B3 — 38. Coming To Terms

AuthorSME

News:  I'm in the process of writing the 2nd draft of TO; I'm trying to do a chapter a day on Monday-Thursday (not ATM days), and Saturday if I can swing it.  Link to them here:

The Oscillation 2nd Draft (Explicit)

The Oscillation 2nd Draft (Clean)

POV:  Rachel Sung Park (Our scheming girl has been doing her thing)

Recap:  Rachel singled out a news anchor (not an actual reporter) to give her leniency and an extra layer of padding to buffer her from the mainstream news media while presenting her twist on the story.  Harley got her number so she could call back and confirm things or get comments before Rachel broke off the interaction.

The focus should be on the human and demi-traffickers.

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Elsie Nnaji, Lu, Mohammed, GtBasilisk, Bob, Juuso, Aaron, Denis, Talek, Belduim, and my other Patrons!

Rachel hopped into the back seat of what she assumed was Bree and Serah’s government issued SUV; it was a little amusing that it was the trademark black.  The inside was neat, well-maintained, and had a lemon air freshener that she instantly identified; she set their bags of clothes in the middle seat.  Scarlet went around the opposite side as Bree took the driver’s seat, and Serah sat in the front passenger.

Closing the door, Rachel fixed her hair and fastened her seat belt before closing her eyes to relax, leaning back against the leather seat.  Scarlet did the same, hands resting in her lap.

“Well, that was something,” Serah groaned, muscles flexing as she stretched.

Bree didn’t start the car immediately, resting her arms against the steering wheel before letting her forehead fall into them with a soft yawn.  “Mmh … yeah, I’ve been trying to hold that in; I’m so tired.”

“To be fair,” Serah chuckled, “I didn’t think you’d be able to sleep tonight after the bomb Jonas dropped on you.”

“Neither did I,” Bree sighed, smoothing her brown hair to the side before sitting back.  “I was so worked up, but now … I feel dead inside.”

“Ditto,” Serah mumbled before releasing a soft huff and smirking.  “The high-heels don’t help; I don’t wear them often.”

There were soft cracking sounds from the leather as Scarlet leaned right and left, trying to ease her tension.  “You both look pretty, though.  What was your date’s name, Serah?”

Serah pursed her lips, head tilting to the right to stare out of the window.  “Bryan.  He’s a nice guy.  A bit shy, and I don’t think he’s gone on many dates, but hey, neither have I in a while,” she chuckled.

“There was some chemistry,” Bree commented, starting the SUV and beginning their drive to the FBI Headquarters.  “He’s not bad looking, either.”

“Details?”  Scarlet asked after a short breath and taking on a more positive tone.

Rachel continued to listen, going over possible scenarios of the coming hours in her mind.  Meeting Maëlle again could be a challenge, and she wasn’t quite as comfortable with it as she had been with Maria around, added with the fact her family would be there.  Anthony was also on her mind; just the thought of meeting him again sent a swarm of butterflies through her stomach.

Not only am I going to see Anthony again, after he’s been asking about me, but the family’s going to have their critical eyes on him, and mom’s got a target on his back.

Then, we have Maëlle, Kyle, and Scarlet.  It’s not just Maëlle I need to look out for, Kyle’s largely an unknown, and Scarlet’s smitten by him.  I don’t want to see her hurt and for more than one reason, but she’s also her own woman, and she needs to find herself out of the depression bubble she’s in.

I can worry about the new Mythickin and Legendkin when they get here … in fact, I’ll probably be asleep by the time they arrive in the FBI building.  Yeah, that’s a concern for the future.  Right now, I have the report I need to give to David, which would also include the newcomers, I suppose, and my family.

A lump dropped down her throat as she shifted between scenarios, still keeping her hearing sharp, looking for any hint of a conversation that might interest her.  Bree, Scarlet, and Serah’s discussion turned lighter, and Rachel couldn’t help but passively catch it as she worked on the issues clouding her peace of mind.

“Bryan?  Umm, let’s see,” Serah mumbled.  “He’s not really that tall, only five-nine, and he’s skinny.  He’s got long blonde hair…”

“Long?”  Scarlet interrupted with a small smile.  “Didn’t think you’d be into men with long hair.”

“Try every boy she’s ever dated,” Bree giggled, taking them to the highway.

“Hey, now,” Serah grunted, shooting Bree a playful glare.  “That’s not true.”

“C’mon,” Bree smirked, keeping her eyes trained on the road.  “You’d have to go back to your high school days to find a shortcut man you dated, and that’s not fair because I didn’t know you back then.”

“Don’t make me sound so old, damn,” Serah laughed.  “It wasn’t that long ago,” she mumbled, brushing her blonde hair behind her ears.  “There was this one guy named Wesley that had a military-cut that I dated back then; he was on the wrestling team.”

“So, one fish in the barrel of what, eight?”

“Seven, but Bryan’s different from the other guys.  He’s a bit of a nerd, which is different for me.”

“Oh?”  Scarlet hummed.  “What kind of nerd?”

Serah shrugged.  “I haven’t known him for long; Bree’s sister actually set it up.”

“You have a sister?”  Scarlet asked in shock.

Bree lifted an eyebrow.  “Yes?  I didn’t think it would be that surprising; I mean, we hang out once every week or two, and catch-up.”

“Anyways,” Serah sighed, folding her arms under her chest as she shifted in her chair, adjusting how the seat belt pressed between her breasts.  “He listens to fantasy audiobooks, plays online games, and works with the mentally challenged, helping them develop life skills.”

“Anime?”  Scarlet asked with a soft smile.

“Maybe?  It hasn’t been mentioned in our conversations.”

“What caught your eye about him?”  Scarlet pushed, leaning forward a little.  “It seems you’re considering giving him another chance.”

“To be honest,” Serah paused.  “Mmh, really, his bright blue eyes,” she giggled.  “I’ve never seen such blue eyes on a guy, and he may not be college-educated, but he’s smart.”

“There was a bit of tension there for a second,” Bree spilled with a sly grin.

Scarlet leaned forward.  “Ooh, do tell!”

“Naa,” Serah shook her head, “It wasn’t that bad.  He just had a few different thoughts about some of the Stargate series than I did, which were actually pretty well thought out.  I kind of agree with him.

“I really liked the last season of Atlantas, but he made a few good points about why the earlier seasons were so much better.  Plus, the cast was outstanding, but the original cast was better.”

“Wait, you’re a Sci-Fi fan?”  Scarlet asked.

Serah chuckled.  “Actually, I’m more of a fantasy fan; although, if you ask me, do I like steak or hamburgers, then I’ll say steak, but a good hamburger’s gonna catch my eye.”

Scarlet’s face went blank.  “Huh?”

Bree giggled.  “She’s saying she likes fantasy more, but a good Sci-Fi gets her.”

The conversation continued to progress with Scarlet, Bree, and Serah, lowering their tension as Rachel stewed on the discussions to come with David.

Rachel’s ears twitched, brushing against the ceiling as she shifted them to the left; she’d just heard her mother’s voice two miles away.  Her focus moved to her parents’ car before doing a quick sweep of the area.  There were a few angry drivers on the road, but there didn’t seem to be any threats, and she returned her attention to her mother’s words.

“This is so exciting!”

“Mom,” Nam groaned; he sounded tired.  “We need to respect Sung’s private life.”

“I have a right to butt in a little,” Molly huffed.  “I’m not talking about following her around with a camera; I just want to meet the guy she’s interested in.  She’s told me stuff, too.”

“Mmh,” her father interjected but didn’t elaborate.

“Okay, maybe I kind of pushed for it,” Molly mumbled, “but she still told me!  Scarlet made him sound like a dream.”

Rachel opened her eyes, shooting a soft glare at Scarlet, but she didn’t seem to notice as she leaned forward, wrapped up in Serah’s discussion about the connecting interests Bryan and she shared.  Just what did you tell her?

Alexa asked her question.  “What did she say?”

“Alexa,” Nam groaned.  “Don’t encourage her…”

“I mean, I’m interested, too,” Alexa said with a defensive chuckle.  “I just have no clue what kind of men would attract your sister.  To be honest, I thought she loved that gym more than any guy; not that there’s anything wrong with that—I, umm, just didn’t see her falling for anyone … well, no, I did kind of have this dream one time that she met a guy in the gym.”

“Wait; really?”  Molly asked, pushing her seat belt forward to look back at her.  “I can’t tell you how many guys I’ve seen her having dates with, in my dreams, that is!”

She could imagine the looks on her father and brother’s faces reflected her own.  Mom’s been dreaming about me going on dates.  I guess that connects back to her romance novels; she’s secretly wanted me to bring home a boy for years … it’s strange hearing things I normally won’t, and they probably wouldn’t say all of this when I’m around.

“It was just once,” Alexa said with a short laugh.  “I thought it was odd; Sung didn’t really like me that much, and I can’t blame her.”

“C’mon,” Nam soothed, “you both were just learning to live together.”

“Not well,” she sighed.

“That’s in the past, though,” Molly encouraged.  “Sung’s tempered out a lot since she changed.  I was shocked; she actually sat down and listened to me about some of my romance manhwas, which never happened before.  I think Scarlet’s had a big influence on her.”

Alexa’s tone brightened.  “I like Scarlet a lot!  She has so many interests that I like, too, and she’s socially awkward, just like me.”

“I completely agree,” Molly chimed.  “Scarlet reads some of the romances I read, too.  She’s such a polite and helpful girl; I’m so glad Sung found a friend.”

Her dad released a low hum.  “I must say, I was a little reserved when I found out she was a Vampire.”

“I get that,” Nam returned.  “Recent stereotype aside, you just can’t get away from the historical image, but she’s got that air about her.”

“She’s got what?”  Both Alexa and Molly asked.

“I get that, too,” Sam chuckled.  “The more I hear Molly talk about all the things they did together, the more it grows.”

“What are you two talking about?”  Her mother asked, sounding slightly frustrated she didn’t follow.

“Scarlet has that air about her,” Nam repeated in a shrugging ton.  “It’s that feeling when you see a girl, and you feel like she should be protected.  There’s just something about her that says she’s had it rough.”

“More than a little,” Sam muttered.

“So … the male protective instinct?”  Molly questioned.

“You could say that,” Sam replied with a neutral tone.  “She’s just becoming more of a part of the family, which I’m a little surprised about.  I can almost see why Sung changed so much after meeting Scarlet, yet I’m a little shocked she focused on the girl in the first place.”

“Eh, alright, I don’t like to think about it like that,” Molly muttered, “but you’re not wrong.  Sung never had a lot of pity for people who didn’t have self-confidence; she was always so driven, but she did make time for Nam.”  Rachel felt a little guilty to sense a bit of hurt in her mother’s voice, knowing she didn’t want to feel that way.

I felt like I had to achieve something to spend time with them … obviously, that was one sided.  How could I have been so blind?  I had to push harder than Nam to deserve time with them.

“Rachel?”

Her solemn frown turned into a smile as her eyes shifted to Scarlet.  “Mmh?”

“Why are you so sad?”

Bree and Serah fell silent, turning their focus to the road.

“No, it’s nothing,” Rachel protested.

Scarlet’s frown deepened.  “You don’t want to tell me?  Is it about me?  Is someone saying bad things about the Miami Vampire that drained someone’s blood?”  Ah, she thinks I’m listening to the police talk about her.

Reaching up to scratch her neck, Rachel released a soft sigh.  “No, nothing like that.  I’m just listening to my family; they’re behind us still.  They’ll probably arrive at the building after we get there.”

“Oh, what did they say that made you so sad?”

She gave Scarlet an amused smirk.  “No, they love you.  You’re a little innocent Bambie that can do no wrong.”

Scarlet’s cheeks reddened as her focus dropped to her lap.  “They’re too nice, but—why are you sad, then?”

“It’s me … actually me,” she muttered while leaning back to stare at her ears, folding them over to bounce up and down.  “I wasn’t the best daughter, and I’m just coming to terms with it … in fact, I’m still not that great.”

“What do you mean?”  Scarlet asked; her brow furrowed, bright blue eyes settling on her with worry.  “Your family loves you.”

“That’s just it … they love me.  I don’t have to work to make them feel that way, but that’s what I thought.  I was delusional, and put expectations on myself that no one had.”  A sad chuckle shook her stomach, and she sucked on her lower lip for a moment.  “I thought my mom and dad wanted a lawyer in the family, to be proud of my accomplishments, but honestly, my mom was probably just respecting my obsessive drive to be better than Nam.”

“Woah,” Serah muttered.  “Sorry, but that sounds pretty intense.”

“Not only that,” Rachel whispered, slouching slightly while resting her hands across her belly as her stomach acted up; it felt surprisingly good to voice it aloud, and somewhat liberating.

“I was pretty aggressive, too, which pushed away my extended family, but I never thought of myself as violent.  Reflecting on it now, yeah, you could say I was a more … traditionally educated version of Maria—without the warm heart.”

“Don’t put yourself down like that,” Scarlet huffed.  “I didn’t know you before, so it’s not like I can even have an opinion, but you’re super caring now.”

“Am I violent?”  Rachel said, low enough where only Scarlet could hear.

Scarlet’s mouth became a line before her fangs poked out, pressing against her lips.  “Mmh, situationally, maybe, but the level of control you have is insane … outside of being controlled.”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed, stomach tightening as she recalled Relica’s Provoke spell.  “That’s an entire issue in itself,” she growled, returning to normal volume.  “I need a way to prevent being controlled by Kyle, Maëlle, Relica, or anyone else.”

“That’s the question,” Bree sighed.  “I’m right there with you, but we common folk don’t have much of a chance.”

“Why’s everyone being total downers on themselves?”  Scarlet sniffed, and she folded her arms as Rachel gave her a lifted eyebrow.  “Yeah, I have enough self-pity for all of us!  Bree’s got a hot, magical cooking fiancé, Serah’s entering the dating game, and found a good guy, rare I’m told,” she mumbled.

“Don’t knock all guys,” Serah scoffed.  “Tch, most of the issue is the women; let’s face it, guys trip on their face when a pretty face pays attention to them; they can’t help it.”

“Who’s knockin’ guys, now?”  Bree chuckled.

Serah shrugged.  “Hey, I call it how I see it.”

Bree hummed softly.  “Also, I wouldn’t exactly call Jonas hot, either.”

“Oof,” Scarlet winced.  “Don’t let him hear that.”

“I mean, he doesn’t need to be hot for me to love him,” Bree replied.  “He’s not unattractive, but if we’re going by looks alone, then absolutely not!  He’s not a Jonas brother, for sure, but he’s got more than enough to make up for that.  No guy is perfect, but he’s perfect for me.”

“Tch, look at his girl?”  Serah teased, softly slapping her shoulder.

Scarlet’s eyes sparkled.  “Aww.”

“Hey, I’m drivin’ here,” Bree protested with a smile.

Scarlet turned her focus back to Rachel.  “Don’t think you’ve escaped!”

Rachel smirked, lifting her hands in self-defense.  “Never dreamed I could escape you.”

Her black lips lifted into a warm smile, tone lightening.  “I don’t have to be fake around you … you’re like the sister I never had.  I don’t care what you were like before The Oscillation; I only care about the Lunar Hare sitting beside me.”

Rachel scratched her cheek, breathing out a long sigh to relieve some of the stress slowly built in her chest.  “Thanks, Scarlet … it’s strange, the things that can get to me now.  Normally, I wouldn’t have focused on something like this at all, but there are so many changes I’ve gone through that I know I’m not the same daughter my mother remembers, yet … I know I’ll more than likely hurt her worse like this.”

“How?”

Licking her lips, Rachel turned away from Scarlet, folding her arms under her chest as some of the internal stress returned.  “You saw the way my mom reacted when we got back … there’s no way she’ll be okay with what we have planned.”

Scarlet’s eyes fell, working through her statement.  “Wait … oh, you’re right.  You haven’t told her yet?”

“No, we’re under contract,” Rachel mumbled.

“The military?”  Serah asked.  “I guess they have you doing dangerous stuff?”

“Something like that,” Rachel replied.  “We can’t talk about it.”

“Ah,” Bree took a long breath.  “The thing that four-star general came to get you for; man, I won’t lie … it’s sketchy as hell.”

“It’ll come out soon enough.  Anyways, there’s not really an answer, Scarlet.  I just need to pick a time and place to tell her when it’s revealed … no, that’ll be worse,” she groaned, running her hands through her hair.  “I’ll talk to Tom about it.  Don’t worry about me, Scarlet.  I’ll tell my family when it’s the right time.”

“If you say so,” Scarlet mumbled, now seemingly depressed herself.

Rachel’s cheeks bunched to the side as she looked out of the tinted window to her left.  “I probably shouldn’t have even told you, Scarlet.”

Scarlet rubbed her right arm.  “I want to help carry your troubles, too; it’s not fair … you deal with everything...”

Stretching out, Rachel rolled her neck around.  “That’s not true.  You do help me; don’t sell yourself short.  Anyways, let’s talk about something else … let’s see, how about Kyle?”

“Now, that’s not fair!”  Scarlet said, hugging her stomach.  “I’m pretty nervous, to be honest.”

Rachel distracted Scarlet by shifting the topics until she finally somehow got her stuck on her grandfather’s breathing techniques.  The slight tension that had built slowly dispersed as they went on, but the somber thoughts continuing to play in the back of Rachel’s mind did little to help her internal anxiety.

When Scarlet settled down, Rachel returned her thoughts to the control issue, making up her mind, and asking The System for an answer.  I want some form of ability that gives me Mental Resistance.  She breathed a soft sigh of relief as a skill came.

Chandra’s  Minor Fortitude: Reactive, Magical Type, Lunar, Level Two, Novice, Rank Zero; if a Mental-Type Status Effect attempts to affect me, this will activate, increasing my Mental Resistance by double.  If I am a higher General-Level than the individual, then my resistance will be high, while if I am a lower level, then it won’t be that effective.

Although, it uses my Lunar Energy, which lowers my overall fighting ability if not under the moon.  If this activates, I need to finish the fight as fast as possible before I weaken too much, but it’s the same for Wenet’s Minor Protection.  At least it’s Reactive, so I’ll know if I’m being attacked.

Her mind eased a little, knowing she wasn’t defenseless anymore.  They finally made it to the FBI building around three A.M., and Rachel took a deep breath, pressing her palms against her fingers as everyone exited the vehicle.

“Alright,” Bree yawned, smacking her lips before rubbing her eyes.  “We’ll trade-off with some onsite personnel, and head off to get some sleep.”

“Sounds good,” Rachel replied as Scarlet and Serah walked around the SUV to join them.  

Scarlet hopped forward a few steps with a hopeful tone.  “By the way, think we can get an invitation to your wedding?”

“Yeah, no problem,” Bree smiled, but her cheer soon faded.  “Who knows what might happen, though; we’ll just take it one week at a time.”

Serah brushed back her blonde hair, glancing around the nearly empty parking garage.  “Seriously.”

“Umm,” everyone turned to Scarlet as she shifted nervously, “can I get a second with Rachel?”

Both Bree and Serah shrugged, “Sure,” glancing at each other before walking toward the center doors.

Rachel’s cheeks bunched to the side with curiosity.  “What’s up?”

“I, umm,” Scarlet swallowed a mouthful of blood, “noticed that painting—the one in your parents’ study, and … is it alright to ask about it?  I don’t want to overstep my boundaries, but … I’m just curious if you have another sister.  You haven’t mentioned anyone else, so I was a little confused when I saw it.”

“Mmh,” Rachel sucked in her lower lip, vision falling to the pavement as her ears twitched a little before pulling back slightly.  “That’s—my cousin,” she rubbed her neck, stomach tightening as her mind seemed to screech to a halt.  “She died when I was still young.”

Scarlet’s fingers tightened behind her back.  “Oh, umm—you don’t have to tell me.  I didn’t know … no, forget it.”  She said with a forced laugh.  “Sorry for even bringing it up.”

Rachel closed her eyes, old emotions swirling up as she took a long breath.  Why didn’t I even think about her wondering about the painting?  I mentioned she’s like a little sister to me, and then she sees that … who wouldn’t wonder if they’re just a replacement or something?

Vision opening, Rachel pushed her hand through her hair to pull any stray locks back.  “My family doesn’t talk about it much; it kind of hurts.”

“Like I said, you don’t have to say anything,” Scarlet jumped in, walking a few steps toward Bree and Serah, waiting by the doors further down the garage.

Rachel slowly shook her head.  “No, it’s fine.”  Scratching her nose, she swallowed.  “Umm—so, when I was nine, we were really close—she was my Bear Beastkin cousin’s older sister, and she’d come over all the time.  My uncle and aunt used to live in Miami, but they moved away shortly after the incident.

“My dad went on a business trip to Europe, and my mother convinced both my uncle and my dad to allow her to come with us.  It was fun, and my dad had that painting done while we were there.  When we got back, my aunt arrived to pick her up, and we went on a drive to get some food—we had her over for dinner.

“On the way to the restaurant, we were hit by a drunk driver—I was fine, everyone was—except for Seo; she died on impact.”

Scarlet’s eyes were wide with horror; hands pressed to her mouth as she felt Rachel’s emotions.  “That’s horrible…”

Rachel’s mind returned to the scene, remembering her cousin’s body, broken and bloody.  “Yeah … well, my mom blamed herself for it, which we all know isn’t fair, but—yeah, it is what it is.  So, we don’t talk about it, but we keep the painting up as a reminder of her.”

Rachel took a deep breath before putting on a fake smile.  “Anyways, yeah, that’s my cousin Seo.  Anything else you want to know?”

Scarlet quickly shook her head.  “I’m sorry … I didn’t want to drudge up bad memories.”

Rachel shook her head, thinking back on her cousin.  “No, it’s fine.  Seo and I had a lot of fun when we were little; she was the same age as me, two months younger.  It was a massive blow to my aunt and uncle, and after a few months, they sold their house; there were just too many reminders of her there.”

The silence stretched for several seconds, both Scarlet and Rachel not knowing exactly how to continue the conversation.

“Hey, what’s up?”  Serah called out, causing a soft echo in the concrete space.

“Ah, let’s go,” Rachel prompted, giving Scarlet an encouraging smile.  “You can go find Kyle while I talk to David; I’m sure it will be a bit of a tense conversation.”

Scarlet’s downcast eyes didn’t lift.  “Rachel … thanks for always being so nice to me.  I mess up a lot—I’m just a big…”

Rachel stepped forward and hugged her, feeling Scarlet’s long left ear brush against her chin.  “Hey, we’re good, okay?”

“Okay…”

Letting her go, Rachel took her hand and pulled her toward the building.  “If I’m going to get finished before my family gets here, then I need to hurry.”

She led Scarlet back toward a confused Serah and Bree; they entered the building, and swapped shifts, letting the two exhausted women return home for some much-needed R and R.  The FBI agents that accompanied them were more of the silent type, and Rachel took the front with Scarlet bringing up the rear.

Kyle’s not here, but Maëlle’s heading right for us … does she have some kind of sensing ability?  I wouldn’t put it past her to have a Scarlet detector.  Anthony’s sleeping, thankfully.

“Scarlet, Maëlle’s coming.”

She gave a start, pulling out of her thoughts.  “Wait; what?  How … what should we do?”  She asked, jogging up to her.

Rachel’s lips tightened as she shook her head.  “Can’t say; who knows what she wants.”

Maëlle’s exotic and stunning body stood out like a white sheep among black as she strolled down the hallway toward them with a bright smile; an Asian female DDS agent was with her, looking somewhat exhausted.

“Mes amis!”  She called out in her French accent, waving her hand as her thick pink hair bobbed between her ram’s horns, looking more natural than any other color would on the woman.  “How was your trip with the military?  Fun, I hope!”

Rachel added a fake smile as she closed the distance to give them each a la bise; Scarlet’s cheeks reddened a touch before she quickly retreated a few steps.

“It was fun,” Rachel replied with cheer.  “How have you been, Maëlle?”

The Succubus’ barbed tail twirled to the left side, gem-like spike glistening with the same effect as her horns as she held her hands behind her back, giving them a toothy grin.  “Oh, it hasn’t been dull; there’s plenty of good people to tease, and we’ve been going out into town recently.”

“They’re letting out you—ehm … letting you out?”  Scarlet corrected, sucking in her lips to pick at the top layer of skin out of frustration.

Maëlle eyes shifted to Scarlet with a wink; the white was replaced by black and gradient pink pupils and irises, darker on the outside and lighter on the inside.  Rachel could hear their guards completely under her show; every twist of her tail, a shrug of her shoulder, and a flick of her wrist or sensual facial expression had their full attention.

“Oh, chérie, they can’t legally keep us cooped up without an explicit case!”  Her large glowing eyes popped.  “Oh, I have an amazing idea, mes amis, we should party; we’ll go dancing at the nearby club.”  She turned to her escort before they could respond.  “That’s where we were heading, weren’t we, Saeki?”

“Yes, we were…”  She responded with a forced smile.

Scarlet licked her black lips.  “Where’s…”

“Kyle?”  Maëlle finished with a devilish gleam.  “He went out to stroll the town a little over an hour ago.  It’s the perfect time for a good lunch!  He promised to meet up with me after.”

Ah … it’s feeding time for her; a club isn’t a bad place to find sexual tension.  Oof … that’s a hard choice for Scarlet.  Can she actually say no?

Rachel turned her fake smile to the Vespertine Reaper.  “What do you say?”

“Seriously?”  Scarlet asked, eyes widening as she glanced between the agents, Rachel, and Maëlle.  “I mean, umm … Kyle’s going to come later?”  She tentatively asked.

Oh, no … she’s even willing to hang out with Maëlle to see him; well, see him in a club setting is a bit differently than just seeing him.  Is she having fantasies about dancing with the Incubus?  Who can say with her mind when it’s thinking about something like this.

Trying to backtrack, Rachel hummed doubtfully.  “Wait … Scarlet’s not twenty-one, and I need to go meet with David to deliver a report.”

Maëlle waved her hand.  “Pas un obstacle; no, mes amis, we are on that free game, all hour access!  It shouldn’t be a problem as long as we have our good escort making sure you don’t order any drinks, right?”

Saeki looked against it, but Maëlle steamrolled over any response.  “Of course, it’s fine!  We all need a little love, and I’m basically a city local, now, I know where everything is.  Well?  You’re coming, right?”  She asked, stepping forward with a hopeful grin parting her glossy pink full lips.

“I … guess…”  Scarlet mumbled, light blue eyes looking at Rachel with trepidation.  “I mean, you’ll come when you’re done, right, Rachel?”  She pleaded.

Oh my … she really cannot say no!  Although, it would be interesting to see Maëlle in her element, and my ability hasn’t popped, so she’s not trying to charm us … if she even can charm females.  I guess there’s a first for everything; my first night in a club could be fun.  It will also keep her away from meeting my family, at least for a bit.

“Hmm … yeah, why not?  I’ll join you two after meeting David and a few other things.”

“Other things … oh,” a thoughtful twist touched her lips.  “While you’re doing that, why don’t I go get Anthony?  He’s been asking around about you, and I’m sure he’d be thrilled to find his lièvre chéri returned;  Parfaite, I’ll go get our dashing héros aux cheveux flamboyants, and we can party!”

Rachel’s stomach fluttered; she hadn’t expected this turn of events in all her calculations.  It’s not a thoughtless plan … he has been asking about me, so she’s got some justification, but she must know what she’s doing.  Yeah, she’s a Succubus; she knows exactly what she’s doing.  Logically, he’d need to adjust his schedule to be awake during the same time as me, too, and if I protest, then I’ll look weak … damn.

“If he wants to join us, then I have no objections.”

“Merveilleuse!  I’ll take our darling Scarlet with me while you get everything sorted out, and I’m positive those long fluffy ears can track us down.  I’m told you’re extremely fast on your feet, too!”

Of course, she heard about my fight with Anthony, and probably not from him.

Maëlle darted around her, latching onto Scarlet’s arm before tugging her back the way she’d come.  “We’re going to have so much fun!”

Rachel watched the male DDA agents hesitate before Saeki waved for them to stay back, giving them a somber sigh.  Scarlet turned her head, blue eyes pleading for help as Maëlle guided her away with a flurry of statements about Kyle.

Maëlle is a whirlwind … she definitely earns her name as a Succubus in being able to take control of a situation, but how well that translates to combat … maybe we’ll see with the Cuba mission.  I get the feeling she’ll have no issues with joining us, but the real question is, can I trust her?

A lump dropped down her throat as she continued toward David’s office, agents following her.  Maëlle’s barbed tail disappeared down the next hall junction.

Time will tell, but she’s a Manipulation-type Mythickin … probably even more specialized in that field than Relica.  I don’t know if I could ever really see what’s being planned inside that brain of hers, and there lies the issue; Scarlet, Maria, and Fiona are nothing like her.  She’s a wildcard.

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