Fanuvania Newfound Comics
A Crossover AU Adventure
_-_-_-_-_
A new comic book store was opening in the town of Haagenieu, Florida. The owner? A middle-aged blonde woman wearing purple lipstick and lilac eyeshadow. She was mostly wearing her primarily black getup despite the Florida heat scorching up the rest of the land. Thank God the AC was beginning to run deep inside.
"Well, as long as we lay low here, HE won't f*ck things up for us now, Jeff."
Jeff, a taller gentleman with green hair in more appropriate colors but still awful clothes for the summer weather in Florida grunted as he whipped out a cigar before coughing.
"We evacuated Fanuvania to set up shop here. Who is it this time, Blair? The Van Helsings? Yeulis's grandpa, the Sleigher, out on a rampage? The Salem Witch Hunters?"
Blair shook her head, "Those people at least streamline their motivations and try to keep casualties of innocents down to a medium. Unfortunately Fanuvania as we know it is permanently destroyed and we needed to find a home here. He's a Detective much like Marco Reyes in Sugar Lake City. Speaking of Reyes, it looks like Titania, Lily and Justin made the move to get that Sugar Lake Detective to transfer here. Jack, Gloria and Brundle will be keeping him up to date in this dimension.”
“Wait. Our dimension? So this is a new universe?” Jeff asked.
“Yes, one with another ‘Monster Mash' as one would call it. We should be able to blend in provided the other monsters are aware of our presence. Another thing is that Denathrius forgot to give us a sign over something. At least we were able to dodge Alucard.”
Jeff swatted at Blair's statement like a mosquito bothering him, "Okay, back on the fact he f*cked over our dimension. If this Detective is so bad, then I take it he's going to be connected to a similar Coven to us in power, or worse… I think he's going to be connected to those bastards that cannibalize those with magic to gain magical powers."
"Serstan and his clergy of Druids? They haven't been around for almost a THOUSAND years? What makes you thin—"
Jeff then threw an aged brown book written by an ‘Arthur Blake’.
“...You have got to be f*ckIN’ kidding me, Jeff!”
“I know, if someone devoid of Magic was able to find critical research pointing to Serstan’s return, then we’re in for some deep sh*t. I don’t even know if the Fanuvania Coven can pull this sh*t alone.”
“...Fine. If this can help save Fanuvanians from the end-times, then we’ll look into what’s going on in this book. Hopefully it’ll keep this ‘Detective’ off our backs.”
“Let's hope we can find a way to send us back to our reality without us encountering Alucard again.”
“Don't you remind me!” Blair groaned.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_
A thousand years prior in the plains of England, men in white robes began to chant a ritual. The leader pulled his hood down revealing a balding white haired figure with a neatly trimmed white beard and eyes as red as the Sun above them. He spoke in Middle English and then in a different tongue altogether as he cut himself open with a golden sickle, turning his white robe red as the blood bathed over a collection of confused and scared baby boys. The chanting continued, but soon the five infants stopped crying. Their eyes, once deep blues, also turned into the same peculiar bright red but only for a second. It was as if everything came to them… All the knowledge this man had… all the power he had… and ultimately all the evil at this point. The rest of the men in robes began to perform the same thing, giving the now ‘Enlightened’ children more and more. The babies were like vampires, now drenched in blood and possibly more.
Lastly, in the leader’s dying breaths as he and his men set themselves ablaze, the babies got their first mission, “You will perform the final ritual again in a thousand more years… Until then you must hide in secret as The Newfound Circle. The world will soon be yours… My Inheritors…”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Back in present day Florida, it is now night time and a love fairy named Kyu Sugardust had approached the ‘Fanuvania Comics’ store with a friend. Her green eyes looked around. She was flabbergasted by who she perceived to be clearly not human… Two boys with technicolor horns, a boy with four arms and wings like hers but much rounder and a brighter yellow… and the chubby boy in the blue hoodie that smelled of the ocean a little *too* much in a good way. He didn't show his form but Kyu knew that the boy wasn't a human. But clearly they weren’t nerdy losers fantasizing about dating Sailor Moon or setting up a Warhammer 40K campaign using bikini-donned anime babe figurines. These were actual paranormal entities that actually HAD some. Kyu can smell it upon further sniff, and oh God their dating game colored her IMPRESSED.
“Oooooookay, look. I know there aren’t any body-pillow hugging neckbeards in here right now, so if you Fanuvania folks can give me your attention please, I have an announcement to make!”
Kyu was able to get a group of women… and men… to lock eyes at her. She looked over each one of them. Then she spotted the leader, the blonde in eggplant lipstick and her brother with the GODAWFUL green ponytail were closest to her as they were about to engage.
“Let me guess… You’re here to assist us in stopping You-Know-Who,” Blair replied.
“Mmmmm, more like here to ensure you have nothing to worry about with You-Know-Who. See, you guys were reading about the Inheritors, and we at the Sky Garden know a thing or two about their little plans to take over the world. Buuuuuut, I’m also here to help us recruit an army to get rid of these assholes once and for all, and the best part is that he f*cked over their dimension already as well. For even if You-Know-Who manages to cull their power just a little bit, they also are pockets deep in England’s pants and they’re about to blow their load on this planet in other ways.”
“I mean fair, Magic is rare in most individuals. It took a LONG time to find new faces for the Coven and even magic can’t protect us from getting shot into Swiss cheese. And even if the Salem Witch Hunters found the Inheritors, no one would believe those guys even when the leader is performing magic right in front of King Charles.” the one in the gaudy ponytail, Jeff said this taking another swig of his cigarette.
“And don’t get started on Fanuvania! That was one of the few measly safe spaces for us Monsters until Halligan messed with time!” The four armed winged boy approached using a teleportation spell that made Kyu see stars dance around him.
“Okay, I’m not Fanuvanian like you folks, BUUUUUUUUT I should be a face that’ll bring the Hunies in. We’re collecting both Magic Users like yourselves but also bringing in the BIG guns in mad scientists with beef with the Inheritors and…” Kyu began to speak but was interrupted.
“Ohhhh HELL to the No. You’re not inviting my Dad into this,” A pink haired femme twink Kyu didn’t pick up immediately at first objected as he clung onto the chubby boy who smelled of the ocean.
“No, don’t worry… People in jail will STAY in jail, at least for a little bit. I meant some that are associated with much stronger forces like the magical masks. If we can find some of the masks, we can save not just Fanuvania but the whole world and reality as you all know it from the BIG LOAD.” Kyu had to assure him but it meant she had to jot notes down in her thoughts, For f*ck's sake. Is one of the conditions REALLY going to be keeping his Dad in jail?! But he'll be very important!
“Why are we calling it the ‘Big Load’? Can’t we just call it the ‘Final Ritual’ like in the book?” Blair asked, exhausted.
“That implies the ‘Final Ritual’ is what we’re worried about. We’re worried about You-Know-Who too. That dumbass might actually be stupid enough to JOIN The Circle and still contribute to the Big Load.” Kyu responded.
Jeff's jaw dropped. “Sounds serious. So what happens outside of the Circle being drained of their magic if You-Know-Who succeeds?”
“Then you guys will be outed and You-Know-Who might set up an army to stop other supernatural activity. He might even reawaken the Nymphojinn unprepared. You know. That’s what’s really in it for me. We can’t undo the work of the Hero of Legend who FINISHED inside of those space whor*s so they can stay asleep for ten thousand more years!” Kyu had to explain this in very intricate details.
“Don’t tell me he’s a member of the Circle.” Blair frowned.
“Nothing like that… But you never know with You-Know-Who.” Kyu replied.
“You keep going ‘You-Know-Who’, but unfortunately we’re out of the loop.” Finally, a member of the Coven spoke up and it wasn’t Jeff, but a smaller raven-haired girl with bags under her eyes, thick-rimmed glasses, and a nasally voice. She was with a small slime creature.
“Blair, we’re a little scared… We opened Ayase’s Boutique next door temporarily but we’ve been in the dark this whole time.” A dark-skinned girl right by her with pretty pink curls chimed in.
“So sit us all down and tell us what the f*ck really is going on,” The third girl to chime up, a purple-haired goth girl with a mild Australian accent and a toddler in her arm snarled as she was almost at a boiling point. The toddler kept his mouth shut, reading the room.
“Fine, but it’ll be a while, girls… and boys? Let’s use one of the card game playing tables to sit down around. We’ll even read a bit of Arthur Blake’s research that Jeff bought at the Books A Million on the other side of town,” Blair replied.
“How about you start with telling us about this mysterious ‘You-Know-Who’. Who is he and why did he chase us out of Fanuvania when we haven’t even seen him once?” A blue haired woman in expensive fashion asked.
“And if he’s all the way up in England, then why are you guys so hush-hush about a Gourd damned Pommy?” A girl with locks of deep burgundy hair and a thicker Australian accent asked as the boy with orange-transitioning-to-pink horns sat next to her.
“Yes, tell us who this ‘You-Know-Who’ is? If he doesn’t know any magic, then he should be of little concern to us,” The boy in question spoke, like a mewling kitten trying to hiss.
“Alright. But thanks to my magic, you have no idea what actually happened until now. Our dimension was screwed over by one man,” Blair said as she then began to talk about the Circle, the ‘Big Load’ Kyu was warning them about and most importantly…
-_-_-_-_-_-
"Detective Halligan! Into my Office at once!" Chief Inspector Geoffrey Miller hissed this over the Intercom as he sipped his Shize™ Cream Tea. Not even the nice taste of white tea, raspberry jam, buttery shortbread and the [ohohohoho] so delicious vanilla custard could sweeten Geoffrey's mood. Something was terribly wrong.
He was holding a newspaper article showing a bloodstain in the prison cell being dragged out of there, with another picture next to it being a pile of bones that perfectly would make a skeleton. He also was holding a police report that went into detail on what these pictures meant, as well as the file made on the previous case of the former prisoner, now hapless victim and a skull and crossbones as a warning.
Then entered a man in a godawful cheap suit he got at a bargain bin fashion department. He was covering it with a trench coat that reeked of pizza grease and cigarettes. Geoffrey Miller sneered. It was who he asked for… Detective Brent Halligan, the space cadet he had in his homicide investigation squad. Well, at least it wasn't the daft bastard who sent the innocent man to the actual killer's doorstep.
"Listen up Halligan and listen well…" Geoffrey began his tirade. It was clear the lights were never really all upstairs for Halligan so explaining everything including the Headline News Report on the Skeleton Murders and Detective Lowry's f*ckup were very much important details he needed to hear.
"Okay, Chief… Tell me what to do," Halligan said almost in a graveling monotone. Oh how the Chief Inspector knew he wanted to do anything else than this and he knew it. There wasn't a damn soul that wanted to solve the Skeleton Murders. Not even the Chief wanted to do that as he would rather drink more of that delicious Shize™ Cream Tea goodness and watch the soccer match between Richmond and Wrexham coming up.
Halligan left as Geoffrey huffed. He then got a phone call. Oh for f*ck's sake what now?
"Chief Inspector Miller. This is Wilhelmina Harker. Help a fair lady out will you?"
Oh God not her again.
"What do you want, Mina?! I'm broke too, no thanks to my Homicide Squad!" Miller asked.
"This isn't about money, but I wish it were. This is something for your ears only because I heard rumors that there has also been a homicide in America as well. A man whose balls were sucked dry as if some succubus… no, a cum-guzzling vampire has taken his life. And the worst part? It was another member of Scotland Yard," 'Mina' replied as meanwhile she was looking over the body of a dead police officer in Sugar Lake City next to many concerned journalists and other detective who was speaking in Latin American Spanish with some journalists and English with others. He then turned to Wilhelmina Harker.
"You forgot the part he was pushed off a f*ckIN' building, Harker! His bones were shattered!" The Latin detective who otherwise sounded exasperated as he was sick of the sex being discussed.
"Forgive Detective Reyes. He's a little let down because he thought he was going to finally catch another big hit like Dr. Garth Mephistoph and his assistant. He needs all the help he can get. Can you send one of your men in? Perhaps someone with a close bond with Detective… Err, what was his name again, Reyes, dearie?"
"His name was Jeremiah. Jeremiah Anne-Marie," Reyes sighed sick of Mina's sh*t already.
"Jeremiah Anne-Marie? Ohhh, poor bastard! He was our best detective. He could have solved the Skeleton Murders faster than these two daft c*nts I have left in my division," Miller was frowning. Jeremiah Anne-Marie… The only stand-out thing he remembered was that he was a starry-eyed intern from Australia who worked his way up. Jeremiah Anne-Marie was Miller's favorite recruit because unlike the so-called distinguished English gentleman he has for detectives, Jeremiah kept focused and didn't let women or hobbies get too much in the way. He was what the Homicide Squad needed and now he was gone. Miller knew it was a 'Didn't know you loved it until it's gone' moment thinking about Anne-Marie's work ethic but it didn't matter now. He found it odd that he was found dead and naked in what sounded like Miami traffic.
"I could give Lowry a second chance in America but he better behave or else. If I hear he lays a finger on you…" Miller said as Lowry's distraction by the female persuasion was what got him on thin ice with Miller in the first place.
"Oh please. He's a grown man. I don't mind if I distract him a little. And it's America, Miller. Land of the free. He should treat himself," Mina giggled.
"f*ckin' Hell Mina. You're lucky your nephew Quincy in the Oxford Division is vouching for you. Now if you find that FREAK you called a lawyer in the past, you know Scotland Yard will find him and bring him back to England where he belongs… in the Asylum next to my own personal mental patient, Detective Halligan!" Miller snarled.
"Oh please. You know even if we're not on the best of terms right now, I'm not going to rat out Renfield to you. He has new clients and they're even worse than he is in terms of trying my patience," Mina sighed.
"Renfield is still a menace to society," Miller replied.
"He's an obligate insectivore who is a more doting partner to my late one than I was. What was the worst he did that Detective Halligan didn't do? You remember the 'harmless' prank he did. Renfield looks like the upstanding citizen he used to be compared to Halligan," Mina laughed.
Miller hung up after that. He hates when Mina Harker is right. Besides, Renfield has laid low. For all Miller knew, he was a changed man.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Lysandra Segovia was reading the news on her QuickiePic and TeleYou feed in hopes of finding some good news. She grumbled to herself, slamming her head as she read about 'Scotland Yard Detective found Dead and Drained in Sugar Lake City!' and 'Skeleton Murders Still Going Strong in London Streets!' She wanted to f*ckin' change the channel in her head to something that wasn't violence and [non-consensual] sex.
"Lysa, honey… Why don't you take a break and let me do the work this time around," Her boss, Brooke Belrose asked as her humongous silicone breasts made Lysandra squeak in shock.
"Woah! UHM… I mean, this is quite out of character for you Miss Belrose…" Lysandra replied.
"Actually, there's a couple strapping young boys. I want to see if they like me more or… well, you," Brooke said.
Lysandra looked at herself in a reflection made by the brass logo of her museum. She sighed.
"I get it. I don't look presentable."
"Sure you do sweetie. You just don't have the right assets like I do," Ms. Belrose replied as she tried to wave some men over from the distance. No such luck. Ms. Belrose sighed.
"No, I don't. My rosacea has been getting worse lately. My face has been looking so red I swear to God I keep finding a tomato in the mirror. And my hair hasn't been agreeing with me due to the humidity. I'm surprised you haven't clocked me for any of this," Lysandra frowned as her insecurities got the best of her.
"Honey, you just need to fix yourself with a special treatment. You know I used to look like you when I was your age!" Brooke giggled as she turned to admire herself in the mirror.
"When is Rodney getting in? My lunch is about to start," Lysandra sighed.
"He called out this afternoon so I'm taking over. While you're on your lunch, get me something nice at the new strip mall that opened up. Ayase's Boutique is sure to have something the both of us can enjoy."
Lysandra didn't want to spend her paycheck on Brooke but there wasn't much else to do during lunch. And the strip mall was walking distance so it shouldn't be that bad. She only had an hour after all. Better make the best of it.
As she stepped outside, she saw arguing outside by three red-heads, one of which was Brooke's niece, Audrey. The other two red-heads she saw in fashion magazines and on ads for brands like 'Stay Black' and 'Warfield's. She didn't want to stir any trouble so rushed out to go to the comic store instead. But it was too late. Audrey saw her.
"Hey! Ms. Segovia! Which three of us is prettier?" Audrey asked as her voice made Lysandra want to f*ckin' die.
"I dunno… Have any of you…?" Lysandra asked as she was interrupted by the red-head in the purple getup, with the vivacious Irish accent that also reeked of cigarette smoke more than Audrey. Her voice sounded like she smoked 50 packs.
"Used product from that transvestite hooker, Polly Bendleson?! Nah, ya daft c*nt. That's why I at least look like a real woman, unlike you, who looks like a high schooler with your sh*tty Hot Topic getup and yo—"
The other red-head with the black streaks in her hair and the glasses snapped, "You don't talk sh*t about my friend! And speak for yourself, motherf*cker! You SOUND more like a man than Polly ever did!"
"Score one for the Stay Black model," Lysandra said as she crossed her arms, "she knows a real woman from a geriatric who smells like a dying bowling alley."
"Oi! f*ck all of ya! I'm just not up to my usual standard because I bought these clothes at a store whose clearance section spans the entire f*ckin' building!"
"Because you're no longer selling the goods, babe," the redhead in glasses hissed as soon it was about to be war.
The red-heads were finally distracted. Lysandra ran before police got involved. Her heart was racing. Her face was a bigger red. She seemed comfort. Yes. The Fanuvania Newfound Comics store. Sweet freedom from pathetic vapid bitches!
She was greeted inside to a place that smelled not like greasy old men that depended on hamburgers for sustenance but instead a Bath and Body works? Oh man… she felt weird. First indie comic book store in the state of Florida not to smell like B.O. After a deeper sniff she realized this store smelled like a higher quality Books A Million, like the one on the other side of town.
She then saw the chubby boy with the bright orange hair reading a book next to his skinnier… bestie… with the pink hair who definitely was wearing the 'Polly's Palette' collection that was sweeping the state with the 'Miami Florida in the 1980's' vibes it screamed.
"Ummm… excuse me, can you show me to your manga section? Err… sorry if I sound weebish," Lysandra replied.
"Oh my goodness! You look burnt! Hold on sweetie, Clyffy, dear, can I borrow one of Yeulis's hydration potions?" The pink haired boy gasped.
So much for an escape, but at least this boy was going to whip out something nice. Maybe he has that Australian Gold aloe spray? She remembered that it was like Heaven.
"S-Sure thing, Lucy," the orange haired boy replied as she was getting her face rubbed by a femboy twink with a different lotion altogether.
This sh*t she may not know what it is but seeing the two boys applying it felt better than Australian Gold.
"Oh you poor thing! Who let you burn up like this? Ohhh, we never had this problem back home! But at least we have a solution, right babe?" 'Lucy' asked Lysandra and then 'Clyffy'.
"R-Right…" Clyfford replied.
"So about the…"
"Oh! Right. The 'Meyn-guh' section! Follow me sweetie. So far we're stacked on Shojo reads but Rhiannon is about to stock that 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' comic people were raving about!" 'Lucy' replied as Lysandra was looking around.
The staff were pretty attractive, all things considered. They all looked like they would work at a Forever 21 or a Claire's based on some of the smaller staff than a comic book store. She's surprised that no one is talking about this store. Hell, the heavyset man - the reserved and sweet Clyffy - was dripping with style which is more than what she can say about herself. And he smelled like a lot of things that made Lysandra think of a tropical sunlit paradise, which included tropical fruits, the Cocoa Beach sand, and most importantly, a vague hint of the salty ocean. If Lucy and Clyffy weren't so affectionate with each other, Lysandra could ask Clyffy out.
Deeper into the store though she saw some inhuman features on two other boys in the store. Technicolor horns that Lysandra couldn't help but think were like tantalizing candy. One was a tall, slender boy in red that also had golden curled locks, a curly ponytail and nice round ass and the other was a heavier-set boy like Clyfford in blue who had glasses and an adorable looking frown when his taller brother made a snide comment. She also spotted they had sharp teeth and pointed ears. And they were in the manga section, specifically the oh so wonderfully assembled Shojo Manga section.
"Shiney~! Quit teasing Rainey. He just knows what my Lily darling likes and wants to get into it!" 'Lucy' said as the taller one turned, his cheeky grin turning into a judgemental sneer.
"Lucian, you wouldn't understand. Us Oni can't be reading sentimental fluff in excess. And RAINEY here is doing just that!" Shiney, the taller one, despite looking more feminine than his brother and sounding like a drowning cat reeked of toxic masculinity… and a little bit like a Pumpkin Spice latte which is weird.
"You're just jealous because I finally caught up to the end of 'Bride of Deimos'. It isn't sentimental crap if you actually read the manga. There's some things in it that'll make you squeal like a pig," Rainey, the smaller one in blue, replied as he flipped to a page to a Shojo comic where a corpse had plants growing out of his body, the rotting bits being eaten by roots and an eye was already gone. It was graphic and gross but nothing like the sh*t Lysandra found on the news.
"Kyaaa!! Rainey!! You know making another Oni scream doesn't count for our daily quota of suffering!" Shiney whined.
"I can assure you brother we never had a 'daily quota'. Now why don't you go back and read some of the murder mystery books upstairs? We may be a comic store but at least this store also houses other books that don't have graphic images like this," Rainey laughed as the tables turned. Now he was smiling, and Shiney was on the verge of tears.
"f*ck. You. Rainey!" Shiney cried as he ran off.
"Forgive my brother, he is stuck to his traditions as an Oni and it leads to spats like this," Rainey adjusted his glasses as he then revealed the book was a volume of the comedy Shojo manga, Patalliro! Lysandra was familiar with the series. She knew men can like whatever they please. Hell. Lucy and Clyffy liked skin remedies and makeup. Still, it was jarring seeing Rainey who - aside from the pointy ears, sharp teeth and horns - was actually quite a dignified looking chubby guy in dapper clothes read something that was a raunchy comedy that also happened to have a few murders here and there.
"Rainey, sweetie, we've been around him for YEARS at this point. We already know he won't change when it comes to that so easily," Lucy replied.
"Hey! Did we finally get a customer?" A girl finally engaged with them, a négligé model with fairy wings and playful green eyes looking up and down Lysandra.
"WAHHH!!" Lysandra screamed. Okay, this place really was too good to be true. Why was there a sexy fairy girl greeting her?
"Ohhh! I checked my HunieBee. She's definitely going to be someone that can help us. Talent Positive, Sexuality Negative… She can probably help us fight off the Big Load since she has a History degree with some Anthropology and Archaeology thrown in her degree," the fairy took out her pink, yellow and black phone as she was going through her phone.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW SO MUCH?!" Lysandra squealed.
"I'm a Love Fairy. But lately I've been one with a good rep for doing cool sh*t like helping zeroes turn into heroes. I think I'll make you one of them if you want to be a patron at our store," the fairy began to speak up.
"Err… and what if she doesn't, Kyu?" Clyffy asked concerned.
"Then I'll have to wipe her memory of this place. She already saw Rainey and Shiney and didn't run the other direction so she knows too much… Ugh, Rainey, don't you Oni know how to conceal yourselves?" Kyu the fairy turned to Rainey unamused.
"Apparently the fact we have 'Human Skin Tones' outside our True Oni forms usually doesn't raise much suspicion to those of us raised as Oni. And Glamour piss rocks are hard to come by here. So unless Blair teaches us the spell…"
"Ugh! Your race is 100% BULLsh*t, Rainey. BUUUUUT on the plus side you have a point. At worst because you're not stirring sh*t outside this store, you look like you're cosplaying some weebsh*t like 'Urusei Yatsura' or whatever anime has Oni in it." Kyu replied.
"Also, there are worse instances of being a Monster in the Human world and standing out like a sore thumb," Clyfford blushed.
"Yoo-hoo! Dahlings! Why is everyone grouping around the manga section? Lota was worried someone fainted from this intense heat!" a female voice reminiscent of the late Eva Gabor in her portrayal of duch*ess from the Aristocats alerted Lysandra to a new face.
"Ooooh! Finally some puss* joined the scene! Hey Lota. Want to help recruit this new girl to save the world?" Kyu asked.
"Ohoho! Kyu dahling, you're so cheeky! That must be why everyone adored you for 326 years!" Lysandra was greeted by a sleek and sultry cat woman with dark grey fur, a deep brown mane of hair and a sexy red dress that Brooke would chase after. Wait. Cat woman? Okay, now Lysandra's brain is getting dizzy. And she usually hates cats.
The cat woman caught Lysandra's fall.
"Now dahlings, you all need to sit her down and tell her everything, but first she needs a drink of water. Let's fetch her some milk as well, as she looks especially thirsty after what she saw today," 'Lota' purred.
Lysandra was red before but now it's a different reason. Lota the cat woman was making her spread her legs as she sat down… Well, this wasn't an episode of one of her hentais. So she should at least figure out if she was really dreaming.
"M-Make it quick… my lunch is almost over," Lysandra said as she coughed.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Detective Steve Lowry was sitting in the air as if floating on a cloud. He already sorted his belongings for his trip with the help of a little magic, and he just had some errands left to do before his trip to America but after his shift. He was chill. He didn't need to worry about anything until after his shift was over because he was about to go on a date with Janet before he left, and like Lowry stated himself, psionics helped him with everything. Well almost everything.
He was yelled at by Chief Inspector Miller for his hiccup with the Skeleton Murders. But it wasn't HIS fault that he caught the wrong guy. There was just not enough he could detect without breaching his own personal masquerade. He had to keep his magic a secret, especially now seeing some of the men that were going missing happened to be like him, those with Magic that can have the world as his oyster if he so let it.
But then he showed up…
Lowry scowled as his eyes locked with him… Detective Brent Halligan, his would-be nemesis if he was aware about it. The thing is, he was a dumbass and seemed to be the only one not screaming and bringing everyone in to see him do his psionics.
"Hello Lowry," Halligan greeted him as if he didn't understand the already sh*t day he was having.
"Oh not you, Halligan. You all I need at the moment," Lowry frowned.
"That's a nice suit you're wearing!"
Lowry rolled his eyes, "Don't humor me right now Halligan. You don't know a thing about suits!"
And Halligan looked down, baffled. Not ashamed as he should be but it was clear what was wrong. It made Lowry sick.
"A blind man would know from a hundred yards away that you bought your stuff at Woolworth's. What do you want?"
Lowry knew Halligan, worse than a beggar with how he kept himself, asked this as if he won't tend himself better with his budget.
"Just a quick question, Lowry. Have you seen my wallet?"
The audacity of this daft bastard…
"Your wallet? You got a nerve!"
…This son of a bitch loses everything he touches!
"I haven't really had a pleasant day as you may have noticed!" Lowry was able to keep his stuff organized with the thanks to his psionics but it was about to be ripped apart instantly.
"Why would I worry about your bloody wallet?!" A book he levitated using his psionics was almost thrown at Halligan to get out.
"Lowry! I am just looking for a sensible answer! I'm looking for my wallet!" Halligan snapped at him. Ohhhh that was trying his patience when he did that and asked him to be 'sensible'.
"So what? Do you think I've got it? Why don't you go just clean up your 'Oh-so-tidy' office? Maybe you'll find some of those things you wanted to allegedly borrow for a while." Lowry made it clear Halligan already owed him LOTS but this guy can't get it in his oh so wonderfully built brain of his.
"Let's not argue, Lowry…" Halligan was looking desperate for other things now, "I need some information from you about the last investigations."
Lowry sneered. Oh for f*ck's sake. Now he's bringing up the worst part of his day again. The worst part about it is that Halligan could have figured this sh*t out on his own, "You got the file, Halligan. I suppose you can read, and now SCRAM!"
Halligan refused to budge, "Lowry I read your file. There's just nonsense in it."
Lowry was about to rant and Oh Boy this rant is going to be good…
Before he could though he got a call from his supposed new assistant from America, Detective Reyes. Well he ought to be different.
"Hello?"
"Sorry, to call you in the middle of your shift. Are you Detective Steve Lowry?"
Reyes sounded alert, keen and much more like a detective than the jackass standing in front of Lowry.
"Yes, this is him. Are you Detective Reyes? It's awful late for you to call."
"I'm a bit of a night owl, Lowry. Look, your boss called me this evening about making sure you don't fall prey to whatever is in the States. Did you pack some form of entertainment with you? Maybe one of those god awful Tijuana bibles about the alien babes?... Sorry, my client, Ms. Harker wanted me to ask that of you," Reyes coughed almost embarrassed he made such a crass joke on the phone.
Lowry is going to like him. He slicked back his bleached blond locks.
"I can assure you my QuickiePic feed is much more… entertaining than a poor man's almanac of poorly drawn women," Lowry laughed.
"Oh no… well, bring a book just in case, Lowry. The power bill at the motel we're renting will make the late Queen Elizabeth weep in horror. It's so bad that they pulled the plug on the manager," Reyes replied, "Due to U.S. customs, I'll provide the candles and the emergency batteries if you really need your phone badly."
Lowry frowned, Great. He's being sent to a sh*t hole. Hopefully Reyes can turn a blind eye to his magic like Halligan can. Speaking of Halligan, that guy doesn't even know when to piss off!
"Couldn't you get us a better place to stay? What happened to all that Dr. Mephistoph Conspiracy Money?" Lowry asked.
"I invested it like what a sane American would do if they're worried about losing it all. I'm not going to blow it on a Penthouse Royal Suite like some douchebag," Reyes replied.
"Oh, that's rich. Alright. You yanks can live it small and humble for now, but when I get there, I'm finding you a better hotel room! Quit living in squalor, Reyes! You're in the land of the free! Home of the Brave! Not in the stone age like some of my colleagues!" Lowry hung up before he can hear Reyes gripe, "Now where was I…"
He focused his attention on Halligan, still staring at him blankly,"You know what I think? I think I don't need to tolerate a Detective with a 20 pound suit walking past my door criticizing the quality of my work!"
"If my suit was more expensive, would that make your file any better?" Halligan asked. Oh look at him go!
"Very witty, Detective. Yes, really."
Lowry regretted hanging up on Reyes already. From what he heard on the other end, he may be frugal but was otherwise less of a chore to be around than Halligan. He at least was willing to provide candles.
He looked in hopes Reyes responded back. Great Lowry, you showed how great you are representing Great Britannia and King Charles. The yank needs time to cool off before calling again!
"Tell me, Detective. Haven't you got anything better to do than to crack jokes?" Lowry asked.
"Thank you for being so very friendly, Lowry. Enjoy your time in America," Halligan smirked.
"Just clear off, Halligan."
Halligan left, leaving both him and Lowry both not getting what they wanted.
_-_-_-_-_-_
"Uhhhh, hello? Anyone here?" It was nighttime in Haagenieu and Tiffany came into the comic book store Audrey told her about. Rumor had it there are monsters that show up during the night shift at this place. She looked scared, stepping in as she looked for anyone in those steps.
Within the shadows followed a boy almost a foot taller than her with horns that made Tiffany think of rainbow sherbet ice cream. His ears were pointed and his eyes were like amber Hellfire… if only he didn't smell like toasted marshmallows to Tiffany. She snorted in laughter. He bared his teeth.
"What's so funny, huh?!" He sounded like a wild cat ready to attack Tiffany. Tiffany flinched. f*ck.
"Are you looking for a book? Let me guess… That Lore Olympus web-cartoon-thingy that everyone was gawking at," the boy sneered. He was judging Tiffany which she didn't really like.
"N-No! I was just… window shopping. Looking around, all that fun stuff! I don't usually read comics but my friend Audrey wanted me to check this place out!" Tiffany squeaked. She was expecting this boy to get her impaled by something behind her with each step.
"If you aren't buying something, then why are you here?" The boy huffed, "We don't sell textbooks to school girls."
"L-Like I said!! My friend told me to come here!" Tiffany squeaked.
"Did she? Well now, unlucky for you, you decided to cross paths with a ferocious, almost deadly O–"
"Oi! Shiney! Quit bullying the customers! Otherwise someone is going to get an ass whoopin' from me!" A female voice, with an Australian accent alerted Tiffany that there were other employees.
"Titaniaaaaaaa! I'm trying to make a statement here!" 'Shiney' the 'ferocious' boy whined.
"That statement will throw you in a ditch, ya daft bastard," the female voice approached Tiffany and it was a relief: A muscular brunette girl with a light tan and freckles. She had no horns, pointy ears or sharp teeth but she managed to make the once menacing boy antagonizing Tiffany hide behind little her. Tiffany waved.
"Is he your…err… Pet?"
"Only on Sundays. Shiney SHOULD be an equal the other six days of the week, right tidda?" Titania asked as she eyed Shiney.
He turned red, "N-No! I'm an Oni! I'm…"
Titania's eyes narrowed as she scowled, Shiney retracting what he was about to say before he could finish, "...your pet tonight as well."
"Oh, you'd like it to be tonight with the way you were treating this poor little miss? I can arrange something, Shiney. Just promise you're going to be nice." Titania crossed her arms.
Shiney bowed, his face red as he murmured an apology, "I'm… sorry for my previous behavior."
"N-No worries! I was the one coming in unannounced! M-My name's Tiffany." Tiffany replied.
"The name's Titania. Titania Gilmore. And this here is Shiney. He's just getting accustomed to customer service as a normal stocker," Titania replied, "He's also a financial advisor and manager for Aya's Boutique though, so I'm surprised at his behavior with you."
The store next door. And he's a manager. Looks like he at least knows how to keep Karens away, Tiffany thought to herself.
"This state… the American one, is one where I just want my instincts as an Oni to go wild. Everyone here is so…" Shiney was about to sh*t-talk Floridians but Titania gave him a glare where her usually brown eyes almost lit up in a similar amber. Shiney retracted his statement again, "...nice and wonderful! It makes me sick!"
"Oh! Well, guess you haven't met my friends. I have a classmate who kind of would debate how nice and wonderful everyone is. She picked a fight with my new bestie at the hair salon… we kind of had a fight about it," Tiffany looked down a little disheartened.
"Tell us more about it, Tiffany," Titania murmured.
"Yes… Spill. The. Tea!!" Shiney was now interested. Tiffany figured the language Titania was trying to teach Shiney, and that was someone that's willing to listen to an ailing girl's struggle with maintaining friendships.
Tiffany sat down and sighed. Where is she going to begin with these guys?
_-_-_-_-_-_
Tiffany observed yet another argument occurring between Kyanna and Audrey. This has been enough of a regular occurrence, on account of incompatible personality types at play.
However, then it turned into a fist fight. Tiffany was too late to get them off each other, and the other salonists already made haste to call security. There had been a manager, who merely crossed her arms and watched with a satisfied smirk as Kyanna got a few hits in, but both of the fighting women were hurting each other pretty badly.
The blonde woman still panicked. Both of her friends had been good to her, and she had known them to be inherently good people in isolation. She acted on instinct, barreling through the crowd of salon employees and Mall rats who threw money at both Audrey and Kyanna, who formed and made themselves obstacles.
"Enough!" Tiffany saw both of her friends looking bruised and bloody, and intervened. She held Audrey back, which allowed Kyanna the luxury of getting back up.
The manager frowned, "Aw, I was hoping to see you kill the arrogant Mega-Bitch."
Audrey yelled at Tiffany, "What the f*ck, Tiff?! She bungled my hair again! This has been the fiftieth time by now she's messed it up!"
"I can't let this continue. Either I get you out of here, or security potentially puts you in a body bag," the blonde spoke sternly.
"Ugh, some friend you are…" Audrey muttered.
The manager then pulled out a pistol, and aimed it at Audrey's forehead, "Get out, before I finish what my employee began."
Tiffany's eyes widened in terror, before the manager added, "That goes for you, too."
"Meryl… don't…" Kyanna protested, huffing heavily in between words.
Meryl turned the pistol on her own subordinate, "I am trying to make this easy. I'm not going to dock your pay for some of the broken equipment, though I will have to temporarily suspend you for throwing hands, even if it's with a pompous rich upstart." The manager then turned the gun back on Audrey.
Tiffany blinked, as Meryl turned her face to her, "You saved your friends' lives."
Tiffany had to forcibly drag her still livid, still angry friend away. Security went to talk with Meryl and Kyanna, in the meantime. All Tiffany could do was exchange an exhausted, disappointed glance to contrast the fuming fury coming out of Audrey's face. They got to Tiffany's car, and drove out of the Glenberry Mall.
"...Tiffany, drop me off at Aunt Brooke's," Audrey said with an irritated attitude.
"Didn't you want to come to the new store that showed up on Valencia Parkway?" Tiffany asked.
"Not in this stupid haircut that the stupid whor* always keeps f*cking up," Audrey said which made Tiffany stop the car.
"Stop calling her that or I'm dropping you here," Tiffany snapped but was trying to keep calm.
"Wow, Tiffany. Don't tell me. She ate your puss* or something? No wonder you stopped to save the day. You know? …That death glare you're giving me is a lot like that weird monster boy that's in the new comic book store. He doesn't have twin tails like you do, but he does have blonde hair and…"
Audrey was shoved out of the car.
"H-Hey!!"
"You're always like this. Can't you just be normal?! What the f*ck is your problem?!" Tiffany hissed.
"The problem is you seem to always try to be a people-pleaser, Tiffany! And you've always been doing it with the wrong people! Why don't you ever snap like that more?! Hell, why are you only like that with me and not that stank-ass w–"
Tiffany drove off leaving Audrey on the sidewalk. There's a monster boy in the new comic book store that opened on Valencia Parkway. He must be better company than Audrey.
-_-_-_-_-_-
"Ahhhhhh. Well, at least you figured out who your real friends are. Jeez. I think Shiney might know that Audrey girl as well."
"She was definitely why I got on the offensive the way I did. Rude little girls like her while good rivals for me always leave me in the most sour of attitudes," Shiney explained as he bared his teeth again.
"Don't let her get to you two. So you also babysit for Kyanna? Well, I know we just met, but my cousin Aurora really needs help with our little one too. Joey's been exhausting her and she really wants to keep working here at the store, or at least… keep me and her beau Justin out of trouble," Titania laughed.
"Actually Kyanna's been running the hair salon for a while. She would LOVE to move next to the new store you're running with your friend Ayase," Tiffany said with a cheery grin. She was excited about this.
"Oh good on her, mate!" Titania grinned, "This strip mall is barren as well. And we definitely need to liven this place up! I mean, we need a fair dinkum business next to us to really make this feel like a mall!"
"Fair… Dinkum?" Shiney tilted his head.
"A real business, Shiney. Not fever dreams and botched up attempts to sell watery tapas and cheap booze," Titania replied.
"Ahh… I agree. Aya's Boutique and Fanuvania Comics need to be in a more distinguished name by our side to draw in more customers," Shiney purred as his amber eyes had a glint of excitement.
Ah, so Shiney's real passion is marketing. He's not just a bully like Audrey. He really does have ambitions, Tiffany thought to herself as she nodded.
"That's the Shiney I fell in love with," Titania chuckled as she wrapped her arms around him. Titania was shorter than Shiney but Tiffany could tell that didn't matter to Titania's strength.
"Titania? What's going on down there?"
Movement downstairs the comic book store and a new set of voices. This time it was a black girl with bright pink curls and next to her was a girl with two-toned purple and orange hair and a cherry red choker. They overhead the conversation.
"I was proposing we get more neighbors. Titania agreed. And the person who sparked this idea? This plucky school girl that I almost scared off," Shiney said, puffing his chest up with pride.
"Oh, Shiney! That's a smart idea. But… the only issue is that it might draw more attention towards us from You-Know-Who," the pink-haired black girl whose voice was higher pitched and younger sounding than Tiffany's looked with some concern but then nodded when she realized there was a means, "Then again, we're across the way from the Haagenieu Belrose Natural History Museum of Art and aside from Randall's Taco Shack which just closed down due to… failing the Health Inspection this month for the third time, Aya's Boutique is our only neighbor. I guess we need more neighbors to throw him off…"
"I promise Kyanna and I will not tell anyone what we saw here of Shiney or whoever else shows up in here," Tiffany replied.
"What do you mean? I pride myself as an Oni," Shiney bared his teeth, disgusted.
"Err, at least 83% of people will not pick that up right away, presuming you're human. And this store has more jarring monsters Tiffany hasn't seen their true forms," Lily replied as she looked at Titania and Rhiannon with similar worry to the latter.
"So Shiney doesn't follow a Masquerade or Code?" Tiffany blinked, "How hasn't he not been killed or hunted down by paranormal investigators?!"
"Oh! Ehehe… I had no idea that was what you were concerned with. But not to worry. There are a handful of towns all over the world like Haagenieu where monsters are welcome," Shiney said as he tried to maintain his pride.
"Really? Then why have I never seen an Oni before entering this store?" Tiffany asked.
"Sometimes humans don't register other sentient creatures as monsters or magic users. A lot of it is because we use disguises of our own due to trauma from our races' histories. Other times, it is in our design to blend in with humanity," Lily looked down, almost feeling melancholy.
“Also, don't forget the Glamour Piss Rocks for those that can actually afford them,” Shiney interrupted.
“That too, though that seems to be only in this dimension. Clyfford usually uses a potion to turn into his different forms,” Rhiannon tilted her head to ponder that thought. Come to think of it, how do they know about the Glamour Piss Rocks?
"Ah, I see… still, Kyanna and I… if it means getting out of that sh*tty indoor mall Audrey calls home in favor of being in this strip mall, and if it means I have a steady place to help Phillip in his development, then I will do whatever it takes to protect this place from whatever similar fallout I had," Tiffany said.
Whatever the two girls were concerned with during Shiney's pitch was nothing like her fallout with Audrey from what Tiffany was concerned with. In fact, seeing that Shiney was a supernatural entity, she could guess the other girls were too and that what they're going through is much worse. Tiffany just has to convince Kyanna that these girls and this comic book store as well as the clothing store next store were nothing like the mall where Audrey lights up her bong and puts Tiffany in a weird toxic headspace of enabling her worse habits.
Tiffany liked to party, but it's been getting stressful learning she was tricked into taking ecstasy, rohypnol, and Mollys under Audrey's supervision. No wonder Nikki tapped out faster. Tiffany felt like sh*t she didn't see the signs. But unlike Audrey who prided herself with fun, these girls as weird as they are - with their horned boyfriend with sharp teeth trying to be the Beast to Titania's Beauty - look like they just want a quiet life. Tiffany can relate to that.
"Oh! The name is Rhiannon! I'm in charge of the books you find upstairs. The collection of books up there are actually various murder mysteries and horror classics that are in a novel form instead of a comic book form like the rest of the items downstairs. We also have our tabletop splats and campaign books up there. We sadly had to turn down copies of Mutants and Masterminds," the black girl said as she then ushered Tiffany to a card playing table for tournaments.
"I smell coffee upstairs. Do you run a cafe up there like the Books A Million?" Tiffany asked.
"Yeah, that's where Lucian and Yeulis work. Yeulis knows how to mix the drinks up there and my brother Lucian makes the sweets. By the way, I am Lily. I can find any book in the store if you ask," the girl with the two-toned hair smiled as she scanned the store with her eyes.
Tiffany scanned for any new faces but no such luck. The Fanuvania Comics store actually seemed more like there were more people inside it, but Tiffany was too afraid to ask further. She's just happy that this strip mall wasn't scary after all and was more inviting to her than what the rumors were saying.
"Oh! I was just looking around. But I'll come back soon with Kyanna! I promise!" Tiffany said as she waved. She just remembered that she also had homework she had due tomorrow for her Physics teacher, Ms. Yumi.
_-_-_-_-_
The morning after Lysandra begins her shift. It was sure to be a quiet one, that is for sure. She adjusted her short dark locks of hair, which were as black as the coffee she had by her desk.
"Okay, you know what to do right? Do your tour guide sh*t and if you see the mask, try to be discreet about taking it. Unless it's a cute babe then get distracted all you like. I can wipe memories and pin the mask theft on some…" Kyu was trying to tell Lysandra the plan but she gave zero f*cks.
She wanted to go back inside the Fanuvania Comics store. Lay her head over Lota's lap and have the catwoman ease her back to sleep with her purring. She wanted to inhale all the nice scents the store had to offer there, specifically the smell of a newly released 'straight-out-the-press' copy of a new omnibus release of Maison Ikkoku or Urusei Yatsura but also the perfumes and colognes the people running it were wearing. Kyu snapped her out of it angrily.
"For f*ck's sake Lysandra, now isn't the time to be daydreaming! I get it! This could jeopardize your job here at the museum but you agreed to help the Coven! Help Fanuvania! Help us! So be alert! If you reaaaaaaally want, I can steal it instead, and you can distract the tourists with what you have to offer personally." Kyu was trying to get Lysandra's attention.
She was remembering her conditions fully on how to get back there again.
_-_-_-_-_-_
"So… what's the big deal about me hiding what I saw in here? Don't you guys need a smoke break or fresh air?" Lysandra asked.
"Actually, it's more for me than for them," Kyu explained.
"Dahlings, in Fanuvania there is nothing to be ashamed of for who we are. While Haagenieu is a similar way however, Kyu gets worried that we would draw a lot of attention all snug up like this. I don't blame her at all but I also agree making your time here conditional is awfully too cruel," Lota frowned, her pseudo-Hungarian accent was trying to hide her fear.
"Relax, Lota. It's just collecting masks. Maybe something more if Lysandra helps me grab the first one," Kyu replied.
"What do you need outside of the masks to stop You-Know-Who?" Clyfford asked dumbfounded.
"You know how every time a bell rings, an angel gets their wings? Guess how we Love Fairies get our wings!" Kyu asked.
Clyfford, Lucian and Rainey looked at each other somewhat confused about how to digest this. Lota gave Lysandra a 'I don't have a f*cking clue either and I'm older than all of you' kind of exhausted look store managers give their employees in the retail setting when a customer throws them a strange request.
"... That's right! Threesomes! You guys can volunteer for it of course but what the fairy wings are meant for is to unlock some new potential! But first things first is the mask. Once we get thaaaaaaat, you can decide on if you want to get your vagin* busted and blue from the amount of booty you're going to get covered in!"
"A ha ha ha! Kyu, dahling! You're making Lysandra turn a beet red! The poor girl would usually ask a boy or girl she fancies to dinner first!" Lota was saying this as a 'Oh God Kyu why are you embarrassing her' kind of way.
Lysandra knew Lota wasn't exaggerating. She just looked at Rainey, then at Clyfford and Lucian. Then she covered her face as she couldn't believe Kyu would just suggest she helped her in having a threesome in order to save the world.
"Ahhh, I'm just f*ckin' with her. The fairy wings and the threesomes did save the world once before already though but that's something you'll have to ask me about later. For now though, let's go back next door to nab that mask!"
-_-_-_-_-_-
Lysandra's thoughts were interrupted by a cute blonde woman with a tiny bulge in her teal leotard and ruby red lips as sweet and juicy as an apple. She saw her before actually on TeleYou, with multiple clips of her doing her makeup based on various historical events and it was an unpopular opinion, but Lysandra was thinking this girl should have used a more hot neon pink for her lips instead. It was a minor nitpick though as this woman was gorgeous. If Lysandra were a wolf, she'd be howling right now.
"Uh-uh… H-how can I help you, Ms. Bendleson?" Lysandra tried to keep professional but her face was getting red with excitement. God damn I want to passionately make love to her in an 80's yoga video.
"Ms. Bendleson?! Oh my… That's a first! You can just call me Polly! I didn't realize you were a fan!" The blonde giggled as her amazing neon pink nails made Lysandra swoon.
"N-No… Not quite a fan of your videos… but the lady herself is pleasing to the eyes…" What the f*ck was Lysandra going on about?!
"I can make you a fan of my videos if you like. Is makeup not just your thing?" Polly asked.
"I'm more of a Mythology fan. Would you like to learn about Haagenieu's collection of supernatural entities in the form of various artifacts from one of the many Polynesian islands that the Belrose Estate have been marketing as a tropical getaway? Inna De Poona, ignoring the oversexed reputation, has plenty of wonderful historical pieces that tell a story!" Lysandra said as she stepped to Polly's side trying to usher her in. Her hand was over her waist gently. Polly laughed.
"What a lady! Well, I can't say 'no' to a fan, can I?" Polly giggled. Oh that deep giggle made Lysandra shudder with anticipation that she was going to take off that loud, obnoxious pink sweater with the wild pattern.
Kyu pouted. Not only did Polly and 'Lucy' sound like they would be really good friends, but Kyu was getting flashbacks to when she helped a client in 1950's Milwaukee, Wisconsin nail a threesome with some gossippy New Yorker broads looking to nail a good looking Mr. Right. She was relieved they weren't in the same room together or else she would remember their playful conversations at the salons she rolled her eyes at.
She looked over to the mask she was angling to steal. Ah yes… he was asleep and glowing a seafoam green… his eyes and lips were mostly eggplant purple but Kyu figured it was the Natives' funny sense of humor. They were ahead of their time with that 'fruity' color.
"This is the 'Prince of Mysteries' himself, Lani-Loli." Lysandra began introducing Polly, "It's been said he helps heroes find hidden answers to questions that elude people all over the world. He is said to see all."
"Even what's under my sweater? Oooh, how naughty!" Polly giggled.
Lysandra saw the mask shake a little. She could have sworn the mask made a face of discomfort. Polly distracted her.
"You're thinking about putting that mask on to see if it's really true what they say about him, don't you?" Polly asked.
"Mmmmmmmm, y-yes…"
Polly and Lysandra turned. They saw a Hijabi woman moaning as she clenched her legs together trying not to make any further sounds. Lysandra initially thought she needed to pee until she saw the lustful gaze the woman had on the both of them. Lysandra could see Polly, but why her too?!
"O-Oh! S-Sorry. I followed you in here because I… was trying to file an application for a night security job," The Hijabi woman blushed as she glanced away.
"A night surveillance job? Why would you want to spend all night here all by yourself?" Polly asked, worried for her.
"I worked in airport security, but I had to quit and move to a job that's more stable. My brothers were warning me about the Skeleton Murders in England," she explained as she was looking down at Polly like a dog wanting a treat from her owner. She really wanted to take a nibble on Polly's bone.
"The Skeleton Murders?" Kyu blinked but then thought back, "Ohhhhhhh! I get it now. It's those murders You-Know-Who is investigating right now. I wonder how news of it came here, of all places…" Kyu looked around.
Lysandra could have sworn the mask was shaking again.
"S-Say ladies… I can discuss more of the application during this tour. So, do you want to move on to the Inna De Poona tapestry representing the Nymphojinn Prophecy from 10,001 years ago?" Lysandra asked.
"Mmmm… I still want to know more about The Prince of Mysteries. I wish to know what kind of sights he was willing to show these people," the Hijabi moaned.
"Wow. Her mind is in the gutter…" Polly shook her head laughing, "... can't really blame her though. I—"
"I'm not a creeeeeep!!!" A new voice, a masculine but still high-pitched one screamed as he revealed to be the mask's eyes opened as he made Polly and Abia hug Lysandra and scream.
"Kyaaaaaaaa!!" Polly screamed.
"You didn't tell me it was alive!" Abia squealed.
"Ahhhhhh!!!" The mask screamed back.
"Kyu?!" Lysandra looked around.
Kyu then drizzled some fairy magic on herself, "Oh, when I heard these masks were enchanted, I didn't mean they were actually alive…"
"Okay! Okay… So, the truth is, I mostly help people find missing objects, like a box or a hidden fruit. I would… Ahaha, never use it to reveal what's under women's clothes. I also like revealing invisible stuff with it as well, like sometimes you can find a hidden platform in order to get to the creepy chair on the second floor balcony that no one has access to without it," Lani-Loli pointed out the chair in question above the women before shrieking over the chandelier above them, he hid behind Kyu.
"Oh, this is easier to handle this way!" Kyu giggled.
"Oh, why did I have to wake up?" Lani-Loli whined as he shook out of his restraints (which was sadly one rope connected to a nail.)
"Because you know about the whole Inheritors thing, and we need to stop them from outing us supernaturally. It'll save the Fanuvanians another house hunt between dimensions. I'mThat asshole Count Dooku and the White Glove Society he is running have us in emotional blackmail because our only chance at defeating them comes at a cost… A brain-damaged psychopath conspiracy theorist is on their case, and if push comes to shove, they may out the rest of society of other magic users, monsters, and madmen that eat bugs because they sucked vampire dick once!" Kyu hissed to Lani-Loli.
"Wait. Why did you add that last one?!" Lani-Loli squealed.
"Look. You already outed you were alive to three humans! If you sneak behind me, we can have you be yourself amongst the other supernatural forces planning to put a stop to Serstan's Inheritors," Kyu explained.
"O-Oh… Okay," Lani-Loli looked awkwardly.
"What about us?" Lysandra asked, pointing herself out as well as Polly and Abia.
"Ohhhhhhh for f*ck's sake. Just… continue your tour and then after your shift just take them to the comic book store. I… Ughhhh, Venus is going to f*ckIN' murder me, but it's for the good of the Sky Garden and those aligned with it," Kyu flew off with Lani-Loli.
"Err… f*ck. How do we explain that Lani-Loli is gone?" Lysandra asked.
"I have an idea," Polly said with a cheeky grin on her face.
"Hopefully it'll draw the least attention and…" Lysandra was trying to figure something out as Polly screamed and then fainted with Abia catching her.
One blockhead security guard rolled up, "What happened?"
Lysandra improvised, "Oh nothing. I was on my jolly-ol'-way to finishing the tour when I turned around and the Prince of Mysteries, Lani-Loli himself, went missing! It scared Ms. Bendleson half to death! Oh, the poor thing…"
"Oh for f*ck's sake," the security guard rolled his eyes, "And this was in broad f*ckin' daylight too. We'll roll the security footage. You sit tight, Ms. Segovia. You and your lady friends should be questioned further in case Mrs. Belrose asks."
The security guard left but was stopped by Abia.
"W-wait! I actually came to send an application with my resume for it! Perhaps I can…"
The security guard blinked. "Okay, that is REALLY suspicious that you showed up to file an application for a job here JUST when Lani-Loli, the Prince of Mysteries has disappea—"
"Wait a minute. No! No! No! I can't just leave my post! They'll think someone 'STOLE' me!" Lani-Loli was trying to float back to his place as he stopped and made the security guard SERIOUSLY faint.
"...Oh, for Pete's sake!" Polly revealed she was acting the whole time as Lani-Loli botched Lysandra and Polly's plan to explain his disappearance.
_-_-_-_-_
Halligan made it to the place of the murder, looking over a pile of bones riddled with ash. It felt strange to see it as such to most people but because it's yet another case in London, the police at this point looked exhausted with dread.
"Ah, Detective Halligan. Be sure to wear gloves before touching the items. We'll need you to take the bones and whatever else you see for forensics. Anything new you see we must observe to catch the killer," the officer said curtly.
Aside from burnt grass, Halligan felt the large femur felt more prominent. That one seemed to be more distinct from the rest because there seemed to be something on it, but it needed cleaning to see. Who knows? It could have been dried up flesh.
He felt a presence observe him. He looked around. Huh. No such presence aside from a curious raven. Halligan got up and returned to Scotland Yard to deliver the femur and burnt grass to forensics.
Little did he realize that raven was no ordinary bird. When he left, he transformed himself into a humanoid man creature with a mask over his pale flesh as he got on his smartphone to call someone, "Lord Sinclair… They're still butting in but there's a new detective. He actually looks like he'll find us out this time."
An elderly voice raspy and hoarse laughed, "Let him investigate, Crowley. We'll see if he's as observant as the last detective. Does he look magical? Did he use any psionics?"
"No sir," the would-be-bird-man replied, "I believe he listened to the police carefully… except he forgot to put on gloves. He is possibly part of England's least competent members of the police force."
The elderly voice began to laugh, though it sounded like weeping, "Ohhh! You humor me, Crowley. Unfortunately it looks like even the graduates at your oh-so-prestigious college from your shattered dimension were the only ones to put two and two together about us. They don't seem to be on his side though, so as long as the eldest son of the Asim estate in the Middle East doesn't blab to the Detective, we should be fine."
"From what I've learned of those backstabbing graduates of mine, they're more afraid of him than they are of us!" Crowley frowned, "If only they can watch this hapless detective struggle. After all, it was he who sabotaged my plans for the school by destroying it with his absurdity!"
"Oh, if only… Where are they, anyway? From what I understood, most of your students don't congregate and form their own Circles outside of your little island you're fighting for power with that rival school of yours."
"They're apparently in the American state of Florida. There's a Disney World there it seems, and every Halloween they celebrate the Great Seven," Crowley frowned.
"I see… It's best you keep making those boys believe in fairy tales, Crowley. That way reality won't hurt them for when the time comes and we feast on their flesh to power us up," the elderly voice said ominously.
Crowley bit his lip and clenched his spare fist.
"I'll keep observing Halligan. Hopefully they don't make a surprise trip to England and greet him with the news," Crowley said as he hung up. He broke his smartphone as he turned back into a bird and flew off somewhere. Where in the Great Seven are those boys?… and why would they align themselves with Neige LeBlanche, a boy from the rival school in order to fight against the Inheritors?
_-_-_-_-_-_
As Lysandra was clocking out, Mrs. Brooke Belrose was able to catch the attention of a younger boy. That was normal for her. What wasn't normal was her aggressive tone with him. She sounded pissed, like she was an old man yelling at a kid to get off his lawn rather than her being the cougar she usually is. Lysandra approached closely to see what the big deal was.
"You came in here and swindled me $2,000 of MY hard earned money. And now you come back for more?!" She roared at him.
The boy in question had ashy light blue hair that Lysandra thought could be like a pale overcast morning sky. His glasses were sleek and had a tiny rim compared to Lysandra and Brooke's. His fair face had a mole at the right side of his lip, and his eyes were a deep blue, like a forbidden abyss only the brave dare to enter. He was a waifish, thin boy but Lysandra could tell he could throw Brooke over him with a judo move if she dared lay a hand on him.
His voice was as smooth as silk, not sleazy in the least but that voice betrayed his words and his playful tone with Mrs. Belrose. It wasn't entirely condescending but it was much like a lawyer trying to present his case to a judge that already was about to rest his case.
"Mrs. Belrose, is your generous donation to the Mostró Lounge REALLY a huge stain on your bank account? I thought you said you were still in the green in that case. But, since you really are proving more miserly than what me and my business were expecting, I have a condition for returning you those $2,000."
The ashy blue haired boy then revealed a picture of Lani-Loli to Brooke as Brooke shook her head.
"Unfortunately for you, someone else beat you to the Prince of Mysteries. She was some opportunistic bitch who was able to buy it back tenfold of how much you're offering me. Now… if you're here to mooch off of me further, then I'm afraid I can't give anything more. Take your scam of a restaurant elsewhere if you know what's good for you, you little…"
"Brooke, you know as well as I do that $2000 is mere pocket-change compared to what you actually make from the properties in Valencia Parkway. Lay off, will you?" Lysandra laughed.
"Lysandra, $2000 is twice as much as what you make in a measly month! That $2000 could have been your paycheck!" Brooke gasped at Lysandra taking the boy's side.
"Then start paying me and the new recruit, Abia $2000 a month and maybe it won't be such a big deal. You do pay Rodney that much for dodging your husband's grabby hands," Lysandra made a devious smirk.
"And here I thought I was greedy. To not give your dear employees a fair wage? I thought you were a generous woman! I looked up to you!" The boy feigned heartbreak at Brooke.
"...Okay, I'll let it slide for now and give Lysandra and Abia a raise… but only because I know they'll start hanging out with you more often, Ashengrotto! From what I gather, you can take advantage of my gullible tour guide instead for all I care!" Brooke stormed off irritated. She looked most betrayed by Lysandra, but could Lysandra really care less? Not really. Besides, this Ashengrotto kid was probably another pampered rich kid. He's probably being petty because Brooke screwed him over financially before.
When the boy was sure Mrs. Belrose left, he slowly approached Lysandra.
"Lysandra, was it?" He said, his voice becoming more ominous.
"Y-yes…" Lysandra gulped.
"Thank you for coming to my defense. If there is any way I can repay you, please do let me know. I do intend to show my gratitude," the boy said, like he actually owed Lysandra money, or rather that Lysandra owed him something somehow more important. But his seemingly gentle and innocent smile was hiding what diabolical motives he had planned. He may look like a teenage boy, but Lysandra knew that this boy could corrupt her and manipulate her anyway he would be so pleased if she engaged with him further.
"I… I guess I can give you a tour. I do apologize for Lani-Loli being sold, but if you want to, you can talk to the new owners next door at Fanuvania Comics…"
Lysandra covered her mouth. She didn't even mean to say that Lani-Loli was now in Valencia Parkway's new comic book store on the strip mall across the way.
"Fanuvania Comics? What an interesting place for the Prince of Mysteries to make his new home. I take it you must know who is the owner?"
Lysandra shook her head. Even if Kyu told her, she wasn't going to out them as such. It was too risky a move when she already told this boy so much!
The boy frowned, uttering a hiss under his breath, "I see. Looks like that fairy that I saw earlier got there first. But… I at least know Lani-Loli isn't in some ignorant family's hands anymore. I should tell the others we should focus on a new strategy then."
He left not getting what he wanted (Lani-Loli) but instead got something at least for his possible Plan B whatever it was.
Lysandra waited for 'Ashengrotto' to leave before she let out a sigh that could only escape the mouth of someone that had almost made a deal with the Devil himself.
"I should warn Kyu he's coming!" Lysandra said as she gathered her items in her locker room and left.
_-_-_-_-_-_
A beggar looked over what little he had left of his abode. Everything was taken from him ever since he made the poor choice to retire when he did. His wife kicked him out for plenty of even worse choices and now he is about to make another one talking to Detective Halligan.
The beggar saw Halligan in the newspaper, and never in person. Though here he looked more like an idiot than a hard-boiled detective like in the papers. They had idle banter, and Halligan touched a nerve asking why he didn't get a job. The utter audacity of this man!
Here the beggar presumed he finally had a change of heart. He offered something that he was longing for a while… a good hard drink! He was drier than a parrot's cage.
"Cheers mate!" Halligan said.
"Cheers!"
As the beggar took a swig, he felt the kick right away! Oooooh boy that alcohol was really hard. Would kick a bull in the balls! Though soon his vision was getting blurrier and darker. He was already sitting down, exhausted from the stress his life threw at him. But now he collapsed, now laying down. As he tried to gain back his consciousness he saw Halligan pick up the pennies in his hat before approaching the telephone booth.
"You…" the beggar slurred before he for sure was down for the count.
_-_-_-_-_
Dr. Melanie Turner was doing a report on the different faces built by the Natives of Inna De Poona. She was hoping to look over Lani-Loli, the Prince of Mysteries, the one with the most jarring and supernatural of colors, with a pale blue contrasting the bright fuschia on his face. However, she settled with the magenta and deep purple that was Akano, the Sentinel of Death.
She was trying to collaborate with other professors at Oxford to study him as unlike Lani-Loli, his mask had a peculiar bit of matter surrounding him. It baffles many of the physicists who would approach him as it seemed gravity was pushing down on them or rather pushing them away from him with the gravitational pull almost a fraction of what could be found in Black Holes according to sources.
However, it seems Akano's strong push-back wasn't affecting Melanie at the moment. He was instead just like any other mask with her, a cooperative object of sorts. She tried him on though and she managed to compress her paperwork into thinner pieces which made for better organizing. She found that useful so she had more room for her research.
There was a phone call. She shuddered. She hoped to God it wasn't her ex. As she answered she gulped.
"This is the Oxford University Anthropology Department, how can I help you?" Melanie said as she felt her breathing getting heavy. She hated these phone calls.
"There is an important matter I must speak to you about in person," it wasn't her ex from his voice, but Melanie didn't trust it.
"Did someone attack the beggar outside again?" Melanie asked as she saw the beggar outside collapsed. She couldn't see the man that did it this time, just a peculiar silhouette in the telephone booth.
"No, I…"
She rightfully hung up as she looked at Akano. Wait. He was wide awake?
"Next time… Let. Him. In." Akano grumbled as Melanie then proceeded to scream.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Orion Witherbloom-Segovia made the mistake of deciding to read the newspaper on a whim. No stranger to letting ennui get the better of him, he decided to take it with him as his company while he waited within the airport space. His flight for London was not due for another four or so hours, but he understood the urgency of everything and prepared in kind. He sat down on one of the couches, and caught up on current events.
While the newspaper was leaps and bounds better than any of the news media outlets, save for possibly MSNBC, even it had horrors beyond Orion’s comprehension.
The Skeleton Murders?
The front page article had caught his eye repeatedly. It had been what some of his colleagues off-handedly mentioned, back in Haagenieu, Florida. As he read the details, he felt a headache overcome him. How Halligan had gone over everything with a fine-toothed comb, and still not produced adequate evidence... How the other personnel of New Scotland Yard, or whatever they called themselves, not simply fired the imbecile… It all did not make a lick of sense to Orion.
“Yo, Ori! Fancy runnin’ into you, here…” A familiar voice managed to be heard faintly. It pulled him out of the source of his discomfort, much to his relief. He turned to find a Latina woman with a lot of tattoos and some piercings.
“Nora?” Orion name-dropped her, “What are you-?”
“Tryin’ to enjoy my time away from Brooke Belrose,” Nora sighed, laughing in fragments.
“Oh, yeah. Her.” Orion had a faint clue as to who Nora’s boss was. He otherwise lacked context as to why Nora’s parole required her working under a Belrose. He had faint dreams of a red-headed Belrose becoming a Love Fairy to him, but wondered if it was the pills he was taking while at home, but could not take with him past airport security.
“There’s a lot of kooky sh*t goin’ on, but I am at least partially here on business,” Nora continued an awkward conversation.
“...Same.” He remained unsure how much of the hooliganry he wanted to fully disclose to his acquaintance. “Are you headed to London, then?”
Nora nodded, “Yeah, it’s part of some weird worldwide thing Brooke’s got me doin’.”
“I bet,” Orion said absentmindedly. The words he read about a homeless man having been poisoned by Scotland Yard using chemicals from within the Forensic Department’s supply shelves and apple juice still made him feel queasy. “This isn’t about a homeless man being drugged by pig cops, is it?”
Nora laughed, “Oh, dios mio.” She slapped her knee, then remembered she saw him reading a newspaper. “Dude, you seein’ some sh*t?”
“Yeah,” Orion confessed, “Some weird antique collector’s after magic masks and roped my hermana into some bullsh*t. Did your prima get involved?”
Nora shook her head, “Nah. I think she’s gotta switch jobs, though. Apparently, her jefe pulled a gun on a guest and almost shot a bunch of people.”
Orion could not whistle, or else this would be worth a whistle and a “Sheesh.” He then sighed, “Yeah, that’d definitely be a dealbreaker.”
Nora then went to check her ticket for the upcoming flight, which prompted Orion to do the same. They both read the numbers on their respective tickets.
“Yo, we got the same flight! Must’ve been destiny, or sh*t.” Nora's eyes lit up.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Night fell on Haagenieu Florida again and this time Shiney promised to be nice in the comic store. It was much easier to be himself in Aya's Boutique as catty conversations were right up Shiney's alley but in Fanuvania Comics, he had to be much nicer, especially for Titania's sanity.
He was told to put his foot down, though. As Shiney was about to flip the switch to the neon sign outside, a woman in leopard-print entered the store and decided to observe him from behind. Shiney blinked at first, confused.
"Errrm… May I help you Miss? I'm afraid you can't make any purchases right now. We're just about ready to close shop for the night," Shiney replied.
"I just dropped by to visit someone… though maybe instead I'll take someone else home tonight. Look at you! Did you just move from Panama City? Your deep tan has me thinking you go out a lot… but I haven't seen a lot of boys like you around."
"That's because I'm an Oni," Shiney bared his sharp teeth, "and I'm from a place that would make a woman like you faint."
"Mmm-hmmm? That must explain those cute little horns you have. You must be getting ready to have a wild night," the woman purred, not alarmed or afraid of Shiney. Shiney didn't like that at all.
"Wild night? Look! Who are you really looking for?! I'll go help you find them if you…"
"Oh, relax~! She's a grown woman. She could walk herself home. But Mommy's still going to be sad… Want to walk home with Mommy instead?" The woman's large breasts were rubbing against Shiney's arm as Shiney turned a deep burgundy hue.
"I… I…" Shiney squeaked as he didn't know how to accept this proposition.
"WOAH!... PISS OFF!!" Shiney was alerted by a grumpy Titania's voice.
"Mom?! What are you doing here?!" Shiney was taken aback by Tiffany's voice. Oh! So she really was looking for someone, and it was the blonde twerp from yesterday!
Shiney looked at Tiffany and then at the woman rubbing up against him and getting a little too feelsy with his rump.
"Oh hey, Tiffany. I heard you were over here now. I don't blame you. The boys at the mall didn't have as much to offer," Jessie said as she focused on Shiney's posterior.
"Okay, quit starin'! He doesn't like that!" Titania hissed.
"Err, Titania… What is it with human women staring at my butt? Do they expect me to have a tail or something?" Shiney seemed annoyed as he rushed over to Titania still confused.
"If that's what you want to call it…" Jessie laughed, "...or maybe for once there's a guy I want to get pointers on for keeping that ass… well-rounded."
"Mom!" Tiffany turned red with shock from her mother's words.
"It's called 'squats', lady. Tiffany, is your Mom always like this?" Titania asked Tiffany.
"Yeah, unfortunately. She was the reason I had a list of exes to begin with," Tiffany shook her head.
"Tiffany, look. I know you don't want me around, but…"
Tiffany sighed, "It's not that. It's just that… When I moved to college, I wanted to start with people not knowing both of our pasts. I wanted to prove I am at the Haagenieu-Belrose University of Medicine not because my Mom is one of the most popular mattress actresses in this state! I just wanted a fresh start. I guess when I did that, it just made my classes more lonelier and awkward… and I made friends with toxic people in the process."
"Oooh, Honey…" Jessie who was initially trying to be horny just sounded exhausted. Like she wanted to cry, but she couldn't.
Shiney sneered, but looked to Titania as he laid his head on her shoulder realizing she was a little torn up if not confused.
"I'm… sorry for pushing you away as far as I am. Especially seeing now I had my fallout with the girl who kept reminding me of you but only your worst aspects," Tiffany said as she looked up at her mother's eyes.
"Babe, I think I know who you're talking about, there…" Jessie frowned. She had a story of her own with Audrey Belrose but that was for another time. She instead liked watching Shiney trying to feign toughness in front of her, "Can you talk to me about your new friends instead? I'm more interested in them."
"Sure thing, Mom. Let's head upstairs."
_-_-_-_-_
Ashengrotto, the boy from earlier offering to barter back the money he was able to sneak out of Brooke Belrose's bank account was now sitting amongst his male peers, five other graduates from his alma mater, Night Raven College, and the sixth member a boy whose lips were as red as roses, his hair as black as night and his skin as white as snow.
"Idia, did you hack into the security footage to confirm my suspicions?" Ashengrotto asked the first of his colleagues from school, a boy whose hair was like blue fire.
"Yeah. It's clear that Lani-Loli has awoken during what feels like Lysandra Segovia, the tour guide you said allegedly stood up for you, began a cutscene in a PS2 action platformer," Idia replied showing the security footage from his black and blue laptop.
"Lani-Loli looks like he's talking to air here alongside Lysandra and her lady friends," the sweet boy with snow white skin gasped.
"That bit of air must be the manager for Fanuvania Comics. She used a stealth spell of sorts," the colleague of Ashengrotto & Idia's with lion ears and a scar over his green cat-like eyes grunted.
"If we see Abia Nawazi and Polly Bendleson, we should question them over their appearance," Another colleague, this time a boy whose unique eye makeup and hair ornaments gave him an exotic but also cheeky, menacing appearance. His deep dark eyes glanced over at Polly and Abia in the security footage.
"You want to hunt them down, Monsieur Pyramid?" A blond boy in a fancy huntsman's hat with a pale feather in it asked the colleague in question. His French - which would make a couple women swoon - made the lion-eared man squirm and shiver as he bared his sharp teeth, his lion-like tail flickered.
"That is an option," the dark-eyed boy looked back with a grin like that of an evil vizier in a fairy tale.
"Wait! Jamil! Let's actually just go to the comic book store to see!" Another boy with unique makeup squeaked. His red eyes were looking with worry over the menacing glances his classmates were making.
"I agree with Kalim, we skip out the middleman or… middle women in this case, and confront the manager!" The boy with snow white skin said.
"Neige…" the blond whose French was smooth and suave was quaking in the knees with adoration over the boy's nervous smile.
"Eugh… You know how I feel about smells. Going in there when it smells like a barn of unkempt herbivores will make me sick," the lion eared boy snarled, making the face of a cat about to barf.
"Oh, it won't be that bad, Mr. Leona!" 'Neige' squeaked as he then pulled up Yelp reviews on the bookstore mentioning the coffee shop's cakes looking delicious.
"Oh, they sell cupcakes with pretty flower petals on it? Pfft. More reason for the place to reek," 'Mr. Leona' scoffed as his tail flickered more irritably.
"Roi des Leons… You're making Roi du Neige… er, I mean, Neige très bouleversé with your tres mal words. I say we take up the offer to go with him to the comic book store or else…" the blond in the hat said this sounding wounded but he gave 'Mr. Leona' the look of a man planning to mount his head on a wall.
"Grrrr… f*ckin' herbivores man. Fine! But only to convince Lani-Loli to join us in fighting the Inheritors and restoring our world," 'Mr. Leona' rolled his eyes.
"I take it you want to go to the comic book store for other reasons?" The dark-eyed boy who was addressed as 'Jamil' asked.
"Why yeah! There's a fashion store next door!" The red-eyed boy who was addressed as 'Kalim' replied, "They mostly sell clothes for women but I heard there's a horned boy that looks lonely! I think he needs a friend!"
"Oh, you must mean the Oni, Taiyou 'Shiney' Onizuka. Oh, I can assure you I hacked the traffic cameras in Valencia Parkway and confirm he isn't lonely. I saw him kissing a brunette brick house just outside the comic store on his way there," the boy with blue fire for hair in a way, Idia, explained, "...Uheehee, I didn't think he would be an admirer of Amazons."
"Wait. Could you see if you can find the security footage inside Fanuvania Comics?" Ashengrotto gasped as he was hoping for a reason not to go into the store.
"...Yeah, no security cameras are inside the comic store. I have the two security cameras in Aya's Boutique. I just see footage of Shiney being the manager that Karens run the other way from. I mean… he really is an Oni when it comes to people bullying the owner, Ayase," Idia replied frowning, "Uuuuuughhhhh. I am worried some of the nerds in there will be so damn extroverted."
"On the plus side, I think they're going to have the latest volumes of a manga I heard you talk about. I think it was an adaptation for a video game?" Kalim winked at Neige as he knew Idia well enough to convince him.
"...Sleepy Hollow Online?! Oh. Okay, maybe this won't be so bad. If I can split off from you guys to find the volume and return back with you guys, we can definitely find Lani-Loli faster. This filler chapter isn't much of a filler chapter after all!" Idia laughed as his yellow eyes grew wider and his sharp teeth made a smile that would make a child cry.
"Uuugh… But on the plus side, I can also learn what we're up against. This faction with Lani-Loli we should still be cautious around. For all we know, Fanuvania Comics could be under the Inheritors control…"
He pulled his faux-cane staff to push a can of Shize™ Gamer Energy out of Idia's hand as he was about to celebrate the plan being assembled, "...like Shize™ LLC and their sodas."
Idia's glee turned into discomfort as he looked embarrassed that Azul had to point that out. His pout revealed to his entourage his blue lips which were uncanny in how it washed out his pale skin, almost like he's an animated corpse.
"So I take it in spite of what we actually learned about the Sorcerer of Sands, you're practicing your 'mindfulness'," Jamil asked Kalim.
Kalim then revealed a big grin as he laughed, "Well yeah of course! He isn't perfect but I know what he really was trying to do. He was trying to make everyone happy!"
"Uhhhh, since when–" Leona blinked, puzzled.
"He watched the musical, 'Twisted: A Vizier's Story'. I guess ever since watching that, he has hoped that all of the Great Seven were 'misunderstood' to a degree in this world." Jamil shrugged, "Can't exactly blame him, we live in a dimension where they're legendary heroes."
"How humorous. Let's see if we can truly trust the Fanuvania Comics group then. We'll have to make an offer with those poor unfortunate souls they can never refuse…" Ashengrotto made a devious smirk as it was clear he will probably take some drastic measures.
"Hmph. I better be prepared too. If those herbivores running the comic book store show their true colors as members of the Circle, then they'll need a reminder that life's not really that fair…" Leona grinned, showing his sharp nails to the group.
"You two are playing quite the dangerous game. I look forward to seeing their tactics," the blond hunter said with a look which was either bedroom eyes or the eyes of a man ready to break someone's neck. Azul and Leona were wise not to push further.
"Now that we're at the Player Phase, how should we approach them?" Idia asked as they got up.
The boys continued their interaction as they left the Nutmeg Cafe. The one woman watching this interaction, a blue haired girl in glasses wearing a name tag labeled 'Nikki' just shook her head as she was getting ready to clock out, "Goddamn Disneybinders. Can't they learn when to rack off with their sh*tty roleplaying?"
_-_-_-_-_-_
Upstairs Lysandra walked in to see the Coven meeting table got bigger as there was a corner for a Latino toddler with a streak of brown hair playing with a similar toddler with wild violet curls.
They consisted of two blonde women, one older in sultry leopard print and one younger wearing more school-appropriate clothes. There was also a Latina woman Lysandra recognized.
"Lysa? You're a part of this 'Coven' too? That's so cool!" The woman with raven hair and brown tips waved as she watched Lysandra turn a beet red.
"N-No! Kyanna I…"
"Kyu invited her here. And it's a good thing too. We might need some know-how of what is happening outside the bookstore. She also helped us get Lani-Loli," the dark-skinned girl with bright pink curls giggled as she then pointed out the floating mask hiding from the children, a small white dog barking at him and a slime creature of sorts.
"Looks like she brought company, Rhiannon," a middle aged blonde woman with the paler complexion and hair observed as she eyed Polly and Abia behind Lysandra.
"Lota doesn't mind if people see me dahling. Lota just worries about the judging, which Lota hopes to change with a little warming up." Lota purred as she sat next to a blue haired woman in clothes Lysandra is afraid to spill hot coffee over in fear of ruining it and a smaller Asian girl with green eyes and cute twin curls for pigtails.
"I'll be one judging anyway, Lota, and I'll be judging our new friends," the blue haired girl huffed as her gold eyes were glancing over Lysandra's haphazard attempt to dress like she didn't just rush out the door late. Lysandra couldn't help but be reminded of Lorenz Hellman Gloucester from the way she spoke and the way her face was shaped.
"I'm Lysandra Segovia… I'm the tour guide at the Haagenieu-Belrose Museum of Natural History and Fine Art. And my friends are Polly Bendleson of Polly's Paradise on TeleYou and Abia Nawazi… former airport security guard and now afternoon shift on museum security," Lysandra replied as she laughed nervously.
"Polly Bendleson?! Holy sh*t! It took me a minute but you're friends with her?!" The Latina woman, Kyanna, stood up and rushed over to greet Polly, an excited fan of hers.
"Polly, is this your 80's aerobics look? The cameras do no justice for it! Your makeup is luxurious!!" The blue haired woman who was initially cold, perked up with similar enthusiasm.
The purple haired woman with piercings on her ears, nose and lips -presumably the mother of the purple-haired toddler, and Lani-Loli just rolled her eyes.
"Aww, c'mon! As long as Polly doesn't blab about us, we won't be up sh*t's creek," the smaller raven haired girl that Lysandra picked up had pale blue eyes behind her glasses.
Polly, the blue haired woman and Kyanna continued their conversation with Lota and the smaller Japanese girl rushing over to pipe in as Lysandra and Abia got to voice their introductions.
"Nigella and Lota starred in plenty of Fanuvanian films prior to moving here. She's the girl in the yellow blouse that was givin' ya the stink eye," a friendly Australian brunette smirked, "and I'm Titania Gilmore, and right next to me is Lily!"
A girl with two-toned purple and orange hair waved and smiled, "It is very nice to meet you!"
"And I'm Yeulis Belmont," the raven-haired girl finally introduced herself, "my friend right next to me is Aurora Andrelis, Titania's cousin and local Necromancer. She can communicate with the dead."
"Hopefully I don't have to use my powers here. I'd rather be chumming it up with li'l' Joey over there and Sachiko right above him," Aurora said with a milder more motherly Australian accent.
Lysandra tilted her head, "Sachiko?"
Aurora rolled her eyes, "Crack the sh*ts. Okay, fair. Fair. I did mention her before anyone else could. Sachiko, do you want to show yourself?"
And like that suddenly a pale blue girl, presumably also Japanese greeted Lysandra which made Abia scream as she hid behind her praying to Allah almighty that she saw things.
"How do you do? Sorry I didn't greet you all before. This one doesn't talk to strangers," Sachiko whimpered faintly. As a ghost girl, she was fairly cute. Then again, her raven hair covered her face, obscuring it from Lysandra.
"I-It's okay," Lysandra replied.
"And I'm Rhiannon," the pink haired girl greeted Lysandra offering a friendly hand.
"That leads me with my introduction," Blair chimed in, "You can call me Blair. I took it, you were already acquaintanced with the boys?"
"How did you guess?" Lysandra asked.
"We told Blair about you," Lucian, whose coral pink hair was being brushed by Clyfford's stout hands replied.
"We also told her that's why Shiney isn't here at the moment… Aside from the fact he's chewing out the mean old lady customers trying to get a cheaper price," Clyfford whose bright orange hair still gave Lysandra the smell of a Caribbean mixed drink by the sea.
"Shiney's been nice to me though. Don't know why he'd want to hide from you though," the blonde with the leopard print asked.
"I saw him cry once because of something Rainey showed him and he is forever haunted with that knowledge," Lysandra said this shrugging.
"Awwww, poor baby! If Titania's willing to share…" the blonde said with concern followed by hinting at her flirtatious playful intentions and motives with Shiney.
"...which I'm not but go off I guess," Titania crossed her arms, her brown eyes glaring darts at the blonde for saying that.
"...I was just going to comfort him. But don't worry. I'll keep my hands off of him," she giggled.
Abia's eyes glowed from fuschia to a brighter hot pink as she gasped, "Wait… Misty Katz?! Oh my goodness! Is that really you?!"
"Guilty!" The blonde giggled. Her younger companion who was also blonde tilted her head puzzled.
"Oh! Oh my goodness! I am in love with your work! I saw you in the video with Brandi Luxx!... Aughhh! I can't believe my favorite actress is right here!" Abia jumped for joy as she was gleefully interacting with Misty Katz. Nigella overheard and glared darts at Misty from that interaction at first before Lota's tail brushed her leg telling her to let it go and that it's not a contest.
Her daughter smiled, shaking her head as she looked over to Titania, "At least Abia will keep her off Shiney for a while."
"You got that right, Tiff." Titania said, "Don't know for how long but Ms. Nawazi is going to be a blessing, that's for sure."
"Enough, girls." The palest woman in the room, her purple lips in a tight grimace bellowed as she silenced everyone. She then looked over at Lani-Loli who was noticing even the more carefree children in Sachiko, Phillip and Joey were now alert. The dog, Snowbelle, was even more alert even sitting down. The slime creature stopped stirring.
She cleaned her throat before continuing, "So Kyu told me you helped her secure Lani-Loli. Is this true?"
Lysandra then had it dawned on her why she came here in the first place. She gulped before opening her mouth, "Yes. But I also learned you weren't the only ones that were after him."
Lani-Loli understandably screamed, "Say, WHAT?!"
"There was a teenage boy who was willing to spend $2000 to secure Lani-Loli for himself. I don't know if he's coming back to the museum but he is going to make a visit here soon. I accidentally blabbed that Lani-Loli is in this approximate location." Lysandra said this before flinching, expecting Blair to get upset. Instead she opened her eyes to shake her head.
"Now who else is after the masks Kyu was going on so much about? Here I was thinking the only solution was to leave Fanuvania with the girls… and boys, and retreat here in secrecy until we found a way to restore our dimension. Is there another Coven that I wasn't aware of?"
Before Lysandra could even open her mouth, the Ludacris song 'When I Move, You Move (Just Like That)' intensified as she turned around and seven teenage boys wearing clothes reminiscent of Disney villains (sans one who looked like he was in a Rule 63 Snow White Disneybound outfit) stepped in the room.
Lysandra recognized the would-be leader of this rag-tag band of misfits as Ashengrotto from earlier, his Disneybound look a take on Ursula from Disney's the Little Mermaid with a mafioso-running-a-speakeasy look. Now it made sense why Brooke was f*ckin' pissed.
"Fanuvania Comics! I figured I would find Lani-Loli here. I made sure not to come here alone of course. After all, I was impressed he's even awake!" Ashengrotto spoke as he had the most pleased expression on his face.
"Who are you? What do you want with L–" Blair was about to ask only for Lani-Loli to scream "Me?!"
"It's obvious isn't it? We need to crush Serstan's Inheritors. Our alma mater may have sided with them because of some bullsh*t about having a common enemy. Our Headmaster happens to be a part of their Circle. We don't know why that is but we don't care. What matters is that whatever they're doing is why our classmates keep getting chewed up and spat out like this," The lion-eared man with the scar over his ear snarled as he revealed a picture of what looked like a pile of bones that if put together would form a perfect skeleton.
The Coven girls (plus Lucian and Clyfford) had calmer demeanors considering they already knew about the Inheritors but were nonetheless horrified that they were brought to attention that teenage boys were involved. However, Kyanna & Polly covered their mouths trying to block a scream and Tiffany covered her face using her mother's shoulder as she whimpered. Jessie and Abia just had their jaws dropped trying to figure out what was even going on. Lysandra understandably was looking for a trashcan to vomit.
"This wouldn't matter to us exactly except that Leona, - that would be the tall tank of our party with the lion ears - Azul, - the one leading this operation in the glasses - Kalim, - the bright eyed extrovert in the turban - and I all happened to be the Headwardens of our dorms back at our school." A lanky pale boy whose hair looked like it was on blue fire explained.
"I happen to care specifically because that skeleton wasn't even an herbivore like you ladies. This was actually a hyena like my friend back in my homeland before that asshole messed with it," the lion-eared boy, presumably Leona said as his ears perked up as he saw Lota. As their eyes met it was leading to something akin to a standoff but luckily the two were able to shake off their feline instincts to get back to the matter at hand.
"While I may not have been personally affected by this like Leona was, this matter pertains to me because I happened to begin my business at my restaurant franchise in my school's special dorm outside of said dorm," Ashengrotto, revealed to have the first name of Azul, spoke up next, "I happen to find serial killings bad for business and I also happen to find the school trying to keep this under wraps something that could stain my franchise's reputation if I don't put a stop to any further murders. Doesn't help that our dimension was also destroyed. Would you agree, Blair Plymouth, that if any of your girls did something as heinous as skin a human man alive and eating his fl–"
Blair silenced Azul Ashengrotto immediately before he finished his sentence, "Of course, Azul. I'm not a sociopath that I would let my girls ever do such a thing. I would expel them from the Coven faster than they could even object to it."
The girls nodded in agreement. Yeah, cannibalism is a no-no at the Fanuvania Coven, even if it meant gaining powers from it.
"I see. It's such a relief to see we both agree on something. I am still not trustful of course, seeing as I was deceived by the Headmaster that his intentions were good for the school and teaming up to defeat the monster who destroyed it is a good opportunity to get revenge. I wish I could have said the same for the Headwarden whose students were the most victimized but alas, I could not reach him as he graduated the same year as Leona and Idia and unlike those two, it was hard to keep in touch.`` Azul sighed only to observe Clyfford who eyed him. They seemed to have a similar standoff only to snap back to the conversation. Lysandra got Leona and Lota, they were cat people. What was Azul's deal with Clyfford and vice-versa?
"I don't think the Asims like cannibalism either. But we did our research and their magic is much darker than we could imagine. We could definitely overblot from them if we used any of those spells and it'll spell disaster since we just happen to be born with magic. The fact these guys were once normal people that didn't have magic just skinning men into skeletons like that… I find that insanely twisted," The boy in the turban whose red eyes were now about to tear up managed to get Aurora's attention for a minute as he was about to cry.
Aurora looked away blushing awkwardly when Kalim turned to her. Kalim continued.
"I promised Jamil I would make my home in the Scalding Sands a better place, but I think it's better we start by getting rid of the druids. If we do that, then I can have the courage to tell my Papa… that Jamil should do what he wants, and travel the world… no, the many new dimensions we have seen… without me!"
The boy with raven hair braided and embroidered with gold next to him was taken aback by his words but then smiled like an older brother proud of what his younger one had to say. He shook his head though as if he was saying an impossible dream.
"Honestly Kalim's intentions are good. I'm helping him because I was admittedly going to be a victim of the Circle. How I escaped was only because of a vote. It was me or another student that was going to visit England for once. I dodged a bullet with the vote, though Kalim insisted we got to England together anyway, and that was how we saw the druids tear apart my classmate," 'Jamil' continued as Abia and Jessie looked at each other. They were taken aback at these boys trying to keep calm recalling what they just witnessed. Rhiannon's jaw dropped.
"Jamil, I am sorry you had to see your friend die like that…" Rhiannon voiced as she looked down at the floor horrified.
"He wasn't my friend. He was just another student. He probably could have been my friend but the issue was, I forgot his name after a while. Must have been a side effect of one of the druids spells," Jamil looked away almost like he was dead inside explaining it.
"I am here on behalf of my actual Headwarden, Vil Schoenheit. He is doing a tour around Europe and unfortunately his last destination is in England where the Druids are striking. He assembled a team with our other classmates as we plan around overthrowing Crowley," the blond with a faint French accent said as he pulled the Snow White Disneybound looking kid close to him.
"The kidnapping and killing of boys that just wanted to learn magic is not fair! I sure do hope we stop them, Rook!" The Snow White Disneybound boy said with a determined look.
"Just imagine if Neige had magic and that he was in my school. I would be afraid for my life that the druids would hunt him down as if he were an innocent deer in the woods. I would protect him like he would me," 'Rook' wept as he clung onto Neige weeping.
"The good thing about me, Idia Shroud, is that my brother is a robot. However, the mass despawning of my classmates is a bit of a buzz kill. Really, my dorm already gets lonely as it is seeing it's one big LAN party. We do make technological advances but what's the point of making them if we can't even see them in action. So really, I'm just here to make sure the boss doesn't pull another TPK under our noses," the boy whose hair was literally blue fire upon closer inspection explained.
"Really now?" Lucian raised a brow at that before looking at Lily.
"Uh-huh?" blinked as Lily giggled.
"Give him a minute. I am just relieved that you and one of these boys have something in common!" Lily looked back at the boy whose hair was fire as he went wide-eyed.
"WOAH! Hot mama! Who built her?!" This boy was taken aback.
"It's a long story, but my Father, Dr. Mephistoph managed to pull out the modifications for me… is me also being an android upsetting to you?" Lily answered excitedly only to ask a question more somberly.
"Your vocal cords sound so natural! The cadence is organic too! Ortho JUST had those fixed that way! I don't know who Dr. Mephistoph is but I HAVE to check out his blueprints… for *ahem* Ortho's upgrades in the future of course!" The boy with blue hair blushed as his blue fire hair turned a bright pink.
"Sadly he's in prison right now," Lily frowned.
"And I refuse to go back to Sugar Lake City to go get them. If you really are the tech guy in your group, just hack into his computer and look them up but no one makes a copy of my Lily darling!" Lucian stuck his tongue out irritated by the boy's prying.
"Ooookay, so judging by our interactions with you guys, we have a common enemy with Serstan's Inheritors AND the Scotland Yard Detective, correct?" Kalim asked the group.
"Well yeah, now that you guys told me about them with visible proof, we have a whole army now ready to bash their heads in!" Titania said as she punched the palm of her hand.
"We still need ample cover though. If the Inheritors are looking for any of us…" Blair looked alarmed.
"In that case, allow me to move the Mostró Lounge next door to you on the other end. From what I see, Randall's Taco Shack is out of business and people need a new place to eat at," Azul grinned as he was seeing dollar signs on this endeavor.
"Then by all means, be our guest," Blair said as Lani-Loli looked alarmed and Lysandra was just wondering how this room had room for everyone in there when it's in such a tiny strip mall with a bookstore that leads to what looked like a campus dormitory upstairs… only to answer that question saying that all aloud.
_-_-_-_-_
Detective Lowry finally landed in Georgia as he looked over at the light polluted city of Sugar Lake City. He looked for Detective Reyes, whose eyes glanced over his smart phone.
"Who is flooding your texts?" Lowry tried to be snarky as the Latino man looked up and groaned.
"No one really. I just am checking on an old friend of mine," Reyes replied as he pointed out a brunette built like an Amazoness that was holding up a rather cute girl with pink horns and a blonde ponytail… or at least what Lowry thought was a cute girl, "she just moved to the State over from Luxembourg, and before then she grew up in Australia. The first time I saw her in person, she was actually tiny and small. Titania Gilmore may as well have been the closest thing I will ever have to a daughter or little sister at least."
"Eugh, don't go stalking her QuickiePic then! It's clear she'll cut you out of your life if you…"
"Lowry, it's not like that. We keep in touch, it's just that now she has a boyfriend and meanwhile I haven't landed myself a new partner," Reyes sighed as he dug out his trenchcoat for a cigarette.
"Well, maybe you wouldn't have to budget so much if you quit your bad habits, Detective Reyes. You know Scotland Yard has a good program I can reco–"
"Don't. f*cking. Bother." Reyes snarled as he looked at Lowry like he was about to pummel him to the ground for stealing him away from his cigarette.
"I was just saying, that isn't healthy for you or your wallet," Lowry pouted.
"So once we get you settled in the m–"
"No need, Reyes! I got us a room at the Sugar Lake Arms Hotel!" Lowry smirked confidently.
"You WHAT?! For f*ck's sake Lowry! Our country already has a sh*t reputation for budgeting. Imagine a Detective wasting their hard earned money on…"
"A luxury stay at one of your local hotels? Reyes! I know you're a detective for homicide cases but you need to LIVE a little at least! Why slum it up?"
Reyes clenched his fist as Lowry dragged him into the taxi. There was only one good part to all of this: He got to imagine what it was like for Titania to share a room with Shiney in this establishment.
_-_-_-_-_
It was clear Shiney and Titania were in a relationship that not that many people understood. Shiney was a dick and Titania has to be harsh with him in order for him to be less of a dick. That's what most people saw.
However, no one saw that when Shiney isn't being a dick he gets rewarded more. A lot of what he's rewarded with is Titania riding on him in the cowgirl position as Shiney firmly grabbed her toned thighs doing it.
"Aaaghhh… fffffffff*ck, Shiney, you might actually break me for once!" Titania winced as she was grinding on him.
"Are you proud of me, Titania? I'm an Oni and we pride ourselves in how well-endowed our kind can get," Shiney licked his lips as he was thrusting back.
"Talk about bein' hung like a horse! Damn! I'm going to be throbbing down there for weeks after we both finish!" Titania laughed.
"Haa… Ahn… f*ck! Yes! Keep going!" Shiney began to whimper as Titania knew how to grind Shiney down in spite of his alleged girth.
Shiney and Titania were panting before soon they came together. Titania collapsed on top of Shiney as the both pulled him out of her. Exhausted, Shiney pulled Titania back into his embrace as he snuggled her.
"Oi… You're not even going to let me leave to clean up?" Titania asked as she was caught off guard by Shiney's sudden cuddliness.
"At least let me do this… It's gratitude that for once you weren't 'pegging' me again," Shiney replied as he rubbed his face up against Titania's hair.
Titania scoffed, "You do realize 'pegging' isn't as messy."
"Maybe for you… but I like this 'cowgirl' position. What was missing from this interaction is the cowboy hat," Shiney replied.
"The cowboy hat?! Good God you're into making it literal. Err… You want me to practice my American cowgirl accent too?" Titania was mostly joking there as Shiney shook his head chuckling.
"Oh. My. God. You guys are more dorky than I thought. And here I was rooting for Shiney to be a shower not a grower. I mean… The f*ck is his dick even made of?! It's like those dinosaurs you grow in f*ckin' water, except instead of water, it's your sweat and tears!"
Titania and Shiney were alarmed by the voyeurist in the room jilling it, Kyu Sugardust. Shiney looked down unamused as he covered his now shrunken-after-org*sm penis as he glanced away wondering if Titania was going to comment.
"Woah! Where the f*ck did you come from?!" Titania was quick to cover herself more, her face a red from surprise.
"I snuck in through the window. Also, Titania, you need to buy Shiney a gag or something because he c*ms loud as f*ck. I thought he was a cougar outside asking for some," Kyu then revealed a red ball gag with black leather holding the ball in place.
"I take it you're here to tell us we're invited to work a shift at the new Mostró Lounge. Blair already gave us the heads up. It's only until Azul's usual hands move in. I don't know who they are and frankly I don't care. But I don't want another interruption from me taking Titania as my own," Shiney glared darts at Kyu who just rolled her eyes.
"BOY that's not what I was worried about. I was more worried about when the f*ck Renfield is taking a shift. I might make his dick wet with the incoming puss* being dropped here in Fanuvania Comics," Kyu explained.
"You want to play Cupid? For Renfield? Well you picked the wrong person to do that! Unless she's able to shake off his blood bond with Dracula, you have better luck gettin' Rainey to misbehave!" Titania laughed.
"Rainey can misbehave! He's my brother after all! He just… is waiting for the right time to strike is all!" Shiney came to Rainey's defense though the case was a bit of a tough one to settle.
"Look. The point is, Renfield needs to get laid. This isn't an opinion, it is a stated fact. He hasn't had puss* in over two centuries. Surely this is why he has had like zero chill since you last saw him right?" Kyu asked.
"Nahhhh, Renfield may as well be neutered. He's well-behaved around me and Shiney," Titania replied.
"We'll see about that. Maybe he's the one planning to strike," Kyu narrowed her eyes as she felt Renfield was too good to be true.
_-_-_-_-_-_
"Augh! Blazes! If the Master were alive today he would weep in agony from the scorching heat!" A blonde man in a blue suit whined in a faux-co*ckney accent as he was on the third floor of the strip mall heaving in agony.
"I take it you're upset we chose Florida instead of your hometown. Unfortunately your hometown was a little too close to London for comfort. Halligan may have done something horrible to you," a man wrapped in bandages shook his head as he was holding one of those hands that also blows cool water into your face at the many theme parks in Central Florida.
“Want me to make you some lemonade? It's easier to do than it was when Jack was once a visible scientist,” a beautiful blonde dame who looked like she would be a weeping widow in a film noir movie asked as she inched towards the fridge.
Renfield shook his head to the woman as he looked around for a fan. Eventually the concerned couple got Renfield to speak again.
"Mmmm… Detective Griffin. I'm not upset. Relieved in fact. However, I cry as I look at the temperature on the thermometer. Technology in today's society is unfortunately not as high tech as Renfield wanted," Renfield said as he plucked a mosquito attempting to bite him and started chewing on it in order to make an attempt to cool himself with the sick ass powers Dracula gave him.
“Renfield, are you sure?” The blonde woman asked again.
“I am fine, lady Gloria. Please, don't worry about Renfield, for he is just whining like any old man would,” Renfield laughed.
"I am doing a bit of research on the Night Raven College boys that Blair called me about last night. We've been laying low for as long as we could," 'Detective Griffin' (or Jack as ‘Gloria’ addressed him) said as he then showed a map of the campus for the Night Raven College dorm with pictures showing the most prominent Headwardens for each, "According to what Blair told me, there were four Headwardens and two Vice Headwardens that confronted her from the All Boy's Mage School. Neige LeBlanche is from the rival school, Royal Sword Academy which was made for boys who struggle with magic and aren't as gifted. I take it that he is here to support the Night Raven College boys' plan to overthrow the Headmaster for a petty motivation but his social media page never put down the school prior to their team up."
"Renfield heard of the schools! They were built in another dimension, much like Fanuvania! Though in this dimension they were still freshly built schools that were founded eighteen years ago in the Iberian Sea. Do you think they want revenge for Halligan destroying their domain as well?" Renfield asked as he went wide-eyed.
"Didn't take you to be aware of trends, Renfield. I also find you more perceptive. If that is the case, then these boys make for unlikely allies if they graduated from NRC and RSA proper only to bite Headmaster Crowley's hands after feeding them lies and deceit," Detective Griffin then watched as a flying insectoid man stepped in.
"Bzzzzzzzt! I did a full search on where the other two Headwardens are!" The fly man said as he then showed a picture of a boy with red hair and striking charcoal gray eyes and next to him a boy whose blond hair had his tips dyed a pale, sickly lilac wearing severe makeup.
"I take it one of them is in England with another group of boys," Griffin asked.
"Bzzzzzzzt! Riddle Roseheart was last seen with twin boys with teal hair in Oxford University talking to a Dr. Melanie Turner according to Lady Rappaccini's plant telecoms. I take it the twins were from a different dorm than Heartslabyul. But also, check thissssss out! They were this close to grabbing Akano! So bad news, Jack. While the boys' intentions are also to defeat the Circle, Akano still doesn't want to seem to budge!"
"Why is that I wonder?" Griffin pondered as he looked for a cigar to smoke. He settled on a hard drink: Johnny Walker whiskey.
“I guess the masks are just stubborn,” Gloria sighed.
"Pee-yew Jack! You're sweating up a storm again! Mind if you change your bandages at least?! I haven't seen you get out of them for days for even a shower!" The insect man said as Griffin sighed.
“Brundle has a point. Is everything okay, Jackie?” Gloria turned to Jack with some concern.
"It can't be helped I guess. Perhaps I too am not used to Florida's humidity levels," Jack sighed, "I should learn from the boys downstairs on time management. It's quite unhealthy for me to be so damn focused on finding out how to stop the Circle from jeopardizing Fanuvania again."
Jack stripped down his bandages revealing there was… nothing underneath? Well there was something underneath the bandages but they were not visible to Renfield, Gloria and the insect man, possibly anyone else as well.
"So you're hitting the showers already? Good for you, Jack. That's a good start," The insect man snorted.
“Mind if I join you? Could be a good exercise for me to remember where things used to be,” Gloria giggled her initially sorrowful look now showing a flirty playful side.
“Sure thing, Kitty,” Jack replied, his voice is full of love. He then turned to Brundle, "Tell Jeff that I'll be down for my shift tonight. I also need to have a word with the locals that caught wise about us," Griffin said as he approached a door leading to a bathroom with a shower.
The bathroom wasn't worse-for-wear but even Renfield winced as Jack turned on the shower using a rusty handle. Renfield looked at Gloria with concern though she was just trying to look for her naked lover seeing he is the Invisible Man.
"Now I know why you huddled mushrooms around our room, Jack. You don't want Kyu to see the show!" The insect man snickered as Renfield glanced away, his pale skin turning a soft blush pink.
"What about the Pomefiore Dorm Headwarden, Vil Schoenheit? Where is he now?" Jack asked as he closed the door behind them mostly for Gloria’s sake as she was undressing.
"He's doing a photoshoot for a travel magazine in Merano, Italy. He was in previous locations like Poland, Austria, and Germany. After his shoot in Portugal, he's about to meet up with Riddle and the other gang in London for the final photoshoot. He got permission from the company to post his personal favorite photos on QuickiePic and other socials," Renfield replied as he showed Jack a picture of the same blond boy with the lilac tips posing by an Italian mountainside next to a giant chess piece, the Black Queen.
"Has he made a visit to Fanuvania yet? At least the one in this dimension?" Griffin asked with concern. In the shower, it was the only time his silhouette of a lean, well-built gentleman can be observed. He frowned as he forgot what colors he was. Luckily it didn't matter to Gloria, who couldn't even see the silhouette from her angle. She found him nonetheless thanks to the shadows made from the lights outside.
"John Talbot made sure the travel magazine avoided Fanuvania as a go-to destination until they showed all the documentation approved from their other cities. Geneva and Paris were the only places they couldn't show said documentation… I'm super worried for Vil there…" the insect man looked concerned in spite of his bug-like features.
"I trust that Wilhelmina Harker is also keeping tabs on Fanuvania in this dimension. She may not be the best woman for the job but she loves the town more than she loved Dracula and she loved money. If that travel magazine turns out to have ill intentions with Vil, she should send Blair and the others to rescue him." Jack said as he observed his glasses he once used to carefully analyze chemicals in his lab. Gloria was lowering herself down until she found something of Jack’s that would have made him beet red.
"Good call, Jack. Now uhh… *ahem* What about the other four Headwardens that are here right now? Want me to question them each personally?" The insect man asked.
"I'm called in so that Lucian, Yeulis and Clyfford could be Chef's at the Mostró Lounge tomorrow night. Fingers crossed that we hear from them after," Jack said as he began scrubbing himself with soap, his invisible form now a giant soapy mass, and Gloria getting some of the soap over her hair as she was kissing and helping him down there as well.
"Bzzzzzzzt! I'll take that as a 'Yessssssss'!" The insect man said as he flew off somewhere.
It left Renfield looking back at Jack Griffin and Gloria in the shower awkwardly. He didn't have as much to talk about except for one person, "So have you and the missus made up for everything?"
“With the Land of the Dead? Who do you take my Kitty for?” Jack asked now his attention fully on the blonde woman.
“There have been some side effects of course,” Gloria replied in between what sounded like her kissing and sucking on something left to the imagination of Renfield, “I can't handle hard drinks like I used to…”
“Not before turning invisible like me,” Jack finally started to react though he was trying to control it, “though you seem to be more experimental than I remembered you being. Wouldn't you have been turned off to stuff like this?”
“I wouldn't be, yes. But I have been in the Land of the Dead for so long. I can adventure a little bit here too, since you also saved me again from Detective Halligan. I didn't think you would end your own experiments otherwise though,” Gloria giggled, deciding ultimately that kissing Jack’s invisible shaft in the shower was just as enticing for him.
“Honestly, I didn't want to add in any new variables of losing you or anyone else. That's why I became a private detective instead,” Jack said before he made soft grunts for reactions.
Renfield pursed his lips together. Okay, that was even more awkward, especially for the man. He watched as a house fly was aiming for the dishes as Renfield was able to grab it instead and eat said smaller house fly. He felt energized but the energy didn't cheer Renfield up from the awkwardness that was being around an Invisible Man taking a shower and getting a blowj*b from his wife in the process.
_-_-_-_-_-_.
Out of London, three boys left the building that was a part of the Oxford University Campus. Two of which looked the same while the other stood out next to them like a sore thumb. They could have looked like students here but once you listen in on their conversation, you would hear otherwise.
"Bah!" A tall, lanky boy with teal hair with a black highlight to his right groaned, "Akano booted us out of the premises! And we couldn't fight him because he controlled Dark Matter and gravity and sh*t. That doesn't do well with our magic no matter who you're talking to!"
"We should probably notify Azul when we get the chance," his twin whose black highlight was to his left said as he already began texting.
"Why did Azul leave me with you two again? Had I known we couldn't get Akano, I would have asked Trey and Cater to step in," a red-headed boy said, "You guys are more useful back in Florida seeing you two can cook."
"Azul wanted us to test your leadership. Also, we have more attempts to push Akano to join us," the twin whose two-toned eyes were more alert said, "he just found ample substitutes in two boys and a girl from the Fanuvania Comics store we will be neighbors with soon."
"So we have more time to play together here too, Goldfishy!" The twin whose two-toned eyes were more sleepy chuckled revealing sharp teeth that could chop a man to pieces.
"Can you try to keep composed then, Floyd? We have to not draw attention to ourselves," the red-headed boy tried to keep patient.
"Nehhhh, Goldfishy doesn't want to cause a scene? But no one is watching us! They just see me and my brother talking to a really tiny fish in this big ocean that they call London! The Hammerhead isn't even here to offer us that apple schnapps he made for that b–" The sleepy-eyed twin whined.
"WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME TINY?! DO YOU KNOW I CAN TELL ASHENGROTTO ABOUT THIS?!" The red-head snapped.
Unfortunately this red-head drew the attention of two people, which happened to be Nora Delrio and Orion Witherbloom-Segovia. The former was losing her sh*t.
"OH! Oh f*ck! Ha ha ha! Look at that little guy go! I don't know what that taller one was sayin' but DAMN! Didn't think London would have World Star already!" Nora was cracking up as she was recording the boy's temper tantrum over being called small.
"No," Orion's voice became firm, "Please don't instigate… I would really just like to get to our hotel so we can figure out whatever nonsense is going on with Lysandra this ti–"
That joyful laughter turned into an 'Oh sh*t!' when the red head saw Nora recording and charged at her at mach speed. He was about to throw hands and Nora realized she should have kept her damn mouth shut.
"Goldfishy is causing a scene now. Should we stop him, Jade?" The sleepy-eyed twin asked.
"I think we should see that this isn't his dormitory, Floyd. Even the Headwarden of the Queen of Hearts' dorm needs a reminder that the world has rules and he didn't write them," the more alert-appearing twin said as he then pulled his camera to pull the same recording Nora was going to do to them.
Orion rolled his eyes, "Uggh, it's f*cking Scratch and Grounder…" He facepalmed.
—
Azul's phone vibrated in the penthouse Kalim rented for them in the Haagenieu-Belrose Royalty Suites. He hummed curiously as he was brushing his teeth. He saw it was from someone with a mushroom PFP, Jade. That's odd. Is Jade in trouble?
As Azul opened the notification it was for QuickiePic and it was a live streaming of what looked like a small red-headed boy attempting to assault a Latina woman on the streets of London. Azul audibly screamed before laughing like a mad hag.
Kalim overheard as he saw what Azul was laughing at only to see it was the red-headed boy yelling at a woman who just now readied her fists. Kalim screamed but unlike Azul, it was the scream of a dog owner watching their dog about to eat their own feces to voice how unwell it was.
"Riddle, NOOOOO!!!"
—---
Orion looked at the scene in front of him, appalled things escalated to a near-decapitation. He scrambled around for something, to distract his opposition.
Airport security would've taken any guns we would've brought to London… To say we're at a disadvantage would be an understatement.
Orion double–checked his carry-on, which possessed an umbrella. Though umbrellas were not sharp or heavy enough, it still had been preferred to use it over anything else.
A shame Strength is my dump stat…
Orion did not have time to practice swinging with the umbrella. He dashed forward, and tried to trip Nora's attacker over before she could be decapitated.
"OFF WITH YOUR HE– AHHH!!"
The small red-headed boy who was about to chant a spell was able to trip over as Nora punched Riddle straight in the gut.
The sleepy-eyed twin started laughing maniacally over what he just witnessed, "Oh Great Sea Witch almighty! Look at poor little Goldfishy! He was outmatched for sure!"
The more alert looking twin revealed his sharp teeth, "Maybe we should help him, Floyd."
"I do not have time for this," Orion barked at the two, "We have a dumb quest my sister put us up to."
"Wait a minute… Sister?" The sleepy-eyed twins eyes finally went wide as he approached Orion personally, "... What's her name?"
Nora just watched as the boy she just gut-punched managed to calm down enough, and look up in Orion's direction.
"I'm not telling you chumps," Orion grumbled.
The initially sleepy-eyed twin looked to his more alert appearing brother who then looked to the red-head trying to gain back his composure.
"You are being recorded. Our boss, Mr. Ashengrotto was originally going to be humored by his foul-tempered colleague's antics in London. However, he mentioned a couple girls who managed to step on his toes," the alert twin said very slowly and methodically revealing the smartphone he was holding.
"Orion… What did she really do?" Nora looked at Orion almost in fear.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Azul watched, now intrigued by the twist of what was about to be an all out fight. Kalim gulped.
"Looking at this Orion character, he does look like a male version of Ms. Segovia. Just remove the glasses and wild locks… Maybe dye those locks a pale green. I see. I should text Jade and Floyd pronto that he should not be in the dark any further. After all, it would be a shame if anything bad were to happen to Lysandra because of him," Azul said, trying to keep composed but he was typing furiously on the smartphone.
"Azul, you wouldn't hurt Lysandra, would you? She's our new friend!" Kalim squeaked.
"Relax. Of course I wouldn't. I am just giving him a warning to send a message. And besides, Lysandra has allies that can coax the masks to their side. Perhaps he can assist us with Akano," Azul grinned devilishly.
"Azul, you promise?" Kalim asked with worry.
Azul looked at Kalim, almost about to laugh, "Honestly, I don't know if I can."
Kalim's eyes began to widen, "Please… D-Don't hurt her…"
Azul realized what would happen to upset Kalim especially with Jamil in the next room over. Azul squirmed. He knew Jamil's true feelings for Kalim after all these years, that of an ever growing loathing but that didn't mean he was going to let Kalim cry over a mere girl. Azul was panicking like he was trying to stop a child from crying.
"Alright, alright. I promise! I promise… Lysandra will be safe, and I won't ever hurt her because of Orion's actions. But I still need to convince him to help us get Akano."
"Promise you have an alternative?" Kalim was more mature than Azul remembered, as he didn't even snivel or weep.
"Promise," Azul said. Kalim may have that Asim charm of manipulation on his side because the white-haired boy knew how to make Azul Ashengrotto not stoop to his high school days.
Azul instead typed to Jade that he should figure out Orion's other weaknesses when questioning him.
_-_-_-_-_
The alert twin was flooded with texts that his sleepy twin and the red-head accompanying them were not as occupied with. They were eyeing Orion looking for an answer. Nora was as well.
"Orion… Orion, you got the Magic Mafia on our asses! Tell me what the f*ck Lysandra was doing!!" Nora snapped.
"It's a dumb collectathon of video game memorabilia," he crossed his arms and harrumphed, "Frankly, it's more embarrassing to say, but my sister's been up to some absurd tasks on behalf of that weird shop." Silence then enveloped the area, until he spoke up again, "Man, I don't even like Dr. Neo Cortex's Worldwide Tour. You think I'm going to care nearly as hard about this as Lysandra?!"
Nora and the three boys all looked at Orion wide-eyed.
"Look. I'm here because some dude named Halligan is ruining everything for us all. If Lysandra and Brooke don't get what they want, I can't even consult Brooke's niece, The Godslayer, for a date."
"This man sounds a lot like Shroud," the alert twin turned to the initially sleepy-eyed twin.
"Yeah, those two would get along greeeeeeaaat!" The sleepy-eyed twin laughed.
"Orion was it? You and I are on the same page: We must stop this Detective Halligan character, especially from rewriting history and destroying our dimension. I apologize for my initial behavior towards your…" The red-head began to speak more courteously and professionally compared to when Orion and Nora first observed him.
"Acquaintance," Nora finished the red-head's sentence.
"Now, my plan is to get to the hotel, unpack my stuff, and see whatever else Brooke wants me to do. She's the one signing my tabs, at this point." Orion began walking away, impatiently.
"Ah yes. You're a Belrose employee… I…" the red-headed boy turned a faint pink possibly from shame over his foul attitude.
"Hey, you're owning up to it, Chico. Just don't pull that sh*t again or I'll take you with me to prison," Nora was beginning to forgive the red-head.
Little did the group realize they were being followed by a different group of girls.
"OH EM GEE. The Night Raven College students are real! And they're solving a mystery together with M–" the first girl, a chubby tan blonde girl wearing little jewel accessories over her face and pounds upon pounds of makeup was speaking only to be stopped.
"We do not call them that anymore, Suki. We do not repeat the words of Her Who Must Not Be Named," the next girl, a black woman with blue locks of hair in a cyberpunk fashion explained as her different colored eyes then tried to focus on the group they are following, "Lady Hecate prophesied that this would happen however… that Magicians and Warriors alike collaborate to fight a common Big Bad like the legends foretold."
"Oh right. You are blacklisting anything J.K. Rowling said. Fair, I figured after the sh*t she said on FlutterBy, you would have a book burning comparable to your enemies, I guess." The palest of the group, a girl with raven hair, purple eyes and a resting scowl frowned.
"But that's odd. Where's the cutie Azuzu? I thought Azuzu would be wherever the twins are!" 'Suki' frowned.
"Flotsam and Jetsam still need to lure Ariel to Ursula. Ariel refuses to budge still. I doubt Ursula would make her barter here when she has business to work on," the cyberpunk goth girl said as she closed her eyes, satisfied with her response.
"But then why is Riddle here? Unless… Floyd and Riddle are finally going to be making BL under the bedsheets?" Suki squealed excitably.
"Not quite. The Queen of Hearts is only here to assist Ursula in her persuasion. And it's probably so The Queen can prove herself a proud leader of Wonderland," the cybergoth said aloud. "Sadly the Monkeywrench that is Alice… or the one known as Nora Delrio in this case has caused her to return to form for a moment as an irresponsible tyrant. Shall The Queen of Hearts succeed to redeem herself to Flotsam, Jetsam and Ursula? Only time can tell. After all, the Sultan of Agrabah can also observe these events from afar."
"What the f*ck are you going on about?" The raven-haired goth girl crossed her arms, "You sound like some weirdo's Disney fan fiction and I for one would rather be in reality. I'll go talk to these numbnu*ts."
"Why are you calling the boys what they were inspired by anyway, Zoey? They're completely different characters now!" Suki squeaked.
"Because that's what I see them as until I speak with them. They all have the Aura of the Great Seven. It is up to them if they see it or not," 'Zoey' the cyberpunk replied.
_-_-_-_-_
Azul took off his glasses and rubbed his sinuses. Great Sea Witch almighty that was rough. It didn't help that Kalim had to remind him he was better than this. And yet he really wasn't. It could be from stress that Halligan could have stopped the twins. He took a deep breath.
"Jade… Floyd… Please make sure Riddle doesn't f*ck it up for us next time. I can't Overblot again…" Azul huffed.
"You probably won't Overblot seeing you'll be assisted by those Fanuvania herbivores," it was Leona's turn to interfere. Damn it. Azul huffed a curse under his breath.
"I can't completely trust them yet," Azul began to speak, "I doubt they know as much about the Circle as we do."
"Wanna bet, Cephalo-punk? You saw who were in their entourage. There was another Huntress amongst them, though she's a cat abomination from The King of the Beast's darkest nightmares and I don't even want to cross her. If she's slumming it with herbivores then it means they have some idea of who they're up against."
Leona brought up a good point. Azul also observed someone of his kind amongst the Fanuvania Coven. It was the chubbier character that didn't have horns. Azul remembered clearly his distinct coral orange hair and his tan skin, freckled from the sunlight. He shuddered. Azul had mixed feelings of finding another octopus merman like him.
"We could learn from that Coven. If you're really that cautious, keep tabs on them behind the scenes. You are the manager, right? Who knows. There may be two Cephalo-punks and my nose wasn't just being overwhelmed by the smell of seaweed again." Leona's ears twitched as he was having a hard time imagining it himself.
Even so, Azul knew Leona was right on one thing: There are two sea wizards in Haagenieu, Florida. Azul hopes that this sea wizard was as benevolent as what he initially heard about The Great Sea Witch herself, Ursula.
_-_-_-_-_
Detective Reyes finally left the bathroom after his shower. He was quick to forgive Lowry for his excessive spending due to taking a nice hot shower.
Detective Reyes felt his spine tingle, however. He shuddered. This felt even more awkward being in the Sugar Lake Arms Hotel.
Specifically this room. He knew right away this was the room Shiney and Titania slept at when they assisted him with the investigation that helped him arrest Dr. Garth Mephistoph. He can smell the cinnamon from Shiney's cologne in here vaguely, as well as the smoke from what had probably occurred the night after Garth was arrested and they got the deal for Haagenieu. He remembered the smiling face Titania had as Shiney bathed her in kisses.
The difference was, instead of thinking back to good times with Titania and having Shiney glaring darts at him in the background, it was just him, Detective Lowry floating midair over the couch trying to watch an old classic: Disney's Live Action Cinderella, and a can of Sheez™ Mustard.
Wait. Where did the Sheez™ Mustard come from? And was Lowry having it float with his mind? Probably not as even Lowry looked puzzled at the sight of the can floating his way.
"Why hey there cutie? Want to quench your thirst?"
And where did the female voice come from?! Lowry and Reyes looked around.
The Sheez™ Mustard can seemed to float on its own as the can then was leaning towards Detective Lowry.
"Wait a minute! You're one of those cans of soda the Chief Inspector keeps chugging at his office! Didn't know they made such wacky flavors!" Lowry was taken aback.
"You want to taste me, don't you?" The female voice purred as she sounded like she was a vampiress trying to eat Lowry alive.
"Reyes! Are you armed? Shoot that thing down! I'm guessing this is what killed Anne-Marie!" Lowry shouted.
Reyes didn't even question it, as absurd as it was. He whipped out the gun and started firing like crazy.
"You daft bastard! You're ruining the couch!" Lowry roared.
"My aim wasn't what it used to be!" Reyes roared.
"How about you pop me open the normal way, boys?" The can said as it shook around, "I'm just as thirsty for more as you are."
"Ugh! I take it where you usually pop open the can was how he was drained!" Lowry growled as he then began to use his psionics to try and pin the can down. However the can wouldn't budge, and Reyes was still trying to aim.
"This is almost like an evil whor* version of that talking beer can in one of my audio books!" Reyes snarled.
"You read Craig Alanson books?" Lowry asked, taken aback by Reyes' commentary.
"A detective has to be well-read so he can find important clues in real life. Expeditionary Force helped me go through the Belrose-Haagenieu Heist of 2017," Reyes replied as Lowry smirked.
"And here I thought you were just Halligan with an American coat of paint," Lowry said with a co*cky grin.
"Don't know who he is, but I take it his aim is just as shoddy as mine," Reyes shrugged.
He finally fired a good clean shot at the mustard can who started wincing. Not screaming, not crying, just… Stopping, trying to compose herself like she was a Dad who was hit in the nuts by his son with a baseball when playing catch. She then exploded into a pile of aluminum and carbonated mustard-smelling funk.
Reyes however was able to catch a pale white fog and then revealed herself to be a… pink, rainbow-haired woman in star-themed lingerie. She huffed.
"How?! How could you not be tempted by the delicious taste of my corporeal form?!" The woman began to weep, her voice bassier and more 'gruff Russian hooker' sounding than her previous form, "I even had to change my vocal range for you!"
"First of all, lady, I already have a girl back home named Janet!" Lowry bared his teeth.
"And I'm not into girls," Reyes replied.
"I take it you want a real woman?" Lowry and the rainbow haired woman asked in unison. They then turned to each other confused that they had the same idea.
"Nah. I want a real man. Contrary to popular belief, I'm gay," Detective Reyes replied, "Usually I don't like outing myself like this, but having a nasally bitch moan about taking a sip of her mustard-tasting… fluids… has me confused why any man is into that. Pretty sure outing myself would be more respectful than just callously calling the bitch a goddamn weirdo."
"...Okay, fair. But why did this… 'Bitch' as you so put it possess a can of Sheez™ Mustard of all flavors? And what did you do to Anne-Marie?!" Lowry said as the woman then began to cackle like a mad witch.
"Ha ha ha! I see that you were friends with that lonely boy… but know it was to fuel me and Jewn. We are to assist the Inheritors in their quest for world domination. An ancient Druidic spell helped us manifest as spirits and John Shize III has helped us possess these cans of what you humans crave… The Goddess of Love Venus can't help you lot now! Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
The ghost disappeared as Reyes and Lowry looked at each other.
"I… I gotta make a phone call," Reyes said.
"Reyes, are we getting that particular vending machine disassembled?" Lowry asked.
"No, sadly I wasn't bright enough to write down the number for the vending machine maintenance. But getting that supernatural superbitch to stop possessing the rest of the cans in this building is only a temporary solution. I'm calling my current clientele because she knows who the f*ck that was possessing the can," Reyes replied.
"Right. I'll call your police department," Lowry said, whipping out his cellphone.
Reyes was able to get access to the red-head who helped him find Anne-Marie's body, Ms. Wilhelmina Harker, "Mina, it's me, Reyes. So there was a rainbow haired spirit in a… can of soda in our hotel room. Care to explain who she is?"
_-_-_-_-_
Azul Ashengrotto looked over the scenery in the restaurant that he just opened on Valencia Parkway's strip mall. It was exactly how it looked back at Night Raven College, back in Octanivelle's Dorm and everything. The Mostró Lounge is almost perfect.
Well, he had to thank his own magic for that. It was mostly a pocket dimension made in his image, albeit only because he can mostly enlarge the inside however he pleased. However, he could only enlarge the main room. He looked inside to see what was once the kitchen for Randall's Taco Shack. Good God. It was worse than he thought.
"Woah… Azul, this is beautiful! The guests are going to love it!"
Azul turned and was greeted by an excited Kalim. He smiled as he held his hands over his hips confidently.
"This is only the main room though. The kitchen is in disarray," Azul shook his head revealing to Kalim the disgusting inside.
For starters, there were co*ckroaches riddling the floor EVERYWHERE, and there were cobwebs even inside the fridge. It was dusty, there were rat droppings here and there as well as the occasional rat trapped in a glue trap now rotting. The tile flooring has yellowed from age and the sinks had rust and red algae. It smelled like a dumpster and Azul could feel his breakfast coming back up realizing that this kitchen needed help more than ever.
"Not to worry, Azul! We can clean this all up before opening in a fun little song form!"
Azul's eyes widened as he turned to see Neige alongside the rest of the Fanuvania Coven girls.
"Oh you gotta be f*ckin'---"
"~Just whistle while you work~!
~And cheerfully, together we can tidy up the place~! So hum a merry tune~!" Neige began to sing.
Azul looked at how the girls hummed their own tune, as did Kalim Al-Asim. It was a bit chaotic to say the least. Especially seeing it's like an echo-chamber of busy singing witches and wizards.
"Hmmm… I can't reach this in my human form. Yeulis, do you have a potion on you?" Azul's ears were alerted to a voice. He looked. It was who he was warned about by Leona last night. The doe-eyed, coral hair colored chubbier wizard whose freckled face showed a concerned glance looking around.
"Oh yeah, sure Clyff," The nasally sounding smaller nerdette with similar coloring to Neige but paler and more dead inside - actually, she could look like Neige and Idia's would-be love child if not for her ice cold blue eyes - threw a small vial towards 'Clyff's' direction. 'Clyff' catched it and threw it on himself as he transformed from human to what Azul and the others suspected this whole time… an Octopus merman who used his tentacles to reach higher towards where he swept up more dead insects, this time an array of hornets, house flies and mosquito eating species of bug.
"You better not let Renfield get in here to see that," The horned taller human that Azul remembered as an Oni called 'Shiney' snarled disgusted.
"Renfield only eats LIVING insects, love," the brunette with the Australian accent teased the Oni with a playful nudge as she then pulled a rusted pot only to see the rust slowly disappearing and getting absorbed into her body… somehow. Azul knew this was a weird peculiar magic he didn't know about.
"Oh you two! We're really taking it all in, aren't we?" The more salmon pink haired twink that Azul always seen wrapping his arm around Clyfford -Azul remembered his name was Lucian- laughed.
"Dahlings, Lota feels bad for the poor things. How do we keep them away?" The cat woman that was more cat than what Azul observed with similar anthropomorphic creatures at Night Raven College (especially Leona) was looking sad and her voice was like a cat softly meowing for her kitten.
"Well, from what Neige told me, we both can tell them that this place isn't safe here for them!" The blue-haired girl with golden eyes - that Azul wouldn't expect on her knees in her expensive clothes and fancy jewels covered in scrubs - declared as she looked up to Neige who nodded.
"Nigella and I can talk to animals so it's worth a shot!" Neige nodded.
Azul frowned. The Coven is cooperating a little too well for his liking. To be fair, it is a Coven. And the fact the sea wizard he saw using his tentacles to try and reach up to replace dead light bulbs was making Azul even more concerned. But he figured it was magic behind the cooperation. Some of the witches (Yeulis and Ayase) finally remembered how to activate a projective motion spell where the sponges moved themselves.
Azul thought back to the fairies in Disney's Sleeping Beauty where they cooperated to celebrate Briar Rose's birthday. He closed his eyes, rubbing his sinuses as he felt his brain wrapping around the cooperative chaos. With Neige's singing while he slaved away at the cleaning of the cutting tables and serving trays, Azul still figured why Vil Schoenheit wasn't as fond of him as the rest of the world.
"Waaaaah!! I'm so sorry, Aurora!"
Azul's eyes opened to see Kalim spilled a mixture of cleaning fluid and water over a purple-haired goth girl. Her eyes just stared at Kalim. Azul knew she wasn't mad, but Kalim was on his knees as if she was ready to kill him for the misdeed.
"Uhhh, chill the f*ck out much?" The goth said with a soft Australian accent as she shook it off.
"...You mean you're not mad? Those clothes looked so pretty!" Kalim whined as he was about to cry, "You managed to mix black with a bright color!"
Azul observed the soft pink on her face as she was trying to brush something off her mind, "T-Thanks, tidda. You don't look bad yourself."
Azul then saw aside from Kalim's mess, the girls managed to get the kitchen looking good as new. The kitchen finally looked like it belonged in a five star restaurant which he was thrown off by. Of course, he knew that only a couple members of the Coven can really REALLY return to the kitchen for tonight's shift, so he had to ask…
"Yeulis? Clyfford? Lucian? Could you three step forward? I want to reward you three with helping me assign positions," Azul asked this.
He saw the smaller girl in the glasses with pale skin and black hair. He observed more closely she had bags under her eyes. Azul shuddered. The description of skin as white as snow and hair as black as coal was a gaunt, gothic contrast to Neige, who by comparison had more color to his skin. Her eyes were like a tired wolf's ready to sleep with how ice cold blue they were.
"I can only handle the drinks, Mr. Ashengrotto," Aside from her nasally, whiny-sounding voice, she kept curt and to the point, "I'm the Coven's Alchemist and while I am amazing at concocting and conjuring a potion for every occasion, when it comes to the culinary field, I… need more work, unfortunately."
"All is forgiven. As a bartender, I take it you have a drink serving license as well?" Azul had to keep Yeulis Belmont on her toes.
"Well, Detective Griffin was on my case to take the class. Of course I got a license to serve alcohol in the state of Florida," Yeulis said as she revealed the license.
"Very good! And it's such a rel–"
The rest of the Coven and the two Oni that seem to hang around them revealed their licenses as well. Azul's jaw dropped.
"-Err… I guess this Detective Griffin was trying to keep you all on your toes as well?"
"Actually, it was me that suggested everyone else take the class. Because we knew how important it was for serving food in general. I… I was scolded that I was worrying over nothing, but it paid off. Now we can assist you in serving wine," the middle-aged blonde woman looked down almost ashamed.
"Ohhh! I see. But it takes more than being an observant law-abiding sommelier in order to work in the kitchen, right Clyfford?"
Azul's eyes looked at Clyfford almost trying to calculate his next move. Clyfford looked at Azul almost trying to shrink for a moment in humility.
"Y-yes… Of course. B-but I've been trained to work behind the grill! I… Don't usually like grilled meat. Where I come from, we usually eat our meals with fresh leafy vegetables. If we want our meals hot, we broil fish or make hefty soups. Grilling was new to me, and it was thanks to Lucian I gained the confidence to do so!" Clyfford looked at Azul with earnest but worried eyes. Like he was trying his best to still stay on the job he was given. It was until Jade and Floyd came back, which even Clyfford knew was a given. But Azul was concerned by the dedication.
"I was able to teach Clyffy how to make asado! We'll need to make an outdoor kitchen for it, but once you try it, it'll knock your socks off!" Lucian, the skinnier pink haired boy winked at Azul.
Azul glanced away blinking. It was very much a given that Clyfford and Azul grew up in similar backgrounds. Escargot and other steamed and boiled fish and sea bugs were big foods where they lived. It's just that the difference was, Azul was not as picky with his meats. In fact, he loves fried chicken. Though, judging by Lucian's 'asado' comment, it seems like Clyfford is trying to open himself up more to the idea of grilled meat.
"Asado, huh? This former Taco Shack actually might have a place to grill fajitas and similar food to the like. If you can gather the ingredients for it, then I'll add this 'asado' on the menu," Azul smiled. He wasn't going to let Clyfford and Lucian cook what they wanted.
"Oooh! Can I help? I promise I won't mess up again! I'll even have Jamil watch me! He's got a keen eye for cooking, and he's probably excited to try 'asado' as well!" Kalim clapped excitedly.
"Why of course! But like I said, asado needs a lot of air, so like Azul said, we'll need to assemble the ingredients. I think there's some Argentinian delis like Tomato Express where we can pick up some of the specific meats for it right outside of Valencia Parkway!" Lucian said with confidence.
"Huh? But didn't Azul say it'll be like making a fajita?" Kalim tilted his head.
"Did he? Ohh, he's going to be the living end," Lucian shaked his head as he walked out with Clyfford and Kalim.
Azul looked over to some of the other Coven girls.
"I can converse and serve customers in 76 different languages." A girl with violet and orange hair said confidently to Azul. Azul remembered that she was the gynoid known as Lily. She had a cute face for sure, and she kept a friendly tone.
"Lily actually served customers back in my hometown of Grand River in Manchester. It was a wonderful experience. She remembers everyone's orders and keeps it concise!" Nigella laughed.
"It was only for a short time but our visit to Manchester was nice considering we were also visiting an old friend of the Coven's," Ayase said as she looked over Nigella and then to Lily.
"I happened to serve at the place as well," the shorter, chubbier Oni with horns that made Azul think of icebergs and winter mints said. Azul can hear his Atlantic accent fitting someone in England more than Nigella's, that's for sure. Though it was probably a given that Nigella spoke like an upper class American seeing she was in movies Azul can recall watching on TV once or twice.
"Rainey, you were assembling salads if I recall correctly," his brother, the taller blonde one with the 'Starburst Candy' horns hissed in his Atlantic accent.
"That's still contributing to the kitchen staff AND customer service," 'Rainey' said resolutely.
There was a contrast to Rainey and Clyfford, two different fashionable men who happened to be on the heavier side compared to Azul. He was taken aback by it. Clyfford was humble and actually quite adorable in that sense. His merman form was also admittedly oddly hard to look at, like an ungodly Giant Red Octopus with the torso of a man. But he owned it. By contrast, Rainey was not just honest, but very much fearless from what Azul can observe of him. None of the girls seem to call him out but 'Shiney' was. Probably for similar reasons Jade and Floyd had their disagreements from time to time.
"Leona Kingscholar will be working with you three then," Azul pointed out Lily, Rainey and of course Shiney.
"Oi, what about me?" The brunette asked.
"It's mostly a precaution. I think you should be kitchen security. I don't know if we will be having any… Unannounced guests tonight," Azul said. It could be said he read the news of Lord Sinclair offering a deal with the Belrose Estate. He was hoping it was just common gossip in tabloids meant to scare him. But he had to be prepared.
"Bub, is this a Mafia or a real restaurant?" The brunette's eyes narrowed.
"Oh how cute. For now it is both. Especially if you read the breaking news that we might get a visit from the Circle," Azul had to be honest. The brunette's initially grumpy tone then went wide-eyed as did the rest of the girls, and the two Oni who looked at each other.
"How did they find us so fast?" Blair panicked before looking hostile at Azul.
"Now, now. The newspapers said that he's trying to wager a bond of sorts with the Belrose Family. I don't know the details but from what I gather it was because Audrey Belrose wasn't sold on the deal. Lord Sinclair thinks persuading older members of the family could offer greater benefits to his favor," Azul just guessed based on observation alone. He admittedly was being updated about it by Jade and Floyd who were invited to an evening dinner with Audrey Belrose who was giving them the details…
_-_-_-_
Orion anticipated a dinner date with Audrey. However, he did not expect a plus-four of people alongside.
"Wait a minute! I know that pendeja! She almost got my cousin fired! Are you REALLY trying to stick your dick in f*ckin' loca?!" Nora saw the picture of Audrey he showcased.
"Wait. You know her?" Orion blinked, looking puzzled.
"No sh*t I f*ckin' know her! I heard she starts sh*t with everyone she f*ckin' meets! She makes Riddle over here look chill," Nora pointed at Riddle who then blinked.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Riddle asked, somewhat concerned.
"Nehhhh, Piranha is just mentioning how you get really snappy at people, Goldfishy. You should mellow out when you're with strangers more," the sleepy-eyed twin that Orion recalled was addressed as Floyd said in the most stoner-y annoying way. Orion can feel his teeth clenched in cringe over the way Floyd swayed with his words.
"I am being mellow right now," Riddle said with some impatience, which contradicted his words.
"I think Floyd is just wanting you to follow his example, Roseheart," the more alert-appearing twin, which Orion recalled being Jade, replied with much more polite language.
"Listen, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb over here have a point. You sound like you have a f*ckin' stick up yo' ass literally ALL the time. I get if it's because you're from a strict background, but you're not in your 'grammar school' or whatever the f*ck you rich kids go to anymore. You're free to do whatever the f*ck you want," Nora said as Riddle huffed.
"Even adults have rules. I may be 'grown' but 'grown' comes with a reality check," Riddle said as calmly as he could.
"Yeah, like the fact you can fit in any space you want now for being tiny~!" Floyd said in a teasing manner. It not only pissed Riddle off, but Orion as well. Mostly because of how Floyd slurred his words like a sleepy drunk bastard. He made the homeless man he saw earlier sound sober.
Riddle promptly turned red, his rage boiling over as even though at this point he should be used to this from Floyd, he was wanting to strangle him in front of strangers.
"Now now, you two. We should behave for Ms. Belrose when we see her," Jade said, sounding the most calm and 'Zen' of all.
"That doesn't mean I'm going to like it though," Nora huffed.
The shenanigans around him had him winded, but he still dressed as well as he could for the thing he ultimately wanted. He had on an orange suit, with a black tie.
When he and his posse stepped in the room, he saw Audrey Belrose in a white and burgundy dress with matching white hair with burgundy side-bangs and highlights. When Nora saw her for the first time in person, she was controlling her rage at the sight of her. The other three members of his posse, Riddle, Jade and Floyd both remained neutral as they only had heard about her recently from both Orion and Nora with little to no strong opinions of their own to make about her at the moment.
Orion cleared his throat, "At last we meet, Godslayer-"
"Audrey," the girl he looked at interrupted him sharply, but then cooled her jets, "I get you have this thing for formalities, but… you can cool it." She looked at him with understanding eyes, though her tone remained firm.
Orion nodded swiftly, "Got it."
Audrey exhaled, "You've had a rough day, too?"
Orion relaxed a bit, having been tense earlier, "Rough is an understatement. I had to save an acquaintance from a beheading, and I stopped by to visit a homeless man in a nearby hospital. I heard he was a vet. From which war, I do not recall." He tried to bring himself back to some semblance of normalcy.
Riddle looked down awkwardly, slightly responsible for the attempt at Nora's life. Though Nora didn't have a bone with Riddle over that. He already apologized for his mistake. The same can't be said for Audrey though and Riddle can see this from the way Nora's fists clenched in her palms.
Audrey looked at Nora. She faintly recognized something about her but decided to wait on discussing it with Orion as she recognized at least the fire in her eyes. She tried to dismiss it for now.
"Look at you," Audrey chuckled a bit. "I take it you wanted info about Halligan from the source: his victims?"
Orion nodded, "Yeah." I expected more foul language from her. I'm guessing she's dropping the act just for me.
"Let's just say one of his would-be enemies tried to pay me a visit as well. And it did not end f*cking well for him." Audrey frowned, then groaned, "So, I had to consult Aunt Brooke for some goddamn intel and got jack and sh*t."
Orion seemed equally displeased, "Bummer."
Audrey and Orion were briefly distracted by a waiter, who took their respective orders. The conversation ground to a massive standstill after the waiter's formalities were concluded, but they talked about other things in general.
Orion was surprised by how Nora, Riddle and the twins behaved all the meanwhile. Granted he had to confront Nora and Audrey about one thing. It was clear Nora could get vaporized by her.
But first, it was actually Riddle who popped a question Audrey could have answered.
"So why are you called the Godslayer?"
Riddle had to ask. The twins looked curiously as well.
-_-_-_-
The night was tense. Because it was the Coven, Yeulis, Clyfford and Lucian had to be protected by the rest of the Coven - as well as the human reporter and two Oni that care for them - who quickly disguised themselves. It was in case the Circle showed up. Azul could feel his stomach turn. He was doing backflips as he watched the pale Yeulis looking stressed as she was making a White Russian for a couple oblivious customers.
Azul had hoped that no one on the Circle would drop in, but that hope waned at around 11:45pm when he saw a pale, old figure stepping in the room. Blair tensed up the fastest as the younger witches observed and went on their guard. It was fortunate for Azul that Kalim and Jamil were in the kitchen alongside Clyfford and Lucian in case this pale figure was a distraction.
"Mr. Ashengrotto! I see you were quick to make yourself at home in this 'tourist trap' as one may put it. I may have stepped into your humble abode unannounced but don't worry, I came here for the food," the pale figure said with a cheery grin.
Azul scowled. While most people just saw a co*cky old bastard that had money to throw around to call Haagenieu a lowly term such as a 'tourist trap', Azul and the Coven knew better. This was Lord Sinclair, the leader of the Circle… Serstan's Inheritors.
"Any seat is fine, Mr. Ashengrotto, though might I sit by the door to your kitchen? It'll be easier for the wait staff to get to and fro in this bustling evening," Lord Sinclair said revealing his disgusting yellow teeth.
Azul knew that he was actually after a 'bite' in the form of Kalim or Jamil. He watched Lord Sinclair carefully. It was clear Lord Sinclair had no interest in an Octo-Merman like himself but he did want to nab one of the Night Raven College boys as a warning to Crowley to keep his future graduates in line. Azul figured it would be Jamil or Kalim.
Azul assumed this as he didn't seem interested in the tense Coven girls who tried to hide their magic abilities from Lord Sinclair. He licked his lips however when he saw Lucian and Clyfford deep inside the kitchen panicking over the usual chef problems. Oh no. He wouldn't!
Lord Sinclair ordered a filet mignon that was cut in the butterfly style with a side of mashed potatoes and with extra chives. Lucian and Clyfford were lording over making this order perfect unaware that they should have just half-assed it to get Lord Sinclair to f*ck off over sh*t service.
Where is Floyd telling them that they should have done whatever they wanted inside, food service standards be damned?! Azul was groaning as Lucian sent his gynoid sister, Lily to serve Lord Sinclair. Well at least he wouldn't try to eat a robot.
"Thank you, Madame," Lord Sinclair said to the robot girl who was trying not to look like she was about to be decommissioned and turned into scrap metal by this creepy bastard.
Lord Sinclair continued eating. It was easy enough to see what he was doing. As that meal he just ordered was merely an appetizer compared to what he really wants. Azul squeezed his cane, his would-be scepter that many a Headwarden in Octanivelle got for channeling the 'benevolence' of Ursula the Sea Witch.
After he ate, Lord Sinclair turned to Azul as he made the statement that Azul was dreading this whole time: "May I have a word with the Chef? They're merely compliments of course. He has done a tremendous job making it look exactly as I pictured it!"
Azul grit his teeth, clenched his fists, did anything he could to try and hide the fear and anger he had for the audacity of this old geezer. Azul however had to keep a professional standard so he smiled and tried to pretend that he didn't know Lord Sinclair's intentions, "Certainly. He's not our usual chef so he tried his darndest to match everything in our menu to the 'T'!"
Azul was able to show his true emotions when he entered the kitchen and he grabbed and pinned Lucian up against the wall. Lucian understandably yelped like a kicked dog. Azul didn't care.
"What are you doing?!" Clyfford squeaked as he was about to save Lucían.
"You're hurting him!" Kalim cried out.
Jamil just kept quiet because he knew what this was about.
"Lucian Mephistoph, I didn't want to alarm you but Lord Sinclair of the Circle wants to have a word with you. Your cooking is exceptional. I want to warn you to keep your guard up as you speak with this man because he is like a wolf who will stop at nothing to eat you where you stand," Azul snarled, baring his teeth at Lucian.
Lucian looked at Azul with the eyes he hated the most… Eyes that were about to cry. But he understood Azul's intentions. It's just Azul didn't quite get the picture about how to be more discreet about a wizard-eating cannibal on the prowl looking to eat him.
Lucian nodded, "I'm fine, Clyffy… I was actually taken aback at this announcement. If you're really worried, you can come with me. After all, you helped."
Azul sighed with relief. He may have sounded like he was just trying to brush off what happened but the Coven seemed to cooperate better than Azul thought. It may have also been because Clyfford and Lucian were lovers, but Azul watched as he eased off Lucian how Clyfford checked his neck and shoulders.
Afterwards, they approached cautiously towards the floor of the restaurant towards Lord Sinclair.
"Ah, you must be the Chef tonight! Bravo for the wonderful filet mignon!" Lord Sinclair golf-clapped as Lucian felt those yellow eyes look him over. Lucian felt like he was stripped naked and Lord Sinclair was ogling him. He wanted to hide behind Clyfford but it was hard to do so…
Azul knew that feeling, "Lord Sinclair, you had other things to say to him?"
Lord Sinclair frowned as he saw Clyfford was standing next to Lucian. The scowl made Azul grin with relief as well as a chuckle almost escape his lips. There were two sea wizards in the room now and Lord Sinclair now felt like he was in hot water.
"And well… I see you had some assistance?" Lord Sinclair didn't like this one bit.
"Oh yes!" Lucian now had the opportunity to 'hide' behind Clyfford, though he disguised it in the form of a romantic hug, "This is my darling Clyffy! He was the one that would assist me with a lot of my grilling and broiling! He also helps me with the two-man job that is Matambre!"
"Matambre? I believe I am unfamiliar with the dish," Lord Sinclair frowned.
"Oh! Lucy taught me about it recently. It's an Argentinian dish where you wrap beef around an assortment of vegetables and hard-boiled eggs cut discreetly. You have to wrap it together before putting it in the oven however as the meat doesn't always sit. We just put it on the menu!" Clyfford explained.
"He helps me with a lot more than that!" Lucian giggled. Though that giggle was definitely still hiding that fear.
"Now, now. Return to your stations. You have a couple of stragglers to serve that delicious Matambre!" Azul chuckled before Lucian and Clyfford ran off. Azul was trying to keep cordial still. There were other customers around. Actually two couples, a lady flight attendant who was watching everything in action and of course the 'pest' control in a certain blond lawyer that caught a stray co*ckroach with his hand and then proceeded to eat it.
The lady flight attendant, whose name tag wore 'Lola' looked a lot like she saw the blond lawyer did this with more curiosity and confusion than outright disgust.
The couples were just trapped in their discussions. But still, if Azul made an outburst, then he would startle the one known as 'R.M. Renfield' and he would go into an outburst of his own for scaring away any other surprise houseflies.
Lord Sinclair frowned as he stood up, "I believe it's time for me to pay for my food. Send your bussers. I have had enough for the day."
"Will you come back again?" Azul asked.
"... Probably not, I'm afraid. I have to return to England tomorrow Mr. Ashengrotto. I don't believe I'll be returning to Haagenieu anytime soon: My schedule has been busier and busier as of late," Lord Sinclair said as he left.
Lord Sinclair knew that Azul made a devious grin of relief that he said that. He also knew why that is. The Coven was a close-knit group. The busser in the form of the two Oni boys was clearly ignored.
After he left, Azul made yet another phone call with Jade and Floyd.
_-_-_-_
"Oh. My. GOURD, Clyffy! I thought that man was going to eat me alive!" Lucian cried into his hat.
"That was Lord Sinclair, wasn't it?" Jamil asked matter-of-factly.
"Yes. It was," Blair replied as she looked at the tense witches. Titania had the urge to punch a wall but instead she just clung onto Shiney instead who audibly squeaked.
"Titania, I'm not your cute teddy bear you can just grab freely whenever you're scared!" Shiney whined.
"You may as well be; you're soft, brown and cuddly," Titania said curtly as Shiney huffed, hugging her back.
"I think Lord Sinclair was expecting Lucian to be… a loner type. Loners tend to get grabbed the easiest," Clyfford explained as Azul figured that Clyfford would read Lord Sinclair like a book. He was an Octo-Merman, so observations were something they're prone to always voice.
"Lucian, a loner?! I am sure as Hell going to tell you that's not MY brother he thought about! If he's not clinging on you, Clyff, then he's nagging me or hanging out with Lily!" Justin laughed only to be nudged gently by Lily.
"I think the herbivores and their Cephalo-pipsqueak friend have a point, Azul," a familiar gruff voice alerted the party.
They turned to see Leona again, his lion tail flicking about in similar stress. He was with Rook following behind him.
"Leona? What's going on? You look hurt, dahling!" The catwoman that Azul remembered was Lota sat Leona down.
"I was being stalked, that's what. Rook shot a human gorilla that was about to grab me. Looks like Lord Sinclair was trying to get a murder in here to get less attention back in his home in England," Leona replied as he then pointed at the bow and arrow set Rook was ready to show off.
"Oui! J'ai tout vu, mes amis!" Rook laughed as he then showed a picture of a buff Caucasian man in black stalking Leona.
"And he wasn't satisfied because he couldn't sneak alone time with Lucian either," Nigella shook her head.
"Oh he was a creep! His eyes were looking me down to see what he wanted to eat first off of me! I'm so glad that Clyffy was with me the whole time!" Lucian snuggled up against Clyfford's shoulder.
"Hey, Cephalo-pipsqueak. You mean to tell me that Lord Sinclair was eyeing your mate?" Leona asked Clyfford as Clyfford looked alarmed.
"...Cephalo-what now?" Justin blinked.
"He knows Clyfford is an Octo-Merman, Justin," The purple goth girl who was showing signs of attraction to Kalim earlier, Aurora, said.
"Oi. Answer my question," Leona growled at Clyfford.
Clyfford nodded, "Y-yes! We kind of spoke about how Lucian needed help in the kitchen making Matambre."
"Hmmm… I had that because it looked delicious. You herbivores are the worst. I had vegetables snuck in my system because of your 'Matambre'. Specifically Bell Peppers. But at least you're sneaky herbivores. It would be bad if Lord Sinclair caught you two if I couldn't observe a surprise vegetable in my mound of meat."
Leona gave a weird compliment to Clyfford and Lucian's cooking which was more a compliment of their stealth in the kitchen.
"We'll try to be as stealthy as their 'vegetables' from now on," Ayase giggled.
"Right. Though Lord Sinclair is returning to England. From what I gathered, he was unsatisfied with ALL of his trip. It looked like he wanted SOMETHING to go his way," Yeulis replied.
"How could you tell?" Azul asked.
"Body language. That and Lysandra texted me. Apparently Brooke chased him off the property with a wrapped up notebook and a torn to shred contract that was never signed. She made mention of how Lani-Loli wasn't on her premises anymore," Yeulis replied.
"So he's after Lani-Loli now? Hmm…" Blair looked puzzled.
"That must explain Akano's adamant insistence to stay where he is housed," Azul noted.
"Gourd, what do we do?" Blair looked away.
"We wait," Rook said as he grinned. It looked like he had an idea that the Coven whispered curiously about. The issue is, will he tell them?
_-_-_-_
Orion and Audrey took a moment to discuss the dinner outing in private.
"I did NOT mean to bring a plus-four to our meeting." He spoke slowly.
She shrugged, but she still wore a look of displeasure, "It's no biggie. They were f*cking mean-mugging me the whole time, but I'm still baked to sh*t."
Okay, NOW there are those curse words I'd been hoping for…
Orion nodded, "Yeah. I just… I'm guessing they were also curious about you."
Audrey awkwardly smiled, "Yeah, I get the feeling they all wanted to jump me. I've dealt with worse, though."
You mentioned as much…
"No kidding," Orion affirmed. He chose his words carefully. His body tensed up.
"Alright," she took a deep breath, "I'm just gonna drop the hammer here. You're not half-bad for a weirdo who is doing favors for my Aunt, but I don't f*ck her henchmen." Her eyelids lowered, "I'm being kind in getting this sh*t over with."
On the outside, Orion looked fine. On the inside, he felt like he had been run over by a truck. He attempted to keep his composure, "That's… cool." She's letting me down as gently as she can. This is a kindness I will not undermine.
Audrey patted him on the back, "If you get your sh*t done, we can probably do some casual hookup sh*t. But, do the task Aunt Brooke sent you here for first. That's all I ask."
Orion nodded once again, "Got it." I would've "stuck my dick in loca" just to rub it in Nora's face, but this is otherwise the best case scenario.
"Until then, though…" Audrey offered a handshake, "I'm cool to just pal around if you need someone to shoot the sh*t with. I know those bozos are total strangers to you, and I hear you're pushed around by a lot of people back in… Haagenieu?"
Orion shook Audrey's hand, "Yeah."
Audrey scoffed, "God, it's a small world…' She then cleared her throat, "You better get going before I sober up. I gotta go get lit again."
As Orion got back to his hotel room, he was greeted by the guy who questioned Audrey on her title as the Godslayer, Riddle Roseheart. He was jotting something down as a means of remembering what Audrey told her.
"So it's her QuickiePic username but it has merit. Apparently she did slay an ancient force but she refuses to tell us what it is. A huge shame. She could benefit us when we encounter Halligan," Riddle muttered to himself. Orion then noticed how similar Riddle's hair color was to Audrey's.
Before Orion can speak up on it, Floyd had to annoy the f*ck out of Orion.
"Neeeeh~! Li'l' Shrimpy's back from his date with Snappy Krilly! So when's the wedding?" Floyd asked Orion.
"We agreed to be friends," Orion recapped bluntly, "As long as I'm employed by Brooke, she has deemed me not worth the trouble of hooking up with."
"Bawwww!" Floyd said, dejected on Orion's behalf but he got from the tone Orion didn't want him to.
Orion then redirected his attention towards Riddle, "She definitely felt put off by me bringing you all with me to what was supposed to be a one-on-one." His tone lightened a bit, but he remained firm in how he spoke.
"It's clear she's not on the side of Serstan and his Inheritors, if you're familiar with those names," Riddle observed from the conversation, "though your ire seems to be dead set on Halligan as well."
"Why did we interrupt Orion Witherbloom-Segovia's date?" Jade asked Riddle.
"Because I didn't want Audrey returning to England without a f*ckin' warnin'," Nora snarled.
"Piranha doesn't like her, does she?" Floyd asked.
"No sh*t, Sherlock. When she's doin' business for the Boss, she's safe. But next time that pendeja decides to talk sh*t, it's on sight. Nobody f*cks with my cousin the way she does," Nora replied.
"Speaking of relatives, is your sister prone to being… turned down so roughly?" Jade asked.
"That's one way of asking him if she's single, Jade," Floyd snickered, though that laugh made Orion sick to his stomach especially the context.
Orion lifted a hand of dismissal, "Lysandra and I earned our keep with Lady Belrose when we independently helped get a long distance friend of ours out of her home country of Saudi Arabia so she could escape death by her family's hands."
"You had help, ya know," Nora coughed.
"I don't believe that answered my question, but I take it Lysandra Segovia and that 'friend from Saudi Arabia' could be a lot more if you are kept unawares," Jade said as he finally smiled, revealing sharp fish-like teeth to greet Orion.
_-_-_-_
Lysandra, Polly and Abia were waiting outside at the Poolside Bar in the local resort Brooke owned. They were with Blair who was patrolling the scene seriously. They were initially watching Aurora and Justin trying to spend some time away from the baby for a bit.
"Just us girlfriends patrolling for a fetchin' sailor, huh? I expected this for Abia but you're a different story, Ms…" Polly tried to make small talk and was silenced by Blair.
"Please. Call me Blair. That Ms. Plymouth nonsense is unbecoming, Polly," Blair said impatiently.
Polly was taken aback only for Lysandra to pull her away.
"Don't let her get to you, Polly. Honestly, it's only for one man, and it was one Brooke was telling me about. Apparently someone is 'poaching on her turf' and scaring away her younger male vi– I mean customers," Lysandra explained.
"Any descriptors?" Blair asked.
"No. But she said she had a complaint from…"
"From me of course," Lysandra was interrupted by a tall Polynesian man who walked on over alongside a chubby blond.
Lysandra glanced over at the chubby blond before she answered the Polynesian. Abia was checking out said Polynesian. And Blair was looking at Polly and then the Polynesian and muttering something under her breath about 'Oh no, not only are there two of Lucian, but there's two of Nigella as well'.
Lysandra waved shyly, "Rodney, hey… Long time no see! How is…"
"Lysa, it's UNBELIEVABLE! He's been following me everywhere like an unwanted pest! I had to watch my back countless times!"
"How old… was this pest?" Blair asked, pondering the events accordingly.
"How should I know?! He may as well have been a carefree Grandfather with how he jokes about his hands getting carried away!"
Blair's hair was raised in a shudder of horror. Lysandra, Polly and Abia looked at each other.
"A… carefree Grandfather huh? So he's very old, isn't he?" Blair asked Rodney.
"...” There was doubt escaping Rodney’s face, “...Not quite sure.”
“Blair, are you… okay?” Lysandra had to ask.
Before Blair can open his mouth a male voice bellowed, “YOU SONS OF BITCHES!”
Rodney recognized the voice as he pulled his blond friend behind the girls.
Blair readied a wand behind her back as she, Lysandra, Polly and Abia were alerted by an Adonis of a man with reddish-gray hair, sparkling white teeth and clearly a Mr. Universe body if Polly and Abia’s attempts to control their swooning had anything to go by. Fortunately for Blair and the boys, this man wasn’t Lysandra’s type. In fact, Lysandra was glancing in *fear* of the man.
“You can’t hide from me, boys… though I don’t want to just callously shove these lovely ladies out of my way to get to you.”
Blair was the first to bare her teeth, “You have some nerve interrupting our conversation.”
Lysandra watched as Rodney and Henri slinked away behind the bartender’s table. The bartender patiently let them do so as he knew what this was about.
“Well, what’s wrong with trying to get back with some… fraternal company?” The man looked around for the boys as he seemed to have lost him being distracted by the death glare Blair was giving him.
“Wait…” Lysandra observed the two B’s that were on the side of his blue speedo, “Are you… Brooke’s husband?!”
“Why yes I am, baby doll. And you must be the new tour guide? I take it you knew the previous one? It seems my wife is keeping him all to herself, the thieving bitch,” The husband snarled under his breath as he glanced around, still looking for Rodney it seems.
“M-My name is Lysandra Segovia… And yeah, Rodney and I were fairly close co-workers for a while.”
“A shame he stopped working. He was the only true Inna De Poona Native to truly give our museum an authentic experience. Unless you at least knew a Polynesian language, Lysandra, I doubt you can voice a strong opinion on the history of what those artifacts had. I like a man that’s good with their tongue…” The husband’s attempts to be politically correct backfired; Not only did Abia and Polly change their opinion on the guy looking at each other at the weirdly fetishistic tone he had thinking of Rodney's ethnicity. Somehow Abia of all women rolled her eyes at the innuendo he slid out. Blair was impressed by what little she knew of Abia.
“Err, sadly I do not… but I can learn!” Lysandra said feigning hopefulness. Like she had time to learn a new language. She can’t even hold a conversation in Spanish without slipping back into English!
“Well, if you find a teacher, call me. I wouldn’t mind learning how to speak some Hawaiian myself,” The husband then slipped a business card from God knows where. Lysandra looked at Blair whose green eyes were still hostile but they were easing a bit once he left.
“So… Apparently my boss’s husband likes chasing boys in poolside bars,” Lysandra said matter of factly to Blair.
“Debating if I should be surprised there are scum like him walking the streets of Haagenieu," Blair said as if she was about to spit in the pool in disgust.
"I take it you're more disappointed you didn't vaporize a member of the Circle?" Lysandra asked.
"Lysandra!" Polly squeaked.
"No, she's right… I am slightly relieved that the man in question wasn't one of Serstan's Inheritors. Killing a random creep on the street wasn't my intention."
Blair then watched as Justin was being hit on by said 'husband' only to be shoved into the pool angrily by Aurora who yelled in a very gruff snarl, "OI! f*ck OFF, YA FLYING c*nt BASTARD!"
Justin seemed to beam with pride in spite of that ferocious demonstration of faith.
If only Rodney and Henri had Aurora's bravery to stand up against this creep though. Or they probably had and he just never had a man say no to him.
"UGH! You ugly slu*t!" Oh. Now the man's about to throw hands with Aurora. Blair had to stop this.
"Aurora!" Blair panicked as she pulled out her wand from under her hat and threw a spell at the man. He immediately turned into a frog within seconds as he hopped off clearly outnumbered and outweighed.
"Uhhh… how long is that going to last?" Lysandra asked Blair with concern.
"Only about two hours. We'll all be gone by then, fortunately, but do tell her boss she needs to keep her man on a tighter leash. Or rather, in a smaller pond to play with?" Blair was observing Aurora and Justin cuddling after that demonstration and shook her head.
There was a pause as Blair watched Aurora call someone with a whisper, "Okay, cuz… Release the hounds."
"Actually, Lysandra, that wasn't our first time with a sex-starved maniac," Blair said as Abia raised a brow at that comment.
"And if my boss tried to call her husband out on this behavior, he'd probably mention it's like the pot calling the kettle black," Lysandra sighed, with Polly gasping and going 'Oh my God'.
"That scene would have really escalated further had he been another supernatural entity like a Lich… like Atticus Winterfell," Blair observed.
Before Lysandra can ask, Polly was fanning herself as Titania and Shiney walked into the scene finally and NOW Lysandra joined Polly and Abia in melting in the pool from swooning.
"HUBBA HUBBA," Lysandra moaned as she was greeted by Shiney's otherwise androgynous figure sporting a purple Speedo with white and mint stripes. He was hugging Titania in her blue and gold one piece swimsuit as he purred.
"Uh-oh, Titania," Shiney grinned devilishly, "I think there are cougars on the loose again."
*OWCH* but it was mostly Shiney making fun of Lysandra, Polly and Abia. Though for all they knew, Shiney was at least as old as Abia was.
Blair meanwhile saw Justin have a realization.
"Waaaait. Who is babysitting Li'l' Joey?" Justin asked Aurora.
"Kalim Al-Asim, a.k.a. one of those Night Raven Boys. He said he loved to do it, saying he is used to hearing babies, humoring toddlers and the like," Aurora replied.
"Oh… That Kalim guys got a gold of heart. I mean…" Justin was panicking, "...ZOINKS. I-It's happening again!"
"We can talk about it later," Aurora said quietly.
Justin was internally screaming. Blair knew something was up though. It looked like Aurora was panicking with him. It was clear that the two of them had a lot to say about Kalim Al-Asim. Their faces were both red and they looked about ready to apologize to each other.
Rodney and Henri both slipped out as they finally confirmed that the husband of Brooke Belrose is gone. It was definitely due to magic, but Rodney frowned. Shiney was brimming like a peaco*ck with pride; he got the women's attention as he then began to wade in the pool.
"Titania, I do believe you were an exceptional swimming instructor for me. But tell me, could you help me with my form?" Shiney asked, though his bedroom eyes were asking her to do something different.
"Y-yo-you're not asking her to give you a…" Rodney interjected, his face red.
"Oh no. There's two forms of Jelly. And one of them is not too pleased I have you all to myself," Shiney made an expression of utter disgust.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Bub. I'm not dumb enough to give him that in mixed company anyway," Titania laughed as she was assuring Rodney.
Rodney huffed, "Well believe me, your little blond… partner in crime has some nerve."
"Partner in crime?! Oh I wish… Titania Gilmore is more than that," Shiney chuckled.
"Now, now, cinnamon bun… You can definitely see this guy's what you call 'jelly'," Titania laughed as she helped Shiney with his form more gently.
"Oh, but he shouldn't be. There are plenty of fish in this sea," Shiney laughed like a haughty Ojou-sama villainess in a completely Flanderized otome game that dated itself in the 90's.
Rodney clenched his fists. How dare this bastard make him look like a sleaze!
"Hey Rodney? Don’t let Shiney get to you. He tends to tease and bully others that get easily riled up,” Lysandra said, her own face turning red.
“I can see that,” Rodney sighed.
And with that, Blair sighed. The relief of course is that Rodney was too oblivious of the horns on Shiney’s head or the pointed ears to see Shiney wasn’t human. Even if he did observe that, Rodney knew not to stir trouble with Shiney, possibly because Titania was continuing to humor Shiney with his ‘swimming lesson’ though she seemed to be also humoring Abia’s sexual appetite from the intimate act of skin-to-skin contact… Blair wondered why she managed to rope these humans into their world instead of more competent heroes.
_-_-_-_
What Orion really wanted was to take a nap.
"Nehhhhh, Shrimpy's sleepy? But it's an afternoon! In Paris of all places!" Floyd whined as he ruffled Orion's dark-brown-to-light-green hair in an attempt to wake him up.
"Perhaps we will go explore Paris without him?" Jade smiled, "though I would prefer to go back to Great Britain and explore Edinburgh. I believe enjoying a mountain hike would help alleviate his sleepiness."
"Remember that we need to ensure Vil's safety. Now more than ever we need another magic user to help convince Akano to assist us. We can NOT allow Halligan to…"
"Uhhhh… Guys? You see this sh*t?" Nora's eyes widened as blocking the view of the Eiffel Tower from their window was a dark purple mask. He grumbled disgustedly, mumbling as if he really didn't want to be here. But he did…
"Akano!" Riddle's eyes lit up with shock.
"You five… fear Halligan," the mask said.
"Yeah, we know. What are we going to do about it?" Floyd whined which grated on Orion's nerves.
"But you need Halligan," Akano said more clearly.
"That… is admittedly true," Riddle looked down, almost saddened by this predicament.
"These matters… Mmmm… Vexing," Akano responded.
"We must not let Halligan rewrite history! It could hurt us all in the long run!" Riddle told Akano in a panicked voice.
"Can it?" Akano said before he closed his eyes, "I'll join you."
Riddle gasped as if his family lifted his punishment of being grounded for a year off of him early due to good behavior. He almost began to cry, "I'll stop him. I'll stop him and save the students at Night Raven College!"
Orion snarled. All this commotion was forcibly waking him up. He then began to storm off.
"Ayo, Ori! Wait up," Nora tried to stop Orion only for him to turn and face her.
"Look, sorry Nora… I don't know why these chucklef*cks are dragging us in this mess but I need to find a way for us to get out," Orion declared before leaving, "I need to be away from those clowns as Undead Forsakenly Possible!"
"You know this sh*t is your sister's fault, right? You can at least help her with this 'Halligan Rewrites History' sh*t for the Magic Mafia," Nora said.
"Magic Mafia… Hmph. Right. If they know how to magically teleport you underwater with cement shoes, then I'll start taking those college freshmen more seriously," Orion scoffed.
Regardless, he definitely needed to be as far away from them as "Undead Forsakenly possible," in his own words.
He decided to talk to some fishermen. He needed answers on where the last time Detective Halligan was seen, in order to gain figurative footprints he could follow. They did not appear to notice him, having been ensconced in their own conversation.
"So I was saying, I got a good look at this teal face thing I found while scuba diving over in the Atlantic, and then…" One of the fishermen rambled on, until he noticed Orion's presence. "...You alright, lad?"
Orion sighed, "Not really. I was wondering if there were any boats I could use. I was hoping to visit Stonehenge."
A second fisherman spoke, "You'll be needing to wait a bit, I'm afraid. Our Captain, a man named Padraic Q. Mousetoria…"
Orion had to do a double take, "Come again?"
The second fisherman repeated slowly, "Padraic Q. Mousetoria." He then cleared his throat, and continued, "Our Captain and his pet cat are fetching us some vittles before our next expedition into the Atlantic."
Orion nodded slowly, "Right. I'm… interested. In meeting this Captain of yours. I shall wait." I appear to have been softlocked into another of these "Magic Mafia" dunderheads. One whose pseudonym is a clear reference to The Great Mouse Detective. How… quaint.
And wait he did. Luckily, he did not have to wait long, as a black cat walked right in front of Orion.
If Lysandra were here, she'd tell me I'd have seven years' bad luck.
Then, Orion saw the Captain of which the fishermen spoke. He had large rat ears, and stood about seven feet tall. He wore a fancy suit, with a red cape. He looked to be carrying take out, in a large paper bag.
"Felicia! Try not to run off without dear ol' daddy, won't you?" Captain Padraic gently placed the bag within the vicinity of his underlings, who rifled through the contents with only regard for their own food orders.
"Thanks for the curry, boss!"
Orion's own stomach grumbled at the mention of curry. It was audible enough to attract Padraic's attention.
*Ah! And… who are you?" Padraic raised a brow. "I don't recall hiring you to help me compete with my fellows in acquiring treasure."
Orion thought fast, "I'm just a bloke. I heard you guys found one of the 'Dr. Neo Cortex's International Tour' masks in the Atlantic Ocean below."
Padraic smirked, and Orion could now see his thin mustache, "Have you encountered some of my… acquaintances elsewhere, by any-?"
"Yes," Orion interrupted, "They've roped me into their imbecilic antics." He shook his head, "You want the same thing, I presume?"
Padraic's smirk widened, "I… do, as a matter of fact. Halligan has outsmarted me, but his fellow Yardies have me covering ground while they do all the grunt work." He then offered a gloved hand, "Why don't we work out a deal?"
Too eager. He and Brooke would be peas in a pod.
Orion shook Padraic's hand, "Sure. I'm not exactly in the business of backing down from bad ideas."
The tall Ratfolk feigned offense, but continued along affably enough, "My dear… can I call you something besides 'Bloke?'"
Orion answered impatiently, "Orion."
Padraic echoed the name, and then continued, "I believe we have common ground. I come from Noble Bell… and I caught onto some information my colleagues dredged up."
So far, so good.
"My… friends, from Night Raven, are under the impression they can just team up against a common enemy as six out of seven of the dorms. They have forgotten our world was destroyed by a snap of the fingers. And I can observe you met with members of both Octanivelle and of Heartslabyul, from the way their cologne lingers on you. I am already ahead of them, as I've managed to befriend another ship's Captain." Padraic explained carefully. "In the interim, my friend Arawn Prydain and I have hired retainers who also have interest in ensuring Halligan's demise."
Right on schedule, a boney man wearing a hood with deer antlers on it arrived.
"Ah, speak of the devil. Arawn, I'm surprised you woke up this early!" Padraic golf-clapped.
Arawn's eyes glowed red, "I have devised a way for us to achieve victory at the hands of our mutual foe." He then shifted his gaze to Orion, "You must be the outsider who the former Headwarden of Heartslabyul encountered. I saw your compassion for the Homeless One, in a vision."
"I… am." Orion nodded slowly.
Arawn flashed a toothy grin, "The Deer Mother speaks highly of you."
"Deer… Mother?" Orion sounded confused.
Padraic interjected to explain, "Death goddess who grants my pen pal here the spells he needs to assist me in my ascent to finishing Halligan off once and for all."
Arawn nodded, not adding anything further.
Orion huffed, "Very well. I suppose we should set sail soon?"
Padraic took out a golden pocket watch, "I need to convene with a fellow ship Captain who my underlings respect, first. He is, sadly, fifteen minutes late…"
There was another cat hissing sound in the distance which made Felicia wince and look around for the angry cat snarls. Soon the group saw a mutual adversary for the first time wrangling a different cat in the distance.
"HALLIGAN!" Padraic's voice echoed throughout all of Paris.
The man in the ratty beige trenchcoat turned. He didn't expect a seven-foot-tall rat man to throw a haymaker in his face.
Orion turned to see Arawn take out his phone, with a gray and sickly green phone case.
Arawn explained carefully, "I need my fellows from Heartslabyul, specifically its Head Warden, to come help apprehend Halligan before the authorities arrest my taller compatriot."
"And… who is that?" Orion asked.
"Riddle Roseheart," Arawn said matter-of-factly.
Orion was given a vision of that name and who it was connected to: the 5'2" red-head who almost decapitated Nora for humoring the taller eel boys while laughing at him. Orion's eyes widened. How is this Riddle chump any use?
Well, it was clear Halligan didn't expect the haymaker in question as the cat escaped wearing a scarf. The cat didn't even make a sound. It knew that it would be caught again if it did.
An explosion alerted Arawn, Orion, and Padraic in the distance. Halligan ran off mumbling about 'cat-people' in a panic.
Arawn got a text back from Riddle.
"You can manage Padraic's rage fine. However, it seems Vil and Ortho are in trouble. Ortho just alerted me one of Serstan's Inheritors has tried to make his assault during the Paris Photoshoot."
Arawn sighed grumbling about 'That damn son of a witch."
"Aaaaaaaand we have essentially soft-locked ourselves. Halligan has escaped." Orion frowned.
"Hm… perhaps Ortho and Shroud can help us 'debug.'" Arawn looked for text chains to continue talking to other people.
_-_-_-_-_
Idia was given a text in the evening as he was playing Sleeping Hollow Online AND doing more research on Brooke Belrose.
"Ughhh… What now? Well anything is better then researching a Mid human being like Mrs. Belrose. She and her husband basically are trying to f*ck the whole town over both figuratively and literally."
Idia got a text from Arawn AND from Ortho.
Idia was alerted by Ortho first.
"Ortho?!" Idia gasped. He hurriedly read the text which was followed by a video call.
"Big brother! Diagnostics are showing Vil is about to Overblot again!! And one of Serstan's Inheritors has figured out our plan!" The smaller boy on the phone call was saying, voice glitching as if it were cracking.
"WHAT?! You mean the more even-keeled 'Gets surrounded by the paparazzi with no shame' Vil Schoenheit who also was our best spy got doxxed by Serstan's Inheritors?! Ohhh f*ck! These f*ckers are definitely nerfing us big time. Okay, okay… Did you try to get Vil to safety?
"I have but he's already showing clear signs that his wand is about to turn pure black. Something about what the Inheritors are yelling at us is really getting to Vil's psyche!"
Ortho then showed the ink blotting out of Vil's wand as a man wearing British Royal Army military general attire was going on about something involving how the last 'Pomefiore Boy' almost got to this state.
"Fairest of Them All! Fairest of Them All! FAIREST OF THEM ALL!!" Vil, a boy whose platinum blonde hair transitioned to a pale lilac color, was touching everything surrounding him inside an abandoned castle. Once rusty vases of bronze and copper turned into sickly greens and bright cyans as if to turn them all into items radiating poisonous gas.
"Vil! Do not panic! I can fly you out of here!" Ortho tried to assure Vil through the video call.
"N-no! Ortho! Fly on without me! I…" Vil then began to cough out ink. Soon his whole body was engulfed with jet black ink. Ortho gasped.
"Big Brother! I forgot the serum to stop this!" Ortho shrieked, his voice glitching out.
Instead of panicked, muffled screams then turned into haunting laughter.
"I… am the Fairest of Them All!!" The person known as Vil was now adorned in a royal purple dress wearing ink almost everywhere else on his body.
"Ahhh! You Overblotted. It is time to shoot you down, you magnificent peaco*ck, you!" The Inheritor in the military uniform laughed as Vil shot at the Inheritor black sludge that definitely would have killed a normal man.
Ortho looked through the phone.
"Arawn just sent you and Riddle a text! Warn Riddle! I repeat! WARN RIDDLE!" Ortho yelled.
Idia did as he was told by his younger brother. He already had Riddle on Speed Dial.
_-_-_-_-_
Today was supposed to mark Zoey, Lillian, and Sarah's triumph. Unfortunately, a Parisian castle in the outskirts had been documented on the news, with it now in ruins courtesy of an explosion whose smoke could be seen in the distance.
They previously hung out with a ship's Captain, who they encountered at a little bakery. Sarah correctly tracked him down as the one they needed to talk to, but the rest fell out of place. Lillian and Zoey kept pressing him for information on The River Thames, and potentially getting access to an Oxford professor's research on Celtic History.
"Ahhhh. The Evil Queen is throwing poison apples around," Zoey said, shaking her head.
"Nani?! Schoenheit-kun's in trouble? Poor Schoenheit-kun! We have to rescue him!" Sarah whined.
"God f*cking damn it… Okay, fine. Let's go see what these dumbasses are doing," Lilian said storming out first.
It didn't take long for Captain Jean duNeurve to look at the time and go 'Oh no!' as he rushed out the door alongside them, going the direction of the harbor.
Lilian and Zoey were stopped by seeing Riddle putting on Akano's mask as he flew off to the direction of the castle. Lilian blinked.
"I see the Queen of Hearts has equipped Akano," Zoey nodded approvingly.
"Wait! Come back!"
Lilian turned and it looked like they were not the only ones going that direction. She saw the guy with lime-green hair from earlier trying to stop Riddle's fight last night running with a different entourage following them and then Orion turning his head slightly to see Nora followed by the Twins.
"Looks like the Magic Mafia found themselves in deep sh*t. You comin' or what?" Nora asked Orion.
"I'll take that as a yes," Jade observed as Orion didn't even answer the group. His ultimate priority was trying to stop two new faces from getting themselves into new sh*t.
Lilian then saw a small spec flying up in the sky, which looked like a human man dressed like a slu*tty peaco*ck Jessica Rabbit to her.
"I wonder if that guy can f*ckin' kill me when we reach him," Lilian said, "That must be the coolest f*ckin' thing I've seen all day."
_-_-_-_-_
Riddle was flying wearing Akano’s mask. He felt his heart race, his body shaking. He felt like Magic was escaping his body and while his headache was growing, he didn’t think it was because of how heavy Akano was over his head. In fact, it felt like he was crying a thousand times over the most menial sh*t, raising his voice over his classmates refusing to follow the rules. He had visions of the one that made him Overblot before, the one just as irritating as Halligan…
Ace Trappola. His heart-shaped facial marking over a red-head’s co*cky face. He called him out for being a control freak.
Riddle tried to shake his head from imagining what he said to him to make him snap like that. But Akano kept showing his face as well as a few others. All doing things that irritated Riddle in the past. Riddle pouted as Akano showed him these visions.
Deuce Spade. His hair wasn’t naturally blue but he dyed it. Those were against the Rules of the Queen of Hearts. He and Ace would butt heads, disturbing the peace of the Heartslabyul Garden.
Trey Clover, the former Vice Headwarden. He trusted him, and yet… Nevermind. His ruffled green hair and thick-rimmed glasses hid a man of a thousand faces, a thousand lies…
Cater Diamond. He’s always on his phone. He is always yammering and talking and he is barely getting his chores done today. What is he doing? A selfie? At this time?! He’s about to get a stern talking to…
Riddle remembered these faces well but tried to shake them off. Eventually he confronted Akano.
“Why are you showing me my colleagues back at Heartslabyul? I made peace with them already,” Riddle asked Akano.
“They anger you.”
“We made our peace.”
“THEY ANGER YOU.”
“Even after everything, I wasn’t the one to kill Ace Trappola and Deuce Spade. That was the doing of…”
“THEY ANGER YOU.”
Riddle was then thrown a vision of his mother, her hands bloodied with the corpses of Ace and Deuce, their heads barged in up against each other over and over again until their skulls caved in and their faces were no longer recognizable with their heart and spade insignias over their face drenched in blood now. But she had multiple hands, all belonging to Serstan’s Inheritors. Her hands were over Trey’s neck, Cater’s neck, and the neck of a purple-haired boy with cat ears and pink streaks in said purple hair. Riddle remembered him as Chenya. It was as if she were to kill them next.
“I see… You know I’m upset about what could happen to them and what did happen to the ones that did die,” Riddle responded.
“Mmm…”
Riddle nodded, “You’re channeling things that trigger my stress in order to train me on how to use you, aren’t you?”
“Mmm…”
“You’re lucky I need you at this time,” Riddle replied, “I accept you doing this but know for next time, you need to use your words on what needs to be done.”
“...Thank you…”
This was all Akano said as not before long, Riddle’s body began to change form. Akano remained on, but his form was covered in a deep dark red-violet color as Paris was beginning to be painted with magenta ink from where Riddle was flying over. A once white poodle was now a hot pink, a man’s white wine turned into a sparkling rose. A brick red fire truck trying to follow the direction of the fire in the castle on the outskirts of Paris was turned a deep blood red instead. They saw the source of it as a little girl pointed at the now ‘Magenta Queen of the Sky’ flying over to the source of the explosion.
“Riddle! You’re… Wait. What is this form?! It’s like when you Overblotted but…” Ortho asked Riddle over the Bluetooth call being received.
“I know. It looks like I have and yet… I have some control over it,” Riddle said as he heard French news reporters pointing him out confronting Vil Schoenheit, turning to greet Riddle and Akano.
“You DARE challenge ME?” the Overblot Vil laughed.
“Riddle, do you need assistance?” Ortho asked Riddle.
“That would be appreciated. Let’s see if Akano’s Anti-Matter Powers have any use against Serstan’s Inheritor.”
Riddle then went down to PIN Overblot Vil somewhere. The Vil that Overblotted shook as he was trying to attack Riddle and Akano.
“HOW DARE YOU!!”
“YOU ARE SCARED.” Akano’s voice boomed as he was controlling the Anti-Matter properties more.
“You fools! He isn’t the enemy… Now where to eat him first?” The British military general in question who triggered Vil’s fight or flight response first asked as he was approaching the Overblot Vil. However, Ortho shot the man down.
“We KNOW. Vil has been neutralized. Target now locked to General Myers of the British Army.” Ortho said this with his hair turning from the harmless blue to the now BLAZING hot orange fire is most known for, his eyes narrowing as he aimed at the Inheritor of Serstan that was about to take a sacrificial dagger to peel flesh off of Overblot Vil.
“Akano, how much longer could you hold Vil down?” Riddle asked Akano.
“Very… long.” Akano said as if this was a trick question to Riddle.
“I see… Could you let him go once he snaps to his senses?”
Akano didn’t answer there.
“It doesn't matter. I came here for one thing and it was the Amulet! I will ensure we will have power during the Final Ritual!” General Myers, the now named [‘doxxed’ in Idia’s words] Inheritor of Serstan in the military clothes declared as he revealed a wooden amulet.
Just then it was shot out of his hand by a different spell.
“Jade! Floyd!” Ortho looked down to see them alongside Nora.
_-_-_-_
Parisian officers surrounded everyone who was fighting. They strode carefully, and first apprehended General Myers. Among the passengers in the officer cars was Detective Halligan, who had picked up the Amulet upon it being dropped and had absconded with it.
Audrey also arrived at the scene, in a fancy vehicle of her own. She scanned the area with her eyes, until she waved at Orion. He went to her, as everyone else felt the presence of French police.
"Oh, good. You're not dead," Audrey sighed with relief.
"Hang on, I still have to go after Halligan." Orion turned his direction towards the police car Halligan was taking. He made a mad dash, and climbed on top of the police car as it accelerated out of the castle ruins area. Orion turned his head briefly, and saw looks of absolute shock from all of his peers, as well as the Parisian police officers who looked to apprehend SOMEONE.
Orion maintained a firm grip on the police car, and felt Halligan make deliberate sharp turns so as to throw him off.
“WHY DO YOU NEED THE AMULET SO BADLY?!” Halligan asked Orion, peering his head over one of the windows.
“It belongs to my colleagues.” He snapped back. If he did not need to maintain his grip to stay on the car rooftop, he would have had an opportunity to sock the Detective in the jaw.
“YOU’RE ONE OF THOSE CAT PEOPLE.” Halligan came to this conclusion.
Orion blinked. He’s every bit as much of a loonie as the Londoners say…
Flashes of photography briefly made both Halligan and Orion lose their sense of vision. The police car ended up barreling through the road, with photographers and “fans” of Vil having to get out of the way of the speeding police car.
-_-_-_-
“Where the f*ck is Orion anyway?” Nora asked.
“You… didn’t see him? He… jumped on a police car.” Audrey spoke flatly. Why am I defending one of Brooke’s stooges? Is his accomplice this f*cking inobservant?
“Wait… QUE?! A f*ckin’ police car?! I was trying to console Senor Crankass over here so he doesn’t blast poison gas in my face with his stank-ass breath,” Nora was referring to Vil who seemed to be waking up after Ortho and Riddle managed to calm him down from his frenzy in ‘Overblot Mode’.
Audrey hissed. Okay, yeah. I don’t know what the f*ck these people are smoking, but I know SOMETHING had to have blown this place to bits.
Arawn and Padraic rushed to the scene.
“Ah,” Arawn spoke with clairvoyance, “Syr Vil, I know our houses have had minor disputes in the past. However, I must inform you your Overblotting is now going to become a publique tabloid…”
Padraic then interrupted, “...unless you come with us. We’re sailing to the bottom of the Atlantic to get another of those funny masks you and Riddle invested a lot of time into finding.”
Vil was getting up, headache pounding, but he knew what to talk about, “Not like I have a choice. General Myers just shot the choreographer for the Paris Photoshoot...”
Vil’s eyes widened. He was kept silent by the surrounding people, specifically the officers, the paparazzi, and the worst of all… Audrey Belrose a.k.a. The Godslayer. He tightened his lips nervously.
Audrey co*cked a brow, “Funnily enough, I had a photoshoot I had to delay, too…” She then grumbled a series of curse words, as she then closed her eyes, “...not to mention, I ALSO lost my choreographer…” She began taking deep breaths, trying to keep herself calm. She then turned around, “...and the one guy who I wouldn’t dope slap for this sh*t has run off getting himself into trouble with that Dick.”
“Wait, where IS Detective Halligan?” An officer began looking around, muttering in French.
“Oh, no… he stole my car…” Another officer chimed in, awkwardly and also in French.
Paparazzi took photos of Vil, Audrey, and Nora as Padraic tried to wave everyone out of the area to give all of them a wide berth. Arawn flinched, as the incoming flashes of light practically blinded him. Ortho vocally attempted to placate the surrounding people, even with General Myers now officially under arrest per the words Vil said aloud.
“Maria, dame mis paciencia y fe…” Nora grumbled as she looked at the teenage boys that were now looking to her and Audrey for help to deescalate the situation at hand.
-_-_-_-
Halligan heard his phone ring. He picked it up with one hand, while steering with another. One of the intruders had made what was supposed to be an easy acquisition of an Amulet and a Mask go horribly awry for him.
“Halligan? I’m hearing some ‘interesting’ news… news which has your name written all over it…” The voice happened to belong to his Chief of Police, who could hear engine and police noises in the background.
“I’m still on the case,” Halligan spoke firmly. There was no way to deal with the Chief of Police, save for genuine attempts to get the truth to him. Every errant case Lowry refused to solve got passed down to him, and he always bore the brunt of Scotland Yard’s criticisms. It did not help that nobody else would do their job properly either… or were explicitly instructed not to allow Halligan access to specific pieces of information about the Prime Minister.
“HELP!” Orion shouted, having caught on to Halligan being on the phone, “HE’S GONE AND TRIED TO-”
Halligan tried to roll up the windows, only for Orion to make one swift move in grabbing the phone from the Detective’s hands.
“Halligan?! What’s the meaning of this?!”
Orion barely kept onto the car roof, and grunted, “Sorry… It's Orion. I’m trying to stop Halligan from destroying the world.”
“Destroying the world?! Are you also a conspiracy theorist?! Is Halligan cavorting with other loonies instead of doing his damn job?” The Chief of Police sounded like a conspiracy theorist himself, so this would have been pot calling the kettle black, by Orion’s estimate.
“Syr Kettle, it would be wise to not call the Pot black,” Orion replied smartly.
“You are disrespecting an important Chief Commissioner. I have half a mind to have you arrested for obstruction of justice.”
Orion cleared his throat, “Not what I mean, Syr. Halligan’s come into possession of an Amulet. I need to help my boss’ niece, The Godslayer.”
The Chief hung up, which was exactly the point. Orion then tried to yank the phone off the car, in order to further disconnect it, but he wound up smacking the phone against the side of Halligan’s door instead. He resumed gripping the car roof with two hands, surprised at not having fallen off.
The cord snapped the phone back into Halligan’s hands. He saw logically the only solution was to shake Orion off the car. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t have a gun. So he had one OTHER solution that should work…
Crash the car into the River of Seine.
Unfortunately, for Halligan and Orion, they drove through Parisian traffic to do this, making the once excitable citizens talking of Magenta Queens fighting black ominous figures in the distance now panicking that a madman stole a police car and decided to kill them with it.
Seeing what he needed to do after, Halligan unbuckled his seatbelt and tried to escape the car by busting it open. Orion and Halligan were staring each other down underwater now.
Orion held his breath, and tried to grab the Amulet while using his legs to swim upwards. In his eyes, it was clear he would not leave the city without the relic of which he knew the Detective also sought.
Halligan was baffled but he had to get back to the surface and gather air before he could try to pursue Orion further. Understandably as he did so, while he did get Orion off his back, it came at the cost of more than just the Amulet. He looked on and saw more French police officers making a vocal report on what just occurred to their higher ups.
It was as if Halligan could hear Commissioner Geoffrey Miller bellow his name angrily from where he was wading in Seine.
Orion swam a little further, trying to get as few eyes on him as possible while he still held onto the Amulet. While he wanted to impress Audrey, he never thought it would come down to having a chase down with the Big Bad Halligan himself so early into the investigation. He swam up to the surface, and pocketed the relic he came for as he barely could stand up.
He just so happened to run into four eyewitnesses. One Ship’s Captain, and… three people who he recognized from earlier, even if not by name.
“Just… my luck…” Orion took heavy breaths and let out a laugh. His knees gave out, and he fell before the people in front of him.
“Ariel made it to the surface it seems,” Zoey said.
“...What?” Lilian asked dumbfounded.
“...Sorry, forgive me. I meant to say the one known as Orion Witherbloom-Segovia has managed to escape Flotsam and Jetsam for a while,” Zoey corrected herself.
“What about Vil Schoenheit?! And… And Riddle?!”
“They’ll be here shortly to retrieve him. After all, I did have a meeting with a fellow ship captain… Padriac Q. Mousetoria,” the Ship Captain said.
It wasn’t quite clear yet, but Lilian thought she heard another teenage boy humming to the tune of ‘Once Upon A Dream’ from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, as if trying to lull Orion only to it. She looked around. No such boy was around.
“You sense him too… But no worries. He won’t come to us until later to introduce himself. He needs to be invited, after all,” Zoey seemed to have heard what Lilian heard.
“Nani?! What are you two hearing?! Why can’t I hear it?!” Sarah whined.
“The fae are watching us carefully it seems. Of course they would. Though it is unfortunate that they don’t deem your friend Suki as worthy of their presence,” the Captain said.
“Jean duNeurve… Is he saying ‘Goodbye’ to us or…”
“Yes. He is. He’s probably leaving to finally make his decision. After all, the rest of his friends are on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.”
—-----
“I know you… I met with you once upon a dream…”
Lysandra was awoken by what sounded like a man singing this song. She looked around.
“Orion? Are you home?!” Lysandra said as she covered herself bashfully. She looked over to see she was with Polly and Abia in their first sleepover.
Lysandra gulped. She had flashbacks to something she didn’t think would help her cope but she had to as it was a lullaby she had to learn for herself.
“On the wind, 'cross the sea…” Lysandra sang back.
No singing back, but Lysandra still felt his presence.
“...sing this song and remember…” Lysandra gulped trying to continue.
Polly groaned as well as Abia hearing Lysandra walk outside.
“Soon you'll be home with me…”
“Once upon a December~”
Lysandra screamed as the figure finally revealed himself to her. Polly rushed over to see who it was. She screamed as well. Abia checked as well, taking a dild* as a makeshift weapon only to see that a dild* will do nothing.
“...A wonderful melody, no?” the tall man said, his eyes green like a lizard and his horns long, thick and tall.
“W-Who are you?”
“Uninvited… Quite an awkward situation, is it not?” the man said as he crossed his arms.
“Wait, are we in a hostage situation? Are you with Serstan’s Inheritors?” Lysandra asked.
“Not at all… I am however wanting to get back in the good graces of Ashengrotto and his mission. I need to start small though,” the man said.
“You know you can just… Speak to him directly, right?” Polly asked, somewhat calling him out as a sort of cowardice.
“Just… Talk to him? I think he’ll faint if he saw me. So tell me, human children… How do I approach a man that fears me?”
“...”
Lysandra, Polly and Abia looked at each other dumbfounded.
“MALLEUS FOR f*ck’S SAKE!”
Malleus now was the one taken aback as Kyu stepped into the scene.
“Lady Sugardust. What a pleasant surprise! Did the Goddess Venus send you here, perchance?”
“Yeah, but it was so we had an army to combat The Big Load!”
“‘The Big Load’... Vulgar as always, aren’t we, Lady Sugardust,” Malleus laughed.
“You’re really here because your classmates landed in a landmine they thought was just a simple dog turd. And honestly, I thought you Dragon Fae didn’t give a f*ck what humans with magic are doing with their time,” Kyu replied.
“Usually… But Serstan’s Inheritors invoke all of the Fae Realm. We have no choice BUT to act now. General Myers of the British Army tried to kill Vil Schoenheit in his Overblot form as well,” Malleus explained, “And why did you involve THEM?”
“Oh, that’s easy. Lysandra stepped into my turf uninvited first. Buuut because I’m a good sport, unlike you, I am helping her prepare her puss* for the Big Load big time!” Kyu replied.
“Please… Rephrase that in front of a higher power,” Malleus made the face like a little kid that just ate something rancid.
“Ohh… Forgive me, my liege,” Kyu said this pretty condescendingly as she knew her foul language was driving Malleus insane at this point, “I’m recruiting her into the army to fight Serstan’s Inheritors. Once Halligan starts his sh*t-show, they’re going to start sh*t that’ll affect the Human Realm so fast, it’ll even reawaken the Nymphojinn faster.”
“Ah… I would say it’ll create more Overblots as well. We can’t have that… So what do you propose that isn’t sex related?” Malleus asked.
“Well aside from collecting fairy-wings, Kyu and Azul both want us to collect the Quantum Masks and renovate the strip mall that’s now barely a fashion boutique, an indie comic book store that’s almost as big as a Books A Million now, and a fancy seafood restaurant,” Lysandra chimed in finally.
“Azul’s restaurant? I see… Hmmm… Well now. I should visit his neighbors soon. From what I gather they do not fear the Dragon Fae,” Malleus laughed.
“We are now trying to get a hair salon in Valencia Parkway as well if you want to get rid of your sh*tty ass mullet!” Kyu laughed.
Malleus did not humor Kyu by laughing with her. He then returned his attention to the human girls.
“I saw your brother get into trouble, Lysandra Segovia, Human Child of Haagenieu, Florida,” Malleus said.
Lysandra groaned, “Am I going to hear about it tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“God damn it.” Lysandra whined.
“In the meantime, I envy you, Human Child. The others love how naive you look and you will be taken advantage as such. But it’s because of that…” Malleus paused as he bit his lip.
“We’ll keep an eye on her,” Polly said, grabbing Lysandra and hugging her tightly.
“You do that. Until then…” Malleus said as he disappeared like that.
“Such a drama queen… But he did turn 120 something in human years. That’s still a baby by Dragon Fae standards. And he’s going to get some mindf*ck magic when he’s my age, so I only get to bully him in this state until then,” Kyu said.
“So he’s a Night Raven college alumni. I wonder why he wasn’t hanging it with the others?” Lysandra said as she looked to Kyu.
“Uhhhh… Most of the students are human, which kind of factors into it.” Kyu observed.
"I see… we should talk to them about Malleus then. That way, we can tell them that he isn't as scary as he leads on," Polly said confidently.
_-_-_-_
Kyu returned to the shop to hear what sounded like a cam-girl from Russia teasing an audience. She looked around trying to find the source. Eventually, she entered the room of the married couple: Aurora and Justin.
Kyu looked baffled. But then she grinned deviously. She couldn't help but overhear their whispering.
"Is she doin' anything for you, love?" Aurora asked as her hand was over Justin's stomach.
"Maybe if I met her in person… Ughhh… But even then, she didn't make me twist my tongue like Kalim did!" Justin tried not to raise his voice.
"f*ck. She isn't doing sh*t for me either. Justin, what are we going to do?! I doubt this Kalim guy is going to be down for homewreckin'!" Aurora said in a panic.
"Oh, you guys are finally having marriage problems?" Kyu interjected.
Justin muffled his scream as he was caught off guard by Kyu.
"Oh, f*ck off ya damn pixie!"
"Oh relax! First of all, I'm a love fairy, not a pixie. Those girls have tit* for days. Second of all… I can do marriage counseling. So what's the big deal and what Cam site are you trying to get off to in order to get Kalim out of the picture?" Kyu asked.
Justin blushed as he revealed 'Homicide Girls' to Kyu. Kyu's jaw dropped as she saw a Russian brunette woman trying to 'squirt' on screen. Then she did the diagnostics on her HunieBee.
"Okay, that's the problem, Justin… You and Aurora over here are Flirtation Negative. The boy you two are trying to get into a threesome with…"
"Wait. Threesome?" Aurora tilted her head, "We didn't say sh*t about a threesome!"
"Kalim doesn't seem to be the guy that would be up for that either." Justin said turning red with surprise.
"Hold up! Hold up… Let me explain. Kalim Al-Asim is Sexuality Negative, Flirtation Positive. You guys are at a huge disadvantage because Kalim Al-Asim doesn't want to f*ck. At least… not at first," Kyu replied.
"Wait. Hold up… Are you seriously trying to hook us up with Kalim in spite of the fact we're…" Justin was trying not to raise his voice, but it got harder to do.
"Kalim Al-Asim may look freaky fresh, but he is 19 years old. You just have to… put away the cam sites until he gets to know you two more. And Justin… I didn't think you were into tattoos and piercings THAT much," Kyu giggled.
"Well that does explain why Justin is into him. Guy's ears are almost as poked with bling as mine," Aurora chuckled, "and we did check out Homicide Girls because that's where Countess Lillandra usually does her shows. But she isn't doing any tonight so we're just watching Nadia instead."
"I think Aurora likes Kalim because he's literally a ray of sunshine," Justin said in less words by comparison.
"Oi!... f*ck off!" Aurora said this but she was playfully laughing now.
"But it's true!" Justin said.
Kyu chuckled, "Okay, I get it! The big issue is compatibility must be detected. Sooooo… Tomorrow, I need you two to actually talk to him. Doesn't have to be your feelings. Just needs to be something. And if you have chemistry, THEN I can see if Kalim Al-Asim is down for a threesome then! It isn't homewrecking if you two both want to bone him!"
Aurora and Justin turned to look at each other.
"I'll leave you two to enjoy the 'movie' you guys are staying up late at night for. Good niiiiight," Kyu giggled as she flew away.
Aurora and Justin got up to close the door and lock it behind Kyu.
"f*ck. I'm almost as bad as 'Jelly'," Aurora laughed.
"I know you aren't like Nigella. Nigella's…"
"Not some uptight bitch who thinks she's better than everyone else?"
"Was going to say she's just so dramatic. She and Lucian do get along though because of it. I like you because you're not into getting into drama like this. The only reason we're talking about this now is because this is a serious dive into our relationship and…"
Aurora caressed Justin's face as they kissed. Soon that kissing turned into a make out as they dropped their smartphone as Nadia closed off her stream with a 'Dosvedanya' waving at the audience.
_-_-_-_
Two Months Prior…
Riddle graduated already. Ace was the Headwarden of Heartslabyul in his stead and Deuce was his Vice Headwarden of Choice as Seniors on their Third Year. Yet he didn't see them at all during the Welcoming Ceremony at all. Odd…
"Headmage…?" Riddle asked.
No comment. He walked off. Riddle looked to Leona, Azul, Jade, Floyd, Kalim, Jamil, Vil, Rook, Idia and Ortho. Even Idia was present (though he was on his smartphone playing Action Taimanin as some random busty anime babe Riddle wasn't even going to ask who she was). Malleus wasn't present which made sense considering he rarely shows up (because he wasn't invited… A truly awkward situation indeed).
"Riddle, everything okay?" Trey asked.
"Ace and Deuce said they were going to be in charge of representing Heartslabyul as Third Year Students. Yet I don't see them anywhere," Riddle said this with concern in his voice.
"You know them. They might be unreasonably late or… maybe they're picking a fight somewhere. You should cut them some slack," Trey assured Riddle.
Riddle shook his head. He thought they were better than this by now.
It was Rook who later whispered something in Vil's ear that Riddle's interest was piqued by. His eyes went wide and he then rushed to text something real quick.
Riddle looked down on his phone as it vibrated.
You guys! This is an important entrance ceremony, what are you…?!
Riddle then read the text.
"Arrow from Afar (I See You) stopped working for following a student from Pomefiore. He was last seen in the outskirts of London."
Riddle blinked as he saw even Leona was widening his eyes to the group chat.
"Let's meet up for this. If anyone can contact Malleus… N-Nevermind. He will not take well to the news that his former classmates have been disappearing in London of all places."
And Riddle sighed as an hour after the Entrance Ceremony, they argued over where their Study Abroad was going to be and why. Lo and behold, the worst part is that Riddle picked London alongside the two people he DIDN'T want to tag along with.
_-_-_-_
Back at the present, Orion was sleeping. In his dream, he was greeted inside the ruins of a derelict Russian castle by a figure with black horns for the first time. His eyes glowed green in the darkness.
"Dancing bears, painted wings
Things you almost remember
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December
Someone holds you safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across your Memory…"
He lit the room with a green flame but despite it all, it began to glow warm Autumn colors of gold and yellow as the man showed Orion what looked like Lysandra exchanging waltzes between a blonde Beauty-tuber Orion barely had any recollection of and a woman Orion thought was someone he rescued long ago until he looked closely and saw her innocent doe eyes and her well-endowed figure in the ballgown reminiscent of a Russian noble at their most conservative.
He saw other figures dancing, which included two other boys with horns (though their horns made Orion think of candy), a cat woman with dark gray fur and a deep chocolatey mane, a man covered in bandages, a man with lion ears & a lion tail, and who he remembered were their coworkers, Rodney Kealoha and Henri Garnier. The rest were mostly women that Richard had a faint recollection of, but whether this dream was a warning he can not discern.
"Someone holds you safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
across my memory…"
The figures then turned and were greeted by a fairy girl with gorgeous Technicolor wings announcing the arrival of a woman in a regal Roman toga stepping down with familiar green hair that looked a lot like the tips on Orion's hair.
She then cast a spell over them which made them turn into the accursed masks that Orion recognized. However, these masks danced around the horned man with raven hair as he continued his song
"Far away, long ago,
Glowing dim as an ember,
Things your heart used to know
Things it yearns to remember
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December"
The image faded as it returned to the derelict ruins. The man kept Orion silent this whole time either through his own silencing spell or something else, but finally Orion almost had the chance to speak.
"I am afraid I can no longer call you a Child of Man," the horned man said as he pointed at the last figure to disappear, the green-haired beauty in the Roman toga, "for the Goddess Venus is someone who courses through your veins even now."
"Uhhhh… What?"
"Ah. Forgive me… You're a unique one. Usually my true name isn't said lightly, so for now you can address me as you wish," the horned man said.
"Okay then… How about…"
Orion wanted to give this clearly inhuman creature that decided to f*ck with his dreams a humiliating name. It was a good punishment for robbing him of his agency in his own dream. But he had to think fast…
"M. I know a pink-haired minion named Q. So, alphabet soup."
"M? How humorous…" the horned dragon's grin grew ear to ear.
Orion looked like he was going to nurse a migraine, "Dude, it's not that deep. I know screwall about the supernatural, besides maybe Audrey being a Godslayer for real. Maybe some high-level Druid who hasn't yet ransacked Naxxramas."
"Funnily enough, I know this 'Q' as well," 'M' chuckled, "You two already sound like you would get along splendidly."
"Probably," Orion shrugged, though his expression did not waver, "I need to get some water and see where I'm at. I collapsed in front of some people while clutching that Amulet. I need to make sure it doesn't fall into Halligan's slimy hands."
"Ah. The Amulet…" and with that 'M' snapped his fingers and disappeared into purple and green smoke. As he laughed, Orion was woken up.
His voice echoed through Orion's mind, "Child of Venus… The Inheritors will try to kill you and your sister. It is in your best interest to remember the faces you saw in your dreams."
Orion woke up in a ship cabin next to a goth girl in black pigtails and a cyberpunk diva of sorts. Across from them was Nora arguing with Padriac and Arawn. Riddle was by a familiar model of sorts as the model was nursing himself from what looked like a massive hangover. Right by Riddle and the familiar model was a boy whose hair was literally blue fire still burning a bright light.
"So it sounds like he gave you an earful. Serstan's Inheritors will be after us in the Atlantic Ocean," the goth girl observed Orion.
"You were asleep for almost a week recovering from your wounds. It was a miracle we managed to feel a pulse," the cyberpunk girl explained.
"That's strange. It was as if Malleus used his Unique Spell but only on you," Padriac said as he was looking out his window showing they were now deep within the dark depths of the ocean.
_-_-_-_
