Chapter 355: Detective’s Doubts
Irene ordered herself a nice tall glass of iced latte, plopping herself down at the exact same seat Amanda took off from.
This, she did, all the while silently staring, barely a hint of emotion in her gaze... at me, her surroundings, the other patrons scattered few and far, but mostly just me. They were like motion sensors, her eyes were, tracking my every slight move with the sharpest precision.
It took me some time to figure out the reason why I was suddenly under such intense surveillance until it dawned on me that this here was the first time Irene was seeing me donning the hero robes that everyone else for some reason just seem to find utterly irresistible.
Bearing that in mind, the look in her eyes just took on a whole new entirely deviant meaning, if you catch my meaning.
Once I was finished with her order, Irene muttered a thanks, paid for her drink, and began to slowly stir... still refusing to elaborate her reason for being here.
What, you expect me to read your mind here or something? I’m not psychic, y’know? Well not that I know of at least...
I could ask her, sure, simple enough... and from how she was glancing at me when she forked over the cash, I could tell she wanted me to ask so bad. But I figured I’d play with her for a bit, go against how these interactions of ours usually go, and just continue going about my work.
.....
Besides, if she does indeed need me for anything, I’m only a raised hand away.
So I continued fixing drinks, serving customers, taking selfies with the occasional group that recognized me, and before long in my absence, it seems Irene’s lips had loosened slightly.
With my back turned, as I was switching out the receipt paper, I heard a quiet little voice utter, “I read your message,” and even more faintly, a quieter mutter. “Samantha, right?”
Okay then, so this is what this is about. Should have known, should have expected it.
I turned around, smiling a wry smile that she shied away from, burying her lips on the edge of her glass and trying in vain to keep aloof. Sadly a facade once discovered, is one twice she would suffer – in embarrassment, that is.
“You too, Irene?” I shook my head, unable to keep my smile from widening. “You too?”
But Irene refused to take any of my jibes, and went straight to her point. “Does she know?”
“Know what?”
“About you, about me, about us, about who I am,” She leaned her head in close, and continued in a low whisper. “About what I am? What have you told her?”
“In regards to you?” I shrugged, and went about finishing up with the receipts. “Absolutely nothing.”
Her expression went a little blank. “You... you didn’t mention me to her?”
“Not yet, at least,” I threw her a brief brow-raised glance. “And not unless you want me to, that is.”
“Oh, well, that’s surprisingly considerate of you.”
“Detective deserves her privacy,” I said, giving a knowing nod. “I learned that from last time. If you want to keep things hush, sure. I don’t mind. ”
“Not... not particularly. I don’t – It’s fine if your sister knows some things about me... and some things about us too...” then just as I was about to tease and interject, she intersected. “In return, there are some things I wish to know about her too.”
“What, like her hobbies? Her interests? Things that you both have in common? Well, if you both like cheese pizzas, then – ”
“Her abilities, her powers,” Irene said, then immediately trailed away when the other barista came over to take a spare glass. When he left, peering at her enticingly as he did, and she spoke again, she glanced about the place a bit more warily. “The Demon Lord Terestra’s daughter is nothing to scoff at.”
To go vehemently against her statement, I brazenly scoffed out loud. “And you fell in love with her son. Irene, what’s the worry?”
“Your sister is a girl.”
“Oh, wow, detective, I never would have known.”
Again, indulging none of my cheek, she went on to say. “It’s a well-known recorded phenomenon that women have the tendency to be more attuned to their magic than men do. It’s why most Elf-Knights are female, it’s why Matriarchs are the top of the vampire species, and it’s why Ria was probably created a woman. It’s also not a coincidence that the First Divine that created Kronocia, and the one that eventually would go on to bring it to ruin were both women... and now that world-destroyer here has borne a daughter in a new world...”
Was she implying something here? That edge in her tone, that look in her eyes... what was she suggesting?
“The only vile thing about my sister is that sharp tongue of hers, ‘kay? It’s venom, she’s a cobra, but that’s it. My sister is not going to destroy the world if that’s what you’re getting at, alright? ”
She shook her at once. “No, no, I’m not saying that. I’m saying – just going by her heritage and her sex, I’m assuming she’s just brimming with potential, isn’t she? More than you, perhaps?”
“You could say that, yes,” I said, recalling all of her feats I’ve heard from hearsay.
“Right, so... can we assume she knows not to draw the attention of the public eye with that vast limitless potential of hers?”
“Ah, so this is a secrecy thing,” I waived away her worries, waving assuredly. “She prefers her life as is, no magic, no mystic. She’s the last person I’d expect to recklessly shoot lasers from her eyes.”
“You sure?” Irene eyed me sharp. “Because the general public is far from the worst thing that could be watching her. Jay is – ”
“Still out there, I know,” I finished for her, using this chance to try to pry for any news. “Speaking of which, have there been any – ?”
“Not yet, I’m working on it,” spoke a heavy finality in her voice, promptly snuffing that chance to dust. “Worry more for your sister. If Jay suddenly finds an interest in her...”
“Why would he?” I wasn’t liking where the topic was drifting. My concentration was faltering. “It’s Ash he wants, not Sammy.”
“Just speaking from personal experience, alright?” I think she noticed my discomfort, for her tone suddenly went soft and gentle, alas even still, that didn’t help dampen the blow as she quietly finished. “Family is always the best bargaining piece you can have.”
Call me easily disturbed, prone to perturbation, but I didn’t wanna hear a single word of the subject anymore. I excused myself from the counter, using an empty chocolate sprinkler as my chance to go slinking into the backroom to scrounge for more.
Irene, unsurprisingly, didn’t buy the excuse, but nevertheless, still allowed me to go all the same... she’s considered like that.
But not before she called out to me, speaking out without the urgency, and purely just in passing, “By the way, I’ve talked to Amelia yesterday... she’s been rather unusually curious about how you’re doing. Any reason why that is?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Oh,” She nodded hers. “Well, she’s coming to visit you tonight.”
Great.
Normally it wouldn’t take any longer than thirty seconds for me to come back out with a fresh new bottle... but for some reason I stuck around for a little longer just staring blankly at the shelf.
The thought never occurred to me, it never dawned on me once... why didn’t it? If Jay caught wind of Sammy, if he knew of our relations... who’s to say he wouldn’t try to pull something?
Bargaining... Jay was never the best at that. But the thing was, he didn’t have any leverage before... and with Sammy’s arrival, he might just potentially have one now.
If I had to choose, say if it was between Ash and Sammy, who would I -? No, no, stop it... I won’t even consider it, I refuse to even have that be a feasible possibility. I won’t let it come to do that, I won’t let it happen.
Even if, who’s to say he’ll even try anything? In my humble abode where a diverse cast of powerful mythical beings would occasionally congregate, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Sammy would be in one of our cares day and night. He wouldn’t be able to touch her.
Jay’s an idiot, but he’s also a smart idiot, so even if he does find out about us, he knows well enough to steer away. Plus, the last I saw of him, the last I sensed of him, that is, waiting tables and serving drinks – there was barely enough magic present to swing a door wide open.
Things should be fine. Sammy should be fine. Irene’s just a worrywart is all, it’s the detective within her that’s stoking that flame of paranoia.
The more I thought about it, the more assured I got – and then, finally, all worries cleansed, I discarded the old sprinkler and on tiptoes, I reached for a new one on the highest shelf.
My fingers only managed to graze the bottle before I was suddenly interrupted by a buzz in my pants pocket.
Phone. Call. Who calls at ten? I don’t know anyone who calls me at ten. Unless...?
I violently swiped away my cape and dug into my pants for my phone. Silent mode had it vibrating quietly in my palm like the world’s most silent earthquake.
The display was flashing bright, and as I suspected... the culprit was exactly who I thought was.
“Ooo ~ Girlfriend calling at this time?” whispered a voice so seductively suggestive.
Having someone unknowingly peeking over her shoulder was bad enough. Having that someone be your boss and eyeing you slyly was even worse.
I flinched, stumbled a few paces, and immediately whirled around to face the shady witch with the even shadier expression.
Where the hell did she even come from?
“Ah, yeah,” I replied, still recouping from my shock. “She probably needs something. I’ll be quick though.”
“Hey, hey, you know the rules, don’t you?” Hayley spoke out, crossing her arms and overplaying a tone of authority. “No phone calls unless during break, or something important is happening.”
My phone kept vibrating violently in my hand, and it just refused to stop... seeing that, the Witch gave an amused chuckle.
“That being said, a call from love is the most important of them all,” She stepped out into the cafe, giving me a gesture that implied she’ll be commandeering in my absence. “Besides, sometimes I forget about the rules myself too every once in a while, or all the time actually,” waving with a knowing smile. “I mean, we all make mistakes, after all.”
Way to go, boss.
At this point, my phone had already stopped ringing... but just as soon as it did, it started up again once more like it had never stopped in the first place.
I don’t think she’s fully adapted to leaving a message yet instead of flat-out just calling for every single thing. She promised she’d work on it... but I guess touchscreen keyboards simply proved too daunting of an undertaking even for someone of her caliber.
When I get back home, I suppose I’ll dedicate some time to giving her another crash course on text messaging.
But for now, tapping on call, I raised the phone to my ear.
“Nice of you to call,” I said, already beginning the first steps of my pace around the backroom. “Yes, Ash?”
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