The questions were all expected.

What do you mean the Magix Council sent for you? What did they say? Why is it classified? Can one of us come with you? Does Ms. Faragonda know what's happening? Do your parents? What the hell are they up to? Can I still call you? To check up?

Aisha - oddly enough - was the only one to say something Bloom didn't expect.

"You shouldn't be guilted into this."

Bloom blinked, looking up from throwing clothes into a small suitcase. "I'm not sure I follow."

Her friend sat backwards in Bloom's desk chair, looking unconvinced. "The Council's smart. Earth has a humanity the rest of the dimension doesn't. And they use it for themselves. We save the world on a regular basis, Bloom. We don't owe them anything else."

She twisted a lock of hair around her finger. "It's not because of that."

Aisha raised an eyebrow. "Then do you want to tell me what it is because of?"

"It's...I caused it. In a way. But it's not a big deal," Bloom added when the other girl continued to give her a doubtful look. "A week at most, if it all goes according to plan."

"And you'll have backup?"

"The Council is going to have someone checking on me daily."

Aisha sighed dramatically, but didn't say anything else, well aware there was no point in arguing. But that didn't mean she would give up. Briefly, Bloom wondered if she was going to take things up with her father - Andros had one of the oldest monarchies in the dimension, and had pushed the council around a few times (which was a few times more than any other planet had managed).

"I know what I'm doing, Aisha."

Liar.

Her friend said nothing, but took a small rectangle from her pant pocket, tossing it expertly to Bloom.

She caught it mid-air, turning it in the light cast through her window to get a better look. "A flashdrive?"

"Tecna's newest gadget."

"Pretty old school for Tecna, isn't it?"

"Old school works when you don't trust whatever plan your best friend's being thrown into," Aisha replied pointedly. "Just...it's there if you need it. We're here if you need it."

Bloom smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know. It's going to be fine, I promise."

Aisha smiled back, but it was the polite smile Bloom knew she gave during royal events with her parents when she wanted to seem calm and collected but felt none of those things. The princess of Andros reached up and squeezed her hand back, then walked out of the room.

The last thing Bloom expected was to walk out the front door of the Council building in downtown Magix with Baltor.

So of course at a quarter to three the next day, Bloom walked out the front door of the Council building in downtown Magix with Baltor, clad in two gold magic-cancelling cuffs and the best disguise spell magic could muster, while she held a majority of his power in a red stone, attached to her throat with a reinforced silver chain.

He stopped at the top of the stairs, looking out at the crowded street and the city around them. The expression on his face was unreadable, but Bloom saw wheels turning in his mind, examining every detail and putting together who knew what kind of plans. His chest rose with a deep breath no one would take if it wasn't their first time out of a building in weeks. Even then it surprised Bloom. Magix smelled like car smog, like the Linphean curry restaurant down the street, and had the faint taste of metal in the air from different spells being cast in such close proximity.

It had lost some of its magic over the years in Bloom's mind. It was like Los Angeles or St. Louis or any other big city she had visited.

After a few seconds, Baltor seemed to come back to himself. Her gaze must have been heavy because he turned to her then, that hint of superiority back in his eyes.

"Well then."

Baltor started down the stairs in front of the building. Bloom blinked, momentarily baffled, before going after him.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"Teleportation station for off-world travel." He swiveled to face her, walking down the remainder of the stairs backwards without trouble. Bloom rolled her eyes before she could stop herself, and from the way Baltor's lip curled he was pleased with the reaction. "You've lived here a while, haven't you? You must know it's three blocks west of here."

It was her turn to give him a pointed look. "That's a mandu shop now. The transportus station moved behind the Magix Museum. You blew up the last one five years ago, remember?"

"I did do that, didn't I?"

Bloom tensed, and quickly tried to shake it off and appear unaffected. "Look, where is it we're even going? Do we need supplies?"

That seemed to slow him a bit, and he waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. "What did they give us, anyway?"

She patted the seemingly normal bag slung on her shoulder while trying to ignore how surreal her current situation was. "Untraceable phone and credit cards, some magic-laced crystals for protection, a tracking device -"

"Let me see one of the cards."

Her murderous look did nothing to deter him. Wordlessly, Bloom reached into the bag and felt around for the envelope containing the credit cards. She slipped one out and passed it over, making sure they wouldn't have to physically touch. If Baltor noticed, he didn't say anything.

"Impressive," he drawled, turning it over in his hand. "But absolutely traceable."

"But they said - "

"I'm sure they did." Baltor gave her a pitying look, but slid the card into his pants pocket. "But if the Council can track purchases on these, so can anyone I work for. Still, they could be of some use. We can withdraw the necessary funds here in Magix before we leave."

"And where exactly is it we need to go?"

"Ever been to Vallisto?"

Bloom bit her lip, temporarily lost in a feeling of embarrassment. "No. Princess Varanda isn't fond of me, nor are her parents."

Baltor raised an eyebrow at that, but when she didn't elaborate further he let it drop. "Well, it's a good thing we're not going to the capital - it's the only place they'll show their faces. We're headed for Littus, the biggest city on the planet. Come on," he waved a hand at her and began to walk down the street. "We'll need a few thousand credits, maybe an even ten to be safe."

Under the cuff of a white button-up shirt, a gold cuff winked at Bloom. Tom had given her the basic rundown of their abilities that morning. While the primary function was cancelling out magic, they had other uses. Before thinking of the repercussions, Bloom tried one of those other uses. She drew an octagon in the air at her side, doing her best to not attract the attention of passersby. The magic hovered until the shape was completed, then lit up and flashed red.

Baltor froze on the street mid-stride, caught off guard based on the whoop he let out. Bloom came up so she was standing next to him, walking in the slowest possible stride. It achieved the desired effect - the look he gave her was borderline feral.

"Let's get some things straight here." She leaned back against the building they were next to, trying to appear calm and collected. "I don't like you, and I don't trust you. You may know these people, but don't get confused: I am in charge. And that means every plan you have - from meetings to how much money we withdraw, goes through me. They are our plans. You either follow that - follow me - to the letter, or we go right back inside where I get to watch your head get sliced off in a guillotine. Clear?"

The look fell away from his face. Bloom could see Baltor's eyes clearly in the afternoon sun, see emotions dancing in them. Some of them were readable, but many of them were not.

That itself was the problem. There were too many unknown factors about Baltor and his behavior. Bloom couldn't predictit it, no matter how hard she tried or much she had researched Baltor or what the Magix Council believed. That left her relying on brute strength, which seemed nearly impossible as a five foot five girl with no muscle who needed a stop spell to make the man she was supposed to be in charge of stop and listen to her. Bloom had beaten Baltor twice before, but those were tests of magic, with at least eight other people helping each time. Going one on one like this was a different game, composed of wits and lies and keeping one party underneath the other at all times (which was stupid, because Baltor knew more about the people they were facing then Bloom did).

It was a game Bloom was terrified she would lose, and even more terrified because she knew Baltor knew she would lose at even the most minor slip-up.

And Bloom had never been perfect in the Magic Dimension.

Finally, after what felt like minutes, Baltor sighed, the fight retreating from his eyes. "We should withdraw ten thousand credits, that way we won't have to come back here for a few days - hopefully not at all. And then we should go to Vallisto. Things will be easier to go over there."

"Why there?"

"People in Magix know I was being held here." Despite his more submissive demenour, Baltor still looked at Bloom like she'd asked a stupid question. "It puts them on edge, and they know you spend time here. No one on Vallisto is as paranoid, nor will they be expecting to find you. Especially if what you say about their princess disliking you is true."

She felt momentarily embarrassed, and hoped her cheeks weren't turning pink. "Ok. Fine. There's a bank by the transport station. We can withdraw the funds there."

"Good." There was a pause, and Baltor gave her a pointed look. "Mind unsticking me, or should I ask someone to strap me to the roof of their hovercar and drive us there?"

"O-Oh." This time Bloom knew her cheeks were pink, and she undid the octagon of magic still floating by her right hand. "Sorry," she stammered, somehow both the truth and a lie.

He stretched his neck and arms when the spell let him go. Bloom heard several cracks from the bones in his back. "I doubt that."

If Bloom had instilled any fear in Baltor outside the Magix Council headquarters, it was gone by the time they reached Vallisto. Littus was a beach city, plain and simple, with beautiful people and tourist traps and golden sand and ocean for miles in both directions. Baltor knew his way around more than Bloom did, and directed them to a small internet café (or whatever the magical dimension's equivalent of an internet café was) a block inland from the beach. Bloom ordered some food, and rented two datapads to look for lodging and order basic supplies (also Baltor's idea - doing it on two separate devices would be more difficult to track). Sitting at a table in the corner, no one spared them a glance aside from the waiter who brought them their sandwiches.

"You've really never been here?"

"I've really never been here." It was strange watching Baltor eat. Bloom knew he had to - even people who looked less human than he did in the dimension ate - but it was something she had never really thought about him doing. It felt too normal. "You hadn't either, as far as anyone knew - you never looted Vallisto, this year or when you first broke out."

"I was given maps, but knew better than to get involved with the people or government." Bloom stared at him blankly, and Baltor rolled his eyes. "Of course they wouldn't teach you modern politics at a school mostly attended by royals. Faragonda always hated ruffling feathers. Or at least those kinds of feathers."

"Maybe if you bad guys would give us a year to just take classes."

Baltor pointedly ignored her jab, instead flicking the screen of the second datapad. A moment later, a holo of the planet popped up.

"A majority of the planet is water, with the biggest land mass being mostly desert," Baltor narrated as Bloom moved the holo under her fingertips. "The capital is the center of the continent, but most people live along the coast and various archipelagos."

Bloom flicked her wrist, and a small popup with the planet's basic statistics appeared. "Tourism is a big draw, that much I know. And Vallisto is the universe's top exporter of silicon, mostly to Zenith. That makes them one of the richest planets in the universe - right at home in the Fourth Upper Ring." She paused to look over at Baltor. "Which begs the question - why would a group of evil beings be here?"

Instead of answering, he reached out and touched the holo. The planetary statistics vanished, replaced by basic information of the star system Vallisto was located in. "What other planets are in the Fourth Upper Ring?"

"...Eraklyon and Isis."

"And?"

Confused, Bloom looked back, and stopped when she saw a name highlighted in red with an asterisk next to it. And, written at the bottom of the readout: No longer populated.

"Dyamond," Baltor continued when Bloom still didn't say anything, "was the final planet in the ring. It can be seen in Vallisto's night sky. And that is where most of my contacts were originally from."

This struck Bloom as surprising. "People from Dyamond survived its freezing?"

"Roughly thirty percent of the population. Four to five million. Vallisto was the closest habitable planet, and an ally up to that point."

She swiped at the screen to pull up more figures. "With three million of those people living here. And…" Bloom blinked at the screen, making sure she'd read the numbers correctly. "Sixty percent of that three million living below the poverty line? That seems high."

"Rich people look out for themselves first and foremost." A couple walking by gave Baltor a look, and he gave a nasty smile that sent them scurrying away. Bloom couldn't chide him before he went on: "Isis, Eraklyon, and Vallisto had close relations with Dyamond before its fall - all four were very affluent places. But when Dyamond froze over and there was nothing left to bargain for, its people started showing up here and taking resources, the response was...unkind, to put it mildly. And the people of Dyamond responded in turn. Much of the underground scene is run through them - drugs, weapons, prostitution, and the like."

"And in a tourist city." Bloom looked into her coffee. "The perfect place to hide, with so many people coming and going and the government not caring about what you do. That's awful."

Baltor scoffed. "That's the world. People are nice until you have nothing left to offer them. You should know that."

Bloom tensed, finally looking back at him. "I don't know what you mean."

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't? Do you think the Council asked you to accompany me because they like you? You're as much of a pawn in this as I am."

He was right of course, but Bloom refused to admit it. Instead she looked back to the first datapad. "There are a few places we can stay that take cash. How close do we need to be to the city?"

It took a few moments for Baltor to respond, and during that time she felt his gaze boring into her skull. "The closer to the main square the better. Though if there's anything on a more secluded street, that would be preferred."

There was, on a side street near the mountains that separated the city from the desert, but still within walking distance of the square. "Fine. We can check in in an hour. Order some supplies we can pick up on the way there - food, water, whatever else we need. A datapad if they have it. That was one thing Tom didn't give us."

"Hmm."

"What?"

"You're attractive when you're in charge."

She bristled, but refused to look up at him. In the reflection of the datapad screen however, Bloom saw him smirking.

The place Bloom had found was more of a bungalow - a small, single-story thing that was, besides a wraparound porch facing the mountains, very unmemorable. It seemed more like a place to sleep in between exploring the city rather than a home, but she supposed that's what made it the perfect place to lay low. The woman who gave her the key seemed nice enough, talking about how she owned the other four houses on the street. They were currently the only ones there, but a nice group of boys from the Linphea College were coming in on Friday afternoon.

Bloom hoped they'd be done by then.

The inside was dated - like her aunt's house, untouched since the mid-nineties. Through the doorway to the kitchen, Bloom saw a bottle of champagne and two glasses on the island counter.

"What a warm welcome." Baltor made a beeline to it, examining the label.

"I told them it was our anniversary." Bloom set down the small booklet of house rules she'd been given on the entry table, smirking as Baltor's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Figured two people booking a rental less than a day in advance and then asking for privacy would be suspicious. Now it just seems like a last-minute celebration."

Baltor got his facial expression back under a control, muttering something about a good call while he popped the cork of the bottle. Instead of a glass, he opted to drink straight from the source, taking several long gulps. Bloom raised an eyebrow in mild distaste. "Thirsty?"

"I'm out of prison. Cause to celebrate, don't you think? Especially since my days are numbered."

Bloom didn't say anything to that. "I'm going to put my things away and secure the perimeter. Do not leave."

He gave her an obviously fake smile and lifted the bottle back to his lips.

She went down the small hallway to one of the two bedrooms, throwing her suitcase (which had been miniaturized stored in her jeans pocket) and bag onto the plain green bedspread before sinking down to the floor. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she forced herself to take several deep breaths.

How the hell am I going to do this?

One thing at a time. That was how the whole thing had to be. Baby steps, and she would come out the other side just fine.

After throwing some clothes into the closet, Bloom got to work on the protection barrier. The crystals were far more powerful than anything she could access at Alfea. Setting up a shield around the perimeter was as easy as drawing a line in the air. With most spells a magical being could feel its cost - nothing was free, after all. Energy required energy. A barrier around a space as large as the bungalow should have left Bloom feeling like she'd run up several flights of stairs. But instead her heartbeat quickened for several seconds before falling back into a normal rhythm.

She stared at the glowing green rock, roughly the size of her index finger, marveling at the power. Tom's threat of violence towards Baltor yesterday had seemed excessive, but it was now apparent it would have been child's play to kill him, had a guard set their mind to it. Between the crystal and the weapons room, Bloom wondered what else the Council had just laying around in that building.

There were two crystals left. Bloom decided to use one of them for a perception filter to keep anyone who accidentally wandered onto the street from getting too close. Unlike the barrier, it would need to be somewhere in the open to reach the edges of the property. Bloom decided the kitchen was the best bet, and went back to place it on the windowsill above the sink.

She saw Baltor out of the corner of her eye in the living room, and decided the sooner they got down to business the sooner things would be over. "So, when should we meet up with this contact of yours?"

There was a pause that seemed a beat too long. "Give it a day. With the Council acting cagey and the guards not allowed near my old cell, rumours will start spreading. Shouldn't take them too long to make it here."

"You have a lot of faith in leaks. What about in the meantime?"

Something about Baltor's laugh seemed strange. "How about you stop acting like I'm going to blast you to the next planet, and come have a drink?"

"I'm shocked you left any champagne." Bloom walked into the living room, only to find Baltor with a glass and a different, open bottle of alcohol. He lolled his head to give her a look, and Bloom was surprised to see his eyes were unfocused. She stared at him incredulously when he didn't respond. "Are...are you drunk?"

"Calm down. Vallistan alcohol with magic." His speech wasn't slurred, but it seemed much more airy compared to even an hour ago. Baltor pointed to the bottle on the table. "Gets into your system quicker. Probably a hostess's nod to the happy couple."

"Right. What a horrible woman, trying to do a kind thing for people she thinks are in love."

"Love is complex and overrated." Baltor sat back on the couch without even sloshing his drink. "It makes people weak."

Bloom scoffed at him. "Having affection for someone isn't a weakness. It takes strength to love."

"It takes brains to realize there's a difference between love and reliance. Or even love and sex. Figuring it out makes life easier." He reclined on the tan leather, giving her a pointed look. "I would've thought that'd be the case with you, by now."

"Sorry to disappoint you," she stalked over and took the glass out of his hand, setting it on the table. "I guess I still believe in silly things like you rely on the people you love. Or even you should have sex with people you love."

"It's certainly easier with people you don't." Baltor rested his chin on his hand. "But I get the feeling you don't believe me."

She huffed in response.

"But if you're interested in further proof," he deliberately trailed off, and Bloom was caught off guard when he pulled her close with the belt loops of her jeans. Baltor nestled his chin into the flesh of her stomach, just below the navel, staring up at her. "I'm more than happy to oblige."

"Baltor -"

Before she could continue, he let his tongue dart out and drag along her stomach, dampening the chiffon of her shirt and the skin underneath.

Bloom went very still.

"It's easier," he continued, almost conversationally. "Less messy. Emotionally, I mean. No fear of what the future holds, no shame about what you like. It's pleasurable, it's freeing, and then it's over." He inched the fabric of her shirt out of her jeans, toying aimlessly at its hem before sliding his fingers over to the buttons running down the middle of the blouse.

"Unless of course it becomes a regular sort of thing. A transaction, almost, maybe even with money involved. I never did get that desperate...do you mind?" He fingered the bottom button and looked at her expectantly.

She raised her eyebrows, saying nothing.

Taking her non-response as yes, Baltor began undoing the buttons and letting the blouse fall open. "You're too easy, you know."

Though she knew responding was exactly what Baltor wanted out of her, Bloom couldn't help it. "What do you mean, too easy?"

He didn't look up, but she saw his lips widen. "Too easy to wind up. I barely have to try to get under your skin. It's funny, if a little sad. The council could have picked a worse person to babysit me, but it's a short list."

"In case you've forgotten, the other times you underestimated me didn't go so well."

"Mmm, that's not the point I'm trying to make here." At this he slid a palm under the fabric of her shirt and up her stomach. His hands were warm, but Bloom still shivered at the contact.

"W-What...what is the point, then?"

"You don't want to be here," Baltor said the words as if he was disappointed, but Bloom recognized the theatrical tone. She was achingly familiar with it, and for a moment seemingly hundreds of taunts were ringing in her ears.

Oh I'm sure you've heard rumors about big, bad Baltor, but I'm not so bad. Once you get to know me.

"I can't say I blame you," Baltor continued, almost absentmindedly. "What was it you said? I don't like you, and I don't trust you? But that can't matter when the fate of the universe hangs in the balance and the Magix Council needs you, can it?"

What's wrong? Don't you want to be the hero?

"What matters to me is none of your business."

"But it can be my business." Bloom felt a single finger slide up and trace the red stone at her throat. "We're on the same side, Bloom. You don't want to be here with me, and I don't want your help beyond staying back and keeping a low profile. We can help each other. In more ways than one."

The alcohol was obviously having an effect, since this was the first time Bloom was able to pick up on Baltor's motivations. She slowly reached out and took his hand, pulling it away from her neck. "So, just to make sure we're on the same page, is this an attempt to have sex with me, or get me to give your powers back?"

"What's so wrong with both? Powerful women are my type, and with your powers and mine together in one body...well. It's certainly difficult to resist."

Bloom felt something slide over her shoulders, and her blouse fluttered to the floor and pooled around her feet, leaving her in jeans and a black bra. She was able to spare the fabric a glance before her gaze was drawn back to Baltor, running his knuckles along her stomach, slowly inching towards her breasts. He caught her eye and flashed a lazy smile, his eyes lidded. "Bloom," he drawled in that low voice. "You do so much for everyone else in this universe, give and give and give. Take something for once, for no other reason than it's being offered and there are no expectations. Share a little pleasure with me."

For several seconds, she said nothing. Baltor's hand skirted just beneath the underwire of her bra, the other settled at her hip. Bloom looked down at his hands, then back up at him. Very slowly, she reached up, cupping his jaw in her hand.

That sly smile turned into a smirk. "There, that's a good -"

Bloom pulled her hand away, balled it into a fist, and sucker punched Baltor in the jaw.

For a five foot five girl with no muscle, it was surprisingly easy to knock him unconscious.

Hurriedly, Bloom reached down and grabbed her shirt, sliding it back on while taking several steps backwards, almost bumping into the living room table. Baltor didn't make a sound, nor did he move apart from his chest rising and falling with breath. It seemed he'd be out for a while.

She turned and headed back towards her room, but not before taking the bottle of alcohol and the glass to pour down the kitchen sink.

Entering the bedroom for the second time, the dated walls green bedspread were a comfort. Bloom turned to lock the door, only then realizing her hands were shaking. She balled them into fists, knocking them against her legs in an attempt to release the excess energy she was feeling.

Everywhere Baltor touched her was tingling like she'd been hooked up to a car battery. It was a new feeling, and in any other situation she might have described it as pleasant. But the knowledge Baltor was the one to cause it made shame flush through her. There had to be an explanation for it, something like a reaction to Baltor coming back in contact with his own powers, or an excess spike in Dragon Fire, or even a result of the infused alcohol. But before Bloom could come up with a rationalization, the duffel bag on the bed started beeping.

Bloom nearly jumped out of her shoes, a fireball springing to life in her hand as her eyes shot to the door. It was a few seconds later, when the beeping started again, that she recognized the noise. A ringtone.

The cell phone the Council had given her.

She let out the breath she'd been holding in anticipation, the fireball dying out just as quickly as it had appeared. Bloom went over and opened the bag, rummaging around until she came up with the slightly older model phone. A number she didn't recognize was flashing on the screen with a Magix designation code.

"Hello?"

"Bloom."

"Tom," she sighed in relief at the voice. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry about that. Wanted to give you a few hours to settle in. Our tracker has you on Littus, near the southern mountain range about half a mile from the coast."

"Yeah. That's...we're in a rental. Setting up a base of sorts. The perimeter's secure with those crystals you gave me."

"Good, good. Are you okay? You seem out of breath."

She cast a look to the bedroom door, listening for any sound from the living room. There was still nothing. "Yep, all good."

Also staying from the 4Kids dub: Vallisto instead of Callisto. Because Varanda of Vallisto flows better, and I was halfway done writing the chapter before I realized it varied by dub.

Littus: Latin for beach

A big thank you to my partner in crime xBloomStarx for betaing this chapter for me. RHIOA has a much darker tone that takes more time for me to nail down, so having someone to double-check me is much appreciated.