I was halfway into my second bottle of beer as John set up the game. We had all gotten together at Daves place since his Bro was out of town. The four of us, like old times! Well, four plus one. I looked up to Equius who simply stood in silence and watched.

"Giirrll, Your guy friend there is creeping me out! Can't you get him to talk? Or move? Like…What gives?" Rose moved to sit next to you on the couch, she had already been drinking before we picked her up. She was sloshed and smelled very much like alcohol.

"I'm sure I could, but that doesn't mean he will actually do anything. " I spoke, then took a deep drink of my beer. Since I was underage, I didn't get to drink often. It was nice having a friend who could buy.

"Miss, I have told you at least twice by now. I am under your command and will do as you ask." Equius gave a bow.

Rose, John, and Dave all just stared. "Creepy…" John muttered. Rose handed the guy a cold bottle of beer. "Drink this, you need to loosen up! Relax and enjoy yourself! We're having a little PAR-TAY and you aren't gonna be a downer!" Rose laughed and leaned against me. Equius seemed to wait for my permission. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "Go ahead, drink it. " I chuckled, curious as to how a drunk Shayde would behave. Equius was cautious but still drank the brew.

My phone rang, but I just silenced it. I wasn't going to deal with Jeremy tonight, not while I was having a good time. "Jade! Since you're the one having a crisis here, you're first up!" Dave grabbed my hand and brought me to the dance pad. The song already queued. "I'm not having a crisis. Just… A lot of stuff is happening!" I set my drink down and stood on the DDR mat. John and I taking the first dance off.

Dave went to the couch to sit with Rose, picking up a drink along the way. "You get the chance to read my new comic? Totally bad-ass, right?" He gave a cool smirk after his first sip of the drink. "Dude, your comics are killer. Totes bad-a!" Rose exclaimed.

While everyone was either playing the game or chatting on the couch, Equius found himself simply standing to the corner. Only a drop of beer missing from the glass bottle. He had little interest in becoming inebriated and no interest in playing that game. He had hoped to plan out their training, not go to an impromptu party. Although, this gave him a chance to study the anomaly in his mission. Dave.

In Equius' eyes, Dave was a relatively ordinary human. Seemed to play the role of "Cool kid" by being as obnoxious as he could get as well as playing off everything as though it were no big deal. Though Equius still couldn't shake the face that the young man's soul felt ancient. The aura surrounding the guy seemed to alter space and time itself, as though some hidden power lay locked away in the confines of his forgotten memories.

A thought crossed Equius' mind. Perhaps this 'Dave' is a descendant of the Chronos Harbingers, Creatures who crossed into this plane of existence many many centuries ago. The Chronos Harbinger never truly died. They controlled time itself. Always monitoring the flow of time and ensuring nothing disrupt it. It was against one of the great laws of creation to meddle in time to increase the lifespan of something or prevent death, so many of them never did. Those who had, were mortalized by the hunters and lived out the rest of their time as monsters in human bodies. It's always possible that he is a descendant of one that crossed the laws of creation. If so, and if they could unlock that hidden potential, he would be a powerful ally.

"Jade, your friend here won't quit staring at me. What gives?" Dave had gotten up to take his turn on the dance mat as John and I finished the song. "What? Oh! Equius! Don't be rude! Here, why don't you try the game? You need to have fun too!" I smiled. I felt my phone go off in my pocket again but ignored it. "Jade, I do not think I should. I would break it. But, may I have a moment with you? There is some information you should know. "

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Oh come on…All this talking…You need to have fun. After you try the game we can talk, will that work?" I tried to reason with him. He did not seem to take well to my offer, but gave a reluctant nod.

I sat on the couch next to John and Rose, my drink nearly gone. "Seriously, where did you pick this guy up? He's an oddball. " John chuckled as the three watched Equius try to keep up on the dance pad. "Is that a little pot calling the kettle black, johnny boy?" Rose teased. John gave a laugh and took a sip from the bottle he had been tending to for the last hour. He was never much of a drinker. "Well, I guess all I'm saying is that I like him better than Jeremy. He's quiet and not all over you. I swear when you first had us meet your boyfriend it's like he was humping your leg all night. He just would not let you more than five feet from him. At least this guy seems to know some decency." John was starting to ramble.

"I'm not dating this guy. He's just a friend. He's talking a lot of weird things up, but I think he might just be some sort of LARP enthusiast." I smiled to Rose and John. I had gone to drink again but my bottle was empty. "So none of you guys really thought Jeremy was any good for me, then?" The sound I made after speaking was nearly that of a sigh.

"Well…No. We just thought something was off about him. Like…bad energy or something? I dunno. " Rose was leaning against John now, his beer in her hand as she drank from it. I started to wonder about the legitimacy of Equius' claims. He was certainly real. He was drinking, speaking, and even losing terribly at DDR right in front of my friends and I.

I got up from the couch and stepped away. "Where ya goin?" Dave spoke as he stepped away from the DDR mat with a new high score on his side of the screen. "Bathroom" I gave a simple answer as I kept walking. Once I was safely on the other side of the bathroom door, I pulled my phone from my pocket. I had four missed called from Jeremy, two voice mails, and a single text that said "Call me, I'm worried about you."

I didn't want to call him while I was tipsy. I was such a lightweight that if I drank anymore I'd be as bad as Rose was. But, I soon heard the dial tone followed by a ringing as I made the call.

Jeremy answered almost immediately. He sounded less concerned and more angry. "Jade, where the hell are ya? Yer not at home and ya ain't at work. What gives?" The southern drawl of a male voice came over the phone. "Er..Hey honey… I'm sorry I worried you. I'm with Rose. We needed a girls night. " You tried to make an excuse, but that fell through when John spoke through the door, "Are you okay? It's your turn again." The happy voice chirped.

"Rose certainly sounds a lot more masculine than I remember. She still live outside town? I'll come get ya." Jeremy offered, I could hear in the background the sound of traffic and car horns honking. It seemed he was already on the road. "No, no. That's fine. I just need some time. " I tried to make an excuse for myself, but Jeremy wasn't having it. "No, Jade. I'm coming to get you, that's final. You need to go home and get away from Equius."

You hadn't mentioned anything about Equius being there. In fact, you're positive he didn't even believe you when you tried to tell him about the incident the night before. "How did you know…? How did you even know Equius was here?" Jade was confused and at a loss for words. Though before a reply could be heard, the lock on the bathroom door popped and a hand reached in and took the phone.

"Hey, douche-nozzle. Leave Jade alone for a bit. One, she's not your property. Two, she's with her cool friends. Three, come anywhere near here and you're going down." Dave then clicked the red button to end the call. Not long after that he powered down the phone. "Come on Jade, let's get back to the party. I rigged my own sick raps to the game. We can dance to those."

Equius was standing nearby the doorframe. From the look on his face I could tell he heard the entire conversation. John gave me a pat on the back. "Your turn with Rose this time, I'm sitting this one out." He chimed, this kid never seemed to be too down for too long.

Equius' voice echoed in my mind. "I can kill Jeremy for you, if you wish. You would have to find a new sacrifice for the Blood Marble since you must sacrifice the person yourself. Though if it will save the hassle of dealing with that lowly pest…" I paused, genuinely considering it for the smallest of seconds before shaking my head. That was the alcohol, not me. I'm not one for senseless killing. I got on the dance mat and Dave hit play. Rose and I moving to the rhythm of the music and trying our damndest to keep up in the game. "No, not unless he tries to hurt someone. If he tries that, then you can kill him. Right now, just take another drink and try to relax for both our sakes." I replied through this weird mental connection we had.

A/N: It's been forever and a day since I updated, but I still remember where I was going with this. Hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently since I've graduated college. As always, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks for your support and interest!