Espio woke to the sound of laughter coming from downstairs. He'd slept in, which was something he'd normally never do. He liked to be more responsible than that, but after the week he'd suffered, he really needed the extra sleep. He freshened himself up in the bathroom after dressing himself one of his more casual outfits- a sweatshirt that was gifted to him from Vector with the logo of the Crocodile's favorite band- which was something that he'd never would have worn if it wasn't a gift, honestly. Even though it wasn't exactly his taste, and he might've never listened to that kind of music once in his life, Vector told him it looked good on him. So, he wore it with indifference, paired with a warm pair of black joggers with extra pockets.
After flicking off the bathroom light, he crossed the hallway toward the guest bedroom. The door was cracked open slightly, and he peeked inside. He'd expected to see Winona still laying there on the bed where he'd left her- but the room was vacant. Actually, it was quite pristine and cleaner than it was before he even put her there. She made the bed, folded up her used bedsheets, and she might have even dusted after she woke up. He can't remember the last time they'd had such polite company. Even though Espio thought it was kind of overkill, it was certainly appreciated in their house of many messes.
He could hear them talking as he descended the stairs into the kitchen. Vector, Charmy, and Winona were seated at the table. His partners were in the middle of telling her an exaggerated story about their last case, which Espio knew wasn't nearly as exciting as Charmy made it out to be. The ninja stopped at the final step and leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, listening in amusement with his arms folded. The Bee was practically making things up at this point, flailing his arms as he spoke.
"Then, Espio chopped them down with his ninja stars- but I think I really got them spooked when I came down on them from above!"
"Charmy, you fell from the balcony," Vector said with a laugh, "Don't pretend you pulled that stunt on purpose."
Winona put a hand to her mouth and chuckled. It was obvious that she knew that their story wasn't quite accurate, but she didn't seem to mind. She listened eagerly with a smirk, supporting her chin in her hand while Vector continued their story.
"Turns out, the perp had bad blood with the original homeowner. Don't know why he had to go as far as burnin' the whole place down, but he wasn't very careful about it. It didn't take much for us to connect the dots."
"So he was an angry arsonist with a vendetta, huh?" She asked just before she noticed Espio standing there out of the corner of her eye. She looked at him and smiled. "Good morning. Vector tells me you boys haven't eaten in a few days. I plan on bringing you out for breakfast, my treat. Is that okay with you?"
He looked at Vector disapprovingly, "You don't have to do that-"
"-Nonsense, Es. The lady is offering-"
"-I'm doing more than offering, I'm insisting." Winona nodded to Charmy, "This one wouldn't stop talking about pancakes and I've taken up the craving as well."
"You've already done enough for us." Espio replied as he grabbed a clean mug from the cupboard and prepared to brew himself a cup of tea. "We'll figure something out, we always have."
"Quit being so restrained, buddy." Vector said, grabbing the mug from Espio's hands as he stood, "It's three against one, so you can either hang out here and starve or come with us to the diner and help us welcome Winona to the city. She's living here now, you know."
He couldn't weasel his way out of it, so he gave in. Winona promised Charmy that he could choose any restaurant he'd like, and so Espio found himself sitting at a bright red booth in a diner downtown alongside his partners. Winona sat across from the three of them, entertained by Vector's ramblings about all the types of crooks and criminals that they've successfully charged. He went on and on until the waitress came to take their orders.
"Ladies first." Said the waitress with a smile.
"Pancakes with a side of eggs, please," Winona said with a bit of nervousness as she folded the menu in her hands and sat it in the waitress's hands. The waitress scribbled down her order then moved onto Charmy.
"I'd like the breakfast platter please, with two extra pancakes-"
Espio nudged the Bee with his elbow, "Charmy, would it kill you to be modest with your order?"
"No, go on Charmy." Winona replied, "You can have whatever you like." Charmy smiled and stuck his tongue out at Espio, who simply shook his head in response. Then, the teenager occupied himself with his Gameboy while he waited to eat. Vector and Espio both ordered a simple eggs and toast- feeling guilty about the hefty bill that Charmy was sure to leave up to Winona to cover.
Vector cleared his throat as the waitress left them, "Alright, let's address the elephant in the room… Winona, your brother's gotten his hands on a Chaos Emerald."
"Chaos Emerald?" Winona inched closer to the table with an inquisitive look on her face, "You mean that gem he was holding- the source of his power?"
"Hold on," Vector laughed as if he didn't believe her, "You actually don't know what a Chaos Emerald is? You're joking… you've got to be."
She had a vacant expression when she realized how serious the Crocodile was. She truly didn't understand the severity of the situation, Espio could tell. She looked at all three of them and sat upright in her seat, hugging herself tightly.
"Is that bad?"
"Very bad." Espio answered bluntly, "We pay dearly for it when they land in the wrong hands. Doctor Eggman's put the entire world at the brink of extinction once or twice with them-"
She furrowed her brow and spoke with innocent confusion, "...Doctor who?"
"Doctor Eggman," The three of them said in unison. Even Charmy had looked up from his beeping videogame, looking at her dumbfounded.
"How do you not know about Doctor Eggman?" Asked the Bee.
"T-To tell you the truth, I haven't ever been in this Realm for this long since I was ten. I never had the liberty to exist here, not while my brother was imprisoned. I felt the responsibility to see his sentence out until the day he died. But then, well, you've seen how that turned out." She laughed and shook her head, "I don't know anything about how the world has been since my absence. I don't even know what that thing is-" She pointed at the Gameboy in Charmy's hands. "So, I guess you could consider me quite clueless. Perhaps you could explain this Eggman to me in simple terms-"
"Aint nothin' simple about Eggman, Princess." Vector said quietly, "He's insane. Sick in the head. You don't want to hear about the damage he's done with all seven Chaos Emeralds at his disposal. See, here's the thing-" The waitress brought them a pot of coffee, setting four mugs in front of them all, Vector waited until she was gone to continue. Winona continued to listen as she poured herself a cup. "-If you're pissed off, and you've got one of those Emeralds in your hands, it'll reflect your malice. On the flip side, if you've got a heart of gold, it can also do a whole lot of good. But Eggman…" Vector shook his head, "He's nothing if not pure evil."
"Intention." Said Winona with a nod. "Intention is key."
"You bet it is, and last time I checked, your brother had nothing but malicious intent."
She held her head in her hands, "You'd be right about that. God, how did he get his hands on it? With that gem, he was so powerful. It might have been the most power I've ever seen-"
"I've seen power. You had more power last night during the exorcism than he did at the castle." Espio interjected, clasping his hands together and resting them on the table. "With power like that, you should have no problem taking your brother out of the equation-"
"I beg your pardon?" Her confusion was amplified by his words, "I- I don't remember anything from last night. I hardly remember how I got into that bed in your guest bedroom. Though, apparently, whatever I did worked." She looked at Charmy, who had grown bored of the conversation and was now consumed by the game in his hands. "If I'm going to be completely honest, I don't even know if that was me or if it was the stone."
"It was you." Espio insisted with a flat tone, "It was all you. You were floating, and your eyes were glowing so bright that it was blinding. The air was vibrating. I've never seen anything like it."
Winona was shocked by his words. Her breathing quickened, and Espio noticed that she was bouncing her leg under the table nervously. "Well, that's frightening if that truly is the case…" She cleared her throat, "You see, intention is also very important when it comes to my craft. If I lose myself like that, the results could be very dangerous- though I can't help but doubt that you're being completely honest with me. I'm simply not capable of doing anything that you explained."
"You did. I'm no liar."
"Perhaps you aren't lying, but I'm being serious. Even during the witching hour, I shouldn't have enough power to fly or levitate. Power like that is considered witchcraft of the fourth level. To put this in perspective for you, I'm not even at level one." She looked outside the window at the passing cars, resting her head against the glass, "Witches my age should be able to speak to Gods, yet I can do nothing more but pray and hope that one day they'll hear me. If my brother hadn't torn down the Castle and everything around it, I would have attended a school where they could have taught me to do much greater things- I can't do much more besides protections, healings, divination-"
Espio couldn't tell if she was lying through her teeth or being genuine. What he saw last night was impressive. Perhaps she just didn't know about her full potential? Though, if she was lying, why play it down to them? She was an enigma that he wanted to understand- her power, the nature of her gifts- they all interested him. Most of all, he wanted to know about the involvement of his Clan with these supposed Witches, but alas, it was not a priority. So, he told himself he would just have to be patient for answers.
"What about somethin' like a hex?" Vector suggested, "Or a curse? Couldn't you curse your brother?"
"That's black magic." Winona explained, "I am capable of hexes or jinxes, but with black magic, there's always a catch. There's a cost for everything. Besides, a hex wouldn't be strong enough to even trip my brother. Hexes manifest in little disturbances, simple inconveniences. He'd laugh it off… as for curses…" She looked at the Crocodile with a sad smile, "That's witchcraft at the fifth level, the highest level. Even if I could curse him, it would be suicide. The universe would punish me severely."
"Like karma?" Espio asked.
"Yes, precisely."
He cleared his throat, then looked at her gravely, "So how do you plan on handling your brother, if you aren't powerful enough?"
She simply shrugged. "I've got to figure something out. I've been reading, researching, studying- I've been doing everything I can. I'll find a way somehow." She sighed "Failure simply isn't an option."
"Listen, we know people who can help you- You could stay with us-"
"That's out of the question." She cut Vector off, "I appreciate your kindness, but if something happened to you or anybody else because of my failure to keep my brother chained in the Spirit Realm, I might not forgive myself."
"And what if somethin' happens to you?" Vector asked as their food arrived at the table. "What if you can't stop your brother? What will happen then?"
"I have Klaus. He wouldn't let anything happen to me."
"Speaking of Klaus," Espio crossed his arms, "I hope I don't overstep any boundaries here, so feel free not to answer if you aren't comfortable." He leaned in, "Why do you let him put you down like that? Why do you tolerate the way he looks down on you?"
She blinked at him and sat there, red in the face. She clearly hadn't expected him to be so forward, so she cleared her throat and hesitated before she answered him. "H-He doesn't mean it that way. Though, ever since we arrived from the Spirit Realm, he's been very… different. He's been on edge. Angrier than usual. Though, if I was in his position, I'd probably be just as irritable."
"What do you mean, if you were in his position?"
"Well, let me put it this way." She took a bite of her food and swallowed before she continued, "Imagine you're starving. You've always been starving. One day, out of nowhere, you're surrounded by the most delicious food. However, you can't eat it, because if you gave into temptation, you'd lose yourself completely. And, the more that you eat, the more of yourself- your identity, is lost. You become a primal animal, eating all the food in sight. That's what a mortal soul is to a Demon. We are their food." She said this casually, eating her eggs between sentences. "This is why Klaus is different. He hasn't eaten a soul in his entire life as a Demon. Now that he's in the Realm of the Living, he's surrounded by food constantly. Every time someone passes him on the street, he's tortured by their smell. That's why he's so much smaller than the others, and that's also why he's able to maintain the form of a Mobian. He's got a sense of self. He has an identity." She twirled a fork between her fingers and sighed, "He's been my only companion since I can remember. Even though I know in the back of my mind that he must have committed a terrible sin in his past life to be reborn as a Demon, I'm quite soft for him. He's taken care of me."
"Do you love him?"
"Hm?"
Vector repeated himself, "Do you love him or somethin'? Do you two have a thing?"
She shook her head and scoffed, "Of course not. Well, perhaps I love him in the most platonic way possible. We have a century of an age gap." She laughed, "Besides, that would be unnatural. Mortals can't love spirits or vice versa."
"Aren't you worried that he might become unhinged?" Espio asked. "What if one day, he snaps and eats somebody? What if he eats you?"
"I won't lie, that has been a genuine concern of mine. But we simply cannot return to the Aether. My brother's made an awful mess of the place. I'm safer here than I am there."
Espio had a bad feeling about Klaus. Somehow, he knew that he'd become a problem at some point. Though, he had nothing more than suspicion to prove it. It seemed that Winona cracked under the pressure of Espio's hard stare- and he of course, didn't blame her. He must have struck a nerve or something because she swiftly changed the subject. She leaned toward Charmy and watched him tap at his Gameboy, sticking his tongue out as he did so.
"Are you going to tell me what that little device is? It looks like fun."
"It's a video game." The Bee said it as if it were obvious, but it was clear that to her it just wasn't that simple. "You play games on it."
"What kind of games?" She asked.
"This one is a thirty-two-bit dungeon crawler. You play as a knight who has to go into this castle to save a lady from a bunch of cannibal vampires."
She made a half-amused, half confused expression. Charmy's words clearly went right over her head. Regardless of her lack of understanding, she watched him play his game with interest. Vector leaned in to watch him play also, pointing at the little screen on the game console.
"You missed an easter egg."
"What? No, I didn't!"
"Yes, you did, look."
Espio could relate to Winona in some way. He remembered a time before he joined the Chaotix when modernized technology baffled him just as much. Though he was much younger than her at the time, it was still a vivid feeling- one that he had difficulty describing. He knew how it felt to come here from a culture and a birthplace that was so starkly different from the hustle and bustle of the city- he remembered being on edge for years until he finally grew comfortable inside the chaos.
Charmy and Vector were both giving Winona a very scattered explanation of the game's plot, which she was more interested in than the actual game itself. Charmy had tried to put the Gameboy in her hands, but she returned it nervously quite quickly. During Vector's long-winded lesson on the game's lore, the waitress brought them their bill. While Winona listened politely, she pulled from her bag a generous amount of cash, setting it atop the receipt. Despite knowing nothing about anything Vector was saying, she sat in attentive silence.
"You should come over again sometime, Winona. Then I can show you what I'm talking about- the soundtrack is spectacular."
"Vector, I doubt she's interested-"
"It's okay, Espio. I actually wouldn't mind the company. Though, I think I should get going for now." She stood from her booth, "Klaus is probably rather cross with me, I don't want to keep him waiting much longer. I've got a lot to tell him."
"Wait-" Espio reached into his pocket and pulled out their business card, then slid it across the table toward her. "We owe you one. If you need anything, anything at all… just give us a call."
She took the card and glanced down at it for a moment, then looked up to the Ninja with an appreciative smile. "Thank you," She then waved them goodbye and left the Chaotix at the diner. Espio felt strange as he watched her leave. He couldn't quite understand why, but he felt a twinge of disappointment. He stared off into the empty mug in front of him while Vector and Charmy carried on their conversation about their video game as he tried to decipher his feelings internally.
To her surprise, Klaus was absent from the hotel room when she entered. She felt guilty for feeling relieved, but she just wasn't sure that she could handle getting the silent treatment because she decided to go against his wishes and spend time with those detectives. She knew those boys were no harm at all, but Klaus just didn't understand that. According to him, most men had nothing but crooked reasons to be speaking to her- Now, Winona knew well that she could be quite naive and gullible at times, but she considered herself an excellent judge of character. That being said, there was one among the three of those detectives that she just couldn't wrap her head around no matter how hard she tried.
That Chameleon.
Vector was sweet and gentle despite also being quite loud, perhaps even a little overwhelmingly so. Charmy was a typical teenage boy- sarcastic and full of life and energy. Those two were charming and full of radiance. Espio wasn't hard to characterize, but he was so different from the other two that he stuck out blaringly. He was serious and intense, sometimes he even came off a bit cold. Unlike his partners, he didn't wear his emotions on his sleeve. She knew that she was liked by Charmy and Vector, but as for Espio, she wasn't sure.
It made her feel a bit insecure. Although, she didn't have the time to be worrying about what some detective thought about her. She had bigger things on her plate at the moment, so she decided to melt her anxiety away in a hot shower.
Though, it didn't really work as well as she hoped.
She was biting her nails as she exited the bathroom after getting dressed. Klaus was sitting at the table in the corner, reading a paper. His red eyes flashed up to her as she approached. Just from the look he gave her, she could tell that he wasn't happy. She swallowed as she forced a smile.
"Is something the matter, Klaus?"
"Princess, I believe your brother's stunt in the Aether has left its mark on this Realm, look."
She felt relieved to know that he hadn't found out about her little outing with the Chaotix. However, her relief was short-lived. The headline on the newspaper made her heart drop to her stomach and reading the gruesome details made her even a little nauseous.
"Fourteen murders?"
"Fifteen, now. That was published a few days ago, there's since been one more victim." Klaus explained with a grave expression. "If you ask me, I'd say that boy wasn't the only one possessed that night."
Winona pulled up a chair next to him, "You think this is residual? Perhaps something my brother had planned?"
"I have no doubt that it's residual, Princess."
"We have to do something about it." Winona stammered, "We can't just let it go on- Perhaps if we got a hold of one of those Chaos Emeralds-"
"Chaos Emeralds?"
"That gem that my brother got his power from, it's called a Chaos Emerald. Apparently, they have extraordinary power. Perhaps we could get our hands on one of those and we can find a way to banish the demons back to the Aether."
Klaus narrowed his eyes at her with suspicion, "How did you learn that?"
She chuckled nervously, "Oh, you know me. I read about it, of course."
His suspicion did not ease, but he also didn't ask any questions. Instead, he continued the conversation after taking the paper from her hands.
"You let me worry about these killings. You should stay inside where it's safe-"
"-You can't be serious. It's my fault they've happened in the first place, the least I can do is help fix the situation before it gets too out of hand-"
"-I can't let you do that, Princess. The streets of this city are far too dangerous for you. Afterall, Witch Hunters are sure to know by now that there's a Witch in town."
"Again with this? How many times do I have to tell you, Klaus? Witch Hunters are a thing of the past. There hasn't been an established troupe of Witch Hunters for centuries." She begged him with her eyes, "I can't stay cooped up here forever. I can handle myself in the city." She began to tear up, "Contrary to what you believed, I managed to pull off a perfectly executed exorcism last night without your supervision. You told me that going there would be a waste of time and yet I saved that boy-"
"Princess," Klaus shook his head sadly, standing from his chair and then crouching beside her. "I never meant to doubt you." She looked away bitterly. "You know that I'm just trying to keep you safe. Haven't I always kept you safe?"
"Yes," She sniffed.
"I need you to trust that I know what's best for you, Princess. I wouldn't ever think of allowing you to walk into a situation that I knew wasn't safe for you. You do trust me, don't you?"
She nodded her head with a quiver of her bottom lip.
"Then I must hear you promise me."
"Klaus, I promise I trust you, but-"
"No, Princess, I need you to promise me that you won't leave this hotel."
"What?"
"I need you to promise me you won't leave. Promise me that you won't make me worry for you. Promise me that I won't find you dead somewhere, because I failed to protect you."
A tear fell from her cheek to her chin, and she quickly swept it away with her finger. She didn't want to. She didn't want to promise to stay in this musty hotel room forever. She just couldn't bear the thought of sitting with her back against the floral patterned wallpaper for hours, days, weeks. She simply didn't want to. She wanted to explore the city and live as a normal person should. She wanted to browse the library and find some fantastic new horror novel to gush over instead of sitting in this prison- doomed to waste away under the pressure of her own expectations of herself. No, she wouldn't have it. That sounded like torture.
But, just as she had grown angry enough to tell him that, she noticed the way that he was looking at her had changed. His gentle tenderness was replaced by a look of severity. Not once in her life has he ever given her such a mean face. It was a warning, like one that a parent would give to a bratty child- and yet there was something far more sinister behind it. What little courage she did have before fled entirely. She cursed herself for being so cowardly, but she was simply too frightened to tell him the word 'no.'
"Yes Klaus," She said through a shaky breath, "I promise."