Chapter 407 - The New Deal, Part 3

It stopped raining shortly afterwards, as the downpour slowed still, as the thunder grew distant - a sense of serenity began to pervade again, like blinds being parted to welcome the warm dazzling light. 

That's when Sera made her leave too, departing in a manner akin to how she arrived - abruptly, suddenly, and very quietly. Out the door without another word, taking not another glance back even. It was a long walk arriving, I've no doubt it'd be an even longer walk leaving… especially after everything that was said prior.

Offered to give her a ride back - her silence, her spin backward, explicitly conveyed her intentions.

She swung the door close on herself, leaving finally with a resounding slam in her wake, then as if on cue, at that precise moment, the power kicked back on - fluorescent lights blinking bright, the whirring hum of her desktop booting to life, and the gentle jingle of her console flashing on the plasma screen - as if her presence was the catalyst for the power outage, and her absence the resurgence… almost like an omen. 

Oh man… as if I didn't have enough on my plate already, Sera just had to go and pile on my just desserts.

On the couch, the pain was slowly subsiding, my breathing only just settling - but hearing how hard that door slammed close, there was only one thing on my mind...

"She's upset."

"She didn't look angry," Amanda refuted.

I turned to her. In the dark, I never really noticed how pale Amanda had gotten, but with her bulbs acting like spotlights now, she was practically white as snow.

"She's upset," I said again.

"Okay, she's upset, so?" Amanda said, her tone on edge. "It's not as if you said no, did you?"

"I didn't say yes either." 

"You'll think about it!" She flailed her arm in the air. "That's the right choice, you gave the right answer… she has to know it too."

"If I trusted her wholeheartedly, I wouldn't have to."

Clearly, Amanda wasn't fond of me somber… gradually she was growing more agitated than she was flustered.

"Alright, call me mean, call me despicable… but I'm sorry, did you forget who exactly you were talking to? Sera's not just another poor, lonely misunderstood damsel for you to save! The first thing she tried to do the moment she was summoned was to attempt to kill you! In case you aren't seeing the red flags - that means she's dangerous!"

"Ash was dangerous."

"Oh my God, gee, you know, you're right!" She exclaimed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Let's just use your experience with Ash as a precedent for dealing with everything else that comes your way, I'm sure nothing could possibly go wrong with a naive outlook like that!"

I was much too in pain to put up much of an argument, and I think it must have shown… for her expression suddenly went soft again, as did her tone.

"Look, I know you want to see the good in her, and really, I do too - but goodwill just simply isn't enough to keep the world spinning. Hard choices have to be made, and we just have to live with them - she has to live with them. It's not selfish, it's not evil even… it's just life, you know?"

"Yeah..." I muttered quietly, not wanting to argue anymore about it.

"But hey, that's just one paranoid, frightened lady's opinion," She said, taking my hand in hers for comfort. "Summoning her was a group effort. Like you said, you're gonna have to consult the others first on what's the right move here. Me, personally, I say no on freeing here. I just… after everything else, I rather just stay safe than sorry from now on… I'm sorry."

I shook my head at her, feeling it pounding hard as I did. "Don't apologize, I appreciate the honesty, and I know you're just trying to keep us safe."

Amanda gave a meek smile in return, but also offered something else. "But hey, to her defense, right… if it were me in her shoes, in her cape, her hood, I guess I'd be thinking the same way as her… I'd want to be free too."

One by one, Amanda went around and blew out all the candles we placed about. 

It was just like I said, just like I assured, it was just a normal thunderstorm, nothing to fear. I remember invoking Sera's name as a solid reason that everything would be fine.

But if she was free, allowed to do as she wishes, then there's that chance that she might be the reason that things might not be.

Will I permit that? Can I live with that? I remembered she told me once that she wanted to trust me… and to me, I thought I already trusted her.

But now, being asked this, being confronted with this… I realized, I never did.

There was no trust between us all along, so long as I still hold this one single leverage over her.

And until I come to a decision… I guess she'll just have to wait.

"Hey…" Amanda emerged from out a corridor, the last scented candle swirling smoke in her hand. "It's pretty late now… I'm heading to bed."

"Oh," I forgot the time. It's past midnight. "Okay, sure."

"I'd ask if you want to join me still…" She narrowed her lips. "But, uh…"

"I'm fine here," I told her, resting myself down easy on the armrest.

"Yeah, I figured as much," She shook her head, another small smile showing beneath her tender gaze. "Though I also suspect you'd be doing more thinking than you do sleeping."

She knows me well, too well.

"Maybe…"

"Try and save it for in the morning, okay?" She pleaded earnestly. "Please?"

"For my sake, huh?"

"No, do it for mine," She said, approaching closer until she was directly standing above me. "Because I know you'd never do it for yours. My hero's stupidly flawed like that."

"You love my flaws."

"Guilty as charged," She bent down, my sight greeted by a bright silky cascade of yellow, and I felt the softness and the warmness of her lips on my forehead. "Try and work on it, alright?"

"Sure."

And with that, along with a final wave of goodnight, Amanda disappeared into her bedroom, leaving me and her ceiling roof to get well-acquainted with each other for the long hours ahead.

Between Jay's reappearance, Irene's elusiveness, Sammy's premonitions, Adalia's mysteriousness, and now Sera's request, I wonder which would end up being the biggest bother preventing me from slumber.

Hopefully, tomorrow will bring with it some answers… 

I had the day off, a full twenty-four hours to sort things out at my own discretion. 

Frankly, my patience has run its course and beyond… I believed it was time to take matters into my own hands.

Starting with the most pressing, most glaring, the detective with a strange penance for hours-on-end silence for some reason.

I didn't know where she lived, exactly. She never disclosed that information, and I can't believe I've never asked before either.

But no matter, there's still one place I know that she will undoubtedly be in… let's just hope that it is bring-your-boyfriend-to-work day tomorrow for her.