This is a work of fanfiction. All characters (except Emerald) belong to Aphmau / Jessica Bravura.

Cover Art belongs to Aphmau / Jessica Bravura.

Please don't sue me.

Contains some cussing, but you should all know the drill by now.

It was around 11 A.M. on a beautiful Sunday as Andrew and Devon sat at the diner, waiting for Emerald and Ava to arrive for the scheduled brunch. After the last hectic time they'd taken their daughter out, they wanted the chance to meet with her in a calmer, less distracting atmosphere. Inviting Emerald along was their peace offering, as well as a chance to show their appreciation for everything the veteran was doing.

"Well?" Andrew asked as Devon put down his phone on the table.

"They should be here soon. Ava sent me a text right before they left the apartment."

"Good! Oh right, uh, that reminds me... " Andrew's face grew serious. "... you aren't going to get nosy with them, are you?"

"What, me? No!" Devon laughed nervously, before taking a massive sip of his coffee.

"Devon... "

More nervous slurps. "Hmm?"

"You're trying to avoid answering."

"Wow, Andrew. A man can't drink his coffee without being attacked?"

"I asked you a simple question. You don't have to be over-dramatic about it."

"I swear, your politician side is showing a little too much."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize after all these years of marriage, you can't give me a straight answer!"

Devon sighed dramatically. "I don't think either of us could give a straight answer... "

"Oh, haha. Very funny." Andrew did not look impressed at the pun.

"It's a joke, Andrew!"

"I'm serious. Answer the question: are you going to be nosy about Ava's new friends?"

"No, I'm not."

"That means you are." He sighed in resignation. "Can you at least promise me you won't badger Emerald about it? She's had a lot on her plate the last few weeks, and Ava says she wasn't feeling well yesterday."

Devon gasped dramatically. "After all these years together, I think you would know me better!"

Before he could answer, Andrew saw Ava and Emerald enter the diner, the former waving to them as they approached. "Dad! Pop!"

"Ava! My baby! Did you bring any of your friends with you?!" Devon's eyes sparkled with barely-contained excitement.

"Told you," Emerald whispered to Ava under her breath, eliciting an eye roll from the shorter woman. She turned towards the counter. "Okay, well, I guess I'll sit over there. Just let me know when you're ready to go."

"Why don't you join us?" Andrew motioned to the empty spot next to Ava at the booth. "Let us pay for your meal: it's the least we can do for driving her over for us." Reluctantly, the veteran slid in next to Ava.

No sooner had the two women sat down, the questioning began.

"Speaking of which: what are you wearing, Ava?" Devon stared at his daughter's outfit, which consisted of long jeans, heavy jacket, and some fairly thick boots. Emerald was dressed in similar attire.

"I wanted her to be safe while we were on the motorcycle, so I made sure she wore the proper safety gear. Her helmet is out with mine so we didn't have to drag them inside and take up too much space." Emerald's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Uh huh. And why were you two late?"

"Oh, that's my fault!" Ava was quick to intervene. "I was a bit nervous about riding on the motorcycle, so Em had to go slow. We both realized there is no way I'm ever going to ride one by myself." She laughed. "But it was a lot of fun."

"Devon... " Andrew warned softly under his breath.

Emerald stood up. "Is it okay if I order my food at the counter and have them bring it over here? That way, you all aren't waiting for me to finish." Before they could answer, the veteran walked over to the counter.

Ava looked between her parents, grinning sheepishly. "So... how have you guys been?"

"We've been doing good! Just, uh, been a little worried about you," Andrew confessed, trying to help break the tension.

"Mrs. Oates told us you were sick!" Devon looked at her with worry. "Why didn't you call us?"

"I just needed to rest, is all."

"She told us she was helping to take care of you, especially once Emerald got sick as well." Andrew gave her an understanding look.

"Did you have any other help as well?"

"Devon... " the silver-haired man warned again.

"Um... I mean, some of my friends came by... "

Andrew seemed pleasantly surprised. "Oh! Well, I'm glad you had some help with - "

"Was it Noi?!"

Ava was taken aback. "Huh?"

"I swear to God, if you - "

"I bet it was Noi!" Devon stood, planting one foot on the table as he launched into his theory. "I bet Ava was sick and Mrs. Oates came over to take care of her once Emerald collapsed and couldn't do it anymore when suddenly Noi was waiting outside with flowers! He ran into Mrs. Oates, who told him Ava was sick, and like a good want-to-be lover, he dashed into the room to take care of you with the power of love! But then, all of those other heathens were waiting to swoop in and they all came to you, our darling princess, with gifts of affection! Suddenly, your heart was torn, not knowing who to pick as the person you truly love!"

"Oh my God, please kill me now... " Andrew murmured, sliding down into his seat in embarrassment.

"Please, take me too... " Ava agreed, mimicking his actions.

"Oh, I don't know," Emerald chuckled without humor, lightly patting the smaller woman's shoulder to get her to scootch over. "I kind of liked how I was utterly useless and everyone completely ignored me in favor of fawning over you." She sat down, glancing over at Devon. "Really made me feel appreciated."

"Look, as someone who wants to write his own work of romantic fiction someday, I hope to learn more about being the object of many people's affections from all perspectives." He looked to the veteran as he sat back down. "And from what I heard, all you did was go out to the grocery store."

"How do you know they even like her that way?" Andrew quickly intervened, seeing both Emerald and Ava glaring at the blonde.

"Em, I am so sorry about Pop," Ava whispered, feeling absolutely mortified as her parents continued to talk.

"No, I get it," she whispered back, a resigned look on her face. "You're his entire world, outside of your Dad, so he has a lot of free time on his hands. He spends that time concocting stories and scenarios in his head." She sighed. "I mean, yeah, it's insulting, but... I know he doesn't really mean it."

"But you shouldn't have to, especially when - " Ava was cut off as the server approached with their food, delivering a burger, taco, pancakes, and an omelet to the table.

Devon glanced over at his daughter once everyone had their food. "Well, I guess we never really talked about that, huh?"

"About what?" Ava asked, taking a sip of her water.

"Relationships and love?"

In shock, Ava accidentally spit her drink out... right into Andrew's face. He raised his hand to get the server's attention. "Uh, sir? May I get a napkin?"

"I *cough* don't wanna talk about that kind of stuff!" Ava coughed, blushing furiously.

"Ava, come on. You're a grown woman, and I've tried to have the birds and the bees talk with you so many times - "

The smaller woman covered her ears with her hands, chanting "Lalalalala, I can't hear you!" to drown him out.

Andrew nodded in thanks to the server who'd brought him the napkin. "Pumpkin... I think it's a valid talk we should have." He carefully wiped the water droplets from his face. "As your parents, we want to make sure you're well-educated to make good decisions for yourself to - "

"Heh-heh, I can't hear you," she called in a soft sing-song voice, blushing lightly. Emerald shot him an apologetic look, shaking her head as she took another bite of her omelet.

"Ava, I know you're listening. I'm not dumb. You're as nosy as your father here."

Devon looked insulted. "Hey!"

Ava groaned in annoyance as she finally brought her hands down. "Even if I am listening, is it appropriate to bring up 'pootie' talk here?"

"Ava, you're not a child anymore." The silver-haired man met her gaze seriously. "Someday, your prince or princess will come into your life and you'll enter a relationship."

She waved him off dismissively. "Please... I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Ava, we've seen your browser history before, you can't hide what you know from us." Devon smiled mischievously.

At Devon's words, both Ava and Emerald started, staring at him in open horror. "Wh-what?! How?!" the former exclaimed, while the latter seemed about to jump out of the booth in anger. 'If that asshole put some kind of spyware on our computers, I might actually have to sue him for breach of privacy,' the veteran thought to herself. 'I could get fired over that shit!'

He plowed on, oblivious to the looks he was receiving. "Well, when you were under our roof and using our computer, you were pretty dumb about not deleting your browser history."

"We know you watched anime," Andrew continued, spitting the last word out in disgust.

Emerald leaned back in relief, letting out a breathy chuckle as Ava practically choked in embarrassment.

Devon nodded. "And Netflix, too. The Romance genre was just all over your history!"

"Why is my love life so important all of a sudden?! I just wanna be friends!"

"Yes, but you lied to us and pretended you had a boyfriend. And Noi is obviously interested."

"Ava, as your parents, we just want you to make wise decisions. And, uh... I guess we just don't want you to be lonely when you get older." Andrew gave both women a meaningful look. "I know you have Emerald staying with you right now, but she has her own life to live, too. One day, either one of you or... maybe even both of you, will find someone you really care about, who makes you happy in ways you never even considered."

Devon nodded, looking a bit sheepish. "He's right. I know I worry too much a lot of the time, but I think both of you are just doing your best. Even if it's just the two of you staying together for a while, it's nice to know you both have someone you can rely on and trust. It reassures us that you're happy."

"He's lying," Andrew cut in, looking directly at his daughter. "He wants you to get married."

"Darn it, I'm serious!" He calmed down quickly. "As wonderful as it would be to see you walk down the aisle, I just... I just want you to be happy."

Ava smiled at her parents. "Thanks."

"Also, I'm sure one of those guys are your type based on the movies you like."

"Pop!" She blushed, instantly embarrassed again.

"Now now, Devon," Andrew warned, fixing him with a look. "Don't go prodding."

"I can't help it! Besides, it wouldn't hurt to at least think about what it would be like to be with someone." He suddenly focused his attention on Emerald. "Weren't you in a pretty serious relationship for a while when you were in the Air Force? I thought I remembered your parents telling us you were engaged, too... "

"Oh, uh... yeah." Subconsciously, the veteran reached down and began playing with the rings on her necklace. "There... was going to be someone, but, well... " She looked down at the tabletop. "It... didn't work out."

Ava stared at her in shock: she never knew that about her roommate. It seemed as good a time as any to start asking for relationship advice. "How do I know if I want to be in a relationship with someone?"

Emerald startled, letting go of the rings as she turned to the smaller woman. "Hmm? Oh, ah, well - "

"Simple!" Devon cut in. "Just try to imagine what it would be like if they watched your favorite movie scene with you for the hundredth time. Then, if you think they could do that, then it might be worth a shot."

"That's... not a good way to go about that at all." The veteran gave him a skeptical look.

"I mean, for me it is." His eyes sparkled as he looked at his spouse. "Besides, smoochies are best during movies!"

"You know, we've been so focused on Ava choosing one of those boys, we never even considered if maybe Emerald was interested in one of them as well." Andrew met the taller woman's gaze. "So... have any of them caught your eye?"

"I mean, one or two of them, maybe... " The omelet in front of her suddenly seemed to be the most interesting thing in the world.

"It better not be Noi!" Devon shouted, earning embarrassed looks from everyone else at the table.

"No, not him." She gave a small grin. "He's adorable, but he's not really my type."

"Do you think he's Ava's type?!"

"Um, that's not really up to me to decide, you know?" Emerald cocked one eyebrow at the blonde.

"Hey, uh, let's eat, shall we?!" Andrew tried desperately to bring the conversation to a close before it became any more awkward.

"Yes, let's!" Both men began chowing down on their food.

"Nice save," Ava whispered, lightly nudging the veteran in the ribs and grinning.

"Thanks," she answered, nudging the smaller woman back. "You know they're not going to let this go, right?" She shrugged, grinning as she focused back on her omelet. "Might as well at least think about it, yeah?"

Ava rolled her eyes, but paused as she stared at her stack of pancakes. 'You know, I wonder what it would be like to be with one of them... ' She stole a glance at Emerald from the corner of her eye. 'And what was that Pop said about Em being engaged once?'

"So... you used to be engaged?"

Emerald paused just as she was about to pull on her helmet, looking back at Ava. They had managed to get through the meal successfully, and were now by the motorcycle getting the safety gear back on. "Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now," she muttered, turning to face the shorter woman directly. "What all do you want to know?"

"Um, I guess... whatever you're comfortable with?" She played with her fingernail. "I know you like your privacy, and I know my parents can get a little pushy sometimes, and I know you don't like to talk too much about stuff that happened when you were in the Air Force, and - "

"Ava, take a breath." The veteran put a hand on each of Ava's shoulders. She paused for a moment, as if lost in thought, before offering up a tiny grin. "Do you want to hear about how we met?"

She nodded, her eyes almost sparkling as much as Devon's did at the prospect of hearing about something relationship-related.

"I'll give you the quick version for now." Emerald smiled as she thought back. "We met at the base bowling alley." She gave a warning look. "Don't laugh: we were all under 21 and were stationed in an area where the only real entertainment was casinos or bars."

Ava suppressed a giggle, but encouraged her to continue.

"He shared some mutual friends with my group, so they'd invited him along since it was almost his birthday. He ended up chatting with me while we played our games for the evening, one of his friends even nudging me and confiding 'hey, you know he likes you, right?'." She gave another wistful grin. "At the end of the night when I was about to go home, he ran after me and asked for my phone number. I gave it to him because no one had ever asked me for my number before and I thought 'what are the odds he'll ever actually call me?'" A bigger grin, as she met Ava's eyes. "Guess who called the very next day?"

"Aww! That's adorable!" The smaller woman was practically vibrating.

"But, here's the important thing I want you to know: I chose to give him my number. I just as easily could have said no and moved on with my life." Emerald gave her a serious look. "And it's the same with you. Just because the Daemos are interested in you doesn't mean you have to choose one of them. But... if it's something you think you'd like to pursue, then feel free to ask me for any advice if you want. I'll do my best to help you out."

Ava nodded. "I promise I'll think about it."

"Sounds good." Emerald tapped her on the shoulder. "Now let's get going. After yesterday's fiasco, I'd prefer not to leave them unsupervised for too long."

Once they had arrived back at the apartment, Emerald parked her motorcycle in the assigned spot and walked back to the elevator with Ava. Both women were lost in their own thoughts on the ride up, but it was a comfortable silence.

As they exited to their floor, Ava let out a small chuckle.

"What's on your mind?"

"Oh, just thinking about me actually being in a relationship." The shorter woman laughed again. "It's pretty ridiculous, right?"

"It doesn't have to be." Emerald unlocked the apartment door, going in ahead of her. "Besides, you don't have to go straight in and declare yourselves an exclusive couple right off the bat. Why not spend some time with them one-on-one, if you can? It'll give you a chance to see who they are as an individual." She gave her a smile. "If nothing else, it might be fun. Plus, I don't think there's any law saying you can't be friends with them."

"Is there, though?" Ava followed, closing the door behind her. "There might be some weird Daemos law about this 'courting' thing they keep going on about."

The veteran laughed. "Well, we're not on Daemos. So even if there is, I'm pretty sure you're in the clear." Both women went to the laundry room, not noticing the front door still slightly ajar.

Once the motorcycle gear was hung up properly, they went towards the kitchen. Both were surprised to see Rhys at the stove stirring a large pot. Mrs. Oates's recipe book was propped open on the island behind him. "Y-you're cooking?" Emerald questioned him, slightly concerned he was doing it without any supervision.

"Oh! Princess Ava and Dame Emerald! Yes, I am coo-king." He made eye contact with Emerald. "I had a conversation with Mrs. Oates about the nature of food here on Ee-urth, after I read one of your books about the subject." He suddenly got a worried look on his face, as if remembering something. "Aaand... I just wanted to study coo-king more." He let out a nervous chuckle.

"Wow." Ava looked impressed at the gesture. "Rhys, that's awesome!"

"I agree." Emerald gave him a small smile. "If you want, I can give you another lesson tonight while I'm making dinner."

"Thank you." He turned back to the stove, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. 'Yes! It's working! Both of them seem thoroughly impressed. Once I impress Ava enough, perhaps I will become king of Ee-urth.'

"A relationship with Rhys... " the shorter woman murmured under her breath.

"What're your thoughts?"

"I mean, Rhys is super cool and hot. Now that he's cooking, that makes him almost irresistible!" She blushed at the thought. "But, how would that be... ?"

Emerald caught the look on her face. "You thinking about what your Pop said?"

"Yeah... I think he'd just keep asking questions, wondering whether or not I was bored of it and going to pick a new favorite part. That could get annoying after a while."

The veteran opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off as the call of "Prisoners!" came from their left. She glared at Asch as he approached them, moving herself to stand slightly in front of Ava.

The Daemos prince stopped short, uncharacteristically flustered all of a sudden. He looked around her to meet Ava's gaze. "Y-y-you look cute today," he rushed out quietly.

Ava instantly blushed deeply, completely thrown off. "Huh?!"

Before Emerald could say anything, he locked eyes with her. "You... are a faithful guardian to your mistress and perform your duties adequately."

She let out a short chuckle at the awkwardness of the entire situation. 'Maybe he has a sweet side after all - '

"B-bu-but don't think anything of it!" Asch snarled, stalking off to see what Rhys was doing.

'Aaand there it is,' Emerald sighed, watching him retreat. She was surprised to see Ava was still blushing furiously. "Hey, you okay?"

"Y-yeah. Just, wondering what all that was about." Ava turned wistful. "Although, I wonder what a relationship with Asch would be like... "

"Full of threats of fire, destruction, and a lot of insults and yelling," she answered flatly, not looking too impressed at the idea.

"Yeah, something like that." She felt her own face. "Gah, I'm blushing! I need to go splash my face with water or something."

The two women went into Ava's bathroom, Emerald waiting nearby while the shorter one tried to cool her face off with some water. "You sure it's not your fever coming back up?" the former asked, looking somewhat concerned. "It's only been a day: I don't want you getting sick again."

Ava scoffed. "I could say the same to you." She reached over and grabbed a towel to dry her face. "You were still pretty sick yesterday."

Emerald sighed. "How about we just agree to take it easy for the rest of today?"

Before Ava could respond, Leif phased into view. "Well hello there, Princess," he purred, before glancing over at Emerald. "Oh, and hi to you too, I suppose."

"Gee, thanks for remembering to include me," the veteran shot back, uncrossing her arms as she stood up a bit straighter.

"What are you doing here?! Didn't you knock?!" Ava still wasn't completely used to the former assassin's ability to just appear whenever he wanted.

Ignoring both women, he pulled a heart-shaped box of chocolates from... somewhere. "I just wanted to give you this." He handed it to Ava, before giving Emerald a sly wink. "Maybe if you're good, she'll toss a couple pieces to you too."

Ava stared at the box in confusion. "W-where did you get this from?"

"I... found them." Suddenly, Leif didn't sound so confident.

"Th-thanks... "

"Don't forget this: it was me who gave you that. Love it!" The last words sounded almost like a whispered threat as he phased away.

"W-what's going on?" Ava looked to Emerald in confusion. "Why are they acting so weird?"

"Seems like they're all doubling down on this 'courtship' thing. The only question is: where did they get all these ideas?" The taller woman looked a bit concerned. "I don't remember keeping any of those books out where they could find them... "

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Emerald brushed her off. "So... what do you think it would be like if you were with Leif?"

Ava thought for a moment, her face scrunching up as she began running through the scenario.

"Let me guess: he's yelling about killing and keeps stabbing everything in sight?"

"Yeah." The smaller woman sighed in defeat. "How would he even get out of that habit?"

Emerald laughed. "Well, in any case, I wouldn't be too eager to eat that candy he gave you. For all we know, he found it out by the trash, and I have to strongly advise against eating 'dumpster chocolate'."

Ava returned the laugh. "I can always take a few pieces out at a time and throw them away under some papers or something. That way we won't have to worry about insulting him."

"Smart idea." Emerald opened the door to the bathroom, surprised to see Noi waiting there for them with two potted plants in his arms.

"Um... these are for you, Ava." The small Daemos nervously held out the container of yellow flowers, blushing furiously as he giggled nervously.

"Aww, Noi," she smiled, taking the proffered plant. "Thank you so much."

"A-and this one is for you, Emerald." Noi stuttered a little, but carefully held out a miniature black tree rose.

The veteran took it gently, giving him a friendly grin. "Thank you, Noi. It's beautiful." She gave the plant a sniff, smiling at the soft scent.

"You... you both... like them?"

"Yeah, I do." Ava was still fawning over her plant.

Emerald leveled a questioning look at him. "How did you know we like these kinds of flowers?"

Another nervous laugh. "Ah, I just did. See you around." Noi made a hasty retreat, the blush still bright on his cheeks.

"Wait... seriously, what's going on?" Ava looked at her roommate in concern. "They're all acting strange."

"I told you: it seems they've all decided it's time to get serious about courting you." Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "And I think they're trying to bribe me as well so I'll influence your decision... or something."

"Wait... what about Noi?"

"He's... sweet. But he also reminds me a bit of an over-eager puppy." Emerald cocked one eyebrow. "He'd probably throw himself out a window just to make you happy which, while cute in a macabre way, can quickly get kind of annoying."

"He's so eager to please. I mean... maybe...?"

"You know, you don't have to choose any of them. I told you that before." Emerald gave her a gentle nudge towards the door. "Let's put these flowers somewhere safe, then maybe we can discuss it properly."

Almost all of the Daemos had assembled in the kitchen for an impromptu meeting... with the notable exception of Pierce. He was still sitting on the couch, seemingly oblivious to the chaos going on behind him.

"Stop trying to steal her from me," Asch threatened, staring down his assembled knights.

Leif stared at them. "I thought that we agreed that it didn't matter who she married, as long as we get the magic. Right?!"

"You two need to stop," Rhys cut in calmly.

"Thank you!" The Daemos prince nodded to his advisor.

"It's obvious she is most impressed with me."

"You cheated!" Noi shouted, glaring at everyone.

"Did not!"

"You're just learning how to cook to impress Emerald so she'll tell Ava what a good mate you would be!"

"Oh, and you aren't!" Asch sneered at the small Daemos. "I saw that extra flower you had."

"And it just killed you to give her a compliment, didn't it!" Leif shot back, setting off a wave of shouting between all four Daemos.

Ava and Emerald opened the door onto chaos.

Four of the Daemos were standing in the kitchen, arguing loudly. Every now and then, a phrase would ring out above the others declaring things like "I want to kill her, so clearly I should be the one to marry her!" and "Why do you think you have a right to Ava's power?!".

The two women exchanged glances. "O-kaaay..." Ava muttered, steering clear of the fighting and placing her flowers on the dining room table.

Emerald followed suit, scootching both pots closer to the center. 'I'll give them some water and find a better spot later,' she thought, admiring the plants a little longer before she went into the living room. She was surprised to find the Daemos cat sulking under the desk, glaring at the couch.

Following the spirit's line of sight, she saw Johnny Cat getting the pet of a lifetime from Pierce, who seemed oblivious to the argument going on behind him. The veteran gave it a commiserating glance before going to sit in the armchair.

Ava approached Pierce, glancing at the fight as well. "Any idea what they're arguing about?"

The Daemos general paused in his petting. "No."

The shorter woman sighed, sitting down on the couch and leaning against him. He looked at her, then slowly began to rub her back.

"Huh?"

"You seem to enjoy it when I do this," he answered simply, resuming the back rubs.

Ava blushed, laughing quietly. "Thank you."

Emerald watched the exchange, an odd tightness in her chest. 'Guess this is what Cloud Kitty felt like watching Johnny Cat get all the attention,' she thought, looking over at the Daemos Spirit before returning her attention to Ava. The woman was lost in thought, probably trying to imagine what it would be like to be with Pierce.

"Hey!" Asch's voice cut through. "What are you doing?!"

Emerald and Ava both startled, all the other Daemos suddenly standing in front of the fireplace glaring daggers at the tallest one.

"Comforting Princess Ava," Pierce answered calmly, although he did stop rubbing her back.

Noi looked absolutely offended. "Hey, that's my job!"

"Did you ask her for permission?!" Even Rhys seemed to be losing his cool.

Ava shot up, glaring at them all. "All right, that's it! Why are you guys acting so weird?!"

Emerald stood next to her, noticing how all the Daemos suddenly blushed darkly. "Told you," she whispered. "If I had to guess, they probably - "

"Oh, Ava! Emmy!" Mrs. Oates shuffled into view near the hallway. "I see you two have your hands full."

"W-what are you doing here, Mrs. Oates?!" The veteran actually look... afraid.

"You left the door open, so I was worried. Is everything all right?"

Emerald laughed nervously. "Oh! Y-yeah, everything is fine!" She put one hand on her chest and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Ah, I'm sorry Emmy." The senior citizen looked apologetic. "I forgot you don't like to be startled, especially after you've been ill."

"It's... it's okay." She opened her eyes, giving a shaky smile. "Sorry for worrying you. I'll put in a work order to get it fixed right away."

"Oh, good." Mrs. Oates gave a happy giggle, winking while she blushed. "You know, these boys all have a crush on you two. They all came to me for advice on how to woo you."

"You weren't supposed to tell them!" Rhys shouted in embarrassed panic, all five Daemos blushing even more.

"Oh, I'm just speeding up the process!" she laughed, giving another wink as she turned towards the front door. "Toodles!"

Almost before Mrs. Oates had even had a chance to leave, Asch turned to Ava. "Marry me, Prisoner!"

"Marry?!" The shorter woman was stunned at how quickly everything was escalating.

Leif glared at the Daemos prince. "No way, me!"

"I'll fight you guys for her!" Noi declared confidently, glaring as well.

"I... I can't... " She turned to Emerald, looking for a way out. "This is a dream, right?"

"If this is a dream, then what the hell are you doing dragging me into it?"

Rhys seemed almost ready to lose his temper again. "I'm taking the throne of Ee-urth!"

"Aaand I'm... done," Ava breathed out, reeling back as she fainted. Emerald caught her easily, making sure the smaller woman didn't hit her head on anything. The Daemos all began to run over in panic, but she held up one hand to hold them off.

"Oh no, you don't," she warned, adjusting her grip on Ava. "You guys have all done enough for one day. I'm going to get her settled in her bed, then I'm going to come back out here. When I do, I better not see any of you hanging around: you all better be back through your little 'portal' thingy."

"D-Dame Emerald," Rhys stuttered, taking a step forward. "Please, allow us to assist - "

"Nope." The veteran pointed towards the crayon outline on the wall. "We can talk more about this tonight, but you all need to go. Now."

She could almost see the steam shooting from Asch's ears as he opened his mouth to argue, but Rhys was quicker. He stepped close to the Daemos prince, whispering furiously under his breath. Emerald caught a few phrases "can't risk it" and "need her to trust us", among the mutterings.

Defeated, all five Daemos did the Walk of Shame through the portal. Once she was sure they wouldn't try to sneak back out, Emerald carefully maneuvered her way to Ava's room and set the smaller woman on her bed. After she was covered with the blanket, the veteran exited the room, carefully closing the door behind her.

After a quick glance at the portal, Emerald sighed and pulled out her phone. She slowly dialed the number for Maintenance. It wasn't often she had to talk to people on the phone, but she always felt nervous whenever the opportunity arose. If it was possible, she much preferred just to text or email someone instead of having to talk directly. Even leaving a voice message was enough to make her anxious...

... but this was important.

"Apricot Vale Apartments, this is Jake speaking."

"Hey, Jake? It's Emerald."

"Oh, uh, hello. What can I do for you?"

"The lock on our front door seems to be broken, so the door isn't closing completely. I was wondering if I could submit a maintenance ticket for it to be repaired."

"Of course! Um, let me see..." She heard him rustling some papers around. "That actually qualifies as an Emergency, so if it's okay with you, I can come up right now and take care of it."

"That would be perfect, thank you."

"Okay. I'll see you in about five minutes. Just give me a bit to find the tools and stuff."

"No worries." She paused for a moment. "And... thank you for the quick response. I really appreciate it."

"Oh, uh, yeah! Yeah, it's no problem at all!" Jake sounded pleasantly surprised at her words. "See you in a bit."

"See you." Emerald hung up the phone, letting out a deep breath. 'Well, that went pretty well,' she thought, relieved it was over. While she walked towards the front door to wait for him, she checked her email again.

The veteran was surprised to see one from her work. 'Are they sending the documents early? I mean, it's happened before, but usually around a holiday or something like that - '

Emerald cut her own thoughts off as she read it, eyes slowly going wide.