Melisa lounged on the couch, one leg thrown over the armrest. She wasn’t thinking about anything in particular. Her mind was completely and utterly blank.
[...]
And it stayed that way.
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For several minutes.
Until...
click
The sound of the front door opening made her perk up.
[Finally! I’ve been going crazy waiting!]
This was why she’d been waiting. Today was the day Raven and Javir were set to come back from their little excursion.
Javir walked in like she was a guest in her own home. Raven trailed behind her, and her eyes instantly found Melisa the moment the nim came into view. They both looked tired, like they’d been up all night.
"Welcome back!" Melisa jumped up from the couch, grinning. "How’d the search go? Did you find anything important? Please tell me you found something good because I’ve been dying here just thinking about-"
"Let’s sit down first," Javir said, though her lips twitched like she was holding back a smirk. "Some of us have been up all night, unlike certain students who’ve seemingly apparently been busy dirtying my furniture."
Melisa felt her face heat up.
[C-Can she smell it!?]
All she could do was hope that the completely miscellaneous activities she and a certain kitsune had been up to on this very same piece of furniture were... not evident.
(but they probably were)
Without further ado, they settled into the living room, Javir taking her usual armchair while Raven perched on the edge of another couch like she was ready to bolt at any second.
"So," Javir began, crossing her legs. "Before we get into our findings, how is everyone settling in? Isabella and Kimiko? Armia and her father? Have they struggled at all? I imagine it can’t be easy having so many people in the house."
Melisa waved her hand dismissively.
"They’re fine, they’re fine. Izzy and Kimiko are probably sixty-nining somewhere and Armia’s still... processing. Her dad’s barely been here, though. If I had to guess, he’s been having to reach out to people after... You know. We’re not the only ones who want to take down the Shadow Mages."
Javir nodded sagely.
Melisa leaned forward, eyes bright with anticipation.
"Now can we please get to the good stuff? What did you guys find? I’ve been waiting for days!"
Raven reached into her pocket and produced a folded piece of paper. It looked ordinary enough, but something about the way Raven handled it made Melisa’s skin prickle.
"What’s that? Some kind of super secret Shadow Mage document?"
"Instructions," Raven said simply, her grey eyes meeting Melisa’s. "For me. After I killed you."
[... Well, that’s not ominous at all.]
"Oh," Melisa blinked, trying to lighten the suddenly heavy atmosphere. "You mean from back when you were supposed to, you know..." She made a slicing motion across her throat. "Before we became besties and all?"
Raven arched a brow.
"Bes...ties?"
"Yeah! Anyway, what does it say?"
Shaking her head, Raven unfolded the paper carefully, smoothing out the creases with practiced precision.
"The note highlights a location," she continued, her voice steady. "A bar called ’The Queen’s Rest’ in one of the fancier sections of the city. That’s where I was supposed to go after... after the mission."
"Damn..." Melisa frowned. "So, they’ve been operating in plain sight? Honestly, I’m beginning to wonder what the Shadow Mages’ reputation actually is. I mean, if I go up to some random human, what will they tell me about them?"
"Impossible to know," Javir shrugged. "But, yes, sometimes the best hiding place is right in plain sight, and it seems it’s been working for them."
"Either that or the local law enforcement has been turning a blind eye to them. Kinda like they’ve been doing for every single one of my assassination attempts, but oh well." Melisa sat back, processing this. "Anyway, what’s the plan? I mean, we could just walk in, pick out the most ’Shadow Mage-looking’ kinda guy, knock him out, tie him up, and go from there."
Javir gave a soundless chuckle at the thought of that.
"Well, regardless of whether that’s what we go with or not, I’ll need you to sit this one out too." She crossed her arms.
"What??? Why!?"
"It’s a human bar, Mel," Javir replied. "As in, literally human-only. "Trust me, I’d love to have you with us, but, yeah."
Melisa blinked.
[Oh, right.]
"Anyway, the good thing about this is that it (probably) won’t take several days for us to get this little investigation done. We’ll do it first thing tomorrow morning. For now," Javir stretched, "I need a nap. See you later," she said to both Melisa and Raven and walked off.
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That left the would-be assassin and Melisa alone in that main room. As soon as they were, Melisa narrowed her eyes a little and smiled.
"Well," Melisa began, "how about I give you a proper welcome?"
The faintest hint of a smile popped up on Raven’s face.
"In a bit," she replied quietly. "I need a bath."
---
{Aria}
Aria sat in her study, surrounded by stacks of papers documenting recent events in Syux. The rune Lady Belstadt had given her hung heavy around her neck. She decided to keep it as a necklace for now.
After hours of reading the same reports over and over, the words began to blur together. Aria rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
[Perhaps some fresh air would help clear my head. Before I have to meet with that woman again.]
Admittedly, Lady Belstadt didn’t have the best of auras. But, if it meant getting more answers, Aria was still willing to entertain her.
So, Aria stood, smoothing down her white dress, and walked out of her chambers.
Her feet carried her to the palace balcony, a favorite spot of hers since childhood. The evening air was cool against her skin, carrying the scent of night-blooming flowers from the garden below.
The sound of voices made her pause. Her father’s distinctive tone carried clearly in the still air, coming from the smaller balcony just around the corner.
"...deteriorating condition..."
Aria froze.
[What?]
She pressed herself against the wall, years of court training making her movements silent as she edged closer to listen.
"It seems to be magical in nature, Your Majesty," came the measured voice of Lord Caelum. "Your very life energy seems to be weakening."
"Could it be residual effects from the poison?" Her father’s voice sounded tired. More tired than Aria had ever heard him.
[No... No, that’s impossible. Melisa healed him, according to the reports. She...]
"The royal healers have a different theory," Lord Caelum replied carefully. "They believe... whatever Miss Blackflame did at the gala, it wasn’t permanent."
Aria’s eyes widened, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Her father only nodded.
"I suspected as much," King Aldric sighed. "I didn’t talk about it, as I didn’t want to... alarm anyone. But, that night... I remember falling asleep."
This was news to both Caelum and Aria. Both their eyes widened at the same time.
"I was poisoned, choked, went to sleep, and then I woke up, with that nim’s crimson eyes looking back at me. I brushed it off, a miracle from an already miraculous individual, but about a week after the gala, I began noticing... signs. Small things at first. It’s hard to explain it but, it’s a type of... Fatigue. I can only compare it to the feeling of coffee wearing off."
"Your Majesty..."
"How long, Caelum?" Her father’s voice was steady, but Aria could hear the underlying tension. "Assuming that once this effect Miss Blackflame blessed me with runs out, how long do I have?"
"Without knowing the specifics of Miss Blackflame’s spell..." Lord Caelum hesitated. "It’s impossible to say for certain."
Aria pressed a hand to her mouth, suppressing the urge to burst around the corner and demand answers.
[This can’t be happening. First Mother, and now...]
"I see," her father said, and Aria could picture his expression - the same calm mask he wore during all crises. "Well, we’ll just have to make the most of whatever time remains, won’t we?"
"Perhaps if we could convince Miss Blackflame to, maybe, reapply the spell? Perhaps it would refresh its effect?"
The king took a moment to respond.
"Maybe."
That was all he said. As he walked away, Aria felt like her legs were about to give out.
Absent-mindedly, her legs took her to a nearby table where she sat down and put her hands on her lap.
Suddenly, things had changed.
According to what her father said just now, he had most likely actually died that night, during the gala. But, that girl, that nim, Melisa Blackflame, used a strange healing spell to pull him back from the depths.
Suddenly, Aria’s goals had changed.
"I need to talk to her about this," Aria whispered to herself. "I need to hear about that spell of hers for myself."
She didn’t know what she’d get out of this. An explanation, an excuse, a conspiracy. But, she knew she needed to know.