Chapter 1 - Rainfall
Rain always seemed to overflow on nights of tragedy.
The flashing lights of ambulances and sirens filled the gaps between the crash of thunder and constant drumming of water. Emergency workers shouted above the noise. As they ran, their footsteps splashed in the muddied ground. The officials gathered bodies while others led survivors to safety outside the perimeter. They arrived like they always did; moments too late.
Mara sat inside a tent with a blanket that did nothing to drive the cold out of her. Her cup of simmering cocoa remained untouched. It felt too cold like everything else.
A man walked into the tent, and Mara recognized him as the first responder who brought her in. He took a seat on the ground opposite and said something that seemed to fall away before it met her ears. With great effort, she turned towards him. The concern on his face did nothing to comfort her.
"I'm sorry," mumbled Mara. "What did you say?"
"Are you alright?" he repeated.
She looked back out to the darkened field still rife with stretchers and bodies. While the emergency workers ran across, the police attempted to disperse the crowd of onlookers arriving at the edge of the suburbs. It wasn't so much as to hide the scene, but to suppress the horror. Like the antithesis of lightning, Grimm begged to strike twice.
"Yes." She didn't mean it.
Fumbling, he flipped open a notepad.
"Can you tell me what happened here?"
She didn't respond. In that moment, memories broke free. Screams. Terror. Gunshots. In the flashes of lightning, she saw the fangs of beasts. They snarled and howled. Black tentacles flayed and dragged a figure into the dark screaming. A voice cracking with terror. He screamed her name.
"Miss Greene?" said the first responder, drawing her back to the present. "Can you tell me what happened?" he repeated.
"I was walking with my fiancé. Adin." Her blood curdled. "I think children were lighting fireworks. Then the Grimm showed up. They just… came out of the dark." She felt herself choke and tears welled in her eyes. "He tried to protect me. They took him into the woods. I…" she trailed off, breaking.
The man continued scribbling down in his notepad. Sliding it away, he stood up and rested his hand reassuringly on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Miss Greene. You've been very helpful. We'll send in an officer to escort you home safely. Please take care of yourself."
"Wait!" She jumped up and grabbed his arm. "Adin. Can- can you get him back? He has brown hair and green eyes and… and…" She broke again.
The man paused almost imperceptibly. "Yes, we'll do our best."
With that, he left.
For a while, Mara sat by herself listening to rain tap on the tent's canvas. She stared at the emergency workers clear the area as the sirens faded out under the rising thunder. Ambulances raced away and the police continued to divert onlookers. A sharp pain stabbed at Mara's heart. She knew he was lying; they wouldn't save Adin. They wouldn't even look. Grabbing an umbrella likely meant for her, she walked out.
The police had set up a string of floodlights that turned the earth a ghostly white. The gentle scent of petrichor rose with the rainfall, but the mix of blood brought only nausea to her. Mara kept her head down, but she could still hear the chattering voices. A crowd of people from the neighborhood muttered among themselves while the officials shouted commands.
"How horrible…"
"Oh my, what a disaster."
"Why don't we have more security here?!"
"The kingdom can't send anyone over with the war..."
"That's crazy! It's the second time this month."
"This town isn't safe anymore..."
The police and cleaners rushed around the scene, too busy to quell the rising voices. A handful of uniformed figures stood at the edge of the field fruitlessly trying to disperse the crowd. A teenager broke past the tape and ran in to take a better look. The grisly remains immediately made him regret his decision. Before an officer could drag him out, he ran to a tree and vomited.
Mara ducked under the caution tape. They didn't seem to care if anyone left outside. While the perimeter surrounded the park, they left the forest untouched. A short distance away, her eyes were caught by a blonde who couldn't have been much younger than herself. The girl's shiny golden curls reflected the floodlights onto the roof of her umbrella as she bickered with a policeman.
"Miss, please step back."
"Sir, I just need to know what happened here."
"Another Grimm attack. That's all."
"What do you mean 'that's all'? They're Grimm. They don't attack and just run away. There has to be more," she said indignantly.
The policeman scratched under his cap. "I'm afraid that's just how it is. Now please step back from the premises. No civilians allowed."
Pouting, she twirled her yellow umbrella and tipped her head. Puffing out her auburn coat, the blonde fluttered her eyelashes at him. "Not even for me?"
"No." Unfazed.
After a couple more fruitless exchanges, the girl relented and walked away sighing. As she adjusted the fur on her coat, a red glint of glass peeked out from its pockets. A vial of dust. The tracks of thought began to link together in Mara's head. There was no way a civilian would be carrying around that on her own unless she was one of two things, and she didn't seem like a smuggler.
A Huntress.
She could ask her for help. She could look for Adin even if the police wouldn't. And yet, somehow, Mara couldn't work up the nerve. As she began tailing the girl from far behind, she thanked the falling rain as her footsteps melted into the rhythmic dropping.
The girl walked briskly and with extra care. She sidestepped puddles and took the time to avoid any patch of grass that might disguise mud. As she reached the solid sidewalks of downtown, her pace quickened. Mara did the same.
The streetlamps of Evandale glowed a pale gold with the typical evening calm as if it were completely disconnected with the scene of carnage just a ways away. Though night was falling, a few people still filtered through the streets. Mara blended into the passerby keeping an eye on the girl as she passed by several of her favorite shops. She recognized the home bakery of the Boules, the Starlight Café, and a dumpy little bookstore the townspeople wouldn't let go out of business. Her heart ached; they were all places Adin loved.
In the second Mara let herself be distracted, the blonde disappeared. She panicked and ran forward scanning the emptying street without catching sight of her. There was no way the girl could've gotten far.
Mara turned into an alleyway and sighed in relief at the sight of the yellow umbrella trotting ahead. She took a step forward and immediately felt something sharp jab at her back. A thin arm wrapped itself around her neck and shoved her against the brick wall. Her umbrella clattered into the wet ground.
"You really shouldn't tail someone," a light voice growled. "You're not really good at it."
The blonde down the alley turned around hearing the commotion. It was only in the stillness of the moment Mara caught her stunning blue eyes.
"I don't think she's a threat, Talia. For heaven's sake, let her go," said the girl with a hint of an accent.
Mara felt the sharp pressure ease off her back. The arm loosed itself and she felt herself pushed forward.
"Well, I wouldn't need to do anything if you weren't followed."
"Please, I knew she was there," she huffed. "She just didn't seem dangerous."
"Mmhm. Suuure," came the wry reply.
Mara anxiously turned her head just barely enough to see who caught her. The girl was smaller than she expected, but her blazing red hair frayed out like a mane that begged to intimidate. She swiveled the dagger away behind an equally red shawl and stepped forward.
"So," said the girl named Talia. "What's got you following around little Miss Priss? Awfully rainy out for an evening stalking." She narrowed her eyes. "Or maybe that's good stalking weather," she seemed to mumble to herself.
"I-I don't want any trouble," Mara managed to choke out. "I just wanted to know if she was a Huntress."
At the statement, Talia began to cackle loudly. She wiped a tear from her eye while irritation took over her blonde companion's face. The girl turned her attention towards Mara and gently smiled.
"Something like that. Are you looking for help of some kind?" Before she could respond, the girl continued. "Oh, we should probably get out of this rain."
In the rush of events, Mara was too focused to realize she was drenched from head to toe in the continually pouring rain. The blonde raised her umbrella above her as she bent down to pick up Mara's.
"I suppose you're the local here. Anywhere you'd recommend?"
- X -
The Starlight Café was already winding down for the night. While the couple who owned the shop were preparing to close soon, they were more than happy to let a familiar face like Mara sit in with her two guests. They settled in an inner booth away from the windows. While she and Ylisse set their respective umbrellas open to dry, the red haired girl kept her soaking shawl on.
"So, introductions then. My name is Ylisse. And this rude one," she said gesturing at the redhead nonchalantly sipping cocoa, "is Talia."
"I'm Mara."
"My, that's a pretty name," she complimented. "So then, Mara. What can we help you with?"
Swallowing, Mara tried to put the words together.
"You were there, weren't you? At the attack?"
Ylisse blinked. "Yes, I was. But too late to be of help."
Mara nodded. "I saw. The police wouldn't let you onto the scene."
At the news, Talia snapped back to the conversation.
"Wait, really?" The red haired girl cackled. "So much for 'leave it to me,' I guess."
"Oh, quiet. I'm sure the officer just… had a bad day with the attack and all," Ylisse fished. She pushed the girl's face away with a finger and turned back to Mara.
"What else?"
"My fiancé Adin and I were part of it. I got away but he… he got taken. One of them dragged him into the woods. The police said they didn't find anyone there, but that's where he disappeared."
The girls each raised an eyebrow.
"I heard the police say they wouldn't send anyone deeper in without proper support and daylight," Ylisse said. "I'm not surprised given the circumstances. I don't suppose you happened to see what exactly took him?"
"No, not really." Mara shook her head. "But it looked a lot like these long black… tentacles."
The two girls exchanged a glance. A mutual confusion buzzed between them.
"Are you sure they were tentacles? I thought it was just a pack of Fanglings," said Ylisse. She recalled the small canine Grimm; they were much tinier than Beowolves, but every bit as deadly and ferocious.
"There was. But there was something… definitely something else with them."
Silence fell between the three of them while the rain continued to poor outside. Raindrops pattered against the glass windows in a gentle rhythm. While the café owners continued to slowly close up, their clattering did nothing to disturb the atmosphere around them.
"If it's money, I can pay," Mara blurted out anxiously. "I'm a systems engineer. I'll pay whatever you want."
Talia's eyes lit up and Ylisse shot her a scolding look.
"Don't worry, Mara. It's not that. We're just putting the pieces together," Ylisse reassured her.
The blonde put a finger to her chin in thought. "Nothing matched the regular attack patterns. The Fanglings ran right after the police arrived. Predatory Grimm don't normally leave until there's no one left, and yet there were survivors." She glanced back at the lady in question in front of her. "Mara, we'll do a little investigating. Do you have a good way we can reach you?"
Ylisse fiddled into her coat. Producing a black pen, she slid it on top of a napkin across the coffee table. Anxiously, Mara took it and scribbled down her number.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." She meant it.
As she got up to leave, Talia set her mug down.
"Hey lady," she said not bothering to use a name. "Have you see anyone suspicious looking around lately?"
"Suspicious?"
"Yeah. Someone with a hood on in broad daylight. Kinda shifty. Stares at people. Big scar right here." She listed while tapping her cheek. Ylisse gave her a sideways look.
"No, I-I don't think so," replied Mara honestly.
Talia grunted and resumed sipping at her cocoa while Ylisse waved to her a polite goodbye.
Mara saw the streets nearly empty as she exited the shop doors. While the rain seemed to lighten up, the heavy clouds showed no sign of the storm coming to an end. She traced her path back to the park wondering if the cleaners had nearly finished. As Mara rounded the park corner, she saw that the onlookers from earlier had more or less dispersed. Only a few remained as well as a couple photographers snapping front page pictures for tomorrow.
As she neared the perimeter, she saw the rescue worker from before speaking to a policeman. His eyebrows raised as he noticed her and pointed the officer in her direction. The slightly overweight uniformed man hustled over with an umbrella, tipping his hat towards her.
"Miss Greene! Mr. Cole's been looking everywhere for you. I've been assigned to see you home safely."
Nodding, Mara attached the name to the first responder's face and allowed the officer to follow her back.
As they walked, he began to jabber about something she filtered out of her ears. Her head filled with thoughts about her conversation with Ylisse and Talia. It finally dawned on her that she asked two young girls for dire help. Her guilt grew. They barely looked like adults. Mara swallowed the shame as it piled in her throat. But, if it meant saving Adin, she would do anything.
She and the officer arrived at her house in the suburbs. He parted ways with her with another tip of his cap leaving Mara on her own.
She unlocked the front door with shaky hands to an empty house. Though Adin never fully moved in, his knickknacks and other possessions were already halfway settled. Mara collapsed onto the couch and stared absentmindedly out the patio doors. The ceaseless rain rhythmically tapped on the roof and plants in an almost mocking music. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. She laid there unfazed and unfeeling.
Her mind drifted to the two Huntresses. Were they out hunting Grimm under the heavy storm? Or maybe they decided to do nothing like the police. Mara closed her eyes. She couldn't blame them. They were young; they had their entire lives ahead, and they wouldn't throw that away rescuing a stranger.
The deep night came swiftly and without empathy. Lightning flashed lighting up the yard in an eerie white for just a moment. She remembered Adin loved rainy nights. Mara stared into a photograph on the mantle of them together. His arms wrapped lovingly around her and she imagined the warmth of his chin resting on her. She blinked and felt her eyelids slowly grow in weight. Like the ever creeping hands of midnight, she felt the gentle grip of sleep pull her away.
In the midst of her dreams, Mara relived her first meeting with Adin. She was short and stocky, and he was tall and lanky. They were strangers in the same accounting class, then friends at the same book club, and then dates at the same dance. He laughed like birds chirped and snorted like pigs. She loved that. The memories passed by like pictures in an album, and she felt herself melt into them. Even asleep, tears welled in her eyes.
Please…Please be alright, she prayed to gods she didn't believe in.
A crash of the storm jolted her from sleep. She blinked awake. Groggily, Mara rubbed her eyes. The downpour grew as she slept and the falling rain nearly drowned out the thunder. She turned towards the small wooden clock above the fireplace.
A couple of hours had passed since she fell asleep. She felt it was odd; storms normally wouldn't wake her. She even slept better during them. Mara rubbed her eyes and decided to move to her bedroom. As she got put, another flash of lightning lit something in the corner of her eye. She jerked her head to the patio door.
A trick of the light?
In the black of the rainy night, Mara saw only the inky darkness. She turned back to the mantle clock and wondered if she was seeing things.
Then it came again. The lightning lingered just long enough for her to register what it was.
A person.
She froze. Her breath stopped and panic overtook her. What did they want? How long had they been standing in the storm watching her?
Her mind slowly cleared. She wasn't a Huntress but she kept a weapon in the house at Adin's request. An axe. Two years ago, she wouldn't have considered it, but now it was stored upstairs under her bed. She needed to run for it.
Mara braced her legs. As she prepared to jump over the couch, another flash of lightning lit up the figure. The slim frame and matted brown hair found its place in her memory. Her heart soared.
It was Adin.
Ever so slowly, she got up and approached the glass. He was a ways in the yard, and she could barely see him still there in the dark. The lock rattled as Mara slid open the glass door. The moment she did, he ran.
"A-Adin? Wait!" she called out.
Mara quickly slipped on a pair of shoes and sprinted out after him. Her mind raced as she ran.
Why was he running from her? Why was he there?
She pushed the thoughts out of her head. He was alive, and that was all that mattered.
His legs were always longer than hers, but she wouldn't let herself slow down. Step after step, the rain pelted her face and the chilling night air made it feel much colder than it was, but it did nothing in the heat of her adrenaline.
"Adin!"
He kept going. She chased him across the suburbs just barely able to see his silhouette. He could run faster than Mara, but his pace made it seem as if he was leading her.
Adin's figure entered the park. Several of the floodlights had gone out in the midst of the night leaving ghostly patches of white on the muddy grass.
Mara trailed behind him watching as he sidestepped the lights and vanish into the woods. She stopped to catch her breath, hands on her thighs. She breathed as air filtered into her burning lungs. Her heart beat like a manic drum.
Rising back up, Mara began to notice the eerie silence of the park between the crashes of thunder. Even if the bodies were cleaned up and people evacuated, the police would need to stand watch. Yet, there wasn't a single one. The floodlights were still out as well as several patrol cars, and even the tents still stood. However, there wasn't a soul in sight. Something lingered in the back of Mara's head that something wasn't right.
But Adin. He was close.
She stepped forward into the forest. The trees stretched on one behind another like a wooden labyrinth. The branches created a canopy for the rain, but cast the way forward in darkness. Mara reached for her scroll. While the pale light shined a clear way forward, it did nothing to help the sinister atmosphere.
Wind flowed between the tree trunks in a chilling low howl. A sharp crack caused Mara to jump, only to realize she'd stepped on a twig. Small drips of water found their way through the leafy canopy and fell to the soft dirt below. She shivered realizing that only her adrenaline had been keeping her warm. Against her better judgment, she pressed onward determined to find Adin.
Tree after tree, she passed them by. Mara soon lost track of how far inwards she'd actually gotten. Much like a maze, she wasn't sure which was was in or out anymore. Doubt began to form in the back of her mind. Here she was, alone, in the middle of the dark woods in the deep night that Grimm had emerged from and dragged away her love.
And just as Mara prepared to turn around, she came across a small clearing. It was an oddly round chamber surrounded by trees in an almost deliberate design. Rain dropped in the central area where no branches reached and lightning stormed across the unshaded sky. In the middle of that clearing was Adin.
"Adin!" Mara cried.
He didn't respond. He stood with his back to her, unnaturally still. Though rain fell and the soft wind of the forest howled around them, his figure unmoving.
Mara stepped forward gingerly into the clearing. Her eyes widened. He was here. Her lips quivered. She prepared to say something she hadn't quite thought of as the words jumbled in her throat before they could come out.
And then she realized they weren't alone.
From all sides, pointed teeth and burning eyes emerged. Their claws trudged forwards slowly surrounding her from all sides. The bone-like armor and red markings clacked with each drop of rain. This was their hunting ground, and she had wandered right in.
Her eyes jumped around the clearing. From the far corner on the far side, she saw a bloodied body. Mara immediately recognized the blue hue of an officer's uniform, and the physique of the one who escorted her home. Terror befell her as she realized how he arrived there, and that the other patrollers were likely scattered about nearby.
At that moment, her scroll buzzed. Thunder crashed, and in her panic, the device slipped out of her numb fingers. It clattered away flickering on as it hit the ground and a voice emerged.
"Hello? Mara? It's Ylisse. Listen, don't go anywhere. Just stay where you are." Her words were calm but she sounded panicked.
From the background, Talia's voice growled,"Fuckass police didn't even know what they're dealing with."
"Stay put and tell us where you are. We'll come to you. And this may sound strange, but if you see your fiancé, don't-"
Her words cut off as a Fangling crushed the scroll underfoot. From its throat, a terrifying growl rose and the sentiment circulated around the pack. As if resonating with the threat, Adin turned around. Yet, turn didn't seem like the right word. His feet dragged on the muddy grass limply and his spine rotated in place. Mara saw his eyes. Vacant. Lifeless.
She collapsed to her knees. Her body was already cold, freezing in the icy rain. She felt her little remaining strength leave her. She could cry, but what would be the point? Her screaming would do nothing. Everything was already lost. The Fanglings closed in step by step, feral eyes locked on her and jaws gnashing. From the corner of her eye, Mara saw the light of the crescent moon peek through the trees. At least she'd die under a clear sky, she thought to herself.
The Fangling closest to her right leapt at her. As Mara closed her eyes, she saw the moonlight flash and suddenly fall towards her. It soared overhead and she heard the canine beast yelp as the gleam cleanly bisected it. Raising her head, Mara saw that the clouds hadn't broken. It wasn't the moon at all.
Against the darkness of the storming sky, she saw the inverted crescent blade situated at the end of a long black pole, and held in the palms of a hooded figure wrapped in pale blue. Another Grimm ran forward, fanged mouth stretched wide open. With another clean sweep, the stranger cut it down as well.
"Stay behind me," a feminine voice said.
Roaring, the Fangling pack closed in. The figure raised her glaive and swept through two of them as they ran forward. A third dove at her back. She ducked and brought the blade around slashing the Grimm in twain as it flew by. Its body disintegrated before hitting the ground.
As if sensing they'd meet the same fate moving alone, five of them attacked at once. In one swift motion, hooded stranger dashed forward. She slipped her glaive's edge under the first and whipped it into two others. Without missing a beat, she turned and sliced through the fourth. From behind, the fifth leapt at her. She ducked, just barely dodging as its claws tore off her hood. As it landed, the girl kicked its snout sending it sprawling back to the edge of the clearing.
While it whimpered with shattered fangs, the rest of the surrounding pack took a step back. Their aggressive growl lowered into a cautious snarling. Mara watched in silent awe as the stranger rose to her feet. Lightning flashed lighting up her short silver hair. The stranger's face was angled and beautiful with deep violet eyes, but a horrible jagged scar stretched from her cheek down to her jawline. While her black pants and pale blue jacket were caked in rain and mud, her weapon's steel shone clean and pure.
"H-how?" Mara stammered without thought.
She didn't respond. Her eyes and attention were fixed to the Grimm around them, scanning for the next possible attack. However, the Fanglings continued their low guttural growling with heads low.
She turned her attention to Adin, still unmoving with limp limbs as if suspended in air just above the ground. Mara followed her gaze and averted her eyes, too terrified to look at her lover.
"What's happening to him?"
"I'm sorry," came the soft reply. "He's already gone."
She raised a hand forward. As if by a spell, small incandescent sparks of light gradually conjured and melded together into a luminous orb floating in her palm. The Grimm seemed to cower at the glow. Shielding her eyes, Mara peeked through her fingers. Adin's shadow grew, stretching across the ground and onto the trees behind him. The dark shape grew blacker and more solid until it peeled itself off the surface and floated in the air behind him. Stringy tentacles stretched from Adin's limbs to a solid black orb plated in bone. Red markings eerily similar to an eye stared back at her.
Still on the ground, Mara scrambled backwards horrified.
"What is that… thing?"
"A Puppeteer," she said quietly. "They take command of smaller Grimm and use them to secure a host, and then lure more people into their hunting grounds. The host doesn't rot, but only as long as it's connected to the main body." She brandished the glaive. "And the only way to kill it is to destroy the host."
The pieces were all there, and the strings Mara refused to connect finally snapped together.
Adin was dead. The Grimm manipulated his corpse to lure her there. That was all.
"No…"
In that moment, she broke down. The tears overflowed more than the rain poured and her sobs louder than the thunder crashed. She wept with eyes closed. She didn't see the Puppeteer's impossible mouth roar open to attack. She didn't see the Fanglings howl and rush in, nor the girl cut them down rank by rank never leaving her side. She didn't see her lover's broken body float away into the dark, nor the girl raise her glaive and cleave him as the black body dissipated in the frigid air.
And before she stopped weeping, the morning sun rose bright and uncaring as it always did.
- X -
The broad daylight sun made it hard to believe a roaring storm echoed through the previous night. As soon as the news of the perimeter's guards disappearance reached the local military base, they sent out a task force to Evandale's borders. With arms in hand, they swept through the woods and hunted down the remaining Fanglings with no trouble. They also stumbled across the torn bodies of the patrol watch and later burned them in a vigil. Constructing an emergency border fence made of pipe and wire, the forest was sealed off from the town. Though the citizens responded with a mix of agreement and distaste, they settled for it a few days later and life went on as usual.
In the Starlight Café, Mara sat with warm tea in hand. She sipped on it gingerly, staring out the window at a world that didn't know or care about her story. The scent of fresh baked bread wafted in from the bakery next door. The jingling of the shop's bell went off as it did whenever the door opened. First once, then twice, and then thrice as three girls entered.
"May we join you?"
Mara recognized the accent and, not turning her head, gestured for them to sit. Ylisse pulled up a chair across from her while Talia did the same. The third walked off to the counter.
"How are you feeling?" asked Ylisse.
It was an odd question. Not one that hadn't been directed at her before, but the first with such intent.
"I've been better, but I'm alive so I guess that's what counts," responded Mara. She stirred her mug and smiled sadly at the curly blonde.
"I'm really glad you're okay. We were worried when you suddenly cut out of the call." Talia jabbed her discreetly under the table. Mara pretended not to notice. "I mean, I was worried."
Talia snorted in agreement.
"I appreciate that." Spinning her mug's spoon, Mara changed the topic. "So what are you three up to now?"
"We'll be heading out soon to meet up with our others in a different town. I'm going to miss that comfy little inn here, but it's already been a few days and there's nothing else for us to do," Ylisse sighed.
"What do you mean? You didn't do anything," Talia jabbered.
"Hush now. We did enough." Ylisse poked a finger at short companion's face and pushed her away. She turned back to Mara. "Thank you for finding our leader, by the way."
She turned towards the hooded girl at the counter, still staring at the menu boards undecided. Mara smiled.
"I should be glad that she found me. She was a step ahead of both me and that... thing."
The last word hung in the air. To her, it felt like the night happened years ago, but a lingering trauma remained. She needed time. Shutting the feeling out, Mara took another sip.
"It's been dangerous with all the Huntsmen and Huntresses called up to the front lines," said Ylisse. "More and more are getting called away with every passing week. I know the local militia and police are doing their best, but there's just so much they don't have the experience for."
With a slight smile, Mara set her cup down. "And that's what you're here for, I guess."
"Yes, I suppose so. Something like that," Ylisse responded. "Hopefully the militia will keep a more wary watch on the town now even with the immediate danger gone. Seems like it'll be peaceful for a while."
"I think so." Mara looked out the window at the cloudless sky. "But I don't think I'll stay in Evandale. There are too many memories of Adin here. It was his hometown." She paused. "I'm moving back to Vale to be near my family. They'd feel safer with me at home anyway with the growing war front, among other things."
Ylisse nodded. The sentiment resonated with her. "Well, I hope you have a safe trip."
"Thank you. Look me up if you're ever in the area."
As Ylisse nodded, Mara took another sip of tea and fished into her purse. She produced a handful of plastic cards. They clattered on the wooden table as she slid them across. "That reminds me. I never paid you for your work."
"Oh no, we couldn't possibly." Ylisse waved her hand and smacked away Talia's fingers as she tried reaching for them. "It's not like we're not real Huntresses anyway. Besides, we have enough funds to get by right now" she seemed to say more at Talia than Mara.
"Then at least let me get breakfast for you."
Talia's face drooped as Mara picked up all the cards except one. Winking, she slid another under the table onto her lap as her eyes widened in surprise.
"And give my thanks to your leader. By the way, tell her she should think about not hiding her face. A real light in the dark." Mara downed the rest of her tea and gathered the rest of her belongings. Before she stepped through the door, Mara gave one last glance to the girl at the counter before going on her way.
As she rounded the corner out of sight, Talia turned to the hooded girl.
"Hey, Celina. She's gone. You can come back now."
Stepping back from the menu boards, she moved toward the table and collapsed into a chair. Sighing, she rubbed her head pulling off her hood.
"I don't understand why you feel the need to do that," said Ylisse. "It's not like she blames you for anything."
Picking up the stray lien card on the table, Celina fiddled with it in her fingers.
"I know," she huffed. "I just wasn't sure how to look her in the eye after… you know."
"Cutting up her boyfriend?" Talia completed.
On that note, Ylisse smacked her across the head and Celina averted her eyes.
"Yeah. That."
"You did what you had to. Isn't that what you always say?"
Celina didn't respond. She slumped in her chair and turned to look out the window. It was a nice quiet town apart from the occasional Grimm attack. No city was immune with the war lingering in the back of everyone's minds.
"Maybe if we tracked it just a little faster, a little harder, we could've-"
"No." Ylisse cut her off scornfully. "You always do this. We did our best and you saved a woman's life. The Grimm are gone, and that's a win for us."
"Fine," mumbled Celina. Ylisse had a point, but she wasn't sure she felt the same. Dropping the subject, she directed her attention to Talia fiddling with something unseen. "By the way, I hope you're planning on sharing that with the group."
Their gazes fell on the red haired girl whose eyes widened and darted away. "I don't know what you're talking about," she asserted innocently.
Celina laid a hand across the table and raised an eyebrow. For a tense moment, Talia didn't move, but in the end she sighed and handed her secret reward over. Smiling, Celina held the two cards up to the sun.
"Nice. This should last us a few days," she smiled.
"I don't get why you told her we didn't need it," Talia mumbled with her face on the table.
"Because we don't. That's how we've always done things," Ylisse stated matter-of-factly. "Rich of heart; poor of pocket, you know."
"Fine, but I don't want to hear that from the rich girl."
Ylisse simply shrugged and turned back to Celina.
"So, where are we headed next?"
Celina tapped absentmindedly on her scroll. The signal didn't extend out of town, much like most other settlements since the Vale tower fell some years ago. Not getting the result she wanted, she pocketed it.
"Aury and Zeph said they were heading towards Ketses last time. We should go there and meet up with them. You know, surprise them with camp set up before they arrive."
"Oooh boy, another trip," Talia moaned.
"Can't we stay here just another day?" Ylisse said frowning, finally in agreement with her. "Actual beds are just so, so comfortable."
"Nope. The sooner we all get together, the better. I don't like everyone being apart for so long."
"Says the one who keeps running off."
Celina slipped the two lien cards in her pocket. Looking expectantly at her two companions, they relented and dragged themselves up.
The morning sky was still bright without a hint of rain or shade. The passing storm meant it would be clear for a few days, and Celina didn't want that to go to waste. As she walked out the door, she fingered the lien cards in her pocket and felt an oddly carved indentation on it. Pulling it out, she read what was scratched on it and smiled.
"Thank you."
It wasn't about the money. It never was. The war hurt everyone no matter how far they felt disconnected from it even in the small towns of East Sanus. Though they traveled through the continent in the last couple years, she knew there would always be others who needed help. A spark of hope. A light in the dark. They'd only need to follow the lanterns.
