Nick arrived on Diana's doorstep at nine the next morning, unaware that Blaise was entering her thirtieth hour of sleep.  Diana had been unable to convince her father that she'd be safe to leave on such short notice, so they had stayed one more day in New Salem, making concrete plans and final preparations to go to Boston.  Nick was anxious and tired, he hadn't been sleeping well.  Diana opened the door with her large duffle bag already slung over one shoulder.  Nick would have laughed at her trying to lug such a large load had he been in a better mood.  Instead, he took the burden onto his own shoulder without a word and turned toward her garage, wanting to get on the way as soon as possible.

            Diana thanked him for saving her shoulder and pulled her front door closed, the lock clicking into place.  She opened the garage door and they piled into the car, Nick putting her bag and his in the back seat and shutting himself into the passenger side, fastening the seatbelt into place.  Diana did the same in the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition, backing out of the garage, and pulling away to leave Crowhaven Road behind them.  "We're off..." she commented as they crossed the bridge to get to the mainland.

            "We are," Nick said quietly, looking at the other cars on the road and eventually staring blankly at the guardrail on the edge of the highway.  Diana clicked the radio on and they traveled the highway to Boston listening to the sounds of the alternative radio station she'd found.  Diana hated city driving, so her concentration was entirely focused on the road and the traffic around her.  Nick's thoughts were elsewhere... with Blaise, wherever she may be.

            She tossed a folded up printout at Nick which had directions to the shop and he navigated their way through the city, wincing every time another car came too close for comfort.  This was why he rode motorcycles, much less cumbersome.  Diana pulled into a dimly lit parking garage two blocks from the shop and she and Nick exited her car, the slamming of their doors echoing off the cement columns around them.  She nodded toward the stairs to the street and they walked the short distance to the store.

            "Not very well marked, is it?" he quipped as he looked at the plain door set into the side of a building, down a narrow side street.  The only ornamentation on the door was a black flower, looking more like an insignia than a work of art. 

            "Hardly... Cassie and I had so much trouble finding it the first time," she reached out and turned the knob to enter the store.  The walls were lined with jars and canisters and books of all shapes and sizes.  There was a real apothecary chest stretching the entire length of one wall and Nick knew it was full of all the things an everyday witch would need for everyday spells.

            A stunning girl appeared from behind the curtain of the back room.  Her straight black hair shone in the light and her golden skin gave the illusion she was of Egyptian royalty rather than a Boston native.  Her bright blue eyes swept over the two who had entered her shop.  She didn't recognize them, and that was generally bad.  People she didn't know either meant humans or out-of-towners.  Either could prove to be problematic.  She got the feeling these two were witches, though.  "Welcome, my name is Aya," short for Papaya, but she never, ever told anyone that.  "Is there anything I can help you find?"

            Nick answered without hesitation, "A person."

            Aya raised her brows in surprise, "A person?  There are lots of ways to find people.  Why come here?"  She found herself intrigued.  First, Thea Harman calls yesterday to tell them to be on the lookout for someone looking for Blaise, then these two show up in the shop needing to find a person.  Quite the coincidence, no?

            "Because the only clue I have is 'Circle Daybreak' and I've heard this is the place to come for talk of circles," he looked to Diana who was standing beside him, then back to Aya.

            Aya nodded, confident that this was the boy that Thea had been looking for.  She searched her memory for the name Thea had given her on the phone, "Nick, right?  You need to find Blaise?"

            Both Nick and Diana blinked in surprise and Diana looked to him, the words "Gee, word carries fast" on the tip of her tongue, but she remained silent.

            He shook off the feeling of surprise and met Aya's gaze, nodding once to answer both her questions.  She returned the gesture and went to the phone behind the counter, dialing a long distance number.  "Thea?" Aya?  "He came."  He's there now?  "What?"  He's there?  "Yes."  Alone?  "No, with someone."  Only two?  "Yes."  They'll have tickets at LaGuardia for the nine o'clock flight to Vegas.  "Okay."  Is he cute?  "Yes, Very."  She smiled and hung up the phone.  "All set," she looked to Diana finally, questioning her with her eyes.

            Diana started and moved forward, extending her hand, "I'm Diana, nice to meet you."

            Aya nodded and took her hand in a friendly handshake, and then she looked back to Nick, explaining everything Thea had told her on the phone.  Nick gaped at how seemingly easy this had been.  He had left expecting to be sent on a crusade of some sort, a quest, but here he was with plane tickets to her and he hadn't had to pay for anything but gas and some food.  He checked his watch; they had plenty of time before they would have to be at the airport.

            Looking back to Aya, he gave her a grateful smile, "Thank you."  He turned on his heel and motioned toward the door.  Diana started for it and he moved around her to hold it open for her.

            She turned back to Aya, "Merry part."

            Aya nodded again and returned, "And merry meet again."

            Nick and Blaise stepped back into the daylight and made their way to the main sidewalk.  Nick laughed and Diana laughed with him.  "We're going to Las Vegas, Diana.  And, she's there," he smiled.

            "Yes, Nick, she is.  But right now, we're here and," she looked down at her stomach, "I'm hungry."

            "Me too," he started scanning the area looking for a decent place to eat.  Across the street was situated a rather convenient diner.  He pointed at it, "There's a little diner.  Independent gigs like that are usually pretty good.  Want to give it a shot?"

            Diana nodded and they headed across the street.