Edgar somehow, someway, though as painful as it sounded, managed to chuckle. His exhaustion was apparent. "Can't say that was the plan—" He shook some in her grasp, trying to see, but seeing nothing as he felt himself in the elf's arms. "We...we did it Galiah...we found her.."

~

"You and me both. See? This wasn't such a bad idea now was it?" Raven smiled, finding the sight of new faces to be refreshing. While they walked, her head turned for her to look at Sammy. "We can think of this is like a mini break away from all of the crazy stuff, ya know?"

~

Johnathan had to refrain from snatching the bag from her grasp when he took it from her. He turned to face the dog, a bit disgusted as he began to unwrap and unroll the bag only for a few dead rodents and various pieces of trash to be placed onto the floor when he dumped it. It was the single requirement of the estranged being. An "offering" in return for his aid. He found it outright disgusting, and loathed having to go out of his way to retrieve any of it. But it was necessary.

The dog sniffed at the rodent corpses and the garbage with a pleased wag of its mold and mushroom covered tail as it began to devour both rodents and trash alike. And when it finished, there was a poof of musty green air. The shroom and moss covered, terribly old and long-bearded Sai Chease stood before them with his concrete crystal bearing staff in hand and his pale-to-gold locks and knotty beard draping down to his ankles. "Ohoho~ A offering so delightful. If not so delicious it was, perhaps towards you I would be spiteful!" His unfocused and lazy eyes suddenly focused on Kore as he said this. "But alas you are allies, feeders to but a god. And if you so ask for my aid, I shall surely return to you a nod. How many I service you?"

"I believe you are the individual who'll be assisting in relocating the woman here to a safer location. To what your kind calls the Under Society," Johnathan said to the man reluctantly. "Is it possible for us to depart and arrive there?"

"Oh yes, oh yes, the possibility is not impossible. But for you to enter at her side, that will surely be improbable."

~

"One...two...three!"

Jackline groaned as Alana pulled her up from the chair, an instant wave of nausea smacking her in the face. Her bones croaked in annoyance. As they were heading towards the SUV, she had to try her hardest not to let her legs give in for both her sake and Alana's. Upon being asked about an address or the alternative of a friend's number, she was hesitant. Her home in Carolina was no longer hers, and she didn't really know anyone else in Florida personally aside from Alana. But Alexis's number came to mind. She could never forget the number of her best friend. But she also couldn't bring herself to face her after months without contact, not a single text or any calls. And so she slowly shook her head.

Galiah held Edgar close to her, feeling like she was on the verge of tears as she didn't want to stare back into the holes where his eyes were. She didn't knwow aht to say, she didn't know if she could say anything else. She just stood there, holding Edgar in her arms as she spoke softly. "Please, Edgar, don't strain yourself anymore. You've done.... So much for everyone here."
But as she held him closer, she spoke softly to him. "Why do you push yourself so hard for me? I'm just an elf, Edgar? I should be the one putting myself in harm for your sake? You... You aren't allowing me to be a proper guardian"

Sammy looked to Raven with a smile on her face, her hands holding onto hers as she graced Raven with a smile. She looked into her eyes, her hands softly squeezing Raven's as she added. "Yeah, it's nice to finally be out of there, away from all the chaos. And if any agents come for us, I'll kick their asses. I got the best training from the best teacher. They'll look so stupid when they see me"

"No?" Alana's brows softened from their furrow. No friend? Mom? Dad? Siblings? "What about Galiah, won't she take you in?" She had nowhere to go, yet refused any help from a hospital or a police station, which reminded her a lot of her elf friend. Perhaps she knew something regarding the woman's condition. But before saying anything else, she focused on gently positioning Jackline in the passenger's seat where she could secure her seatbelt. She laid a towel underneath her so that the leather of the seat wouldn't stick to her skin. "Okay, well..." The lifeguard looked around as if an answer would appear out of thin air. "I guess... I guess I can make some space for you then..." She nodded to confirm her answer, gently shutting the door on her side and hopping on the other end to the driver's seat. "Don't worry, I don't live far from here." Alana inserted the keys and awoke the car's engine.

* * *

"Can't say I didn't miss ya Shakespeare." Kore snickered at his rhyming. Her pointy ears suddenly perked at Johnathan's message. "Oooh, baaaabe, a woman? How courteous of you." She winked, amused how her description was upgraded from an abnormal whore to a woman. It was like it was yesterday since he last called her that... Maybe it was yesterday. Kore's fit of giggles came to a stop when Sai Chease corrected the possibility of him entering the Under Society at her side. "Hm? Say what now Dr. Seuss?"

"Yeah? And I'll be right there with you. Ain't nobody laying a finger in my girl and thinking that they're gonna get off easy without my footprint in their ass." Raven added confidently. She didn't know how to fight as good as Sammy or Kyung-ha. Not yet. But she'd be damned if she was going to let that stop her anymore. She refused to.

~

"Because it's....not about you being a proper guardian, because you try. It's about helping those who need it. The people I care about—" He grunted through his words. "Those people in that house...they're not just Keepers. Their people. Friends that I never knew I needed until all of this. And you—You're not just..a guardian, or just some elf. You're... you're amazing. As a person. An elf. As a friend. And..."

I think I might be stupidly in love with you.

"...And as someone I think deserves a chance at something better." Edgar said.

~

"The possibility is not impossible. But for him to enter at your side, that will surely be improbable," Sai Chease repeated himself when Kore questioned what he had said. "He is The Prowler, The Panther, The Black Suited Reaper, yes? His presence, o'they surely will detest. Many have reputation down below," he looked to Johnathan. "But your own is one that steals the show! Prejudice are your sickles, yes, and cold as blackened ice is your eyes. Though I myself have seen a melting warmth, to them it will merely be a disguise."

Johnathan felt only a little unnerved that he had grown such a reputation within the Under Society, though in the same breathe he didn't know why he expected anything less. But part of him at least expected to see Kore off. She had grown on him in a way he would have never expected months prior, or even thought possible. But he understood. "That's acceptable. I didn't expect a warm welcome, nor to stay. Only to ensure that she's somewhere safe and out of the clutches of the Constables." Both the old and the new.

~

At the mentioning of Galiah, Jackline had shook her head with more urgency than before. Or at least tried until the stiffness in her neck popped unintentionally. While being placed in the passenger seat, she tried to move herself to where it would be easier for Alana to do so, and once she was settled onto the leather, she shivered. But it was when Alana had so graciously opted to take her in herself that her head hung low in shame.

"Not even goin'ta help yerself? It's pathetic that you've fallen this far from grace. So far that you'd accept a place to hide from someone who has nothing to do with yer little predicament." Constantine sat in the back seat, staring at Jackie through the rearview mirror. "I taughtcha better than this. Yet here you are. Yer supposed to be perfect, elegant. This is not what I raised."

By the time Alana had gotten into the driver's seat, Jackline had started to have second thoughts on going with her, though she wasn't any less thankful. But with no way to protect herself, she was afraid. She just couldn't admit it to herself.

Constantine's apparition shook it's head in disappointment at her decision. "I suppose your pride went along with your magic, hm?"

Sammy gave a chuckle and smiled at the confidence that Raven had exuded. Seeing that same girl that she met back in the night club, back when things made sense, it was nice. And yet she couldn't help but make the joke. "Well, if there are any vases around that you need to use, I'll toss them your way, cutie". With a laugh, she playfully gave Raven a push in the side to mess with her some more, the jovial grin on Sammy's face once again

Galiah looked down at Edgar's wounded face as he said all of these things, hearing those words come from him. She didn't know what to say, how to express those words. Her hands moves up to Edgar's cheek, looking at him as she spoke once more. "Edgar... Your words are so kind and sweet... so why does it still hurt me to see what you would go through for others? I cannot say that this wasn't a possibility, that it could have happened, but you were so determined and I did so little and I... I just... Edgar, I am so sorry"
Her thumb brushed against his cheek as she looked down at him longer, the tears finally welling up in her eyes and falling onto his face. She wasn't sure how she could take the sight of it, seeing someone she truly cared for, someone she felt complicated towards, in such a state. It was enough to tear her soul apart to see someone in pain for the sake of others. She couldn't hold back her sobs at the sight, clutching Edgar close to her, sobbing quietly against his body. "I'm so sorry, Edgar. I... I promise that I'll get Mason to be a trained Keeper, and he'll be the best healer ever, and perhaps we can fix your eyes, and then... And then you can paint even more pictures, as much pictures as you want. And I'll be there to see every one of them"

Alana's eyes were focused on the sandy road ahead of them as she drove, being forced to drive slowly since she had to yield to pedestrians enjoying the beach. It wasn't until the sand became concrete that the woman felt safe enough to glance over at Jackline, whose head hung low in shame. She could feel an aura of humiliation from her, which she expected since she didn't really know Jackline that well and to be seen at such level must be uncomfortable. "Hey..." She wasn't planning on sparking a conversation because she noticed how hard it was for Jackline to talk. Alana put herself in her shoes and noted that she wasn't so much of a people-person when she was emotional or had hit rock bottom. But she did know from personal experience that people tended to blame themselves even if the fault lied on external factors. "I-I don't know what happened or what kind of monster did this to you, but soon you'll be back on your feet twice as strong as you were before, hun."

* * *

"Ahh, I see now." Kore turned to Johnathan and chuckled. "That's pretty damn ironic––your qualities are abnormal to fit the criteria to be part of the Under Society but TOO abnormal for their liking. Their thongs will knot up at the idea of their only mechanism of defense being suppressed by your pretty face." She tapped her chin in thought. "Humans don't wantcha and now not even monsters either! That's kind of sad. It's like ya don't fit in anywhere, Joey. Really makes ya wanna bring carnage to the people that did ya wrong, huh?" She unconsciously rubbed salt in the wound. But when he emphasized he only wanted to ensure her safety, she rolled her eyes. "Touching, really. But I prefer you wetting my panties instead of my eyes, ya know?" Her attention fell back on Sai Chease. "Don't listen to the feeble human, he ain't coming with me. Kid's gonna die down there. I'm riding solo, and this time, NOT on his dick." She giggled at her own joke even when no one else did. She directed her next words to Johnathan. "We will part ways now to avoid more trouble. Send me a selfie with your decapitated enemy, will ya? Oooh, and draw a dick on its forehead that'll be hilarious."

Edgar's arms lifted slowly to wrap around the elf, and though they felt heavy, he was able to hug her close. "Hey now... don't cry. I'm...sure I'll be fine." Yet he was terrified by the thought of no longer being able to see. He told himself that it was only temporary, and that once Mason could properly heal things or Jackie returned, it would turn out alright. Jackie had always helped him in his time of need since the moment they met, he told himself. And he was sure that Mason would have been willing to help if he had the skills to.
He took in a trembling breath, and finally let himself rest against the elf as he remained in her arms. "I couldn't have done this...not without you here," reassured the elf. But as another layer of darkness covered his vision, slowly, his arms fell from around her and hung limply at his side. The pain had become a bit too much, and blended with his already present exhaustion, it only hurried along him passing out. But he did so with a peace of mind that they had made progress.

~

"But with the way yer headin', that just may be highly debatable. Constantine spoke only shortly after Alana had, which earned her a glare from Jackline from where she sat. "Am I lying?"
Jackline's frail hands bawled into weakened fists out of anger, her knuckles crackling even from the slight bend of her fingers. Shut. UP.
"Come say that a little closer, and watch me snack yer taste buds straight", Constantine's voice retorted with a snap. But then she sighed. "Fine, if yer panties are twistin' up yer ass that badly. But you can't avoid me forever Jackie. I'm as close as yer brain is to yer skull, and I'm not goin' anywhere too far anytime soon. Not until yer ready. Not until you can act accordingly."

~

"Oh hah-hah," Raven laughed some after her more obviously sarcastic one. But then her humor seemed to become much more darker than any joke that had come from her. "Why use a vase when I can just order a shotgun."
The grin that came to her face said that she was joking. Or was she? It was harder to tell than usual. And as they walked, she continued on to something else. "Hey, do you have your phone on you?"

~

Humans don't wantcha and now not even monsters either! That's kind of sad. It's like ya don't fit in anywhere, Joey.

It stuck to Johnathan's mind for some reason, but he didn't know why. It wasn't as if he desired to be welcomed by the very things that he killed as a profession. But something about it made it sting somewhere deep down. But it was Kore telling the Chease that she wouldn't even bother with at least having him along until he inevitably couldn't that hit him in the gut. He had come around to almost laughing at a small handful of her jokes, but this time he didn't even crack a partial smile as he looked over at her. He wasn't sure of what to say, nor did he understand the feeling he felt exactly.
His logical brain tried to take charge. This was the point of the journey here, a tedious journey at that. To rid of her. After all, her assistance from back at the convenient store in Florida had already been paid back in full, if not threefold. She'll be within a much more secured place, he told himself. So why? Why was it that he felt anxious towards the idea of her leaving? She was an agitant to him half the time that he had so happened to develop a tolerance towards. A monster, a creature. So why did he feel that her leaving now mattered?
Instead of trying to make sense of it, instead he was quick to double down on what Kore said as he turned to Sai Chease. "I've no interest in dwelling within this city anymore than I have to. Do what you must." The next thing he did was undo the cuff on his wrist as well as Kore's. Only to slap it into Chease's as he told him, "Don't let her out of your sight until you arrive." And though he didn't look at her, he spoke to Kore while making his way to the door with his suitcase in tow. "Hope for your sake that our paths don't cross again, because it may be as enemies." And though he said this, he paused while his back was to them. "Don't do anything stupendous. And...be well."

Sai Chease stroked his beard with a curiosity twinkling in his eyes. "Such an odd fellow to me, and oddity if a fellow indeed." He turned to Kore. "Shall we depart now, or is there still something you need?"

Galiah listened to the words that Edgar told her, to not cry. An order from a Keeper, she thought. And despite being told what she had to do, she could not comply. She continued to cry as she held him against her, holding her close to him in a comforting manner with tears falling from her face at what she saw. She looked down at the dirt once again, making sure that the numbers were burned into her mind before she would lift Edgar up with her strength and carry him to the RV, hoping to get him some bandages and some rest that he needed

Unbeknownst to them, Mason was waiting in the amphitheater. He took the time to get himself some coffee, letting the drink cool down before he would enjoy the rich bitterness of pure black coffee. He wasn’t sure why or how Edgar would know how to help him but he waited ever patiently, looking around his surroundings, remembering the many teachings from… someone? Someone trained him and the other Keepers here but who? Jackie? He thought that and it was what his memory remembered but something about that was off. She trained them as soon as she came back? He shook it off. Jackie was a great magic user, broken spine aside. He knew he could trust her resolve. But it was still odd to him. Regardless he waited, whistling as he kicks at the dirt ground and waited

Sammy was completely taken by surprise by the comment that Raven had made about the shotgun. She was shocked that she would even make that joke when it was something so traumatic for the both of them. She didn't know if she should laugh or be upset. Instead, she was just stunned and unable to find the words. She was thankful when Raven had brought up the phone so that she could get off the subject fast. She nodded and pulled out her phone. "Yeah, I bring it with me everywhere I go"

Alana fell quiet shortly after her words of encouragement. She could tell that what Jackline truly needed at the moment was rest. Food and water. A safe place. All things she would be guaranteed upon their arrival to her small studio. Maybe later after meeting her basic needs she would finally be able to take her words of encouragement and put them into action. For now, the lifeguard focused on the road ahead of her, especially once the vehicle transitioned from the calmness of the beach to the busy city streets of Miami. It would take them an extra five minutes from the predicted fifteen with Miami's traffic to finally arrive to their destination of Alana's apartment. Good thing yesterday was cleaning day... She thought to herself with a small sigh after parking the vehicle.


* * *

Hope for your sake that our paths don't cross again, because it may be as enemies.

“But isn’t that what we already are, babe?” She snickered. “D’aww, you’re so sexy when you’re overprotective, truly.” Her smirk grew wide with anticipation as Johnathan removed her cuffs, only to be met with disappointment and irritation among it being slapped onto Sai Chease’s wrist. Fuck. She internally groaned, glaring at Johnathan for passing his leash onto somebody else. It was smart of him to do so because she was planning on disappearing right then and there as soon as she was released. And as the man walked by, she could smell it on him––she could see it. The anxiety. It was a crooked and distorted grey aura that reeked of burning tar and sounded like nails on chalkboard. It was a sight that her kind fueled off of.

Her thoughts were momentarily interrupted by Sai Chease’s question. “Huh?” And when she realized what he asked, she smirked. “Hm, I suppose so.” The pink-haired woman glitched out of sight, reappearing in front of Johnathan a few steps away to avoid clashing with his suppressing powers. “Whaaat? No goodbye hug after everything we’ve been through? Is it because I hurt your fweewings??? Ohh come on Joey, it's for ya own good and safety. Ya can’t stop being obsessed with me annyways.” She teased. I’ll make sure of it. “I suppose as my final act before one of us inevitably dies, I must do something stupendous just because you told me not to.”

Johnathan couldn’t have seen it coming. He was dragged down by the collar of his shirt to match Kore’s height to be delivered with a lustful kiss, one that was longer than usual with no other woman being able to match its fiery nature. Not only was it the first kiss he would experience since his ability to feel, but it was also the first time their lips had interlocked despite the many nights they slept with each other, and she would make sure it would be one to remember and use to her advantage for later. Her long tongue pushed through his mouth and scrubbed around his inner cheeks, only to wrestle with his tongue and purposely moan to send vibrations that coursed through his veins. She ravished him, her hand gripped the back of his head firmly to prevent him from escaping with her fingers pitifully pushing back some of his hair. Her tongue crept down his throat, churning his insides and vividly imprinting herself in his mind forever. She quite literally feasted on his soul. There was a soft hint of pineapple that lingered, most likely from her flavored vape pen. It was a sultry and wet kiss, one that almost made his knees wobble for he would forget his surroundings while indulging in dangerous lips, much like a serpent injecting its venom onto its victim. Her loud kiss was quite literally a reality-strip that clouded any thoughts and melted his environment to where he had no other choice but to focus on her––his hardened body gravitating toward hers out solely out of impulse of lust rather than love.

And as her tongue returned to its rightful owner, she suckled on Johnathan’s languidly, biting his lip before the temptress finally pulled away and severed their connecting saliva as her act of mercy to let him catch his breath. Her kiss, much like any drug, was addicting whether it was influenced by her magic or not. She stroked his cheek with her cold-blooded hand, expanding her grinch-like grin while he recovered from her lustful trance. She used her thumb to wipe the excess drool off the corner of her lips and instead spread them onto Johnathan’s. “Mmm~" Her eyes looked at his lips as she whispered into his ear. "Keep your phone close. And your enemies even closer." She pressed up against him closely one last time before giggling as if nothing had happened at all.

She waved at him dismissively while returning to Sai Chease's side. "Alright Scooby, ready when you are. They better have a Burger Joint in that Under Society because I'm fucking hungry."

A small smirk came across Raven's lips upon laying eyes on Sammy's phone when it was presented. "Good—" She said while in the middle of taking Sammy's phone from her hand with a pinch of her fingers until she pulled it into her grasp rather skillfully for something so simple. She turned on the phone's screen and instantly made a face at Sammy's current screen saver. But her smile came back, and she gave Sammy a knowing grin before she would pull her close.
Raven's lips pushed against Sammy's cheek in an exaggerated smooch that ended with a "Mwa!", just as the now aimed frontal camera would flash a flickering light onto them. "Hey, even though your front camera is kind of ass, this came out better than I thought it would!" She snickered while looking at the picture . "And you, Sam-I-Am, have a totally awesome new background, starring your favorite chick, my favorite chick, and some foreign scenery. You're welcome." Sammy was met with her signature lopsided grin.

~

Jackline could tell immediately when the tires of the vehicle transitioned from the grainy sand of the beach to the solid asphalt of the road, the noise of traffic tapping against her head from the other side of the window that she leaned heavily against. For her the short ride was much longer than it actually was, and each time her mind reached for the comfort of unconsciousness, the small bumps in the road along the way rocked her awake, and at some point caused her to cast an annoyed side eye towards the driver.
She trembled in discomfort from the cold, her still damp skin feeling as if it had been crafted from a fleshy ice and wrapped around the frame of a weakened body. She coughed, and sniffled, not even daring to wipe awat the unwanted drizzles if snot within even the ruined clothes that stuck to her body. She felt disgusted using an edge from the towel in place of a softer and much more ideal touch of a tissue.

By the time they had arrived at Alana's studio apartment, Jackie was feeling an even deeper discomfort that left her almost on the verge of drooling. It felt like it was in her stomach, the hunger. But it was buried deeper than so, as she would come to later find. Much deeper. So much so that it would feel as if in those moments, her very soul craved for something to satisfy it. And no matter how much nutrients she would consume, it would do nothing to ease what it would in time grow into.

~

Johnathan was prepared to leave it behind. Leave her behind. He had to. It hadn't taken ong forhis logical mind to regain its tight grasp and coax him into realizing that remaining with Kore for loger than what was necessary would bring nothing but more issues to deal with. It was a fact that he was bo loger in the good eyes of Makveli, and in fact so far from it that it was completely the opposite. But he had kept his word, upheld his part of the bargain. The end of it was only a dreadful door click away. Just another fraction of a second of the door closing, and its components clicking into place to hold it in its place.

But when Kore appeared a just a few feet away from them, his brows furrowed in dismay, adding much more to what had used to be a canvas blank of expression and the emotions to do so. He had been expecting to hear another one of her crude quips, or perhaps even her complaining about now having to be cuffed to the person who would be responsible for taking her to the haven for her kind. And a small part of him welcomed either of the possibilities if they allowed him one last look at her. But what he received was much more than he could have anticipated with how he had so easly been dismissed seconds prior to then.

It was like a blur, one so vivid with only one point of focus. Her lips were like the citrus of a fruit. Her lips, they were soft, unlike anything that he felt before. Yet the feeling was familiar, and even at the back of his mind, his more logical self, his more careful self, it tried to remember. However, the familiarity was washed away, covered in the murkiness of memories when he felt the woman's tongue invade the space of his own. Even when he wanted to pull himself away from her, he couldn't bring himself to do so. ANd now he felt almost as if he didn't desire to. But where his mind failed, his soul, already tampered and cursed to be bound to another, would be the gateway to the disasters that would come to haunt them both.

He was still in a trance when Kore finally freed him, and still so as she watched the woman return to the awaiting Sai Chease. But it melted away from him quickly, much quicker than with the average individual.

But it was Sai Chease who stood by, as still as a tree. As still as a space without wind to stir the leaves. He watched it all unfold. But interfere, he did not. Instead, when Kore returned, he simply replied, "Perhaps, perhaps not. There could be wonderful patties of beef that await, or molded breads spread with snot." He coughed out a cackle and a wheeze of laughter that was so repulsive, yet somehow could draw one's attention closer in a manner that was like a dog being whistled to by its owner.

Sammy was about to give a playful 'hey' as she watched as Raven opened her phone, feeling a bit ashamed that she didn't have it password protected for her convenience. She was even more surprised by the fact that Raven had pulled her close and give her a kiss on the cheek with a smile. Once she was handed the phone back, she looked at the new background of her and Raven on it, a smile coming to her face. "Thanks, Raven. and you know it. No girl can compare to La Roux".
She laughed playfully as she took her hand into hers, holding it lopsidedly as she swung their hands in an exaggerative manner with a smile on her face

As Mason sat at the grounds below, kicking some of the dirt around that would end up hitting his face and making him cough a little, he would soon hear foot steps fastly approaching. He was expecting to see Edgar behind him to tell him what needed to be said. Instead, he would find a teary eyed Galiah, tears pouring from her eyes like a stream that would not stop
"M-Mason! I-I-I request.... you're a-assistance" She spoke through choked tears
"Galiah?" Mason asked. "W-What happened? What's wrong? Is it-"
:It's Edgar" She interrupted. "N-No time to ask. Please... Hurry"
Mason was unsure of what to make of the situation but with the seriousness of it, he didn't dare ask. He just followed behind Galiah, who was already sprinting up the stairs as fast as she could to get back to Edgar

Hopping off her side of the vehicle, Alana went to the passenger's side and carefully opened the door for Jackline. "We're almost there." She notified her in attempt to cheer her up. She noticed her shivering and the overall weak appearance of her body, pitying the woman before her. "We're gonna get you cleaned up and fed. You will feel much better afterwards." She promised, cautiously leaning in to carry her the way she did earlier. She used the towel she had given her to separate the touch of their bodies and provide Jackline with some more warmth.

By the time they entered the studio, they would both be welcomed with the natural warmth and coziness of its size with floors that were recently swept with eucalyptus essence. Her small home was filled with beach decor and real-life plants, including succulents and other climbers. There was also a fishtank by one of her monstera pot with neon lights until she flipped the light switch on. Alana didn't mind the sand they both dragged in since it was a common issue she dealt with cleaning for the past few years as a lifeguard. "Okay––" She dragged the rest of her belongings in and gently locked the door behind her. "Since we're not getting the medical attention you need, I'm assuming the first thing they'd do is get you out of your wet clothes that's chafing your body and keeping you cold." She told her, guiding her to a new door that was just around the corner. "Here, why don't you soak yourself in some hot water for now?" She opened the bathroom door for her, revealing the small area that fortunately had a tub along with natural bar soaps with little to no plastic visible in sight. "I made butternut squash soup with tofu last night, it'll be ready for you when you're done or I can also grubhub you something."

* * *

To their surprise, Kore chuckled along with Sai Chaese with a disturbing giggle of her own. "I'll keep the patties then––the molded buns with snot is all yours, Scrappy. No dibs." She inhaled another whiff of pineapple smoke from her vape pen. If that were the case, she would find a place that did serve presentable food somehow. Or at least threaten someone down there to make her something until she was satisfied. Her eyes glanced down at the shackles on her wrist, slightly annoyed with its new owner but doing well to not show it as she exhaled the smoke throw her nose. And when Johnathan's eyes went to them, her fingers creepily wiggled, the stinging on his back slightly intensifying as its cause waved at him with a smug grin.

Raven could only smile at first while they were on their way, and for a moment couldn't help but to wonder if they were lost. Sammy had told her about the deliveries, but didn't mention anything at all about actually being out and about in the city since their last time out. Strangely enough though, she felt far from lost herself, or not completely lost at the very least. She could still remember it as clear as an empty glass, the last time they had went out with Jackie. She remembered the very unsettling predicament of being driven there by what she called the Speed Racer Ghost for obvious reasons, and the road they were on upon arrival. SHe remembered where the coffee shop was along with its menu down to a T, and even a lot of the faces of strangers that had passed them by, though some weren't as clear as the other things that her brain seemed to instantly recall. And that's when something came to mind.
"Hey, now that I think about it, what were you guys doing all the way in Florida anyways?" Raven asked as her head turned for her to look at Sammy. "Like, before you and Mason ended up running into me I mean."

~

Edgar was, even while unconscious, was far from being at ease. Even when he slept, it was never easy to stop them. The visions. It was like a spinning world of so many things to be. THings that were supposed to be. They were never entirely clear, but their vividness was forever present.

He saw it. The elf and Jackline, somewhere so distant that it was impossible for his mind to reach them. They stood, battered. Fire like brimstone over the blurred grasses and tall hills, the sight of the magic that crackled like whips between them. But they stood together. They all did.
But in the same instance, he saw them. Fire like brimstone over the blurred grasses and tall hills. The sight a sinister magic that was like a knife to a throat. The elf and the nymph stood on opposing sides. The forces that stood with Jackline were those unlike he had ever seen. Some were giant in form and size, others green tinted, blurry forms. Some winged with bows readily set with arrows of a glowing fire. He and the other Keepers stood strong beside the elf.
There was another, where crimson poured onto a soily ground from the sky. The stench of the dead, corpses shredded and endless across the wide field. So many bodies, it was like a sea of rotting flesh. They were there. He and the Keepers. And before them, a violent wind of hellish magic, dark and malice filled. He could just briefly see the cloaked figure's hood fall back, and he could feel the bile quickly building. It was him. The man from just two or three years ago. His body was malformed, his ribcage snapping open and something more wretched than anything mere human could perceive was clawing its way out.
Oooosh It was like hearing the wind of a passing train.
The land was bare, and a reddened sun beamed down on the land of a desert that was hot enough to threaten to boil skin if one were under prepared in any manner of speaking. He could feel it on his own skin. But briefly, just briefly...he saw the strange. A child, not too much older than Kyung-ha's kid. The child was naked, all aside from the areas of his body where skin had seemed to become a smooth, steely looking stone that was embedded within his flesh like some sort of armoring. His eyes were curious.
Oooosh
He heard screaming. War cries. Sparks flickering from clashing blades, the neighing of reptilian-horse looking creatures, some crashing to the ground from severe wounds. Bolts and embers and flashes of magic were all around him, the earth beneath his feet were trembling. They were retreating—why were they retreating? Slaughter. Every turn of his head his gaze met carnage. But then he saw her, the vibrant, fiery red of her hair. Within her grasp was a flag, transparent in nature but powerful in the aura that it emitted. Her body was cladded in sleek jade that hugged close to her and fit her tall frame better than anything he had ever seen. She was running towards something, something far to him yet so close to her. She was yelling. And so very briefly, he watched the wounded who had fell, rise. He saw those that fled now turning heel.
Oooosh.
"Do you see now! Have thou beared witness! You saviors HAVE FALLEN!" The bald and tattooed covered man, it was him again. He spoke so triumphantly to the skies above, his hands rose above his head as if he were preaching to a crowd.
The words cut Edgar deeply. Once again, they were there. The Keepers. He could only feel despair. He could hear crying, and fear overcame him. He felt no hope as he saw Raven laying within Sammy's arms, her leather pants and white t-shirt dirtied and covering with blood. He saw Mason trying so desperately to help her. He could see the hues of the man's magic at work But something was too severe. Something was different. There was no Jackie. No Kyung-ha. No one. But then a flicker of light. A bang, and a gleam of light.
Oooosh.
He felt it, so fast came the cold. A cold that even fully clothed felt as if he were in the arctic, bare of any clothing. He shivered, until he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. It was Yoon.
"Don't worry, Eddy. They'll be here. I'm sure of it."
He was worried. He could feel it in his chest, the way his heart thumped nervously while he hugged himself to fend against the cold, which for some reason didn't seem to have much of an effect on the shorter Keeper. But there was another voice that caught him by surprise. One that he didn't recognize.
"We can only await their arrival for much longer. As I said before, I will not hesitate to leave them behind." The voice was just as cold as the weather, and the man he saw was one that he didn't know. His raven black hair hung a bit passed the lobe of his ears from under the thick hat that he wore, and his gaze of deep blue was piercing.
Oooosh.
The cabin was cozy, the fireplace lit with a magic fire that burned the thick blue wood nicely. He closed his book, only to find the eyes of the elf gazin at him from the doorway that she leaned against. She seemed to be wearing something that looked like a nightgown. But it was odd, because it didn't seem to be made out of anything...normal. But regardless, he could feel the sleepiness within his eyes as he stood up from the table. He could see her lips move, but couldn't hear the words that had made him chuckle so lightheartedly.
Ooooosh.
Something was burning, something that smelled foul. He could barely move. It physically pained him to try. The smoke was a smog of black and smoldering ashes. "R....Raven, no—" He found himself trying to call her name, his eyes burning as he coughed out ash. But he could only see the form of her aura. "Raven you don't have to do this!"
The Raven that he saw, her hair a grey-white, stood in front of what he couldn't compute as a horror, or a complete slap in the face to nature as they new it. Next to Raven was a tall man with a suit and tie that was too crisp for the apparent predicament, and a head that appeared to be a large, yellow smiley face that moved in the most disturbing of ways as spoke in a disgustingly upbeat and cheerful manner
"Ah come now, that isn't a way to appreciate your get out of jail free card! If she's willing, she's willing. That, and Papa needs someone to straighten my aisles, if you no what I mean. Besides, the north side of hell isn't all too bad."
But what got him the most was the complete terror that he could see on Raven's face. Even as she tried to "badass it off", even with her snarky remarks towards the strange being. And the smile that the thing forced into her face, abnormally large.
And the man spoke again while approaching until it could kneel down right in front of him. "Aaww, don't give me such angry faces. You could always flip the deal and swap places in a rather immaculate fashion. Besides, in another life, another space—hell, another line of time, you've already done it once so what's the harm...Boomer? Hm, even now it suits you!"
And the last thing he heard from Raven. "Hey man...tell..tell Sammy that I love her. I'll be okay. A-and tell her...tell her to live."
Oooooooosh.

But this would be far from the end of the Keeper's sights.

~

Jackline was slightly thrown off by the sight of Alana's small home, yet she didn't have any idea of why this was since she had already been there a few times before in the passed to pick up Galiah when things were...better. But the warmth from the outside was like a blessing. A small hug full of warmth that she desperately needed, but again refused to acknowledge. The sound of Alana's voice detoured her attention from the decor with the mentioning of a bath, which made her human ears flinch, and her eyes almost lit up. She smelled of salt water and fish and outside and the odor was maddening to her. But as she saw what little Alana held in her bathroom, her shoulders sunk. There were no essential oils, or silky smelling bathing products that she would usually use. Just...soap. Barred soap. The sight and thought almost made her feel as if she were going to pass out. Already she was at a two way road. Either continue to smell of ocean and be covered in the sand that was currently making her itchy feeling, or prepare herself mentally to have to use inferior products that would only further ruin her skin passed the slightly pale blue that it had already was from being in the water for too long. She almost took the latter.

At the mentioning of the butter-squash soup, she turned and looked at Alana with an expression that was either insulted by even recommending something that sounded like food for the elderly, or one that was wondering what such a thing even was to begin with. Perhaps it was a mixture of both.

Sammy walked by Raven's side, holding her hand in her own, taking glances at her with a smile as they walked down the bustling streets of Istanbul. When Raven asked the question, a genuine stare of confusion and curiosity came to Sammy's face. She looked forward, trying to find the answer that should have been obvious. "God, it's been so long since that I kinda forgot about the whole thing. I know that we were just travelling around, taking jobs wherever we could from Fuck Face Hector. Real dumb shit, but the guy pays well. Oddly well for some weirdo who runs a ghost hunting website. Must be a trust fund baby"

Galiah would soon throw opent eh door of Edgar's RV, pulling Mason in along with her in a panicked tone. "Hurry, Mason. Please hurry"
"I'm coming, hold on!" Mason said, the lack of answers from Galiah only making him a bit more uneased as he rushed into the RV with the elf still having tears streaming across her face. She looked to Edgar from the other side of the RV with a worried expression on her face. "P-Please help him"
"Galiah, I don't even know what yo-" Mason was saying as he approached Edgar, seeing the blood stains on his eyes. He wasn't sure what happened, but the amount that had come from him was enough of an answer, one that left Mason feeling sick to his stomach
"P-Please, use your magic"
Mason was doing his best not to feel ill at the sight of the blood, turning his head away from Galiah as he spoke. "G-Galiah, I don't have any magic. Any... Any training at all, for that matter. I-I don't think-"
"Mason!" Galiah shouted, cutting his words off. She was practically hysterical at what she was witnessing, she wasn't sure what to even say. But she calmed herself with a deep breath and begged. "Please, Mason, just try"
Mason was silent, pondering what he could even do with his limited experience. But he knew that Galiah needed him to try. With a sigh, he closed his eyes to focus and put his hands against Edgar's hands as gently as he could, hoping for something

As Mason's hands came into contact with Edgar's, there was a jolt of something. Something that was just underneath the surface, so close. Seconds ticked by quickly. And then a minute, and Edgar began to stir uncontrollably. But there was no magic that occurred between them, none that could be seen or sensed. Edgar's eyes remained to mildly charred holes void of sight.

However, it was at that moment that Mason would hear a very, very soft voice from his memories—no, from somewhere deeper. Precision, Mason. Precision. The words were familiar, and the voice that spoke them was not one that had said them before, but rather one that acted as a reminder. An urge.

~

Raven paused for a moment and thought back to when she had first met Mason. It was kind of funny for her, considering that she had always expected Mason to be like a grizzly bear because of his size from the moment she saw him. Surprisingly though, she came to find out how much a sweet heart he was. Well, sort of. "Do you guys ever miss your van? It was kinda shitty, yeah, but you guys must've had a ton of memories in that thing."

Galiah remained silent. She didn't know what she could do at this moment, as an elf, as a race of healers, incapable of healing someone herself. It only added to her self loathing and her feeling of utter uselessness. She could only sit there and watch silently.
Mason kept his hands on Edgar's head, not sure what he could do in this moment. But something came to him, a memory perhaps, a feeling? What was it? But he whispered to himself. "Precision.... precision"
He rested his hands over Edgar's eyes as he spoke softly. "Edgar, please hold still"
He focused as much as he could on healing his gave, trying to not think of his hands holding on to the charred eye sockets of his friend. It was enough to repulse him, but he remained focused, he kept his mind on healing, that he would work through it. He kept focusing and didn't let his mind drift elsewhere except to what he needed to do

"Of course I miss that rusted piece of junk" Sammy said with a smile. "Yeah, I fucking hated it when it was my turn to sleep on the car seat and Mason got the mattress, that was really stupid, but what could you do when you had little money. I suggested a motel, but Mason said that we had to save up as much money as possible. We usually moved south when it was getting cold so we could save energy on the battery."
As Sammy was walking, she let out a sigh. "I'm sure Mason was far more fond of it than I was. It gave him some escape, like he was really able to do something. Me, I just wanted out of Ohio. When I got that.... Well, I didn't know what I wanted from there. Shit, when I met you in that dance club, I still didn't know what I wanted... But I think I know what I want now"

Alana's head slightly tilted to her right while analyzing Jackline's appalled reaction. Yet, a humble smile still graced her face since she was used to it at this point with her other friends. She understood that she wasn't like other girls that obsessed over getting the latest high-end fragrance or had a whole museum exhibit of bottles in her shower. She was simple and oriented towards environmentally friendly products that encouraged sustainability. Even her toothbrush was made of bamboo, and instead of wasting the plastic container of toothpaste, she used toothpaste tablets that dissolved into a paste. "You know, the benefits of bar soap are quite superior than the bottles you're used to." She began. "They're free of parabens and preservatives, and when you're done with them, they don't end up in a landfill that hurts our water." Alana made her way inside the bathroom, kneeling under the sink counter to retrieve a brand new bar that was wrapped in eco-friendly paper. "This one is made with pure coconut and shea butter." She unwrapped it and revealed the yellow bar soap, holding it up a little for Jackline to smell it before setting it gently on her palms. It smelled very different than the artificial shampoos in the market––it smelled clean and natural with an earthly touch. Ironically enough it would also smoothen her skin with its rawness more than any other soap could. "However, maybe to your luck, a lot of my skin care unfortunately has to come in bottles." She chuckled lightly, bringing out more products that aided her skin in fighting any sun damage or dark spots if Jackline wanted to use.

Still, there was an organic feel to her entire studio that was primitive to ignorant eyes, yet so calming and raw about it. "I understand it's not what you're used to, we have different ways of living after all. But this has been my way of living for the past years and it'll be yours for only for a night. Perhaps it soon could become yours too with an open mind." Alana shrugged with a friendly smile, reaching the top shelf for new towels to set out for her so Jackline wouldn't have to overwork herself later. "Let me know if you need anything else right now, I'm going to go warm up that soup and get you some clothes."

Think. Where does the tree begin to grow? The roots. We must water the roots of the wound. Nurture it so that it may regrow it's lost branches.
The voice that spoke to Mason was like a guide from within. Before he had only heard very low murmurs at random occurrences, even throughout his life. But now he could hear it, if even a bit more clearly.

Faint hues of gold sparked around his hands. It was faint, but it was there, wavering like water sloshing in a glass. The skin and flesh around Edgar's eyes where they had been charred began to move in very small inches. There was resistance, the damage from the magic severe.

~

"Oh really?" Raven questioned playfully, biting her lip softly. A smile appeared on her face. "Does that mean you're gonna let me in on the secret then? Or do I have to wait until we're eating lunch with some overly fancy chopsticks and drinking pea soup out of a golden grail? With fortune cookies, of course," she snickered.

~

"They're free of parabens and preservatives, and when you're done with them, they don't end up in a landfill that hurts our water."

Oh gods— Jackline couldn't help but to want to groan internally, having forgot that Alana was one of those eco-friendly, dry hump a tree to save the planet type of people. She practically had borderline vegan written all over her. But it wasn't that she didn't appreciate her effort towards the cause that made her feel this way. Not only was she too tired to actually care, but it reminded her too much of her middle school years. But it also wasn't just that alone, but also the fact that she was almost offended by Alana's assumption that she would anything that was store brought. Not unless it was high-end. Other than that, she crafted everything else herself.

"Lookatcha, as ungrateful as ever." Constantine's voice made her cringe. "Don't tell me yer still holdin' onto that time I had to come to that joke of a schooling establishment after those preppy wusses tied you to that tree."

The cackling laughter from the woman brought a quiet growl of embarrassment from Jackie towards the resurfacing memory. She had been stuck there for almost two hours, and that was while school was still in session. She still remembered being bit on her forehead by one of the curious wood ants that were going about their day. For a child of her age and status, not to mention her looks, it had been an early life catastrophe that later on in life became a complete nuisance whenever her grandmother brought it up.
Her attention was drawn back to the present at the smell of coconut and shea. Now that, was almost more of her taste. Almost. She eyed the soap bar quizzically as it was placed into her palms, which caused her to grimace at how heavy it felt to her in her current condition. And as Alana brought forth more products, she eased the bar of soap off to the side.

It was when Alana stated that she would be making her leave to warm up the soup did Jackline quickly grab her wrists, which actually wasn't very fast in her condition, but fast enough to catch her. Because despite the bar soap and the small space, and the talk of some soup that she wouldn't have batted an eye at any other day, and perhaps the one tacky plant, and the general shape of the studio's inside, if there was one thing that she was, it was grateful. But where her mistake was made was trying to relay it verbally, which brought a scorch filled sting that ran up and down her throat to the point that Alana could see just how red her neck was because of it. She gagged. It became worse. She clutched at her neck, beads of sweat immediately building onto her face. But she hid it with a small, safe bow of gratitude.

“You’re just saying that cause I’m Chinese” Sammy replied with a laugh as she playfully pushed Raven again with a smile on her face. She was far from one to take offense to a joke, she was just never around people to throw them back at her when she was giving them. Raven made it feel sudden but it was a nice surprise. As she walked, she playfully crossed her arms and added. “Well now I don’t think I can tell you until you apologize. I’m just far too hurt”

Mason could feel some sort of aura come from his hands, from something more, as his hands rested against Edgar’s eyes, the faint sight of his body healing if only a little. It was enough for Mason to keep trying, his hands gently placed on Edgar’s, his touch as soft and caring as a mother holding her newborn. He didn’t dare try to praise himself, tell Galiah, or do anything other than focus his full attention on healing him. The words of someone resonated within and he focused his attention on those words. Precision, roots, nurture, all these words coming as he focused on Edgar’s wounded face, not breaking his concentration for anything as he allowed his hands to rest and comfort his wounds with a gentle hold

Alana's brows lifted, caught by surprise when her wrists were weakly grabbed by Jackline. Her head tilted curiously, wondering if Jackline wanted something else brought to her before taking her leave. But she found herself cringing at her attempt to speak, pitying the woman at how painful it must've been. She stopped Jackline's bow midway, shaking her head to tell her there was no need for bowing, just like she had done with Galiah at one point. She wasn't used to formal bows or anything and saw no need for it since it was her job to help people after all. She got the warm water started for her to fill up the tub. Usually she would never take baths because she only saw it as a waste of water; however, she understood Jackline needed one desperately and wouldn't impose her own values onto someone in need of her help. "You just focus on getting yourself better, okay?" Alana said with a small smile before leaving and giving her the privacy she needed.

Jackline could only watch as Alana left her to herself, a small frown of anxiousness joining the pain in her expression. And as the door was closed, she heard a small pat against the tub, which caused her to stiffen briefly. She turned around to see her grandmother sitting at the tub side with a patient posture like she had when she was a child. She made a face.

"What? You despise me to such a degree that you won't even trust yer poor ol grandmother to run ya a bath? Or are you just too good for that now?"

Some of both—ALOT of both to be precise, Jackie thought with disdain. However the fact of the matter was that she was far from feeling too good for anything. She wobbled, her legs shaking harshly as she stepped towards the bathtub, having to use the close wall and the sink to reach it, but falling to the floor. She was barely able to catch herself, yet found herself in the arms of her grandmother's figment.

"My poor baby girl... yer beat dead. I can't stand to witness you in such a scuffed condition. It's unwomanly. The dirt, the grime, the smell."

Jackie could hear the small squeal if the tub's knobs before she was greeted with the sound of running water. She pushed herself away from what was suppose to be the elder's arms, refusing to be seen as weak even if she currently was. She struggled to remove the clothes that were heavy with dampness and the smell of salt.

"Good, good. It seems that you'vent forgotten the disciplines completely. This is very good. Lesson one, rely heavily on no one. Only yourself. Be wary, for not all kindness is kind, and very few are truly worthy of your comradery. The superior cannot rely on the inferior, Jackline Constantine. It is akin to relying on poison to be fresh water."

Jackline stared at her own distorted reflection through the tub that currently filled with steaming water. She was far from pleased with who looked back. Her lips were cracked and dry, her skin with wrinkles from the salt water, her eyes looking as if she hadn't slept for days. Her hair, stale and looking like knots of disheveled ginger seaweed. Compared to her previous self, or even the nature of her nymph form, she was... inferior. Broken.

~

"Whaaat?" Raven said with fake shock and a playfulness that she seemed comfortable with. "You have Sun Wukong sword, you're taking kungfu lessons from some sort of martial arts super killer, and the first thing you recommend to eat were some noodles at 9 in the morning, you did this to yourself!" Raven laughed, hugging on to one of Sammy's arms. "Buuut, I can't have your feels hurt while we're on our date, so—" She managed to place a kiss to the side of Sammy's lips, knowing that she would meet her half way there.

~

As Mason continued to try to focus, there would be a severely tiring sensation that would start to lay itself across his body. It would feel as if someone had stuck a vacuum onto his soul and started to rapidly drain him of mana. Soon, the gold aura that surrounded his hands would waver until it's color spoiled and dispersed away from him and left him feeling as if he had been awake for four days straight. Yet it was unlike any physical exhaustion that he had ever felt, but in the same instance was the cause of the physical exhaustion that would inevitably embrace him.

But much to his surprise, though far from being healed completely, Edgar's eyes remained at the very least partially healed. But the Edgar's stirring was endless, and he grunted unconsciously from the pain that persisted.

Sammy tried to playfully turn her head to keep up her distant manner, but she couldn't help but to turn her head to face her when she felt a kiss near her lips. She would turn to greet her with a kiss right back, her arms wrapping around her and pulling her close as she held her in a passionate kiss before she would pull back. "Fine, you're forgiven" She said as she looked into her eyes. "But you've still got that white girl low tolerance for spicy things"
Even through her laugh, Sammy would plant more kisses upon Raven's lips, enjoying her laughter, enjoying the feel of her lips, just enjoying her

Mason would fall back as soon as he felt his aura disperse, falling to thee ground with a glazed stare and panting heavily. "C-Christ!" He would say outloud, falling down into a sit with his head up, breathing like a patient in a hospital on his deathbed. He looked up to see Edgar's eyes, still scared from attack, but there was a sight of healing. "W-What" He said through exhaustion. He wasn't sure if he had fully healed them, but they were different. They weren't a scorched hole of black and red, but there was something there.
Galiah would hurry over to Edgar, her hands gently resting on his face as she would turn his head from side to side, not taking in how uncomfortable it was for him as she jerked his head around to look at his eyes. "A-Are they healed?" Galiah said, tapping at Edgar's face lightly as she spoke. "Edgar, do you hear me? Do you see me? A-are you well?"

As the steam began to settle in the bathroom thanks to the warm water, the scent of natural eucalyptus began to reveal itself from the real eucalyptus plant Alana was growing on one of the shelves over the toilet. For a moment, despite its simplicity and plainness, the situation Jackline was in didn’t seem… bad. In fact, if she closed her eyes and relaxed she could almost picture herself in some sort of spa. But aside from all the excessive products one would find at a salon, Jackline had three items in her tub to rotate from: her recently acquired coconut-shea soap, a bar of raw African black soap, and a pumice stone Alana picked up herself after a day of snorkeling. That was all the lifeguard needed, aside from her skincare that needed to be in bottles like her Vitamin C oil or Aloe Vera, where she also stuck with raw coconut oil to moisturize her skin since its intensity helped combat the dryness after a long day at the beach.

Knock Knock. There was a gentle tapping on the bathroom door. “Leaving the clothes by the door when you’re ready, Jackline!” The woman notified her. Alana had returned to drop off a grey, oversized hoodie that had the text “University of Florida” printed on it in bright orange followed by its alligator mascot. She also left by the door a pair of basketball shorts since that was her form of pajamas that would be stretchable enough to fit her, along with some slides that she assumed would fit her.

She was about to heat up the leftover soup until she remembered that she hadn’t completed her usual routine whenever she arrived home after work. Because heating up the soup would be easy, she figured leaving it for later until Jackline was done would give her enough time to complete her to-do list. Since the bathroom was currently occupied, she resorted to using eco-friendly wipes to clean herself for the time being. She hadn’t gotten into the water today so she assumed skipping the shower for one night was safe, as much as it pained her OCD-oriented mind to break her schedule. Alana changed from her swimsuit uniform to a plain shirt and similar basketball shorts she had given to Jackline, however she slid on the pair that had some holes to them because they were so old. When she was done changing, she followed through with the rest of her routine––feeding her fish, watering her plants, and doing a quick sweep around the studio to rid any unwanted sand that she and Jackline brought in. Before heading to the small kitchen, she adjusted her pullout sofa for Jackline to use later, leaving a singular pillow and blanket for her convenience.

Galiah would find herself being shoved back as Edgar sat up sharply with a scream of utter horror and agony, his hands over his eyes. "Oh God, oh god—ohgodohgodohgod—" He repeated it over and over, and over and over. The Keeper was somewhat awake. But he was far from present. "Make it stop!" His damaged eyes shut tightly behind his palms. But what vain it was, attempting to shut out something that was beyond his normal sense of sight. Something that he was still currently lacking as well.

Whatever it was that he saw, whatever it was that he was seeing. The Keeper wouldn't be the same again.

~

Raven smirked. "That can't be as true as it was before. My tolerance for you is at a all time high," she said with a snicker. "Besides, you made that curry way too hot and you know it!" She laughed a little more, and rested against Sammy's arm again. As they were passing by the cafe that they had been to only once before, she couldn't help but to give it a glance. Hmm... Already, an idea was starting to form in her head for another time. Her own time.
She looked back to Sammy. "So question. Have you ever actually been to China before? Or would you like to go or something? You know, experience your other half or whatever?"

~

Knock knock

Jackline's eyes lifted towards the door as she sat in the tub with her knees pulled to her chest. After having to fight the sting of the steaming water for a few minutes, she was finally able to settle herself down into the tub—with assistance from her grandmother, of course. But once she was in, she found it difficult to actually start bathing. Every motion, every usual vigorous scrub she would have usually done after a day such as so, it took more and more energy out of her. It took more than a few minutes for her to even get started. But once she finally did, she didn't stop until she was finished.
After Alana had mentioned the clothes, she sighed in relief, unaware of the true horror that was awaiting her eventual leave from the bath. But then her eyes began to droop. And as much as she tried to fight to keep them open, they eventually closed, her body instinctively stretching out as she started to sink. She rested her head upon her arms at the tub side. She rested there for a while, only drifting off, but never sleeping. The deep hole that she felt in the center of her being wouldn't let her escape so easily.

"Yer going to drown yerself like that, missy."

Jackline didn't move a muscle, and instead remained where she was. If it ridded her of the deep rooted feeling she felt and the sensation of hunger that came with it, it didn't sound too bad.

But, as if reading her very thoughts as they came, Constantine added, "Hm, I'd never figure ya the type to desire so many bodily wrinkles while in a casket. I'm sure it would be a spectacle for many to see.

Jackline's eyes resentfully pulled themselves open in a tired glare, refusing to let the thought of something of the sort linger in her mind. And so she pushed herself up out of the water with the assistance of the tub's sides. She had to be extremely careful not to skip as she stepped out and retrieved the towel that Alana had left for her. It was nice to touch something dry and warm that didn't smell heavily of ocean water.
She had to use both hands to open the door, and with use of the doorway as support, pulled herself into steps out into the hall, the steam strangely floating over her head as it left the confines of the bathroom and disappeared. Upon finding the clothes that had been left, she could have shrieked at the bright orange hoodie, but what truly did it for her was the gym shorts. O'How low she felt that she had fallen.
She picked up the hoodie with it pinched between her fingers like a dead rat being held by it's tail, looking at it in disgust. It might as well has been a dead rodent. She found it ugly, and gator on the front of it didn't help in the slightest. But it was warm. It felt...cozy. And so reluctantly, she put it on. And to her surprise, it wasn't that bad, aside from the tag that made her neck itch. But she definitely had half the mind to toss the gym shorts aside altogether, and would have in any other given situation. But for now, she sucked it up. That damned pohji was going to pay . She didn't know when or how, especially without her magic, but she would ensure it.

Sammy turned to Raven at another question being asked and once again, she didn’t have an immediate answer. She shook her head and spoke, “Nope, never been. My dad said there was no reason to go back there and I kinda took his word for it. So maybe I’d like to go just out of spite”
Sammy laughed as she held Raven while she hugged her arm. A smirk came to her face, “Why do you want to take me there and enjoy the sights? Maybe I can put on one of those cute red Chinese dresses and see what that does for you”
As Sammy chuckled hoping for Raven’s signature blush, she added with a smile “And my curry was damn good. You’re just too white. Mason too”

Galiah was pushed back only a little, despite being taken by surprise. As Edgar was screaming in terror, she hurried over and grabbed him, making sure to keep his arms locked so that she wouldn’t throw him off again. “Edgar! Edgar calm down, it is o my your friends Galiah and Mason”
She wasn’t sure what it was that happened but she figured it was something with his magic. Perhaps a near death experience unlocked some potential within. She wasn’t so sure but she could see the fear clear as day in his expression. She held him tightly Ike a child holding onto their favorite toy like it was everything to them. She held him close and tried her best to calm him. “Edgar what is happening? Whatever it is it is just us. Do not panic please”

The first thing Alana did when arriving to the kitchen was fill one tall glass with water for Jackline using her Brita Filter, and one tall glass of Blueberry-lavender almond milk for herself she had recently acquired from Trader Joe’s. And while rummaging through her fridge that mostly consisted of fresh produce from her local Farmer’s Market, she wondered if she still had some of that authentic Masala Chai mix that her co-worker had given her for her birthday. She figured maybe a warm drink could soothe Jackline’s throat along with some medication she had. After retrieving the glass container of leftovers, she poured it in a pot and left it to boil while frying some tofu bits on a separate pan with avocado oil, flipping them over with some chopsticks that she struggled to use correctly but still managed to do the job.

By the time Jackline exited the bathroom, Alana had just finished serving the two bowls of butternut squash bisque with a side of fried tofu, figuring the creamy and soft texture of both food items would be beneficial to Jackline’s throat issues. Her head lifted from setting down the spoons, greeting the bathed woman with her usual smile. “Wow, you already look like a million bucks after a simple bath.” She commented optimistically for the sake of her mental health; however seeing her in this type of outfit did distort the expensive and sophisticated look she assumed of her from her previous outfits. Still, she didn’t judge. She actually found it normal. “Feeling any better, hun?” Alana asked her. “You don’t have to answer––actually I prefer you to just nod or shake your head because we need to cure that throat of yours.”

"Wow, you already look like a million bucks after a simple bath."

Jackline raised a brow, though weakly, her look seeming to question the statement as if she had almost taken it as a minor insult. She considered herself to be a cleanly woman, more so than most other people. And to her, Alana was a part of the "most", though she did give more room in her mind to think that the woman was a little less so than other people.

"Maybe,", a loud thought said suddenly, nearly causing Jackline to gasp her lungs into her stomach. The apparition of Constantine sat where Jackie had been about to with a pleased smirk greasing her lips due to the smirk due to the spiteful glare of her granddaughter.

A scowl had settled on Jackline's face by the time that Alana had started relaying that she'd rather her not attempt to speak. Instead of sitting where the bowl meant for her was originally placed, Jackie begrudgingly moved her food to the other side of the table. She didn't answer Alana's question at all, and instead stared down into her bowl with a look on her face as she poked at its innards with her spoon.

~

The thought of Sammy in chinese attire made Raven giggle rather than blush, but Sammy's usual commentary on herself and Mason having the tongue of white babies it what turned a giggle into a slightly shrill laughter. "Or maybe me and Mason weren't drinking wasabi milk as a growing, healthy infant,"she prodded back playfully. "But I'd tooottally take you to China if I weren't more broke than minimum wage. Plus, ya know, prisoner to the magic house! WooOoooOoooOo—" She made a overdramatic, stereotypical ghost sound with snickering that followed soon afterwards.

~

The painter was unable to use the air in his lungs to formulate anything more than rapid heaving while within the elf's embrace. A feverish, clammy sweat had built onto his face and neck, and at first, he started to push away from the elf.

Around his eyes sockets and in them, Edgar felt the clash between what felt like lit matcjes and a cooling feeling that attempted to douse it. Neither triumphed, and instead he was left only with the extreme discomfort from a constant pain. He began to hold on tight to the elf when her voice burrowed through the disarray of his overloading conscious. His panic was inevitable. What he saw left him shook. And what he couldn't see helped as about as much as a rescue team with a snapped rope. The darkness that filled his lost sight just barely separated the realities that he witnessed and the one of the present.

"Eh, it's not that bad" Sammy said, finding herself a bit more attached to everyone in the manor now that she had given it some time. "I mean, we've been here for how long, a few months now? And I ain't seen a single Droven or an agent or a damn thing. If the worst we gotta deal with is a rancid ass teddy bear and some other weird stuff like the body swap or you burning my dress or any of that, I think we're good. Plus, we already got Yoon out doing magic. Only a matter of time before you and Mason and even Edgar are beating ass. And of course, with my martial arts. Even got some gun practice from Smokestack."
Sammy couldn't help but smile proudly as she gloated about her own training, just happy that she was able to do something, and it helped when Kyung had given her some compliments on her improvements. But as she turned to Raven with a smile, she added, "Besides, Florida, China, scary Istanbul manor, anywhere with you is fine by me, Rave"
She looked to her and smirked, holding her arm close and added, "I can always just buy one of those dresses online. I wonder if it'll show off a lot of leg"

Mason looked to Edgar in a bit of fear at what he was hearing. Galiah was doing her best to comfort him as she held him closer and tighter, hoping to keep him in some comfort, or at the very least, keep him from doing anymore harm to himself
"Edgar, please, calm down, whatever happened, it is gone now" She spoke with an assured tone. "May I suggest the orange juice of healing once more?"
"Galiah!" Mason replied in a disheartened tone, but he left it at that. He remained close to Edgar, in case anything similar to what occured with Sammy would happen again here. He kept his hands near the bed, in case he needed to do a quick procedure, in case his magic was once again, unsatisfactory. He spoke to Edgar, trying to comfort him as well, in a way different from Galiah's. "Edgar, please, calm down. It's alright now. We... I don't know what happened, but your safe now, you're back in the RV, and... Well, I don't know, but Galiah is certain you got Jackie's location, so we can hopefully do something and get her back and get started on our training again."

Alana's eyes followed Jackline curiously as she weakly took her food to the other end of the table, watching how the seat was left empty across from her. Was it something I said? She couldn't help but wonder. However, it didn't stop her from helping the frail woman by inching her water and warm chai adjacent to her meal. Despite her moving, Alana stayed where she initially was in case Jackline wasn't comfortable with close presence. She knew she had to be tired and scared, so she wasn't going to try and use her extroverted personality with her. Instead, she watched her poke at her food quietly, amused at how she was hesitant of tofu and butternut squash. Alana took a sip of her almond milk to obscure the silence, and after wiping the white mustache off her top lip, she finally spoke with the smallest of chuckles. "Fun fact, Tofu actually contains all nine essential amino acids found in other proteins like chicken and beef." The little bit of her "chemistry-lab-personality" during sophomore year of college couldn't help but slip. "It's also a great source of potassium and iron, something your body needs right now to recover." She encouraged her to eat for the sake of her health and recovery.

Despite the face she made at what was to her just a bunch of mush soup, Jackline's stomach couldn't help but to agree with her friend's encouraging statement. But not just her stomach. Her entire body aches with weakness and a need to digest something other than itself. Giving Alana an attempt at a smile, her utensil scooped down into the soup. She only allowed herself a small portion, both out of table manners and hesitation. She took her first bite.
It was far from great, but she didn't find it to be as bad as she initially thought. Or at least not enough to make her want to spit it out immediately. But she could feel the spirit of her glamour demanding something if higher quality. She swallowed hard, clearing her throat afterwards with her mouth covered, and giving Alana a thumbs up.

"So much for yer coq au vin, hm, Missy? Serves ya right—"

THMP!

The chair that Constantine's apparition was in jolted from a weak but stiff kick, and Jackie cutting her eyes at what would be only be an empty space to Alana.
Jackline returned her attention to the bowl, having to rest herself between the next few bites she would take. She ate very slowly with knowledge that if she dare attempted to even eat at a normal pace, she would suffer.

"That damned pohji," Constantine's voice said to her knowingly. "It's whatcher thinkin isn't it, eh?" She scoffed, but then laughed bitterly. "So much for a brilliant granddaughter. She outclassed you. Humiliated you. And you couldn't do nothin' about it at all—'

Jackline tried to ignore the taunting. She tried to focus all she could on just her food.

~

Edgar's breathing was shallow, rapid and fear filled. His mind had yet to catch up with the present reality. His lips trembled, and his words came out in shaky breaths. "The sky...the sky i-is going to fall—" He shuttered between his words terribly hard. The was terror in his voice, and he held onto Galiah. "It's fallen—it's falling—i-it fell—" he choked on his words, so much within his mind unable to be processed correctly. The whens.
The wheres. The hows.

~

"I hope so," Raven said with a perk of her head. A small hint of red played at her freckles, and she looked ahead of them instead of at Sammy as she nudged her lightly with her elbow in a playful manner. She smiled a second afterwards as she spoke. "You've got some nice legs—hey is that it?" She said, becoming distracted by the sight of a building a couple more steps down the street to their right that looked vaguely out of place with it's "Asian Restaurant" look.

“The Sky?” Mason repeated curiously, poking his head out to look at the sky but it was nothing at all. As he looked around for any sign of something off, it was just nothing. In fact it was a perfectly fine sunny day. He poked his head back in and spoke with a shrug, “Edgar, I don’t follow-“
“Mason” Galiah interrupted him softly, still holding Edgar in an embrace to try and comfort him, her gloved hands stroking his hair slowly. “I think it’s something more than that. I fear it’s something relating to his magic. Thank you for your help, but we need someone to get the information to Ricklenbourne. Please go and give him the coordinates for her location.”
“But… what if my magic wears off” Mason said, that worry coming back to him when he remembered Sammys leg
“If it wears off, I will call upon you again. One thing at a time, Mason” Galiah spoke with a bit of seriousness in her voice. “Whatever happens, Jackie can help more. It is important we find her. Thank you again, but please. I need to be alone with Edgar to help understand”
Mason was confused, hesitant to leave, unsure of what Edgar was even saying. But at the same time, he knew that getting Jackie back was a top priority. With a sigh and a nod, he stepped out the door, taking the time to glance back at the two before closing the door
Galiahs eyes would fall back to Edgar, looking over his scared expression before she spoke. “This visions? Were they… unfortunate Edgar?”

“I got a lot of nice things, Raven” Sammy spoke with a bit of pride in her figure with all the training, finding satisfaction in her light toned body and the increase in some of her features. But looking over Raven, she grinned and spoke, “But I can say there’s lots of nice things about you too”
Before Sammy could go into the details, she looked ahead at Asian Restaurant, pointing to it with some excitement. “Yeah that’s it. Yoon told me about it when Mason bought some. Says they slap harder than Kyung. Well she didn’t say that but you get what I mean”
With a slight pep in her step she hurried toward it, waving to Raven. “Come on” she hurried. “Once you have noodles with eggs and pork, it’ll change your life”

Alana expanded a small, but genuine and affiliating smile with closed eyes when Jackline gave her a thumbs up. "See? Told'ja––" Her ears cringed at the sudden jolting of the chair across from her, blaming the oddity on what she thought were aftermath wave shocks Jackline was experiencing. She pitied the woman and felt guilty for not contacting Galiah yet. But what confused her more was the woman's refusal to seek help from the elf. She didn't know Jackline well, but she knew Galiah and her were close in more ways than one––so for someone like Jackline to ask someone like herself for help was a true surprise. Perhaps things are more severe than I thought? Alana couldn't help but wonder. She didn't want to pry, especially at Jackline's current status. All she could do was be grateful that she was at the right place and at the right time. With that thought lingering, she returned Jackline's thumbs up before indulging in a bowl herself.

(Post Status - Complete.)

Shaky breaths came from the painter, the panic evident in his eyes. His lips opened and closed for a second, as if he were trying to speak or wanted to but had come to suffer from a muteness. And then it would seem as if the elf wouldn't receive an answer at all. Whatever Edgar had seen had left him shaken, his eyes opening and closing in tight but weary blinks, the elf's question floating in the air for a time. Her voice had sounded so far away before, crowded by the noise the vivid sights thrust upon him, but was closer

His eyes locked with Galiah's, and his hesitation was evident in the way his damaged gaze twitched away from hers. He gulped, the taste of bile strong at his tongue. Finally, colors of the terrible awes and the wonders of his visions started to be rinsed away by his increasing focus on the present. He could feel the embrace that held him, as warm as it felt through what he found to be leather by it's touch. And though his vision was lost, he seemed his eyes were wide, as if we're trying to keep keep them open.
"It was—"they were... he paused, unable to grab the words to describe what he had witnessed. He wasn't sure that he wanted to. But what he was sure of was that the term "unfortunate" was an understatement.

~

"Does beef flavored top ramen with poorly made scrambled eggs count?" Raven joked as she started to hurry along with Sammy at first, but came to a sudden stop a couple steps behind when she felt an unusual shiver that felt as if it spread across her head. It was like the feeling of getting goosebumps, but the sensation was in her mind. The more she thought about it, the stupider it sounded. And so she chalked it down to them really needing to get the fresh air they were getting. Yet while following Sammy, she couldn't help but to feel some of the strange feeling hang on to the back of her mind. By the time she reached Sammy, she was looking behind them nervously.

~

Jackline, though while becoming increasingly more frustrated physically by the apparition's constant nagging, finished her bowl finally after nearly 20 minutes of tedious careful chewing and swallowing, as well as signs of an oncoming migraine. It was a miracle that she hadn't bent her spoon or broken her bowl with how forceful and sharply she had begun to unintentionally scoop her food before raising it to her lips.
She sat quietly, her head down and her eyes glaring towards what was just an empty chair to Alana. She took small, grateful sips from non-salty and fresh water until she finished with her cup being sat aside to the right of her bowl.

Jackline shifted uncomfortably, and a moment later she slowly, cautiously, stood to her feet with the help of the table as extra support. Her legs felt like they could barely hold her up. But still she attempted to take up her dishware to take to the sink, the least she could due even if the meal wasn't to her usual standards. But no matter how careful she attempted to be, it was inevitable, the hard fall that came afterwards the moment she took a step without aid, and the crashing of dishware as it came down behind her, the bits of remains in the bowl spilling over her fresh set of clothes.
And of course, as she so dreadfully expected, she heard the cackles of the apparition at her humiliation.

COLA for the love of the god I don't pray to XD)

he decided to write about some unsalted Burger King fries xD

Which I mean based, Burger King tastes like raw ass

What did COLA mean by this? XD
Seriously though hoping the best. Hope work and life doesn’t suck your souls dry. I will not post anymore till the next post as to not flood the forum with my pointless dribble. So Jade do not reply, just look at the update, and then look at this post with disappointment and then have a fantastic day please XD

During the twenty minutes it took Jackline to finally finish her bowl, Alana thought it was best to remain silent, knowing the woman was tired and too injured to even speak. She had retrieved her journal after finishing her meal, now scratching things off her to-do list like she did every day, along with jotting down new errands with the unforeseen circumstances.

Her eyes briefly broke contact with her list when she saw Jackline stand, puzzled as to what exactly she was planning on doing with legs that barely functioned. She refrained from helping her to avoid Jackline thinking she was too weak, knowing that in her state she most likely wanted to prove otherwise by putting the dishes in the sink. It hadn’t been too long since she returned to her list that Alana found herself cringing at the sound of the hard fall of the woman and the broken dishware that followed. She immediately closed her journal and stood up to aid her, walking carefully around the shards. “Let’s get you back up on your feet,” She spoke calmly just like she was trained in dire situations, focusing on her attempt to walk a long distance rather than the actual failure of the situation. Alana’s arms wrapped around her hips and back to get Jackline off her feet rather than tugging on her arms to get her off the ground. Despite no kitchen paper towels on site, there were linen rags that she threw on the ground to remember where the shards were and avoid stepping on them for the time being. She rested Jackline on the counter while doing so, proceeding to dampen a rag in the sink and hand it to the woman to clean herself of the extra bits of food that splattered on her. "It's only the first day." She optimistically reminded her.

I’m so mad I missed the update XD

Galiah looked at Edgar, seeing his expression twist and turn into fear and panic, of something truly awful. His vision, his premonition, it was something that words could not convey. It was truly awful. And Galiah could tell that just speaking them was enough to break the mind of a weaker person. It was barely enough for a Keeper to contain without panic and sickness. Galiah tightened her hold on Edgar, not enough to cut off his breathing. More as if to hold him closer, as if fearing that she would lose him to a terrible storm if she did not hold on. “It’s okay Edgar. Whatever it was you saw, it was… it hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps whatever it is… we can change it. We can prevent it from happening. We just need to figure out what the present has that could help us change the future. But… just please, calm your nerves for now Dear Edgar”
She rocked her body against Edgar as she hugged him, hoping to comfort his troubled mind as she held him tight. “We should focus on helping Jackie. Perhaps maybe she can help us”

“Sure if you’re on a budget” Sammy joked hurrying a bit ahead of Raven before she would turn back, expecting something from her. But when she saw Raven glancing back nervously, her smile immediately dropped, and she stepped closer, placing a comforting hand onto Ravens shoulder.
“Hey is something wrong?” Sammy asked, looking to wherever Raven had looked, a sense of concern and deep hostility rising inside Sammy. If someone was following she was ready to attack if need be. If it was a Droven, well… she would have to hope she could repeat that night at the club. Her hand on Ravens shoulder was gentle, but her eyes was already scanning the street and the rooftops for any pursuers

Leo stood in the kitchen, looking over the cutting board as he tried his best to remember how to prepare lamb, taking each instruction slowly, one at a time. The meat was placed onto a sheet, spread with wine, cooking oil, carrots, onion, tomato, and garlic, at least twelve shanks were placed into the oven in a pot of the finely darkened broth to simmer. He was not cooking to take his mind off things. In fact it was the opposite. It helped him to focus more when his hands were moving. He moved around the kitchen, preparing on top of the lamb a soup with the remaining lamb meat that he ran out of room for, made to cook with peppers, peas, more carrots and celery with pepper and salt inside. As he stirred the concoction with his spoon, the many thoughts raced through his head. Everyone’s own words coming to him, all pointing to Jackie in some way. And as he tried to put his thoughts together, he stepped from the kitchen, turning down the heat on the soup to ensure it wouldn’t boil over and setting a timer for seven hours on his watch for the lamb as he stepped out into the entrance hall. His thumb pulled the lighter out of his pocket and flicked it open and closed as he made his way to Kyungs room. He closes his lighter and put it back in his pocket as his other hand wrapped on the door

"No—y-you don'tunders—no..." Edgar almost sobbed in low mumbles. Galiah would be able to hear the hard gritting of his teeth. He trembled heavily at the thought of Jackie. He didn't know if what he had seen was real, or if it had happened in some fucked up place in his head, and that included whether or not Jackie was even someone that they could rely on. His eyes ached.
This was something that the books hadn't prepared him for. But there was something that was...strange, something sweet that whispered in his mind that something was wrong. However, the painter's mind had other plans rather to dwell on another pain. He sank into the elf's tender embrace and words of reassurance. Yet what was left of his eyes remained forced open. This was short lived.
The painter's body had been completely drained by the sudden output of magic—rampant magic, at that. And with the even more sudden backfire from the spell, it was much worse than what Mason had experienced. He was silent for a long moment, his breathing slowing. Waves rocked back and forth in his head, and the moment his eyes closed, he could feel the hot grains of the sandy beach beneath his feet. His eyes jumped back open with a twitch, but the heavy exhaustion was finally overcoming anything else he could muster. And as they closed, his body became stiff, as if he had just stepped into an ice bath
He murmured, his words shivering as they left his lips. Haunting final words, before he fell into the void of a blank dream.

"I-I...they were..burning.. burning in its jaws....worlds..so..many—" His words trailed into grumbles that became less and less frequent until there was nothing but unsteady breathing.

~

"Let's get you back to your feet—"

"Don't touch me!" Jackline wanted to hiss when Alana had started to help her up. She didn't need her help, not with something as simple as walking. But as Alana pulled her to her feet only for her legs to almost buckle again immediately, it started to sink in a bit more, little by little, that perhaps she was in a more dire situation than she had already believed herself to be in.

She grimaced and made a grunt of pain as she leaned her back against the counter, her breathing terribly off. But it was when Alana was handing her the dampened cloth did she notice the large patch of smooth, emerald green that trickled over her palms. She hid them behind the nervous and brisk wiping at the clothes that she had been spared. But hearing the optimism from the woman made her pause for a moment. A tiny smile appeared soon afterwards. But the powerful hunger that surged through her body caught her by surprise, and she gasped, which then turned into a series of painful coughing. Her feet shifted uneasily. "R--e-esst," a scratchy, damaged and almost begging voice croaked from her lips.

~

It took a second for Raven to answer, but when she looked at Sammy, she grinned a little. "Hell yeah something is wrong, like super wrong. Being cooped up in that fucking house so long and you knew about a place like this?" She scoffed playfully, deciding not to worry Sammy with anything. "Oh and for the record, I will take a noodle or twelve if yours look better than mine!" She giggled, taking the lead in leading them the rest of way to and into the shop.

Galiah looked to Edgar as he slowly drifted off in her arms. She listened to what she had spoken, yet she had little understanding of what any of it meant. The words were ominous, and it left a sinking feeling, like someone had just dropped a rock onto her chest. She looked to Edgar, hoping to get more from him, but there wasn't another word as he had as he had fallen into a restless sleep. She pulled herself from him and gently sat him down onto the bed, sitting next to him as she looked over his resting self. Her hands brushed over his head and looked at him with a somber expression. "Dear Edgar... The burden of knowing the future is a horrible burden as much as a gift. Please, do not give up hope. I will return when I can"
Galiah leaned down and placed a soft kiss onto Edgar's forehead, hoping that it would bring him some comfort as she stood up from the bed. She gave Edgar one last glance before stepping out of the RV, turning back to the manor in an attempt to find Ricklenbourne.

Sammy looked to Raven for a moment when she gave her comment and a smile. She gave Raven a playful push on the shoulder with a smirk. "Pfff, making me worry like that. Imma get you back for that."
She gave a smile and watched as Raven hurried into the shop. But Sammy took extra glances around now. Along with Kyung's skills in fighting, she had also adopted her level of paranoia, scanning every single spot out in the open. She wasn't worried, she told herself. She was just being cautious. After a few quick glances as not to make Raven worry, Sammy turned back to her with a smile and hurried after."

"Mhmm, I know hun," Alana replied to Jackline's weak croaking to rest since she too agreed that some rest would do wonders for her. "But in order to do that I'm gonna need to touch you again, you think you can let me do that one more time tonight for the better of you? The sooner you start accepting help the sooner you'll recover, that is something I can guarantee." She said in reference to Jackline's refusal of help, almost as if she was negotiating with a child after a temper fit. “I know sometimes people like you will refuse help because they’ve been ‘the helper’ all their life to everyone around them, so it’s only reasonable to think they are self-reliant and can help themselves. However,” Alana shook her head, “at some point, hun, you gotta let someone help you before you run yourself to the ground. Mkay? Can you do this?” She didn’t want Jackline constraining her throat so she just took her reaction as an answer. Leaning her off the counter, her shoulder served as support for Jackline to lean on as she guided her to the sofa-bed she had adjusted at their arrival to the apartment.

****

“I no care what others are doing, Yoon. I care what you are doing now.” Kyung-ha said in reference to Yoon’s questioning of Samantha and Raven being allowed outside the mansion’s boundaries. “Now, concentrate.” She sat with closed eyes on the floor across from her daughter, who was also participating in their meditation session. The mother took advantage of Sangeon’s “recess” time to continue with training her daughter. Some days were physical training, others like these were more mental and spiritually healing, especially knowing she dealt with forces beyond what the human brain could comprehend.

Yoon sighed, her positioning softening as she finally opened her eyes. Her hair was still damp from the recent shower she was forced to take after strolling in the same hoodie for the past few days. There were dark circles beneath her eyes from the sleepless nights. “I can’t do it. N-No offense mom, but I think Jackline is the only one that can help me with this.”

“Nyahh,” Kyung-ha scoffed, also opening her eyes. “Can’t expect her to change your diaper every time you have problem, eh? Now focus. Let mind relax and focus. Forget all trivial things running around tiny head of yours and focus.”

Yoon muttered to herself, taking one last look at the glass of ice placed in front of her before closing her eyes again and letting out a soft sigh. Her eyebrows scrunched, wiggling until they softened when she muted her mind.

“Good, good–” Kyung-ha observed her daughter closely. “Now picture ice in your head. Picture the shape of it. The consistency. The amount. Every last drop.”

“I-I know what a glass of ice looks like…”

Kyung-ha rolled her eyes. “Now picture what you want to do with ice. Picture your chi enveloping that ice.”

“...I’m kind of thirsty…” Yoon spoke truthfully with closed eyes, until she cringed when her forehead was thumped.

“Yoon!” Kyung-ha scolded her.

“Y-You said to picture what I-I wanted to do with the ice!” Yoon defended herself.

To their surprise, they saw the glass of ice had liquified. She successfully was able to revert her original action.

***
Meanwhile, Sangeon had to beg his mother to let him play outside after finishing every page in his coloring book. He also knew that Kyung-ha couldn’t stand seeing him too long on his iPad either. Yet for some reason, he wasn’t allowed beyond the front patio. He wasn’t allowed into the woods. He wasn’t allowed to explore the mansion either. So many doors had been locked to prevent his curiosity going too far. Kyung-ha didn’t really want him talking to the other Keepers either.

The mother had marked the area for Sangeon’s recess to be just outside the front patio, where a tire swing that she built herself on a tall tree entertained the young boy. She had also built him a makeshift seesaw with a fallen tree trunk and some large rocks. However, considering it took two to play the game and he had no friends, he stuck with his tire swing. His spiderman action figure was too light to counterbalance his weight on the seesaw anyways. And as he swung himself back and forth, he wondered how much longer would mom be busy until they could return home to Florida.

Leo could hear noises coming from within the room, no doubt another one of their training methods. He was ready to walk away and leave it for another time, that was until he would see the larger build young man come down the hall, panting heavily from exhaustion as soon as he came to a stop in front of Leo and the door
"Why are you panting like you ran a mile" Leo asked as Mason was hunched over, hands on his knees to catch his breathe. "Don't tell me all that mass is just fat and blubber on you, kid."
"S-Scar tissue. G-Got sick, real young" Mason spoke, wheezing a little as he tried to catch his breathe, as well as trying to not be offended by Leo's comments. He turned his eyes from him, looking to the door and pointing, barely audible through his panting. "Y-Yoon in there?"
"Yes, but they're-"
Cutting him off, Mason knocked on the door and spoke, "Yoon, emergency. Keeper meeting and assistance now"

"--eeep––" Yoon cringed at the sound of her name being called outside the door, her heart racing at the possibility of any interaction at all. Unbeknownst to her, the glass of water near her abruptly solidified back into ice with temperatures low enough to crack the glass it was in.

Kyung-ha took note of this, realizing how intertwined Yoon's emotions were to her magic. But she too frowned when she recognized which Keeper was outside the door––a keeper that knew too many secrets of hers. She wasn't the biggest fan of him hanging out with her daughter considering the knowledge and loose mouth he had. She eyed Yoon, who held a finger to her lips in attempt to tell her mom to pretend like she wasn't there. At this, the mother rolled her eyes. Yes, she was wary, but she also knew that as a Keeper, Yoon had the responsibility to attend to her meetings and communicate with the others. She also knew Yoon needed to socialize more after always being cooped up in her room.

With this in mind, she answered to his call by opening the door––the sight alone of the warrior enough for Mason to almost stumble back. To her surprise, Leonard was also outside the door. Her right brow raised as she looked at the two taller men. "Yoon, come out." She said, hearing the groaning from behind until the short Keeper finally peered her head out the door shyly.

Mason looked up at Kyung as soon as she was the first one to open the door, it was as if his panting had come to a stop. The very sight of her nearly snatching all the breath from his lungs and leaving him suffocated in anxious fear. Leonard, however, remained as collected as ever, looking between Mason and Kyung for one of them to speak up before he even bothered to. Mason was given a sigh of relief when Yoon had come out, and he didn't waste any time to get her away from Kyung so he could speak freely. "Yoon, it's Edgar. I think he activated his magic or something- You look good by the way for uh, being cooped up for days." He felt the need to say to try and raise her spirits a little. "Anyway, his magic activated and something may have happened, and my magic did something but I'm not sure it was enough. We need some of your Keeper assistance, maybe you can help us out or something. Galiah also found where Jackie is so she's looking for uh, someone right now. Drop everything and help... uh, please" He added the please with a soft tone as he scratched at his head in confusion and stress

Kyung-ha scoffed to herself when Yoon initially resisted in going out, having to silently push her out the door before she could hide again. She watched them talk momentarily before her eyes felt the stare from Leonard, glancing towards him with her signature raised brow and narrowed eyes. "What, eh? What you looking at?" She asked almost defensively.

Meanwhile, Yoon internally cringed when she was removed from the comfort of her room and dragged to the corner to speak freely with Mason. She had no recollection of really talking to him before––being completely distracted by his size and silently gulping to herself.

"You look good by the way for uh, being cooped up for days."

The paleness in her skin allowed for her blushing to be more visible at this awkward compliment. The only other compliment she had received from the opposite gender was Abel, unless she counted the time her father called her pretty during her high school graduation. Yoon wasn't sure how to respond to what was being revealed. "I-I don't think I-I would be much h-help--" She stammered truthfully. "D-Did you try getting ahold of R-Raven? O-Or m-maybe Samantha can help..."

"Oh for-" Mason said, having to hold in a sort of confused bit of frustration, mostly brought on by the days events. "Even if they had as much magic capabilities as you did, I don't know where they are. Sammy just texts me saying 'out, later' with that stupid emoji she knows I hate so much."
Mason paced back and forth in a bit of frustration before turning back to Yoon. "Trust me Yoon, you were the first person I came to ask. You got to where we haven't yet. You have far greater magic than we do. I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure you could help in someway. Again, if you want to"

Leonard glanced to Kyung for a moment when she spoke up, looking to the two younger adults talking before he turned back to Kyung and spoke softly, without either of them hearing, "I don't think this place is going to be safe for much longer, Kyung. The memories, everyone says that Jackie was the one here with them, training them. But they also said that Jackie arrived for the first time some time after everyone else had gotten here. And on top of that, she was the one who left but was also here at the night of the party... Doesn't that sound strange to you? None of these stories are adding up. How can Jackie be out, but at the party at the same time? How could have she gotten lost back in Florida but also be here to train them? It's like everyone's minds are a jigsaw puzzle packaged without all the pieces"

Raven managed to avoid twiddling her fingers while entering the shop, and was relieved to find that the aromas within it were as distracting as they were. She could smell slices of sizzling pork against hot metal, and a back ground scent of pan fried shrimp. Steaming broccoli and curry caught her nostrils on the way towards a line that was short enough for her not to whine with a groan, but long enough for her to deem it too long. She wanted to get too that menu. Her stomach growled a little, and she held it in some attempt to lessen it's sound.
She glanced at some of the faces around them, and it occurred to her then how some of them glanced back. They almost seemed as curious as she did. This made her realize how out of place she and Sammy probably seemed to them. The obvious foreigners. She suddenly felt a little more out of place, which made her stick closer to Sammy. "So I take it you're getting that beef and noodles right?" She asked the question while leaning out to their right to see just how far behind they were in the line. "I wonder if they have like, a tonkotsu version."

~

"The sooner you start accepting help the sooner you'll recover, that is something—"

"A jumble of malarkey," Constantine's apparition once again slipped in between Jackline and Alana, which caused Jackline to make a face in it's direction. "You know WHO you are, and WHAT you are. It's either you stand on yer own two feet, or yer pathetic."

Constantine's voice was like someone had turned the volume up on the car radio in Jackline's mind, to the point to where she could half make out what Alana was saying. She was only becoming more frustrated, but it was the strong desire to spite the woman through ignoring her that helped her focus on Alana's lips. She could make out what she was saying, but the action within itself was a mistaken she felt the sensation flaring from the outside of her stomach, somewhere deep within her core. And while being guided to where she would eventually stir restlessly into sleep, she avoided allowing their skin to contact.

"And speaking of," The apparition sneered with a knowing chuckle. She smirked. "It's becoming more active in the absence of magic. You'll start changin' before long. But I wonder, how long can ya keep your hands to yerself?"

Jackline was only slightly anxious, partly because part of her still believes that this all was all some deranged dream. A simulation. Another test. Another trial by fire from her grandmother in attempt to make a fool of her, or perhaps even the Constables.

The sheer lack of physical and mental strength was so much so that it nearly delude the woman, and as they reached her place of rest she abruptly dropped down onto it. Never in her life would she have imagined something so "ugh" to feel like her very own bed in such dire times, let alone gracing such a thing with the presence of her sleeping self. But as of now, she couldn't find it in herself to complain as she crawled towards the softest thing that she could find, which ended up being one of the pillows that Alana had provided her with.

"That's the plan" Sammy said with a smile as she noticed Raven stepping closer to her. She could see that there was still that bit of the old Raven inside her, even with all her changes and differences. And as Raven stepped closer to her to feel some comfort, Sammy would return the favor, taking her hand into her own and holding it tightly as she looked around the store, making sure that there wasn't anyone totally suspicious. As she did look around, she managed to break the awkwardness with a joke as she looked to Raven. "She try not to enjoy the food too much. You might make everyone have a food orgasm"
Sammy gave a snicker at the thought as she returned her eyes back to Raven, feeling some comfort in her gaze, glad to just be out of the house, away from any magic, any Droven, any of the madness, and just with Raven. Nothing nearly as crazy as what they had to deal with for the last year. She was glad to finally enjoy some peace. Even if she was fully on edge in case something were to break that peace.

Though she gave a small scoff, the geek in Raven couldn't help but to show off in the grin that came to her face when Sammy threw out her joke out there. "Sounds like someone's been watching Food Wars without me," she pouted playfully. But it was when she caught Sammy's gaze and, for a second, she paused. And then she smiled, her fingers having a softer hold around Sammy's opposed to her tightened grip.

And in that moment, Sammy would experience the coziness of Raven's appreciation for her. It was like a heartfelt hug underneath a warm comforter on a cold night, the sensation.

A blush sizzled onto Raven's freckles, and she turned her head away from Sammy to look ahead of them again. But still, she smiled.