the corner.

Taking off my hoodie, I hooked the two wooden boxes together, and returned them and the iron key back to their resting places. Since I hadn't been to Ms Crane's yet, I hadn't had a chance to return them. Well, that'll wait till tomorrow I suppose.

Next to the bed was my small table, dark faux-wood, mostly clean with a few drawers for various knickknacks and a thin layer of dust. A small bottle of water and Kleenex for when I was sick, a garbage can, some paper towels, and a small book I was once told to write my thoughts into (still blank). But on top of the table, off to the side was one of the few objects without the detritus of time.

A brass set of weighing scales, complete with tiny-weights stood on the desk. I'd made the request several years ago, and managed to get it for my birthday, much to my parent's confusion. It would almost seem like I never used it though, what with a newer Silver Gear Knight figure on one of the scales, and a Jabberwocky on the other.

Removing all the small weights, the scale slowly began tipping right, towards the Jabberwocky figure. Made sense, the monster was typically bigger than the hero. Slowly, I added the weights back, counting.

- Got to see Mom and Dad this morning, great breakfast: Two weights to the knight, the scale evened out.
- Met with Judy, Had fun, bought her a secret gift: Three weights to the Knight, the scales leaned in favor of the knight.
- Lied to my Dad, Thought of what to do if Judy got hurt, nearly broke my promise to Ms Crane: Four weights to the monster. The scale tipping back to favoring the monster.
- Scared Dan, gave him a good review. Hopefully he'll be ok: No changes

I frowned. Looks like it wasn't as good a day as I was hoping after all. I guess... I glanced up at the clock, noting that it was nearly bedtime. Well, I had one thing left to do.

Booting up my computer, I loaded up what was likely my most used application. GEO, Good and Evil Online.

Colin was the one who had finally gotten me into the game, and I have to admit, it was pretty fun. Though I suspect that it might be because it was the one place I could still contact him. He always seemed to be away at school when I called his parents, though at least they sounded sad whenever they couldn't answer when he'd be home. I guess they must miss him too.

I didn't even bother making any plans for what I'd be doing. Colin would have already logged off by now, and I was just doing some quick maintenance.

A wall of black plate greeted me, as I logged into the character. Apparently he'd still been crafting when I logged in. I'll admit that my little fanboyism of Silver Gear Knight got me to make my original character a soldier specializing in defenses, but more recently, I'd been working on trying to make him more self-sufficient with Artificery. I'm not entirely sure where that came from, the Knight, or Ms Crane.

Unfortunately, despite the amount of time I'd given, his crafting didn't seem to have improved very much. To be expected, but still disappointing. Having him stand and move to the nearest NPC page, I nodded to him, and demanded he fetch any messages left for me. Apparently when you play on the Evil side, demanding is just a thing you 'do'.

I'd originally wanted to play on the Good side, but Colin had insisted that playing a bad guy was more fun, more freeing. I guess that made sense, Colin always was impulsive, at least now he had an outlet where he couldn't get hurt from it. I don't know though. Aesthetically, I still think I would have preferred the good side, silver armor and all that.

The page returned shortly with a scroll. Opening it on my UI, I read what Colin had left me.


"hey Man, Looks like you Weren't able to Make it. No worries!! We can just meet up later. Hope that bird lady's treating you well. Say hi to Judy for me.."


I could only smile and sigh. Colin seemed to make a habit of adding unnecessary caps to his words. At least his spelling was getting a bit better. Soon after he'd left, there'd been spelling errors and typos everywhere. I think it must have really frustrated him, because his letters got shorter for a while, stopped for a time, then later resumed. They never quite hit the diatribes he used to, but it was still good to hear from him.

Turning, I looked to see Colin’s half of the workshop. The dude had always shared that tendency to align behind something important to him. Originally his character had been created as an archer, but nowadays he seemed to favor a brawling soldier, wearing black plated scale mail and a dragon motif on the helmet. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was getting into art, and was just on a dragon kick or something. He always was clever with that sort of thing, getting even tiny details right.

Letting my character return to his pointless toil, I saw a slight flash and heard a tiny bell coming from above my doorway.
Reaching up, I opened the tiny bird-house I'd put there five years ago. Ms Crane had made it for me, and asked me to keep it nearby. Inside was a piece of paper alchemically treated, just like the signing slips for the deliveries earlier. Opening it, I read only two words.

"Goddamnit kid"

A big grin lit my face. That was basically her way of not saying no. Seems like it'd be easier to say "yes" but Ms Crane had never really worked like that.

Taking the paper and running it under the tap, the ink slowly flowed away, but the paper remained feeling oily, good for a few more uses.

Returning it to its birdhouse, I made ready for bed, a grin still ever-present on my face. Before getting to into bed I stopped for a moment, looking over at the weighed scales. The Jabberwocky was still winning, but why should that be? Today was a good day.

I added three weights to the Knight.Ms Crane's approval and Colin's continued friendship. The Knight lowered, his raised sword prepared to take on any challenge.

Today was a good day.

It didn't take much of a push to get me out of bed this morning. No calls for food, no heinous feathery noise-makers, nothing. The wonderful apprehension of today's schedule was more than enough for me to break from my warm fluffy covenant with the mattress. Even better, the gauze was still clean, which meant that while I should really check under it and replace it, I didn't have to worry about another stain on the sheets.

Slowly edging my legs over the side, I sat on the bed for a moment, my body trying to catch up with the excited buzz that seemed to envelop my thoughts. Today was the DAY. Judy would finally meet Ms. Crane; finally get to see the world I'd had to be quiet about for five years. I hope that she would like it. I hope that Ms Crane would like her. I something went wrong, I'm not su--.

Gazing around the room that line of thinking froze. The walls were lit shining gold, the silhouette of my scales pressed harshly against the wall. The knight's shadow still posed dramatically, facing down impossible odds with the stoicism that only a true hero, or fully articulated action figure could manage.

I could only grin. No, nothing will go wrong. This is going to be a good day.

Freeing myself from the remaining trappings of the previous night, I made my way to the washroom for my typical waking rituals. The shower was comforting, the gauze was replaced, the wound healing. It almost felt like time sped up while things were going well, and today was definitely going to go well.

After a quick stop to grab my clothes, I made my way downstairs. History repeated itself somewhat, with my Dad sitting at the breakfast table, poring over the morning paper. Seeing that all he had next to him was a small bowl of half eaten cereal, I guessed that if I wanted a feast like yesterday, I'd be the one to have to make it.

Considering how my culinary skills were directly proportional to the amount of time I was willing to spend, I grabbed a bowl of cereal. Walking to the dining table, I gave my Dad a quick one-arm'ed hug before sitting down. Taking a few bites, I waited for him to finish the article he was reading. It seemed to be regarding an older man who had gone missing several weeks ago, with no sign of struggle.

"Old client of yours?” I mumble-asked, mouth full of slightly mulched cereal.

He took a few moments to finish reading the article before responding. "Only tangentially, I've worked with his family before.” he paused for a moment. "Actually, more like a support group. The way they act sometimes it can be hard to tell.” He looked back to the paper. "Either way, Mr. Darley was someone I was asked to keep an eye on. Apparently he's needed some legal support before." He shrugged, before turning his eyes to me. "Not really much I can work with right now though. How was your sleep? Normally you're dead on your feet for another hour or so."

I stole another quick bite of cereal, "I had some pretty good reasons to get up so early", I responded, a slight grin threatening to rise. "I didn't manage to make it to Ms. Crane's place yesterday, so I'm going today".

He snorted quietly, his eyes suddenly suspicious "Usually, going there doesn't make you look like the cat that got into the cream. What's different this time?"

I took a moment to revel in the ability to actually tell him what was going on by drawing the moment out with another bite of cereal. His eyes stayed on me the whole time. "Oh, nothing", I half hummed finishing my mouthful with an overly dramatic gulp. "I just won't be heading there alone this time".

Dad's eyebrows rose substantially, highlighting his admittedly occasionally eerie eye colouring. "Is that so? The way that woman goes on, I wouldn't be surprised if she asked for a full psych eval before meeting someone new". He closed his eyes and shook his head in a frustrated manner. "It was like pulling teeth just getting her to agree to meet your Mom and I here every few months." He attacked his own cereal, giving me a thoughtful look. "How did you manage it?”

I shrugged lightly, "Judy really wanted to meet her and wouldn't take no for an answer. I'm su-"

"You don't need to say any more.” my Dad chuckled holding up a hand placating. "Miss Michaels has had that stubborn streak since she was the height of my knee. I can still remember when she was seven; she told me that my eyes were orange because I'd eaten too many oranges as a child". He smiled eyes distant, "Whenever she saw me, she'd keep telling me why she was right for nearly a month. Eventually I had to admit that I ate too many carrots before she's stop."

I laughed, "Yeah, I think I can remember that! At one point she actually wrote you letters when she wasn't able to come over, right?"

"Indeed", he said, his eyes still distant, but lightened with his smile. "I believe I have them saved somewhere, in case her parents ever needed blackmail. I believe she wrote each word in a differed coloured crayon." He returned his gaze to me, nodding slightly. "You stick with her Shane, good friends like her are rare, and they'll keep you honest." My arm tingled, the memory of stinging being relived. Yeah, I guess she would at that.

Finishing my cereal, I cleaned up, and went back upstairs. Grabbing my cog work hoodie, I grimaced slightly on noticing that there were bloodstains on the inside of the arm. Damn. I'd have to get this cleaned up before I wore it again. But I guess a little variation wasn't a bad thing.

I grabbed a slightly less favored GEO hoodie Colin had sent me after we'd begun playing. Apparently he'd somehow gotten my sizing right, but seeing as my parents said they hadn't spoken to him, I assume he just made a decent guess.

It had a two colour conflict motif, with some kind of snarling shape in red on a black background on one side of the zipper all with harsher more random curves implying aggressiveness or flames. On the other side, was a white background, with soft curving lines in blue/silver, forming what could only be described as some kind of hint of a being in armor standing against the zipper. Black and white backgrounds clashed, and pressed against each side of the zipper, giving a slightly more graceful zig-zag pattern with the hint of active conflict. The colouration motif continued around the back, where slightly less individually identifiable curves and swirls implied large forces looking off in either direction, ready for conflict.

The black/white split look sometimes gave it a ramshackle appearance, as though it'd been sewn together from mismatched parts, but the conflicting lines slowly meeting, and then converting to their opposing colours always made me think it almost looked like a more complicated ying-yang symbol, each side using both patterns and negative shapes to complement each other. An imperfect image of an imperfect balance.

Considering that I got compliments and odd looks when I wore it in equal measure, I figured that seemed fitting.

I quickly grabbed the wooden boxes (Lines, Bumps, Sigils and glyphs), and the iron key from their hiding place. I'd almost left, when I noticed the cellophane held cardboard container on the desk where I'd left it. Damnit, I guess I had to take a few more minutes.

I opened my wallet and pulled out an old disused library card. The thing had expired years ago, but it was sturdy plastic and would go without notice for a teenager to be carrying around. I carefully felt over the surface and edges, checking for any minor tactile discrepancies. Finding none, I nodded slightly. Renee had it down to a science as to when my identification card had expired.

Checking the arrows written on the cardboard, I carefully removed the cellophane from the cardboard, and wrapped it gently around the library card, making certain that all surfaces were completely smooth. Now I just needed to activate it.

Pressing down with my left thumb on the center of the card, I waited, counting the seconds carefully.

45...46...47...48...

The typical suggested time was two minutes. Just enough to avoid accidental activation, while being short enough to start causing frustration.

70...71...72...73...74...

The corners of the card started turning red, the colouring leeching its way towards the center. Numbers and a small sigil were slowly becoming evident as the slow invasion continued.

117...118...119...120.

I removed my thumb. The card now fully activated. I gave it a few moments before more extensive handling, checking all the edges and both sides, just in case I'd made some kind of error. I didn't want to do that again, not after the last time, Renee had not been impressed.

Ah, perfect. I held the card flat, checking the information printed on it. A sign of authenticity and my identification as a non-affiliated external contractor, along with emergency contact information and the codename of my immediate contact. I blushed just a little bit at that thought. When Renee had first given me her number, I'd jumped to a few of the wrong conclusions before being crushed by a rather weighty stare, and a clear proclamation as to EXACTLY what our relationship was. Thank the Gods it happened when I was younger. If it'd been now-a-days she might have actually been offended rather than amused. An offended Renee meant an unhappy Shane.

I replaced my left thumb over the card, holding it stiffly for a minute before the colour began to drain from it, becoming nothing more than an eight year expired library card. When I'd asked, I'd been told that it actually wasn't that high-tech, not like some devisor miracle machine, but rather operated on a small system of chemical reactions like a mix between a mood-ring and those old movie posters that would change depending on what angle you viewed them from. It definitely made it useful, since only my left thumb could activate this particular card, and anything but extended direct pressure in the center would actually activate the card's shift.

Packing it away, I grabbed my backpack before heading downstairs. Days when I went to Ms. Crane's house early generally meant having a change of clothes on hand would be a good idea. The few times I hadn't, I'd rather embarrassingly regretted it. Ms. Crane had only laughed, and told me that I should have expected it and prepared accordingly. Figures. At least Devi was willing to help cover for me, well cover anyway.

I caught my Dad heading towards his workroom in the basement as I was heading out. He had a tendency to tinker down there when nobody else was at home and work wasn't pending. He paused as I approached and I gave him a hug as I passed by.

He smiled, "Have a good day Shane. Be sure to tell Judy to come visit sometime, I don't get to see her as often anymore."

I nodded, "I will Dad, you have a good day too."

As he descended down into the basement, he paused for a moment, turning. "Oh, and Shane? I forgot to tell you over breakfast. I know you haven't told us what you want for your birthday, but if you don't have anything in mind, I think I may just have a line on something you might appreciate." He gave me a mysterious Dad-grin, and continued down to his evil home-decor lair.

A gift? If he thought I might like it, I might be in for a treat. I could only grin as I made my way out of the house. Sun shining, hateful birds chirping, and that lovely breeze reminding me that today was going to be a good day.

---

---

Knowing that Judy wasn't likely to be ready just yet, I made my way towards town center again. In my haste with yesterday's delivery, and my slightly more than awkward dressing down by Judy, I'd forgotten one of my errands. I wondered what it was like for people to have schedules that didn't involve the possibility of having a gun pulled on them on a near weekly basis. Let alone taking a short break afterwards to freshen up.

Approaching town center, I veered off to the left, skirting the edge of busier sections of town, and headed down a slightly less populated path. This was the street that some of the more niche markets and stores tended to open. It was also one of my favorite streets, filled with interesting import shops, and more importantly, avoiding the crowd congregation the mall tended to generate. There were a fair number of people in my age demographic I would prefer not to run into on a daily basis, and the malls tended to be something of a lodestone for them.

Rather, the building ahead of me was my target. Flushed in colour, various fictional characters stared out at me in all of their cheap vinyl glory as the store signage indicated that deals and excitement could ONLY be found within. I could only smile at that. Maybe if you were a collector or something with eclectic tastes I suppose. Still. These were people I could work with.

Heading inside, I saw the still half-awake owner. Callum leaned heavily on the glass counter, seemingly trying to avoid looking busy at all costs. It wasn't hard. This time of day, the crowds that tended to frequent this place didn't tend to arrive, be it due to school, or late-night binging. He perked up slightly as the bell above the door announced my arrival, racks of the most recent comics lined behind him, cards and board-games on the walls.

"Callum", I said, smiling slightly. "You look like a bus hit you, what happened?"

Callum rolled his eyes and shook his head, his long blond ponytail whipping back and forth slightly. "Your jacket happened man. We got hit by a bus all-right, The raid we'd been planning for nearly a month got taken out when the co-ordinator came down with a case of 'my boyfriend needs me'-itis.", his voice shifting into a mocking tone. He rubbed his hand over his face, tracing the light goatee and mustache. "Freaking bus factor man...”

Ah, the factor of 'how many people would it take to replace you if you were hit by a bus'. Sounds like this co-ordinator had been rather vital. "Didn't you have any sub-leaders that could have taken over? Seems like a poor plan if one person no-showing could trash it." I asked.

He rolled his eyes slightly. "Yeah, that's what should have happened. Problem is that the way our runs have been going recently, there's serious discussion about a spy or mole somewhere in the group.” He gave me a quick severe look, before settling. "As it is, they kept things so hush hush, I still feel like I have to follow the rules regarding it. Not being able to talk about this sort of thing in meat-space just because there MIGHT be a spy out there in cyberspace? That's messed up man.” He shrugged slightly, "At least I can tell you about it, I already know you play for the wrong side, and with a trash build. Not like you could make things any worse, let alone involve yourself with the advanced stuff".

I suppose I should have felt insulted about that, but to be fair, it was true. I wasn't a hard-core player, didn't really interact with anyone outside of Colin, and my character wasn't exactly threatening. Intimidating sure, but anyone worth their salt could tear me apart in seconds. I was happy for Callum though, despite his current state it must be nice to feel so passionate about something that surrounded you with friends and comrades.

"Actually, speaking of", he started, bending down and reaching behind the counter to a locked cabinet. "Your order came in a week ago; I'm surprised you hadn't been in just yet".

"I've been a bit busy. Saving the world and all that" I snarked.

"Yeah, yeah, you and yours managed to push off the attack on the western ridges. I'm surprised you were there to be honest, I know I saw that buddy of yours, but you never seemed the type for mass-combat." he said, his eyes rolling with his own sarcasm, putting a large heavy book on the counter.

I could only blink at that one. I guess something happened in GEO? It could sometimes be hard to talk to Callum when he could switch gears like that. Better to just let it drop, if I tried to ask him about it, I wouldn't be leaving here for at least an hour. Sounds like Colin must have been busy last night. Too bad I missed him; it would have been nice to fight back to back again.

Glancing down at the glass counter, I looked at the book he had just pulled from the shipments drawer. A large silhouette stood in the background, looking directly towards the user, bathed in shadow with eyes aglow. Shapes and vague markings showed many smaller figures along the bottom. A full legion of individual countenances were implied there, all gazing at, or past the user. On the top, emblazoned in gold: Villainous Origins and Encounters .
After who knows how many times various heroes and villains started making headline news, some brilliant investor realized that comic books had primarily been telling mostly fictional stories. Nobody had cashed in on the lucrative platform of 'the real' just yet. The world we lived in was just as strange, if not more so than the worlds dreamed up by some of the comic industry. Following that, they began signing for formal information releases, authors, artists and editors, all while wrapping their attempts as a method of historical education.

These "Historical Retelling" comics depicted actual events, both historic and relatively unknown, letting the reader vicariously watch the events of some of the conflicts which have shaped our times. There were definite legal issues of course, with several publishers that made them almost always in court for one reason or another. As it turns out, despite heavy editing, personal information of some heroes and villains had accidentally avoided the editor's chopping board. Not to mention the legalities involved in licensing the "Image and presented identities" of heroes and villains the world around. Not a lot of people were fond of the idea of villains somehow receiving payment for use of their "intellectual property".

As a result, these books could sometimes be hard to find, with illicit printings being one of the best sources to obtain them. Limited runs, cancelled series, errors made in translations or shipping. These books could sometimes be more trouble than they were worth. This one in particular though, was a masterpiece. A heavy volume detailing stories of villains dead, defunct, retired, and a few that were active. The information inside was generally a little bit suspect, but to someone who had never followed their own super teams, or lived through a villain attack, it could be quite gripping.

I was sure the intended recipient of this book would have better sources of such information, but really, the point was that he might get a laugh out of it at least. Well, or be irritated at receiving such a pointless object. Both reactions would have been acceptable.

I nodded to Callum, a smile on my face "Thanks". He only waved his hands, shooing me back to the door, he'd already been paid and I was cutting in on his soon to be empty morning. I suppose with my delaying him, he had a lot of loafing to catch up on. Maybe I'd have time to take a look through it before getting to Ms. Crane's. Assuming Judy wasn't asking a thousand thousand questions of course. Which she would....

I made my way out, packing the book into my half full backpack as I maneuvered around stacks of, figures, toys, and baubles. As the bell signalled the 'all clear', I could hear Callum muttering something about how "Big-E's" would be learning some lessons once his team got organized. I could only assume it was more GEO talk. Sometimes I just didn't know about the people who played that game that much.

---

---

I was still thumbing through the book while sitting on a large decorative rock on the edge of someone's yard when I heard someone call out. I guess I would have to find out later how Sparkfuse ended up dying.

Spoilers, she exploded.

Closing the book and packing it back up, I looked up to see a swiftly approaching Judy, wearing what I could only describe as a bright orange hiking backpack, portable water-skin, jeans, seasonal jacket and hiking boots. I could only give her a quizzical look. "Did you pack a tent too?" I intoned a slight grin on my face.

She gave me a concerned look, wary for a moment before realizing that I was only joking. "Well you did say that she lived a bit of a hike away, I thought you were being literal."

"Nah, sorry, I should have called this morning with more details before I headed out", I shrugged slightly. "I'm surprised you brought ALL that gear though. I really don't think you're going to need all of it."

She gave a slightly exacerbated huff, "Well I'm not going back now, my Dad would need another half-hour of re-assurance that I'd be fine, and that you weren't some scoundrel of ill repute". She grinned slightly, "I've got an extra set of clothes, some spare shoes, water and snacks. Even if I don't need to use any of them, if he goes full protective parent on me, I can camp out for a day or two until it all blows over.

I stood up; we started walking our way towards the edge of town limits, towards the closest of the three mountains that surrounded the town. "Extra clothes? Shoes? I mean, those'll definitely come in handy." I hefted my own backpack for emphasis, "I'm surprised you thought to bring that sort of thing if you were prepping for a hike though.”

She shook her head, hair flicking her shoulder as if to highlight her response. "Well, I figure that if we're meeting this woman, I might as well be prepared. You also have a tendency to pick up new clothes at a faster rate than people usually do; I figured you had some wear and tear whenever you went on these little trips."

I blinked a few times, trying to wrap my head around this one, and nodded an acknowledgement. Either she was really observant, which of course she was, or she'd been keeping track of anything to do with Ms. Crane for a while now... Actually that also sounded true. I guess it made sense; she'd always been a bit of a snoop. That probably spring boarded even higher if she was worried about me. Dad was right; I really didn't deserve a friend like this.

---

---

We walked for a good hour, passing by the city boundaries; travelling alongside a nearby highway and entering the more heavily wooded area. The wind blew, the sun shone, and the ever-present mountain loomed omnipresent over the nearby trees off to our sides. It was at a seemingly randomly highway marker that I took a hard right turn, walking directly into the woods.

Judy caught up after a few moments and gave me a quizzical look. "I thought we weren't going on a hike?” she asked, a slight hint of accusation in her voice.

I gave her a smirk, "You got me, but to be fair, we don't have that far to go. We'll be riding a fair amount of the way."

Her eyebrows knitted slightly, "And what exactly does that mean?”

I hummed curiously as my head lilted slightly. "Oh, you'll see".

Judy was assuaged, but only barely. "I swear Lemaire, if you're just taking me on a useless walkabout, you're going to WISH that arm of yours was the worst of your injuries."

I didn't doubt it, Judy was small but feisty. It wouldn't help that in those circumstances, I'd probably be laughing too hard at her fuming to defend myself.

Around five minutes into the woods, we came across a clearly artificial clearing, freight-train tracks running parallel to the highway behind us in one direction, and back to the more industrial edges of town. Walking to a large sloped rock, I climbed to the top, and sat. The rock was nice and warm in the sun, and the cool breeze just made things all the sweeter.

Judy gave me another glare. "What, stopping already? I thought you said we had a ways to go?"

I checked my watch, 1:31. We were cutting it a little close, but normally I was travelling alone. I gave Judy a goofy grin, as a low thrum started emanating from the ground. Gesturing for her to join me, I gave her a hand up the slope. That backpack seemed like it was a little unbalancing for the climb.

She sat next to me, squinting slightly before her eyes widened. "What, are we taking the train? That's insane! Why couldn't we just get a cab to where we need to go?” She started to look nervous. "You aren't trying to get hurt, are you?”

I made placating gestures while patting her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, there are arrangements in place, and I've done this a hundred times before. We just need to take the train to get over the ravine on the right side. The highway passes by on the far side of the ravine, and it's a pain in the ass to cross with any decent time."

Judy seemed to calm down a little, though suspicion was still in her eyes "And where does that take us? Fucking Hogwarts?”

I chuckled a little, eyeing the now approaching train, coming in from the town. "Yeah, I suppose it's something like that."

Judy gave the train a weary look, as if gauging how quickly it was moving. "Yeah, Ms Crane sure is magical, getting you to risk your life to get to her every day."

The train was now just about passing us, travelling much more slowly than one might expect. The conductor gave me a lazy wave as the train slowed to a near halt just ahead of us, a near-empty flatcar spotted with secured boxes halted just next to our current perch. Judy gave it a surprised look, glancing back at me with suspicion, then back to the train. I think she may have figured out where our ride was.

Making a small hop from the rock, I landed softly on the flatcar in front of us. Walking with purposeful casualness, I knelt down and leaned my back up against one of the secured composite shipping boxes, my front facing the engine. I tried to make it look fairly effortless, giving Judy a confident, if not cocky smirk as I relaxed. She gave me a frustrated glare before backing up slightly, and making her own leap to the car with a quiet anxious squeak. Landing softly, she eyed my position, and sat back against the box next to me.

I grinned, "That wasn't so scary, was it?"

She gave a perturbed look, but I could see a hint of a grin on the sides of her face. "Bite me Shane. You know, I spent a while this morning convincing my dad that you weren't some 'person of ill repute', and here you go making me a liar". She now openly grinned, her voice shaky but confident. "Ok Freakshow, let's see if you can keep this up, I'm game."

I might have been a bit irritated that she'd called me that again, but it was quickly salved over as the train began rumbling and she gave out a worried squeak. We were underway.

---

---

Judy spent nearly the whole trip alternatively asking me questions about the trip, and just looking off into the distance, enjoying what I could imagine was a fairly unique experience. When I'd first done this, I wasn't exactly in the best mindset to make a good first impression, but I suppose I enjoyed the trip somewhat now. The sounds of the wheels, the vibration, the cool air and sunshine. There was something timeless about being a passenger on a train, and that appeared to apply nearly as much when one being a stowaway.

I'd tried once to pull out Ben's book and read the rest of the story about Sparkfuse, but as predicted, Judy had questions. So many questions, firing out at such a rate and force that I'm certain that it should be illegal for a civilian to own. Sparkfuse never stood a chance.

"How much further?"
"Not far."
"Why'd they let us on again? Isn't this illegal?"
"Ms Crane has a business deal with them, and they'd have to stop anyway due to a few switching stations"
"You didn't answer the other questions"
"You didn't really want to hear the answer"
"What about winter? Do you ride it even then?"

We'd spent nearly thirty minutes travelling at a rather sedate pace, the train staying on the tracks as it crept further towards the mountain. Approaching quickly was a fairly large tunnel that would let the train continue travelling parallel to the highway, just skimming the edge of the rocky wall nearby, and out to the open fields beyond. More questions were going to have to wait, as I braced myself against the box and stood up, Judy following suit.

I held onto the straps of the crate, and braced Judy as the train came to a slow lurching halt. Jumping off the car into the soft dirt and weeds, I gestured for Judy to follow suit. There was no hesitation this time; she was someone who adapted quickly. She knew she could jump onto a stopped train, so she could jump off one as well.

As she landed, I waved up to the engine, seeing another of the conductor's lazy waves out the window before the train began to stutter back into movement, pulling away. We were standing on a small thin elevated plateau, a harsh grey and brown wall of rock immediately behind us. As the last of the train faded into the tunnels, we could see straight across the tracks, and small amount of rock beyond, only to lose sense of distance as the ground vanished, dropping down to the forested ravine. It was a perspective very few people would ever seen, and now one of my two friends got to see it too. She stood staring for a few moments, drinking in the sight, the cool wind cutting past us in the train's passing.

I didn’t join her. It was a pretty sight, but I’d already seen it up close. It may not look the same as during the winter, but that precipice always gave me a bit of a chill.

After a minute, the wonder began to die down. "Now what, are we stuck here? There really isn't an easy way down unless you have a helicopter." She paused, chewing on her lip slightly. "Are we stuck here? Did we get off at the wrong time?"

I felt my cheeks tightening, anticipation growing, and my grin slowly becoming evident. "Judy... You're one of my best friends. I already know you can keep a secret. So I'm going to show you this, and ask that never show anyone without Ms. Crane's permission. It's important."

Judy raised her eyebrows in exacerbation. "You already know I wouldn't, not without a good reason. I wouldn't be here otherwise." She punched me lightly in the shoulder, grinning slightly "And let's not kid ourselves, I'm one of your ONLY friends Shane. Now why don't you drop the mystery act, let that grin go, and let's get to this lady". She looked around, using her clever eyes to see where we were headed.

I crossed my arms, grin growing on my face. "I know Judy. I just wanted to be sure. Also, it'd be good if you didn't panic. I believe you mentioned Hogwarts earlier?"

I turned, facing the stone face, and knocked three times, raising my voice to an officious tone and raising my other hand to the air. "Speak friend, and Enter!"

I waited for a minute; I could feel the air behind me slowly growing more awkward as Judy’s shuffling footsteps crunched quietly.

"Speak friend, and enter?” I knocked a few more times, turning my head back to Judy with an embarrassed expression. Arms crossed and eyes narrowed. She didn't look happy. In fact she seemed distinctly unhappy. Decidedly angry even.

"Shane..." she spoke, as the specter of doom filled my heart

"I got this! I got this!” I said, knocking over and over and over. My knuckles began were starting to hurt. "C'mon Jasper, stop fucking with me!"

The tension behind me slowly evaporated, as a low grinding sound filled the air, the impossible feeling of the ground shifting beneath our feet. The rocks receded into the very mountain walls as a tunnel slowly revealed itself, small iridescent stones lining the corners. The floor was smooth, but the walls were harsh and jagged, like some kind of horizontal maw with a long smooth tongue. The tunnel curved slightly, and travelled downwards, deeper into the mountain.

I turned back to Judy, giving a slight dramatic flourish towards the cave. Her face was priceless; I really wish I had brought a camera. It spoke of shock, glee, terror, all with the unique gleam in her eye that spoke of a world that wasn't following the rules, for the better.

"Judy", I said, my tone low again, edged with mystery. "As you suggested earlier... We're going to ‘Fucking Hogwarts’".

---

---

It had taken her nearly ten minutes before she could really respond. Her mouth had opened and closed like a fish nearly that entire time, her eyes jumping from me, to the tunnel, to me again. Really, this was the train all over again. Finally I'd gotten tired of holding a dramatic pose, grabbing her hand, and leading her into the mountain. She seemed hesitant at first, but as the entrance behind us slowly closed, she clutched my arm as we traveled.

We spent that time walking in silence. I held onto her as she shivered with both fear and excitement. I tried to keep her distracted. Distracted from the situation, distracted from her concerns. Distracted from the vague feelings of the earth moving and contracting beneath us, secretly increasing our pace like one of those conveyor belt sidewalks you see at airports. None of that made sense to her right now, so instead I spoke to her about normal things. About my Dad being home, or Ben remaining aloof. I spoke about the book I'd bought and Colin's distant greeting from across cyberspace. It didn't really matter what I said, just that there was a familiar voice, and an arm around her, helping anchor her to a slightly saner world. I would be here to watch over her, that's what her knight would do. Despite all of this, she didn't say a word the entire way.

She finally began to show some signs of recovery as we approached our destination. A slight press of fresh air crossed our faces as pale outdoor light began bleeding into the tunnel from up ahead. In the dim light of the glowing stones, I could see her eyes widen, and hear a slight gasp. She flung my hand away as she ran towards the exit. I kept at a normal pace, letting her go. She needed to do it for herself to really get her own grasp on things.

After a few moments, her footsteps stopped echoing, as her silhouette paused, framed in the reflected daylight. Walking up behind her, I put my arm around her shoulder, giving her a quick squeeze, joining her in seeing the welcoming familiar sight.

The cavern was immense, giving the impression that we'd just walked out of the throat of some great earthen beast only to be greeted with its open jaws. Daylight and fresh air carried on a light breeze that passed through the opening, the outside world clearly visible with a lush green valley crawling through a valley below while the Rockies pronounced their dominance in the distance.

Straight ahead, and slightly to the right, a small Chinese pagoda or gazebo sat on an elevated surface, silhouetted by the outside world. It radiated light and warmth in the scant afternoon sun, Golden reflections dancing randomly around the closed walls and roof of the cavern. Off to the left of the structure was a small Zen garden. Shapes and lines had been enticingly formed in the sand, with large flat rocks scattered about while the gentle sounds of burbling water could be heard coming from that direction. On the other side of the pagoda was small cobblestone road curving lazily down towards the canyon in the distance, small signs and potential rows of a garden off in the distance.

Momentarily distracted by the reflections off the Pagoda, I glanced up, seeing the light dance around the extensively long collection of silvery wind-chimes that hunt line stalactites from the roof of the cavern, whistling and humming in a soft serenade at the slightest gust. Spaced between, around, and seemingly at random across the whole of the roof, the glowing stones we'd seen earlier in the tunnels giving small pinpricks of light in an emulation of a starscape.

Lowering my gaze, I looked to the left off the path ahead of us, sparsely clustered iron poles protruded up from the ground. Blackened by time, heat, or age, the occasional gout of orange, green and blue flames could be seen bursting from their tips. Despite not having branches of any kind, they had always felt to me like some kind of thin forest, lending the cavern an air of activity, the sounds of the flames punctuating the silence in a chaotic rhythm.

Following the path directly, the smooth stone of the tunnel behind us slowly morphed into a slightly more contemporary cobblestone. Threading to each point of interest throughout the cavern and back to our feet, it gave everything an almost old-world charm, personality in each rock. However, one path they lead was probably the most impressive.

Really, it wasn't fair to call it a house. Built like some kind of show-home, or manor. It was hard to call it those things though, as it had been carved directly into the walls, floors, and ceiling of the cavern. Three stories tall and made mostly of white stone, its front entrance were framed by five roman-style columns, each made of a slightly different material. They were ominous in their stature, but gave the impression of an enduring strength; as though they alone could hold the mountain from the ground. Large windows decorated each floor, while the upper floors also displayed the strong hues of stained glass, lit from some source within. Brown and green shingles decorated the lower roof portions of the house, giving a rustic if bizarre impression.


Judy stood still for a few moments, before turning to me, pointing back wildly around the cavern, "DID YOU SEE THE THING!?"

I'm not entirely certain my grin could get any bigger as I shook my head. "No, I think I may have missed it."

She continued unabated, "How could nobody have found this place. Look at those goddamn wind chimes! The freaking wall is open! What's with the pipes? Why didn't you tell me about this? What is she loaded or something? Is she some kind of recluse billionaire in hiding for killing someone!?” She turned her eyes up at the ceiling, breathing in and out quickly. "And why does she get her own constellations? How long did it take to put up there? What else is there? How did she open that door back there? Is she some kind of fucking Gandalf? Is that why the friend enter thing didn't work? Who's Jasper and why didn't he open the door, I thought she wasn't married! Is he a servant? Is he a he? Is she cute? AND WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THIS!?”

She paused for a moment, her face turning red; she started gasping slightly for breath. I imposed myself in front of her, blocking off the view. "Judy, I don't think what you want is to ask these questions.” I paused, giving it a moment "I think you want to see more, but I need you to stop and breathe. You've just seen a whole lot of weird, and it's only going to get weirder". Her mouth gaped again, opening and closing with unanswered questions. "I need to know that you're going to be all right before we go on, we can take a break here if you want".

She closed her eyes and gave me a hug, burying her face in my chest, breathing slowly. I waited. I'd been there once too.

A minute later, she pulled away from me with a start and a squeak, looking down. A slightly pudgy long haired black cat had silently prowled over to us before viciously rubbing its face on her leg. Judy stared at it a moment before whipping her eyes back to me. "Is it safe?” she hissed. I suspect she needed some kind of normalcy, an anchor that I couldn't provide, since I was the one who brought her here.

I nodded, smiling. "It's a cat. There are lots of them. They are weird in the ways that cats are weird. But it's a cat". I bent down, stroking my hand over the overly enthusiastic feline. It has been head-butting Judy's leg with increasing vehemence, all the while a slight amount of drool released from its mouth and the vibration of a small car engine emanated from its chest. "Well, I say it's safe, but this one will take you for all you're worth. Just don't give him any food; he'll follow you around for hours if you ever decide to come back.

Judy reached down, picking up the cat, and draping it over her shoulders like some kind of shawl. The cat, nonplussed by this action simply continued purring, looking at me with the eyes of one who both had reached perfect contentment, and wanted to brag about it.

"I guess", Judy muttered. "If she likes cats, she can't be too crazy".

I smiled; indicating the small stone path, as we both began to walk. "Well, that's one way to look at it I suppose". As we slowly approached the house, I pointed, leading Judy's eyes across the front of the mansion. Her eyes widened, now seeing what I'd meant. Off windowsills, sitting in plant pots, hiding under benches, on top of low roofs and looking out through the windows. Cats. Black cats. Dozens and dozens of black cats. All of them staring at us silently. "Then again, I think it would be more accurate to say that she don't like the cats, but the cats like her".

Judy's lips thinned as we approached the front door, the sound of purring now coming from nearly every surface, echoing off every wall. She looked at me suspiciously. "You just had to take the one normal thing from me didn't you?"

I smiled as I knocked on the front door, looking back at her. "Consider it payback for the abuse on the shopping trips".

She returned a small smile before turning her eyes to the door, the old wood slowly creaking as the door opened, and Judy got her first look at Ms Crane.

"Why..." A scraggily crooked voice slithered its way between Judy and I. "The answer to your question my dear, is that the fates themselves have decreed that you come here... There is no defying fate..."

Judy looked at the figure before us with a wary countenance, a confused look in her eyes. "... But... I didn't ask any questions."

The creature beneath the dark green paused, face covered in shadows with only a hooked age-spotted nose visible in the light. No other features could be made out beyond two long decrepit streams of hair reaching stretching to the ground. One arm, also heavily robed drifted, listing to its side, gripping a gnarled wooden staff covered in markings and pictographs. "Are you certain, oh child of man?" the voice oozed, "Are you sure you weren't wondering in your deepest of hearts why you were here?"

Judy looked a little panicked, but mostly just confused. "I mean. No. Not at all, I practically made Shane bring me here. I was more wondering why this cat was licking my hair."

I leaned over to get a better look. Yep. It was licking her hair. Cats are weird.

"Yesss, yesss, that one does that... It seeks to taste the lies you're telling yourself..." the creature responded slyly.

There was a long awkward pause. Judy just kept looking between me and the decrepit being. I just continued standing there; this really wasn't what I was expecting when I woke up this morning.

The cat continued licking.

"I can't work under these conditions..." The creature muttered bluntly, her voice now smooth and light. It turned around, and immediately doubled in height, apparently no longer hunching over. I guess the staff had a purpose after all.

The staff was lightly flung out of sight, making a light ‘wuhf’ing sound as it struck what sounded like a cushion. A distinctly familiar and disgusting false nose and hand prosthetic placed lightly on a nearby shelf, while a scraggily grey wig was put on top of a coat-rack.

Judy just looked on, not entirely certain how to react to all this. I suppose meeting an old mystical creature was what she had expected; this may have knocked her off track. "Excuse me, but... Are you Ms. Crane?"

As the figure walked away, it shed its heavy robe to the same coat-rack as the wig, revealing the clothed back of a completely looking human woman with long blond hair, wearing what I can only guess was the tour t-shirt of some band I'd never heard of and, jeans.

I grabbed Judy's arm, and walked in; she follow me with a little reluctance.

The interior of the home was mostly made of the same white stone as the exterior, ceilings high enough that I wasn't quite able to reach them without leaping. Warm electric lights and lamps lit the entire way, illuminating the various rooms that we passed. Soft carpets sat in each we passed, showing a complete disregard to unity as each possessed its own unique coating of, nylon, polyester, and even long stained shag carpets. Each of these strange coverings was so out of place with each other it felt like they were flying their respective colours in a war with each other's fashion sense. It was obvious that whoever won, there would be no victors.

---

---

We finally stopped after entering a nicely tiled kitchen. Dented, but newer metal taps and appliances lay strew about on countertops and tables. Dirty dishes sat in the sink, the figure known as Ms Crane stood still, facing a cabinet facing away from us.

"It's too early for this shit" she muttered, turning her head to the side, revealing light skin, unmarked by the age spots held by her previous countenance. "Take a seat. You kids want something to drink?"

Judy was still a little shell shocked, but I could see something of a storm brewing behind her eyes. I suspect Ms Crane had just shown her childhood the real Santa, only then immediately launch him out a trebuchet. She took a seat on a nearby chair, the soft thrumming of her cat-shawl still resounding. "No... No, no drinks. You haven't answered my questions yet though. Are. You. Crane?” Yep... Definitely a storm brewing.

Ms. Crane stood still for a few moments, holding completely still, before opening the cabinet, pulling some unknown object and slamming it shut. She finally turned. She looked maybe ten years older than my Mom, definitely youth there, but crow feet were starting to make their paths to the sides of her face. She had soft kind features, and bright blue eyes that seemed older than the rest of her. For some reason, one eyebrow was seared, and the other was completely gone, a slight redness there. A long silver chain hung around her neck, leading down to a small brilliant blue elliptical stone.

None of this made up for her current expression though, hard and hostile, staring directly at Judy.

Her face was a mask of hardness and hostility. Ms Crane took several steps towards us before slamming something metal down on the table. She sat down roughly across from Judy, eyes never leaving her challenger, nor blinking. The metal object appeared to be cylindrical, but its exterior was mostly covered by her hand.

I patted Judy's shoulder, "She's not trying to scare you."

Ms Crane's hand shifted slightly, revealing the can to be an extra-large high-energy drink you might see being advertised as being both 'extreme' and 'not to be taken while operating heavy machinery'. Her hands blurred, the crack of the can being opened, before the can lifted to head, turning completely up-side down over an open maw.

The nigh toxic green substance poured out in a steady cadence, the 'glug glug' of the can rebalancing air pressure seemed timed with the lurching of my stomach. This continued for nearly half a minute. Ms Crane's eyes never left Judy's now shocked and disgusted face.

The ... green toxin finally began to abate, the smell of syrup and other odors that were likely of being 'extreme' faded. The can now empty, the hand guilty of such a disgusting act lowered to the side of Ms Crane's still uninterrupted gaze. With a slight flick of the wrist, it shifted its grip to the bottom of the can, turning the entire thing sideways. With a wince-inducing 'CRUNCH' the can smashed against Ms. Crane's forehead, compacting to a crinkling metal disk. Ms Crane didn't blink.

I turned to Judy, an embarrassed grin on my face. "Ok, I think she's trying to scare you."

Judy just sat there, unable to look away, her lips thin. Seconds passed noisily as the nearby cuckoo clock ticked away each passing second with the solemnity of a death march. Maybe another minute passed, Judy's internal struggle a small unknowable maelstrom of so many emotions I couldn't really read them. It looked like amusement had made a temporary alliance with disbelief and pushed back the forces of anger and frustration, a slim grin appearing on her face. Absurdity joined the fray as she began to snort silently, trying to keep a straight face.

Ms. Crane's hardened face froze for a moment, before relaxing into a near child-like grin, also beginning to lightly snort, her nose releasing a soft delicate 'snk' sound.

That was about all Judy could take, as she began laughing, first a slight expression, turning into a deep belly laugh of pure delight. This only set of Ms Crane, as she also started laughing, covering her mouth with the inside of her arm to stop the light chiming titters. It seemed the cat-shawl was getting quite fearful of these sudden and strange new sounds, and bolted off its throne, leaving Judy laughing all the harder as the panicked feline ran like a tiny black thunderbolt around the room and down the hallway to the front door.

Judy was now face-down on the table, trying to control herself, face turning red as the laughter couldn't abate. Ms. Crane, slightly more in control of her faculties turned her head to me, lingering giggles still occasionally leaking out. "Heh, you were right kid, I do like her. You should have brought her around earlier."

I could only stand smirking, keeping my own laugher in check. I think Judy may have needed that release, as she her bellows finally slowed to a slightly more sedate series of chuckle-snort. She looked at Ms. Crane with a bright grin. "You know, the way Shane kept going on about you, or rather how he didn't, I was really expecting some kind of Gandalf or Yoda figure." She shook her head slightly, still grinning. "I guess you kind of saw that coming, huh?”

Ms Crane shrugged, now only a slight smile on her face. "What can I say kid? I didn't have the beard for one or the ears for the other". She gave a bemused smirk, leaning on the table, hand propping up her chin. "Which reminds me, I'm going to have to think of something to call you. ’Kid' and its hierarchy is already taken by the kid over there", she said, thumbing to me.

Judy just stuck out her hand, "Hi! My name's Judy Michaels".

Ms. Crane grabbed her hand, and shook vigorously, "You may call me Ms. Crane, Crane, Birdy, and several other dozen titles I have. For now though Judy Michaels, be welcomed in my home as a Guest". You could actually 'hear' the capital G. "Let no harm befall you save what you bring upon yourself.” Ms. Crane paused for a moment, looking over to me, eyes searching. "I assume something finally got you to twist the kids arm into coming along. To be honest, I'd expected you along quite a bit earlier. I was beginning to worry that all his inane chatter about you was just empty hype." She eyed Judy, an eyebrow raised and a slightly more serious express on her face. "So what is it?"

Judy paused, now a slightly worried look on her face. I suppose it was easier to be angry at a faceless name than someone you'd laughed alongside. "Well, I wanted to make sure he wasn't being taken advantage of..."

"I am." Ms. Crane said simply. "The kid has a tendency to blow things out of proportion, always going on about how he's 'not doing enough'" her voice took on a mocking tone as she rolled her eyes at me. "But as to the thrust of your question, I am providing him with some education, some training, and a ..." She paused, "Well, as safe a work environment as I can manage, given what we do here."

I felt myself light up, a bubble in my chest inflating and filling me with light. She's said 'we'. She really considered me part of the effort, not just a hanger on or flunky. I was so caught up in the moment that I almost missed the next bubble-bursting question.

"Then why is he getting hurt doing things for you?" Judy asked plainly, a look of doubt crossing her face, expression hardening again. "It's happened a few times now, and I can guarantee that I'm not the only one that noticed". Ms. Crane's head turned with the slow lethality of a cannon pivoting to its next victim. "You say you're making it as safe as possible but what does that even mean? If you're someone he looks up to, shouldn't you be taking care of him?"

"Judy, maybe we shou-" I was cut off immediately.

"Where is it". Ms Crane hissed, glaring at me like the reaper itself, flames of anger in her bright blue eyes.

I sighed. I'd hoped to get Devi to take a look before this came up. Removing my hoodie, I exposed my gauzed arm to Ms. Crane. She lightly stepped over to me, stooping to get a better look the gauze, fingers fluttering birdlike around the area. Finally, with a flash of violence, she gripped the topmost corner of the gauze and RIPPED it off of my arm."

I guess I must have misjudged how I'd taped it earlier, the wound re-opened slightly with this action, blood slightly oozing down the arm, rough scabs sitting there, a sign of my guilt.

Ms. Crane watched the blood for a few moments, seemingly entranced. Then she looked up to me, anger evident on her face. I could practically HEAR her teeth grinding from here. "Kid....” There was a pause before she finally let loose.

"I ORDERED you not to get hurt, I TOLD you not to do anything STUPID. What was my word not enough? Do you not trust when I tell you not to do things? WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME? I can't BELIEVE you would DO this to me AGAIN. Don't you give a damn!?" she railed, finger pointing accusingly inches from my eyes. Despite being shorter than me by a good few inches, she had the ferocity of a wildfire, dying down for moments only to burst into new outrage. "I GAVE YOU A MILK RUN FOR A REASON. You were SUPPOSED to go out there, use the gatherer and get out. What happened? If you just tripped I'll call you STUPID and be done with it, but if that were the case, you wouldn't have tried to HIDE IT!"

I shuffled slightly from foot to foot. Better to just tell her what she wants to know. Holding out would only make it worse...

"There was an unfinished core with enough quintessence to form a Soma..." I muttered slightly.

Crane paused for moment, still furious, turning her head mocking to the side. "Huh? I didn't quite hear that kid, what did you say? I had something DELIBERATELY DISOBEYING ME in my ears."

"The tools picked up a core. It was just off the gathering point and I thought I could catch or disburse it... But it had enough quintessence to form a Soma... And... It lashed out." I said, a slight air of resignation in my voice.

Ms. Crane glared at me, silent but for the implied rage her eyes were giving me. Judy simply sat to the side, probably wondering if I'd started speaking in tongues or something.

Ms. Crane finally let up, relaxing, a slight calculated grin crossing her face. That generally didn't bode well for me. "Oh? Is that so? And did you manage to catch it, or catch its dispersed quintessence? And you had to deal with a Soma too, without the proper equipment! How fascinating! And pray tell, what had it formed its Soma out of?” she asked, as if she didn't know.

I looked down at my feet; they seemed particularly worth keeping my eyes on right now, the slight pressure and tinge of tears starting to form around my eyes. "... It was earth... It made a Soma out of earth. There wasn't any water around, and it wasn’t windy".

Ms. Crane held one finger under my chin, and lifted my face back into looking at her, the tears were definitely almost there, I just had to hold on just a little longer. Ms. Crane may be fine with it, but I hated it when Judy saw me cry.

"Well Shane,” Not kid. Not good. “It seems you've not only disobeyed me, but you went out of your way to get hurt fighting something incredibly dangerous that you didn’t have the equipment to deal with. I guess given your history, getting hurt didn't seem like such a big deal". Oh... Please Ms Crane, don't go there, not with Judy. "As such, you will not be helping around the house today. Instead, you get to play with that thing in the sub-basement you seem so fond of. "

Wait... Spend some time with Aeslin? But I wanted to do that anyway, even with the admittedly minor risks. My hands were still in my hoody pockets, one rapidly rubbing over the box for some form of comfort (Lines, Bumps, Sigils and Shapes), and the other lightly palming the iron key. There had to be a catch...

"Additionally, since you seem so intent on getting hurt, we will grant your wishes the proper way. Your primary hand seems hurt, so we'll be doing our lessons with your off-hand." she continued, evil grin getting larger. Oof, that won't be fun, but not too bad.

"And finally!" she appended, the moment my guard was down. "You are being demoted from 'Kid' to 'Idiot' until such time as I see fit. AND I get to speak with Judy here before you leave, talking all manners of gossip or stories. During that time you will be out of earshot, and unable to hear exactly what we say", she looked over at Judy, who still seemed a little cowed by the earlier fit of yelling, but now had an impish grin on her face. "And I'm certain that she won't tell you what was said. At least not until she feels like it, hmmm?”

This was just cruel, and far worse than whatever the training would bring. Not only could I not be useful by helping out, but Ms. Crane was going to gently beat the crap out of me, then leave a gossip filled ticking time-bomb with Judy to follow me home. This was not a very good day so far...

Ms. Crane finally looked down at my arm with distaste, seeing that small droplets of blood had slowly begun dripping down to the tile. "First though, as you are injured, why don't we get that looked at? I'm certain Devi is around here somewhere." She glanced around, looking in odd small corners and behind doorframes.

I turned to look at Judy, wondering what she might have thought about all of this. Normally I'd be expecting a grin, a look of worry, even commiserated anger, but instead, she had turned pale, looking just above my right shoulder. She spoke with a quick controlled quiet measure. "Shane... There's a glowing fucking snake over you right now, and it might be about to bite you."

I froze, suddenly panicked. A glowing snake? There weren't any glowing snakes around, the only thing vaguely snake-like was...

I looked up, to see jaws snapping just in front of my eye! Out of gut reaction I left back in fear, landing back in the hallway stiffly on my back, looking up. There was a snake hanging from the light fixture above where I'd been previously standing. Blues, greens, purples, and silver coated its scales as it slowly lowered itself halfway to the ground before dropping to the floor. Definitely a snake, or snake like. Not glowing though. Of course today would be the day that Devi was having a chuckle at my expense... Does she even chuckle?

Judy let out a screech and jumped up onto her chair, looking for something she could use to fight a snake off with. Ms. Crane just looked on, a slight grin on her face. "I see you decided to show up now that your 'favorite' is here".

As the snake slowly slithered towards me, it passed my blood spots on the ground. As it did, the blood slowly seemed to move of its own accord, rolling into the snake's body and vanishing without a trace. The snake grew closer to my head, slithering up the right side, hissing menacingly as it passed my arm.

Only this close could one see that it didn't really have scales, or flesh at all. Rather, it was an animate cluster of thin streams of thick paper like parchment, or papyrus. Folded in the cleverest ways, with even the eyes possessing their own distinct colours from the rest of its body. There almost seemed too many 'ends' of the strands than should seem possible, hinting at either many multiple strands of each colour being used, or something much more strange and wonderful.

Unfolding like some mad origami, it lost its snake-like shape, as it slowly enveloping its way from my shoulder down to the tips of my fingers engulfing my arm as it went. Completed, my arm was almost completely wrapped in a thick gauze-like fabric that was smooth on the inside, and exerted a slight pressure all over the whole of the limb. Rubbing my left hand up and down the wrappings, I felt the hardened substance, the lack of 'give' more reminiscent of an actual snake's scales or composite materials, but still unmistakeably paper-like texture. On the outside, the wrappings almost gave a reptilian colourful appearance, lighter silvers and blues on the inside of the arm, with darker blues and purples cleverly weaving around the outside. I guess she was feeling festive today, it was distinctly more 'snake'y than the typical patterns and lines it would typically follow.

I continued stroking it, letting myself feel as much affection and gratitude as possible as tears finally began leaked down my face past a genuine smile. "I missed you too Devi... I'm sorry I got hurt again." My smile only grew as I felt a pressure around a loop covering my upper arm. Like a small creature giving me a hug.

---

---

Surprisingly, Judy was containing herself quite a bit more than I would have expected. She'd managed to hold off saying anything, or having a freak-out session until Ms. Crane had led us all into a small comfortable living room. Warm carpets on the floor, and several comfortable 'lived in' couches and chairs hugged each wall. Ms. Crane herself sat down in a particularly worn down brown leather chair, a small knitted quilt hanging lazily over its high back.

"So..." She began, looking eagerly at Judy. "I suppose you have some questions."

Judy only glared at her with a hint of annoyance, silently urging her to go on.

"Well," Ms. Crane continued, slowly, carefully, "I suppose I should let you ask those questions at some point hmm?”

I could see Judy practically vibrating, the thousand million questions and expletives slowly building to critical mass.

Ms. Crane smacked her lips a few times, and stretched idly, drawing out the moment as long as possible. "So, how about we structure things a little bit? Just to give it a head start".

Judy was now very obviously forcing her mouth to stay closed, quivering slightly. Her eyes alight in blazing curiosity.

"How about I ask you a question, and then you --" Ms. Crane began.

"What the FUCK was that snake? And WHY is it on his ARM" Judy blurted out, interrupting Ms Crane mid-sentence.

Ms. Crane closed her eyes, pausing for a short count breathing deeply. Before opening them again. "Ok, I guess you'll go first then ". She paused, "Kids these days just don't respect the classics anymore..."

"We're the only kids you've talked to recently though", I interjected smiling a little. Judy shot me a glare at the interruption.

Ms. Crane continued as though I hadn't spoken. "What you saw, was an associate --" She paused, looking briefly at my arm. Judy also snapped her to me, wide-eyed.

"Ah, of course, a 'friend' of mine then." She continued, nodding slightly with a touch of an eye-roll. "Her name is Devi, and she is an elemental bound to this plane of existence. The material you see is an artificial form of Soma, a term referring to an elemental spirits formed or crafted body." She smiled slightly, "Her Soma is one of my proudest works, I assure you". She shook her head, gesturing to the wrappings, "As to the snake form, in her previous habitat, she had been worshipped as a serpent goddess. She seems to favor the theme, as you can see."

I turned to look at Judy, who was still staring wide-eyed at my arm, only cocking her head slightly, as though listening to something faint. I could feel the wrappings quiver rhythmically, as though laughing.

I guess she could laugh? Huh, nice to get some confirmation. Was it the same as chuckling though?

Judy turned back to Ms. Crane, "That still doesn't answer what it's doing on his arm."

She then turned to me, upset expression on her face, pointing menacingly, and continued. "ALSO, this is NOT fair! You're supposed to ease me into this crap! This isn't the goddamn Hobbit. I thought we were just going to meet some crazy lady you did chores for, not travel through Smaugs lair to find the MILF beneath the mountain!” She froze, suddenly turning beet-red, a faint strangling sound coming from her throat.

Ms. Crane smiled slightly, "In his defense, I doubt the Idiot promised to do such a thing. Though I must admit, Devi showing up this early in the visit didn't exactly give you a good baseline to build on." She paused, a serene look on her face giving Judy a few moments to compose herself somewhat. "As to what Devi is doing, that is also tied into her nature. She once lived as a large lake deep in South America. There, she functioned as something of a moderating influence, fostering life in the areas surrounding her." She gestured to Devi again, "She was quite old, and quite strong. And while not quite the force she was back then, she still retains those qualities. She is currently cleaning the Idiots wounds and accelerating his healing. In return, the Idiots quintessence is helping subsidize her physical form... And unfortunately, she likes him for some reason, so she's likely to be satisfied and smug about it for the next few weeks". She snorted, glancing at me. "She might as well go home with you for a while Idiot. That wound will take at least until the evening to heal, and lord knows I don't want to have to put up with her here.

I smiled, hand brushing over the wrappings again, the loops giving me another little hug. Devi had been looking out for me since I'd first arrived here. I still remember that one of the only reasons I was ever allowed back was because she'd snuck into my bag and followed me home. After that, Ms. Crane had given me an ear-full, before telling me that if I was going to 'Be such a bad influence, you might as well make yourself useful'. I'd been coming back here for nearly five years after that, never a moment I would consider wasted.

"Then what about--" Judy paused, seeing Ms. Crane holding up a hand.

"It's my turn to ask a question miss Judy", Ms. Crane said a small grin on her face.

"I didn't agree to your little game" Judy scoffed.

"That just means I win by default," Ms. Crane said wryly. "Now, you saw Devi glowing, and by your expression you also heard her aggravating sibilant mutterings as well?"

Judy nodded, "Yeah, it was glowing with a bunch of lines around it, and that was it talking? I could hear it but not make it out".

Ms. Crane examined Judy again, as though re-evaluating her. "Well that is interesting... The reason you could see and hear that was because you are spiritually resonant with the arcane". She leaned to her side, supporting her head with the arm on the side of the chair. "Tell me, do you happen to see lights in the sky when nobody else seems to see anything?”

Although I had only really put it down to nerves, Judy's hands suddenly went tense at this last question, white-knuckle gripping the chairs arms. She had paused, almost completely bereft of movement. "How do you know that..." She stared at Ms Crane for a few straining moments, eyes searching. "I thought I was crazy..." She whispered. "I thought I was crazy, or that people were messing with me. I had to pretend that nothing was there".

Ms. Crane nodded slowly, a sad smile on her face. "And when you tried to convince them, they just started acting like there was something wrong with you, something so deep that you yourself didn't know it". She tilted her head a little, eyes still on the frozen Judy. "You aren't alone child. Many people are attuned like this, and they bury it deep inside. I wouldn't doubt that some of the people you had to deal with saw these same things too... But you had it especially bad, didn't you... No ignoring things for you...” A sad smile crept across her lips, pity evident in her eyes. "You need to stop hiding", she continued, her voice lowering softly, "and embrace who you are, and who you can be. The echos, the nightmares, and the fools unknowing or uncaring will always be there... But child, I know what you've gone through, and you aren't alone. I'll be here to help you. The Idiot will be here to help you. If you want our help, you need only ask. Nobody person should have to shoulder this alone”. She closed her eyes, her face frozen in an peaceful expression of sympathy and pity.

Judy's hands rose, covering her face, soft choking sounds came muffled as tears began to fall down her face. I could only sit there in shock. Judy was SOLID. She almost never cried, and she wasn't a sad person. She didn't go through this sort of thing, why didn't she ever tell me? I would have believed her! I gritted my teeth slightly in frustration, impotent to help one of the people I'd jump in front of a train for. Ms Crane opened one eye, looking directly at me before nodding her chin towards Judy. Taking the hint, I moved to sit beside her, wrapping my arm over her shoulders looking away... I know I wouldn't have wanted Judy to see me cry either...

Ms. Crane sat quietly, the sobs passing over her closed eyes. "You've had it bad...", she said softly, the voice carrying through the pained sounds like a light breeze. "You hid behind your wall, and when you couldn't, you hid behind laughter and anger". Ms. Crane opened her eyes, turning to me and whispering sadly, "Little Idiot... Why didn't you tell me your friend needed my help as much as you did?"

The same bitter question had come to my mind, a distasteful answer following... How could I have known? I hadn't been there for her... I hadn't been good enough...'

---

---

It took nearly half an hour for Judy to calm down. At some point Devi had offer what support she could several strands coming loose and extending to slowly stroke Judy's hair. This only lasted for a moment though, as she gave Devi a confused but harsh tear-filled glance before the strands retreated. Devi was at least trying, I suppose.

Eventually, Judy stopped hiding herself. She wiped away her tears, the entire time keeping her face turned away from me. I kept my arm over her, giving her a lasting hug while looking away. I wouldn't want her to see me crying... But she had to know I'd be there for her.

From personal experience, I know that putting up a front of normality was numbing, having it torn down was painful, but the scariest thing was always the fear that the people you lived with or valued would treat you differently. It was harder to pretend to be normal, both inside and out when everyone treats you like broken glass.

Ms. Crane nodded, asking gently "Are you ready to continue Judy? There's more to see, and I find that getting involved is a lot easier to handle than just being a spectator."

Judy nodded, finally turning her face back to me, a sad grin still on her face as she returned my hug. "Well, you were right Idiot. We just got to Hogwarts and met Dumbledore I guess...” Ms Crane raised an eyebrow at that, and began walking to the hallway. I could only sigh. At least it was better than Freakshow.

"Idiot," Ms. Crane called back, "I'm rescinding what I said earlier. Take Judy and go to just the easier chores, let her help if she wants, I need to go get a few things. We'll meet down in my underwear closet". The sounds of footsteps climbing stairs could be heard shortly thereafter.

God…Damnit...Crane...

Judy looked at me with a confused and somewhat giddy expression. "We'll meet her 'where' Shane?”

I sighed, "She means the vault in the sub-basement. She got it into her head that in the off chance I ever brought Colin here, that it would be funny if she named certain rooms in an embarrassing way..."

Judy had a somewhat disturbed look, bordering on impish, "And... Do you go into her underwear closet often?"

My mouth clenched slightly, as I grabbed her hand, walking down the hallway towards some stairs leading down. "Yes. A friend... I guess... of mine lives down there, I try to visit her when Ms. Crane is busy, or I have some time to kill."

Judy's smile was now impish, bordering on 'devilish', "And I suppose saying that you played with your friend a lot in her underwear closet would be technically correct then?"

Yeah, I'm going to put a moratorium on this. "Who's closet? Was it the MILF beneath the mountain you mentioned earlier?"

Judy's face once again turned beet red, her hand gripping my arm harshly, hissing "Don't ever say that again. I was overwhelmed is all! It's your fault for throwing all this shit at me at once."

As we descended the stairs, I turned back with a small triumphant smirk, though it quickly dropped. I suppose I should be careful about this. If her freak-outs were partially triggered by a history of seeing magical things happening when nobody else could, I probably shouldn't exacerbate it. Looking back down where I was going, I started making my way towards a locked iron door, symbols inscribed around the edges of the frame.

"You may think it's something bad, or to be ashamed of..." I said, slowly measuring my words. "But what you have is very special. And it'll open you to", I raised my voice into off-key singing, dramatically opening the door and gesturing inside. "A whooole newww wooooorld".

Judy's eyes narrowed at me "Don't make show Crane the pictures of when I made you to dress up as Abu for Halloween".

Oof, ok, yeah, I should probably just let her win all the rounds while she was here. 'That' at least would feel normal to her.

We walked through the door, a truly gigantic room before us, to walk from one edge to the other; it would have taken ten minutes. We were currently standing on a stone catwalk, stairs down to the bottom of the room off to the right. From this vista however, we were able to see the whole of the brightly lit room.

The entire thing was in a rough circle, small iron doors both at the back and sides on the ground floor relative to where we were standing. We were standing nearly three stories high relative to the ground level. The room with built almost like some kind of colour-wheel, only instead of hues, there was natural scenery.

Small waterfalls tumbled down into miniature lakes. Bleeding from that water, muddy quagmires formed, only to slowly desiccated and dry out, leading to arid salt-flats and stone overhangs. A wind-torn menhir loomed in the desolation, casting its shadow on a distant tree-line, behind which a small peaceful grove of trees, saplings, and other plants blossomed. . Beyond the grove a path of charred vegetation led to harsh flat landscape decorated with more dark iron-works similar to the ones we’d seen outside. Around them the ground was dotted with what looked like small furnaces. Various spouts attached to each, erupted in small puffs of flames with an unsteady staccato.

Networked around the room was a series of iron catwalks, following around the circumference of the circle, and heading towards the center, splitting the room into four rough quadrants. The catwalks didn’t intersect at the center however, instead form another ring around a decently sized area denoting a fifth quadrant in the middle. In it, an uneven and looming mountain was formed in miniature, small holes, crevasses, and fissures decorating it's surface.

"Judy? Welcome back to Elementary school." I said; a wry grin on my face.

---

---

As we descended the stairs, I began explaining the basics. I wasn't going to wait for Judy to get anxious and start asking questions. She'd had enough of that for now.

"The thing is..," I began, "Elementals have basically always been around. They generally correspond to a place, or an event, but not always.” I nodded to her confidently. "That's the real trick. There is rarely a solid answer when it comes to these things. If you tried to group elementals into a species, you'd say they were a species of causality or circumstances rather than through genetics."

Checking back, she seemed to be following what I was saying, though still wide-eyed at the terrain, taking interest in almost everything around her. This was the Judy that I remembered the most. Maybe she was getting her feet beneath her again.

"Most of the time," I continued, "Elementals are completely unthinking, they just kind of ‘are’. Not really showing any kind of influence on the area around them. The only way you'd know they were there, is if you were attuned, like yourself, or if you make them react to some external stimuli".

I plucked a small pebble from the ground, and tossed it lightly into a pond in the distance, causing a small splash. A moment later, there was a second, larger splash, and the rock came hurtling back in our general direction. The rock soundly missed, and landed in the desolate section of the room, before a sudden gust of wind sent it hurtling towards the small rocky hill in the distance. Judy watched all of this entranced.

I paused to let what had happened sink in, and rubbed my left hand down Devi's wrappings, making sure that Judy saw. "However, due to circumstances, most typically related to age or power, an elemental can actually achieve simple thought processes. Like an infant or small child". Devi's wrappings tightened suddenly, giving me a pinch. "And!" I squawked a little, wincing, "Of course, they can grow, or assume intelligence levels at, or greater to our own.”

I looked wryly down at the wrappings; they were quivering again like earlier... Yup, she can chuckle.

I turned back to Judy. "The important thing to know is that on average, they do NOT think like us". I put a little vehemence in my voice, tapping the side of my head. "Not unless through quirk of fate, or prolonged exposure to humans. Living and dying isn't really a 'thing' to them. They exist, therefore they are". I gave Judy a serious look, my voice tight, ensuring she understood its importance. "Until you're used to working with them, they can always be dangerous, because if they kill you, it won't be personal. Most of the time, they don't even consider us in their actions, let alone quite understand the difference between alive and dead."

Judy gave me a cautious look, suddenly a bit more anxious about our surroundings, though she was also looking up to the sky in various places for some reason. "But you treat Devi like she's a person?” She asked curiously. "Is it only the smarter elementals you should treat that way?"

I chuckled a little, "Devi is one of the best ones around here. I'm pretty sure she doesn't think like us, but she's been around people enough to understand, emulate, or act on our same level". I felt another little hug. "She has also shown comparable human emotions, and even a sense of humor. That definitely helps us out understanding what she's thinking or feeling."

She gave Devi a quizzical look, "And you do this all the time? Act like they're people unless they're not?”

I smiled, shaking my head. "Oh, no, that's just the Crane doctrine. I try to treat them as people as much as possible".

She gave me an exacerbated look, "And why would you do that, if Crane thinks the other way?"

“Because”, I said, as we approached a metal locker bolted to the catwalk, a grin on my face. "This is first and foremost a school." I gestured grandly around the room, "And all of this is the classroom."

She smirked a little, "And what exactly, oh teacher, are we trying to teach a gust of wind?"

I returned her smirk, opening the locker to reveal two suits covered in sigils, reinforced with metal, and possessing a small hump on the back containing a small air canister.

"Why, my dear newbie, we're trying to teach a child how to grow up."

I guessed that Judy was not a fan of the suits.

"I am not a fan of the suits." a dull voice echoed inside of my helmet. "At all."

Nope, not a fan of the suits.

Unfortunately, the 'easy tasks' Ms. Crane had mentioned had a tendency to change from day to day depending on what quadrant needed the most attention. While it likely would have been a much friendlier experience to go to the groves in the west; the arid fields to the north and the charred fields to the south had needed the most attention today.

Putting on my suit had only taken a minute or two, though I had to coach Judy into closing the final seals. I could do it alone, but it took a lot less time (and muscle-strain) to get someone else to finish the job. Judy was roughly the same size as Ms Crane, only a few inches shorter. The suite would suffice, though with the extra room, she almost looked a little folded over, like the marshmallow in a smore trying to escape out the sides.

She'd taken suiting up seriously though, holding off on any questions until we'd finished preparing. I checked over her suit. The rune-couplets seemed to be secure, and were glimmering faintly. The reliquary was (from what I could tell?) charged, and all the pressure seals appeared to have closed properly. The air tank was a little low, but we only barely needed it for either of our two destinations. I'd have to take hers to the compressor on the way out.

Finally prepared, we walked around the inner circle, heading towards the northern quadrant. We'd ALMOST made it before the questions started.

"So what exactly did you mean by ‘Teaching a kid to grow up?’", Judy asked, her voice taking on a slight static-y echo. "And are these things safe? Like, we're just doing the easy stuff right?"

I turned the bulky suite to face her, before making an exaggerated nod. Subtle gestures and body language could be lost in these things. "Well, your second question first. Yeah, we're safe. These suits can handle almost anything the Students can throw at us for the most part. There are a few slightly more risky tasks if you rush things, but we're not hitting any of those today." I turned back, continuing towards the north fields, stepping lightly over the small metal plate that separated the small stairway of the catwalk from the field proper.

"The biggest advantage that we have are these", I gestured to the silver-lines running down the sides of the suit. "All of these lines form rune couplings. Together, they effectively tell the Students that we're either not here, or failing that, acts as a minor deterrent. You remember what I said about most elementals?”

She simply walked beside me looking in my direction, the mirrored visor not giving any hints.

"Judy, you need to say something, or nod your whole upper body, I can't see you nodding from in here" I said, dryly.

"Oh! Right! Yeah, you said that Devi was awesome, and a lot of elementals are idiots." She returned bluntly, still turning about as though to look at as much as she physically could.

I felt a slight squeeze, and shuffling coming from my arm. "Devi appreciates it, and agrees. However, the operative word I used is 'unthinking'. They're creatures that are based on reaction; if they even notice us at all. The rune couplets basically suppress those reactions in a localized field."

"Does it hurt them?” Judy's voice sounded a bit worried.

"No. At least, in theory it doesn't. Technically speaking, pain just isn't a 'thing' to them. Not until they start thinking in slightly more complex terms". I came to a stop in front of a small basalt pillar, just a short distance from the wind-torn menhir. Reaching into my pouch, I pulled out one of the two boxes I'd been keeping in my hoodie pockets earlier.

"This," I said, "Is a collector. We use them to collect quintessence, or essence if you prefer. It can only safely be done in certain places, and in general is a bad idea to attempt to use if you're nearby something that lives off of essence." I pulled the box up, and twisted the top half of it slightly. A portion of the wood in the center opened like an iris, slats withdrawing to the sides of the box. I held it out to Judy. "What do you see in there?"

Judy took a few moments to look, then another few... and another...

"Judy? You there? Are you nodding again?" I asked, a little concerned.

"What? Oh, sorry Shane", she responded; head still facing the box. "It's... There are six or seven little round things in there, like pearls. Each of them are glowing slightly, and there’s a bunch of carvings around them too. But the colour..." She paused again, staring, "Every time I try to figure out what colour it is, the name slips away from me... I don't think I've ever seen it before..." she said, awkward confusion evident in her voice.

I body-nodded, a grin on my face, and... admittedly... a bit of an envious pressure in my chest, like I'd swallowed soap. "That's right. The colour you're seeing is effectively distilled magic. Or, at least, magical fuel." I pulled the box away from Judy's, seeming to snap her out of her little trance with a discontented sound. "The boxes are opened and closed by people who know how to open and close it." I twisted the lid again, sealing the iris and handing the box to Judy.

Judy hesitantly took the box from my hand, and tried to twist it the way that I'd done earlier with no result. She tried again, a little harder, perhaps suspecting that the suit was interfering with her grip. On her third attempt, I shot out my hands imploringly. "Whoa whoa!" I cried. "It may be a reliquary, but it's still made of wood!"

She gave it one more twist, before handing it back to me, frustration evident in her body language even through the suit. "So why the hell couldn't I open it? I saw how you did it!" She crossed her arms, or tried to do the closest approximation. The hard-points on the suit could sometimes limit limb movement.

I put my fists on my hips and puffed out my chest a little. "Magic!" I stated, as vaingloriously as possible.

"Smart-ass" I could hear her mutter under her breath.

"I heard that." I said tapping the side of my helmet.

"Yeah, you were supposed to," she replied, a little irritation in her voice. "You'd better pray that isn't your answer for everything; you've been doing a decent enough job so far without falling back on that cop-out."

I laughed a little, "Ok ok, that's fair. Think of this," I said, holding the box up into view, “as a database. It has several encryption keys which allow access. I hold my own key, which matches one of the keys it has. Because of this, I'm able to physically open it." I said, twisting the lid again. "You don't even need to be magically attuned for that. I just had to listen to Ms Crane explain how it worked, and then repeat it back to her. The keys are memetic, meaning that once you complete the transition of an 'idea' of how to open it to someone; they have a copy of that key too." I lifted the box up to the pillar, pressing the now opened iris against a small indentation.

I continued, working as I spoke, twisting the bottom portion of the box. "Collectors are a sub-class of something called a reliquary. Basically it's a magic battery or faraday cage. It holds in quintessence so it doesn't just disperse into thin-air. As I twisted the box, a wind began to build, pressing me against the pillars smooth surface.

Judy had been watching my hands intently, but let off a soft gasp as she looked to the sky. "Shane, whatever you're doing, it's pissing them off!”

I turned my head back to her, making a placating gesture with my free hand. "That's right; you can probably see their cores, can't you? Don't worry; they're not interested in us. This," I pointed at the box, "Is distilled elemental chow. And that," I pointed towards the pillar, "Is their food bowl".

Giving it a moment, I closed the inner-chamber of the collector, cutting off the flow. The wind had continued to grow, but with the weight of the suits, we only felt pushed slightly from one side to the other as I gestured for her to follow continuing to speak. Had we not had the helmet radios, we wouldn't have been able to hear ourselves talk over the howling wind; let alone each other.

"So I'm guessing you can figure which elemental quadrant we're in?" I asked with a little snark in my voice as I turned my head back to her. We'd begun walking towards the next pillar.

"I already called you smart-ass once; don't make it a second time..." She replied, a little annoyed.

"Didn't you do it again just now?" I asked with a wry tone in my voice.

"No. Now keep talking before I ask Devi to squeeze your arm." she responded, still a little irritated.

I felt a pinching on my arm, making me give off a slight gasp. It must have been loud enough for the receiver to pick up, because I started hearing Judi's laughter.

"Ha! I knew it! I knew if Devi was a girl and liked you so much, it was because of the teasing.” I could practically HEAR the grin on her face. "Devi, you and me can meet up, eat ice-cream, talk about that cute water-fountain in the mall and make fun of Shane, It'll be perfect!"

I felt SEVERAL more pinches along my arm, almost the entire length of Devi quivering in what I had to assume to be laughter. Unfortunately, I'd let out a few more short gasps during this time, which only doubled Judy's glee. It was good hearing her laugh… even like this.

"I mean," I started, "Technically speaking, Devi isn't a girl, she just took that aspect from her int-" I cut off with a hiss as the wrappings tightened painfully for a moment. "I DID said technic-" Another wrap-induced hiss. I sighed, admitting defeat. "Devi, you are the prettiest snake girl ever, a good friend, and I don't deserve you..." I responded dully. For the next three for four minutes, all I could hear was laugher, and feel a dull quivering on my arm.

---

---

Shortly after that shocking betrayal, a comfortable silence filled the radio. Devi's wraps stroked my arm and neck softly, as though apologizing. I'm not really sure why Devi liked me, but it was nice to know that she was always open. She didn't make demands, and although she couldn't speak, was always honest. At least some of my earlier statements may have been a bit closer to the truth than I'd realized...

We'd already passed and empowered four more pillars, empowering each as we went. We were now approaching the sixth, the seventh being close to the catwalk bordering the eastern fields, the opposite side of the quadrant that we'd started on.

Judy, finally bored of both laughing at my misery and looking at the invisible cores floating through the air finally spoke up.

"So you were saying something about reliquaries?" she asked, an upbeat tone to her voice. Obviously she was enjoying herself. Still, at least she was paying attention.

"Yeah, collectors are effectively batteries", I nodded at the box in my hand, prepared to use on the tower. They can exist in four states. Closed", I showed her the box, looking like it had when I'd first received it, "This means that it's basically a magic faraday cage, nothing in, nothing out". I gave the top of the box a twist, the iris opening as per before, "Primed. This means that it's ready to feed another reliquary or device". I held the collector up to the indentation, giving the bottom another twist, "Controlled disbursal, the internal secondary iris opens, which allows the stored quintessence to flow outwards in a controlled manner."

I gave the bottom of the box a twist back, lowering it box to show Judy it's 'Primed' state again. As she looked in, she was silent for a moment before responding. "Those little pearl things, a bunch of them went dark. I assume those are the cells used to hold the quintessence?" She almost sounded disappointed; I suppose the colour had dimmed as well.

"Yeah, each of these towers is basically eating the essence from one of those spheres. Then they slowly emit it over the course of a week or so. Other elements take more or less, depending on how easy it is to build a Soma." I returned the box to my pouch.

She made an emphatic body-nod. "Ok, so basically we're filling the food bowls for each of these towers, but isn't Ms. Crane a witch? Shouldn't she be able to do it? I've seen the news, and some wizards out there do incredible things."

I waved my hand warningly, "First off, do NOT call Ms. Crane a witch. It only leads to you having a bad time. She prefers Sorcerer or Thaumaturgist". I pointed to the final tower, beginning to walk again. "And no, you shouldn't ask. I asked her why she liked those two names, and she said she just liked the sound of the first, and the second basically meant a caster of wide variety of disciplines. She then said labeling things is stupid". I paused, "And don't call her a witch. She never said it out loud, but I get the feeling that she had friends who were killed because of that title...”

Shit. Well... I suspect that might have spoiled the mood...

We were silent as we walked to the final pillar. I performed my duties, and pulled a tool out of the pouch on my other side. Bringing it up to my face, I took a few quick readings. Hoping to break the silence, I said aloud "Air quality looks good, and we're getting good ventilation, and based on the menhir, very low erosion. So we won't have to clean any ducts or check for holes in the wards." I looked up to Judy, trying to force a grin into my voice. "Looks good! Let's head to the second quadrant."

"How old is she...” even over the radio, it sounded like a question she didn’t want answered.

"In her own words: 'too old' 'old enough to know better' 'only as old as I feel' and 'Goddamnit kid, you suck at civilized fucking conversation'", I said, an honest grin now on my face. "She's pretty old Judy, not crazy pyramids old or anything, but definitely older than she looks. And she knows it. I think she tries to go out of her way to connect with people though. Despite how strange it might seem, even when she does things that might be questionable, it's always for a good reason."

"Shane,” she said haltingly, “I want you to understand that I'm saying this in the kindest possible. But that sounds like Stockholm syndrome talking... And you have to admit to yourself that you have a habit of trying to get approval from people". She was silent for a moment, "But I think I kind of get it. After-", she swallowed, pausing, "After what she said upstairs, and the way she said it. I think I get it. I don't trust her yet, not by a long-shot, but that takes time.” She paused again, thinking, “Everyone kind of wants to be accepted for who they are, and if she's been around the block a few times, she might've gotten good at that, even if it might seem a bit shady".

To say the least, that was a little cruel. I really didn't want to think of it that way. I really REALLY didn't. It was a scary thought that you could just be some kind of sheep moving through life just looking for your next 'fix'. That's how cults keep going I suppose...

...

Damn...

I just hope I'm right, and that Judy didn't have a better handle on things than I thought.

Devi squeezed my arm again, a strand separating and wrapping around my ribs into a more complete hug. I smiled. At least I could count on some things...

---

---

We didn't have any obelisks to move between in the charred fields on the south. Rather it was mostly rough terrain, slight hills, and walking a safe distance from each ironwork pole jutting from the ground. Judy seemed especially interested in the gouts of flame, jumping nearly every time one went off in close proximity. Directly ahead of us was a small pedestal nearly in the center of the fields made entirely of black obsidian.

As we approached it, Judy started chuckling, I turned to her quizzically. "It's nothing," she said, continuing to chuckle. "I just feel like we're on an unused set from Temple of Doom or something.” I laughed a little in return.

"Well, you don't need to worry about blood sacrifices or anything like that. If you think she’d got mad when she saw my arm, you should have seen her when I asked about some magic using heroes and villains I saw in the news." I pitched my voice, sounding like a poor parody of Ms. Crane, "If you think it makes any goddamn sense to fuel your magic with blood, you might as well slit your wrists and save us all the trouble. Blood can be a great conductor for spells, even make some spells stronger. But you'd be a damned fool to pollute yourself and everything around you with that kind of foulness". I laughed a little bit, remembering her little tirade.

"She said all that?" Judy asked.

"Oh, I'm paraphrasing, but she spent nearly an hour ranting about it, all the while Devi stole a cookie for me while her back was turned." I grinned, "Didn't mean I didn't get the lesson though. She had reminded me that everything she was saying was a good rule of thumb, and that sometimes there were exceptions to the rule, but on average, if you see an actual mage drawing a pentagram or something in blood, either shoot him or leave, no real middle ground." I plucked the box I'd received from yesterday’s delivery out of the pouch, and set it to primed state, checking its charge. Yep, fully charged. I placed it in the indentation, and opened it to full release.

Gouts of flame erupted from nearly every nearby ironwork, lighting up in concentric rings around us, green, blue, red, violet, flames of every conceivable colour flared at us as the quintessence fed through the network. Judy sidestepped over to me, leaning back on the pedestal and watched the forest of flame dance in gratitude.

"It's beautiful..." Judy said quietly, watching the flickers.

"Yeah... It is..." I pointed at a particularly nearby ironwork pipe, several spouts erupting in different shapes, one of them taking less of a natural shape, and actually looked like a face for a few moments.

"I've been keeping my eye on that one. You only really see it during feeding time, but it's started imitating. That generally means it's growing." I paused looking at the half-formed face before it devolved back into an overly large green flame. I awkwardly put my arm over Judy’s shoulder, giving her a small hug as we watched the lights.

"Is that what you meant by being important?" She asked after a few moments, "And teaching children to grow?"

I sighed a little, half hoping that we could have just watched the show in silence. "Sort of... See, to understand what Ms Crane is trying to do, you have to understand the sort of ... well, their anatomy".

Judy's visor looked up at me; I could practically HEAR her eyebrows wiggling.

"Yeah yeah... If I find a pretty lady rock monster, I'll send her your way." She elbowed me lightly. "But basically there are four parts of an elemental." I raised my hand, ticking off the numbers. "First, there's the cords. All elementals have these; they link the elemental to our world, and back to wherever they come from, if anywhere. They're basically quintessence veins." I looked down at Judy, envy again in my chest. "You're attuned, so you can probably see them right now, can't you?" Hopefully, she couldn’t hear the small bite of bitterness.

Judy gasped a little, looking back out at the fields, "Well yeah! That's the best part of the show! Can't you see them?"

I shook my head, a sigh likely audible through the radio. Devi continued hugging me in sympathy. "No, I'm not attuned. In Ms. Crane's words, I'm magically 'dead a doornail, and twice as dull'". I knew she'd only been trying to keep me from getting my hopes up, but it still hurt. "Basically, I'm not attuned, and I don't have enough aptitude to warrant what she calls 'The Investment'", I raised a placating hand, arm still over her shoulders I gave a light squeeze. "It's a technical term; she wasn't trying to be mean. Apparently it's a little bit like ..." I paused for a moment, looking for the right metaphor. "It's like a breeder nuclear reactor. By itself, it's dead, no power. Feed it the right materials, and it starts making power. What makes the breeder reactor special is that it could kind of refuel itself."

I nodded, a little proud of the comparison, continuing "The Investment, is basically when a mage gets those first fuel rods put into them, either over time, or by someone else. Once they're in there, you can generate your own quintessence, and it regenerates over time. She didn't give me many details past that, but basically I wouldn't be worth the investment." I grinned a little at the turn of phrase. "I'm ok with that... now. I can still help in other ways."

Judy was silent for a minute, watching the flames. "It's still sad."

"Yeah... It kind of is." I sighed. "However, we had a list to get through if we're done being all morose about it!" I said, a forced grin in my voice.

"So we have the cords, and they're like veins for power" she replied.

"Yeah, that's part number one. All of them have that. Part two is the core". I pointed out to the fields. "You no doubt have been seeing them out there, and no, I can't see those either, I can only see the Soma if there is one." I paused for a moment, swallowing a little bit of envy again. "The core is what happens when you have a fully manifest elemental. I don't mean a rock monster or anything; the core is like the floating spirit of an elemental. It’s what regulates essence, and gives some level of permanency to its form. The more developed the core, the powerful the elemental. The more powerful the elemental, the more likely it'll have,"

I raised my third finger dramatically, putting a trill into my voice, "Thrrrree! The Soma. If an elemental only has cords, it's just part of the land and never really does anything. If it has a core, it now has the capacity to react to things, like you saw earlier with the pebble. The cores form from events or places, like I told you earlier, but the Soma is formed from components it either manifests itself, or gathers from the environment. A water elemental isn't going to make the form of a rock monster. Mud, maybe, but that'd be more difficult. Rather, it would form a body of water, or a number of other liquids. If nothings available, with a lot of effort, it could actually create water to form its own body... that's costly though, and dangerous for the core's stability.

"So the cords are the veins, the core is the heart, and the Soma is the body. What else is there?" Judy asked, a little confused.

"That, my dear newbie, is a tough question. Ms. Crane has been calling it the Ego; though I'm sure we could come up with a better name for it. It's essentially the 'soul' of an elemental. It's what gives it the ability to reason on a human or beyond human scale, to move beyond the state of being creatures of stimuli." I felt a nudge to my side and looked down to her.

"You're such a nerd, I haven't heard you geek out like this for a while", she chuckled, "It's good to hear, I'm glad you weren't just burying your head in the sand."

I smiled, "Well, I think it's cool..."

"As cool as the silver gear knight?" She asked, challenge in her voice.

"Nothing's as cool as that." I said stoically, before gasping a little bit, a slight pressure on my arm again. "Except Devi of course, and a few other people."

Judy laughed, obviously enjoying having a partner in crime. "So this Ego thing, how do you get one?"

"Well", I started, "one way is to do really well in sports, then when people start cheering for you a lot", Another elbow, "Ok, to be honest, we don't know. We've had some success by teaching them sort of basic building blocks of logic. Cause and effect, Critical thinking, that sort of thing."

I gestured down on our pedestal-stoop, continuing "Even a little bit of conditioning. Most elementals don't have a sense of self preservation, because they don't have a sense of self at all." The fires were slowly dimming, moving out to more distant pipe-works. I removed my arm, and got up.

"So is this all you do? Feed the cores every once in a while?" Judy asked, sounding a little sad that the show was over.

I looked around. "For maintenance? Normally yeah. There's other things to do, the Fires for example need to have their various fuels replaced. Coal, Gas, even liquor on occasion. Fires are the ones that generally grow up the fastest, since they don't last very long otherwise. It's a bit like genetic research on fruit flies; they're so useful because they have such short life-spans, that you can see several generations over the course of a few days."

I gestured to the charred fields, the occasional light flickering from here to there and continued. "Fires don't have an easy soma to build, if they’re active, an elemental spends more quintessence to stay stable. Having a Soma drops that requirement a little bit, kind of like if you were outside in the arctic, you'd last longer if you were wearing an insulated coat."

Judy stood up as I grabbed the now empty container off the pedestal. "I won't put you through any of that though. It's a lot of manual labor, and we're just doing the easy stuff for now. I'll do it next week."

We made our way back to the center-circle catwalk, returning to the locker to replace the suits. Before putting them away, I was sure to grab the air-canister out of Judy's, the compressor was on the way to the vaults after all.

We walked towards the door on the north end of the room, the lights above still bright and lighting the way. Judy was still spinning around on occasion, trying to look everywhere at once, no doubt entranced by the invisible beings hovering around outside the confines of the warded catwalk.

She suddenly stopped moving, and gave me a comprehending look, then spun around again, looking everywhere; and again, looking skywards. She stopped, obviously just a little dizzy and smiled at me. "So that's why you were always doing that Freakshow."

Urgh... I think I preferred 'Idiot'.

---

---

After passing through the large iron door, we descended another long staircase. The lights here were more subdued, small LED's lining the corners of the floors like this were some kind of movie theatre. There were sounds of movement and shuffling a little ways in the distance, echoing down the passage as the air grew chill.

Judy poked me slightly, getting my attention. "You never really answered me though, sure it's nice that you're trying to help these things grow, but 'why' are you doing it?"

"We're doing it Ms. Judy, for the sake of the future." a voice sang as we approached the final steps. Looking up, I could see Ms Crane at a small portable table, moving several small objects about and muttering slightly.

The chamber was large, easily two stories high and looking much more 'rough' than the previous smooth stone walls, earthen teeth seeming to edge in from all corners. The entrance we had come in from seemed to be the only way in, or out of the room. The back half of the chamber was blocked off by what looked like bullet-proof glass, silver runes etched virtually everywhere on their surface, partially obscuring what lay behind. But not entirely. Only one door was evident, and it looked more like an airlock than a standard door, all steel, glass, and runes.

By moving around the runes on the glass, you could see the second half of the chamber. It was nowhere near as well-lit as the first half, and the reflected blue light cast eerie shadows through the runes on the glass. At the far edge of the darkened chamber were six boxes, shaped like elongated safes. Rather than metal however, these were made of obsidian, each with a different garish carved sigil made of a different coloured gemstone and if one were to look closely, a small keyhole. The sixth box was different, light almost seemed to bleed into it, darkening the farthest corner of the room. It was made to be Hidden. It was made to be Ignored. It had no sigil, no hinges, no handle. This one was never meant to open under any circumstances.

Judy sat at the one chair Ms. Crane offered, staring into the dark half of the room, cocking her head to the side slightly. "They're singing..." she said quietly, quizzically. She looked at Ms. Crane, who gave her a sympathetic look. "They're singing, but I don't know the words. But they're sad, and angry."

Ms. Crane offered her hands, and Judy took them. Ms Crane closed her hands around Judy's smaller ones. "Ignore them child. These aren't the ones we're here to care for. These are the ones we should pity, and contain". Her voice sounded old. Older than even I usually heard it, like she was straining to say, or not say the proper thing.

Ms Crane continued. Holding Judy's hand as Judy slowly started looking around, as though looking for something. "I've suppressed your resonance for a moment child. It's not damaged or hurt in any way, It will return shortly. But we needed to have a chat without you being distracted while the Idiot visits that Thing" she spat bitterly, Slowly released Judy's hands. Turning to me, she continued "Idiot, you two took longer than I'd expected in the fields. We won't have time for training today, so why don't you train with that Thing instead."

I hesitated... for a long time. I looked over to the wall where a small rack of weapons sat. Nothing projectile or high tech, just swords, axes, maces, a large array of them, all crafted from either obsidian or black iron edged with silver. Training with Aeslin was a bit more risky than with Ms. Crane... But she was in the next room, so at least I had a safe 'out' if things went bad.

Approaching the racks, I pulled an iron and silver rapier. It was surprisingly springy, given its component materials, but then it had also been enhanced in some way, like all the weapons on the racks. Normal weapons generally wouldn't do much good here if there were some emergency.

Handling the weight of the rapier in my right hand, I felt a slight tugging pained feeling on my arm, though it was quickly suppressed by a warm heat coming from Devi. Right… Off-handed training. Switching hands, I measured the weight again, trying to get quickly familiar with the blade.

In Ms. Crane's training room, where we'd normally practise, she'd had a similar armory, though crafted in much more 'training' oriented materials. I still remember the rapier in the glass cabinet high on the wall. I was told that under no circumstances would I be allowed to touch that one. It had been blue and silver with black linings, with a cobalt and silver guard hiding the handle. It had glittered in light non-existent, as glyphs moved and danced along its edges. It wasn't for me, I was told. It belonged to someone special, and I must never EVER touch it.

I wanted to be special too. Maybe one day my weapon could be up there. The rapier was always the way I wished I could be, elegant, swift, precise. I lightly tested the edge and tip of the sword, nodding in satisfaction. Returning to the table, Judy was looking at me like I was some kind of stranger.

"Exactly WHAT kind of training were you giving him?" she said, a shocked look still in her eyes.

"Why, combat training, mostly with the lighter blades," she frowned. She hadn't approved of my choice. "The Idiot needed to get a lot out of his system. Too much garbage in there to deal with without cleaning things out first. Sword training first to exhaust the body. Meditation and magical lore afterwards." She frowned again. "He's apt at one, hopeless at the other, but I'll get through one day."

Judy eyed her cautiously, "And you're giving him combat training, then sending him to places he could be hurt? Doesn't that seem more like preparing him for something you want him to fight?"

Ms Crane grimaced for half a second, Judy missing it as she looked back to the sword in my hand. "Yes, it would seem that way wouldn't it." She began, hesitant on each word. "The trick is, I've sent him out on quite a number of trips before. Some safe, like pickup deliveries in town", my eyes flashed a quick warning to Ms. Crane as she paused a moment, nodding slightly, "Small packages from acquaintances, nothing more. But sometimes I'll send him out to gather local quintessence from hotspots and ley-lines." She glared at me again. Apparently still quite angry. "And he manages to FIND trouble on his own. DESPITE my cautions and warnings. I'd rather the Idiot be ready for trouble and not face it, than to face it unarmed."

Judy finally looked up to my face, worry still evident. "... and why does he need a sword now?"

Ms. Crane cackled with amusement, a harsh edge on her voice, "Why, because he went looking for trouble, and found a new 'friend'", the disapproval was thick on her tongue, "And now It won't settle down unless he stops in from time to time".

I looked to Judy, a soft smile on my face. "It's ok. Aeslin wouldn't hurt me seriously, and even if she tried, Ms. Crane is here. It's not normally terribly dangerous, she might just think because I'm holding a sword, that we're playing a bit of a different game." I clenched my jaw, phantom pain echoing through my left shoulder. "A game that I'm more than prepared for these days".

I turned, facing the airlock, sword hilt level at my chest with the blade pointing up past my head. "You have a good talk with Ms. Crane, I'm sure I'll suffer for it later, but for right now, I have a friend in there who is lonely, and needs a little excitement in her life." I paused for a moment, a slight smirk on my face.

Hopeful that they hadn't picked up on that little accidental innuendo. I hit large red button next to the door. The hiss of air escaping seals filled the room as the door swung open.

I stepped through, looking back. "Make sure you don't corrupt her too much".

Ms. Crane chuckled a little, "Why, what ever could I do to the young thing?"

I turned back, a faux look of worry on my face, "I was talking to Judy...” A surprised look covered Ms. Crane's face, while Judy's was lit up with an impish grin.

The door closed behind me. Air hissing as it locked me in.

The room beyond the door was the lit in a mixture of haunting rune-scribed shadows from the wall behind me and small dim green lights flicking incessantly in the far corners. Ms. Crane never bothered replacing them very often; light didn't tend to survive for long down here.

With that joyful thought, I glanced back through the glass wall. Between the runes I could see Ms. Crane speaking to Judy with a calm expression on her face. Judy on the other hand didn't seem to be having any of it, and kept flicking her head to me, perhaps wondering why I was in here alone with a sword. I'd be inclined to ask that question myself to be honest.

Walking to the left, I followed the glass wall, hand trailing along its smooth cool surface, after reaching the cavern wall I made a sharp right, moving towards the first of the safes. They were at approximately chest height for me, built directly into the back cavern wall. Harshly carved but smoothly textured runes decorated each of the five two by two foot apertures. My hand yearned to trace the obsidian runed surfaces, but that would be unwise. Unlike the collectors, these containers were not meant to hold anything so simple or benign as raw energy.

On reaching the first safe, I felt the air surrounding it with my left hand. Slightly warmer than the ambient temperature of the cave, this wasn't the one I was looking for. I moved to the next, and repeated the same motion. For reasons yet unexplained to me, these vaults would swap their contents amongst themselves. Unless appropriate precautions were taken, you might end up opening the wrong one. Considering that I had only ever opened one of the vaults and what was contained, I wasn't keen on seeing what were in the others. Each vault I moved past, getting a gauge for their relative ambience.

Reaching the end of the five, I halted before approaching the sixth. The lights near to it always failed, bathing that corner of the room in darkness. THAT one, I was certain, never swapped its contents with the others. Just going near it made the air taste stale, or mouldy. I had only ever approached it once, and that was enough to kick my fight or flight instincts in, as long forgotten childhood fears were suddenly re-awakened. That there were monsters under the bed and that all you had was a thin blanket of cloth to keep the darkness could swallow you whole.

Averting my gaze, I turned approaching the fourth of the five vaults. Near this one, I could almost feel the air in the cave moving slightly, the temperature ever so slightly more chill than the others. Removing the iron key from my pocket, I carefully inserted the key into the hole, slowly turning it.

The safe door swung open sideways with a long yawning groan of a deep sleep, a light fog rolling out in steady sheets. An installed light in the back had turned on, bathing the interior of the safe with a soft aquamarine. Inside, the safe was filled with solid block of preternaturally clear ice. Backlit by the lights, the vague silhouette of a mask could be seen cutting the light with its visage, a glow passing through its empty eye-holes.

I tapped the ice, the solid "thnk thnk" of a solid object almost echoing in the chamber. "Aeslin,” I said softly, "I'm here to visit".

With a harsh 'CRACK' several smaller chunks of ice were ejected off the sides of the block. Taking that as a hint, I scrambled away from the flung chips, moving towards the center of the cave. Checking back, Judy was still watching; as an exacerbated Ms. Crane simply traded her frown at Judy's lack of attention for a frown in my direction for the interruption.

Ice sloughing off in rough piles to the ground, the light from the other side of the glass wall illuminating what appeared to be a smooth silver mask, glistening with moisture and sitting on a small remaining pedestal of frost. Projecting out along the sides were what appeared to be smoothly layered plates of silver, curving back around the head to form a series of tapered knife-like projections. These layered plates were mirrored on the opposite side, meeting at the top were they were connected by a single large crest of silver, looping over and behind, giving it an almost helmet like impression. Light curves around the 'face' implied eyebrows and cheekbones with soft chin. A sharply distinct nose embellished the center while soft lines formed a closed mouth, lips locked in what could either be a look of condemnation, or disinterest.

The breeze I could feel earlier was now quite evident, my clothes rippling slightly, as a pale light emanated from the eyes of the mask. In a sudden movement, the mask SNAPPED out of its icy cage, covering the half a room's distance between myself and it instantly. There it simply hovered in front of my face, not moving even the slightest quiver, as though it had been built into that place in space and time never to move again.

"Aeslin..." I choked out slightly, swallowing. I always hated this part. "I'm here to see you. I trust you're doing well"? The mask didn't move, staring directly into my eyes with its indifferent glare. I shuffled my weight from foot to foot a little, feeling anxiety start to build as the being inside the mask stared into me. "I was wondering if you would like to spend some time wi-"

Before I could even finish the sentence, it blazed past me with a plume of gale-like winds, impacting harshly against the runed glass with a clattering 'BANG' and a brief flash of silver rune-light. Quickly turning to look, I saw that Judy had fallen out of her chair, a shocked gasp-scream heard lightly through the wall. Aeslin had impacted directly across the wall from where Ms. Crane was now sitting, glaring with disgust at the silver visage. Aeslin drew back several meters, and then CRASHED again against the window, the runes activating with another flash of silver light. And again. And again. I had to cover my ears as the harsh clanging of impacts rang out, echoing over and over as Aeslin rushed at Ms. Crane, beating herself against the wall brutally.

After nearly a minute of violent impacts, Aeslin finally stopped, locked again in a single point, with her gaze directed towards Ms. Crane unmoving. From here, I could see around the plumes to the inside of the mask. Just as smooth as the front, but with a slight silver glow seeming to pulse from the eyeholes, and center of the empty space where someone's head would rest were they wearing it.

"Aeslin..." I repeated, "Please look at me?"

Aeslin remained unmoving, still staring at Ms. Crane for a few moments before turning, apparently seeing Judy for the first time. She slid through the air with no wasted movements, getting as close to the glass as she could without the runes flaring again, now locking eyes with Judy. Judy stared back, panic in her features but unwilling or unable to look away.

"Aeslin, please... Look at me?" I repeated, my voice tense.

The mask finally turned slowly before whipping forward at a maddening pace, coming to a perfect stop inches from my face. I flinched back hard as matched my movements almost perfectly, staying an inch away and driving my anxiety and fear higher. The mask's features were impossibly undamaged by its brutal assault against the wall, and it now sat gleaming in the dark, silhouetted by the lit room behind me. Faintly through the glow in the eyeholes, I could just barely notice Ms. Crane dragging the table away from the window, and helping Judy to her feet.

I felt the soft press of the silver face's forehead against my own.

"Weak..."

Only this close could I hear the near silent whisper, the wind twisting and vibrating, resounding off the mask's surface softly in such a way to approximate human speech... I think. She very well could have been speaking in my head and I likely wouldn't have been able to tell. If that were the case, it was possible she didn't know or understand what the words meant, just the concepts and context behind them as my brain filled in the gaps. Either way, given the order of events, she might be talking about the one 'new' thing today, Judy.

"Weak..."

I suspect that if the previous one was for Judy, this one was for me... In return, I whispered, "I'm here to keep you company for a while, if you'll let me."

"Break..."

That was a new one. Was it a threat, or a concern? I shook my head, the mask eerily still matching each of my movements remaining lightly pressed against the same point of my forehead. "Only the game. Playing lightly. If you break me, I can't come back to see you". There was a pregnant pause, the mask still pressing against my forehead, getting colder by the moment.

"Be..."

That one was more familiar. I swallowed again, knowing this had been coming. "Yes. But only when we're done. The first to twenty. One minute for each point. I will keep score fairly." There was another pause. "Doesn't that sound like a good deal?” I winced suddenly. That was NOT the wording I should have used. I waited, trying to stay as still as possible, knowing that in this case, Aeslin was the one calling the shots. Hopefully she didn't get carried away and forget that she liked having me around... I think.

"Mine..."

That... was only slightly encouraging. And creepy. The mask hovered slowly away, never taking its gaze from mine. When it had backed up eight meters, the fog that had been billowing out of her vault began to swirl and expand, filling the chamber. Only a hollow section in the middle between her and myself remained relatively clear. The fog walls were twitching here and there as though they were alive. I swallowed again. With a wall of fog up, Ms. Crane would need a signal if I were getting in over my head. At least with that wall they couldn't see my face, jaws clenching and my lips in a harsh line. I have no doubt I looked scared.

Aeslin hovered there, still visible through the muddied light, the fog working to refract the illumination around the room slightly more. She remained still, as a swirl of fog formed into a twisting column beneath her, slowly tapering as it reached from the ground up to the base of the mask.

I lifted my rapier, and took an on-guard stance. It was a little telling that I hadn't even thought to raise it before now; she always took me a little off guard. I'd chosen Aeslin as my 'special project' for Ms. Crane, trying to interact and expose her to positive human interactions. Despite how proud I was with the progress she'd shown, I never let myself forget that she was one of the creatures whose actions you can never take for granted. After spending four years visiting her, even now she was incredibly unnerving.

I rubbed my left shoulder with my arm, wincing a little at the phantom twinges of pain. She'd impaled it two years ago, seemingly not knowing or not caring that it would cause me harm. Only two things came of that incident, Aeslin had raged inside her vault for several months until I was willing to come see her again, and Ms. Crane had made an Oscar worthy performance explaining to my parents how I'd fallen on her gardening shears... in the middle of winter.

"I'm ready" I said, as officious as I could to the hovering phantasm.

Apparently so was she. The column of twisting fog beneath her warped, stretching to the extreme ends of the chamber fog-wall, and approaching me silently. Then what appears to be a vertical slice of her body's column billowed out in my direction, bringing it an intense wind directly into my side-facing chest. Shifting my feet for better leverage, I made a small hop both into the wind and towards Aeslin. The wind's push kept me more or less close to on track of, as I spun with it once, using the force to re-orient myself towards the floating mask. The wind suddenly reversed course, pushing roughly into my back. With no proper footing this time, I fell to the ground.

One to zero.

This wasn't getting off to a good start. The fog-column withdrew to beneath the mask, now waiting pensively. I got to my feet, and moved back to my starting location. Re-positioning myself, I spoke loudly, "Ready!” the sound warping oddly in the fog.

The base of the dense mist once again began to approach, the cyclical nature repeating itself. One thing about Aeslin, while incredibly scary, she doesn't necessarily think things through. If something worked, it's likely she'd repeat it until it didn't. Knowing her method of attack, I repeated the same process, Leaping to the side, and towards her, spinning to get a better angle, then bracing for the incoming reversal. When it came, I repeated all of my actions in reverse, now reaching a striking distance. I waited until the next reversal occurred, then braced, spun, and LUNGED at her, the rapier an extension of my arm; it struck the mask with a resounding metallic "CLACK".

One to One.

The spinning fog immediately stopped as the mask stared down, emotionless, and now with an air of calculation. I returned back to my starting point. Raising the rapier again. With the slightest of tilts, the silver visage nodded, signalling that she was beginning. This time, a solid beam of wind struck me square in the back, launching me halfway across the cavern, and directly below her. I'd landed roughly, only catching myself with one hand.

Two to One.

This was going to take a little while, and more than a few bruises.

---

---

Aeslin and I didn't always engage in these little competitive contests. Some of the time we simply sat 'talking', or at least trying to. It was surprisingly difficult to have a conversation with a creature that didn't think like you did, and only ever spoke in singular words. Still, I couldn't tell if she understood more about how to talk to me, or if I just understood simplified speech more. I suspect she enjoyed doing this more though. She never seemed to have trouble keeping her behavior in check during the quiet days. It might make sense, given what little I'd been told, or discovered about her. She was something primal, so it made sense that some form of violent conflict would garner her appreciation. Unfortunately, it also meant she would sometimes enjoy it too much.

I was panting quite heavily as we reached the end-game. I'd so far managed to deal with fog walls, thin panes of ice forming and reshaping, and one odd attempt where her fog-cyclone body actually assembled a counter rapier composed of fog and snow, whipping at great speeds across the room as though guided remotely by an invisible hand. It was a strangely 'human' method of attack that spoke well of her ability to comprehend, assuming she wasn't just imitating as a new method of attack.

The score was now nineteen to ten in her favour and the room was now downright freezing. Despite the score, I was rather proud of my performance. I was hoping to get at least one more point before my inevitable defeat. That was when noticed that that the silver light in her eyes was turning an arctic blue. Ice began to grow on the walls, on the ceiling, on the floor. Blue-lit fog flowed from the eye-holes as the ethereal-walls around me writhed. I don't know if she could count, or could sense that the game was almost over, but it seemed Aeslin might have forgotten that maybe I was a little more breakable than she was used to.

I only had half a second to react when I saw three spiral-like tendrils of fog reaching out from the walls. Tipping them were spinning miniature vortexes that seemed to condense almost to a solid state as they wormed their way through the air towards me, jerking in odd harsh turns, their movements unpredictable. I swung the rapier up and to the left, executing a mix between an 11-o'clock parry and a slight chopping motion through the base of one of the tendrils. As my rapier passed through, I actually felt a slight shock along my arm as I the blade impacted something.

My eyes widened as I dove to the right, the two other tendrils suddenly darting in a straight line towards me, overextending and striking the rock walls of the cavern. Getting to my knees, I swung a wide arc above me, catching both tendrils, and turned for a moment, mouth agape.

There were actually small bore-holes in the stone surface of the rock wall, twisting patterns imitating the curved spiralling surface of a drill-bit. I turned back to Aeslin, only to find a fourth tendril swinging down from the ceiling. Impossibly, it struck the broad-side of my rapier, withdrawing as the essence-severing enchantment on the blade repelled it harshly. But there was now also a small twisting hole through the middle of the blade, the glimmering runes dimmed somewhat.

Oh shit.

"Aeslin!” I cried, "You have to calm down! This is a game!" What the hell was going on? Why weren't the essence suppressors keeping her from doing this?

The harsh blue light only intensified, all visible sides of the cavern radiant in it’s illumination, save the one. The breeze had become a full wind, continuing to build. Rough howling now resounding as the wind whipped across the ceiling and wall's harsh edges, the fog walls now spinning as though I were in the center of a miniature maelstrom. Reflecting the bright light, I could see small particles fluttering everywhere as they rapidly formed into small chunks of ice began forming. The chunks seemingly eroded under the very wind they were carried by, forming thin darts with wickedly sharp looking points.

"Aeslin! You ha-" My cry was cut off as the darts blazed forward, the fog being blown back to the edges of the room with the speed or method of their passage. Half-expecting to feel the coruscating pain of impalement, my eyes had closed in a moment of weakness. Opening them again, I saw brightly hued wrappings extending from my right arm, capturing the icy-bolts in the air before me.

I looked down to my arm, a slight grin on my face. "Thanks Devi, I owe you one".

A tightening on my arm was the only response as more wrappings flung loose, stretching impossibly to nearly my own arm’s length in several directions, all without uncovering the rest of my still injured arm.

I nodded at Devi, and began running towards Aeslin. I could sometimes snap Aeslin out of these little tantrums by giving her a little physical reminder of what we were supposed to be doing. I'd made it several more steps, leaping over forming mist tendrils on the ground, and keeping an eye out for more darts on the peripheral. A blast of wind engulfed me, both bringing my advance to a dead halt, and blowing the still-forming fog tendrils away. Bracing just to keep my position with my eyes all but closed from the winds, I could just make out Aeslin's form, and Devi's wrappings twisting in the wind.

"Devi!" I cried, hoping my voice could be heard over the winds screaming, I brought the rapier in my left hand closer to my right, almost completely leaning into the wind to keep afoot. Devi's wrapping tensed with a sudden strength, and wrapped around the handle of the rapier, then stretched upward, vastly extending my available reach... With a solid 'CLANK', the rapier made an impact against Aeslin's form, the wind coming to a sudden grinding halt.

Chancing a look up, Aeslin's eyes were still streaming their poisonous blue light, looking down directly down at me. Frost had built up over the mouth of the mask, obscuring it, but giving her visage the impression of an unpleasant smile. I gasped, getting back my balance and leaping back. Aeslin's fog-column body had begun to reform, striking the ground with a sick grinding sound. The fog walls obscuring the room were drawn towards the mass, thickening the column and revealing the glass-walls, Ms. Crane looking in intently, Judy in the background with her hands over her mouth.

The column thinned somewhat as twin twisting limbs formed out of either of its sides, making a rough mocking imitation of the human form. The blue eyes gazed down imperiously as I watched cautiously, reclaiming the rapier from Devi. Glancing down at the sword, I grimaced. Simply touching it in this state Aeslin had covered it in a thin layer of frost, the metal stingingly cold to the touch. It was then that Aeslin made her move.

Forming at the tips of the fog-crafted tendrils were thin patches of white. Was it snow? Ice? Something else? She'd obviously gathered the fog for a purpose, but what... As the shapes began to take form, the spots formed into disks of pure white, their edges carving into cruel wind-twisted blades of ice. The discs began spinning, faster, FASTER. The two tendrils were now capped with white buzz-saw like formations, spinning on an invisible axis inside the limb. The arms began to stretch, grow in length until they could nearly encompass me from where Aeslin hovered, and lashed out like a pair of whips from either side.

I yelped, leaping back and falling, the twin spinning discs cutting through the air, and leaving a small trench in the stone floor where one has passed. The blades on one disc had broken off, but no victory was to be found, as they quickly reformed, ready to strike again. Considering I'd just fallen, I suppose if we were still playing, she'd have won by now... I really wish we were just playing at this point...

I could hear a faint hissing as the airlock door prepared to open. Aeslin's gaze remained solely on me for the moment, the tendrils preparing to lash out again. I could only hold my breath. Aeslin had the habit to go berserk whenever she had a chance to get to Ms. Crane, if she were coming in; this might get worse before it gets better... Judy was safe for now, and Ms. Crane could handle herself... But if I proved I could handle it...

Switching the rapier's handle to my right hand, I gripped the rapier's tip with my right arm, the blade cruelly cutting in the meat of my fingers. Blood spilled. "DEVI!” I brought the previously drill-damaged flat of the sword down over my knee, forcing the drilled and frozen metal over my knee. Shattering with a resounding crack, Devi's wrappings snapped around the handle, as I gripped the now separated section of the blade in my left.

Aeslin had begun to turn to look at the now opening door, blue lights still blazing like frozen fire, the bladed discs turning with her attention. I ran straight at her, leaping over the bladed disc as it passed me by, slashing down to damage the essence-flow. As I got closer, Aeslin's mask had begun turning back to me, that horrible visage refocusing only a moment too late. Devi's tendril lunged forward as I leapt, broken blade stabbing through one of Aeslin's eye-holes.

Reaching up, I got my right hand around the now placed handle of the rapier. Gripping it as well as I could, I pulled down, using my weight to carry the mask to the ground. Impacting, I quickly stabbed the broken blade through the other eye-hole, now hearing a faint tinkling of ice as it fell to the ground behind me. The remaining rune couplings of the rapier, along with the physical impact shocking Aeslin's control, seemed to have disrupted whatever the hell she was doing.

Fog exploded out, disbursing around the room as the tendrils and disks decompressed from their dangerous forms. I remained pinning Aeslin to the ground, her form propped up only by the layered plates wrapping behind her. Keeping my knees on the chin, I waited as Ms. Crane rushed over, making slight gestures; her fingers crooked in her preferred spellcasting-stance. Through the gaps in the eye-holes, the lights coming from Aeslin were subdued, but the blue had given away to a dark violet, and occasionally short flashes of black.

"Damned fool," Ms. Crane muttered, waving her fingers in complex formations before placing her thumb on Aeslin's forehead. The lights almost immediately turned silver. "Damned fool. I don't know who I'm more angry at, you for doing that, me for letting it happen, or It for being a monster. Pah!" She spat off to the side, obviously flustered.

"Shane!!" Judy cried through the door. Good. She knew that if she couldn't help, that putting herself at risk was a bad idea. "Are you ok?” She was in shock, her face flush with concern.

"Yeah, I'm ok", I responded haltingly. I looked to Ms. Crane, "How did that happen? I thought the suppressors were supposed to keep her from doing that much?" I'll admit, I was shaken, trembling all over now that the heat of the moment had ended.

Ms. Crane just kept muttering, weaving her hands and fingers about. I could actually see the tapped essence glowing in the air as she worked; visible colours enforced the effort of spellcasting. She finally stopped, bringing her thumb back down to Aeslin's forehead again, the lights dimming immensely. She sighed, "I suspect the new wards by the dark vault broke down again." She shook her head, "I'm sorry kid... I should have checked before sending you in here..." She sighed again, covering her eyes with her palms for a moment, before taking a deep breath and wiping her eyes, her breath still a little choked from the efforts. "That corner has been breaking faster and faster each time. I'm going to have to think of something new if we're planning on continuing these sessions. You did good Kid, that was impressive."

"WHAT!?” A cry came from the other room. "You would make him do this AGAIN!? That's insane! You're making him fight the smoke monster from Lost!? I thought you said he would be safe!!” Judy was striking the door with her fist in frustration, only now inching inside the room.

I nodded to Judy. "I know it was scary, BELIEVE me, I know... But this is a really weird one-off, even by our normal standards. It's only happened once before, and that time nowhere near as bad. I know Ms. Crane will put in more safeguards for next time."

"FUCK YOURSELF SHANE!" Judy stomped, glaring at me, "You almost DIED in there! How can you pretend it's all right!?"

Ms. Crane was just looking at me, her eyes shadowed in a look that I couldn't quite place, her lips tight.

"I want to do this again... just... not for a long time." I said, shaking as I stood up, only now feeling Devi stretching across my back to now cover my cut fingers on the other arm.

I walked unsteadily towards Judy, reaching out to lean on the door as I walked. Judy stood in the doorway, her face still upset, fists clenched. Drawing her hand back she slapped me across the face, her own still locked in a fearful angry expression. Then wrapping her arms around me giving me a quick hug, before leading me to a chair.

---

---

Sitting shakily, I tried some of Ms. Crane's breathing exercises to calm down. Be it because of the adrenaline, or because I was just bad at them, no peace came. Judy pulled the other chair over, and let me lean on her a bit. Knowing she was there helped. She always knew how to handle these things...

A slight clanging sound could be heard from inside the chamber, Ms. Crane still held Aeslin in her hands, grimacing as though she were touching something particularly foul.

"I hate to do this to you Kid..." She said, her voice hesitant. "But based on what I'm looking at, it'll be for your own good... You made a deal, didn't you? You need to fulfill it." She looked disappointed. She'd taught me better than that.

Shit... Why did I phrase it as a deal?

I sighed, still shaking, leaning back off of Judy. "Yeah... Yeah, I guess so... I think we were at twenty to eleven...” I paused for a moment, waving my hand and giving her a very slight grin. "And am I back to Kid again?"

She sighed, glaring at the now inanimate mask in her hand, the slightest of smirks on the corner of her face. "Yeah... I'm sorry do to this then Kid". She carefully placed the mask over my head.

A cool sensation slid over my mind as in interior of the mask filled my vision, eyeholes eventually revealing the outside world again. Various aches and the stinging from my hand faded away as a pleasant chill filled me.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?" Judy screamed, as she immediately shoved Ms. Crane out of the way and into the nearby wall, the runes flashing again. She then started trying to remove the mask. Her attempts were unsuccessful, but had begun hurting my neck, though that soon that too felt cool and numb.

"Judy, I know it's scary, but I 'literally' have to do this" I said, still shaking, but growing more at ease. "Ms. Crane's suppressed Aeslin pretty strongly, so there's no danger unless I don't feed her. Making deals with some things are magically binding, and I made one. I have to wear her for nine minutes."

"That thing is eating you!? I thought you said these things ate magic?!” Judy said angrily, now glaring at me through the eye-holes.

Ms. Crane had now gotten back to her feet, and was looming... well... as looming as much as one could when you're only slightly taller than the other person, at Judy. She seemed more than a little irked, face flushed and fist clenching. Opening her mouth, some words starting coming out. I started feeling a little pulling sensation all over and it just wasn't that important anymore. It was nice, like stretching after a long day. Maybe even taking a nap.

I still wasn't sure what they were talking about. Couldn't really worry, everything was cool and numb. Judy would be fine, Ms. Crane would be fine, I just had to sit back and let the world go by. Tuning out of whatever they were saying, I just looked around the room, starting to see the slight lines and swirls of air-currents moving around the room. I occasionally flicked my finger at some in the distance, watching as they warped in a little dance just for me.

"Hey, Judy", I said. I think my voice was relaxed? I dunno, everything was cold. "If you weren't gay would you have gone out with Colin or me?" I sat, head listing slightly watching the swirls around her start going up. I think her face turned red at some point.

"What..." said a voice, probably Judy.

"I mean, you're as my best friend and dragon, but I always kind of wondered you know? Like, if I hadn't made Colin move away, would that have happened? It might've been weird, would it be weird? You're better at knowing things." I blinked a few times, following the swirls; head listing from side to side as I kept following their flow. I think Ms. Crane was looking at me with sad worry, maybe it was sad angry. I think I was angry at her, like, really angry. Can't really think of why. "You did something, or are doing something, or someone is... I shouldn't be mad; you call me Kid and saved my life. Am I supposed to be mad at you about that?”

"...Mine..." A soft voice echoed, maybe sounding a bit softer than before, I think that means something else. Hard to tell with all this cold.

I lost what I was talking about as started rubbing my hands over the table, feeling the surface and the texture. Wasn't it cool? I think that's like cold. Cold was kind of nice. The table felt like things though, smooth and little bumps. Feeling things was weird. I was sad couldn't feel the table now anymore though, that wasn't as nice, but it was still cool.

"What is wrong with him...?” I could hear a voice; it was dancing over the lines.

"Aeslin is sharing his 'spot' as it were. She doesn't need essence that much, she has her own stores. What she craves is experiences." Another voice danced between the swirls. This one was green and black though, not like the earlier orange and brown. "He's safe, I give you my word. The absolute worst this does is act like he's on painkillers while he's wearing it, it'll wear off as soon as we take that Thing off."

I looked over at Judy; the lines liked her, like they liked Ms. Crane. You could see them moving. I flicked my finger at her a few times, her hair being blow back in sudden small gusts of lines. "Your hair is always pretty." I said, gusts swaying so I could see her hair more. "It's pretty".

I could feel a slight mental 'SNAP' as though something had come loose, mask lifted from my head. I had to blink several times, getting used to the light again. The swirls and lines of the air around me were still visible as I flicked again, causing the air to puff Judy’s hair back and forth. I admit that I selfishly enjoyed this part. I got to see world like they did, I got to be special for a few minutes.

I think I'm forgetting something...

I looked at Judy, face still beet red and covered in a furiously confused look.

Oh shit.

---

---

After securing Aeslin, the two of them were thankfully silent as we made our way out of the under-facility. I maintained a self-imposed exile from speaking, for fear of causing any more damage. I was still shaking a little bit, but the pain was gone after my little Aeslin session and Devi's assistance. Going through the Elementary, we gradually made our way back to the main floor of the house, stopping only to drop off the near forgotten air-tank at the compressor.

Reaching the sitting room we'd been in previously, Ms. Crane had us both sit down as she started the small brick fireplace, leaving to the kitchen for drinks. I'd opted to just lay sprawled on my back on the carpet, resting after both what happened downstairs and the rather intense 'cool-off' period I'd had afterwards. I wonder if Devi can do anything about muscle knots?

Judy had been patient, looking out the window to the 'front yard', the Zen garden and some of the ironworks easily in view. It was now early evening as we sat back and basked in the silence. I finally decided to broach the topic. "So..."

"Yeah...” She responded.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said those things." I murmured.

Judy was silent for a moment, likely thinking of how to phrase something. While she was contemplating, I felt something moving around my leg. Looking down, I saw a long-haired black cat walking over the carpet, coming to a resting 'sphinx' position on my stomach.

"No. You shouldn't." She paused for a moment, "Did she already know about me?"

I shook my head slightly, "No, and she won't care. If you're around the house long enough, you'll find photos from her weddings. She's had a few, not always to guys." I looked directly to her face. "I never told her, and I never would if I were in my right mind. Anytime I was in that state before, I can normally handle what I do or don't say... You being there just kind of kicked it off..."

There was silence for a few moments, while the sound of empty cans falling to the floor in the other room 'tink'ed its way to us, soft cursing in the background.

"Are you ok." she asked. The question was simple, but oddly complex.

"Yeah... I'm ok." I said, trying not to move too much as the tiny bundle of fur and purrs rumbled on my gut. "What happened downstairs was scary; I'm really not used to that sort of thing. In five years, that was the worst I've ever seen it. I swear this isn't the sort of thing that happens often."

"Are you sure? Both I and Ms. Crane have noticed you get hurt a lot doing this sort of thing", she replied, her voice still numb.

"Yeah... I don't go looking to get hurt or anything, please don't worry about that. At worst I'll typically end up a little bruised." I chuckled a little. "But nothing that someone on a snowboard hasn't had a million times. This has just been a bad week." I felt another something curling between my feet, locking them together in purring shackles. Turning my head, I could see Judy was gently stroking another cat in her lap, while one was sitting on the back of the couch, casually licking her hair. All told, having a serious conversation like this would be difficult.

"And what happened downstairs... You were like you were on drugs", she said, her voice a little lighter but still strained.

At this, Ms. Crane came out of the kitchen, a cup of coffee for Judy, a can of Coke for me, and another energy drink for herself.

"Aeslin is a bit of a unique case," She began, sitting down in her worn down chair. "I'm sure Shane gave you a basic explanation of elementals while you were downstairs, and you know about how having a body insulates them from falling apart." She took a quick sip of her energy drink. "You might also remember that I said that Devi's body was of my own design, but that's only half true. Most of it was copied from Aeslin".

"So that thing downstairs was another elemental? Just in that creepy mask?" Judy asked, her eyes on Ms. Crane, now a second cat curled up next to her.

Ms. Crane nodded slightly, looking straight at Judy as another feline sat on the back of her chair, front paws sitting on her shoulders. "Aeslin is... Well, for elementals, she's one of the oldest I've ever seen. What you see as a mask is actually some kind of preserver.... or prison. I studied its structure to make Devi's body. Imperfectly I may add." Judy was now watching her intently, though her eyes kept flicking to the cat on Ms. Crane's shoulder. I felt two more purring things near my legs. Tighter and tighter the ropes went....

Judy waved off the explanation. "So she was living through him? Will Shane be ok?"

I glanced over to her, "I'll be ok, it really is nothing."

"Shut up Shane", Judy said, glancing down to me with an irked expression before returning to Ms. Crane. "Will he be alright? Is it hurting him?"

"He'll be alright, there's nothing damaging about the process. Aeslin is just... well; bored is a way to put it. She's an elemental that is both complex, and predisposed to hurting people. I suspect that why she was bound. In such a state, and in my vault, normally she can't do a thing to harm anyone seriously." Ms. Crane responded, removing the cat from her shoulder and walking to my backpack, bringing out the book I'd packed, and dropping it down next to me before sitting back down, the cat returning to its perch.

"See? I said I'd be ok. Wearing Aeslin is just really weird is all", I said, glancing at the book dropped next to me. "And why bring that out?”

"Because you will both be here for a while, and you might get bored. Also, Shut up Kid" Ms. Crane said, a slight wry smile on her face.

Checking back to Judy, she also had a slight smirk.

Bringing Judy here might have been a mistake.

"What Aeslin seems taken with", Crane continued, "Is the chance to inhabit a body for a short time. For something as old and alien as her, emotions and the ability to perceive the world on such a radically different scale would likely feel mind-altering. Like she'd be able to understand the world from someone else’s view a little bit for a few minutes each time." She shook her head slightly. "Normally, she's the type I would lock up. They're a danger to everyone, and undo what I'm trying to accomplish."

"You never did mention what that was", Judy said, now looking around the room at the fuzzy armada that seemed to be growing. "And, what's with all the cats?"

Ms. Crane's face took a blank expression. "I have no idea what you're talking about dear, there are no cats here." She said, leaning her head slightly to the side, the cat on her shoulder butting its head against her cheek. "And what we're trying to do is help elementals grow, and learn to at least work around people, if not with them."

Judy cocked her head to the side, taking a sip from her coffee. "So, what, you want to start an elemental outreach program?"

Ms. Crane grinned widely, "Something of the sort. The thing is that elementals are a natural part of our world, even if we choose not to acknowledge them. They can play a fairly pivotal role in both the nurturing, and defense of all things." She put her can down on the nearby side-table, looking at Judy intently. "I haven't found very much, and what I did find was obscure beyond imagining, but I believe maintaining the elemental's presence in our world is very important." She waved her hand, pausing for a moment, "The problem is, the older or more intense the elemental, the more likely it is to act in a way it feels is the natural order of things. Those natural occurring ones are either old and passive, letting humanity pave right over them, or aggressive, and are branded as monsters."

I was trying to open my Coke to no avail, sighing as the fuzzy blanket continued encroaching on me. "It takes time for an elemental to get smart enough to be able to relate or work with us in a lot of cases. Doesn't really matter how powerful they are sometimes too, there are a lot of smart smaller ones out there. What Ms. Crane and I are trying to do is try to rebuild their population, ideally some that have been exposed to people, and can learn to work around them."

Judy nodded thoughtfully, "Like those nurseries for endangered animals, you're trying to stimulate the population with an injection of the ones downstairs. But what about the ones downstairs? The ones you locked up?"

Ms. Crane grimaced. "When Shane first offered to help me out, we'd made a deal that he could ask me for a harder task of his choosing if he stuck around for a year. When that time arrived, he wanted what I would consider an impossible task so he could 'prove me wrong'". Her smile grew, "In that first year, he'd snuck into the vaults with a stolen key, and opened Aeslin's. The damned thing is dangerous beyond belief, but the kid was adamant that he could help. He's been Aeslin's.... I suppose 'Life coach' is the appropriate term". She sighed again, "The ones downstairs are dangerous. Dangerous for a good reason, but if Shane can figure out how to get them to think differently, to redeem them somewhat, it'll be a miracle, and boon."

"You let him meet that thing four years ago!?" Judy looked shocked, "You know how old he was at the time, right?"

"Oh yes, I knew", Crane responded her eyes going distant. "The problem was I hadn't expected someone so young to catch me up in my wording, or open one of my vaults. I'd made a deal, and I had to stick to it." She looked back to Judy, "That's something you need to know. In the world of magic, if you make a deal, you really need to stick to it. Very Bad things can happen when you don't, and that's only magnified when one of the two parties has more power."

"So where do we go from here?" Judy asked, taking another sip, the cats slowly encroaching.

"Now?" Ms. Crane said, taking another sip and leaning back, her eyes closed. "Now we take a break. It's been a long day, and Jasper can take you two most of the way home fairly quickly. I think you two have earned some downtime."

---

---

The fire was crackling as Ms. Crane brought us an early dinner. Chicken, rice and steamed vegetables with some kind of sauce. All told it was delicious, despite her screaming curses; Ms. Crane was a great chef.

The cats had mostly vacated the room, though a few still lounged about on whatever surfaces they could find, several clustered by the fireplace. Judy and I were going through villain trivia, using the book as a source of weird or fun information. Ms. Crane was surprisingly forthcoming about her knowledge of some villains past.

"You get to know people in various communities," she said, putting down a second crushed energy drink before finally resorting to drinking something as common as water. "Sometimes unsavory, but that just means the gossip is all the more scandalous."

"Sparkfuse apparently exploded. Twice." I said, a little saddened that there hadn't been some kind of twist at the end.

"Didn't hear anything about that one," Ms. Crane said, leaning back calmly.

Judy pulled the book over to her, and opened a random page. "Oh! They have one here for the Jabberwocky!"

Ms. Crane snorted, "They call it a villain? Poor thing is a child who manifested. From what I know, the kid doesn't even know where he is half the time. However he changed, his brain changed with it, always angry. Anytime you see him doing something sneaky that, just assume someone has his leash".

Judy looked over at her cautiously, "They made action figures of a kid who can't help it?"

Ms. Crane snorted again, "Now, don't go making up my words. I'm saying if they'd handled things better, the Jabberwocky likely wouldn't be the threat he is. As it is, he had to grow up alone and hard, that's enough to make anyone dangerous. Given the number of times he's been caught, he's likely had a lot of chances to get help; I'd doubt he wants it these days." She shook her head. "He's not a monster, just a person with a bad life. GSD will do that to you sometimes..."

Huh, the Jabberwocky, a famed mutant monster was someone with trouble keeping control. Suddenly my little scales seemed a little more apt.

Judy turned to another page, "Oh, here's one! 'Turnbuckle'. Apparently he was a luchador?"

I laughed, "I remember him! He fought the Vigilants once, demanded a one on one show-match." I chuckled, "Cheshire tricked him into falling out of the ring, and took off his mask. He gave up after that."

Ms. Crane was grinning as well, "That's a new name too. Surprised he was so short lived. I wonder why he went with that gimmick?"

Judy scanned through the book again, "Oh, here's one I think we all know. Dybbuk"

Ms. Crane's face seemed to be made of stone as Judy continued.

"Some kind of plague carrier, apparently he's over a hundred years old, possibly more. He keeps popping up every once in a while." Judy shook her head, "What kind of a person just wants to spread diseases? That's just insane."

"A monster." Crane stated, the fire feeling like it had dimmed in her tone. "A monster who thinks the world was supposed to end a long time ago, and thinks he's the one to do it."

I nodded slightly, "Yeah, I remember that one time he said that one the news when they interviewed him in the Vigilants cells. Said he was one of the horsemen of the apocalypse." I shivered a little, remembering the news clipping my dad had shown me. "Apparently he made some kind of announcement, or an announcement was made about him a couple of days ago, I didn't get a chance to read it though."

Looking over, I saw Ms. Crane's face, still made of stone, looking older than I remember her usually looking. "The man is a mutant," She said, almost not paying attention. "With powers over disease... and Magic. He has a knack for combining the two. He is a master curse-speaker, and quite adept at channeling entropic energies and other such foulness…" She looked into the fire, eyes searching. "I assisted in imprisoning him this most recent time he was caught." She looked back at Judy, then myself. "If you see anything about him, you pay attention. If there's even a hint that he's around. You come here right away, or get as far away as possible, whichever is safer." She turned her face to Judy. "Remember what I said downstairs. You don't even want to be touched by tainted creatures like that; it can poison you far more than any disease could."

The room was quiet again, the fire crackled slightly.

"Ms. Crane", Judy asked, respect in her voice. "Were you a hero?"

Ms. Crane chuckled a little, "You're an observant girl Judy, but not too subtle. You're not asking me if I was a hero, you're asking me if I was a villain." Judy flushed a little bit, her lips tightened. "Peace. I wasn't a hero by many accounts, but I also wasn't a villain by many others. I've aided the Vigilants several times, but my concern has always been my charges first and foremost. At first, just my students downstairs, and now you two." She smiled softly. "You won't find me in those books or on the news if that's what you're asking. I preferred not to engage in such things. Especially not these days."

"Why?” Judy asked, seemingly more at ease but curious, her eyes locked on Ms. Cranes.

"Because I'm hunted Miss Judy. I rarely leave this mountain, and when I do, it's only with exceptional preparation. Typically to meet the Kids parents to convince them I'm not crazy or abusing him." She smiled wryly, eyeing Judy. "That was why you came here, isn't it? Seems reasonable. You heard my offer earlier, and you know I would honor either of your choices to leave. What I ask is to help me do something good, without fame or praise, for the good of the world."

Judy was quiet, her mouth a little twisted in thought, eyebrows furrowed. "I said I'd let you know when we get back. I want some time to think about this."

Ms. Crane only nodded quietly, enjoying the fire.

"I think it's about time we get going" I said, finally closing the book and putting it away. "Judy lives further than I do, and her dad will kill her if she comes late."

Ms. Crane got up, and slowly walked us to the door, eyeing Devi. "You take care of him girl, keep him out of trouble." A stray wrapping lifted up, and waved back her acknowledgement. She turned to me. "I put some more message paper in your bag, I'm sure you're running out by now". Judy had stepped outside already, turning back to look at the house. Ms. Crane glanced warily over to her, and then pulled my head down to her level, whispering quietly with a conspiratorial tone. "Kid, I didn't want the newbie to think I was ignorant, but I have to know something." I nodded eagerly.

She looked over to Judy again, then turned back, and whispered again. "Exactly what is a MILF? I've been trying to figure it out all day."

I could feel my face blushing, as I stepped outside, seeing a confused look on her face.

---

---

The three of us made our way past the wall of cats and down the path, the false constellation still glittering on the roof of the cavern, orange and purple hues lit the distant skyline as the colored fires of our students flared their own farewell. We approached a different cavern wall than we'd originated from, facing a much different direction.

Ms. Crane looked to Judy, "Think hard on what you really want. You can still live your life and acknowledge this part of yourself; it'll just take a little effort." She turned to me, and gave me a hug. "Take care of yourself Kid, don't do anything stupid. There are no deliveries for a few weeks, and Judy has your other assignment. After that, I want you to take a break for a while, you've earned it.

That hurt a little, I'd hoped that I'd earned her trust by getting Aeslin under control. I didn't want to take a break; I wanted to keep doing something important! I guess I'd just have to do well on this next assignment before she'd come around.

Another aperture formed in the mountain wall, much like the one we'd entered after jumping off the freight train. Judy and I stepped in, turning back for only a moment to wave goodbye. The stone beneath us rumbled, as though waking up, and began to slowly move. It carried us carefully, as though it were some kind of shipping palette, and we the cargo.

Judy shot up for a moment in surprise, then turned around to Ms. Crane. "Wait, you said you were hunted? Are we in danger?"

I could hear a laugh in the background. "Not at all little Judy. This beast won't be interested in you if you're smart enough not to anger it." The stone door slowly closed, the stone palette began to move. "My hunter is Fate, and I aim dearly to thwart it!"

Faux-mad cackling could be heard as the palette built speed, carrying us down the awaiting tunnel.

---

---

We moved more swiftly down this tunnel than we had the previous one. Small stone ridges forming as we built speed forming a crude safety railing. Judy still seemed a little bit spooked at the cramped quarters, and quickly passing lights, as she turned to me.

"She's hunted by fate? Normally I'd say that's crazy, but then today was today." She said, chuckling, a little gleam in here eye. "So, spill, I can tell you know what she's talking about."

I luxuriated back, putting my backpack behind my head like a pillow, "Oh?" I said weasily, and why do you think I would know anything like that?

"Probably because you decided to break into a kind of crazy thaumaturgist's hidden vault and made a friend" she said, grinning, "now spill!”

I held my expression, looking around the ceiling of the tunnel as though it were intensely interesting, before dropping the charade. "Ok, but I can't tell you much. She never really taught me too much about it, but apparently there's rules to magic." I counted a few off on my fingers before stopping. "I can't really remember most of them, but she mentioned that there are repercussions to breaking the rules."

"Like the deal with Aeslin", she said.

I nodded, "Yeah... I don't think that was what she broke; she's awfully squirrely about it. I sometimes suspect she might just be paranoid or superstitious, but then, what do I know right? It could be real."

Judy sat back, thinking for a moment, the stone pallet coming to a slow halt.

I got up, getting my backpack, and walking to a nearby opening stone opening.

"Thanks Jasper!!" I cried out down the tunnel, joining Judy as we both walked outside, the doorway sealing behind us.

"Hey, you mentioned that name, how come we didn't meet him?" Judy said, before pausing for a moment, then her eyes widened as we looked back at the mountainous peak behind us.

I grinned widely, and nodded.

She pointed back at the mountain, thrusting her finger towards it a few times, intent look on her face.

"Yep", was all I could say.

She looked back at the mountain, a curious look on her face, then a grin as she turned back to me.

"Meet Jasper, one of Ms. Crane's patrons, and the one she thinks is protecting her." I said, jerking my head towards the peak. "He's a good guy from what I've seen, though doesn't talk much. Unless he's trying to, he doesn't extend down this far very often, that's why we had to take the train there." We both began walking back to town, heading in the direction of her home.

"Ok," Judy said, holding her question while she thought about it. "You got to be all quizzical about the important things. You got to scare the hell out of me, and fight a fog-ghost. You even asked me THAT question, which I refuse to answer, because I'm sure it will secretly torment you." She looked at me again. "But you HAVE to tell me why she tries not to acknowledge the cats."

"Oh, that's not secret," I said, a smile on my face. "They aren't her cats."

She eyed me with an eyebrow raised, "You're about to say something weirdly magical and creepy aren't you?"

"How'd you guess?" I responded.

"It's the way today's been going..." she muttered under her breath.

"They aren't her cats. She'll take care of them, and likes them more than she'd admit, but they were kind of forced on her." I looked back to Judy, her face still resigned but questioning. "It just turns out that Jasper likes black cats".

---

---

After walking Judy home, I made my way back. The folks knew that when I was off with Ms. Crane I had a tendency to be out late, accounting for the 'long walk' home. Despite that, my Mom was at home, quietly reading a magazine of some kind, sleep in her eyes. She glanced up as I closed the door behind me, a slight smile on her face.

"We ought to charge that woman overtime," she said, humor in her voice, "Or pay her for babysitting fees; I haven't decided which just yet." She got up and gave me a hug.

"Hi Mom, how was work?” I asked making sure to enjoy the hug as much as possible.

"It was fine Shane, just a little sudden. They had us doing an emergency inventory and setting up a few of the shutdown quarantine rooms". She shrugged a little. "It happens from time to time, I'm sure someone up above decided we weren't working hard enough", she gave me a slight smile, though from knowing her, it looked a little strained.

I let it drop, she’d stayed up just to make sure I got home, I didn't need to pressure her about her already stressful job.

"Judy came with me today." I said, casually.

"Oh?" My Moms face lit up, "And what does she think?"

"She's a little confused, but I think they got along really well."

"That's good to hear, it'll be nice knowing you have someone going out there with you, you know we sometimes worry." she said, slowly climbing the stairs to the second floor, no doubt heading to bed.

"I know Mom, I know, and I love you for it" I smiled.

Before walking into the bedroom, she turned softly and whispered, "Oh! We got news by the way."

Important enough to delay a date with a pillow? Must be important, or juicy. "What is it?" I asked, my voice sharing her drop in volume.

"Ben called, he says he got that job he was going for.", Mom smiled gently. "I'm so proud of him. He's doing very well for himself".

Oh.

She gave me an analytical look, "Have you thought about where you want to apply for college?"

... No... I didn't do too well with hypotheticals like this. "No, I haven't, I've been really busy." I said, a forced smirk look on my face.

Mom nodded, "Well, keep an open mind, it's important to start looking sooner rather than later." she walked in and closed the door behind her.

Brushing my teeth quickly, I re-entered my room, the only light coming from my window as the moon hung low in the sky.

I looked to my scales. Clearing the weights off of them again. The Jabberwocky didn't look so menacing right now. Almost a frightened look on his face... I wonder if I was just seeing things, or just never noticed.

I applied the weights.

Scared Judy before reaching Ms. Cranes: Two weights. The creature dropped somewhat.
Scared her again with Devi: One weight... it wasn't really my fault. The creature dropped again looking clearly beneath the Knight.
Didn't know of Judy's attunement: Two weights
Got yelled at by Ms. Crane: two weights
Fought with Aeslin, more than I'd expected: Two weights. The creature was nearly at the bottom at this point, time to start balancing things out.

Showed Judy the world I'd gotten to live in for the past five years: three weights. The Knight regains sight of his prey.
She and Ms. Crane got along pretty well: Three weights, the Jabberwocky rose off the ground.
I did well against Aeslin and reclaimed 'Kid': Two weights. The knight's presence loomed large in front of the creature.
Judy may be willing to come again...: Two weights. The knight was now winning, though only slightly.

Ben got the job. The Job. He got the job. Ben did.

I held those two weights for a while, uncertain. Eventually I felt a slight tickling along my arm. A small cloth strand living from my hand, slowly plucking both weights, and putting them on the knight's scale. Now clearly the victor.

I simply looked at the scene, unsure.

"You know, you're a clever little snake, aren't you?" I murmured

I slight squeeze was the only response. It was more than enough.

Barely half-awake, I came to consciousness from the vibration of a slamming door and a scene of utter darkness. Had someone broken in? More likely it was just Mom or Dad heading out early, it was still pitch black outside.

I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision, when I realized there were a few lines of gold hiding in the darkness. I felt a quivering all over my head. Reaching up to my eyes, I could feel a slightly course material wrapping around it

"Very funny Devi," I murmured, my own voice dulled to my ears. "You can let go now, the jig is up."

The quivering continued as I felt the pressure lessen only around the sides of my head, a most hateful sound bouncing gaily in my ears. The harbingers of dawn had come, and Devi had sold me out. I groaned and pulled the blankets over my head, it was too early for this kind of garbage.

I could feel Devi slowly coiling off of my head, and moving elsewhere. I doubt she'd have left my arm if I weren't all healed up, so at least I didn't need to worry about that. Then again, if I weren't injured, and she wasn't looking out for me, I wasn't sure where in the house she would go... That actually might be trouble. Trouble for future Shane.

Steadily relaxing, I felt a sudden VERY cold sensation over my legs. I tried to spring away from whatever was causing it, only to find that my legs had been wrapped together, the COLD causing me to clench my jaw and gasp slightly. Throwing the blankets off, I could see Devi had one end of herself dipping into the now rapidly emptying glass of water I had on the stand next to the bed, and the rest wrapping around my legs. A thin layer ring of frost or ice crystals had glittered in the morning sun along the bindings

"GYAH!" My struggles it appeared, was for not. "Ok! I'm getting up! Just stop!!”

The bands weakened, the water draining from the cloth and re-filling the glass. I noticed that Devi hadn't removed 'all' of it, leaving a little as a reminder. On second thought maybe getting elementals to learn to interact in a more human way was a bad plan after all...

I moved my legs over the side of the bed and reached out with my arm, Devi rapidly resuming her serpentine shape, and wrapping it. "Alright you little sneak. Apparently its time for your favorite time of the day," I grumbled with a slight frown, sleep still in my eyes. "I hope you appreciate that it certainly isn't mine"

Heading to the shower, I started it up, and leaned down to let Devi in first. The serpentine spirit smoothly slid from my arm into the shower, looking up to me expectantly. I turned on the spout, smiling despite the hour and my irritation. I may have been lying a bit; having Devi around for the morning wasn't that bad...

As the water fell, Devi coiled around, spinning and twisting, trying to get every part of her struck by the artificial rain, her head always looking directly up to the spout. After a few moments, she lost whatever verticality her body had previously provided, and simply lay in lazy loops, slowly rotating as the water cascaded down. She'd left me a decently large section open as I stepped in. I started going through my routine, pausing only for a moment to let Devi know when I was using the soap or shampoo, at which point, she looked at me with what I guess was irritation before slithering out of the shower. The moment it was all washed away however, she rushed back in, rolling about in the moisture.

I took a few extra minutes to enjoy the warmth before getting out of the shower and getting on with the morning routine, Devi perched, coiled on the countertop. Her head was raised a short distance into the air and lilted slightly, seeming to bask in the humidity. I've seen cats do the same thing in sunspots on a warm carpet; some behavior might just be universal.

Devi was wrapped around my neck as I got dressed and went downstairs. She knew well enough to duck under my shirt and flatten out if someone were down there. Thankfully, there was no-one and a peaceful if dull breakfast was to be my feast of kings. Dad had obviously left earlier, the paper left spread out over the table.

I took a quick glance. Most of it just looked like boilerplate. More politicians saying what we wanted to hear, feasible or not. There was the continuing debate regarding the legalities of MCO policies for extradition of mutants, which might be worth a read a little later. That guy my dad had mentioned was still missing, not that I expected much of an announcement. If they actually did find him, it’d be quietly, unless it involved something spectacular. He must have been loaded though, they had an '800' number set up for any tips. I guess having connections earns you a spot in the paper when you're in trouble?

Let's see... politics, politics, local cat rides the bus every day, human interest piece, a few hardware and home decor stores had been broken into, though not much was actually stolen. People just had too much time on their hands. I guess the allure of a lot of shiny breakable things was too much to pass up.

Oh, this one was interesting, there was some kind of high property damage throw down against the Vigilants in Alberta to the east. I checked through the details, but neither Silver Gear Knight, or someone else I might know was listed as participating. It was too soon to worry about that just yet anyway. I shook my head; losing the worry before looking to see if there was anything else of interest.

Taking another spoonful of cereal, I peeked up. Devi was laying like a noodley lump around the circumference of the table, just sitting there patiently. I poked her lightly, "Anywhere you want to go today Devi? You know the usual rules, but we can go into town if you're up for it."

Devi took a moment to array her head towards me; it bobbed up and down in a slight nod. I know the snake shape was just a facsimile, basically anywhere on Devi was as equally her 'head' as anywhere else, but she still tried to act like a snake. I wonder how much of that was her trying to be relatable, and how much was just inherited from her themed form? Granted, snakes don't nod their head in agreement... to my knowledge. I wonder what she'd think if I took her a pet store? She'd probably just hang out with the fish I guess, maybe meet some old friends.

Taking my dishes to the dishwasher, I cleaned up before heading back upstairs for my wallet and other requirements. I had a day to kill, and a tiny snake-face to entertain. Thankfully, I had somewhere to go for that. Heading downstairs towards the door, I saw a note stuck to the back.


Shane, Your Mom and I will both be out for the day, but we'd like you to be home tonight for dinner. ~ Dad


Huh, usually they didn't have to ask. I wonder what the occasion was? I shrugged, and opened the cuff of my right sleeve, allow Devi to snake (hur hur) her way under the shirt and around my right arm. A single strand curled up and around my neck, just above the neckline. She wasn't going to give up this opportunity to sight-see... I think.

---

---

I locked the door behind me, and made my way towards the city center, a nice cool breeze passed by me as a few of the trees on either side of the street swayed. I would occasionally get a slight pinch on one side or the other of my neck, Devi directing me off the beaten path on occasion to something she was interested in. I didn't mind, it wasn't too often she left Ms. Crane's house; it must be nice to have her own personal steed to carry her around. Although, I'll admit, I wasn't fond of how many fire-hydrants she had me approach, only to insist we stand still for a few minutes before moving on. I wonder if this was part of the ‘acting weird’ thing that Judy had mentioned, maybe she just wanted to feel the water in the hydrants?

"Devi, Could you wrap a little around my hand too?" I asked quietly. There wasn't anyone around, but it wouldn't hurt to be a little more subtle than may be necessary. She swiftly did so with a slight confused squeezing, maybe checking to see if I was hurt. "If there's a core around while we walk, would you let me know? I'd like to check if I can see them yet."

She tightened around my hand for a few moments, a shiver moving up her arm. I could almost 'hear' her hesitation in the rustling of the gauze. We'd done this before and I'd never managed to see anything. The brief image of Judy staring out into the fields of iron and flame as though entranced flashed before my eyes. I grimaced slightly.

"Please? I really want to try again". A strong affirmatory squeezing pulsed along my entire arm. I smiled gratefully, "Thanks."

She directed me a few times, mostly to out of the way corners, a small sewer grate, and nearby an old tree sitting in the middle of a small park. Despite my attempts to look from every corner of my eyes, squinting, blinking, or trying to catch it by surprise, the cores refused to show themselves. I sighed, a little downtrodden. I wasn't expecting that I suppose. I just... I just really wanted to be able to see what Judy and Ms. Crane could see so naturally. It was all well and good to work for a noble cause, but sometimes the victory felt hollow when you could only be told that you were doing good things, rather than seeing them. I think that’s why I liked it when they started imitating back at the house. It was something I could latch onto.

I sat down with my back against the tree, and looked out over the park. Some kids were playing with a Frisbee despite the chill in the air, a few dogs were running around playing, and a couple around my age seemed to be making the most of a nice day, just laying in the grass of a small hill, holding hands and watching the sky.

I bumped the back of my head against the wood of the tree a few times rhythmically, looking at the peaceful scene around me. It was nearly noon and the sun was high, embracing the green and blue of the world. The park was filled with life, enjoying every moment it could. Despite this, all I could see was a field of dancing flames, and the slight sting of disappointment as Judy's voice echoed in my ears 'It's still sad...'.

I was jarred out of that pleasant thought as a bright red disk came hurtling towards my head. Raising my hand quickly and ducking my head for fear of impact, the Frisbee impacted my palm directly as I flinched. It lost spin quickly as I tried to clench it tightly, Devi's wrappings protecting me from a friction burn. Looking up, I saw another speedy approaching object of a very different type. This one covered in fur, drool, and an expression that all things in the world were wonderful. The dog came loping towards me, a big grin on it's muzzle as I held the object of ultimate satisfaction in my hand.

The happy mutt had almost reached me, when it came to a halting stop, tongue now retracting into it's mouth as it stared at my hand, then the Frisbee. It's hackles slowly raised, I could hear the slight vibrations of a growl slowly starting to build. Off in the background, a kid was holding his hands up, gesture for me to pass him the disc, while the other just looked at the dog with a confused expression.

The dog’s growl was getting louder as I got to my feet; throwing the Frisbee towards the gesturing kid. The plastic wobbled slightly as it passed through the air towards it's destination. The dog remained staring at my arm for a few moments, seemingly unsure of what to do, before the dopey grin returned and it barrelled off towards the red floppy disc of happiness.

The kid nearer to me walked up slowly, giving me a quick wave, "Sorry about that, I'm not really sure what got into her, Tess is usually really friendly".

I waved my hand off with a small smile. "No worries, she probably smelled my pet snake on me."

He gave me an odd look before shrugging, turning to head back to his game, "Yeah, I guess that's it. She probably hasn't smelled one before"

I lowered my hand, the smile slipping from my face. A slight worried tension on my arm. Even a dog could tell when there was a core around.

---

---

We took a somewhat winding route, passing through a few various neighborhoods. The only real moment of note was when a lawn sprinkler activated, nearly catching me in the spray, only to have the water halt and fall to the ground as though it had struck some kind of invisible curtain. I could only chuckle as I jogged out of the way of the incoming water. As fun as it might be to have Devi watching my back, I doubt she'd do that a second time. It may have been something that might get us found out, but she didn't mind a little soak, and probably would have thought it was my own fault for being caught twice. Still, it was fun to imagine I was the one doing it, even if only once.

Nearly an hour and a half later, and we'd made it to the city center. Looking off in the distance, I saw a small cluster of cars down the street of the strangely busy comic shop. Devi had other plans however, insisting on heading towards the mall. Urgh. Not exactly my favorite place to go, but as long as I had a tourist, I suppose some sacrifices had to be made.

Entering the mall, I could feel Devi tugging me off to the right, but after thinking back to breakfast for a moment, I turned left. Devi's tugging grew more insistent, trying to lead me back towards the food court.

"Is it time sensitive Devi?" I asked quietly, getting a few glances from people I was passing. "I promise you'll like were I'm heading." Devi's tugging stopped, a light tremor going through her. I nodded slightly, "Don't worry, we'll head back there later, but there's somewhere I want to take you first." An elderly woman looked at me with concerned eyes, shaking her head sadly. I don't suppose I could convince her I wasn't crazy by throwing an origami snake at her, could I?

---

---

Travelling down the hallway for a few minutes, we finally reached our destination. The tugging backwards had stopped, and I could feel Devi start squeezing me tighter in short pulses, tugging me forward. Well, she seemed to think we were heading in the right direction now at least. I stepped forward into the pet-store of the mall.

There weren't as many animals as you might think, in a town this size, they didn't have much of a stock, but they made good business with supplies and feed for people who already owned pets. Odd little trinkets, small cushiony towers for felines and a small variety of horse-care products were present. Despite being a small town, Golden was a tourist location, and there was a slightly higher horse to cat/dog ratio than you'd normally expect.

I walked up to the counter, Devi practically vibrating, I guess in excitement? It was hard to tell, she might also be angry or afraid. I'm going to go with excitement, since she wasn't trying to get me to leave. The counter was staffed by a cute girl around my age, with a short black and purple pixie haircut, accenting delicate features. She gave me a professional smile.

"Hi! My name is Michelle, how can I help you today?" she asked, her voice bouncing as she gesture to her name-tag.

I gestured to the rest of the store, "I'm mainly just window shopping at the moment. I was wondering if you had any fish or snakes?"

One eyebrow raised slightly, then returned to a neutral state, the professional smile still on her face, though a little more fragile now that she knew I wasn't a paying customer. "Sure! We have a couple of snakes, though they aren't all that popular. In terms of fish, we have a few varieties depending on what you're looking for."

"Can you point me towards the snakes first?" I asked, giving her a slight nod.

"Just over there in the corner near the spiders, you can't miss them." She said, pointing, and returning her attention to a checklist on the counter.

I shivered a little, giving a bit of a sour face, "Urgh, ok, thank you."

She looked up, her stare a little harder than I think she intended, "Not a fan huh? A lot of people don't seem to like them, but spiders can be pretty cute once you get to know them."

I shook my head emphatically, "I'm sure they are, I'm just really really not about that life, they freak me out."

She nodded, a quizzical look on her face, "That's fair; I think you'd change your mind if you ever got to hold one though, they're very sweet. It feels like they dance on your hand with little tiny toes", her face was lighting up.

If there were the equivalent of a cat lady for spiders, I was sure I must have just found it.

I gave her an awkward grin, and starting walking to the corner, not really sure how to respond. New people in general had me a bit off-balance, new people who liked spiders? That was just off-putting. It didn't help that she was so cute. If I weren't such a coward, I would probably actually try to have a conversation with her.

As I reached the snakes, Devi's vibrating had reached distracting levels as I used my body as a shield to block the line of sight from the counter, and pulled my right hand out. Cupping it slightly, Devi formed her snake-like head on my palm, looking carefully into the cage... terrarium? I may have to ask, that would bother me later otherwise...

I think Devi was enthralled, she sat almost completely unmoving with an almost Aeslin like quality while staring at the two Ball Pythons. They appeared to be sunning themselves under a pair of lamps in each cage, one had a brilliant yellow-white repeating pattern, and the other had a copper colour with reticulating darker browns. Both had lighter scales on their underbellies.

"See anyone you know?" I asked wryly, a slight grin evident. Devi moved her head to the left and right, as though trying to get a better look at them. One of the pythons seemed to take a break from their basking, and slithered through the artificial terrain, up towards the glass in front of us. It raised it's head until it was level with Devi, and just stared. It wasn’t quite as still as her, but possessed the poise of a predator. "Oh, maybe a old boyfriend?" I asked again, now tinted with a little teasing. Devi continued to remain completely motionless, staring at the other snake. She moved her little snakey snout towards to the glass, bumping up against it lightly. The python on the inside mimicked her actions, lightly bumping the glass.

"Please don't tap on the glass, it might scare them" jostling me as it spoke from behind. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Michelle from the counter walking towards me. She was holding a small container in front of her. I tugged slightly to try to get Devi to pull back into my sleeve, but her head remained where it was, just extending her body so it was now hovering in place.

I made an awkward turn, keeping my right arm (and Devi) behind me. Awkwardly, I kept my left arm behind me as well, hoping to appear in an "at ease" pose. "Hi! Sorry, you caught me by surprise!" My voice was warbling just a little in stress. Michelle's eyebrows knotted slightly in concern, then held the container out to me.

"I thought maybe you might like a chance to-" she was cut off as I emitted a sound I refuse to acknowledge as a scream. I backed away hard, hitting the multiple levels of shelving behind me, getting a sharp pain in my back, but none of that registered at the moment. The only thing that existed in the world right now were those eight fuzzy twitching legs, the octadic eyes staring unblinkingly at me.

Michelle withdrew the container quickly, a worried look on her face as she glanced at the wall behind me. That worried look immediately shifted, as she used her free arm to shove me roughly to the side, frantically looking at each cage that had been on the impacted shelves me. Seeing that nothing had been damaged, she looked down to see a colourful shape withdrawing from near the cage, and sucking up into my sleeve.

She pointed at me harshly, "First off, what the hell was that? It’s just a spider, I'd say she was more scared of you but that's obviously not the case!” Her finger pointed down towards my sleeve "And what the hell was that? Are you trying to hide something?” She glanced again down to the cages to check if they'd been tampered with, seeing a pair of now slightly rattled snakes.

I raised my hands slightly, showing that they held nothing. "I don't know what you're talking about! I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hit the wall, I just... Me and spiders, I just." I sighed and looked down. I'd definitely been startled, and I did NOT want to look in that container again, but I needed her to not be curious, and people tended to avoid awkward situations. I shifted my stance subtly, trying to present the body language of shame or embarrassment. "I just can't handle that sort of thing. I'm really sorry".

Michelle's lip twitched slightly, her eyes remaining locked on mine. A barely professional smile on her face, "Ok. Would you please stay here then? I'd like to make sure nothing was damaged. And if it was, I'm afraid you'll have to pay for it."

Crap, she may have taken 'shame' as 'pushover'. It always came down to the personality of the observer, I just wasn't prepared for this. It says something when you feel less prepared to deal with a pet store clerk than a Syndicate tough. I stood stock still, trying to ease off the body language a little bit, holding my breath and tensing my stomach to force my face to turn a little red. Hopefully it looked more like a blush than a panic attack. Michelle finally finished checking over the cages, seeing no damage or lost serpents, she turned back to me, a little more calm.

"Alright sir, it looks like things are undamaged. Please wait here", she quickly walked back to the employees only door behind her, likely returning the... the thing back to it's cage. I glanced over to the exit. Before, she had taken around five minutes to get the spider and come back; I could probably make it out of here without her seeing me. I took a few steps towards the exit before hearing "A-hem" coming from the employee door. Michelle stood there, no longer holding the container. "It turns out sir, that it’s easier to put a spider back in her habitat than it is to take them out". She gave me a frown.

"I wasn't leaving, I just wanted to walk over to the counter" I lied, making an attempt at an innocent face. I don't think it worked.

"Stand still please," she said, walking briskly up to me, before putting her hands around my right arm at the shoulder, feeling some resistance, Devi collapsed. Michelle raised her eyebrow at this, but worked her way back down the arm, feeling no other bulges or strangeness. "Please roll up your sleeve".

I shifted my weight from foot to foot unconsciously, unfortunately giving me a slightly guilty stance. "Are you sure? I mean, it's not like I'm hiding anything."

She gave me a glare. Yep, she was sure.

"I just really like snakes," I said, as I unsubtly seemed to have trouble with my sleeve up, taking a few moments to roll it up before revealing the now binding-form Devi, sporting her snake-like colouration again. I paused. “I… Really like snakes?”

Michelle looked down at the wrappings, her mouth open slightly. She closed it again, looked at me again warily, "Really like snakes huh?” The air turned awkward between us. "Well... ok... At least there's a lot of artistry here, I guess. Why did I see that when you fell back?"

I gulped a little, "It was coming a little loose at the end here, see?" I gestured at the now slightly loose ends near my hand, Devi obviously picking up on my hint. "I was just re-wrapping it a bit".

She seemed only half convinced, "And it went back up into your shirt how?”

"It's wrapped around my chest too, I just pulled my other arm out and it pulled the wrappings up". That was a terrible lie.

Michelle just looked at me with an impatient expression before rolling her eyes a bit, and brushed her hand hands through the back of her hair. "Look, there's no harm done, and I'm sorry if I accused you of anything, but you have to admit, it was a little extreme.", She gave an irritated smirk, “the snakes are a little rattled, one of them was just hugging up against the glass, so I'm going to have to ask that you not bother them anymore today." She put the hand on her hip, and looked at my face again, her expression quizzical but darkening slightly. "You didn't say your name, did you?”

That didn't sound good. "Uhm, its Shane."

Michelle nodded slowly, a slight look of comprehension on her face, "Lemaire, right?”

Wanting to know my last name too, yep I think I know where this is going. "Yeah, Lemaire".

"Ooookay", she drawled, a frustrated look on her face. "So technically, I can't ask you to leave the store, but please leave."

I wasn't surprised, a little frustration boiling up in the back of my mind. "Ah, like that huh? I take it you know Neil then."

"Yeah, he’s an old friend of mine.” She paused, her expression softening slightly. “Look, you’re kind of weird, but don’t seem crazy. I don’t agree with most of the stuff he’s said, but he sometimes stops in here and I don’t need that kind of drama. Just leave without a fuss, and try being a bit more subtle about… whatever you’re doing. I won't bother bringing it up." she said, pointing to my arm. "I have a theory, but whether my guess is right or not wouldn't matter, and you know it. If you really want to see the snakes again, I don't work evenings; feel free to come back then."

I slowly nodded. "Yeah... I get it. Sorry for the trouble."

She tilted her head, pausing for a moment, before shaking it and flicking her thumb back towards the entrance. She walked back to the counter, and looked down at the sheet she'd been working on when I walked in. Her eyes stayed completely still, not even pretending to be reading. I beat a hasty retreat back to the mall proper.

That could have gone a lot better, but on the other hand, she didn’t judge me right away on whatever Neil had been telling her. That either meant he had been calming down since I last saw him, or she was just a nicer person.

As we made it back into the hallway, I felt Devi moving along the back of my neck, gathering mass there for a moment before retracting. Not really sure what that was about. I looked back to Michelle, who was now staring openly at me with mouth agape. I doubled my pace, slowly rubbing the part of Devi covering my hand, the texture a little calming. I didn't have a box, I really should have asked for a box.

"Did enjoy your visit at least?" I asked, my voice a little tense. Devi tightened hard several times, and then held the tension for a good ten seconds before stopping. I smiled a little. At least one of us had a good time. "We'll go again later, I promise."

We made our way away from the store of awkwardness and spider ladies, and towards the food court.

---

---

There were surprisingly few of the usual crowds that I'd try to duck in the mall today, there must be some kind of meeting or something. I picked up a Coke and a small chicken rice bowl before finding a nice isolated seat. Around this time, I'd normally be perfectly happy to be listening to music and people-watching, but I had an unfortunate tendency to break my phones, be it by my actions or others. I just wish I could say it was only elementals that had done it.

Eating slowly, I looked over the various tables in the open food-court. Neon signs glowed with intensity, the steam and smell of cooking food lingering in the air; the subdued roar of life resounding. Devi had not so subtly poked a formed head out my sleeve again, likely getting a better perspective of the room.

"That's what life is Devi," I said, continuing to eat. "Ships moving from place to place, everyone with their own little stories. They pass; they collide, or don’t know the others exist." I swallowed another mouthful of rice. "Sometimes I wonder if we're doing you all a favor trying to get you used to this. I don't know how it works with elementals, but sometimes history is a bit of a curse." Devi looked up at me, before resuming looking around the room. I wasn't even sure that she understood what I was saying. It didn't matter. Devi wasn't a person, but that also meant she wasn't one of those ships. She was a part of the ocean.

I put down the chopsticks and rubbed her head slightly, she seemed to lean into it. "You know how surprised I was when I learned that some elementals just... undo themselves? Like... just returning back to the world you came from?” I shook my head looking down at the little snake again. "Is it because you finished what you're supposed to? Or is it just a natural thing? And now do you know what you’re ‘supposed’ to be?

We sat like that for a while, just soaking in the sights. Devi tried (drank? absorbed?) some of my Coke, despite knowing she wouldn't like it. I ended up making a minor spill, but it was always funny watching her try to expel the stuff. She'd jerk her head slightly as though sneezing, her head discorporating into individual strands on each ‘sneeze’.

Intellectually, I knew she didn't need the motions to do any of that. But I'm pretty sure she means to. What I said earlier isn’t true. She isn't human, but Devi's a good person.

After taking in the sights, I disposed of my used food ware and headed towards the exit. On my way out, I could see a familiar flash of purple in a pixie cut. Michelle was glancing around at the intersection of two hallways, head on a swivel as though searching for someone. I calmly walked towards the nearest store-front, ducking in the door. Glancing back down the hall, I saw Michelle smile prettily, after looking off to the side, obviously finding who she was looking for. Well, at least it wasn't me, a follow-up might have been awkward. She seemed reasonable enough, spiders notwithstanding. She walked forward, her arms raised out, into the welcome smiling embrace of Judy.

Oh. Well, there might be more awkward in the future… I really wish past sins would stop haunting me.

Everything that could have possibly gone wrong, and every possible way it could get worse slowly percolated in my mind, whirling into a small maelstrom. There were far too many thoughts, far FAR too many thoughts. That could have gone worse. That could have gone a LOT better. If Judy likes her, I’ll need to stay out of the way, or find some way to make things better. I just needed something to snap me out of this whirlwind, to stop thinking about it, I just nee-

I looked up, and saw I was in the lingerie & clothing store, Nancy looking up at me with a wide grin on her face, she curled her finger towards me, and I approached slowly in a daze.

"Did she find them? What did she say? You have to give me details!" she paused, a conspiring look on her face, "Or are you here for someone else? Hmm? Maybe someone a little more ‘personal’?” She took on an evil impish grin, face consumed by a smile.

Nope.
Nope-nope-nope-nope-nope.
Nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-nope.

I felt my face heat as I spun a quick 180, turning out of the store and walking mechanically towards the mall's exit, the sound of bellowing laugher trailing behind me.

---

---

So that happened. By the time I recovered, I was nearly halfway to the comic shop. The downward spiral of my previous fears completely consumed by the downward spiral of the next time I'd have to go to that store. Likely in the company of Judy. Likely in the company of Judy who would tag-team me with Nancy. Maybe even Michelle. How does this keep happening?

The parking lot was still packed, surprisingly so. There must be some kind of event going on here. As I made my way inside, the bell announced my entrance. Off in the back, a small table had been set up with a number of people sitting, discussing something intently. Maybe a card tournament? Other customers either lingered on the periphery, or milled about, looking at various items on the shelves. Callum was no longer loafing, apparently having hit his quota. A small line occupied almost all of his attention near the till. Looking up, he gave me a quick nod before returning to his business.

I approached the table, lingering on the edges. I wasn't waved away, so it obviously wasn't a private event. Some kind of debate was going on, the arguments flipping between dispassionate and conviction.

"You have to admit that Cheshire's stealth would give her the clear advantage in the old group. You can't defend yourself from an attack you can't see coming." The first speaker, a lanky man in a blue shirt said.

"I admit the tactical advantage of stealth, but I again an attack of that manner would never be able to penetrate the knight's armor. Not unless she was allowed to bring in gear outside of her normal kit, which is outside of what we're talking about." said the second speaker, a young tanned man in a black and silver Gear-marked shirt, classy.

"Fine, but are we basing this on standard kit, or any kit at all? Keeping in mind that we shouldn't be counting the kit brought in by the new blood." Blue said.

"I'd make the argument that no kit at all would negate a fair number of the original Valiants. They didn't have any energy wielders back then, something they needed; but I regret them gaining." Gears replied.

There was a slight muttering around the crowd, the debate resuming. I approached one of the nearby lingerers, getting their attention. "What's going on? Some kind of debate?"

"Yeah, apparently there's been some talk of a large number of the Valiants mobilizing." the person said, shrugging. "This kind of thing comes up every once in a while, people take turns talking about who they're fighting or who would win between them. Personally I think half of them come for the arguments, and the other half comes for the doughnuts the owner provides."

I nodded. Preying on nerd’s love of both minutia and free food would be a great way to attract customers. Callum may seem lazy, but he knew his stuff a lot of the time. The debates had continued in my absence, I listened in again.

And I'm telling you that Darkley was just the backup support, his gear was only what the others could provide. He is only really applicable when facing people his powers work on, IF he had any, having a codename doesn't mean you're a mutant." Gears had been saying. Blues nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yes," Blues continued, "That's fair, the number of actual fights he was involved in was miniscule, and he's long since retired. Just like the Hare after the incident with the Jabberwocky." He paused for a moment, looking around the room as though everyone had just manifested. "Did anyone else have anything to bring up before we start discussing some of the villains?"

A hand in the crowd raised, a younger kid who seemed to be here with his dad, the both of them having a slight grin on their faces. I suppose the family that nerd together...stays together? I'll have to work on that one.

Blues pointed to the kid, who lowered his hand blurting out in the somewhat squeaky scratchy voice of puberty "How come you keep referring to some of them as new blood?” Everyone in the room stared at the kid like he'd just taken stupid pills. The kid looked around, a little more nervousness creeping into his voice. "Like, I mean, I know they're different people, and it's probably just a time thing, but is there some sort of cut-off? Like when they joined?”

"Ah!" I blurted out, before realizing I'd just made enough noise to draw the attention of a room full of individuals likely far more knowledgeable than I was. "Uh... I mean... I think maybe he doesn't know about the original team pre-consolidation." I drifted slightly further back, wishing the air could swallow me.

Gears nodded sagely, "Good point." He turned to the kid, "The Valiants that you know actually started as individual heroes. After one of the first Jabberwocky attacks, they decided to start pooling their resources.” He pointed up towards a similar printing of the poster in my bedroom, currently hanging on the wall. "Most of them barely survived that encounter. The media had named the villain Jabberwocky, due to some artistic license, his red eyes, and his unique form of invulnerability. "

Blues nodded at that, taking the stage, "The original team was called The Carolers, both because the conflict took place near Christmas, and because having 'slain'", the voice sneered slightly, "The Jabberwocky, they chose their identities as aspects of the works of Lewis Carroll. These are the ones we refer to as the originals, as the surviving members of that team eventually formed the core of the Vigilants." He paused, adding a bit of drama to his performance, "Most of them have retired, either due to complications with their abilities, injury, or age. The oldest operating original is probably the Silver Gear Knight", he nodded to Gears.

There were some chuckles around the room. I admit to joining them. I may have liked a lot of the Valiants, but basing all of your hero identities off of Alice in Wonderland and the like just didn't have staying power. Most of them kept the names, but the new team had earned more respect in the Hero'ing community.

The kid had a confused look on his face as he stepped back with his dad giving him a quick hug.

I turned to leave, my curiosity sated. As I did, Gears raised his hand, bringing relative silence back to the room as he looked around. "Let's get the quick ones out of the way. Omen won't be discussed because it's only actually engaged once, during the sinking of Sirius base. It only kind of shows up when things go sideways. Real information is basically non-existent. It’s not worth debating." He ticked off a finger, "The Knave is now reformed, and we already spoke about him and his sister when discussing the new blood." He turned to look around the room ominously as the tinkling of a bell signalled my exit. "We begin our discussion, with the Dybbuk…"

---

---

It was beginning to push towards late afternoon when I’d finally left the store. Probably a safe bet to start heading home if the folks wanted me home for dinner in good time. Turning the corner sharply, I nearly walked into someone standing there, staring at me. “Excuse, me, sorry.” I said, muttering before looking up, my jaw unconsciously clenching when his face registered. Neil.

He was about a head shorter than me, but was quite built. Wearing a tight t-shirt and jeans he cut an intimidating figure, despite being shorter than me. Dusty blond hair covered a freckled face and hard brown eyes, an offset nose spoke of a previous break that hadn’t healed properly. His previously calm face betrayed itself slightly, a grimace covering it for but a moment before vanishing.

"Oh, it's you" He said calmly, tension hidden behind it. "I didn’t expect to see you. Probably should have, I heard they were having a mutant talk after all."

My jaw was now very consciously clenching, the hand in my pocket tightening to a fist, Devi tensed as well.

"Yeah, I came just for that. Now I'm heading home." I said, my tone a bit dead, trying to force my face to go slacken, I could feel a pressure in my chest, like something was trying to break out of my ribcage. It had started the moment I lay my eyes on him, growing over time.

"Really... You’re not causing trouble just because of someone’s opinion then? I’m sure they have a lot of nice things you might accidentally break on your way out." he stepped to the side a little, blocking my immediate way past.

I stepped back a bit as he followed, Devi continuing to tighten. I could feel some strands coming loose near my sleeve, ready to lunge out. I clutched at my right arm, trying to keep her from doing anything. "No, after what happened, I think we both figured out how that goes.” I tilted my head slightly, words now slightly sputtering as I tried not to hold my distaste in. “Are you here to give them your vital opinion? Or just knock them around when they disagree?"

Neil balked at that, anger on his face. “Like you’re any better? I may have made a mistake when I had that little fight with Colin, but you crossed the line.” He jabbed his finger at me. “Fuck your self-righteous bullshit. You could have stopped all that before it even started.”

I could hear my heart beating faster, but oddly I could barely feel anything but that pressure in my chest, I pulled my fists out, keeping them prone by my hits. My eyes narrowed. “You sent him to the goddamn hospital you malignant shit. He left town because of you.”

His pointing finger jabbed me several times in the chest, the temptation to grab it and snap it back was high. It would be so easy…

His finger jabbed me again, counting off the points. "First. I didn’t hurt him that badly. He was just a whiny shit. Him leaving was just bad timing." he growled, anger on his face. "Second, need I remind you of all the bullshit you've pulled? Just because you have a freak parent doesn’t mean you can act like a little sociopath” he jabbed me a final time “Third. He may have interfered, but you hit my little brother. Nobody does that and gets away with it. Ever." He straightened, now pointing at my face from chest height. “Don’t bother trying to rewrite history. Between the two of us, everyone knows who the villain is here.”

That pressure was getting stifling, spreading up to my throat. It was getting harder to breath; my fists were aching from clenching so hard, my heartbeat still thundering out. ‘Now’ it said. ‘He deserves it now’. I stood stock still, forcing my limbs to remain unmoving as I stared back into his eyes, straightening up to loom over him. "Things got out of hand. I'm trying to do better. I hope you know that." I said; voice harsh but kept low with effort. “But if you think I’m going to let you talk your bullshit without repercussions, you’ve got another thing coming.”

He’d begun to draw back an arm, violence clear on his face when a car nearby started up, engine running softly as headlights turned on, cutting our silhouettes onto the brick wall. Neil kept looking up to my face, glancing at the car for a few moments, before looking back to me, not flinching at all. Finally he snorted, gritting his teeth "Whatever. Get back to your fucking family. Just stay away from me and mine. You’ve caused people enough trouble." He sidestepped steadily and walked into the store.

Once he was out of sight, I began trembling. I stood still, trying to catch my breath, learning against the wall with one hand. I watched as the car that had halted our little standoff as it slowly turned and drove away, the driver’s face vaguely familiar, a hint of red hair.

The pressure hadn’t left my chest. If anything, the tremors in my body had just let it know there was an outlet. My heart still pounding, I walked quickly to the nearest public garbage can. Leaning on it heavily, I pulled my fist back and struck it as hard as I could. ‘GONG’. I struck again, and again each time letting out the mimicked sound of a tolling bell. It was barely helping, the can not even denting. I leaned over again, coughing, feeling like I could retch. How much of that was the smell of the garbage, and how much was my own bile was a difficult question to answer. Spitting slightly, trying desperately to lose the taste, I kept breathing hard, gasping as my heart still thumping out of control.

It took a few minutes, but finally I was able to think clearly. Devi wrapped herself around my chest and fist, likely trying to figure out what was wrong.

I walked home, taking the back roads where available, not wanting to be seen. A shivering wind blew past me, as the slowly darkening sky was lit in hues ethereal. My hands were still trembling. It wasn't just fear. I'd had men point their guns at me. It wasn't just anger, a companion for many years. It wasn't just remorse, which would have left me unmoving and despondent. Instead, my chest was filled with something of a mixture of them all, and the pressure to take action.

It was hatred. Blazing. Hatred with the edge that begged to be used. It was times like this that I remembered my scales, and figured maybe the Jabberwocky had a point.

---

---

I got home, the pressure in my chest still intense. Mom and Dad could be heard puttering around the house in their relative domains. I quietly made my way upstairs and washed myself up. Dad likely already knew I was here if he wasn't tinkering, and Mom would hear the sink. I lay on my bed for a few minutes, trying to control my breathing, I needed to do something. Ms. Crane’s meditation lessons coming to mind.

In... Out... In... Out...

Some shit just follows you.

We'd only been thirteen. Making stupid mistakes like we’re meant to at that age. He’d been cruel, hating me for my family, for my dad’s eyes. For Ben. He probably learned it from his family, but that was no excuse. I hadn’t been a fighter; I hadn’t aspired to be a knight. I was larger, and it would have been easy, but I wasn’t one to escalate directly. Instead, I tormented him in a thousand thousand small ways. All hidden, all anonymous.

Gum in his lock, a torn umbrella, unknown liquid put in his shoes. Things that would ruin someone’s day repeated over the course of months. The entire time he never apologized or repented, like my idiot child-brain thought he would. Instead he just got worse.

Finally he snapped, and not having a target, he made one. He’d jumped Colin in school between classes, justifying his actions with Colin’s demeanor towards him. He got detention; Colin got a trip to the hospital. It had only been for a week, but Colin had come back covered in bandages and fear in his eyes.

I don’t know if Neil was to blame, but each day, Colin would come back, wearing more bandages. I never thought even Neil would do that. If I ever found out he did, I wouldn’t have stopped when I did.

Colin was gone, his family moving away. They didn't stay because of what happened. Fighting was supposed to be wrong. But not doing it seemed far worse.

It was my fault; I could have stopped it at any time, so I found him. I made him hurt. His little brother tried to stop me, I hadn’t been thinking clearly, and he got hurt too. I hadn’t meant it. I hadn’t meant to be the monster.

I lay on my bed, staring at the poster, seeing the knight and the monster. It’s weird how who you are can change over time. It’s weird how you can’t always know you’re the one wearing armor.

I felt Devi squeezing me, wrapping around my head, trying to help with a hurt that wasn’t physical. It brought back a memory. Snow in the ravine, glistening in the moonlight. A grinding sound, a black cat, and a soft voice speaking kind words. The first steps towards redemption, towards being a better person..

Coolness entered my mind, and my thoughts and worries faded for a time.

---

---

I woke up some hours later. Devi was wrapped around my head, and down around my torso, giving off steady heat and a soothing vibration. I suppose this was what it was like for children when they fell asleep in the car. I brushed along Devi's surface, feeling the texture.

"Thanks... I needed that", I mumbled. "It's good to have you here, I'm sorry to put this on you".

The light rumble was the only response.

"Devi... I don't know if elementals believe in things. I'm sure you do in some way, maybe even the same way." I paused for a few moments. "Do you think things happen that are supposed to? Do you think we can change what we are?"

The light rumble continued, a light brushing feeling on the side of my face. I smiled.

"Yeah... I'm not sure either." I continued brushing, enjoying the embrace.

"Devi?" I asked again, my voice choking a little, "Could you not tell Ms. Crane about this?” A slight quivering but singular squeeze was the response. Probably confused, but accepting. I smiled, a few tears rolling down into Devi's wrappings. Tomorrow could still be a better day.

---

---

On hearing the call, I made my way down the stairs; Devi remained, dangling from the ceiling fan. I'm sure she thought she was being clever, preparing to surprise me again... Actually she'd be right, I have no idea how she got up there.

Mom and Dad were sitting at the table together, a veritable feast prepared; the smells had been evident all the way from the second floor. My mouth watering, I weaved my way past chairs, and sat down in my typical spot. Something seemed a bit off though; there was a lot of food, and an extra plate on the table. Who could-

"Hey Bro", a jovial voice stated from the next room.

I looked over seeing a tall figure standing there, his yellow eyes glowing softly in the dark. Ben.

"It's good to see you again" he continued, a big smile on his face as he sat at the table, my parents both grinning at their little surprise, glad to have the whole family home and proud of their eldest. "Normally I'd be at the compound, but we've been mobilizing for some hush hush stuff recently." He made a comedic muscle-flex pose, "So what do you think of the newest member of the Vigilants?"

"What's wrong?" Ben continued, walking over and looming above me. "Too star-struck to give your favorite big brother a hug?"

I jumped to my feet and wrapped my arms around him. "You're my only big brother", I muttered, a slight smile on my face. "And I was just wondering why you weren't in spandex." He held the back of my head, slapping my back roughly in a patented "guy hug". I stepped back and got another look at him. His brown hair was still cut short like when we were kids, and his face was for the most part the same, uneven stubble decorating his chin. Being over eight feet tall with glowing yellow eyes was definitely different though. I was too used being the same height and staring into echoes of my own same blue eyes...

Ben hadn't exactly been a common sight around the house for some time. He'd manifested as a mutant around eight years ago, and had all but vanished from our lives. At first, it was because my parents thought it best to send him off to some fancy school because of his 'special gifts'. After that, it was college overseas, then training with the Vigilants as a potential recruit for over a year. Adapting to the fact that he'd gone my near duplicate to an eight foot goliath with a honed physique, glowing yellow eyes and a genius IQ wasn't exactly easy... At least he had trouble with it too; I remember his stories about how his eyes would scare him if he went near mirrors late at night.

I sat back down as Ben took his seat across from me. Mom and Dad both looking to him, smiling. "Well bro, you might've been able to see it if you weren't such a lazybones earlier.” Ben said, reaching for his first serving. "I had the tights on earlier, but put it away for now." He grinned, "I'll be in and out for the next week or so though, so you might see me in them again. Maybe even tag along at some point." He leaned in close, with a faux whisper, "You should totally get one... I hear the ladies love'm".

Mom rolled her eyes, my Dad trying to hide a slight smirk. I suspect that little joke had started the in other direction, embarrassing Ben. He was always the type to 'own' things that got to him. I gave a light chuckle while trying to hide my wince. Wearing the suit of a hero wasn't an option for me. "So what're you doing in our neck of the woods?" I asked, "I would have thought that they'd keep you close to home for the first year or so. And how was your training? Did you meet any of the big names?" I paused for a few moments, eyes widening, "Did you meet the Knight??”

"Oh, normally that'd be true," he said, filling his mouth with food as the rest of us served ourselves. "but in this case, they're sending all the potentials and active members out across a couple of provinces. Sort of setting up a net for-", Dad hit him with a glare. "For something important. I'm just in town since they knew I'd be familiar with the place." He rolled his eyes and sighed a little, the grin returning as he eyed the next thing on his plate, "On the downside, it means that they've got me setting up a reporting station in the old MCO station downtown and a few other errands of course." He paused to take another bite.

I blinked at that. Golden had what could charitably be called an MCO office. It was mostly a disused floor of an office building, typically just used for storage, or the occasional flare-up during tourism season. The town was small enough that an active presence wasn't exactly required. If the Vigilants were setting something up in there, it meant the two groups were co-ordinating, and a ‘net’ might imply a search..."Does this have something to do with that throw down in Alberta yesterday?" I asked; a little irritated that he hadn't answered my other questions. I might only be two degrees from the Knight!

Ben eyed Dad, who was continuing to give him a bit of a side-eye. "Uh, I'm afraid I'm going to have to plead ignorance on that one bro." Ben gave me smile, "I wouldn't worry though. Anything happens around here, and I'll be around to deal with it". Taking a small piece of chicken, a bright yellow light formed at the tip of his finger, incredibly thin, as he used his power to slice the chicken finely "Take that, fowl villain!” Show-off…

"Did you get training for that one?” I asked wryly.

My Mom and Dad both groaned, Ben looked up with glee on his face. "The excuse? Or the chicken? Both were pure me!" He said, grinning, "The official training courses actually suggest not making or using old one-liners. Apparently they have a tendency to backfire, or get outdated quickly." Ben replied, shrugging lightly, still continuing to eat. I snorted lightly at that. That did sound a lot like the Ben I used to know.

The larger than average amount of food on the table now made sense then I guess. He'd never let me see it, but Ben once told me that a few of his mutant classifications led to him having to eat a whole lot. I guess Mom and Dad must have had warning that he would be arriving a day or two ago to prepare.

"So, I heard you might be looking for a college to attend," Ben ventured. I stifled a groan. "You know, the Vigilants have a mentoring program for some of our operations guys. Have you ever thought of getting a job there? I'm sure I could put in a good word for you."

The food in my mouth suddenly lost a lot of it's flavour. "I'd thought a little about it," I said, stifling my reactionary response. "I haven't really decided what I want to do yet to be honest." I looked down, suddenly intent on my food. Ben was special, a hero now. Just handed to him because of a flip of the coin. Must be nice to offer aid to the little people.

Ben's mouth twitched a little before returning to his slight grin. Having a brother with both enhanced eyesight and IQ wasn't fun. I hoped he wasn't good at reading body language. "Well, if you ever want to talk about it, or anything, you just let me know alright? I can't leave my little bro in the wind. We can hang out sometime this week, eh?"

I nodded my head in a non-committal fashion. I loved Ben, but he sometimes hurt to be around. Loving him just made that little nugget of spite all the more blatant to me, and sting just a little more distracting. "Yeah, maybe. I have a lot of stuff to do, but let me know what times are good for you, and I'll see if I can make it." He nodded, a calculating look in his eyes before returning to his food.

We continued our meal in relative silence, some light conversation between my parents and Ben filling in the gaps.

When I'd finished, I gathered the used plates from the table, leaving Ben's, as he was still using it. Putting things away, I came back to the table, and gave Ben a hug from behind, patting him on the shoulders. "It's good to see you Ben. I'm happy for you, you really got where you wanted to be huh?"

Ben turned his head, smiling. "Yeah, this is pretty much my goal. Now I just need to figure out what next." He laughed lightly, my parents still watching him with pride.

I nodded, starting to turn away, when he continued. "Oh hey, I heard Judy got to see that Crane lady. Think that means I can finally visit?" I winced a little bit at that. "Not meaning to pry," he continued, "I just want to meet the lady who's been helping my little bro out."

I half-turned, continuing to the stairs, "I'll have to ask her, Judy was a bit of a unique case, but you never know!" I said, my cheeks hurting from the forced smile. Ben continued his conversation with my parents as I climbed the stairs, and creeped back into my room, the smile wiped from my face.

A sudden weight and the ruffling of parchment resembling a 'hiss' greeted me, as I let out with a light "EEP". The sound was very slight, barely noticeable to be honest. I obviously remembered she was up there; my reaction was entirely for Devi's benefit of course...

Devi wrapped around my neck like an adorable scarf, and resumed the little rumbling she'd been making earlier. I guess she was hoping I was feeling better. I closed the door behind me, and booted up the computer, trying to wrap my head around today. I kept gently stroking Devi's head as she lay about me. She must have been having a good time on her little vacation, she wasn’t... no, actually, she was usually this clingy. But normally she wasn't this expressive. I wonder how they would react if I brought her down with me, if they'd be as proud or interested.

I shook my head bitterly, Ms. Crane would kill me, and worse I'd have broken a promise.

As the computer booted up, I pointed to various points on the monitor, and computer components, commenting to Devi a vague explanation as to how it all worked. It was incredibly unlikely that she understood any of it, though she perked up when I mentioned both that it ran on electricity, and that some computers were water-cooled.

"By the way Devi," I said a warning tone in my voice, remembering. "You're going to have to be careful while you're here now. My brother Ben is visiting, and he's pretty sharp, he might notice you." Devi extended herself again, wrapping around my neck in another loop. Likely she had no idea what that meant, but she was a clever snake, I'm sure she'd figure it out.

The game booted up, and my screen filled with the keep in which I'd last logged out. My eyes lit up when Colin's friend icon indicated that he was online, active, and in combat near me. I grinned as I entered a world where I would come to the defense of my friend. I entered the world of GEO.

---

---

Turning my head to the right, I could see Colin's character staring harshly down the bleak hallway of our home fortress, cruel spines and crevices dotted the walls, allowing for subtle stalking or killzones in case of an attack. It appeared that had been what had been going on, as the bodies of both none player characters and player characters littered the ground in front of us, blood staining the walls.

Looking down to Colin's much smaller character, I saw he still eschewed his bow, and had continued to use his dual swords, little claw-like attachments spiking off his gauntlets. The dragon motif on his helmet was dented slightly from combat, and the character was breathing hard. Looking down at myself, it appeared I'd seen some combat as well, gore splattering across my shield and halberd, small nicks scattered all over.

"Hey! Pay attention!" Colin snapped, twirling his blades idly. "Don't go back to that crafting stuff, I need you here".

I had my character nod slightly, decked in heavy plate armor; it made a rough rattling sound. "I wasn't planning on it, what's happening, and how can I help?"

Colin's character's head snapped to me, holding still for a moment. "Shane? Oh man, I'm glad you're here. I've had to deal with your NPC for the past two hours, he's almost as dense as you are, kept wandering off to work on his crafting." He gave a light backhanded punch to my breastplate, the metal gonging lightly. "Good to have you back in the lands of the 'living' he said, a grin likely hidden behind his helmet.” Haven't managed to catch up with you for a good while now, you doing alright?"

I nodded again, keeping an eye on the hallway, "Yeah".

His head returned to looking at me, staying quiet. "Well, no, you're not. Otherwise you'd be talking my ear off." He gestured towards the hallway, backlit torches casting the silhouettes of approaching figures coming around the corner. "We can talk about that later though. We're under siege, and this is the last hallway before they reach the objective." He readied his sword. "You suck at this game, but you know what you do best. We hold them here, and keep the artifact safe. The bossman says it's important." He stepped nimbly behind me.

I grinned despite myself. Colin wasn't being mean, he was being fair. And in this case I knew exactly how to be helpful. It turns out that when you're invading an enclosed area, dealing with a wall of armor and spikes was unpleasant. Dealing with a polearm and shield wielder doubly so. Dealing with a polearm wielder when he had a high level Player killer hiding behind him? That was a recipe for a bad time.

I raised my shield and propped my halberd on one of it's hooks, letting the weight rest, readying for the steady cadence of attack and counterattack. The silhouettes came into view, what looked like a warrior with a greatsword, some form of caster, and a thief of some kind. I snorted; Colin didn't need me for this... Still, it wasn't often I got to play GEO with such stacked odds.

I marched slowly in a deafening gait, metal crashing as my steps echoed down the hall, the heroes looking straight at me. I grinned a little as my character's giant imposing figure, clad in dark plates, spikes, and the gore of their friends marched forward, massive weapon pointed at them. Time to let my nerd flag fly. I boomed out in my most intimidating voice.

"Blood and bone, spirit and stone, know that you are far from home." I quickened my pace, closing the gap. I don't think they expected either another guard, or one that took up so much of the hallway by himself. Colin remained behind me, matching his footsteps with mine, hiding their sound with my clashing.

I continued, "Now a choice, you must make, to flee and run, or die and break."

The mage finally spoke up, "He's just another player, just get around him, and we can get to the artifact!"

I continued marching, moving slightly to the left, getting close to one of the kill-crevices. "Though you've seen, and done the math, you don't account-". The thief rushed towards me, ducking off to my now open right-side, using the crevice for extra room to maneuver around, going for the backstab. They were was almost immediately impaled on Colin's twin swords, and shoved deeper into the crevice, sharp spines lining the walls awaiting the body. "- the Wyvern's wrath"

Colin, now in sight, flourished his blades again, fixing his eyes on the two remaining combatants. He set one sword into a reverse grip, and roughly ran it over his legplate. Sparks leapt, and the alchemical substance coating his sword burst into black flames, steadily devouring the torchlight. Flourishing his swords again, the fire exploded from one blade to the other, now twin pyres of darkness dancing in the rapidly dimming room.

I could hear a voice echoing down the hall quietly, "The Ebon Wyvern..."

With that, the rough sounds of feet slamming into the ground echoed down the hall. Colin's swords were barely visible as they fluttered through the air. I rushed forward myself, using my bulk to press the attack against large opposing soldier.

With a mighty crash, my charge came to an end, the shield suffering a heavy impact as my opponent began glowing with a divine light, his sword's blaze burning away Colin's darkness. He pulled his greatsword back, and made a mighty lunge towards Colin. I slid in, interjected myself, using the shield to absorb most of the blow. I quickly threaded the point of the halberd between his two legs, twisting harshly, before committing to a full body-slam. Steel clashed on steel, as his leg caught on the jagged back-hook of the polearm, forcing him to the ground. There was yelling in the background, but my primary focus was on this soldier.

I attempted to kick down on the joints of his legplates, while bringing the spike at the end of the halberd's handle down, using it's weight like a hammer. The soldier kicked at my leg, unbalancing me, forcing me to lose my footing. We both slowly rose from the ground. I was about to try for a spearing attack when he raise his sword high, the light doubling it's blaze, before bringing it down.

The gleaming sword blasted through the heft of my shield, detonating more than half of it into a small storm of shrapnel. I nearly fell back to the ground, dropping the remains of my shield, and two-handing the halberd. I backed off, as the light dimmed from his sword. Good, that meant he might only have a limited number of times he can do that, assuming it wasn't cooldown based.

I quickly reached down to my quick-item belt with my temporarily unused shield-hand, and ripped a small pouch from it, hurling it at my opponent. Seeing the attack coming, he deftly swatted the bag to the side, letting it impact harmlessly against the wall next to him. It's just unfortunate that it hitting him wasn't necessarily the objective.

Black mist exploded from the wall, enveloping my opponent in a tenebrous cloud. I bent my knee, gripping the halberd tightly, hissing harshly before thrusting both myself and the point the halberd forth, using my armor's weight to provide penetrating power. The tip launched into the darkness, and I heard a metallic 'CLANG' followed by a pained grunt.

I pulled back on the halberd, attempting to repeat the maneuver, when it caught on something. The blazing light spilled forth, again, disbursing the dark cloud. The golden figure loomed over me, overlapped by a spiritual aura. He held the head of my halberd in one gauntlet, his other arm bleeding, but maintaining a grip on his greatsword. My eyes widened. He was strong, I wasn't sure I could take him.

"So you're the Wyvern's wall." I heard his voice echo through the helmet. "I'd expected a little better. I assume the goal is to be as intimidating as possible so your master can act more freely, eh?” The helmet shook back and forth, "Like poor Kelia over there, such a cowardly act for one so widely renowned." He raised his sword, dropping it's weight down on the haft of my weapon, shattering it. "Rest assured. You will die with the rest of your filth. Our company will escape before your re-enforcements arrive, and I will attend to the Wyvern personally." He threw the broken head of the halberd to the side. "You have failed, wall. And now you will perish, make peace with whatever powers you hold dear."

As he raised his sword once more, I made a flying leap towards him, slapping the blade to the side and impacting his visor with a dark spiked gauntlet. I clutched at his helmet, both trying to rip it off, and stay too close for him to use the sword properly. "What you think, and what you know, shows your mind is just too slow." he swung is sword down, I caught his hand with one arm, while striking his wound with the other. "A wall I am, for Wyvern's might, but delay is my gift, not to hide from sight.” I smashed his sword-arm against the wall, disarming him.

This began a brief melee, two foes wearing heavy plate, wrestling against each other. He was the more powerful, but he was also both wounded, and likely unfamiliar with unarmed combat. Despite my surprise attack, he was quickly regaining the advantage. "Did you think you would win?" He bellowed, finally pinning me to the ground, his other hand reaching for the dagger at this side, "You villains could never succeed. See as your life is taken, your master long since fled.”

I looked at him, a smile both on my face, and my characters. "Though you're close to the task's end, allow me ask, where are your friends?" He paused, looking quickly to the right. Twin swords of darkness leapt out, catching him knight in the sides, quite dead, but his eyes still open in shock.

"Hey Colin," I said, now drenched in blood and sweating heavily. "Did you have fun out there?"

Colin's character removed his helmet; a grin was his only response.

---

---

While I'd been holding up their soldier, Colin did what Colin did best. He crushed every person he came across. It would take days to fully clean the keep, but with re-enforcements arriving within the hour, the heroes had been forced to retreat, or be cut off behind the larger battle lines of war. I took a few moments to speak with a medical NPC, and a local armorer player, setting up repairs to both body and weapons.

Colin was leaning against the wall of the armory when I arrived, cleaning his gear.

"Hey man!" He said, grinning widely. Colin was always happiest when he'd won a fight. "Now that's done with, how're you doing?"

I waved off, "It's alright, you?”

His character rolled his eyes, "Yeah, that's what you said before, so I don't believe it, and don't bother trying to deflect. What's up?"

I eyed him carefully, "Do you really want to hear?"

He shrugged. "What else am I here for? How often do you come on to tell me good news?" He grinned again.

That... was actually true, Colin and I crossed paths, but more often than not I'd just tell him about my problems. Not for lack of trying of course, he was rather tight fisted with his own. I guess that was just the way he was.

Colin is good people I just wish he'd talk to me more.

I spent the next twenty minutes or so explaining how things were going, Ben's ascendency to his new position, how Mom and Dad were doing, Judy's new girlfriend, even the little encounter with Michelle. By the end, he was bellowing with laughter when I mentioned the lingerie store. I stifled a grin. I suppose it was kind of funny in retrospect.

I'd left out details of Ms. Crane, or Devi of course; some secrets weren't mine to tell. It was a bit of a sore spot for him, since he was worried I didn't trust him, but he'd generally got over it. This time however, he paused for a long few minutes after I told him that I'd taken Judy to see Ms. Crane. "Oh hoh, so that's what it is." he muttered, chuckling. "Judy said you'd taken her on a little adventure, but wouldn’t give any details."

Colin was talking with Judy? But Colin only ever talked to me on GEO, and Judy didn't play.

He continued, "I have to admit, I'm a little jealous. Judy didn't tell me a damned thing, despite all my needling." He paused, looking at me again. "I suppose you still won't tell me anything either, huh?"

I shook my head, "Not mine to say. I could ask Ms. Crane if you'd like, but I doubt she'd want anything like that going out there. If you were to swing by though..." I left the statement open, the invitation implied.

Colin raised his hand, shaking his head, "Nah, you know I'm busy here, and even then I'm a ways from Golden. It would be too weird to head back there; I'd get way too many funny looks."

I nodded, "Yeah, I hear that, I'm sure a lot of your old friends would recognize you though, right? I suppose that'd be a little weird.”

He looked at me oddly, response pausing for nearly a full minute. "I mean, sure, why not. Don't think they'd recognize me, lots of time passed, and things change."

I grinned, "Think I'd still recognise you? You haven't even sent me any pictures of your school or anything! What, did you grow a beard or shave your head?"

He paused for another minute. "Yeah, they don't generally allow cameras on the school grounds, privacy and everything." he responded, a slight grin on his face "You wouldn't recognise me with what I've done with my hair."

I could hear a voice in the back of my mind whispering. 'Liar'

"You think I'd recognise you?" I asked, a little concern in my voice. I don't suppose a plate wearing warrior of darkness should sound like that, but fuck it, this was Colin.

He gave another pause, "Yeah, you might, who knows."

"So after all that," I continued, trying to edge away from an uncomfortable subject, "I also I ran into Neil."

His face grew grim, "Oh? What did that asshole want?"

"The usual, reminded me I'm a fuckup." I frowned a little, pausing. "I don't suppose I need the reminder."

Colin audibly sighed. "You're still on that pity-wagon? Look, I'd have had to move anyway, Neil's little tantrum just sped things up a bit." He said, trying to force levity into his voice, "Besides, you've got Judy to watch out for ya, you don't need me cramping your style.

Well, I suppose that was true, though if Judy had a new girlfriend, she may not be able to watch out for me as much as Colin might think. Despite that, I rolled my eyes, "Oh yes, 'style' is what I've always been, and always will be known for."

A silence filled the room, I couldn't tell if it was comfortable or not, I think we were both lost a little in thought. For me, it was thinking of the events of the day, and how it had ended. "Colin... Did you ever feel like everything about you was wrong? Like, that some things can't be fixed, or that you can't get to where you're supposed to be because of it?"

I winced slightly; I really hadn't meant that question to come out so serious. It was just... It was just something that was really bugging me. Had bugged me for years. What if there wasn't a point in trying when you've already lost.

He was quiet for a good five minutes. I was half expecting him to have simply left his computer.

"Yeah, I know what that feels like. So do a lot of my classmates, lots of expectations out there." He looked into my eyes, face stern. "The biggest thing I've learned is that you need to take chances and rise above it. You can always be better." He raised his hand, cutting off my response, "You've got to stop comparing yourself to others, especially your brother". His frown deepened, "He manifested, you didn't. I'm sure you think it's a tough break, but you might have been blessed. He still has to deal with his own problems, just that they're different. We all have our shit to deal with." I heard a slight cracking sound coming from the voice chat. "You just have to have people who can help you cope. Judy's a good one; she helped me get through a lot when I moved. Have you spoken to her about it? Or that Crane lady?"

I shook my head sadly.

"Well," he continued, frustrations now in his voice “get your ass in gear, and don't ask me this morose shit until you've put some effort in. Get yourself a good education and some fancy job, or whatever the hell it is you want. Go prove yourself, and you'll realize all your worrying was just small bullshit."

"And what about you?" I asked, not really sure how to go about asking this. "Have you been dealing with anything I can help with?"

His character remained standing still. "Yeah, I've got my own shit to deal with. Least of which being that I broke another mouse. I'll make you a deal though, you sort yourself out yet, then I'll answer that question. Go talk to Judy." The friend icon flashing to indicate he had just logged off. I followed suit, thinking on his words.

His voice had a slight bitterness to them. What was all that about? Did I make him mad?

Completing the log out, I rubbed my eyes, suddenly tired. Devi curled around me and tugged me towards bed. I stumbled towards it, trying to put the day, the siege, and Colin's words behind me. I lay in bed quietly; staring up at the ceiling as Devi slithered around, trying to get... 'comfortable' I guess?

I didn't bother with the scales tonight. I knew who came out on top.

---

---

"Do you seriously do this every time?" Judy asked, sitting with her back to the coarse stone wall, a bored expression on her face.

I was likewise sitting on a nearby flat rock, habitually checking to make sure no creepy crawlies would think I was a nice place to perch. "Not always, but these days, yeah. I once tried to take some of the equipment home, and had to explain convince my Mom that were props for a school play." I sighed a little, rolling my eyes at the awkward memory. "It took a lot of work, but it turns out having a sword and some weird looking tablets lent pretty well to fantasy." A smirk crossed my face, "I don't think she really suspected a thing."

Judy just looked at me, an eyebrow raised and a condescending look on her face. "So what you're saying is you nearly cracked, and she let up out of pity."

I covered my face with both palms, "Yeah... That."

She rolled her eyes, "You're such a pushover."

We were waiting at the drop-off point where Jasper had delivered us when we'd left Ms. Crane's home two days ago. Judy and I had met up early in the morning. It would have been nice if she'd given me a bit more warning that we'd be going so soon, but I was perfectly happy to find an excuse to get out of the house, despite it being empty by the time I got up. It didn't hurt that she'd offered an apology in the form of the Nectar of the Gods. Caffeine had strong powers to calm a grumpy Shane.

Ms. Crane had requested we head to a small pond just a few hours hike out of town, near the slopes of one of the other mountains in the area. Jasper had been apparently indicated in some fashion that 'something' had happened there. Ms. Crane took that as a formal request, asked us to go collect some essence from the local ley-lines so it could be used to better scry what had occurred. Well, she'd asked Judy to go, despite being 'Kid' again, I was going to be 'on vacation' after this apparently. I'd be going to show her the ropes, see some of the more 'normal' things that I did.

"So how was your day yesterday?" Judy asked, interrupting my train of thought.

"Oh, you know, it was a day." I evaded. "I managed to talk to Colin a little bit though, that was nice."

Judy smiled, "Oh yeah, he mentioned something like that. Apparently you two were in a fight, and had a little post-episode bonding session, hmm?"

My mouth took a slant, "It wasn't exactly my idea, I'd just logged on and we were in that situation." I paused for a moment. "I think the bonding part was true though, in a sort of messed up way."

She tilted her head slightly, hair falling to the side. "And why would it be messed up? Because it was," Her voice took a dramatic flourish, "A battle of blood and honor between two oath sworn warriors?" she asked, her voice then taking a faux-contemplative tone "Can love truly blossom on the battlefield?”

"I think," I said, shooting her a warning glare, before looking back into the woods, "that maybe he's mad at me or something. Maybe he just had a bad day or I pushed the wrong buttons". I paused for a few moments, looking over to her again; she'd begun rapidly wiggling her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. “And no, just no, I don't know what you're thinking but no." I sighed, turning my face from her continued needling. "I just think maybe he wasn't telling me something, I dunno..." I glanced back, "And will you stop that? It’s getting creepy." I asked, with an exacerbated tone.

Judy got up and joined me on the rock before lightly punched me lightly on the shoulder, "Quit your mood'ing! I wouldn't worry about it. You'd be the first one he'd talk to if there were anything wrong."

'Liar' that voice repeated.

Judy continued, "Besides, you two have known each other since you were kids. Even if he is hiding something, he'd do it for a good reason."

I didn't get any vibes off of that one. If Judy knew something, I don't think that was a lie... assuming that little voice was right in the first place. "Yeah, I guess not." I paused for an awkward moment. "So, I never knew that you two were still talking. I thought he was only chatting through GEO."

She gave me a surprised look, "He never mentioned? We talk online once or twice a month or so. We set it up a day or two before he moved away. I'm surprised he didn't..." A look of comprehension covered her face, before relaxing to a neutral expression, "Ah, but you were a bit busy in those last days weren't you?" her voice sounded sad.

"Yeah, I was." I replied in a dead tone. That... That hurt actually. I hadn't known. Colin had always made it sound like he only ever talked to Judy through me. And he and I rarely had something so close as a solid "once a month" chats. But that was only for me, not for Judy. How did I not clue in?

Before I could go any further down that rabbit hole, I felt a tensing on my arm, once, then twice, then a quivering. I paused for a moment, before remembering the request I had made when non-caffeinated Shane held sway.

"What's up?" Judy asked, still concerned.

"Oh a few things.” I evaded, "I'm sure I just need to digest them... However there was one thing you could help me with." I said, a slight smirk beginning to form.

Judy smiled, eyes lighting up. "Sure! What can I help you with?" Oh Judy, you'll regret that.

"Well, you see, this area is kind of unstable." I said, pointing around the rock wall. As I did so, I could feel Devi pooling into my right hand. "I just need you to keep a look-out for stuff falling. It's a bit hazardous.” Devi was now slowly taking her small-snake shape, wraps silent. "In fact, It's got me a few times even this week. But it only happens in a localized area." Judy's eyes squinted slightly, searching. Seeing nothing that might indicate anything hazardous, a suspicious look covered her face... but by then, it was too late. I thrust my arm up in a wide arc, Devi springing at the peak. Judy looked up at my sudden movement, as a tiny origami snake fell from the sky onto her shoulder.

She screeched, falling over backwards, and landing on her butt. Devi curled over her, and rolled over, exposing her 'belly' to Judy. Judy had almost completely frozen, but now had her eyes on Devi, before very carefully looking up to me. "Is... Is she asking for a belly scratch?" The beginnings of a smirk on her face.

I have to admit, I was holding back a pretty big laugh at this point. Glee evident, despite my efforts, "I mean, it's not really a belly, but I think the sentiment is more important, don't you?" I nodded solemnly "I learned that technique yesterday. Best way to get used to something is to be caught by horrifying surprise." I said, nodding grimly again. "You either get over it, or nearly cause property damage.” I gesture to Devi, "I did warn you of things falling, potentially dangerous things. In this area."

Judy looked back down at the snake, and slowly rubbed her hands over it, a grin starting to grow on her face before muttering "Danger Zone". Her mouth grew to a full grin, continuing to rub Devi, "She's warm, and smooth, I always figured snakes were slimy." She looked up, my words finally registering. "That wasn't funny Shane. And you will rue the day you angered me!" She let off a faux cackle, actually hitting the notes quite well.

"Oh, it was a little funny," I replied, still grinning. "It was Devi's idea anyway".

Judy eyed Devi, and then looked back to me, tilting her head as though hearing something; she frowned slightly, then grinned. "Liar" She kept grinning as she got back up, Devi wrapping around her neck like a scarf.

Judy seemed to be taking it in stride, still a little worry on her face, but was warming up quickly. "You realize that I can hear her and you can't right?" A pang of hurt rushed through me. "That means we can conspire against you, and you'll never know". The pang of hurt converted to a pang of concern. That was actually a really good point.

Thankfully that little red flag was cut off, as a low grinding sound rumbled in the rocks next to us. The wall opened, revealing the stone platform holding several small bundles, and a note I plucked from one of the bundle's ties. "Oh look! A quest item! Let's bring this up again never." Judy glared, but it was quickly consumed by her curiosity as the examined the bundles.

I opened and scanned the note.

Kid, Judy has the location for where you need to head. I want you to collect some essence from the area. Don't worry if you don't get very much, It'll be used for reading, not chow. In the first package, I've left you the usual tools, please instruct Judy on how to use them properly.

I looked over to the three bundles, the one on the right was obviously the one she was referring to, the outlines of metal pipes and small flat panels could be seen through the bag. I returned to the note.

The second bundle is for Judy. I left her a note as well. I ask that you don't open it or look inside without her permission. I know that might bug you Kid, but it's up to Judy on if she wants to tell you or not, got it?

I looked at the second bundle in the middle. It was smaller, with the slightly exaggerated shape that might suggest additional padding, so maybe something breakable... It would be vexing not knowing, but Ms. Crane had asked, and she probably had a good reason.

In the third bundle are a few snacks, the usual 'party favors', and an unusual amount of cat hair. That third item was not intentional. I want you to take the heavier of the party favors. I don't care if either are damaged, show Judy a little about them, and stay safe. Don't let me catch you doing anything stupid alright? You managed to avoid remaining 'Idiot' for a good month or two with your little stunt, but now you're also making sure she doesn't get into trouble. Remind her think about what we talked about, and remember that I'm giving you a week or two off after this. If you find 'some way' to get hurt again, I'll be docking your pay for a month. Take care.

... But she didn't pay me? Typical.

In the corner was Ms. Crane's icon, the same image that I'd used to 'address' mail to her, like during the Syndicate drop off earlier. For some reason, the guy who'd dropped it off came to mind, like I was forgetting something... Eh, whatever it is probably isn't important. The icon represented Crane, but also isolated her from the potential scrying or tracking her name might have enabled.

I looked up to Judy, who was now eyeing the packages like a kid on Christmas morning. A small black cat that was resting between them. Sometimes they came along for a ride, I don't think Jasper minded.

"When we're done, we come back here to return everything, it just take a knock on the wall." I said, pulling the bundles out of the tunnel and to the ground next to us. The platform started rolling back, an attendant kitty watching us as the stone carried it away, the door closing. "We can do that by either going to Ms. Crane in person, or just dropping it off here. Jasper will keep an eye on this area until sundown. If we miss the deadline, we'll have to ride back on the train with all the gear." I told her. Seeing the expression on her face though, I wonder how much was getting through; she was still stroking Devi while looking forlornly at the rapidly vanishing cat. "We should get going. From what you said, it'll be a few hours there, and a few hours back".

I handed her the second bundle, she opened it curiously, and on seeing the parchment, attacked the note with her eyes. Devi, apparently now feeling ignored, stretched out, and wrapped around my shoulders, resting on my neck. I could only grin at that.

Judy finished reading through her note, before folding it back up, and putting it in the bag, taking a quick peek inside, her face set in a half grin, half contemplative look. I hefted the two remaining bags and took a step, prompting her to close her own bag, and follow.

"So what was in yours?" She asked, curious.

"Nah, these are for the both of us," I said, lightly lifting each bag. "One for tools, the other for 'fun'. How about you?" There was a slightly more intense questioning tone than I'd meant to have.

Judy started to frown, and then caught herself, looking back up smiling. "A few suggestions, and something else." was all she said.

Well... I was right. That really was vexing.

---

---

We arrived at the pond nearly two and a half hours later. I admit that I'd gotten us turned around more than a few times, and had to head back to a nearby road, or high position to get my bearings. Navigating even a sparse forest could be tough. Also, I probably should have listened to Judy's suggestions from the start... It turns out she'd known exactly where to go, and was content to watch me flounder.

Remember the iced capp Shane. Judy gave you caffeinated sugary goodness.

As we approached the pond, I stopped, and lowered the 'party' bag to the ground. Judy looked curiously, as I opened it. Inside were a rapier, what looked like a black iron axe, two small silver bracelets, and a tiny cloth insulated bag. Opening the bag, I saw the snacks. And lots of cat-hair. Luckily the fruit and cans of Coke were sealed, so the tiny feline-induced fuzz ball hadn't tainted anything.

I frowned, 'You use the heavier of the party favors' she'd said. Apparently she was still trying to get me to stop using the rapier. I grabbed the sword, testing it's heft, before passing it handle-first to Judy. She looked down at it wide-eyed, almost like she was afraid to touch it.

"You probably won't have to use it." I told her. "But it'd be safer if you had something, just in case." I forced a smile on my face, "Besides, you'd probably be really good with it!"

Judy took the hilt hesitantly, holding it like it was some kind of broadsword. I winced a little, knowing that was exactly how I'd started too. "I guess it is kind of cool to get to hold something like this..." she said quietly.

I nodded vigorously, trying to keep that mood alive. "Yeah! And we'll have an hour or two to kill while we're here, if you want, I can show you how to use it and everything."

She smiled a little at that, "Oh? Are you sure I'm not an axe girl? Seems like it might be a bit too 'metal' for you."

My faux-grin faltered for a moment, before I re-plastered it back on. "Nah, I think you'd be perfect for that sword. Ms Crane just likes me trying new things I guess".

She gave me a slight look, possibly catching my previous expression. "So what else was in there?"

I grabbed the axe, and threaded it's handle through my backpack, then handed her one of the bracelets, putting the other on myself. Once that was done, I picked up the rest of the bundle, snacks included, and continued towards the pond. "Just some lunch. If you ever want to do this again, don't try any of her energy drinks. They're awful, and she'll try to sneak them in there just in case."

We took a few minutes to find a flat section of ground near the pond, I pulled out the tools we'd need and began setting up. Judy began fidgeting with her bracelet. "I see some writing on it, like on those suits, or the collectors. What do these ones do?"

I raised an eye at that, "Good eye. These are like minor consumable versions of the ones on the suit. Just makes us slightly less noticeable to wandering elementals." I took out the metal poles, setting up a small tripod. In the middle, I hung a small round stone plate, etchings on each side. "They don't work too well with things that aren't elementals, but it's nice to have them anyway."

Judy looked a little concerned at that, "Other things? Like ghosts or something?"

I just gave her an expectant look before continuing to set up. Luckily the early set-up was very much like camping equipment, she wouldn't need to be instructed there.

She looked at me with an exacerbated expression, before rolling her eyes, and wandering around a few paces, swinging the rapier incorrectly and making 'whooshing' sounds as she did so.

I checked for the last of the tools, and pulled out a small wrapped series of three wooden collectors. Three? This job would normally only take one, maybe two. Based on what Ms. Crane had described, this was a fairly minor ley-line. Not really useful for collection unless over the long term.

Well, if she didn't need all three... I tucked two of them into my pockets, grinning slightly as I rubbed over their surface. Dots, lines, sigils. Today was looking a little more up.

I waved Judy over, temporarily interrupting her 'lightsaber' training. As she came close, I gestured to the tripod setup.

"I think you can figure out how to assemble this on your own," I said with a grin. She gave me an unamused look. "Basically, collectors can be used to gather essence from places or things of power. Right now, we're on a Ley-line, which is like a line of magic that webs across the earth."

Her unamused gaze continued unabated. "Yeah, I could kind of tell we were in one." She said, gesturing around with a flipping hand, as though pointing out something obvious.

Ah... right... she was attuned.

I cleared my throat and continued. "Well, good to know it's name anyway," I said awkwardly. "This tripod and plate can be used for a few purposes. It can help locate places of power like a magnet." I opened the third collector completely, and slotted it into an indentation on the plate. The faint runes surrounding it started glimmering slightly. "This is the fourth state of a collector. Right now, it's attempting to draw essence into itself. If we weren't on a ley-line, it would actually pull the plate towards the nearest place of power, assuming there was one in range."

Judy nodded, looking directly into the collector, eyes wide. "Well, it's definitely working. It's like you have a tiny vacuum, and it's sucking all the blue into there."

I raised an eyebrow at that. Ley lines looked blue? Alright.

"Anyway," I continued, "If we were gathering essence as a battery, I'd try to get it a little more center. But Ms. Crane sometimes takes essence from an area, and uses it to sort of, learn things about the place it was taken from." I gestured to the collector. "I'd say we give it around an hour. You can check it then and see if it's lit. Once at least half the orbs, we should be good to go."

Judy tilted her head, still looking at the collector. "And she thinks something happened here?"

"Jasper thinks something happened here, Ms. Crane is just looking into it." I clarified.

Judy gave me a perturbed frown, finally looking away from the collector. "Well, something is definitely off about this place."

"Getting a bit of a shiver? Ley-lines can do that, it's your brain saying that there's something different, and different might mean dangerous." I said, nodding slowly, Ms. Crane's lessons coming back to mind.

"No," Judy replied, looking around, holding her sword a little tighter. "I've been to a few Ley-lines. Normally they look like, oh, walls of light, or ribbons that pulse and move around a bit." She pointed to the area above us, and again around the perimeter. "But if you look there, everything looks ragged, like; some of the ribbons are just going off into no-where and vanish. Normally they all go the same way.

I just looked at her with a very annoyed face.

She finished looking around, before looking back to me, confusion, and then concern on her face. "Oh!" she said, "Oh. Sorry Shane. I, It's just that I'm not used to other people knowing it's there. And you and Ms. Crane are kind of associated with it, and I... Yeah, sorry... a bit awkward.”

I suppressed jealousy, and a bit of bitterness as hard as I could. I really hoped this didn't become a trend.

Judy just stared at me awkwardly before seeming to realize that the sword was still in her hand. She raised it up, gesturing to it. "Hey! Want to teach me to be a Jedi?" She grinned awkwardly.

I sighed, closing my eyes and counting to five. Once I was done, I opened them again with a forced grin. "Young padawan you are. Learn much you will..."

---

---

Judy caught on pretty quickly, once she realized it was primarily a thrusting weapon. We spent around an hour or two running a few drills, pausing either because it was time for a snack, a break, or because I'd fallen into the pond dodging a wild swing. For my part, I swung the axe around a few times, trying to get a feel for it. I'd used them before, but they were too slow and bulky for my tastes. I suppose that's why Ms. Crane wanted me to use it.

As we practised, Judy and I continued to catch up. Much to my imminent shock and awe, she had gone on a date with her new girlfriend yesterday. At the mall of all places! Casually asking her name, she had blushed, and said her name was Michelle. She'd looked at me oddly when I said I'd never met her, though I suspect that's just because I suck at lying.

In the middle of our last break, I asked her to check the collector. She'd said that it was almost half lit-up, then walked back, sitting next to me by the tree we'd been using as a windbreak.

She kept looking around, as though tracking something. Finally after checking the collector for the last time, she spoke up. "Shane, why does the Ley-line look like this? Why isn't it all smooth?"

I rubbed the box idly, trying to recall back to Ms. Crane's comments and lessons. She hadn't covered much on the visual aspect of magic, just a bunch of theory. Better to understand a thing, even if I couldn't see it.

"Well," I started haltingly, biding my time as I thought, "It's not like I've actually seen it before or anything. But what you're describing sounds like an essence rip." She looked over to me curiously, I continued. "Basically, if you're a trained spell caster, you can pull magic from leylines. Use them to power something you're doing." I stumbled for a metaphor. "It's like... well. Basically if you do it wrong or roughly, the Ley-line doesn't flow into what you're working on cleanly, and spits all over the place." I shrugged lamely. "Yeah, that's the best I got. Basically it means that someone or something did something big around here a little while ago. The ley-line should heal itself after a day or two."

She looked around, moving her hand back and forth, watching the area around it as though seeing water swirl. "So would that explain why the stuff I'm seeing swirls around me and not you? Because I'm attuned?" She winced in the asking...

It didn't hurt as much this time; it was a fair question, even if it was a reminder. "Yeah, I guess so; you'd have to ask Ms. Crane."

She paused for a moment, tapping her chin, before looking down at my axe. "So you're saying it's like the difference between giving blood and getting cut? One has a tube and is controlled, the other is just nasty and takes more time to heal but you get blood anyway?"

I looked at her with a bemused if disgusted face, "... Yeah... that would be a good example, but why-"

"Action movies" She said, grinning.

I rolled my eyes a bit at that. Fair enough.

"So that answers one question, but not really the other," she said, pondering for a moment. "If this Leyline is basically bleeding, does that explain why there are so many cores floating around?" She looked back to me, jerking back at my expression.

My face was locked in an expression of fear, muscles tight and teeth clenched. "There are cores here?" I asked cautiously, looking her right in the face.

She nodded, worry appearing on her face. "Yeah... they've been here the whole time. I thought we were here for them."

I looked around, eyeing the lake, the ground, feeling the breeze. Nothing to cause an ignition thankfully, so fire was out.

"What's wrong?" Judy asked, tension in her voice.

"So, when a ley-line bleeds," I started. "It can act like a feeding frenzy to lesser spirits, things that normally can't access them." I palmed the grip of my axe, slowly getting to my feet. "That can sometimes cause knots of power to form, or for a spirit to experience rapid growth, but it'd a bit unstable."

She looked around cautiously, also getting to her feet. "So my earlier example, about donating blood." she said, trying to remain calm.

I looked back to her. "Blood in the water"

---

---

We both walked as calmly as possible back towards our bundles. Devi revealed herself, now wrapping around my sleeves, coating my arm. I checked our silver bracelets. Nearly all of the runes had gone dark. "Fuck", I swore, Devi tightened. I should have been paying more attention.

"What's wrong?" Judi asked, looking around cautiously, her eyes trailing one invisible object after another.

"The bracelets are almost used up. The rip has been putting out extra energy. The bracelets work on the theory of diverting energy so that we just don't show up on those that 'see' that way." I picked up our bundles slowly, and carried it back up the hill we'd arrived from, Judy following. Placing them down in what I'd deemed a safe spot, I looked back at Judy carefully. "The more energy it has to divert, the faster the runes degrade. We basically hid inside a snow-fort in the middle of summer.”

She nodded, holding her sword up. "How dangerous is it?"

I tilted my head slightly, trying to think. "Well... we were there for a while. I'm pretty sure we were noticed, even if nothing happened." I looked back at the remaining tripod, the collector and plate still sitting there. "But they're likely to have noticed the collector's drain, if they didn't react when we started it up; they might when we close it. Stimuli, remember? Change might trigger it."

She nodded, biting her lip. "So what's the plan?"

I shook my head, "Come with me to the edge of the leyline, they won't notice you as easily out there. I'll toss you the collector, and then get out. With luck, they won't notice either of us once the collector's out of the field."

Judy nodded, a determined look on her face. "And if they get in the way, we stab them in the cores, right?" She smirked a little at that. "Did I mention they look like little warped balls floating around?" she wiggled her eyebrows again.

Urgh.

"Yes Judy, you have my permission to stab them in the balls," I said, rolling my eyes, though glad that she'd found some humor to anchor to.

---

---

We approached the pond clearing again, this time much more cautious than before. Now that I was paying attention, I could see grass rippling the wrong direction in the wind, or the way the dust my feet kicked up moved too far, or fell back to the ground much faster than air resistance should allow. We'd been in a hotbed this whole time and not noticed; thank the gods for those bracelets.

Judy stopped just short of the edge of the treeline from the clearing, indicating that the leyline was in front of her, mouthing words.

"Judy, they don't have ears. You don't have to act like we're on a submarine." I said, deadpanned.

She glared back, mouthing the words "One Ping Only".

I sighed, and stepped into the clearing, axe in hand.

The tripod wasn't too far. Ms. Crane would probably be a little pissed that we came back for the collector in the middle of a hotbed, but given that I still had a full rune on my bracelet, I was sure I could get everything out in time.

I reached the tripod, and gripped my hand around the collector’s opened sides. I looked back to Judy, who gave me a thumb up, hefting her sword visibly. I nodded back.

My breath held, I twisted the top of the collector, closing it through its states until it was completely shut. No reaction...

I looked around cautiously, before removing the collector from its indentation, then took a few cautious steps towards Judy. Nothing was happening; we may have just gotten lucky. I mimed an underhand-throw, and Judy nodded, leaning her sword against a nearby tree. Holding out her hands, I lobbed the collector towards her. She caught it deftly, and mimed spiking it to the ground like a football, excitement apparently getting to her. Quickly pocketing it, she picked the sword back up, and mimed to me to come back.

I probably should... The collector was more important than the plate. I turned back, looking at it. It might have picked up more information than the essence the collector had grabbed. More than that, it was one of Ms. Crane's tools, and had several uses, taking nearly a week to construct. If I could get that out too... Well, maybe my enforced vacation could be cut down a bit. I thought back to Colin's words, and he was right. I had to get out there and prove myself.

I shook my head slowly before pointing at the plate, holding up my finger, asking for more time. Judy stared at me wide-eyed, frustration on her face, the levity gone. I gave her a slight grin before turning back towards the plate.

Looking down, the runes surrounding the collector's indentation were still lit up. The plate definitely had captured something, and was still feeding off the bleeding essence of the area. I gently removed the clamps, disconnecting it from the tripod. I was here to prove myself, not get hurt trying to save some metal poles.

Lifting the plate, I still saw nothing, heard nothing. Maybe I had just lucked out? I glanced down at my bracelet, the final rune only half glittering. I walk-jogged, making it nearly to Judy, pausing every few step to check for reactions. Nothing, the pond was still, the grass unmoving, the breeze...

Wait.

When I'd come back in, the signs of elementals were all around, and now there was no-

I felt a sudden crushing pressure on my left leg! Fumbling the plate, I was lifted bodily into the air, nearly as high as the canopy of the woods. Hanging upside-down, I came hurtling down, landing roughly in the shallow pond, a blazing spike of pain running through my left leg!

"GRUAH" I yelled, mouth half full of water as I felt pressure all around me, steadily increasing, crushing. I shoved my arms, tried to kick my legs, but the water felt like it had become semi-solid, a gelatinous mass that writhed under its own force. I could still breathe, but the pressure on my stomach was starting to become painful, limiting my ability to react.

The water along the surface began expanding, lifting up and flowing over my head, disrupting the lake's natural waterline. It began pushing down, shoving me deeper. My injured leg was pressed against the bottom, twisting and grinding as I gasped in pain, letting water into my mouth.

The moment the water tried to submerge my axe however, it was immediately repelled, the glyphs on the axe-head glittering slightly. The overall pressure decreased as I found myself able to move again. Coughing for air, I swung the axe randomly around the depths, occasionally feeling the slight shiver of an impact, releasing even more pressure from me.

I'd begun to stagger-slump my way towards the shore, Judy yelling something while running towards me when another tendril wrapped around my chest, pulling me back into the liquid depths. It hadn't been weakened, it had been rallying.

Twitching and twisting, I struggled every way I could, keeping my mouth shut, water was pouring through my nose, giving me the vague sensation of pressure. That liquid trickled down from my nose into my mouth, and SHOVED itself towards my jaw, forcing my mouth wide open.

Suddenly, rapidly, the pressure was gone, the water withdrawing. I was laying down in a dry patch of mud in the middle of a pond. I looked around, still coughing, grateful that my glasses had miraculously stayed on. I could see plants flowing back and forth rapidly, the water around me spinning like a vortex; Staggering to my feet, I moved steadily towards the shore, the dry maelstrom following my movements. Occasionally I could see tendril like figures forming and reforming on the pond's surface, smashing against one another before pouring their contents back into the pond.

I'd finally made it to the shore, still somewhat shell-shocked when Judy reached me. She was screaming. Not in fear, but in anger. Her rapier swung wildly through the air, our session forgotten. Occasionally, the blade would strike something, sparks leaping from nothing. She leaned down, helped get my feet under me, and pulling me roughly towards the treeline. I staggered late, falling to the ground, the plate immediately in front of me. I grabbed it roughly with my right hand, left taking the axe. As I did so, I realized that I didn't have wrappings there.

Devi...

I looked back to the lake, tendrils still thrashing against one another, a cacophony in such a small body of water. I bit my lip, tears running down my face, trying to ignore the pain. I looked up to Judy, who was eyeing the sky warily, though didn't seem as tense or violent as when we'd arrived. She must have smashed any air-aligned cores that had grown to the point of reaction.

"Judy", I stuttered.

"WHAT", she yelled over the splashing.

"Do you see the cores in the water?" I continued, trying not to wince.

She looked carefully into the water, eyes widening. "I do, I can see Devi's threads too, what's she doing in there?"

I swallowed. "Saving me, we have to get her out of there."

She glared down at me, teeth grinding. "Goddamnit Lemaire."

I looked down to the plate, the triggering stimuli to this attack. Could we use it somehow?

Dots... Lines... Sigils...

Wait...

"Judy!" I said, eyes wide, hope in my voice, "You can see the other core, right?"

"Yes..." she said, obviously not liking where this was going.

"It's not smart, and probably young, it probably has to center its core near it's strongest point." I put the plate down on the ground in front of me, pushing her off to the side, wincing as weight was put back on my leg.

Judy looked back at the water, then at the collector I pulled out of my pocket, comprehension dawning. "Just don't get hurt." she muttered.

I brought my axe down on the plate, along one of the side paths of the runes. Power flashed as the plate was damaged, losing a portion of the essence it had captured. The reaction was immediate. The clashing in the water ceased, a truly monstrous tendril nearly my own size came rushing out, spearing directly towards me.

It deftly wrapped itself around me several times before it began to pull. As it did so, Judy ran forward, bringing her rapier down on the tendril, severing it's essence cords from the rest of the lake. The tendril remained gripping me though, closing tighter, not quite engulfing my head, but still incredibly frightening. A form began to emerge from the lake, but I didn't have time for that right now.

I yelled out, "WHERE?"

Judy shouted back, "Your right hip!"

I yanked one of the empty collectors out, switching it to begin gathering and jammed it near my right hip. Almost immediately the pressure around me began to drop. Elemental cores were basically knots of essence that had become more than just power. That didn't mean it wasn't composed of essence though... The collector was digging into the lifeblood of the core, slowly strangling it from it's very being. The water ripped from my body into a large sphere, slowly oozing it's way back towards the edge of the pond no doubt to re-inforce itself.

Judy stabbed her rapier in, lessons seemingly now remembered as the tip of the blade impacted something, light flashing within the liquid body. A smaller tendril rushed out, pushing her to the ground a short distance away. Her attack had definitely had an impact though; the sphere was losing cohesion, and now moving at a near snail's pace towards the lake.

I staggered to my feet, gripping the axe tightly. The rip may heal over in a day or two, but if that core survived, it might remain stable, aggressively stable, making this area a deathtrap for anyone or anything that might wander by. I took two steps before collapsing to my knee. I just couldn't move with this leg. Looking up however, it appeared that my action wouldn't be necessary.

Nearly the entire pond's body of water had been usurped. Instead of a flat peaceful source of life, there loomed a column, a grand pillar, with fish and plants all residing within it. The edges were flaked with colours, blues silvers and whites tinting the otherwise aquamarine body. Edges like scales were carved in immaculate detail across it's length. On the top of this pillar was a head, sculpted into a nightmarish facsimile of a serpent, eyes with brightly glowing blue slits gazed down at the despondent sphere of water, inching it's way towards what should have been salvation.

Devi...

She'd been worshipped as a goddess. A bastion and protector of life. I think I now understood why.

I suspect giving her tummy rubs would feel a bit awkward now.

The serpent-goddess gazed down, nearly unmoving, the creatures reliant on the pond still alive within it, looking around with blank expressions at the miracle around them. Slowly, the serpent's mouth opened, as it reared up nearly twice it's original height, dwarfing the forest around it. With the force of a tidal wave, it came crashing down on to the sphere, engulfing it fully. The displaced water tore violently into the air, into the treeline, scattering all about with the force of the impact, until suddenly... it stopped.

The water hung in the air, frozen and glistening before slowly hovering back towards the lake, gently placing itself back into the pond-bed, the plants returned to what I could only assume was their original location. The bed was entirely peaceful and flat, little ripples appearing on the surface as a light breeze blew. Along the surface, a tiny origami snake swirled around, rolling, frolicking in the water.

I just... Damn...

I was still wincing at my leg when Devi slithered out of the pond, completely dry. She wound her way around my leg, anchoring at the ankle, and extending all the way up, wrapping herself around my neck, her little snake head sitting by my shoulder. A single strand came loose in its mouth, as she licked me gently before resuming her typical scarf position, apparently content.

Judy and I didn't have words. The wrappings on my leg had numbed the pain, and hardened, acting like a splint. We gathered the remains of the broken plate, still some value to be found in it, and walked back to the hill quietly. The pond and clearing behind us was calm. Subdued. It was the peace of the world after a storm had ended.

---

---

We sat on that little hill for nearly an hour. Judy breathed calmly, occasionally looking back into her own bundle, before looking to me.

"We didn't need the plate. Did we." she said quietly, not even a question.

I thought about lying. It might have worked, she was still shocked. She didn't deserve that though. "No. No we didn't."

Judy sighed, covering her eyes with her palms. I looked away. "You knew it was dangerous. You were the one who told me it was dangerous. So why did you go back in there?"

I was quiet for a few minutes, only occasionally glancing in her direction. There was water dripping from her wrists. It wasn't from the lake.

I sighed, looking away again, thinking of how to say it. "Judy, you're special."

She turned, looking to me with reddening eyes, holding her expression as calmly as she could.

I continued. "You're special, and I'm not. I... I know I've said it doesn't bother me. But it does."

I looked to her, a sad frown forming on her lips despite her efforts. "That's not to say I did this because you're special, but you have to understand something. I think you already know, but I think I need to say it."

I looked down, closing my eyes to hold back tears. "I was never the special one. Ben. Colin. Ms. Crane. You. You're all special, all of you. You're all so wonderful." Tears were now leaking down my cheeks. "Did you know I wanted to be a hero when I grew up?" I asked quietly, she nodded. "I wanted to be a hero, even if I wasn't fighting bad guys; I wanted to be like dad. He was special, someone you could look up to, someone unique." I swallowed a little. "My Mom is brilliant, she saved people every day. My Dad is amazing, and protects people who need it. Ben-" I choked a little. "Ben... He manifested, and he changed from my older brother. The guy I could compete with, the guy who I could look up to, because he was at a level that even someone like me could achieve. He made mistakes, he learned, he failed, and he grew."

I felt a hand wrapped around my shoulders, Judi leaning in. Devi joined, wrapping around Judi's arm as well, rumbling slightly, and turning slightly warm. It felt nice.

I swallowed a little bit. I didn't deserve these two. I choked it back, trying to keep going. "Then he manifested, and we just weren't the same anymore. I went from being someone he could joke around with, to someone beneath him." I paused. "He still acts like we’re the same. He really does. But sometimes it feels like he has to try really hard to do it. He's a genius. He's athletic. He's funny. And my parents love him more, because he deserves it and I don't."

Judy's grip tightened. "Keep going. We're going to have words about that little statement, but keep going."

I winced. This was why I didn't talk about this sort of thing. It was easier just to pretend. "Ben left, and any kind of connection we had left with him. I had you and Colin. But you were both special. It sometimes felt like you kept me around like..." I halted, unwilling to say the next word.

"Like a charity case..." Judy said.

"Yeah... something like that." I responded, no tone in my voice at this point.

"And then Colin left." She continued, still holding me.

"He left because I was a monster." I mumbled

"We'll have words about that too." She grunted.

"He left because I didn't try to fix my problem with Neil, just torment him."

Judy pulled back sharply, looking at me wide-eyed. "That was you?"

I nodded a few times, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Judy nodded again, leaning back in. "Ok... A lot of things make sense suddenly."

I continued, blubbering a little. "Colin was gone, and it was my fault. You know the rest. It's just. I just."

I had to breathe in and out heavily a few times before continuing. "Ms. Crane was a way out. She saved me, then showed me I didn't have to act that way, that I could do better. Be better." I looked back to her, feeling Devi's rumbling increase slightly. "I wouldn't be special. Not like you, not like them. But I could help people in my own way, in any way. That would make it worth it."

"And if you take risks to do it, you feel like it means you care more." Judy said.

I could only nod.

"Oh Shane."

---

---

We'd staggered our way back towards civilization. Devi did a decent job of drying the both of us out, but I had to change into my spare set of clothes. Too many rips, small cuts and the like for it not to be noticed. I didn't say much. Judy had waited patiently, listening to me waste her time. Now was her turn.

"First of all. You didn't cause Colin to leave. I promise." She said it with a sense of finality.

I couldn't believe it; she was just trying to make me feel better now that she knew.

"Stop doubting and listen to me," she said. "I've talked a lot with Colin. When you were... In a bad way, the two of us talked a lot. He's told me why he had to leave. I've even gone to see him once."

My eyes bolted open staring at her. "You got to see him? How was he? Is he ok? What happened?"

She smiled, "Calm down, calm down. He's ok. He could be better, but he's ok. I only saw him a couple years ago." she frowned slightly. "It's not for me to say, but Colin did not go away because of his fight with Neil. I can guarantee it. He had to leave for other reasons, reasons I can't tell you." She looked away, then back to me, looking guilty. "Please don't pester him about it. I've been doing it for years. The reason he hasn't told you what happened, is because he's embarrassed. He only talks to me about it because I bossed my way into his home a day or two before he left." She flicked her hand to the side. "Anyway, it wasn't your fault."

She then stared me in the face, stopping her walk. I had to stop as well, she was partially supporting me. "That's... good to know I guess." I said, unevenly. "I mean. I always thought that..."

"Shut up Shane," She said sharply. "Don't start that again." her eyes narrowed. "It wasn't your fault that Colin had to leave, but you still got out of line." Guilt started to build up, she softened her tone a bit in reaction. "You were out of line. And you were hurting; I think I get why now. But you were never a monster. Never." She shook her head. "You think I never understood those scales in your room? Please. I'm not dense, and it's not subtle. I was just missing that little admission of yours to wrap it all together."

We kept walking, slowly approaching the drop-off point.

She continued. "What Ms. Crane has been doing for you is good. I understand that, she understands that." She paused. "But Shane, all you did was transfer your obsession." She put her hand on my chest. "You are special, you always were. You think I would be friends with you if you weren't?" She snorted in a comedic way, "Hardly! I have higher standards than that you know." She smiled, "We're all a little messed up Shane. Do you think I'd be a happy person if you weren't there with me when I 'came out'? Do you think Colin hates you, because he won't tell you a secret he thinks will lower your opinion of him? Do you think Ms. Crane offered you these little jobs because you were manual labor? She literally has a mountain as a taxi service. She wants you around because she likes you. I still don't know her well, but even I can see it."

I could feel a pressure in my chest. It wasn't like before, it was lighter, freeing. It was a warmth that made me notice the pain in my leg more, the breeze, the colours, and Judy’s grin. It was, I think it was happiness or hope unfettered. I hadn't felt that for a while...

Judy knocked on the stone wall twice sharply. It opened, revealing the tunnel, three cats now sitting on the platform, snoozing. Judy looked back to me and raised an eyebrow quizzically.

I could only shrug. "Jasper likes cats."

She grinned, and helped me put the bundles on the platform. I kept the one empty collector, rubbing it slightly. It helped, I think.

Judy turned back to me, hefting her own bundle, opening it slightly. "Shane, I want you to see what's in here." As she un-wrapped the bundle, I let out a gasp. Inside was a messenger bird-house, like my own. Next to it, were several small trinkets of silver and obsidian, and two tiny books.

"Shane", Judy said again, recapturing my attention. "Ms Crane said that I wasn't just attuned, I was capable of spells. Real spells." She paused, her face flushing. "She said she'd be willing to make me her apprentice. That she would show me some basics, and if I did well, she'd try to find me a tutor wherever I got to college."

I was absolutely dumbstruck. It'd been months before I'd been trusted with a birdhouse. It'd been years before Ms. Crane had told me I'd never be her apprentice. Judy accomplished that in only a few days and one meeting... I couldn't feel bitterness. Not right now. I could only be happy for her. She was taking what had been a deep secret fear, and was making it her strength. Gods she was wonderful.

She grinned at my expression; I had to stop and think to realize that I was beaming at her, that unfettered joy showing through. Her own face mirroring mine, "She said that she really wanted me to do this, but wouldn't hassle me. She also said that I didn't have to, but I should tell you. That I should ask your thoughts on it." She paused, a determined look on her face. "I want to do this Shane. I want to do this for myself, and I want to be there for you. I saw what you do, and it isn't safe."

I opened my mouth to explain that none of this was typical, but was immediately silenced.

"Shut up, I don't care that it doesn't happen like this a lot. Even if it's rare, I want to be there. We're best friends. You me and Colin. We're in this together, and I want to be ready to help out however I can." She wrapped me in a hug, still beaming. Devi was practically purring the way the wrappings were rumbling. "I think if Colin ever comes home, he'd want to help you too. You should ask Ms. Crane for her blessing. I'd be willing to act as an intermediary, since I talk to him semi-regularly."

She paused for an awkward moment. "Now for the bad news. I'm going to have to tell Ms. Crane about what happened today Shane. You know it's not fair to be quiet about this. She'll probably be mad. You know it better than me. But I don't think she'll toss you out, or whatever is running through your mind right now." She frowned slightly.

A-ctually, she was completely right, that was running in my head.

She continued. "It's going to be rough for a while, But I think she'll settle down once she knows I'll be there to help share the load, and keep an eye on you."

The doorway into the mountain closed, carrying our equipment, our weapons, an empty thermal bag, a broken plate, two collectors, a trio of cats, and the promise of a bright dawn.

Because tomorrow? Tomorrow was going to be a better day. The people I cared about would make sure of it.

I'd made it home in decent time, despite my leg. Devi remained supporting me, though she had still twined her way up into her 'scarf' position. It's possible she just wanted more attention, but I suspect she also wanted to let me know that someone was there. Granted, that's a fair amount of assumption on my part, but it made me feel better. Well, that or the pain suppression she was giving me; it can be hard to tell sometimes.

One thing I knew for sure was making me feel better was Judy by my side, filling the silence between us with virtually anything that came to her mind. Sometimes it was a silly story, a comment on something we'd seen, or even conversations she'd had with Colin. Those last ones I'd definitely been the most attentive to. It turns out that Colin was still at some school down states-side, though she wouldn't say which one. Apparently he'd been taking a reduced schedule, and still had a year or two ahead of him. He was making some friends, but even after five years he still felt like an outsider. I guess without any roots in the area, it can be rough trying to get a fresh start. None of that had really sounded like the Colin I knew, normally he'd be the first to make friends, and he was pretty smart. Potentially the courses were a lot harder? Well... I had to keep reminding myself that he probably wasn't still the same Colin I knew. Hopefully that was for the better.

Judy eventually went home on her own, denying my request to walk with her. "You're hurt, and my voice is tired," she'd said bluntly, giving me a slight grin. "Stream of thought genius like this doesn't just grow on trees you know. It takes a lot of energy. Go on home, and I'll talk to you tomorrow." I rolled my eyes to that half-heartedly, though I was looking forward to it.

I'd wanted to walk home with her, not because she'd need protection or company. Rather it was because I felt buoyed by her presence; it was keeping me in that joyful state that had begun after our talk. As I watched her walk away however, it felt like that joy was slowly deflating, leaving a space in my chest feeling empty. It was like hurt had turned to joy, and then dissolved to nothing, now an empty hollow place, echoes of earlier emotions bouncing around the chamber.

I made my way home, the stiff breeze keeping me awake even if the dull pain in my leg didn't. With everything that had happened after the pond, I had no idea how I might be able to explain the injuries to my family. Likely the best policy would be a concoction carefully omitted truths. A flat out lie would get me caught right away. The fact that Devi was already with me was a great boon there, as she would be able to suppress or heal the evidence much more quickly than I would have been able to on my own.

Perhaps just to spite my scheming, home was relatively deserted when I'd arrived, only Dad puttering away in the basement. Likely due to hearing me come in, he called up, "Shane? Is that you?"

"Yeah, I'm home!" I called back, wincing a little as I leaned in the wrong direction to look down the stairs. Leg injuries took a lot more getting used to than 'just don't use that arm for a while'. "I'm just heading up to my room, Judy and I were out hiking so I'm a bit beat."

"Hiking? Glad you're getting out, though Ben was looking for you today. Is Judy doing well?" He asked, still a distant voice in the basement. Odd.

"Yeah, she's doing alright" I replied, raising an eyebrow a little, wondering what was going on.

"Good. Your Mom and brother will be out late tonight, so we're on our own. There's some leftovers in the fridge, I've already eaten so grab what you'd like." He called back, his physical presence still suspiciously absent.

I paused for a good few seconds. Usually Dad would come up to see me if I was only getting home around dinnertime. What could be keeping his atten-- "Dad, are you renovating?" I asked cautiously.

There was silence for a good fifteen seconds.

I tried again, "Are you renovating without Mom's permission?"

I could barely hear grumbling, then a response. "It's not renovations if it needed repairs. Weren't you going upstairs Shane?"

I grinned a little. "Did it need repairs before, or after you started?"

"You sound tired Shane, go have some dinner and hit the hay early." I could hear the somehow deadpan holler coming from the basement.

"I assume you know when Mom is coming home huh?" I asked, a lilting quirk in my voice.

"To the minute." Another flat response. I grinned.

Well, a bit of a lucky break I suppose, though there would be hell to pay if anything serious was being altered down there. Better that I not be in easy scapegoating range when that happened. Mom on the warpath was more observant than I'd like right now. I grabbed some leftovers and bread, making a quick makeshift sandwich before heading up to my room.

It was just as I'd left it. Slightly messy with a few hints of order, silver sentinels on the walls, computer thrumming idly. I took a bite from my sandwich as I moved to sit down at the computer. However, before I could, I felt a slight tugging on my neck. Looking down, I saw Devi was jerking me towards the messenger birdhouse. Now that my attention had been brought to it, I could detect a very faint chemical odor. I must have received a message recently. I reached up, pulling the small used note from the birdhouse.

"Dear Kidiot. Found blood on plate. Better have reason. Hope safe. Send Judy tomorrow. You stay. Docking pay."

I could only sigh. I suppose I should have known that Ms. Crane would pick up on what might have happened. Even without the plate, I had no doubt that Jasper would have picked up on Devi cutting loose like that. I glanced down at the little snake head currently resting on my collarbone and gave it a gentle rub. Devi had always been good to me, and now it turns out she's even a badass. Not bad for the little paper-craft tourist.

Unlocking my computer, I began typing out an email to Judy when the indicator popped up showing that I'd just received one. I opened it, wondering what it might be.

"Shane! I just got my first message from Crane! Why didn't you tell me what the birdhouse looked and sounded like? I thought it was about to start a fire! Crane wants to begin my lessons tomorrow; I'm so excited I could scream! Well, I can't, my dad would kick the door in, but you know what I mean. What should I bring? Will you come with me? I'm freaking out over here! --Judy"

I winced at the use of Ms. Crane's name. I wasn't used to discussing details about her openly with others, and email wasn't exactly the most secure form of communication. Still, I couldn't blame her of thinking about it; I swear I could 'feel' Judy's nervous jittering from the letter. She didn't have any training, but being able to convey her freaking out through typing had to be 'some' kind of sorcery. I opened a fresh reply, typing quickly. The last time Judy had a freak-out, she'd sent me an email every five minutes until I'd phoned and asked her to stop. Granted, that had been her plan, if you could call 'get in contact with Shane somehow' a plan.

"Judy, Congratulations! I just got the news as well. First things first. Hang your birdhouse up high, ideally above a doorway. The smell and flames are less noticeable up there. It's not real fire, and it can't light things unless you really REALLY try to do it, and you don't have enough paper for that.

I'm probably just being paranoid, but I'd recommend deleting your email and this one when you're done with them. We probably shouldn't put her name on any easily archiveable place on the web. Phone or voice-chat is probably safer.

Wear something practical, and bring an extra set of clothes. Bring the items she gave you already. She won't expect you to read any of the books just yet, but try to impress her by reading the first chapter or two. Bring a notepad and a few pens. She has stationary, but it's better to use your own.

I'll come with you as far as the train; meet around eleven or so at the usual corner. I've been re-informed that I'm on 'vacation', so it would probably be best if I didn't go further, though I wish I could. I'm very happy for you. --Shane"

I sent the message, and deleted the offending one. Leaning back, I shut the computer down, rubbing my eyes slightly. My leg was still throbbing. Now that I'd stopped moving on it, I could feel the pain pushing through Devi's efforts. I really hope it wasn't too serious, Devi was amazing, but if I had anything more than a minor break or dislocation, it may take a long time to heal up. A long time to hide things. At least she could keep me from staggering everywhere I went I suppose, that would just be embarrassing, not to mention lead to a lot of questions I'd much rather avoid.

I moved to the bed, and was about to put my one remaining collector on the hidden hook, but thought better of it, only stashing the iron key. I rubbed the box. Dots, Lines, Sigils, and Shapes. It was unlikely I'd be using it or the key anytime soon. I don't suppose I'll be needing either for a while... I continued rubbing the box, feeling the textures. Then again, you never know when something like this might be useful, and who says it can only be useful for one thing? Still, I wouldn't need it for its 'intended' use. Especially if Judy were completely truthful to Ms. Crane about what had happened down by the pond.

I lay back in the bed, staring at the ceiling as the light from my window slowly dimmed. Devi slunk a little off my chest, and grabbed the edge of my bedcovers in her tiny mouth, making pathetic tugging efforts to pull the covers over me. I could only smile a little bit at that. I'd seen her catch flying razor sharp ice darts and fight a mindless mystical force of nature. She was either being lazy, giving me a hint, or just wanted to be cute. I'm going to go with all three. I pulled the covers over me, rubbing her head again as she rested her head across my neck. I'd only intended to relax a bit, or take a short nap. I hadn't even thought about brushing my teeth or doing any of the usual routine before I was fast asleep.

---

---

"And did you remember your books?" I asked anxiously.

Judy rolled her eyes, "Yes Mom, I remembered the books, and the clothes, and the trinkets."

"Did you bring something to drink? Do you remember when to get off the train? I can ask the conductor to honk the horn when you are." I continued in haste, almost missing her response.

"Shane? Calm down, I'll be fine. I'm the one who's supposed to be freaking out, right? I think you're stealing my job here." She replied in a dull exasperated tone, leaning back.

We were sitting on the large rock by the train tracks, waiting for Judy's 'ride'. The morning had gone by far too quickly, my parents already leaving, and the only evidence of Ben being a note asking if I'd have any free time today. I would, despite my best efforts. Devi was remaining on my leg, as it must have been a bit more serious than I'd thought, but was sunning the rest of herself on the large warmed surface of our perch. I glanced over to Judy again with a calculating expression. I really wanted to be there with her when we went to see Ms. Crane... I wanted to be there to see her open her eyes in wonder, as she got to witness all the cool things I'd been living. Maybe... Maybe Ms. Crane wouldn't actually be mad if I came alo-

"Shane, you're not coming. You said you were already in her shit-list, no need to risk making it any worse" Judy said, snorting slightly, not even looking at me.

"I don't know what you mean, I ju-" I was cut off again.

"Shane you suck at lying, and I don't even NEED to look at your face to know what you're thinking." She turned her head, smiling slightly, "I'll ask Crane to send you a message telling you that I got there safely, and I doubt we'll be doing anything overly impressive, it’s my first day after all!" Judy was giving me a wry look now, her eyebrows raised. I really need to learn to lie better.

"Yeah... Ok. But how did you know?" I asked a little humbled.

She closed her eyes again and enjoyed the sun for a moment, before speaking softly "Probably because you've suggested it three times now, always with a long pause beforehand. I'll be fine, you've had five years with Ms. Crane by yourself, if I can survive that, you can survive a week or three." She grinned as the sounds of a train slowly rumbled its way towards us. "Sounds like that's my ride, care to see me off?" She asked as she got to her feet, hoisting her bag.

Ah... I suppose her getting to go alone to balance the scales was a bit more fair then... I guess. I stood as well, Devi feeling the movements, and twining herself back up to my shoulder. "I think I can do that!" I said, a slight grin on my face. I opened my arms, and gave her a hug as the train approached. "Just be safe, alright?"

Judy just grinned to me before gauging her jump, and landing on the temporarily halted train. She turned and looked back, "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll only get me to duel with Aeslin or something, I took on that water monster remember? That should be no biggy!"

The train started moving; I waved, despite knowing that Judy wouldn't be looking, Devi joining me, bobbing her head back and forth. I suppose she was right, if she can take on a water monster, she can handle a small wall of cats, and an eccentric thaumaturgist. She got her birdhouse in only a day or, but it had taken a year for me to meet up with Aeslin.

...

Ms Crane wouldn't, would she? She could be hard to read sometimes, but even she wouldn't do something like that. My thoughts were interrupted as a Devi started slithering her way back down to the warm rock. "Oh no you don't," I said, smiling slightly, "We should head home. I'm sure it's just as good as some rock in the middle of nowhere."

Devi gave me what I can only describe as a pouting look, but resumed her scarf position. I carefully made my way down the rock, using a small branch I'd picked up as a makeshift walking stick. Having Devi work her magic for a full night had done a lot to alleviate the pain in my leg, but taking pressure off it was still very noticeable. I'll also admit, it was kind of nice to have something to fidget with in my left hand. The right hand had been busy with the box in my pocket, feeling at a slow soothing cadence.

I made my way back to the road, moving carefully. The ground could be uneven here or there, and sudden drops hidden by undergrowth were everywhere. I'd been tagged by them more than once, and didn't like the idea of dropping in one with my leg in this condition. As I grew closer to the road, things evened out, letting me make much better time. Oddly enough, there was a car stopped off the side of the road. I suppose it must have broken down? I wonder if they need some help.

As I drew closer to the car, my concerns went unrealized, as it started up, and took off at a blazing pace past me. The driver might have just been napping, or taking a call or something. They must have had some kind of sticky, or dangly decoration, as there was a flash of red in the area the driver's seat. I feel like there was something about that which I should be remembering? Eh, it was probably just Deja vu. It'd been a bit of a roller-coaster week, and I could hardly blame myself for getting things a little jumbled.

Walking home, I spoke to Devi, mostly nonsense, but I felt like I needed to hear something besides the slight gusts of wind, or birds. Devi just sat there, curled around my neck, squeezing on occasion as I asked a question, or made an observation. Devi was a good listener. Kind of hard not to be in her case, but at least she got head-scratches out of it.

---

---

I'd gotten home in fairly decent time. I left the stick back in the woods before heading into civilization, though I had come to regret it later on. I suspect it was helping out a lot more than I'd originally thought. At one point, I'd eyed Devi, wondering if she could form into a stick, but a brief image of my leaning on a bending staff of wrappings crushed that dream harder than myself in the image had hit the ground.

Locking the front door behind me, I carefully treaded upstairs, leaning against the wall to try to keep my weight off the leg. Entering my room, I booted up the computer, sighing gently as I leaned back in my comfortable chair. Finally a day where I didn't have to do anything, didn't feel the need to go walking, just time to relax and recover.

It was around then that Ben walked into my room, stealthy as a cat.

"Well!" He said, with a slight grin on his face. "I finally caught up to you! You've been pretty busy bro."

I frowned a little bit. Back when Ben had been living with us, we'd both respected the rule of "ask before you enter" for each other's rooms. Well, we sometimes did. It was a complex array of context, history, and childish pacts made under duress. Still, he shouldn't have just bolted in.

Oh shit.

Ben was still looking at me with a grin. "Hey, where'd you get that? I didn't realize you liked dolls Shane." He said, reaching out towards Devi's still form, her head perched on my neck. "Maybe I should have gotten you something like that for Christmas, eh?"

I could almost feel the blood draining from my face, as I lightly intercepted his hand before he could touch Devi. "They're called plushies. I just like them. They're nice. This one's cute?" I could hear a mental golf-clap echoing in the back of my mind from the more critical parts of myself. Well done Shane, even your brain knows that was terrible.

Ben just looked at me a little in confusion, eyeing Devi once more before returning to my face. "Hey, I'm not judging, I'm sure I like things that you'd find weird too." he said, a slight titter in his voice. Urgh. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to come help me set up a Vigilants watch station?" He said, a grin now creeping across his face, "I'll be there for most of the day, so if you're lucky, maybe we'll have time for you to play with some hardware."

I...

Oh...

"I'd, I'm not really sure, I was thinking of trying to meet up with Colin today," I said, as I gestured to the computer, GEO still loading up.

Ben's expression went a little stiff, his face blank, "Are you sure? It might be really fun and I could use the help!"

I felt myself swallow slightly. Despite my talk with Judy, spending an entire day with Ben might be a little trying. "Well, I don't really want to miss a chance to chat with him, I don't get to very much you know."

Ben's blank face remained; it was an incredibly alien expression from someone who I'd always known to wear his heart on his sleeve. His eyes shifted from me, to the screen. "Yeah, I get ya; it's just that Mom and Dad were hoping that we'd be able to spend some time together."

Oof, right in the guilt trip. "Well that would be nice, but I really don't want to miss out on meeting up with Colin."

Ben's eyes moved back towards the screen, then a slow grin creeped over his face. "Well, sure, I getcha, but Colin is two hours ahead, isn't he? So it's likely he'll either be in class, or busy for a while." He gestured towards the screen. "Besides, I have a feeling you wouldn't miss him."

I risked a quick glance to the screen, on Colin's friend-notification page was a small note.

"The WyverN is Out for the day, Contact RAcheska if you WanT to join the next assault>"

God... Damnit… Colin... I winced a little, looking back to Ben.

Ben was still looking at me, a grin on his face and an eye brow raised. "Well well, looks like someone just ran out of excuses."

I sighed, trying not to look disappointed. He always did win the arguments; I guess he hadn't changed that much after all...

---

---

Ben had given me a few minutes to freshen up and put away my 'toy'. The moment he was out of sight, Devi dissolved her snake form and resumed wrapping the rest of her bulk around my chest under the shirt. Despite my requests, Ben had insisted that we take his rental car to the office building which housed the semi-abandoned MCO branch. He'd rented a truck with a fairly high roof, but even with that extra room, he had to fold himself in a rather comedic fashion to appropriately drive. We rode to the building with the windows down, letting the cool air circulate. Ben mostly wanted to do so to let him stick his head out the window while we were stopped. I felt it was a little cold, but Ben didn't seem to think anything was wrong.

On arriving, we reached one of the few taller buildings in the town. This was where a number of the smaller local companies had set up, cutting their costs by localizing as many of their operations to the one location as possible. Some years ago however, one of the major contributors had gone under. Golden had been contacted by a regional official of the MCO, with the request to purchase or lease the now vacant floor for potential use. Considering Golden's population had been growing, it was likely that they could have pulled some red tape to force the town to sell the floor space, so this initial meeting was seen as something of a good will gesture.

It all worked out of course, Golden's locals got to share the rent, and the MCO got a floor in the town to operate out of as they saw fit. Getting out of the car, Ben opened the back of the truck, and pulled out two official looking hard-plastic cases, marked with several indicator and caution signs. Placing them gently on the ground, he pointed at the one long duffle bag remaining, grinning as he did so.

I grabbed the bag, and he locked the truck back up before heading inside. My bundle was a little rough and unwieldy compared to his slick cases, but I suppose I shouldn't complain, it was obvious I'd have trouble lifting those both at once. Reaching the third floor of the building, we came out of the elevator to a dark hallway; an official looking glass double-door frosted with the logo of the MCO greeted us, a darkened secretary desk and waiting room visible in the gloom.

Ben pulled out a small key from his pocket and unlocked the doors, pushing them open. The moment that happened, I could tell that it hadn't been in use for a while. I wrinkled my nose as the smell of dust and age lingered in the air. Most of the furniture was covered in plastic wrappings, protecting the chairs and desks from the ravages of age. The floor was carpet in most of the public areas, with hardwood in several of the offices. I could see trails footprints in the dust where Ben had likely been walking yesterday, his large feet were quite obvious, crushed dark grey against the fluffy brown/grey of the dust-coated flooring. Past the wall behind the receptionist's desk was a large fairly open-concept office. Smaller desks packed together, eschewing cubical walls. Offices and rooms with heavy metal doors dotted the walls in the distance.

Ben turned to me and grinned, gesturing dramatically, "Welcome to the place where the action is!"

I rolled my eyes a little, though had to grin. When the topic of this outpost ever came up, there had always been hushed whispers of what might be kept here, or what secrets might be hidden. It turns out the biggest secret is that it desperately needed a vacuum and dusting. "So this is where it all goes down huh?" I asked a little wryly. Taking a few steps in, I could see tiny 'puffs' of dust blow away each time. I coughed a little from the now active particles. "And did the Vigilants know that they were sending you to fight the forces of allergies by yourself?"

Ben nodded, locking the door behind us, and making his way towards an office near the front door, the path between the treaded down hard, showing rather constant activity. "They knew that I could handle it, I'm one of their best and brightest newcomers after all!" He sat down at a desk, putting his box down on the corner roughly. Other pieces of equipment were scattered around, all modern hard plastic, composites, and metals. This felt a bit like a tinkerer's workshop, there was no telling what 'any' of this equipment could do. I suddenly felt a little bit leery about wanting to touch any of them, thumb running over my box.

"So what exactly are you setting up here?" I asked, a little curious despite myself. "I mean, what exactly do you want me to be doing?" I glanced around a little, eyeing each piece of scattered gear or container with undisguised interest.

"Well, first of all, I'm technically on the job, so if anyone asks, I'm here in uniform, alright?" I eyed him at that statement. He was wearing an overly large t-shirt with a Vigilants logo on the breast, and jeans. "Don't give me that look," he continued "They know very well that this is pretty idle 'official business'", making quote marks with his fingers. "Right now, I'm just setting up a monitoring and reporting post. Golden isn't exactly a big concern, given the situation, but it's good to be prepared. We just need to make this place a little bit habitable." He said, gesturing to the building at large.

I eyed the rest of the office, still coughing a little bit. "You're talking about this room of course." I said, noting the slightly ominous undertone in my voice.

Ben's smirk grew a little bit, "Oh, I'm sure we can stop once we hit the halfway point." He said, the smirk maturing into a grin. "The side offices likely won't be needed; we just need to clear up some of the main room, and a few of the rooms that are more likely to be used."

I turned to him slowly, eyes wide. "You can't be serious, right?" I looked back at the room. "It'd take days to clean this place out, even if we had the proper stuff to do it!" I turned back to him, seeing the grin now turning malicious. That couldn't be a good sign.

"Oh yeah, it'll be like when we were kids again," he started before gesturing to the box on the table. "We can split up the tasks and get a bunch of stuff done. I'll treat you to lunch, and we can chat about how things have been going, we haven't had a chance to for a long time."

Is he serious? Could he actually have just dragged me here to help him clean? ... Well, at least I'd get to play with some of his stuff, and we could chat. It might be nice to talk to Ben like a brother again.

"As to your second question," Ben continued, opening the box, and starting to pull components out, laying them carefully along the table. "A lot of this kit is sensitive, and it'd be my ass if I let you play with any of it." He winked, "But that doesn't mean there isn't 'some' stuff you can mess with. It'll just have to wait till we have a lot of our work done."

I swallowed a little, looking back at the room, before glancing down to the unwieldy bag I'd carried in. It hadn't been locked or snapped shut like his, what could... I opened the bag, seeing that it had a miniature vacuum, a mob, brushes, and other cleaning supplies. Ben had literally let me carry in the tools of my own torment. Well, two could play at that game.

I eyed him, a little heat in my face. "Well, why don't you start with the vacuum, I can start dusting the flat surfaces."

He shook his head, his expression morose. "Alas little brother, I cannot. For you see, I am bound by the duty of heroes to get this monitoring station set up," He whisked his hand, gesturing to the equipment scattered around him. "As you can see, I am duty bound to get a lot of this done as quickly as possible."

The heat was turning a little to burning; my eyes stung from what must have been the dust. "Well why don't we both set up the equipment first then. It'll go faster if we both do it." I raised an eyebrow, "Or if it's straightforward, I'm pretty sure I could put things together while you clean."

He scoffed a little, then tried to hide it as a cough, waving his hand in the airborne dust. "If you think you're up to the task, be my guest. I think I left one of my boxes by the front door, could you go get it?"

My eyes narrowed as I stomped off to the front door, kicking up a wake of dust in my path. Seeing the bright equipment chest, I leaned down and grabbed it. Almost immediately I crumbled to the ground, off-balance with my leg spiking in pain. Coughing in the tiny cloud I'd created, I got myself back up, Devi vibrating and heating slightly, likely trying to sooth my injury. I got both my hands around the handle this time, bracing mostly with my good knee. I was barely able to lift it to waist height before having to put it back down. What the hell was in this thing!?

Ben had followed sedately, watching me fail to accomplish something so simple as 'pick up box'. He just stood there, a little grin on his face as I struggled. Finally, he leaned down lightly, and plucked the box from the ground in a smooth motion. He looked down to my now strained face with a grin that was likely only meant to be amused, but ended up cutting. "Well, if that answers that question," He said, gesturing with his head back to the room. "Mop's over there."

I could feel a familiar weight in my chest.

---

---

It was nearly three hours before Ben finally called from the office that it was time for a break. Stepping out for the first time, he glanced around, checking on my progress. "Oh wow Bro! You did really well!" he rubbed his finger along one of the nearest desks, noting the lack of dust accumulating on it. "At this rate, we'll be done in like, no time at all!" He'd forced joviality into his voice, though I couldn't quite tell if it was in general, or directed at me.

I took the moment to sit on one of the few clean chairs. I'd managed to clean maybe a third of the desks, and do a first pass of vacuuming along all the major walk-ways. Opening the few windows had helped a lot, and I admit to getting a few laughs out of when I'd turned on the floor's fans, and a startled yelp had come from Ben's office, small clouds of dust suddenly kicking up all throughout the floor. Over time, the majority of the malignant clouds had cleared out. I was just grateful that Ben had stayed in the office the whole time. Devi had taken the liberty to wrap my face, doing a decent job at filtering the dust out, despite being water-attuned.

She'd been quivering for nearly an hour now, I suspected it was out of strain, until it became obvious that it was only happening when I got close to Ben's room. Either she was scared or angry. As cruel as it may sound, I really hoped it was the former. I'd seen her angry.

Ben clapped me on the back hard; I staggered a little bit before looking up at him. He had a sheepish grin on his face, "Ah, sorry about the Bro, I just don't know my own strength sometimes." He gestured around to the office again, "I'm serious though, you’ve put in a lot of hard work. I'm really impressed!" He eyed my face, pulling out a wallet from his pockets. "I believe I promised my favorite brother a late lunch for all his efforts, hmm?"

"I'm your only brother..." I mumbled, a little sweat still on my face, both from the constant up and down of cleaning, as well as the stifling atmosphere. That second one had at least cleaned up a bit when I'd opened the windows. "And yeah, I think you owe me for sucking me into this."

He gave me a little smirk, though I think I saw a little concern in his eyes. "Yeah... yeah, I'm sorry, I'd meant for us to hang out a little more, but I need to keep on schedule. I'm the newbie around there, and I don't want to mess things up."

I was still upset, but I think I could understand. I wouldn't want to be the "new guy who ruined a simple task" either. That was the sort of thing that might follow you, and my guess was that the gossip circles in the Vigilants were probably pretty small. I nodded to him, gesturing to the door, "Lead on then oh purveyor of snacks." I tried to force a grin on my face, but I don't think it quite came out as well as I intended. He only nodded, and started walking towards the door.

As we made our way out, I glanced into his room. He'd definitely made a lot of progress, small banks of machines now assembled along the walls, lit up with tiny lights and screens of arcane meaning. Well, at least I knew he wasn't slacking off at least. If he had, I'd have been rather more upset than I already was.

---

---

Being in the mall with Ben was a little bit of a surreal experience. We passed a few of the people I'd rather avoid, but their gazes never hit me. Instead, all eyes were directed to Ben. First his height, then his eyes, then his shirt, the Vigilants logo standing out proudly. This was the repeated cycle of actions for almost everyone, culminating in one of three reactions. Fear, Awe, Curiosity. Only occasionally was I the fourth point of interest, their eyes typically holding understanding, or veiled distaste.

Ben acted like he wasn't aware of the attention, walking along side me proudly, trying to keep up a conversation. We kept being interrupted however, as he saw a landmark, or store that he remembered from he'd come here.

"So the mall hasn't really changed all that much," he'd start, "I remember that one there used to be an electronics store, but now it's a lingerie shop?" He gave me a confused look. "That's a bit of a switch."

I nodded, looking in. I actually hadn't remembered that, I was a little young at the time. Still, it was kind of neat to imagine how the layout of the store had remained the same. I could see along the walls where components or trinkets would have been mounted, on the roof there was more wiring than I'd expect from a clothing store, and the desk was positioned perfectly to-

Nancy was looking at Ben and I with a wide grin, glancing between the two of us, mouthing unintelligible words at me.

Due to my own utter misfortune, Ben seemed to have noticed, nudging me in the shoulder with his elbow. "Oh? 'Cheating' on Judy are you?" He said, with a knowing look in his eye. "Is she your girlfriend?" I shook my head, face growing hot. "Ex?" he asked, a now puzzled look on his face. I shook my head again, face getting redder. "Well, then what?"

I looked up at Ben, face flushed and expression of capitulation. "She is the reaper of my suffering."

Ben just looked down at me, his eyes confused and face blank. We'd paused for a few moments, Nancy still in the background now nodding eagerly, her eyebrows wiggling. "Is she your mistress?" he said with a confused grin.

"We're done here." I jabbed, my face likely on the course to melt-down. We made our way to the food court.

---

---

After getting my cheap take-out, I'd sat down in my usual isolated spot, slowly picking at my fries and waiting for Ben to finish ordering before starting in on the hamburger. It was taking a while, Ben's appetite appears to be beyond the pale of what some of these folks were expecting. Despite this, he seemed intent on stopping by multiple different stores, apparently wanting to 're-experience his youth'. Whatever that meant.

The long and short of it was that Ben would be a little while, and I had salted fries, a finished drink sitting next to me, and a rapidly cooling burger sitting on the table. I sighed. This wasn't what I'd wanted from the day. I think I'd rather have sat at home alone, at least then I'd just be in limbo. Devi wasn't even able to help cheer me up either with Ben nearby; there was no telling if he might notice something with those eyes of his. She was definitely trying to make her presence known, her angry quivering at Ben had died down, and now she was just occasionally giving me a little hug. It was nice, and I appreciated it, but it wasn't the same as sharing my time with her.

I munched down on another fry, realizing that if it was going to be a little while before Ben got back, I might as well kill some time. I finally looked up, intent on people-watching. It was then that I realized that someone had been standing there for the past couple of minutes, staring at me. Cascades of red with yellow streams fell behind her as she sat across me from. Renee smiled slightly.

"Hello Shane." He stated briskly.

"Gyah!" I half-jumped in surprise.

She raised an eyebrow, "Not the typical greeting I get, but you receive points for ingenuity."

I looked at her wide-eyed, that long banished sweat threatening to return for a very different reason. "Renee? Uhm... Hi? It's nice to see you?" I glanced off in the distance, Ben was currently waiting in line for Korean barbeque, and he’d be there for a little while. "You may not be safe here, my brother is here, and he might not, er, he might not do well with-"

"With my type?" She said, an eyebrow rising, with a slight grin, "I know Shane; it's not exactly difficult to spot him coming. I'm only here because I had to speak with you anyway, and happened to in the area on... business." Her tone brooked no questions.

"Oh? Uhm, well I'm flattered you'd come to see me like this then, thank you." I said, nodding slightly in respect.

She waved my statement off, "I said I had time, not that we could have an extended chat. If we need that, you can find me at Cindy's pub. If you call ahead of course." She waited, as though expecting a response; then sighed slightly, "In any case, I've come to request that you visit sometime tomorrow. Your patron has apparently had another delivery shipped here through channels to which I am not privy. However, considering that Golden is within my territory, I must facilitate this courier as best as I am able."

What? There was another delivery, and it was coming from an outside source? That was odd; Ms. Crane had said that there wouldn't be any deliveries for a while. I wonder if she'd just forgotten? "Uhm, whenabouts tomorrow is the courier going to be there?"

That was apparently the wrong question. Renee was now frowning, not quite focusing on me. "If this is anything like other outside sources, he will likely arrive several times tomorrow. However, he will not give me a specific time." The last words had been spat, Renee's eyes focused, razor sharp and cutting to mine, I tried to suppress a wince. "I do not like unplanned wildcards in my territory Shane. You will tell your mysterious patron that I don't care who they have the ear of, if she does this again without informing me, there will be consequences."

I gulped, nodding. "I'm, I'm sure I can come by tomorrow."

She nodded briskly, standing up quickly, before brushing her hair back again. "See that you do. It's nice to see you Shane. Next time it happens in a social setting, let's hope it's not under such circumstances again." She walked off, back straight, all business.

I admit, I may have stared. It was shameful, but... yeah, it was just shameful.

Only moments after Renee left my line of sight, Ben thumped down on the table, startling me again. This week had not been kind to my heart.

"Hey Bro! Who was that with you?" He asked, eyebrow raised. "Or is this another thing that we're 'done' with?" he said, grinning widely before digging into his food with an exuberance that was a bit shocking, a frenzy comparable to sharks with blood in the water. Thankfully in this case, it was just ketchup.

"Yeah, something like that," I muttered. I grabbed my burger, taking a few bites before putting it back down. Today had seemingly stripped me of my appetite.

Ben eyed the burger, then me, then the burger again. "You going to eat that?"

---

---

Lunch had been a relatively quiet affair. I say quiet in the broadest terms, as Ben's eating had drawn quite a bit of attention. He wasn't exactly subtle, like he'd been at home. After eating a ridiculous amount of food, he finally put his hands behind his head, and sighed with a gratified tone. Between bites, he'd been telling me funny stories about his time in school, about his training with the Vigilants. All of them were funny in their own right, but lacked a sense of personality that I would have expected. Details had been stripped, likely for good reasons, but these were stories he could recite by rote. It almost felt like a checklist. Still, it was nice to hear more about him. I wondered why he didn’t ask about me.

Making our way back to the office, we both returned to our respective tasks. The ambient dust in the air had been mostly cleared out, leaving the air feeling slightly more free, and chilled. I continued my servitude, having completed the 'damage control' broad sweeps; I was now getting individual desks and their surrounding areas usable. I'll admit that I spent some time peering through the windows in the locked heavy doors. One appeared to lead into a room with three metal doors, possibly cells? The other didn't have any windows, but I didn't need them to know what was in this one. Emblazoned next to the door, and painted on the wall was one word: Armory.

Oh Ben. This might actually have been worth it if you let me poke around in there...

I'd just finished the fifth desk when I heard the office doors opening, I glanced up, to see a person in the dark hallway, wearing mostly red, with a flourishing cape behind him. On his chest was a small stylized heart, a black cross intersecting it diagonally. I knew him.

"The Red Knave..." I muttered my mouth agape. This was one of the newer members of the Vigilants! Nearly four years ago, he and his sister the Crimson Queen had been card carrying villains. Not the type to go on killing sprees or anything, but professionals. They'd helped the Vigilants when they realized that their previous employers had been planning on some kind of large-scale attack on civilians. They then assisted them in uprooting a large section of the criminal network in Vancouver, turning over their former allies. They were now acting as public service in the Vigilants to pay their debt to society. Personally, I’d always assumed it was that, or jail time.

The Knave glanced up at me, noting my rather grimy appearance, his eyebrow raised quizzically before noticing my cleaning supplies. "Young man. I am looking for my compatriot Hookshot. Would you happen to know where he might be?" I pointed shakily to Ben's office. Ben's hero name was Hookshot? That was... actually kind of cool. The Knave moved with the fluid proficiency of a trained swordsman, I'd seen Ms. Crane moving like that before, but only ever on the combat mat.

I moved to one of the already cleaned desks closer to the door, pretending to continue task. I 'HAD' to know what was being said in there.

"Hookshot," Knave stated, "I trust you are doing well?"

There was no immediate response, before the sounds of movement were made. "Sir! What are you doing here?"

The Knave responded, "I am just passing through, and wanted to see the town you'd spoken so fondly of, seeing my apprentice didn't hurt matters either." I could almost hear a smile in his voice. More movement, then the sound of patting.

"It's good to see you Sir; I didn't have a chance to speak with you after my graduation, were you there to see it?" Ben asked, respect in his voice. I'd 'never' heard this kind of tone coming from him, not since we were kids and speaking to our parents.

"Not in person, but I watched the tapes. You did quite well for yourself, didn't you? Learned a few new tricks? That you passed was quite surprising. I'm glad to see that my efforts weren't wasted." Knave responded, his voice a little dry. What the hell? 'I' hadn't seen these tapes, but I'm sure Ben did great. This guy was talking like Ben almost didn't pass. This was Ben!

I frowned a little, putting more effort into my purposeless scrubbing. The Knave had never been very high on my lists. He certainly had a swagger, but he was dropping rapidly. Ben laughed, Laughed? "I appreciate that Sir. Did you come by just to see the town? Or to make sure things were on schedule?"

The Knave coughed lightly, "I am permitted to do both, Hookshot. I see the equipment is coming along, but you seem to have recruited help from a little janitor." There was a wry tone to his voice as though he were telling some kind of joke. I could feel that pressure in my chest grow, I swallowed lightly, and moved to a desk slightly further away that actually needed my attention. I didn't need to listen to this garbage.

Listen to it I did however, both their voices emerging from the room, now looking at me from the distance. They spoke softly, but I don't know if they just expected me not to hear, or if they didn't care. "That's my little bro-ther, Shane." Ben said, "He offered to help me get things cleared out around here. It had been left unused for quite some time. Being a fan of the team, he was quite happy to offer his support in any way."

Knave hrm'd slightly, in an appraising way. "I saw, he certainly knew me right away, it's nice to be recognised by the," he paused for a moment, searching for the right word, "civilians." There was an almost grimy tone when he said that word, it was hidden, but I could tell. I'd spent enough time reading people to notice little hints, the way his legs were positioned, the slight tilt of the head. I don't think I liked this guy.

"Hey Shane, come on over here," Ben said loudly, I looked up, as though only now noticing them before putting down my cleaning supplies and walking over. Devi had thankfully hidden herself the moment I'd heard the doors open. Ben gestured to me, then to Knave. "Sir, this is Shane, my little brother. Shane? This is my mentor, The Red Knave." Ben nodded slightly, arms lowering, but with the Knave's focus on me, his eyes gave me a pleading look. This was important to him.

"Hello Sir," I said, picking up on Ben’s queue. I gave him a short nod before offering my hand.

The Knave looked down at my slightly grimy hand with a raised eyebrow. Looking back to me, a slight smirk grew on the side of his face. He reached out, and grasped my hand, crushing it in his metal-gauntleted grip, just below the point that I'd have yelped in pain. "It's nice to meet you young Shane. Your older brother has been telling me all about you."

"Only good things I hope Sir." I nodded my head again, pulling my hand back, resisting the urge to rub it.

"No. Not all good things, but enough." He said, rather deadpan. "And I understand you've offered to help restore this operations post to working order? That's quite big of you, on behalf of the Vigilants, I thank you." He nodded slightly in a courtly fashion, closing his eyes for a moment.

A slight grin appeared on my face, despite all the warning flags this guy was throwing off. "Thank you Sir, it was my pleasure to help." I said, trying to sound jovial. Glancing over at Ben, he had stepped back and was looking at me with a relieved expression.

"You appear to be a fan of our work," The Knave stated, not really asking a question. He examining the gauntlet he'd shook my hand with calmly, "Might I ask, how long have you been following our exploits?"

"For some time Sir, my brother and I were fans since we were kids." The Knave seemed to nod approvingly at that.

"And if you were to choose one," He said, "which Vigilant would be the one you focused the most on?" The tone in the voice was oily, pompous; I did NOT like this guy. I did NOT like this guy being my brother's superior... But I think I knew what answer he was looking for. "And don't say me," he continued, with an almost bored tone. "It's tiresome, and the obvious 'right' answer," he said, finally smiling, a hard grin on his face, staring me directly in the eyes "If it were true, you would have reacted very differently when I walked in if it were."

Well, there goes plan A. Ben was shaking his head slightly, as though hoping not to be noticed, his eyes slightly widened. I suppose honesty would have to be my best policy.

"It would be the Silver Gear Knight," I said finally. The Knave simply continued staring at me. "He would be my favorite... I mean, I really like what he does, and his armor, and the things he does" I was starting to blather, panicked as those cool eyes gazed into mine. Ben was visibly wilting as I stammered, "I... I guess that would be my answer... Sir."

He continued staring at me for another few moments before finally blinking, breaking eye contact, looking at Ben with a bored expression. "Yes, that's very good young man. Don't worry, we were all young once. I can hardly fault you." He nodded slightly to me again, before looking to Ben. "Come now Hookshot, I must speak with you in regards to our mission. Apparently our wayward Mister Darley has been seen heading west from Alberta, which means this tow-" the door closed behind them, locking me out of their world.

I looked around the room, dusty desks and soiled carpets, grimy windows and plastic wrapping. This was apparently my world. It was my world, and Ben was in his. Ben was in his, and he'd told someone he worried about impressing that I'd offered to help.

I returned to my cleaning duties robotically. Moving from desk to desk, my mind cautiously blank. Devi had been making some kind of motion, but I wasn't really paying attention. I had to clean things. It's the only reason Ben came for me at all.

He'd wanted a janitor.

---

---

Ben and the Knave came out of the room several hours later, the Knave shooting me a look before nodding slightly to Ben and leaving. Ben followed him, glancing over to me with a slightly panicked expression. As the door was closing, he mumbled back to me, "Start wrapping it up Shane, we'll be going home soon."

I started putting my equipment away, the high tech toys long since a faded memory. I knew more cleaning would be needed tomorrow; I didn't bother putting them back in the bag, just leaning them in convenient places. Grabbing the vacuum, I decided to get one quick pass in Ben's office. It sounded likely that I wouldn't be going in there otherwise, and he ought to not be breathing dust at all times.

I walked into the room, glancing at all the assembled banks of wondrous technology around me. I had no idea what any of it meant, but it was still incredible. I ran my fingers over cold steel, avoiding anything that might have been touch-activated or buttons. It was all working as it was supposed to, the harsh edges cutting efficient lines around the room. Ghastly lights blared, keeping me from looking directly into them.

I continued circling the room, vacuum forgotten, there was so much here, so much I'd never understand. Ben had assembled all of it in the space of a day. He really was gifted. I suppose this was another story I'd be telling Judy when she got back from... From her lessons. I snorted a little, this place was a marvel, but Ms. Crane's home had life to it, history and personality. All of this was just junk in comparison.

Frowning, I turned to walk out, when I stubbed my toe on something heavy. I stumbled a little, catching myself on my bad leg as pain shot through me again. I managed to catch myself on the wall, preventing another full fall. Looking back, I saw it was the case I'd tried to move earlier, still closed and sitting where Ben had left it. My accidental kick had undone one of the small metal latches.

I eyed the doorway, but didn't hear anything; they must have gone all the way downstairs. Glancing down to the box again, I could feel the first starting’s of a grin creeping along my face. I edged closer, looking down at the undisturbed case. It looked so official, so new. Reaching down, I opened the other latch lightly, and tilted the lid of the box open, peering inside with undisguised curiosity and longing.

Both of these things died. I closed and re-latched the case, and began making my way to the front door; the pressure in my chest was there. It had always been there. What I'd felt yesterday and this morning were delusions.

Ben came out of the elevator, looking down in what I could only describe as consternation. Glancing up, he saw me looking at him, as I opened the glass doors. He forced a smile on his face. "Hey Bro," he started, "Thanks for all the help today. I'm sorry if my teacher scared you a little bit, he can be… intimidating." There was a pregnant pause as I hit the elevator call button. He looked down at me again, his face a little sad. "I know you didn't have any reason to know, but... The Gear Knight isn't really someone I… really expected you to still like. I mean, he's incredible in his own way, but I kind of thought that you'd grown up a little."

The elevator door opened. I stepped in, and hit ground.

"Shane?" my brother asked, confused as the door was closing. "Are you going down to wait by the truck?"

I stared at him with dead eyes. Silence my only response as the doors closed.

Reaching the ground floor, I walked outside, passing the truck and into the cold night. It was later than I'd expected. I suppose I should have known somehow. It didn't seem important.

Devi was trying to do something. Also not important. There was only one thing in my mind, one thing and a feeling.

That one thing was what was inside the case. The dozens of lifting weights. No technological value. Just dense plates of metal you’d expect in a gym. Stacked from bottom to top.

Ben had needed a way to remind me of my place. So he made one.

---

---

I got home late. The house was asleep, my parents not even staying up to see me. It made sense.

I marched up the stairs, and checked the birdhouse. Nothing. I booted up my computer, leaning back, and eyes staring straight ahead.

It finished booting, and I looked. I had received an email from Judy.

Shane, You'll never believe the day I had. Ms Crane took me down to a room that she says she normally keeps locked. Apparently she uses it to help focus her magic for big acts. It took all day, but I managed to light a candle with my BRAIN. That and words, and essence I suppose. She also told me about Investments, she said if I did well for at least a month she'd give one to me, but that it meant I was basically 'signing up' with her teachings IT WAS SO WEIRD. By the way, you were a little wrong when it came to the Investments, Actually what it is---

I shut off the computer. Moved to bed and lay down. Devi wasn't even trying to move now, just sitting still. A cloud had passed over the moon. I glanced down at the scales, wondering if I should go through with it. But it wasn't necessary. This dark, of the two, the only silhouette I could see in the dim light was the monster.

"Shane, come on honey, it's time to get out of bed" a soft voice crooned.

Mom had been trying to get me out of bed for a while now.

"C'mon Bro, I really need your help over there, I'll buy you lunch again!" Another voice pleaded.

I stayed silent laying with my back to the door, still in my clothes from yesterday. I couldn't decide if I was quietly fuming or just numb. Either way, she might have gotten me to respond if Ben hadn't come in to 'help'.

"Shane, this is really immature of you. There's better ways to deal with something that's bothering you than pouting. Why won't you tell us what's wrong?" the soft voice persisted.

"Yeah, c'mon Bro, you can say anything. If something's bugging you, I'd be glad to take care of it for you." the deeper voice echoed.

I suspect that didn't have the effect he was hoping for.

It was some time around noon now. They'd been at it for roughly an hour. There was probably something I could be doing with my time, but there just didn't really seem much point in moving around, all that would happen is I would end up back here worse for wear. They'd leave me alone eventually.

The doorbell rang, and there was the sound of shuffling as someone left the room. I could still hear someone else standing there though. Assuming Mom would have gone to get the door that would leave...

"Bro, you've gotta say something. Is this about what Knave said? I know you really like the Knight, but even with what he said, I wouldn't have thought you'd react this way. He's a bit rough around the edges, but he means well." Ben had remained, breathing calmly, and waiting for some response. "Was it about me getting you to clean? I know you were hoping to play around, but I was on the clock, and needed to get things done, you understand right?" Still nothing. "C'mon Shane, I know you wanted to chat, but I've got a job now. I thought you'd be happy to help out your favorite team a bit."

My throat felt rough, like there was something jammed in it. I tried to will my ears not to listen to his vocal stumbling.

He continued musing. "I mean, you got to hang out in a neat office, sure there was work. But you never minded that when we were kids." His voice took a contemplative tone. "You seemed a little weirded out when the Knave talked to you, then you were spazzing out by the time I came back upstairs. You could have at least told me where you were going, I was really worried!"

There was silence for a few moments, faint voices sounding from the ground floor as the door closed.

"I mean, the only thing you might have done was keep cleaning, or maybe take a break, it's not like you ever have a phone on you..." His voice halted for a few seconds. "You left the vacuum in the office, so you went in there while I was gone." He tried to follow that train of thought. "Did you hurt yourself? Or see some reading on one of the monitors that freaked you out?" His voice took on a slightly hollow tone, "Did you open the case?"

Involuntarily I winced, still not looking at him. Well done Ben. Use that luck granted intellect to figure your shit out for you. Don't even bother applying yourself. Devi quivered with what I had assumed was anger, it felt kind of nice.

"It was a little joke bro... I wasn't allowed to let you touch any of that gear, it being team supplies and all. I was going to tell you, but I figured you might find it funny. My buddies at school did it all the time, didn't yours?" he continued, his voice taking on a puzzled tone. I felt a slight nudging on my shoulder, "You have to admit, it was pretty funny right? I mean, even I had some trouble lifting that thing." There was a silence where I was sure he was trying to give a cocksure grin.

Then came the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs, quiet conversation wisping just outside the room.

"Do you ... what might .... upset ...?" My Mom asked, half muffled by the walls.

"I ..... have a ... ideas." Judy responded softly. "... like to see ... though."

There was a long pause before my Mom responded, barely able to hear with Ben continuing to nudge my shoulder, hoping for a response. "Judy, if you know some..., y.. should tell .., I have .... ..ght to know."

The slight whine of my bedroom door opening caught my attention; Ben halting his prodding, finally retracting his hand.

"He's just freaking out, was he like this back in the day?" He asked, as though I weren't in the room though with a worried tone. Good.

"Ben?" Judy gasped, "Ben is that you?"

"Hey Judy" Ben's voice took on his trademarked carefree tone. The sounds of him abandoning his seat. "Good to see ya again. You've grown a lot. Think you can sort him out? I've really got to get going."

There was a long pause, Judy likely studying Ben before responding cautiously "It's nice of you to stick around Ben, I'm sure Shane appreciates it. Do you know what may have caused this? Did anything happen yesterday?"

"Well, Shane offered to help me clean up the old MCO office downtown," Ben said, slightly twisting events. "He may have gotten a bit of a shock when my mentor showed up and said the Gear Knight wasn't the best thing since sliced toast," now he sounded a little exasperated.

A short pause before Judy spoke up again. "Well, There might be something there... But first, I was wondering, you used to have a good eye for things. Could you help me with something before we get started?"

"Sure! What is it? What do you want me to do?" Ben eagerly replied.

"Bend down here for a sec; I don't want Shane to hear." Judy stated, her tone setting off red flags in my mind.

"Alright," I could hear a sudden fleshy 'SLAP' and my mother gasping as Ben staggered slightly. "What the hell Judy!?"

"Don't lie to me Ben. You Lemaire men are terrible liars, all of you." I could hear knuckles cracking. Judy was mad, what's more, she'd just slapped a super hero across the face. That sounded like her. "You're not telling us something. Talk."

"I told you just what happened. I wasn't even there when Shane freaked out, before he was perfectly happy helping out, then he just buggered off! And you could show me a little respect. I realize we haven't seen each other in a long time, but it is NOT ok for you to slap me like I was some kid!" My brother protested, anger in his voice.

"Ben," Mom's voice was soft, but concern and storm clouds threaded every syllable in equal measure. "I'm sorry Judy acted that way," a pause, "But did anything happen that you didn't tell me about?"

A pause, "I... may have gotten him to do all the cleaning. But I was busy assembling the equipment, so I figured it wasn't a big deal."

"That sounds reasonable, if a little unfun for Shane. Did you two get a chance to catch up at all?" My mother continued, unabated by Ben's non-answer.

"Well, I mean, we chatted while we were at the mall, we got to see the sights, and Shane showed me his mis--" Ben's joking tones were halted.

"You didn't talk to him while you were working?" She asked again, calmly.

"Well sure, we got a little talking in." he muttered, perhaps seeing the walls closing in.

"NOT good enough Lemaire, you're did something else." Judy spat

"Judy dear, be civil in my home and to our family." Mom prompted to her, a soft rebuke hidden within. "But Ben, I do agree, you're acting like you did when you'd stay out late when you were a kid. What aren't you saying?"

"I... may have played a bit of a joke" Ben sputtered slightly.

I could 'FEEL' Judy clenching her fists again from here. I have to admit, the image it brought to my head brought me a smile.

"Mrs. Lemaire, do you mind if I have the room? I'd like to speak with Shane." Judy stated, more calmly than I'd expect. But then, she was speaking to Mom.

"I think so Ms. Michaels, My eldest and I need to have a little talk before he goes to work." My mom responded, voice just as eerily calm. "Benjamin, would you come with me please?"

I could hear Ben sputtering slightly before dropping into silence. Someone sat on the bed next to me, pulling my shoulder softly. I rolled slightly and saw her face. I'm not sure how I looked. I hadn't showered, and wasn't in the best of states when I'd fallen asleep.

"Shane," Judy began. "Did Ben do something, like what we talked about?"

My throat felt clogged, making it hard to swallow. I nodded slightly, still not looking at her.

There was a long sigh as she rubbed her forehead. "That idiot. I suppose he hasn't changed much beyond the size then has he?"

I glanced at her confused for a moment before looking away again.

"Don't give me that look Shane, when we were kids, you practically worshiped him. He wasn't a very good brother a lot of the time, you just never noticed." She paused, looking around the room for a moment. "But not being the best brother doesn't mean he meant to hurt you. He may have been lying, but I don't think we were the ones he was lying to. Odds are, he's either used to doing... whatever it is he did, or he just never realized that you'd grown up too, and might've been hurt."

I opened my mouth a couple of times, trying to find the words. "I'm just so small..."

Judy punched me in the shoulder, a slight smile on her face. "You're taller than I am you jerk. But I know that's not what you mean." She was now holding the shoulder, Devi finally coming out to wrap around her wrist once, giving it a quick squeeze before retreating. Judy smiled, "Devi doesn't think so, I don't think so, Ms. Crane doesn't think so. You just need to figure it out on your own terms."

I felt a little more 'present' than before. I glanced around the room, then back to her. "What are you doing here?" I asked quietly. "I thought you'd be heading out for your lessons."

Judy rolled her eyes, punching my shoulder again "I'm here because of you, you idiot," She paused on that word for a moment, wincing. "Crane can wait; one of my best friends needs me around." She grinned. "Besides, you have no idea how much she complained about me. You set the bar pretty high." Her voice took a warped comedic pitch "'The kid never did that! Stop paying attention to the not-cat; you want to do what the kid does? Did I stutter? Did I fucking stutter? Go get the Kid, because I need a fucking translator'." She looked back to me expectedly, grinning.

I was surprised to find that I was grinning too. It was guilty, taking delight in Judy's sufferance.

Judy waved, "There you go! That's the Shane I came here looking for. More or less..." I raised an eyebrow at that. She looked down on me with an imperious look on her face, her tone serious. "The Shane that was foretold of in legends was one who showered, and lo his breath was not to be like a compost heap."

I closed my mouth, suddenly realizing that I could 'TASTE' it. I really should have brushed.

Judy nodded sagely. "And if we're going out today, you need to be presentable. I will not have my shopping squire averting my challengers with his breath alone!" She paused for a few moments, recounting her words a bit. "Heh, I, I didn't mean to go too far. Sorry, I just think you need a day with a friend. And what builds friendship more than shared suffering?"

"No, its ok, I'm ok." I muttered, slowly getting up. "It's ok." I whispered again.

She looked around my room, her eyes briefly locking onto my scales. She frowned slightly, and then grew a contemplative look. "Well, I don't think you should be my squire anymore considering you bravely fought monsters..." She looked back to me, a smile on her face. "How would you like to be my shopping knight?"

"I... I think I would like that..." I stammered quietly. It was a little pathetic, but I felt a slight blush. She'd used that word.

Judy nodded, still looking a bit worried. "Alright. I'm going to go downstairs, there's something I need to take care of. You get yourself cleaned up." She stood, marching over to the doorway before looking up at the birdhouse. "You know, until I'd gotten one, I always just figured you really liked birds or something." She looked back at me thoughtfully, before heading downstairs.

---

---

I'd finished my shower and gotten some clean clothes on before I started hearing the shouting.

"Oh you didn't MEAN it? It sounds a hell of a lot like you DID. Try actually MEETING your brother before making assumptions like that. And if you ever, EVER pull that kind of shit again, I swear, I don't care if you can shoot fire out of your ASS Lemaire, I will FIND you!"

There was thumping, the sound of someone large stomping before a door opened, then slammed shut. The sound of a vehicle driving off at a dashing pace following shortly thereafter. I guess Judy finished that 'thing' she had to do. I almost felt sorry for Ben, almost. It was a little shaming though, that I had to rely on her to fight my battles like that. The last time I'd done something similar, things had ended badly... I'd have to be more careful.

Walking downstairs, Judy was still a little red-faced, crossing her arms, and looking angrily down at a wall... My Mom was speaking quietly but sternly. "Judy, I know you're mad, but we've talked about this before." She was giving Judy a hug, Judy resisting a smile, trying to stay mad. "You don't have to be so aggressive when you have a problem with someone." Judy's angry face slumped a little bit, as she turned to return the hug. "I appreciate your zeal, but please don't to raise your voice in my house again. You don't need to, not here."

Judy nodded again, trying not to make eye-contact with my Mom. "I'm sorry Mrs. Lemaire."

Mom looked up to see me, smiling slightly before leaning back, giving Judy a stage-whisper. "Besides, if you yell, all they hear is the volume and not the words, you still need to get the message across." I winced a little. That explains why Mom almost never yelled...

Judy was still red faced, though she had a little smirk now. She stepped away and looked up to me. "Shane, you ready to get going?" She gave me a calculating look. "Yeah, you look about ready, and I think some late lunch is in order."

"Thank you for doing this Judy, rest assured I'll be speaking with Benjamin when I see him tonight." Mom said gently, before walking gracefully over to me again, giving me a big hug. I felt small again, but this time it was welcomed. "And Judy, if you wanted to talk again about that our chat earlier, please feel free to call, even if I'm at work."

Judy smiled, nodding. "Thanks again, I really do appreciate it." She then looked at me and gestured towards the door. "Well Shane! I think it's time to see the world, don't you?"

---

---

We'd been making out way towards the mall, taking a bit of a scenic route. I found that we were following a few of the path's I'd made with Devi's little sightseeing tour earlier, the park with the Frisbee dog nearby. At some point, Devi had decided that my leg was healing well enough, and was now 'riding' with Judy. I'm not certain she knew quite what to make of it.

"What does it mean when she squeezes three times, then vibrates?" Judy asked cautiously. "Is she mad? Can she bite me?"

Nodding sagely I spoke sternly, "It means that the stars are in alignment, and the time is right for battle." I paused for a moment, tapping my finger to my lips contemplatively. "Or it means there's a dog nearby, one of those two."

Judy rolled her eyes, "So you don't know, great."

I smiled back to her, sleep still a little in my eyes, "Secondly, I doubt she can bite, though she might give you a bit of a paper-cut." She looked down at Devi's head on her shoulder, the head that was currently nodding at her, mouth open. "You just have to go with feeling and context. Devi isn't one to be guarded or anything. She's pretty open about what she wants or feels, even if we don't really get it."

Judy gave looked at me as we turned a corner, "She sounds like you when we were kids.”

I looked back to her, a little confused. "I'll have to take your word on that."

We approached the local Tim Hortons. Judy insisted on buying again... I was three in the hole now. Going to have to make that up to her at some point. Once we were wonderfully caffeinated, we continued towards the city center. The quiet between us was calm, but there was a little turbulence. I suppose one of us would have to start it, and I was caffeine fortified for now.

"How was your day at Ms. Crane's?" I half-mumbled, nearly cutting my message off as I brought the straw to my mouth. Completely unintentional, I swear.

Judy was silent for a moment, "Are you sure you want to talk about this? I know that kind of thing might be a bit rough to hear. And today's supposed to be about you." She replied back cautiously, taking a short dignified sip of her coffee.

I fluttered my hand a little, "Normally yes, but knowing that you're ok with what's going on would help I think. You said Ms. Crane was complaining, was it that bad?"

Judy was silent, her face blank, staring off into the distance. Slowly, a smirk. Then a grin. Then a smile. Then a mile-wide smile. "IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!" Judy nearly screamed jumping slightly. "Jasper raised the tunnel wall a little when I said out loud that I was a little nervous, and I nearly got buried in cats while I waited at the front door! Crane threw some powdered catnip at me when the door opened, and suddenly there was this herd of cats just circling! She said I'd need to work on my reflexes. Then we did a bit of orientation, and gave me homework, but first the lessons were fun, and super cool, and I told you about that one room, and she said that I'm like a natural at this sort of thing, and that's why the blue moved with my hand back near the pond, and then--"

She talked as I listened, occasionally taking a sip from my drink. I only half right. It definitely still hurt, a lot. Even within the first blurting 'squee' of her monologue, she was far and away outside my knowledge range. I wonder if I'd just been given a bit of an 'idiot's guide' of what I'd needed to know to get stuff done. It'd certainly make sense.

"Judy," I began, trying to find the terminating point in this endless stream of consciousness. "Are you happy there? Are you going to go again?"

She stopped all of a sudden, and took a few moments to process my question. "Yeah, I'm happy. I still want to do college, but I'm definitely going again. There's just so much to know, and so many cool things to do. I think I could really help people with this, and it just felt really natural to me, like, I was always supposed to do this or something."

It still hurt, but it was good. She'd found something she was meant to do.

It's yours. She stole it.

I winced a little, that filthy thought sneaking up in the back of my mind. I crushed it down with the weight of my disapproval. It was a stupid though, and I was stupid for entertaining it. Judy was happy, and that's what was good, it's all that mattered.

In my distraction, I hadn't noticed that Judy had stopped near a tree, waving me over surreptitiously. Feeling a little confused, I walked over and joined her. She glanced back and forth, looking for witnesses before grinning at me conspiratorially. She cupped her hands, as though shielding a tiny candle. "I may have begged her to teach me how to do this first..." Judy muttered, her face flushing slightly. "I thought you might like it." Her face turned to a fierce look of concentration, her hands never leaving that cupped position, her lips moving in silent unknown phrases.

A tiny light had formed in her palms. Silver lines glistened in a tiny aura, streamers of the self-same light slowly growing in multiple directions, floating in an ethereal stream. One tiny ball of light, precious and delicate was at its center, moving even in its stillness. I was finding it hard to breathe for fear that I might snuff it out...

Judy gasped, sweat on her forehead despite the lack of physical exertion, before raising her cupped hands. The light and it's numerous streamers floated higher, growing slightly before slowly fading. As it reached the treeline, it slowly vanished from sight. She looked up at me, breathing hard now. "I... I learned how to make my essence visible. It's not really what it looks like, but." she said, slightly gasping. "I added some 'dye' to a core. It doesn't last long to 'bleed out', but..." She couldn't continue, she didn't need to. I was hugging her tightly, tears running down my cheeks.

I kept hugging her, long after we'd normally have broken apart. She'd learned to do that in a day. She'd made one of the things I wanted most; I finally got to see my little students. My charges. I wasn't sure if all my tears were happy ones.

---

---

Judy had needed to take a breather after that. That was fine, the sun was bright and the wind was brisk. We found ourselves in the park and sat on the benches, just enjoying the day. I talked to her, telling her about what had happened yesterday. Despite being tired, her face grew cold. "That jackass", she'd mutter on occasion. I'd look at her when she spoke, and she'd wave me off, "Later." she'd mutter, gesturing for me to continue.

Later was fine, we had all day after all.

When we'd finally gotten up to leave, she motioned for me to wait, before lightly grabbing my arm. Devi slid up and under my shirt-sleeve. Judy smiled, "Back to your 'favorite' huh?" she said, chuckling. She eyed me, an amused light in her eyes. "You know, she's been tugging at me to do that for the past ten minutes? I see why Crane says that."

I grinned at that, feeling bad that I'd ignored Devi yesterday. I stroked her through my shirt, whispering. "I'm sorry Devi, thanks for sticking with me." I felt a slight squeeze in response. I don't know if Devi was the type to hold grudges, but wouldn't think so.

Judy just gave me an exasperated look, rolling her eyes, "You know, caressing your chest like that in public won't be very good for your public image."

I looked back to her, an echo of the past week in my mind. "Are you implying you're ashamed to be seen with me? That you'd rather be hanging out with your girlfriends more?"

"Well, I do like hanging out with the girls a little more." She started nudging me with her elbow, eyebrows wiggling, "Eh? I like hanging out with girls more? Eh? Eh?"

The nudging was getting sharper.

"Judy?" I asked, a slightly wry tone in my voice, "Are you in fact implying... that you like being with girls more than with me?" I'd adopted a hurt tone at the end.

She glared at me, ominous in all ways, save those ridiculous eyebrow wiggles, "You realize this puts you in a very dangerous place... A place where harm might come to you?"

I mock-gasped, "A specifically measured--" I was cut off

"DAYNGA ZOOOOOOOOONE" Judy half-screamed, miming an air-guitar, her eyes closed in intensity.

Damn, she beat me to it.

---

---

The mall was busy as always, we'd made our first stop the food court, grabbing some smaller snacks. No need to have a full meal this late in the day, though I did keep an eye out for anyone over eight feet with a huge appetite. I'd rather not deal with that at the moment. We moved on from store to store, stopping in and buying things that Judy wouldn't normally be all that interested in picking up, let alone in such quantities.

"But I thought you already had gloves?" I asked, a little confused.

"These are for keeping at her House," she replied, "I don't want to have to lug all the stuff I'll be using back and forth all the time, I figured it makes sense to leave everything in my room there. Besides, apparently I'll need some of this stuff for my 'curriculum'. Can you believe I'm back to school, and we haven't even gotten to college yet? Kind of unfair."

There was a small field of silence between us for a moment.

Judy continued, although seeming hesitant to go on, "She kind of gave, er, assigned me a room... Said that some of the things I'll need to study over-night." She was scanning my face intently.

It was blank, I think. "I'm glad for that Judy, you're very lucky. The few nights I've had to stay over, she'd always just get me to sleep on the couch." My face may have betrayed me slightly.

Judy winced, "Yeah... she'd mentioned that. I suspect that if you'd have asked for a room, she'd have given you one. She seems the type to want to see how far she could push you. Like a little joke."

I just stared at her, as she took a moment to look away, hiding her face while pretending to shop. "A little joke?" I murmured.

Judy grabbed another pair of candles, and brought them up to the cashier, putting them in the small bag once she was done. "Yeah... I may have called it that on purpose. I think it's a little like what happened yesterday." she said, a little flatly. "Shane, you put people on a pedestal, and then you read into everything they do based on that. Building up on things that aren't there, or might mean something differently." She shook her head, "It's part of why you're pretty good at reading people sometimes, and why you have such a low opinion of yourself. It's all perspective. Crane seems the type to have expected a challenge, and when it didn't come, she might've though it was funny, or that you were in on it. I doubt she was using it as some kind of rebuke."

We slowly walked out of the shop; I stayed quiet, giving her time to choose her words. "Ben and Crane. I don't think they realize just how different they are from other people. This," she raised a finger warningly, "doesn't have to do with being 'special' as you put it. This is about personality, not ability. Ben talked like you're still the little brother who worshipped him, as if he never left and nothing had changed because he doesn't know how he fits into your life. So he filled in the holes with what he expected, both from that image," She raised one fist, "And what he's used to as the person he is right now." She raised the other.

I nodded a little. "So he acted like he used to, and expected me to act the same as I used to, even if it was bugging me."

Judy nodded again, "He's used to the little brother that looks up to him, and the friends who would tease each other. I think he was trying to impress you, maybe make himself feel like he'd earned that worship, maybe just to re-connect." Judy shook her head, "I don't think he meant to hurt you. Just... be the hero he thought you expected. I doubt he knew that a joke like 'that' was something that really bothered you."

She paused for a few moments, buying time by looking in her bags. "Living in a way that's so different, I don't think either of them realizes what it was like for you sometimes. You're quiet, and have to have things that are bothering you dragged out before you'll say something." She glared at my right arm for a moment, "Colin and I had the history, so we got it. But neither of us was in that part of your life, so-."

I finished her sentence, "So you weren't there to protect me." The last words came out a little bitter.

Judy snorted in frustration, "No, I'm saying that when you're quiet, people fill in the blanks with what they'd expect they'd do. Crane expected you to challenge her. Ben expected you to find it funny. That doesn't make what they did right, but it does make them human."

Mumbling, "That doesn't mean it wasn't a shitty thing to do." I wasn't entirely sold on Judy's argument, but at least she was presenting an alternative.

She laughed, "People can be pretty shitty sometimes, even when they care."

Judy grabbed my arm, perhaps detecting fluctuating mood. She grinned, tugging on me in a direction, "Let's take a break! I want you to meet someone!" She continued forward, pulling me along in her wake.

Smiling in placation, I followed her.

---

---

I was already worried when I realized which way we were going. Ahead of us beamed bright green lettering, with a small dog and cat hugging each other at the end. We'd ended up at the pet store. And it wasn't the evening.

Judy was already rushing in, looking around quickly before dashing off to the corner. Michelle was there, counting cans of food, and occasionally marking down notes on a small pad. Looking up she saw Judy and smiled, Judy skipped towards her. "Hey 'J'" She said, exuberantly enough for me to hear it from here. I was still approaching slowly, cautiously. "I thought you had to cancel because plans came up? You're a little early; I don't get off for another couple of hours."

Judy gave her a quick hug, and stepped back, still smiling. "I'm afraid I'm still not able to come, but we were in the area, and I wanted to introduce the two of you." She gestured over to me, "Michelle, I want you to meet Shane, one of my best friends."

Judy was looking at me, so she didn't notice the distinct frown on Michelle's face before it was swiftly covered. I reached my hand out, "Nice to meet you Michelle. I'd always meant to stop in here but never quite found the time." I gave her a pleading look.

Michelle's eyes stayed locked to mine, narrowed slightly, then she accepted my hand and nodded, a not-quite-friendly smile gracing her face. "Good to meet you too. ’J''s mentioned you a few times." Her grip was strong, way stronger than I'd expected, not enough to hurt, but damn. "So I suppose you're the reason 'J' cancelled our date this evening?" she asked, the shadow of venom in her voice.

I looked at Judy, who was blushing a little, "Originally I had to go see my new tutor, but Shane really needed a day out, I'm sorry I left you hanging." She piped, a little more subdued.

Judy cancelled her date? Because of me? But with her lessons going on with Ms. Crane, they must not get many days to meet up, especially if Michelle had a weird work schedule. I found myself a little frozen, my hand still in the grip of the tiny pixie-cut vise.

Michelle finally released my hand, I pulled it back and giving Judy a slight grin, telling her "I understand, things can come up at random times." She eyed me again, "Shane, I like to think I'm a good judge of people. And you look like the kind of guy who likes snakes. We've got two in the corner if you want to check them out, I'd like to talk to Judy alone for a few minutes."

Judy gave me an odd look, but I shrugged innocently and began moving to the corner. Looking behind me briefly, Judy's eyes had narrowed suspiciously, turning forward again I could feel them still staring at the back of my head. I tried to avoid that gaze. The less she had to work with, the less trouble I might get in.

Reaching the snake terrarium... cage? I may have to ask, that would bother me later otherwise... Devi continued silently rumbling. She'd been doing this more and more as we'd gotten closer to the pet store. Checking to make sure line of sight had been broken, I reached my arm out, and Devi coalesced into it, her serpent head locked on the copper coloured snake, gazing directly into it's eyes... Kind of?

The little snaky head moved closer to the glass wall, bumping her little snaky snout with a tiny 'boop'. I grinned, listening carefully for the sounds of an approaching Michelle. I wouldn't be caught off guard this time! Slowly, Devi's head wobbled slightly to the left, then to the right. The snake inside the cage followed suit, mimicking her movements eerily.

"Devi," I whispered, "This is a special treat. Just remember that you'll have to hide fast if someone comes, I really don't want to repeat the last time we were here." Devi's head bobbed in acknowledgement... I think... and the snake inside followed suit. Still cute, but a little creepy.

"Hey Shane, could you come over here a minute?" I heard a voice asking, Judy just past a few rows of products.

"Sure!" I said brightly, wincing as I looked down at Devi, her head still unnaturally still. I whispered quietly, giving a quick tug. "Devi, we have to go, sorry to cut this short." Devi's head remained there, hovering lightly in the air, the rest of her body extending to support it. Goddamnit. "Ok Devi, wait here, and I'll be back soon, don't be seen ok?” Shane one, Snake too many.

Thinking fast, I put my hand up on top of the cage, Devi unfurled herself from me, spooling on top, her head following suit. "Just... Just please stay out of sight, ok?" Another head bob, though I was now a little doubtful as to if she was agreeing with me.

Leaving Devi in her eye-lidless staring contest, I shuffled over to Judy, Michelle waiting with her.

"Hey Shane, how're you feeling now?" Judy asked a little hesitance in her voice, but why?

"I'm doing alright," I answered neutrally, "Why?"

"Well..." Judy scuffed her foot a little bit, why was she acting like that? "I was just kind of wondering if maybe you needed a bit more time or something." Judy chewed the inside of her lip, while Michelle looked at me with somewhat intense eyes, as though trying to ask me something. "I mean, there's still a couple hours left, but Michelle doesn't have any time off that line up with mine for like, a week. And I was wondering if maybe..." She paused again, "Do you think you'll be ok-ish in a couple of hours? Enough that we can head back to your place? I'm sure your Mom wants to talk to you, and maybe-"

Maybe I'd be sane in two hours. That's what she was asking. I forced a slight smile, "Sure, I think I'll be ok with that." Judy looked at me guiltily. "I'll be fine! My folks will be there, and as you said, we have another two hours, right?" There was a hint of truth in there at least.

Judy continued eyeing me, as though weighing something. Michelle stepped in, "I'm sure he doesn't need us babying him 'J', based on the way he's fidgeting, he'd probably feel worse if he said no at this point. Sometimes you have to take the direct approach." She stepped uncomfortably close, glaring up into my eyes. Despite her efforts, that somewhat ruined the intimidating feeling she was trying to convey. "'J' and I want to go on a date tonight. You can meet up with her tomorrow. Can you handle that, or are you going to lose your goddamn mind if you don't see her for fourteen hours?" She wasn't wrong. All the subtlety of a sack of hammers.

I grimaced slightly, Judy looking at Michelle a little shocked, but also something else. "Yeah, I think I can handle that." I muttered narrowing my eyes a little bit. I didn't enjoy being talked down to like that. Not by a stranger. Not by someone who knows Neil. Her eyes flared open a little at that, taking a micro step back, before regaining her poise. Did... Was I scaring her? But I would never.

Judy was smiling at me uncertainly, "Thanks Shane, I really owe you one. Can I make it up to you by meeting tomorrow?" There was a little desperation in her voice. Like it or not, Michelle had a point. I'd feel like a heel if I said no.

I nodded slightly, walking back with her towards the exit. There was always tomorrow.

We walked together into the hallway, Judy leaving behind a farewell as we left. I felt a little twitchy, like I wanted to do 'something', but didn't have an outlet. At least carrying Judy's bags gave me something to fidget with. There were benefits to not having an injured arm this time.

Judy pulled out her phone, and checked her list quickly. "Ok, we only have a few more things to do, then we should probably head back to my place to drop it all off."

Setting down the hallway, we passed a small pharmacy, Judy stepping in to pick up some general cold medication, bandages, and gauze. Things I normally expected to be at Ms. Crane's, but had never thought to bring myself.

As she picked up the gauze, she looked at each box in turn. "How can there be so many brands of this stuff? It's just gauze! I saw you using it before, and it looked pretty bland, like, is this one five dollars more because of the brand-name?" She sighed, looking down the aisle. "This was so much easier when I just had to look for the word 'Band-Aid'." She grinned slightly, "Hey, maybe Devi has some opinions on this, we should ask her."

Well, technically she was just like gauze, but she migh--

Shit

I nodded to Judy, "Ah! I forgot I put down my wallet in the pet store, I'll be right back, you're going down to the office supply next right?" Judy nodded, confused. "Ok, I'll be back there meet you bye."

I jogged as well as I could back towards the pet-store, bags rustling and shaking about. Michelle was back to checking the isles, thankfully a ways from the snake corner. Sneaking my way over, I could see Devi was still there, only now she was INSIDE the cage. Her snout was right up against the other snakes. Neither was moving. Ok, this was just weird and then there was this.

"DEVI" I hissed as I approached. "Come on!" Devi's snout turned to look at me for a moment, before looking back at the snake. Slowly her tail dissolved into the paper-like gauze, and lifted up, sliding between gaps in the cages lid backwards, her eyes not leaving the snake as she left.

I heard a voice, "Lemaire..." It was behind me, somewhat ominous. I spun around quickly, keeping my hands behind me, as Devi reverse-slithered back in slowly, still likely in that staring match with the snake.

"Ah, Michelle! Hi! Sorry, you caught me by surprise!" I blurted, trying to block line of sight between her and Devi.

Michelle looked at me oddly, "You know, I'd say we did all this before, but I don't have a spider this time." She shook her head slightly. "Sorry, didn't mean to surprise you again."

I nodded slightly, "Ah, not a problem, I just forgot to say goodbye to the snakes before we left."

She gave me a concerned look before continuing. "Yeah, sorry for the fifth degree back there," she muttered, rubbing her hand up against the back of her head sounding almost ashamed to be apologizing. "I know you probably didn't choose to come here during the day, so I'm not busting your balls for that. I just wanted to make sure you and I knew where we stood."

I knew where I stood, between her and a tiny serpent water-god currently locked in a life or death staring match with her mortal challenger. Or, oh, she meant Judy. "Yeah, no, I figured you knew I'd follow your advice if I could. But when you're hanging out with Judy, you know how it goes sometimes."

She gave a short laugh, looking at me a bit more positively, "Yeah, kind of. She's a little off, but in a good way."

I shared the laugh, I suspect we both had Judy stories to tell... I wonder if I could form my own conspiracy for once? Michelle seemed nice enough.

She continued, "Look, I appreciate that you're going through... 'something'. Judy didn't say what specifically, and I don't want to pry. Despite that though, thanks for giving the two of us some time despite... whatever it is you're going through. And thanks for not starting something with Neil the other day." She glared at me harshly before softening, "I expect he was just as bad about it, so you're not taking all the blame. But you didn't have to listen to him afterwards." She shook her head, "The both of you are just head cases, you know that?"

"Yeah..." I muttered, her words touching a little harder than I thought they would. She was comparing me to Neil? But Neil was a hateful jackass. He never let things go even when I tried to apologize. I hadn't meant for those little acts to hurt him, and it just escalated. Why wouldn't he just accept that maybe I reacted badly and...

Wait, was it possible that I was the one being 'Ben' in this scenario? Or was he? It was hard trying to imagine what Neil’s perspective was. Every time I did, that bitter feeling in my chest would flare up.

Michelle didn't seem to notice that I'd phased out a little, "Yeah... I just wanted to say... Thanks for doing this, 'J' is a pretty awesome person, and I'm glad you're letting her do what she wants to do, rather than monopolizing." She made a bitter face, "That came out wrong, you know what I mean."

I nodded, finally feeling Devi finish withdrawing under my sleeve, "Yeah, I know what you mean." I looked around awkwardly. "Uh, thanks... for everything. Sorry about breaking your rules. Maybe I'll see you later?"

She nodded back, grinning a little, "Yeah, later Lemaire. And if you ever want to buy either of these cuties, just swing by."

I just chuckled a little, the more things change...

On my way out, I could feel a slight movement going up my back, Devi doing 'something' back there at the neckline before dropping back down. Turning the corner, I could just barely make out Michelle's exasperated voice coming from behind me. "That isn't fair! I'm NOT seeing things. What the hell is that!?"

Turning around with a slight grin, I missed seeing Michelle. I saw someone else though. Neil was standing just outside the pet store, staring at me with death in his eyes.

I sped up.

---

---

Our shopping had wrapped up in just under half an hour. The two of us made our way back to Judy's place. The entire time, she rotated between apologizing to me, talking about Michelle, and speculating on the things she'd learn from Ms. Crane. Only one of these did I appreciate hearing.

Arriving at her house, she unlocked the door and we went inside. It was a bit smaller than my house, though that was to be expected it was just for the two of them. Glancing up, I saw a new plaque on the wall. "He win another one?" I quickly asked.

Judy turned back to me, a little pride and envy on her face, "Yeah. This one from the forest fires this summer. He'll be on call for a while, and he expected me to be out all day anyway though."

Examining the plaque, I could see the coat of arms of the fire department. Another award for Captain Michaels. Judy seemed a little pleased that I'd noticed. She may not get to see her Dad as much as she'd like, but that didn't stop her from being proud of him. I suspect she sometimes felt a little left out, despite my Mom unofficially 'adopting' her.

Heading to her room, we packed away her new purchases for her next trip. Candles, salt, wax, tiny cheap crystals. If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought she was going for a séance... actually, she might be... Lastly were her books, still old and worn, each had numerous book-marks sticking out in various places.

Psht, she was trying too hard, I just folded the corners.

The sudden mental image of Ms. Crane glowering at me after bending a page of one of her magic books set me back on the right path. Bookmarks were good, they were great in fact, and I should have bought some.

Once the immediately doable tasks were done, Judy ran out of objectives, and began to fret. Nattering at me in increasingly frantic tone. “But what do I wear? Is it casual? Where are we going? Why didn't I ask any of this when we were there? Are you even listening to me Shane? What if something goes wrong? What if she realizes I've been freaking out?"

It just kept going and going. I looked around the room, letting the waves of her panic wash over me. Judy just needed to vent it from her system before she could center herself and do the actual prep, and anything I said would just make me a target, putting her off schedule for revving down. Currently, she was at the 'pull out one outfit, then another' phase. Jeans and a t-shirt? Lipstick? I'm afraid to say even if I wanted to help; I was more than a little useless in this situation. At least I could be a pair of ears for her.

Finally, Judy seemed to have spun herself out, collapsing into the nearby chair. "Why does this have to be so hard?" she moaned, palms over her eyes. "I hate figuring this stuff out."

I gave her a slightly pitying look, "You know, if you're really worried about, I'm sure Mom would be happy if you gave her a call."

Judy gave me a little smile and waved her hand, "I don't need that advice, I talk to her anyway." She paused for a moment, "Do you think things will go well? I really like her..."

Smiling at her, I tried to be as reassuring as possible. "You'll be fine. You're smart, you're funny, you're pretty, you have a tiny snake cheering for you, and you're a nascent sorceress. How could she resist?" She blushed a little, smiling as she sat back, trying to get her breath back from her earlier panic, chuckling a little as Devi coiled up on my lap, and bobbed back and forth, looking at her, almost like a tiny flag.

Glancing over at the clock, I checked the time "You have another hour anyway; you've got plenty of time to plan and get ready."

She glanced at the clock too, "Well, I mean, not really, I have to walk you home first."

I waved her off, "I'll be ok. You've already done the majority of the work. I'm sure I can handle being alone for a while."

Judy gaze didn't abate. Now she was now frowning. "Liar."

I winced a little. Yeah, she might be right at that. "Well, I think I'd do better if I knew you weren't over here scratching at the walls." I said with a slight frown. She didn't seem to have a response for that. "Besides, if I do something dumb, Devi can hog-tie me. Now go get ready, I'll head on home."

She stared at me for a moment before getting up, and giving me a hug. "You're a good person Shane. I know you'll get through this. It's just a lot going on all at once." She sighed, "I know what that feels like all too well. And it gets better."

We got up, and headed towards the door, Judy following closely. I turned back to her, "You going to be OK?"

She gave me a wry look, "Isn't that my line?"

I smiled, and walked off to the street.

"What I said to your brother goes for you too, Lemaire!" She half cackled, "If you try to pull any shit on me, I WILL find you!" The cackling continued as the door closed with a foreboding 'Thud'.

It still kind of hurt. That she'd go, on the day that was supposed to be for me. I had nobody to blame but myself for that one. But Judy deserved to be happy too, and Michelle made her happy right now. I wasn't exactly happy at the moment, but I would have been miserable if I'd caused her disappointment like that.

I rubbed Devi through my shirt slightly, thinking back to the last time I'd walked Judy home. Things had changed so much in such little time. I was sharing Ms. Crane now, Ben had returned, I'd had to face Neil again, I found out Colin hadn't really been talking to me...

Those dark thoughts began to echo in my mind, they didn't quite find purchase however. Figments of my best friend cackling, her faux-threat dancing in her voice kept them from growing any more roots for now.

I had someone to share Ms. Crane with now. I got to see my brother, for better or worse. I got to hang out with Devi, and give Aeslin some company. I might have made a new friend, and my injuries were healed or healing. I'd even gotten a break from having to do deliveries fo--

Shit.

My surroundings blurred as I took off at a sprint towards Cindy's pub.

---

---

It wasn't quite getting dark when I'd arrived, but it was getting there. The streets just felt a little more hostile, the shadows a little deeper. Golden wasn't exactly a hive of scum and villainy, but that didn't mean some bad stuff couldn't happen late at night. I walked swiftly, keeping my head focused forward, and body language open but aggressive. Best way to avoid being hassled is to make it not seem worth it from the offset.

As the lights of the pub grew closer, I could hear the thrum of music, and idle chatter. It was late enough that a lot of the regular crowd had taken their traditional seats. It was simultaneously frustrating and welcome, as the audience both limited privacy, and dichotomously enhanced it by their noise. Stepping in, the stale smell of alcohol was now overpowered by food, rich and heavy. The smells of sweat, and relaxation. Despite it's locale, it had something of a following, being favored by legitimate business people as well as the others.

Scanning the room, I noticed Andre off to the right, calmly nursing a beer and keeping an eye on the door. He nodded slowly to me, gesturing for me head over. The clusters of inhabitants required threading through a small obstacle course of chairs, tables and bodies. Eventually, I'd escaped the pub's inhabitants, reaching his and sitting across from him. He seemed tired, especially for someone who mostly just watched or worked in a pub all day. Shallow dark rings around his eyes and a noticeable amount of stubble spoke of little sleep.

"Andre, you ok? You look like you got hit by a bus." I asked plainly. Andre normally wasn't one for subtleties, nor talking around the issue. If asked, he'd say he was an honest person working a dishonest job.

He frowned slightly, giving me a slight glare, "Like shit, and fuck you." Despite his words, a slight hint of a smile came to his eyes, the rest of face still blank. "Cutting a little late aren't ya? I'd be lying if I said I was happy to see you." He took a quick sip, closing his eyes to focus on the taste. It was hesitation, but that really didn't sound like him. "You should go as soon as you finish your pickup. Things have been getting a little shaky 'round here."

I eyed him curiously, wondering what could have set this off. Normally he wasn't one to talk about things around the pub, let alone if this involved the Syndicate. Whenever I asked, he would always say it was 'too much trouble to get into to bother gabbing about'. I tapped lightly on the table in thought, "Anything I should know about?"

He shook his head, waving me off, "Nothing specific. There's hardware moving through the province, some of it ours, some not. But that isn't the problem." He glanced around, fingering his mug slightly. "Something happened higher up. No specific news, but you can feel it, people are tense." He glanced up before looking back down to the drink, measuring his words, "Territory disputes maybe. Something's happened that set all the seagulls on the roof to start shitting themselves."

Crap flows downhill... Colourful. But it meant that someone with pull did something they shouldn't have, or the opposite. Possibly even making some kind of play. "Any chance we'll avoid getting caught up in it?" I asked, eyebrows rising. I was a little worried at this point. It had always been a little concern that I might get pulled into something like that. Not directly obviously, but if an order came down to "clean a site" I happened to be in; there'd be no special treatment. My preference would be to remain an external contractor and outside the politics. Being ignored would be for the best.

He shook his head, "Maybe. Maybe not. Renee's putting up walls for now, trying to keep the worst of it out around here. Doesn't mean she won't try to make a play herself though." His expression darkened as he looked me dead in the eyes, putting weight into his voice. "Maybe don't come back if you can help it. Not till it's clear. I know that patron of yours has some pull, they aren't here, and no-one should touch this with a ten foot pole unless they're in the Game."

I had to stop and think about that. Andre stayed silent, having said his peace. A few of patrons came and went, faces changing ever so slightly. Around half an hour after I'd sat down, Andre perked up, eyeing the door carefully. "Looks like your contact's here kid. Stay here. I need to check something in the back, but I'll be here if you need me." He paused before leaving, looking back down at me carefully, and a little sympathy in his face. "Kid, be careful. Cindy likes ya. Don't be dumb, and don't attract attention. If I'm still around, I'll let you know when things quiet down..."

He waved slightly to someone at the front door, likely signalling my presence before walking into the back, taking one moment to give my apparent contact a worried glance before vanishing through the door.

That was... concerning. Andre was tough, and didn't scare easily. He also had a vested personal and professional stake in keeping this place safe. If he was getting jangled in his home turf, how big was this thing? Would it mean anything for Golden? For Renee? For Ben? I twitched a little at that thought. He might be a jackass, but I didn't want Ben to get hurt... much... maybe just a thorn in his butt or something, nothing serious.

My train of thought was interrupted as a man carrying a large brown-paper wrapped bundle sat in Andre's previous spot. I stopped staring at the table and looked at him, being ready to size him up. I drew back a fraction, eyes widening before I stilled them. Gangsters and tough guys I was used to, this guy wasn't exactly normal courier.

He was wearing something that looked like trench coat over a rather eccentric black suit. Silver buttons and zippers adorned it, and a small mesh belt was around his waist. No creases that might indicate an immediately accessible weapon, but the trench coat and off-style suit were making it really hard to tell. On his head was a black wide woolen hat, it's flat brim casting shadows over most of his head. No hair was visible on his face, and a dark silk scarf was wrapped around his neck in a rough knot. His skin was pale, not quite unnaturally, but a tone that implied not much time in the sun. Dark round glasses reflected the light, hiding his eyes, held up by a tapered flat nose. His chin, ears and entire face were all long, giving him an almost 'stretched' appearance. It was more than a little creepy.

"You may be. My contact." He droned, his voice was rough, with a quality little like sandpaper. Or just sand.

"I am." I stated simply giving him a hesitant smile, "I believe so anyway. I'm afraid there wasn't much warning for your arrival, Mister..."

He simply stared at me, silent and unmoving. His hairless face and skin tone contrasted against the black eerily, the lack of motion making me feel like I was looking at a corpse. "Refer to me," he rasped, "as Shade."

I raised an eyebrow, a small smile on my face. "Is that your name? Or do you just throw it?"

He remained staring at me, face blank. "A joke?" He paused, his head tilting slightly to the side. "Curious. Something. Other expected. Different."

Ok, so no sense of humor, and he was STILL barely moving, virtually no body language to go off of. His eyes were moving though, I could make out faint muscle contractions around the glasses. He was watching me uncomfortably closely, so I'd have to return the favor. But what did I have to work with? There were a few details... there was dirt on some parts of his coat in a light gradient, so he'd either been in a small dust storm, or he'd been walking, no tumbles. There was some discoloration on his inner suit, blood? Assume the worst in this case. And he was wearing shades late at night. Identifiable maybe? Was he a Mutant?

"Are you..." he paused,” finished?" His voice felt like a top of a coffin being nailed shut. "You are My contact." His head straightened again, retaining it's gaze. "I am not... Named Shade... But, it is close."

I nodded carefully, keeping my eyes on him, and then glanced for an instant to see if Andre was back. If he was, I couldn't see him. That was a little worrying. "Well," I said, joviality forced in to my voice, "Why don't you tell me about the nature of your package Mister Shade?"

He nodded slowly, a single pale hand reaching up to pull the brown twine from the package, gently unwrapping the packing paper. Carefully unfolding it, the contents were revealed; I had to stifle a gasp.

Inside was a collector, like most of the deliveries I'd pick up. But this was huge. Larger than any collector I'd seen before. It was nearly the size of a pizza, large enough that I would have to carry it under my arm rather than in my pocket. I reached out slowly; wanting to feel it, make sure it was somehow the same. I was only met with pain.

Shade's hand had grabbed mine roughly, his grip tightening further as he leaned forward, the shadow from his hat obscuring his features more deeply. In that moment, it almost felt like the ambient noise of the pub died away leaving only his message. "You will. Not. Touch it." His voice thundered, not with volume, but with force. "It is Mine. Until I am. Certain." he released my hand, leaning back, the noise of the pub seeming to return.

I don't like this. This is not safe happy fun times, this wasn't some scrub, and I had very few cards to play. I smiled roughly, rubbing my hand; I could only imagine a small bruise forming there shortly. Devi was tightening; I could feel her running down my arms, just in case she was needed. "My apologies, Mr. Shade." I stated formally. "I merely wanted to inspect the delivery."

He nodded his head at an angle, as though conceding a point. "This is. True. I am Hasty. As well."

Hasty? Not bloody likely the way he's talking. But still, better to save face if he dealt with my 'patron'.

"You. Think I speak. Strangely." He said, each word measured and delivered deliberately.

Fuck.FuckFuckFuckFuck. Was this guy an ESPer? Don't think about things he can't know, don't think about the house, don't think about-

"I am. Not. A psychic." He continued, monotone as a grave, the barest hint of a smirk on the sides of his lips. "I am. I do. Reading of the face. The body. For a long time." He paused, though that wasn't exactly odd at this point. "Much like. You tried. You are young. Inexperienced. Foolish."

My eyes narrowed slightly before I thought to suppress it. Rude, but potentially accurate. Just made me dislike this guy even more. However if he was right, and was that good at reading, then even the slightest tic could give what I was thinking away.

"You. Are already read. Do not bother. Hiding." He punctuated, the smirk growing a little more.

"I don't appreciate your implications." I said, or muttered; at this point I was more than a little flustered. "We're here to do business, aren't we?"

"You. Are. Crane's disciple?" He asked, a soft lilt in his voice broke the monotone on saying her name.

Wait. Did he say CRANE? Nobody in the Syndicate had EVER said her name to me. She was my patron. Not even Renee had ever said her name directly; we even used her sigil rather than a signature for the signings to avoid this sort of thing. Was he actually Syndicate?

"We are. Old... Acquaintances." He nodded slightly, the smirk fading. "You know what. This is." His hand lightly touched the Collector gently, light as a feather. I nodded, my teeth gritting against my will, I was giving too much away. "You know. How. It opens." I didn't move, didn't acknowledge. "Hiding is. Another language. You are. Her disciple."

"No." My voice said, surprising even me. "I'm her assistant. She doesn't have a disciple." Bitterness oozed off voice, likely brought on by this... person. I wasn't bitter at Judy, not like that. It was a bit true too, she had barely started. She hadn't put the time in that I had.

The smirk on the alabaster tombstone returned. "Ah. You are. Not taught? Blank?" He asked, likely knowing the answer. Without waiting for my response he continued, “A pity. Such Enthusiasm. Wasted. Discarded."

My jaw clicked slightly in my gritting, I had to calm down and work my way through this. Then I'd never have to see this ghoul again. "There, I'm your contact. Are you ready to hand over the parcel yet?"

His pale finger tapped the collector once. Twice. "You are. Important. To her? She cares. Yes?"

I paused for a moment, trying to think of the events of the past few days. I'd been with Ms. Crane for five long years. She'd been mean, kind, joyful and bitter. She'd taken me into a world, and given it to me, something that I could work towards, something better. Passing that thought, Judy's earlier statements returned. Despite my misgivings I nodded slightly.

"Yes. We care about each other." I said, almost surprised by my own confidence in the statement.

The pale man tapped the collector again, and again. "You are. A child. Her Child? No. She had one. Gone now." He continued tapping, the sound aggravating, likely intentionally... I just wanted to leave, where the hell was Andre? "A pity." He continued, "You cannot see. In her world. A shame." He said calmly, the finger still tapping, that smirk still present.

Man, fuck this guy; he cared FAR too much about his own voice. This wasn't a goddamn trial, this wasn't me running newbies through the ringe--- actually wait. Is that what he was doing? "Yeah, it's a fucking shame. Nothing to be done, can we do business now?"

His smile grew, teeth like tombstones. "You seem. Innocent. Unfortunate that. The world is cruel." His head leaned back; I could see the skin under the lenses moving, his eyes flicking left and right. Maybe thinking? "Do you want. To be. As her? To have her world? Want it so. That your heart bleeds?"

My eyes were stinging a little, I hated this man, this living monochromatic grave-site, and his stupid hat, and his goddamn talking. He knew the buttons and seemed to delight in pressing them as slowly as possible, drawing it out... For that I despised him.

He continued, ignoring my inner thoughts, "Let down maybe? Want to be more? Should be more? Left behind? Your face. Your hands. They tell me this. The shaking. The eyes." He nodded slowly, beginning to stand. "I regret. Many things. Power is one. Brings choice. Purpose. But burns. Power makes. Targets." He gestured softly down to the collector; he was now standing at his full height, about as tall as I was, but towering over me. "You are. Hers. You Deserve This. Choice...”

That... didn't sound foreboding at all. My jaw was still working to relax, my fists tightened, one hand slowly rubbing over the small cousin of the goliath on the table, rubbing harshly. Just calm down, he has your number, but he's almost gone. He's just trying to get to you.

He took one step away before leaning down, his face uncomfortably close to my ear, the ambient sound dimmed again, "Inside. A glimpse of power. Enough that even. Blank. Can see the world. Her world. Even for a moment. Nothing lost. A glimpse. It is my offer. Your choice." He stood back up, a black and white monolith, before turning to leave, taking a step towards the door.

I turned, facing him again a little surprised. It was over? What was with that 'choice' stuff? He had me on a goddamn fire pit this whole time just to hand it over? Fucker. "It's just a collector?" I growled, anxiety getting the better of me. "Why all the pageantry?"

He stopped, turning on his heel, the dark of his coat masking his form's rotation. Raising his hands to his glasses, he removed them gently. Perfect reflecting orbs, twin mirrors of perfect shape and precision met mine from his sockets. I drew back, gasping despite myself. I could see myself in them, dark and distorted but real.

The damnedable smirk was on his face for barely a second, before going carefully blank. Then returned again, somehow more cutting. "So Young. I am. Sorry. For your suffering. Past. Present." He replaced his glasses, and gazed down at me, my breath still caught in my throat. "A reflection. You are. Shallow. False. Could be more. Could be real." He paused for a moment, likely gauging my reaction. It wouldn't have been hard. "Tell Crane. The box. Her old collection. Inside? Voices. Of the Dog star. She will know." His smirk turned to a grin, but there was no joy to be found there. It was harsh, cruel, and didn't speak of good things for anyone. Only a mocking laughter seemed held within that face. "Say Hello. To Her. I will see you soon. Young Shane."

I was struck, eyes unable to focus as the dark tower walked steadily out of the building, seeming to simply pass through the throng. I hadn't realized it before, but I felt cold. The room was warm, but I was shivering. My thumb was running over and over my box, at this point feeling raw. It wasn't helping. He knew Crane, he knew ME. He was creepy as fuck, and had me dead to rights the entire time. Where the FUCK was Andre?

I needed to leave. I needed to get out of here NOW. If things were as shaky as Andre implied, he'd have to stay.

Running my hand over the large collector, I felt it's texture. It was smooth, the runes slightly different, but definitely in the same arcane language. Emblazoned with gold and silver, small clasps on the side, and rings, likely for straps to help carry. The wood was darker than I was used to, almost seeming aged, or more refined. I couldn't even imagine the amount of essence this thing could be holding.

Enough essence he'd said, for a glimpse... Just a glimpse... To see the world like Judy, or Ms. Crane... So much that even something shallow could see it, even for a moment.

I...

No.

This guy threw up every possible red flag I had, and invented some new ones. I eyed the collector cautiously. This was 'not' good news. I'd send a message, get Ms. Crane's advice, and maybe send it with Judy. No. Too dangerous. I'd have to hide it away. Even if it wasn't dangerous, it could be in the wrong hands. I couldn't leave it here.

My fingers ran over the edges, small divots offering an easy hold for my fingers. It could be so easy, just a little push... If it was from Ms. Crane's old collection, it probably used the same key. It would only take a moment. Just half an inch, to barely even open. It was RIGHT THERE. I could see something for myself, not through others for once.

The top of the collector creaked as it rotated slightly, the top iris plates parting infinitesimally. I gasped in shock before pulling it back completely shut. The iris hadn't even fully opened yet, I didn't need to worry about that at least... Assuming it worked the same was as her other ones. But still... That was too close... Too tempting. I used to chuckle a little at the Lord of the Rings. The idea that all you had to do was 'not' put on the ring to win. It was so simple, wasn't it? Just don't do something you know is wrong and everything would be fine. But they got it right... This wasn't a light want that could be brushed aside; it was a spiritual weight...

My fingers began running over the surface again. The Sigils, lines, bumps, all slightly different, harsher, less refined. I jerked my hand away again staring at it, it was different, wrong. I lifted the whole thing up gently. "Devi," I whispered, "Could you form a strap for me? One that will keep it tight to my back, through those rings?" I leaned back a little in the booth, tucking the collector behind me, concealing her movements.

I didn't want to be looking at it the whole way. That might make it easier. I'd like to think that I was genre savvy to see a dangerous temptation when it was around. I wasn't Frodo; we already established I wasn't the hero here. But I could bloody well be Sam.

---

---

It was well dark now, as dark as the Shade's coat. As his glasses. I kept looking over my shoulder, half expecting to see his pale face in the darkness, holding that horrible grin in his visage. Like a floating skull, cackling as I carried some hell-bound artifact. I shivered, my hopes of getting a ride home completely dashed. There would be questions... It was cold, and dark, and I really just wanted to be with my family, Ben or no. Bad things could have happened, and I was carrying them with me now. This was too creepy. God I wish I carried a phone.

I kept going a few more blocks, constantly checking the corners, looking for someone following me. In the end, I'd found one. Granted, it wasn't the spectre of that tall ghoul, but rather a car, slowly idling a ways behind me with it's headlights off. On occasion when I'd stop and look around, it would stop as well, running quietly. I'd only caught it by accident, seeing it's movement in a reflection in the broken window of an older building.

Ok. Being followed in the dark, holding a scary box. This isn't good; it might show up in my nightmares later. Why didn't I go beg for Andre to give me a ride or something? He'd never come out of the back, but that didn't mean he wasn't still there... But to go back now, I'd have to pass the car. I stopped moving, considering my options, all the while feeling the weight of the Collector on my back. Devi squeezing me slightly, just to let me know she was there.

I can do this. My head rose, looking around the streets. This is my goddamn town, even in the dark I know my way around. The car can't go everywhere. It most DEFINITELY was not following me home. Especially not with this thing.

I started at a slow pace, slowly building. I wanted to reach the next corner before acting out, cut line of sight so I could act freely. Reaching the corner, I swiftly turned right, around the residential block. The moment I was around the corner, I broke into a sprint, dashing forward. I seem to recall from my walks to the pub that there was a low wall just off to the right, high enough to hide behind, low enough to shimmy over. I vaulted over it, and lay down in the cool grass. Listening.

On second thought, this maybe wasn't my best move. Besides the shivering fact that there could have been spiders down here. If the driver guessed where I was, there'd be trouble. A chill ran down my spine as I waited, patiently. The sounds of a slowly puttering car slowly reflected off the wall of the home, moving along steadily before stopping.

Please. No.

The car was still running, but I could hear a car door open and close quietly. The sounds of footsteps.

'Thock'

'Thock'

'Thock'

'Thock'

They were approaching the low wall, the tiny blaze of a flashlight up against the white surface of the house, moving around the corners. The light was refracting down onto me, faintly illuminating, and likely being particularly noticeable on the metallic portions of the collector. I held my breath, and prayed to no one being.

Please, Mom. Dad. Don't let this happen. Don't let anyone get hurt. Judy I'm sorry, I'm dumb. Ms. Crane, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. I don't want to die, or disappear. I'd only learned Colin could still need me. He might need his friend. Judy needed me too, I had to help her. She was amazing but needed someone to take some weight. Please. I'll apologize to Ben. I'll talk to him. Please.

Devi was doing something, moving silently over my back, the collector being more tightly bound than before. The wrappings covered my arms, turning pitch black.

A light turned on inside the house, blinds parted slightly, illuminating down into the street. The footsteps stopped, and then started stepped away with haste. The car door opened, then closed, and the sounds of departure did much to ease my rapidly beating heart.

I sat up, leaning my side against the low wall, curling up into a ball and hugging my knees to my chest. Tears running down my face. I could have DIED. He could have had a gun or something worse. What if it was Shade? What could he do to me? It had never been this bad I'd always had some measure of control. Renee and Andre kept me safe, didn't they? Why weren't they here when I needed them?

I moaned quietly into my arm, trying to suppress the tension. Devi returned under my shirt, squeezing me warmly trying to help, to understand, to talk. She couldn't. I'd never hear her, not unless... No, she was there, that was enough.

I don't know how long I sat there, waiting to be sure for the car to be gone. Or possibly because I just felt like I couldn't move. At some point, the back porch light of the home turned on. I blinked back, wincing in the harsh glare. Ok, it was time to go.

The house door opened, a voice calling out. "Hello? Someone there? What're you doing down there, you need help?"

That voice was familiar... I'd heard it recently, where had...

My eyes became accustomed to the light, and I finally made out the face of my savior. Neil.

---

---

"YOU," Neil growled. "WHAT are YOU doing back here!?"

My voice stifled, surprised, I tried to catch my breath. I was in the dirt, in his back yard, weeping with a strange box on my back. I just... I couldn't take much more of this. Not tonight, not this week. "I didn't. I didn't know."

"What the FUCK are you doing here." Neil repeated, looking to me, then to the box, his eyes widening. He hissed, "Were you... about to try to fuck with me again? With that?" He stepped outside, fury in his face, "Were you trying to FUCK with me again?" He was getting worryingly closer.

I lowered my head, shaking it soundly, no hiding it now. I was dead to rights and exhausted, and he had every reason to be suspicious. "No. No I wasn't. I'm sorry; I didn't know you lived here." He frowned at that, at least considering what I was saying. "I was picking this up for a friend, a car was following me. I wanted to hide. I'll leave, I'm sorry." My voice was pathetic, nearly half sobbing. This was just too much. All of this, and I had to carry my dream or nightmare on my back.

Neil stalked closer, breathing heavily as he looked down at me, a strange expression on his face. "You're really are worried. Aren't you." He paused for a few moments, muttering to himself before his face turned hard again. "What were you doing in the pet shop? Michelle was upset when you left. Were you doing something to her?"

I shook my head again, refusing to meet his face. "No. My best friend. She, she knows Michelle. She took me there. I don't know what Michelle was upset by."

Neil was still angry, but controlling it slightly. "I'll buy the first one Lemaire. I don't buy the second." He paused, thinking, "Tell you what. You haven’t' been out here long I wouldn't think. That and you look pathetic enough as it is. I'll let this go, if you do one thing."

I looked up at him, confusion on my face. "What? What do you need Neil. I promise I wasn't here to do anything."

He pointed behind me, narrowing his eyes "Open the box."

I stared at him wide-eyed, "I can't."

He looked again at me, anger beginning to rise. "Open. The Box. If you have nothing to hide, then show me what's inside. I want to know if it has something you were going to fuck with me with." He paused for a second, mouthing the words again, an annoyed expression on his face before shaking his head, refocusing.

I shook my head harder. This was bad, I couldn't tell him what the box was, what it was for, where I got it or from whom. ANY of those things could get me, or him, into trouble. "I can't Neil, I really can't. It's not mine to open. I swear to you, it really isn't."

Neil crossed his arms, not giving an inch. "Stand up Lemaire." He spat.

I did so, trying to appease him.

"You are here, on my family's property. You have a history of violence against me AND my family. Along with plenty of reason to hold a grudge. You're holding a weird ass box that you refuse to open and its NIGHT TIME." he hissed. "Why the hell would I believe you? Why would the police? Open the goddamn box and we can all go home without starting anything."

I stood up a little straighter, tension slowly converting to aggravation. That tiny bubble of hate was re-inflating, finding purchase in my current state. I looked him square in the eye, rubbing the tears away. "I won't. It's not mine, and it might be dangerous." THAT was the wrong thing to say.

"DANGEROUS!?" He yelled no longer controlling his voice, "Then you DID do something!" He stepped forward hard, shoving me roughly. I hadn't expected it, I hadn't braced for it, and I was exhausted. I stumbled backwards uncontrollably, specifically, and backwards over the low wall; box first, the hard pavement just beyond it...

I'd almost completely flipped over, landing on the other side of the wall. I hit the pavement hard with a rough 'CRACK', the box's bulk preventing me from breaking my fall with my hands behind me. My vision shook, then became blurry, a faint feeling of vertigo took hold. The only real thing for the moment was the sharp pain on the back of my head. I stayed there for a time. I have no idea how long, before rolled off to my side, getting up to my knees. The box was on the ground now, Devi having fully gone back in my shirt, but she was carrying the box? It was slightly chipped, slightly broken, a rough indentation along the bottom layer.

Oh no, nononononono. I stumbled, reaching drunkenly to the box, flipping it over. It felt like it moved faster than my hands had gone, making me dizzy. There was a rough ringing in my ears, as I staggered slightly to the left, then the right trying to regain my balance. I focused again. The top of the box was cracked roughly, but it hadn't opened. Thank god it hadn't opened.

I tried to stand up, only to nearly fall over backwards again, what was going on? Where was I?

Everything seemed cloudy, I couldn't remember what happened. There was Neil, he looked mad. I hate him. I think he was being the bad guy though? Something happened.

I looked around, trying to get my bearings. Where the fuck was I again? Looking down, I saw a mental anchor. Right, I had a box. I had to take it home, Neil must have hit me? I thought we were over this? Why would he hit me?

"Whyyd you." Why weren't my words working? Something was really wrong. "What'd yoou d-do?" I asked, voice still a bit staggered, slurring. I blinked a few times, feeling something wrong on the back of my head. Slowly reaching back I felt at it. It stung, and it was wet. Did he throw something at me? A water balloon? My hands moved back in front of me as I tried to hold my balance. In the moonlight it was black, and red, and black. I gasped. My breath suddenly feeling faint, dizzy, falling to me knees. I only roughly caught myself, but that seemed like a mistake. My elbow had hit something hard. There was a crack.

The box? I'd hit that box. That meant something. But boxes were safe? No, not this one. I looked down, a clear hole in the iris. I could see purple in a little circle. A circle showing my eyes, a mirror? It was purple. I think? But magic didn't have a colour. Not unless-

LIGHT. BLINDING. BURNING. MY THROAT RAW FROM SCREAMING.

I fell back, my right eye blinded; it had been in the light. My left eye was fine, but it was so bright, I couldn't see in the dark.

Neil was saying things now. He looked angry antsy angsty worried? Neil isn't worried. Neil is angry. He shouldn't be worried?

A loud noise, the rumble of an engine and shouting. I held the broken box tightly, its pieces the only anchor I had. Ms. Crane would hate me. She'd be mad. It was hers. I was here for it I think. Something happened.

I looked up, the flash of red hair, more yelling. He had a gun, he pointed it at Neil. At Neil? Neil was...

I leaned off to the side and vomited, the taste disgusting, but it gave me another thing to focus on. The ground was weird though. All black, with laces. Oh. Someone's shoe.

I looked up. The man with red hair was looking down at me. Worried? Scared? He had a gun. He wasn't pointing it at Neil though. He was pointing it at me.

"Youu'r Whoo?" I slurred again, blinking, trying to get my bearings. The taste in my mouth was a good anchor I think I did that before. Trying to focus on that.

"You, short kid. You ain't in trouble, but he might be." Red-hair pulled something from his coat. Another gun? No, it was flappier. A wallet. I tried to look at Neil, but couldn't, it was making me sick. He gasped though. Something surprising in the wallet. "I'll be back later. Go inside and write down everything you remember from tonight. Make a voice recording too. I'll be coming by tomorrow. You are NOT in trouble, but you might be able to save someone's life. Maybe a lot of people.

I could feel something moving on me. Snakes? I liked snakes, snakes are my friends. She was cute and liked me. I grinned, laughing a little. It kind of tickled.

I managed to look up again, coming to a stand. Both Neil and red-hair... Dan? Dan! Something about Dan. Were looking at me, they were scared. Why were they scared?

"She's a friend of mine," I muttered, regaining my balance. I could feel around my waist, my legs, my arms. Stiffening in some places, steadying me. It was warm, I liked her. "'m fine." I stammered, slowly feeling a soothing chill move through my body. Blinking a few times, I looking up. "'m sorry Neil, I'm ma bad guy. Didn't mean to hurt you back then. 'm sorry." I staggered back, the bandages catching me before I fell over. Dan was pointing the gun at me now. I giggled a little, He wouldn't shoot me. Dan stared at me wide-eyed, eyeing the ruins of the box still clasped in my hands. "'m sorry. I was bad. Didn mean it, your mean about my family. Then Colin went. 'm sorry."

I looked at Dan, pleading. "He's a good guy. I'mma bad guy, I started it, please don' shoot".

It was suddenly getting darker, everything on the edges, I couldn't see the moon now, but it was nice and cool. I staggered a little. Devi had finished wrapping over the sides and top of my head, my arm that went through the box too, maybe I had splinters. All those parts were numb, but cool. I gazed at Neil. It seemed important I had to say something now. "I was hiding. Dnd't know you liv here. 'm sorry. Tel Judy sory. M'a bad guy".

Neil just stared at me, a look of horror in his face. "I knew it..." he muttered quietly, before looking at Dan.

Dan was still pointing the gun, though it was lower to the ground now, his eyes held some fear. "Short kid, do what I told ya. Don't tell nobody. I'll be here tomorrow." He took a short step forward, gun still ready. "How are you going to play this kid? You need help, and we need to talk."

I started to move, not under my own power, Devi puppeteering me down the street in an unsteady gait. I giggled again. I was a puppet, she was strings and puppeteer. Why was that funny? “I wanna see Judy. Judy’s always helps. She’s a dragon too. I’m goin. Tmorows my day." My eye closed, I could hear unsteady footsteps, then a car moving slowly. But it was all too much.

I knew darkness. But through it, I could hear a last single word.

Mine…

Darkness surrounded me, an endless murky abyss with no form or solidity. I stood? Sat? Hovered? I was somewhere in the midst of an expanse of nothing. I'd had dreams of falling in the past, but at that time I'd known which way 'down' was.

*THK* *CRK* *THD*

The first sensation that availed itself was a light grasping of my arm. Had my arm been there before? It was always there, but then why was everything so numb? Whatever it was, it acted like an anchor. If that was my arm, then my wrist should be 'here'. If my wrist is there, my head should be 'here'.

Slowly, I found my eyes, turning them, inching my head ever so slightly left and right. There were depths in the darkness. The deep midnight blue hinted at a horizon, the darkness of what may be rolling hills wavering across the vast distance. But it was travelling vertically? No. It was correct; I was lying on my side. I braced myself against the ground(?), and righted myself, the world coming into an appropriate orientation. Surrounding me were those wavering dark-cut hill shapes, and above was a nearly empty night sky, tiny silver lights betraying the stars through masked in a veil.

But why did everything feel so strange? I'd been awake at night before now, but that was at home. Night had never been like this...

The slight pressure on my arm repeated, drawing my attention back to my anchor. Drawing my gaze to it, I immediately had to jerk my head away with a slight hiss. Somehow, a singular form of blinding light hovered to my side, it's emanations not revealing it's presence or any of my surroundings, yet remaining entirely too bright for me to handle. The ground itself was consuming it's radiance before it could reach my eye... The sound of my hiss echoed in the distance, slithering and warping it's way to all sides, moving in all directions surrounding me. I froze in place, fear tingling up my spine. What was THAT!?

The dismal echo eventually died down, and I risked looking down at my anchor again, eyes braced and half-closed. I had been wrong, it wasn't blinding. It was luminescent, but existed in an extreme dichotomy with this foreboding world. While still difficult to look at it directly, a glowing hand gripped my arm softly, leading down to a humanoid shape.

It was difficult to describe it. The overall shape hinted as femininity, as her features and skin shifted and warped before my eyes, adopting dozens of variations over what I can only gauge to be a minute or two. Skin, hair, face, all of it pulsed before my eyes into a myriad of configurations, giving an almost amorphous yet impossibly definite form. Only two things seemed to remain a constant, her eyes were always slitted, and her hair was always some variation of blue, green, purple or silver.

In retrospect, I should probably have been a lot more freaked out about some kind of shape-shifting creature holding my arm, but for some reason her light just seemed to exude a sense of serenity. It didn't hurt that her hand was literally the only thing I could 'FEEL' at the moment, all sense of touch otherwise being numbed to the point of non-existence. Whatever it was, I couldn't be sure it was friendly... but it was this, or the dark alone... If I even had a choice in the matter

I took in a breath slowly, opening my mouth to launch into a million questions when I finally realized that she'd been holding her other hand up to her shifting lips, gesturing for silence, the face giving a strange warping impression of kind-hearted but weary patience if it could be attributed to anything at all. I closed my mouth, still watching her closely, trying to wrap my head around her form or actions.

She stepped slightly away, hand still gripped on my arm, gesturing for me to stand. Seeing was the only anchor to a 'normal' I knew of, I followed her lead. Though, I'll have to admit, the fact that she had an ethereal fleeting quality about her didn't hurt that matter. It felt almost as though if I were to look away, she would vanish forever. With the now more reasonable distance from me, I could see that she was barefoot, and wearing some kind of loose gown, neatly crafted geometric patterns echoing down all sides in near uniform diamond shapes.

Bracing my legs, I 'stood', now noticing that I was a good head taller than she was, yet without diminishing her presence. Still looking down to her face, I opened my mouth again, "Wher---" Cut off by a slight pinch on the arm, I gasped a little, the sound once again wafting off into the distance. Moments later, it returned, warped, slow, and ominous. It crept around the edges of this... This place.

A frown now decorated her visage, her other hand still held up to her lips requesting quiet. I almost opened my mouth again before thinking better of it. Something was wrong. Beyond everything I'd seen so far, something was wrong. I attempted to lift my eyebrow, giving her a quizzical look (I think it raised? Still numb...).

Her held finger gently rose, and gestured straight up. Following its line, I looked up as my earlier aborted question and gasp continued to squirm around us, slowly fading. Up in the sky were the stars, many more stars than I had seen earlier in fact, I must be getting used to the-

Why were all the stars in pairs?

*THK* *CRK* *THD*

My jaw clenched tightly as I actually watched two more stars wink into existence above, the endless impression of distance still present, yet they still felt too close for comfort. Then another two... and another... The sky was alight in cold pinpricks, each of them perfectly still, yet... yet it felt as though that wasn't true, that that wasn't always the case, that whatever they were... They could move, they WERE moving... and swiftly.

I looked down to my anchor, face likely agasp. A smug smile crossed her features, as her gesturing finger lightly flicked my nose, a mischievous grin growing across her countenance.

Alright. No noise, so that's rule number one I guess... But where am I? And how do I get home? I remember something happened. There was a flash of light, and an eye... But was I just dreaming or something?

*THK* *CRK* *THD*

It WAS real! I knew I'd heard a sound earlier! But I didn't make it...What the fuck...

My young guide gripped my arm a litter more tightly, the smile turning sad... I think. She drew my arm towards her, my body following, as she wrapped her arms around me in a soft hug. It felt... I hadn't realized I was so cold, but this was what warm felt like... I think I'd forgotten.

The unexpected embrace ended, as she turned her 'face' away, stepping slowly in the direction of the largest wavering cut of darkness in the bleak. The largest hill maybe? I really wanted to get my bearings a bit more, but didn't really have a choice. She didn't seem hostile, but there was enough fantasy and sci-fi to know that wasn't necessarily true...

I gave another quick glance up; the tiny pinpricks in the sky were slowly vanishing, my twisted sound finally fading.

*THK* *CRK* *THD*

What else could I do?

I followed.

---

---

I think the strangest part was that the entire journey was like moving in a sensory deprivation tank. No footfalls, no animals, no wind, no skittering debris. Absolute stillness reigned in this numbed landscape. The hills of the horizon warped as we walked, growing larger and smaller at seemingly random intervals. Were this a sane place, I'd say it was because I was climbing the hills, and descending into valleys, but when the one true source of input came from a hand on my arm, and the rest was just conjecture, the concept of time or space just felt alien.

Of all of it, it was the smallest thing that was truly worrying me. At times, I would gaze off into the distance, only to realize that I hadn't been paying attention to 'walking', and yet I'd kept up with my guide. It felt wrong, not feeling my legs and continuing motion. Sometimes, it felt like my legs weren't the reason I was moving... if they existed at all. Despite the light of my guide, I couldn't make myself out, no light was reflecting. Certainly I could make out the silhouette of my hand if I lifted it to her, or the skies, but was that because I was expecting it to be there?

The landscape slowly changed from smooth rolling mounds to harsh lines. In the distance was what I could only describe as some kind of structures. Some appeared like windmills, others modern skyscrapers. The silhouettes of medieval keeps, standing tall and haunted, carved in darkness across the landscape. All decaying, all in ruin. I just want to go home...

*THK* *CRK* *THD*

A pinch on my arm drew my attention to my thus silent guardian. She'd drawn close, slowing her pace as the movement of the horizon suggested that we were taking a sharp turn to the right. Almost immediately, the horizon shifted, looming on both sides, a single winding channel of sky-lights above and ahead of us. What I could only assume were two monolithic cliff-faces hovered on both sides, blocking out all but the tiny path of the sky to lead the way. Glancing back, there was nothing of our passing but absolute darkness... Wherever we were, things didn't work the way they were supposed to...

This path was different. I had to stop for a moment before registering just what it was. Reaching down, I 'felt' around with my hand, an actual tactile sensation finally returning. Two thick lines of 'something' were running along the intended path on either side. Shorter, but much thicker lines crossing them. There was no texture, but I'd been around them enough to guess what they might be. The crossing line's pressures repeated at a steady cadence, over and over. We were following a train track?

As we walked down this darkened path, my guide drew even closer, now practically huddling next to me as that repeating sound in the distance reverberated off the solid walls to our sides. I don't think I ever realized just how ominous the phrase 'you could hear a pin drop' was until now. Each time it returned was another jolt up my, well my spine I guess.

*THK* *CRK* *THD*

It was those sounds...

*THK* *CRK* *THD*

But... It sounded like, some kind of impact, then something breaking?

*THK* *CRK* *THD*

The winding road took a ponderous left based on the skylights. I had to pause, as we arrived in what I can only imagine was our destination. Flowing down the path was what I could only describe as some kind of boxed valley canyon. The ground was lit with thousands of silver pinpricks, appearing and vanishing from moment to moment, but otherwise dominating both ground and boundaries. On each side of the now opening path, pale lights hovered, much larger than those of their sky bound compatriots. Everywhere on each side, in mismatched locations, no sense of order, just... lights, always in pairs. Some closer to each other, some smaller, or further away, scattered across the 'landscape'.

There was a vague humanoid form cut from a deeper darkness in the center. Tightly constrained to give the impression of shape, it sat at one of the only things which seemed to possess an ethereal quality of permanence, a rectangular stone altar of some kind, impossibly lit by the lights surrounding it as nothing else was. Small dots and lines that seemed vaguely familiar crossed all of it's surfaces, though to my deepest regret, that was not it's only feature.

Blood, reflecting darkly across it's stone face, following the appealing glyphs and flowing into the unlit shadowed ground. The source of the blood was uncertain. At least, I think it was uncertain, for the dark figured held aloft a strangely shaped object in it's hand. It also reflected the eerie lights, but unlike the altar with it's begrudging passive illumination, the object almost seemed to reflect the light in manic glee, catching my eye more than seemed possible.

*THK*

The being's other hand had been placed on the altar, lightly blotting out a small silhouette on the slab's flat surface before the object it held came whistling down with an eerie scream I 'felt' more than heard. It was only on landing that I'd realized that the object had swung down onto the being's hand. More to the point, it had cut deeply into it's 'wrist'. The reflecting object finally resolved it's shape, a knife. Not a knife in the standard sense, for it was sculpted, a face cut down the middle vertically, the side of a cheek forming the 'blade'. The face was stoic and harsh seeming to gaze into me even as it sat bisecting the being's limb. It's edge glittered like darkness, dark blood dripping from the eye and mouth.

*CRK*

The blade twisted, fully separating the creature's wrist from it's arm. The lump that had been it's hand slowly rolled with the inertia along the altar-top, it's shape barely visible against the stone. Before it could fall off, it came to a sudden unnatural stop, it's shape seeming to collapse in on itself into a small puddle of ink-like darkness.

It had only taken an eternal moment after seeing this act of self-mutilation when the 'stump' of the creature's arm slowly reformed, extending out into a new appendage. The puddle itself stretched upwards under it's own force, resolving itself into an almost head-like form, bulbous and disturbed. Two silvery dots slowly forming within it's nucleus, crawling along it's surface like twin spiders, slithering and splicing before finally coming to a halt... Paired lights, shining like tiny eyes.

*THD*

The shadow creature had stared at the small creation for but a moment before lashing out with it's reformed limb, swatting the little newly formed creature off the altar. It arced through the air, landing off to the side of the path, now joining the thousands of it's brethren that littered the landscape.

I can only assume that my breath was held, my guide tightening her grip on me. Everything seemed so wrong, so disconnected. What the hell... What the HELL.

The anger at this situation wouldn't come. This wasn't it's domain, terror lived here, and only the presence of my anchor kept me from locking up or fleeing into the darkness completely. If I even could. This place, this altar. How long had this been going on? Why the mutilation? What purpose did it serve?

The creature's reformed hand placed itself back onto the altar. The bloody knife rose once more to the sky.

*THK* *CRK* *THD*

This... All the eyes, the sky? All of them spawning off of this being? I looked down to my guide, her face oriented, as though looking straight to me. Her unoccupied hand pointed towards the altar, the grip on my arm tightening.

*THK* *CRK* *THD*

Another hand, more eyes, more faces... Wait; did she want me to go talk to it? Kill it? Use the altar somehow? I couldn't even see my own hands in this weirdscape, how the hell was I supposed to know what to do?

*THK* *CRK* *THD*

I looked down to the little shifting guide holding me. Her face still warping constantly, but the eyes remained locked to mine, pleading. I... I feel like I know her somehow, I feel like I know that creature. But what do I do? Judy would know. Ms Crane would know. Why couldn't either of them be here instead, I was just... me. If I only knew why I was here, I might be able to figure out what I was supposed to do... Those shapes on the altar, they seemed familiar too.

Dots... lines... Glyphs

Wait.

WAIT.

The altar! It used a bunch of the same symbols Ms. Crane used on the collectors! If that was the case, maybe it was something I could work with! All I had to do was-

Something had changed, where was the gruesome *THK*? The cycle should have repeated...

I looked up from the altar and gasped, the sound vanishing into nothingness the moment it left my mouth as though the air itself had eaten it, and found it to it's liking. I felt a pressure all over me, and while normally ANYTHING would be a welcome change from this sensory deprivation I'd been 'existing' in for this entire mad trip, this wasn't just a touch. This pressure was ALIVE. It was WATCHING. It WANTED.

Every twinned light in this place had turned, orienting on myself and my silent companion. Nothing else moved; there was only the eyes, the altar, the darkness, the creature, the knife. Even the creature had looked up from it's labor staring, the knife poised before the strike with an unnatural stillness filling it's form. I guess there was no point in waiting...

I 'walked' down the path, the thousands of lights following my movement. My guide remained huddled next to me, silent as always. Even the lights in the sky felt like they were moving to track my motion. On reaching the altar, I could make out more of the sigils, even noticed a stone 'iris' where a standard collector would gather or release essence. There were flaws in this one though; strange purple cracks had formed from on the edges of the iris, lining their way to the corners of the altar. Wherever these cracks had formed, the sigils warped, the black blood burned away.

But, one of those was so incongruous with the other. Which of the two was the true nature of this place? Were the purple lights 'better' than this tarnished liquid? No movement from the creature as I looked, it's arm stood poised above it, knife aloft. I had interrupted something, and I suspect it wouldn't be healthy to 'keep' interrupting it.

"Can-" my words left my mouth, only to vanish before they could even reach my ears. The creature's head slowly turned to the side, reaching an unnatural fatal angle. I mentally swallowed, "Can you help me. I don't know where I am".

VOICES replied, from every shape, from every star, from the creature and walls themselves. My voice, from a thousand thousand sources. "HELP YOU. CAN. KNOW YOU WHERE. I. ME. I. YOU HELP."

It was returning my voice in a cataclysmic volume, the very sound liquidly sloshing through my core. Once the deafening sound had stopped I'd needed a minute to try to come to terms with what had just happened. I tried to consider what the cacophony had said. The creature had gone unnaturally still again, waiting. It was using my words, my voice. It can help me, knows where I am, and wants to help me... I think.

It definitely understood what I had said, and it only spoke in my words. I wonder if I could give it more to say? I really REALLY didn't want to use that option; the screaming had... hurt somehow, in some deep way that went beyond the physical, if there was a physical here. But if it was the only way to talk...

After considering for a moment, I replied, "Help. Yes. No. Home. Go. Do."

The air consumed my words for a moment, digesting them with silence before a response returned, "HELP. YES. HOME. YES." The creature raised it's empty hand, and the darkness behind it to the right receded, twin objects now illuminated by the eye-lights. There, strapped to the wall were two bodies.

The first was Neil, flaps of skin hanging off of his sides of his face in cruel cuts. His clothing sheared on each side revealing only darkness beneath. His skin was rough and ripped, desiccation making it seem aged. The eyes were lifeless, dead; filled with the darkness this place exuded from it's every pore. This couldn't be Neil. It just couldn't be, it was too unnatural, and it 'belonged' here more than the real Neil ever could.

The second body was... Some man I didn't know, he was raggedy, sharp featured. A hood covered the top of his head, but in death he seemed to have a cruel grin, his teeth brown and diseased. He wore faded and ripped brown, green, and black rags, covering most of his shape. I had no idea who this guy was... It wasn't anyone I'd seen, or at least, not that I remembered... His condition was almost identical to Neil, but the cuts had only really applied to his face...

Was... Was the creature telling me what it wanted me to do? Or was it an offer? Did it know what I meant by help?

I just... I felt so disconnected from these sights. It was like some kind of awful dream, but without 'being' there. I'd have gagged, I'd have fled, but right now, I was just disgusted. I pointed at the shadowy carcasses, hand surprisingly not shaking. I averted my gaze from the disgusting sight, trying not to notice any more details. "NO!" I hadn't meant to shout, but it seemed like it was the only way to express my unhappiness with this... this visage. The words only lasting a few seconds longer than their quieter counterparts they had before. As disconnected as everything felt, this was just wrong. I could hate Neil without wanting him to be hurt, and as creepy as that stranger looked, I don't see why he would come into it.

The creature stared at me for a moment, darkness slowly enveloping the corpses until they became indistinguishable from the tenebrous background. It LEAPT, now standing on top of the altar, looming down at me, stomping it's foot. "NO! NO! NO! NO!" It raised it's other hand, the one holding the knife. I poised, waiting for the strike to come, when it's unused hand pointed to each of the purple cracks in the altar. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!". Two more shapes appeared behind it on the other side. I gasped

It was Ms. Crane, and Judy. Torn, ripped, desecrated. I couldn't move... How... How could it even ASK that? I didn't want to see this, I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE THIS.

The thing SHOT back towards the bodies, it's limbs dancing madly, and in no way matching it's actual movements. The blade sprang to life, glinting in the reflected eyes as it fell across Ms. Crane's form again, again, AGAIN. Tears and gouges, darkness sprouting from the wounds. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" The knife danced, slicing, ripping, and tearing. Ms. Crane's body was hardly recognizable after only a few seconds, just flesh and darkness. The tantrum over, the body thankfully receded into the darkness, vanishing from sight. The creature then looked over to Judy... paused for a few moments, and slowly returned to the altar, Judy's form also now fading from view.

I wanted to feel sick. I wanted to feel something, but there were only emotions and disquiet, nothing physical. This was just wrong. I want to go home. I wanted to feel something seeing all of this. I didn't want to feel anything.

It pointed at my right eye, quietly "No".
It pointed at my right arm, still quiet "No".
It impossibly pointed back, no bones stopping the arm orienting in such a way, the unknown man reforming on the wall, the tone twisting into a sharp hiss, "No".

I felt something on my hand... My hand had been moving. It had been moving without my intending it; it was feeling the altar, the black tar, the symbols. Dots... Sigils...

A silver streak was the only warning when the knife struck down.

*THK*

I couldn't feel it, but I wanted to scream. I wanted to SCREAM. My hand, the silhouette, whatever it was had been cut straight through, the creature's hand next to it likewise severed. I tried to gasp, I tried to choke. I warm embrace on my arm did little to comfort me. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TOUCHED THE TABLE.

I could only watch, watch as my tongue held it's silence, screaming in the back of my mind, as the silver blade TWISTED.

*CRK*

My hand was on the table, the creature's hand was on the table, the silver knife almost seemed to be smiling, and the creature's head was still inches from my face. It wasn't my hand anymore. It was on the table, not on my arm. But where was my hand then?

I... It felt like I should feel more, but looking down at the mutilation, the disconnection continued, and that scared me more than any of this. It was only on that thought that the lump of the creature's sliced limb began moving, rolling... no... Slithering towards my stump. It trickled in, vanishing quickly, shadows stretching out, and re-linking to my hand, drawing it back in like some kind of morbid lid, re-attaching it to my arm.

I just... What had that accomplished? I flexed my hand a few times, seeing the motions occur as I dictated them. Was everything fine? Would I be alright? What had it put IN me? If it had done anything at all. I'm still not sure this was entirely real. Very few things actually had a tactile sense to them. Just my guide, those rail road tracks, the altar, the knife, and that light wind that had been around since I'd been woken up. I was surprised it was blowing down in the canyon, but I suppose none of this really made any sense anyway.

My guide's luminescent hand reached out, and grabbed me by the now healed wrist, guiding my hand back to the table. The creature remained, unmoving, watching, and silent. Dots... Sigils... Bumps... I knew all of these things, each of them important in their own way, a language of magic. Almost unbidden, I began pressing and twisting on a section near the altar's iris. With a low grinding sound, the stonework shifted, light dust dropping from it's edges.

I was opening the iris, but was that a good thing? Would that take me home?

Slowly, it opened, wider, and wider. The creature continued watching, the guide continued watching, the sky and earth continued watching, the breeze curling around me. The more it opened, the stronger the wind grew, buffeting my guide but leaving me unscathed. The darkness of this place seemed effected by it, patches of nothingness swirling about as though it had some physicality to it, showing what the world might have been behind it's unnatural veil. The railroad tracks were visible, brown woods and black-grey of iron-works, the sky turned the faintest blue, the canyon walls were now dusky stone rather than impenetrable blackness.

All of this changing, all of this moving, and yet it was so hard not to look into the altar. What was in there? Was it magic? Was it home? Was it something worse?

The iris finished opening, and an immense pressure hit me in the back, wind formed into a solid fist slamming me towards the hole. I looked around in panic. I needed to think! I wanted to know more! The multitudes of shadowed eyes were still, my guide was nodding to me gently, and the creature was still staring.

As my vision was consumed by the aperture, I could make one last thing out. The darkness swirled in tufts, patchworks of existence forming here and there, swirling around the canyon. Through the collage however, I could see behind the creature. On that boundary was not rock, but rather a massive bastion of silver. In it a colossal face had been carved, stoic, harsh, a look of condemnation surrounded by knife-like plates encircling it's visage.

"Aeslin?" I whispered.

A force gripped the back of my head, the shadowy creature's face consuming the whole of my vision.

"Weak..."

Wait, I didn't say that?

"Mine..."

"Aes-"?

The force shoved my head down into the aperture of the altar, the cacophony of the storm around us nearly deafening.

"I'm here to see you."

---

---

"...may be stretched thin, but it never breaks, and it always surfaces above lies, as-"

My eye opened to a familiar place. Judy's room was lightly lit by a mid-day sun. Posters, the desk, the closet, everything seemed so infuriatingly normal. Where in the world had I been? Was all of that just a dream? More importantly, why couldn't I see out my right eye?

Reaching up, I could feel a bandage of some kind over a part of my face, Devi vibrating slightly. "Shane!" Judy voice rang out. She'd been sitting in her desk chair, a book open on her lap from her reading aloud as she tossed it to the side and rushed over. "What the hell happened to you? I got home this morning and you were there on the front steps, what were you THINKING!? How did you even get here? And who was that jackass with you? He seemed nice but he hasn't LEFT yet!" Her head whipped towards the open doorway, "YES I KNOW YOU'RE LISTENING YOU ASSHAT".

I blinked a few times, trying to get my bearings, but all I could see was Judy's worried face above me, her hand on my shoulder. The world was warm again, I could hear birds outside, and the breeze was still there, always there like it was supposed to be. Maybe things were alright?

Judy drew in close, whispering into my ear, "Shane, I don't know what happened but..." She looked at the side of my head covered by Devi squinting slightly, then down to my arm. "I don't know what happened... We'll get through this alright?"

I tried to speak, and began coughing violently. Judy kept a hand on my shoulder, rubbing gently whispering softly.

"We'll get through this..."