Ｖａｌ'ｓ.ＳＡＭＰＬＥＳ - - DNP

You stalked me didnt you?

You cant run away from me!	35.3%	[ 12 ]
Nope. 'course not. /cough	17.6%	[ 6 ]
Just whoring around. >3	47.1%	[ 16 ]
Total Votes:			[ 34 ]

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Julian continued to be amused as he watched the maid turn stiff before turning to face him, during which he was trying, really trying, to keep his face passive but he just cant help the smirk on his face. So she was uncomfortable around him? Well, he certainly had some effect on her then, whether it was a positive one or a negative one, though judging by the way she addressed him, oh yes, he recognized the contempt beneath her forced politeness, the maid certainly didnt like him.

“I thank you kindly for your offer Master Julian, but such a task would not be becoming of a lord such as yourself. As it stands, I am well used to such a cleaning feat now, therefore there would be no need.”

“You speak as if we always leave the room in a state such as this.”

A mischievous glimmer appeared in his eyes again as he studied the room. He never really had the chance to look at it before, as he was used to leaving immediately in the morning, now that he saw it, he was a bit amused, even surprised, that they made such a mess. Well, maybe he really shouldn’t be surprised.

“Anyway, my apologies then, my dear, for giving you such a task.”

Julian gave a smile that probably would’ve charmed the skirts off any bumbling girl, but he knew, from this short encounter, this girl wouldn’t be affected like so, but he cant help but try. He outstretched his hand to her allowing her to hand him over his glove, which she did, turning away from him promptly. A small chuckle escaped Julian at the silent rejection. Seeing that he no longer had an excuse to stay, Julian backed off a few steps, bowed slightly, as he would to a lady, despite the maid having her back turned, and left the room.

He made his way back swiftly to where Margarethe and his horse waited, and with overused promises of next times and practiced smiles, he rode his way back home. But even though he gave his promise of return to a girl named Margarethe Brooke, his thoughts turned to the maid, whose name he still didnt know, and felt a smile appear on his lips.

It would seem that he had found his reason to continue seeing the daughter of the Brooke household. A reason more scandalous than sleeping with an engaged girl.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Elena waited in silence, taking small bites from her breakfast as she waited for Violetta to settle down in front of her. To tell the truth, she already had an idea as to what was bothering Violetta, she secretly hoped she was wrong, cause even though she had already thought of it, Elena had no idea how to answer if her concerns were about her earlier instructions.

“M-My Queen..” Elena lowered her eating utensils and took a sip of her drink, still not meeting Violetta’s eyes. “I am curious as to why you did not deploy me to help search for the Innocence?" It was then that Elena looked up at Violetta, who not long after raised her gaze to meet the queen’s own. Her ice-blue eyes were cold, unknowingly sharp, unconsciously hard, defensive or displeased, depending on the other’s interpretation. Elena stayed silent still, just watching, as if weighing the situation. "If you are worried about me being in the way I've been practicing my combat skills. Then if Aria did tag along I could watch over her."

It was as she feared. Elena understood though, why Violetta wanted to prove herself. It wasn’t lost on Elena about how Violetta was treated by the people in her own court, seen as weak, inappropriate and unworthy of her position as Elena’s most trusted right hand. But she never put a stop to it. If Violetta cant put up with it, with the constant criticizing of her, the she would only prove to the court that she didnt deserve her position.

Elena leaned back against her chair and entwined her fingers, placing her hands on her lap, her eyes still fixed on Violetta. How can she answer to Violetta’s inquiry? Her lips slightly turned down at the corners, frowning, obviously displeased, though more at herself than at the female before her.

I don’t want you hurt. I want you where I can keep you safe, where I can watch you constantly. I need someone who I can trust to stay here with me.

No, she cant say any of those out loud.

“You need to stay and make sure Aria stays here as well. Knowing that child, she’s probably thinking of following the others. I cant have that, she’ll simply be.. a burden to the others. I don’t want anything, or anyone, complicating this mission. And I trust Alorian, Ulric, as well as Ai to be able to handle the matter by themselves. There’s no need for extra heads to be out there, more heads are just collateral damage, and it wont hardly be beneficial. Do you understand me, Violetta?”

Elena’s voice hardened at the question she sent to Violetta, a question which only one answer was acceptable. Yes. She had just basically called Aria a burden and Violetta useless. She didnt feel good about it, but she stood her ground. She tore her eyes away from Violetta then and took one last sip from her drink and placed it down on the table without a sound before standing from where she sat. “Clean this up, after which you can go and check, make sure Aria’s within the walls.” She turned away and made her way into the far end of the garden, keeping her back to Violetta.

It was a dismissal, that which Elena last said before leaving Violetta alone. Crystal clear, it was a command for Violetta to leave. She stayed where she stood until Violetta had left. It was only minutes into her solitude that a Marker arrived in the garden and settled on her shoulder. It brushed its wings together, causing a faint tinkling sound. The message brought an expression of pure exasperation on Elena’s face. Not wasting another minute, Elena summoned three more butterflies, a Marker and two Violets.

“Ive just received the message. Aria had indeed left the court and arrived at a festival the Diamond’s territory. I'm pretty sure that Violetta would also venture out to look for her, and even if she didnt, I want you to locate her. If you find her with someone else, poison them, I don’t want them running after Violetta and Aria should those.. lowlifes.. figure out who they are. As for Aria, put her to sleep. It would save a lot of us the trouble of dragging her back, screaming and kicking.”

The newly summoned butterflies flicked their wings excitedly before leaving the garden to fulfil Elena’s orders. Elena, on the other hand, was a bundle of fury and worry as she strode out of the garden several minutes after Violetta. She trusted either Violetta or her butterflies would bring Aria back, safe and sound, after which she would make sure to punish the child by sneaking out like that. But if the worst comes, she would have no choice. The White Queen would have to make an appearance at the festival at the House of Diamonds.

It was an unpleasant thought.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Lacie stood in silence as she watched Lyss disappear into the crowd, as he said he would, to steal them a sum that would allow them to spend the night comfortable. Lacie could hardly wait. It was a good thing that they passed by the river earlier. Even though she could do nothing for her dress, she did manage to clean her arms and legs, even her face. Though she didnt look as bad as the street beggars, she still felt dirty. Mud stuck to her shoes and the hem of her dress was soiled, and well, her dress looked as if dust covered every inch of her clothes and her body. She didnt exactly looked like someone who hit rock bottom, but she felt disgustingly filthy.

She looked back at Gevaudan and sighed. Truth be told, she didnt want to be left alone with the beast, but no, Lyss decided she has to stay safe. It took an effort for Lacie not to scoff at the idea and keep the look of hopeful innocence on her face. She could have offered some help to Lyss, but that would contradict their idea of her, the idea of her fake personality. But then again, it was also a good thing that she didnt have to do any work for her to survive. Besides, wasn’t that the very reason that she tagged along with the two?

“Hey, hey! Its a festival! Lala wants to look around!”

She picked up her skirts with one hand, her trusty umbrella with the other, and ran into the bustling crowd, following Lyss’ steps, not even waiting for a response from Gevaudan, as she was sure he would stop her and keep her there with him. But she had a different idea. She had ran out of patience, she’d just have to provide for herself and catch up with the two later.

The House of Diamond was certainly active that night. Lights of every color lined the roads and stalls of every imaginable items were scattered around the area, and then there were the food stalls. Lacie’s stomach growled as she neared stalls which served different kinds of food. From candy apples to sweet potatoes, Lacie went around, but before she could even come close to any of these stalls, she was rudely shooed away. It was annoying her, she was pissed off, it was certainly her appearance that made people push her away, and if it only wasn’t for the crowd around her. The girl huffed and ran off, away from the thick crowd until she happened upon a clothing store. The idea she had was a sudden one, but useful. Without thinking about it, she donned on her cheerful facade and went to a dress that was displayed, it would fit her perfectly. She knew. As expected, an elderly lady came over to send her away, after all, Lacie didnt exactly look like a girl who had money to pay for a new dress. But Lacie refused to move and whimpered.

“I—I, but, I like that dress.”

The lady shook her head firmly and frowned, “well, its not like you can pay for it you know? Leave already!” She reached for Lacie and grabbed her arm, and was about to drag her away from her store when Lacie held her ground and met her eyes fiercely.

Lacie quickly dropped the act of a pitiful girl, at that moment, she wasn’t the princess of her group, she was the murderer of her parents. A criminal. “I said, I really like that dress.” There was no one to witness what happened, and if anyone happened to glance, it looked just as it would, a lady dragging a beggar girl away from her store. No one would have guessed that the girl had already entered the mind of the poor woman, planting in suggestions for her own selfish benefit. For a moment there was silence between the two, but eventually, the woman released Lacie and smiled a friendly smile and placed the hand which was earlier tugging Lacie away at the small of her back, gently pushing the girl into the store.

“Why, of course. I wouldn’t dream of denying a sweet girl like you.”

A bright smile appeared on Lacie’s face then before she bounced happily into the store where her new dress awaited her. The woman, who was under Lacie’s control mindlessly handed the new dress to the girl, who smiled sweetly before changing her dress, throwing the old one into a nearby trash can. It fit perfectly. A giggle escaped the young girl’s lips as she twirled in her new dress.

“This is our secret okay?”

“Of course, dear.”

“Now that I think of it, I'm hungry too.”

A huge smile was on Lacie’s face as she exited the store with a new dress, an umbrella in hand, and a few coins in her pocket. And so she enjoyed the night without sparing as much of a thought to the two males who had bothered to look after her, one left behind and the other trying to fetch them a sum to allow them some comfort for that night while Lacie ate her fill and amused herself with the festival that took place around her.

And then the first scream sounded.

And then she smelt blood.

And then there was chaos.

People started running into different directions which resulted to Lacie being shoved into the grass-covered ground not far from her. Her new dress, already ruined. And the sweet bun that she was eating? It was knocked off her hands and is now covered in dirt. She slowly felt her blood boiling in fury. She was eating that! She was hungry! And her new dress! Lacie’s blood pumped, and along with her fury, adrenaline sizzled in her veins, urging her to let out her frustration on an unfortunate individual who happened along her path. Gone was the girl who Lyss believed was his princess, and in her place stood the girl who was forced into a mental institution for murdering her parents and the girl who stained her hands with blood while escaping the said institution by the exact same reason she was admitted, murder.

Lacie forced herself on her feet and grabbed the umbrella that had been Lacie’s companion since she freed herself from three years of containment. Tonight will be her first bloodplay since the night she escaped. She tugged the canopy of her umbrella and with the push of a button, the handle of her umbrella extended and a blade, as wicked as she, revealed itself. A man who was at that time trying to escape the murder that was taking place right then saw Lacie. It was a foolish move what he did after, perhaps he assumed Lacie was one of the people who were spilling blood on the ground that night, which was quite amusing since Lacie had no idea what was even happening. And then he ran for her, it was brave alright, but Lacie called it foolishness. Grinning madly, Lacie took a step back for support and slashed. She could hear his flesh rip, from his shoulder to his chest, she almost cut his entire arm off. The body fell, a look of disbelief forever etched on his face.

“Ah, this would be good exercise.”


—————————————


As the sun steadily rose over the horizon, shedding light on the bloodfest that took place last night, Lacie was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree as she wiped her blade clean on her skirt, humming to herself. She had to stop herself from targeting random people after her eleventh kill, as the crowd was thinning and she knew she cant stay behind and be mistaken as a potential victim by whoever started the murder last night, not to mention the risk of bumping into Lyss or Gev. So there she rested until silence stretched over the area, the stench of blood overwhelming. Upon deciding that it’s time to move around once more, Lacie stood up and retracted her weapon into the harmless handle of her umbrella, the canopy, which she retrieved from where she first fell last night was tattered and bloodstained, but she needed it still to cover for her weapon. Lacie decided it would be best to locate Lyss and Gev when she stopped in her tracks upon hearing someone talking. She stepped behind a tree and peeked out from behind, spotting a small group of people

“—ice? Can you walk? C’mon, lean on me. I feel like something bad is coming.”

Lacie, upon deciding that this group is no threat to her, revealed herself just before the group left. She pulled her mask back on, the act of a lost, confused girl. She probably looked as if she came out of a nightmare. Her dress was splattered in blood, her face as well as her arms were covered in dried blood, her umbrella seemed to be beyond repair, and she was even missing a shoe.

“W-Where are you going? Dont.. leave me. Please?”

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Good lord, she cant sleep.

Erin turned and turned and turned, occasionally glancing at the clock on her bedside table and groaning as she counted the hours until dawn. And she was hungry. It was only five in the morning and she had been awake for an hour already. She had locked herself in her room early yesterday, scared of having a conversation with Bridget about Lyr and their supposed to be relationship. She didnt want to talk about it, she didnt even know what to say about the matter. So to play safe, she escaped into her room, skipping dinner at the same time. That was not a good idea.

It wasn’t as if she didnt try to sleep, she did, but it was no peaceful sleep she got, even the first few hours. She was bothered, a lot, and she didnt know why. She had a feeling it was more than Lyr, in fact, she wanted it to be more than Lyr. She didnt want to acknowledge the fact that it was solely Lyr who bothered her this much. Erin sat up from her bed finally and walked to her window, drawing her curtains. The sky was still dark, though the stars were getting dimmer as it got ready to make way for the sun. The girl turned and noticed the glass of water on her table where her things for school, as well as her bag, sat. Bridget must have brought it in her room when she was asleep, for she didnt remember bringing it there with her. Rubbing her arms against the cold, she went to the glass and noticed that along with it came her medicine. Three of them. Erin frowned and took the pills in her hand and was about to drink them when she hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to take it in an empty stomach. Erin smiled then, realizing what Bridget did. Bridget knew she knew not to take medicines without eating first so putting those pills in the table was practically a lure for her to step outside and eat.

“I'm sorry for worrying you.” Erin sighed and said to no one in particular. Well, she’s awake anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to make a little trip to the kitchen now. She grabbed her coat and tied it around her waist before slipping her medicine into a pocket and leaving the room.

The house was quiet, it had been for a while, since after her parents’ death about two weeks ago, she decided to cut back on the servants that worked in their home, what with her being the only one left, there was really no need for ten other people, it was also to keep the news of her parents’ death quiet. Until now the information that they passed around was that her parents had gone abroad on a business trip indefinitely, at least it would stay like that until Erin believed she’s strong enough to handle the public’s reaction about the death of her parents. There was the chef who Bridget helped with from time to time, their family’s butler who had been there ever since she could remember and one of the few she knew she could trust her life with, and two other maids, who were actually the chef’s daughter and niece, to help Bridget clean the house, their names Erin could only hope to remember. However, those four were barely seen around, as theyre made to work when no one else is around. Bridget is the only one except for Erin that is seen walking around the mansion at day. Mr. Simmons, their butler, only ever comes out during family events or when absolutely necessary, Erin understood though, the man was old, in fact she believed that the last time she saw him was during her parents’ funeral.

Erin sighed as she arrived at the kitchen and headed straight for the fridge, for a moment she simply stared at it and decided she’d just eat for breakfast as well and not wait for Bridget even though she clearly asked her yesterday to prepare her today’s breakfast. Shrugging, she grabbed one of the apples and took a bite before reaching out for an egg and some butter. She had enough time to cook for herself anyway, and despite popular belief, Erin did know how to cook for herself. She decided to turn on the lights then, no use to hide the fact that she was awake anyway, for all she knew, the chef and Bridget was already awake. And she was right.

“Young miss!”

“Good morning.” Erin turned and smiled. So the chef was the first one to wake. Gemma is quite a jolly woman, plump, probably around her late fifties. Erin had just placed the egg she fried on a plate when Gemma took the plate out of Erin’s hands and shooed her away. Sit down, I’ll do the rest, was what she said. And that was exactly what Erin did. She hadn’t even began warming her chair when Bridget came to the kitchen, her face concerned.

“Gemma! Have you seen—“

“Good morning, Bridget.”

“Erin? Youre up early.”

A chuckle escaped Erin’s lips at the confused expression on Bridget’s face, which quickly disappeared upon hearing Erin laugh. It had been a while after all since Erin acted like herself, Bridget visibly relaxed and smiled. Erin suddenly felt hopeful, maybe she had forgotten about Lyr. The day was starting great so far.

“Well, since I could see that your breakfast is no longer a problem, I could go fix up the bath for you?”

“That’d be great Bridget, thanks.”

The kitchen had a relaxed environment as Gemma made a light conversation as Erin ate, though Erin noticed how she carefully stayed away from any topics that would bring up her parents, and Erin was silently grateful for that. It didnt take long for Bridget to call Erin. She quickly took her medicine and excused herself from the kitchen, Erin found herself looking forward to taking a bath, because honestly, she hadn’t had any chance to enjoy a bath since meeting Lyr.

It was heavenly. Erin sighed in contentment as she felt her body relax against the warm water of her bath, though sadly, she can only stay for so long a time. It had been a good thirty minutes that she spent in that bath and she was sure it was already past seven when she exited the bathroom, but it wasn’t as if she needed to move fast. Her class was still at eight. She pulled the robe Bridget readied for her on and draped her towel over her head and slipped out of the bathroom and into her room. She almost felt giddy. That was until she heard a voice that didnt belong in her home and it was unpleasantly familiar.

"He ~ llo, ladies! I truly hope you're both looking astonishing despite the hour - I really don't want to look at any ogres so early in the morning!"

Erin, who had only managed to take hold of the knob on her door, stumbled inside clumsily, locking it quickly behind her. She was nearly a hundred percent sure that Lyr would arrive at her door at any moment and she also knew that a locked door would do no good against him, as he already proved the first time he came in her home. Taking no chances, Erin stripped herself of her bathrobe and pulled her uniform on as fast as she could. And just as expected, she heard her doorknob twist as she was just about getting her necktie done.

“No! Get out!” Did she expect him to listen to her? No, she didnt. So she simply stood there, glaring at him as he casually walked into her room with that smug look on his face that she died to wipe off. And as simple as that, her good mood disappeared the moment he arrived. “Do you not have even the slightest amount of decency in you?!”

“What’s decency?”

Erin could feel herself heat up from her toes to her head, she was blushing, out of frustration. How he manages to do just that with a few words Erin could never know, but she suspected its the expression on his face. “Get out! Out!” She huffed and grabbed the towel on her head and threw it at his direction. She was still fuming even after Lyr left her room until she noticed that she only had fifteen minutes to get to class. Damn him to hell and back! Erin fixed her tie and grabbed her shoes, after which she grabbed the nearest brush to her and ran it through her hair in furious tugs. In less than five minutes, she was out of her room. She stopped in front of Lyr and forced her bag at him.

“Move it. Since youre here, I demand you bring me to school for ruining my day because I’d be late otherwise.”

She turned sharply, not even bothering to shoot him a second glance. She called out to Bridget, telling her that she’s leaving and promptly walked out of her home. She did not need to look around long, she identified Lyr’s car and slipped into the passenger’s seat and sat there, her arms crossed, her lips pressed together tightly. And that was how she stayed for the remaineder of the time until he brought her to school.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

"Don't forget that the little 'aww - I'm - your - kawaii - desu - boyfriend' act ends here. I still wanna do lots of schoolgirls. So, you go first."

Erin could only glare at Lyr before she left the car with as much dignity she could, but for some reason, she felt bothered and at the same time glad that their little act was to end here. Bothered that he would actually assume that she wanted to continue the act, especially since she was only doing it for Bridget’s sake, and glad that she didnt have to act like his girlfriend at school. She didnt dare voice it out though, for she was sure Lyr would find a reason to make her miserable one way or another, as if he already didnt make her miserable enough. Without looking back, Erin pulled her bag up on her shoulders and disappeared into the school building.

“Rin-chan!”

Erin stumbled back a step as a body threw itself on her, quickly gathering herself in its arms. It took a few seconds for Erin to recognize the owner of the body, Asako, her best friend in the school, was almost tears as she looked up at her. “Koko-chan—”

“Where have you been? I—we were so worried! You disappeared without as much of a word! Just like that newcomer—whatwashisname?”

“Lyr.”

“Yeah! Him! Hey..”

Erin flinched inwardly upon recognizing her slip, and she knew Asako noticed it as well. The slight familiarity was present when Erin said Lyr’s name, and considering it all, she shouldn’t be remembering his name when she was only present for the first day of class. It also didnt help that Lyr didnt go to class at the same time she did. Erin could almost see the wheels turning in Asako’s head. While she knew that Asako is not a babble-mouth, Erin knew that she wouldn’t pass up a gossip. Erin tried to scramble for a change of topic but upon finding none at hand, she detached herself from Asako’s hold and headed toward the lockers, with Asako bouncing quickly after her.

“You seem familiar with him.”

“Not really.”

“Oh yeah, there was that ruckus on the first day..”

“A misunderstanding.”

“Youre hiding something!”

She turned just too quickly at hearing Asako’s whispered exclamation and almost wished that she didnt, she could feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment, but it didnt take much imagination for her to know that Asako may very well take it wrongly. “I am not!”

“Ooh, I know you Rin—hey, what’s that? A letter?”

Erin blinked and reached for the said letter just a few seconds after Asako did. She had not noticed that there was a letter in her locker until Asako pointed it out. Usually, Erin wouldn’t care too much for letters, as love letters were no rare occurrences around the school, but ever since Lyr arrived, Erin became slightly.. paranoid. She didnt go to school for three days until Lyr decided to drag her out of her room, what were the chances that that letter was from him which he dropped in during those three days? She didnt want to think it, she didnt believe Lyr was the type of person who would actually bother to write down a blackmail letter of some sort.


“Oh.”

“What?”

There was a strange passiveness present on Asako’s face as she handed back the letter to Erin, and Erin could feel relief at the disinterest on Asako’s face, meaning, this was no letter from Lyr. But from who? Erin took the letter this time and read, and she felt her heart leap in the comfortable familiarity of the handwriting. It was a burst of fresh air in her presently suffocating situation.


I'm back E! Do you still remember the music room on the third floor?

-J


“Jeremy’s here?”

“Mhm. Arrived last Friday. Yuri-kun looked for you the moment he stepped in class, he was pretty disappointed when he found out you weren’t in school.”

“I want to see him.”

“Well, that would have to wait until after class, bell’s about to—ring.”

Erin had no choice but to follow Asako, since true to what Asako said, the bell did ring before she could even finish her sentence. Quickly, Erin deposited her bag, grabbed a few books and followed Asako down the hall and into their room. The usual greetings were exchanged the moment she entered the room, a few expressing their relief that she’s finally returned, a few asked what happened, to which Erin’s answer was a simple smile. It was only a few minutes that she had settled down on her seat before her eyes were instinctively drawn to the door, where Lyr appeared not a second after. She met his gaze once, stiffened, and turned away immediately. Trying to not draw attention to her, which she hoped he wouldn’t give to her after confirming her presence in the room, Erin folded her letter once more and slipped it into her pocket.

There was nothing she could do then after but to listen and take notes absentmindedly as the hour ticked by. Just like many students, Erin didnt enjoy history nor did she enjoy memorizing dates of events she could hardly care about. Today at least, Jeremy’s letter distracted her from her usual boredom.

Jeremy Adams, or Yuri Narumi as he’s commonly known around, was Erin’s childhood friend, they go far back before Erin moved to Japan. Their parents were friends even before they were born, and though most assumed that her and Jeremy would be arranged to be together in the future, Erin’s parents politely refused, but that didnt stop the friendship that Erin and Jeremy had. Years moved on and they grew up, once they spent time together as if they were siblings, but the time eventually came where emotions started playing into their relationship. Erin knew, after all Jeremy had already confessed. But Erin made it clear that she only saw him as a friend, or an older brother. Jeremy only smiled then, and though it had been awkward at first, eventually, their relationship became comfortable as it had been before. And then Erin had to move to Japan. Erin was guilty to be glad about the idea of moving, perhaps the distance would calm down Jeremy’s feelings for her. But about two years after arriving in Japan, Jeremy had also appeared in the country. For a while Erin had been nervous of seeing him again, but after Jeremy assured her that he’s grown, matured, the comfortable friendship between them had resumed. That was until a year ago when Jeremy was asked to return to the states temporarily due to family business. Erin hadn’t seen him since then, and now, knowing he’s finally returned, and with Erin’s current situation, the knowledge that there was still someone she can hold on to without the burden of the tragedy that befell her, the desire to be with him surged through her. She wanted to feel the normalcy in her life again. She could only hope that Jeremy can provide her with that.

The bell couldn’t have come any sooner. At the sound of it, Erin immediately jumped out of her seat and blended along with the crowd, not really wanting to run into Lyr again, not that she wasted a time considering it, after all, it was he who said he didnt want to be seen around her—though that wasn’t his exact words, the message, Erin believed, was the same. She had another class in about thirty minutes, but it was enough for a short stop in the music room on the third floor. That room had been abandoned ever since the school had built its own music building, and during their first year together in the school, it had been Erin and Jeremy’s place to meet. While Erin didnt know much about playing the piano—not that she couldn’t—Jeremy was a genius, and most of the time, Jeremy played for Erin before they left the school.

Her footsteps carried her up the stairs, familiarity sinking in her with every step that she took, and upon arriving, she didnt wait a second to open the door. Sure enough, as if it had only been yesterday, Jeremy—with his light blonde hair and baby blue eyes—looked up from the piano and smiled.

“Erin.”

“Have you always waited here for me?”

“It would be more romantic that way, wouldn’t it?”

Erin laughed quietly, ignoring the teasing note in his voice. “Maybe.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, I heard you were back in school, I thought I’d take the chance today, hoping you’d see the letter I left you.”

“I saw it. But couldnt you just drop a visit at home?”

Erin watched Jeremy tilt his head to the side as if to think, and then a sheepish smile appeared on his lips. “Well, I forgot where you lived so—“

Here was a person from Erin’s past, untouched by the events that shook her to her core. Suddenly, Erin’s throat tightened. She ran for him and wrapped her arms around him tightly, and with the sudden reminder that her life can never be the same anymore, she cried, clinging to her childhood friend—who looked at her in confusion and obvious worry—as she would cling to her life, which at the moment, seemed to be the case.

“Erin?”

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

“You had a questioning look on your face, I assumed it was my name you wanted. I am also directly under Gabriel. So your hunter better play nice or he will hear about it.”

Mikhaela groaned inwardly, quickly restraining herself and checking her self-control. The need to punch Matthias’ face to get rid of the smug look on his face was overwhelming. And not even a day has passed since they had been put together in this mission that was already hard in the first place, partnering with him just made it harder. As if feeling Regan’s eyes on her, Mikhaela looked back at the female and shrugged. No matter their opinion, the fact that she’s paired with the angel wont change—not that it made things easier. It made Mikhaela sigh in resignation.

“Anyway, Regan, please send the message? This is urgent. The sooner we catch Mordel, the better.” So I can get rid of Matthias as well, she added mentally.

Regan sighed and nodded, yielding. “Just be careful Misha.” The female whispered before turning away from both angel and hunter to send out calls to guilds part of the Alliance. Satisfied, Mikhaela turned back to Matthias, sending him a heated glare, sending out a did-you-really-have-to-tell-her-that message. However, she decided to drop it and just rolled her eyes, moving past by him, not doubting he’d follow her anyway. She headed wordlessly to her own office in the headquarters just to grab a few things that she knew she needed. She knew that she would not be using the weapons she had come to collect, but it will save her some time to rush into the guild when they receive some break about Anthony. It never hurts to be ready for any situation. She moved to the cabinet at the corner of the room and pulled at its doors, revealing to her a set of weapons that she was familiar with.

Blades of every size as well as guns were kept safely within their cases. Mikhaela had half the mind to ask Matthias for the blade he took earlier but decided otherwise, as it was something easily replaced. She took two, one to replace the one Matthias took and the other, a smaller one. Her eyes wandered over to where her guns laid and hesitated, momentarily fingering the small pendant on her necklace. It was no pretty thing, instead it just looked like a silver coin, but without any features in it. However, angels and hunters alike knew what it was for. It was a hunter’s proof of his or her title as a hunter. Every hunter had one, though each used and wore each pendant differently. Humans, even the hunter-borns despite their increased strength and speed, have no magic to fight with against the angels, but they have the technology. That was what the pendant is. Inside is a microchip which worked against both angels and humans. Mikhaela didnt know the exact science behind it but it involved some electromagnetic current that temporarily short-circuits someone’s neural processes, leaving them immobile and defenseless, open to suggestion, turning them obedient to their captors. It was the main weapons of hunters like her, but for it to work, she would need direct contact, something she doubt she’ll have the privilege of having with her current mission. She didnt like using guns, but she had no choice. She reached forward and took a shredder. Mikhaela frowned. Shredders were exactly that, shredders. They held specialized bullets designed to shred an angel’s wings. Their bodies heal at an abnormally fast rate so shooting at their body may only serve as an annoyance, but their wings are a different matter. Usually Mikhaela wouldn’t even consider the idea of shredding an angel’s wing, but this time was different.

She turned to Matthias and sighed, “I guess it’s time to pay a visit to Anthony’s place,” a slight frown came on her face then, an expression of distaste, “and I don’t suppose youre going to let me ride a cab this time, are you?”

"If you'd prefer to hinder our investigation any further, then by all means, take a cab."

“Yeah I thought so.” There was dry sarcasm on her voice but inside, Mikhaela felt like dying. Of shame. Or embarrassment. It didnt matter. The idea of flying with Matthias again, this time in plain sight of the guild was something she was sure she would never live down. But did she have any other choice? Huffing, she sharply turned to the direction of the elevator and led them to the rooftop.

"Don't be afraid to hold on tightly. I'm sure your pride is nonexistent at this point.”

Mikhaela threw another silent glare at him but yielded nevertheless and with only a moment of hesitation, she stepped up to him and wrapped her arms securely around his neck which tightened the moment she felt them leave the ground, out of pure human survival instinct. She stayed quiet for the entire flight.

Upon arriving at Mordel’s place, Mikhaela’s mission mode had already slid in place. The Fallen’s home looked normal, it made Mikhaela question for a moment whether Matthias brought them to the right place so she waited until the angel himself had entered before she followed suit. What she saw inside surprised her with how normal it looked. This time she moved around without waiting for Matthias. There was no angel here, except for Matthias, and with that she allowed herself a deep breath of relief, though it was obvious that Mordel would no longer be here. There weren’t many things to note in the place, a bit of a mess, but somehow Mikhaela expected that. The scent was faint, sweet at the same time sharp. She had to go in further. The kitchen was, surprisingly, clean. She doubted she’d catch any prevalent scent in there so she moved on, opening one door after the other until she arrived at what seemed like his bedroom. The scent was slightly stronger here, but not enough for her to specify what they were. This wasn’t his most frequented room. She looked around for a moment and walked in, sitting on the bed, one hand against the bed. No, nothing. Mikhaela was starting to get annoyed. Without as much of a word, Mikhaela sighed and stood up from the bed and walked out, moving into the last room of the house that she haven’t been into yet.

Emotions soared through the moment she opened the door for two different reasons. One was triumph. The moment she opened that door, the scent that she had been following intensified, slamming against her own senses in full force. She felt her body tingle in anticipation. Here, she finally got it. Cinnamon and apples. Summer, she decided, he smelled and tasted like summer, dry and hot on her tongue, sharp, but for some reason, oddly comforting, almost welcoming. It was a contrast to Matthias’ own scent which was cold on her tongue, sharper, bittersweet. Uninviting. But Mikhaela shook her head, one’s own scent didnt always correspond to their personality. She shouldn’t judge. The other emotion she felt upon entering the room was awe. The room was completely dedicated to books, a library. Mikhaela knew how to enjoy a book from time to time when her schedule allowed it, so she had enough sense to admire the room. She stepped in and looked around, smiling slight as she saw a recliner in the room, a pillow or two on it and a blanket. So she was right, he did spend most of his time here. Lucky guy. She went near it and looked through it, almost expecting—ah there. She was right. She picked up the book and flipped through it. This was in English and while some of the terms were familiar, most of them were written out in angel terms, but Mikhaela didnt have to be an angel to come to the conclusion that this Mordel person was researching on his abilities. This one was about manipulating one’s illusion-inducing abilities. Mikhaela shut the book close and placed it back down on the recliner before turning to Matthias, a smile on her face.

“I got it.”