Author Note: In this chapter, at last, a reason why I gave this series a nice cautious M rating! Besides graphic violence and swearing - I mean sexy stuff! But in no way do I write stupid smut; I advance plot and character! But I also have a lot of fun doing it... :)

Author Note End!

The wild forests of the southerns of the continent of Sanus sprawled endless as the airship soared over them.

Cinder and Flora disembarked in the moderately sized city of Valleth, and booked themselves into a hotel for a single night's stay - they planned to move on next morning light, and were only even staying here because the long flight of ten hours had taken plenty out of them on its own.

The pair had just gotten themselves settled onto nice bedsheets when Cinder's scroll went off.

She rolled over and took it up, answering immediately on sight of who her caller was. A smile came to her face.

"Hey, mom."

"Cin! And Flora, too?" Lisari's voice came over the line.

"I'm definitely still around - for some reason," Flora chimed in jest, pressing against Cinder's backside and resting her cheek on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry to call so late-" Lisari started.

"It's fine," Cinder said quickly. "We just got into Valleth."

"Valleth. That actually isn't even too outrageously far from here," Lisari replied, laughing. "I could come and see you both."

"You could," Cinder agreed, laughing too. "So, what are you calling for? I- I mean- are you checking in on us, or is there something wrong, or...?"

"Neither of those, honestly. I'll just get right to it, so you don't worry! I know this is very out of the blue, but I was just wondering whether or not it would be fine with you two if I went over to Atlas and stayed a while? With Maggy?"

"Of course that's fine," Flora assured, smiling.

"Completely," Cinder agreed instantly. "Do you have enough lien for the flight to Atlas? We can send however much you need-"

"I have enough to get there," Lisari interrupted, kind but firm. "But, thank you, Cin; that's really thoughtful of you."

"You can see Maggy any time you want," Cinder spoke on. "You don't even have to call us to ask. You can just...do it."

"Intercontinental flight isn't something you just do," Lisari laughed. "At least, not if you're a normal woman like me."

"But you're a normal woman with a not-normal adopted daughter," Cinder said. "And you should feel free to take advantage of that whenever you need to."

"I already am," Lisari said, nodding.

Cinder took the self evident point with a nod of her own; with the threat of Salem still out there, and with Cinder's pardoning and life allowed in Atlas by Ironwood, Lisari felt like the safest person for Maggy to be with was still her out-and-open Fall Maiden of an adoptive daughter - with the Winter Maiden also babysitting often. Two Maidens was inarguably more protection than Lisari herself could ever give Maggy, as evidenced by what had started the whole thing - that being Hazel's break in of her home, and the Seer grimm killing Jenna in that own home. Lisari's inability to even keep either her wife or her daughter safe that night. Feeling and thoughts that had never gone away, not even years later.

"Well, she'll love seeing you again," Cinder said brightly. "After every time you do visit, she asks about you for weeks, nonstop!"

Lisari's face lit up. "I'll get myself ready and get over there in a couple days."

"We'll let their babysitters know you're coming," Flora said.

"Who are their sitters?" Lisari asked.

"Neo and Emerald," Cinder answered confidently.

"Two of the ones who helped defend Mantle."

"Two of my only friends," Cinder said. "They're wonderful, trust me."

Her mother just nodded. "If you trust them, then I do, too. I only wish I wasn't just going to meet them now. I suppose it was just bad timing for my previous visits..."

Cinder's hand brushed long hair from her face, absent; Flora gave a big yawn against her. "Well, we should probably wrap this up...you did say it: it is late."

"All right. Thank you - I'm sorry, again. But, I'm glad I could talk with you two."

"We were glad too," Cinder said earnestly.

"Very glad," Flora affirmed. "Have a wonderful night!"

"Thank you."

The call was ended.

Flora pawed at Cinder, yawning again in so short a timespan. "Lay down, give me your chest, please..."

"If you can promise not to get distracted again."

"You know I can't make any promises about that..." Flora pouted fakely - and cutely.

"Then I can't promise you I won't throw you off again," Cinder replied, laying flat on her backside and sliding down under the covers. With all her burn scars and damaged nerves all over her front, not even her breasts had been spared their fair share of damages. Except for one lucky nipple, which was now a beacon of sensitivity and pleasure among the landscape of dead flesh surrounding it. Often times way too much, as Flora had discovered during their nights together. Unfortunately. Cinder felt awful every time about it, no matter how much Flora told her it was just physical reaction, and thus totally understandable...

"I'll be really, really careful this time."

Cinder smirked. "You said that last time..."

"I mean it this time."

"We'll see."

"Yes, yes we will..."

Cinder twisted out from under Flora and flipped right over her, coming down to straddle her backside and pin her to the bed with a hand to her neck. The other was holding both Flora's wrists, keeping her arms trapped across her lower back. She bent low over her, breathing in her ear and grinning wide. "I thought you were all tired out?"

"I'm going to get you...just once!" Flora huffed, squirming.

"So you're not tired."

Flora burst with dark purple energy, her soul made manifest, and launched Cinder several feet high - forcing Cinder to let her go. She rolled aside and grabbed Cinder's arm as she came back down, and then she was sideflipping to straddle Cinder's waist. They bounced twice on the bed and settled. She snagged Cinder's grimm arm and yanked it high to join her human one, pinning both limbs to the wall above Cinder's head. "Five seconds..." she breathed, ragged, her face shining with sweat and determination - her hair plastered to her face, and wildly frizzy about her head. "That's all I need!"

Cinder gazed up at her, single eye alight with joy. She burst her own Aura and twisted her body, parting her legs and trapping Flora's waist between them. She rolled them over, freeing an arm in the process. She pressed herself close to Flora and grappled with her for a minute, until she again had Flora beneath her, on her stomach, with her arms stuck behind her own back.

"I...almost had you!" Flora heaved. "I really almost did - when I had your-"

"You almost did," Cinder agreed, digging her knees into Flora's ribs when she tried to shift around again. She smiled to herself quite wickedly, and reinforced her human hand with Aura empowered strength as she let go of Flora's wrists with her grimm claws. She closed all digits but one, and dragged a claw's tip ever so lightly down Flora's bared backside.

Flora's eyes went wide; her cheeks turned pink as her back arched. "H-hey! Cheap moves, cheap moves detected!"

"If this was an actual fight to the death, there would be no such thing as a cheap move..." Cinder said idly, dragging her claw down Flora's spine, causing shivers to race through Flora's body. On further, to the lowest low. Right to her tailbone. "Absolutely nothing...cheap...at all. You go for the face, the eyes, the ears, the nose...elbows, knees, shins - the ass, even..."

"R-really? D-do you do this to every woman you fight with?" Flora stuttered, body bucking again - but this time, not in any way related to trying to dislodge Cinder from her body.

Cinder's smirk grew as her claw stroked, scraped - a bit firmer, now, in this location. "Really."

"Is the ass thing just a you thing, or is that an actual viable...weak point?"

"It might be a little of both," Cinder replied. "If you're ever in a real situation like this - down to nothing, no weapon, no clothes, not even anything around you to use - then yes, it's as viable a place to strike at as the others."

"That's handy to k-know...not that I think I'll ever need to use it."

"Are you going to actually try to fight me again any time soon?"

"I don't exactly want to now..." Flora huffed.

Cinder sighed melodramatically, and gave a hard scratch that had Flora gasping. "Then I guess I win again. But there's always tomorrow night."

"Let me try again!"

"Well, try again then," Cinder said simply. But she did let up a bit - just a little loosening of her grip on Flora's wrists. She was meant to be training her, not completely dominating her into frustration or humiliation. "I'm not going to have you go into a real fight thinking the opponent should go easy on you, though, you know."

"I know that, I just- I almost had you!" Flora burst out, laughing. "Please, just one more go, I can get you!"

"Whenever you're ready."

"Whenever you're ready!" Flora retorted.

Cinder rolled her eye. "Okay, then. Let's just go on three; three, two, one..."

Flora bucked her whole body and exploded her Aura, sending Cinder flipping back across the room.

Cinder slid back, low to the floor, until her ass hit the wall, steadying and slowing herself with human hand and not grimm (they didn't need to be fined for tearing up the hotel's nice carpet work).

Flora launched herself off the bed in a flying punch.

Cinder stretched out a leg and kicked off the wall, sending herself sliding forward with her Aura - right under Flora, and on past her.

Flora whipped around after a stumble to find Cinder already waiting for her.

Cinder placed a hand on hip, smirking. Lifted her chin just so.

Flora lunged, committing to a flurry of punches and kicks alike.

Cinder blocked, dodged, and redirected with admitted ease - though, markedly less ease than two years ago, when they'd first started these intimate sessions (in addition to their other intimate sessions, of course; although sometimes, like tonight, they spilled over into each other - and god did she love it when they did).

Flora's expression changed, her eyes darted down, and then she was dropping low and sweeping a leg; Cinder lifted one foot, then the other, letting the attack miss without even having to clear the ground.

Cinder jabbed a palm out to catch Flora in the chest. Flora immediately grabbed her outstretched wrist and yanked her inward - to Cinder's genuine surprise - crashing their bodies together in heat and sweat. Flora's arm slid under Cinder's and folded at elbow, clearly trying to lock her in, while her other arm was moving up for her shoulder. Cinder responded by sliding a thigh between her legs, smirking as she rested her chin on Flora's shoulder.

"M-more cheap moves!" Flora cried out, spinning them 180 degrees and making to push Cinder against the dresser - presumably to try and bend her back over it and make her lose her balance.

To prevent this, Cinder hiked her knee high, lifting Flora up into the air on that leg - and held her suspended there. She drew her head back and gave her a smile. "Well, it wouldn't have worked so well if you weren't already so slick there, now would it? I really appreciate that opening..."

Flora cringed and let Cinder's arm go finally, and in a flash had decided to drive her elbow into Cinder's gut; Cinder dropped her and fell back, squaring herself again.

"Fine, if you're going to use cheap moves..." Flora murmured, face stealing over with a fierce grin.

"That's what I want to see," Cinder encouraged.

"Oh, I know what you want to see," Flora responded, and she hopped up and down on the balls of her feet.

Cinder shifted her legs, keeping her eyes squarely on Flora's face. "That's...certainly one thing I don't mind seeing..."

"Did it distract you?"

"No," Cinder said flatly. Damn near almost...

"Damnit! Well how about- haha, tricked you!" Flora closed the gap and brought her leg up, kicking Cinder square in the stomach. She snapped it back down, then back up again, catching her a second time. "You were wide open with that one! I can't believe it actually worked! Or are you just having a rough night tonight? Let's make it rougher!" Flora kicked out a third time.

Cinder grabbed Flora's ankle in grimm claws and yanked her off her feet - and then lifted her high to hold her upside down, stretching the limb out with its unique properties. They stared at each other on eye level a moment.

"Wow, I didn't know you could do this with that!" Flora exclaimed, her hair hanging like a mop. Her face was turning red, but her eyes were shining. She cocked her head upside down, gave Cinder a once over. "Two years and you're only breaking this out now? We could have been doing so much with this! I think my brain is getting all fuzzy and that's just so-"

"Is it too fuzzy to focus on combat?"

"Let me think...if I can think...Alright, I can think - let's do this!"

"I'm just waiting on you..."

"Well how about you wait on this! Wait, no, that didn't even make sense..."

Cinder sighed as she raised an arm to casually block Flora's haymaker for her face. "More advice for you: please stop with trying to figure out one liners!"

"Why?! I've heard you use them before! And they sounded pretty hot, especially when you do that voice you do. Then again, you're almost always doing the voice, so everything you say sounds hot by default..."

"Did you ever think that I can afford to use one liners because I'm a Maiden with a powerful grimm extremity?"

"...No. But, thinking on it now, that makes total sense."

"Doesn't it."

"Well...well...Could you please just lower me down another few feet here? Your tits are just taunting me here, just...out of...reach..."

Cinder stifled a horrendous case of the giggles, willing her sides not to tremble. "Flora - put your tongue back in your mouth!"

"No!"

"If you don't, I'm going to flip you rightside up, and you might bite it."

"I have my Aura up! Do your worst!"

"I'm glad you didn't forget about that lesson, then." Cinder put word to action, and gave her grimm limb an upward swing.

Flora flipped up and connected her feet with the ceiling, and used an Aura burst to send herself rocketing right back down for Cinder.

Cinder flashed an arm up, which Flora used as a bar to hold herself up on in handstand.

Flora's head came up, a huff of air to get long locks out of her face. "Hi there."

"Hi," Cinder said dryly. "Bye now."

Cinder threw her arm to the side, and Flora went sailing off with the motion.

Flora managed to stabilize herself in the air and go into a sideways roll, coming up on a knee.

Cinder was the one to move to close the space between them now, coming in with a series of rapid kicks that had an off-kilter Flora evading and blocking with her own legs.

They danced with legs alone for a few precious seconds - until Flora turned her leg aside and hooked Cinder behind a knee, and gave a hard tug.

Cinder went down, catching herself with one hand and raising the other to fend off a swift follow-up kick from Flora.

Cinder blocked and shoved and got to her feet again in short order. "Good one," she offered with a smile.

Flora looked elated. "Thanks! Now let's see how you handle this!" She burst forward with Aura, began raining kicks and punches wildly, and then she was bursting her Aura from her feet and flipping up over Cinder entirely. She came down behind her before Cinder could fully turn around- and then she had wrapped her arms around Cinder's torso and pulled herself in, and grasped flesh.

"Oh god - I hope you don't ever actually try to fight like this with any other woman!" Cinder quipped, laughing. "Though, this isn't much a cheap move. And I'm not disabled in the least." To demonstrate, she seized Flora's wrists and slammed a foot back for the front of her ankle. Flora slid her leg out of the way and kicked back against the back of Cinder's ankle - nearly felling her in a good attempt.

Suddenly Flora's grip shifted, and her index and thumb pinched Cinder's functional left nipple; Cinder gaped and arched under involuntarily trembles. "Aren't you?" came Flora's sweet tones.

Now that...is so cheap!

Flora hurled the both of them forwards, slamming Cinder to the floor in a way that would have knocked all wind from her had her Aura not been up. She slammed right on top of Cinder's body and was seizing her arms, yanking them up behind her furiously.

Cinder rolled, and Flora went with it, so that they just ended up in the same positions again - a wasted, useless full roll over.

Flora tried again for her arms, grunting and huffing down at Cinder. "Would you- just- stay still!"

"M-make me..." Cinder breathed, resting her cheek on the floor and laughing high.

"How old are you supposed to be?"

"N-no- gah- Flora- I meant literally - make me, find a way to make me!"

"Oh. Well...I'm trying here!"

"Try harder - focus, use anything. Do whatever. Again - except the tits!"

"Well, if the tits are off limits..." Flora shoved Cinder in the square of her back as she tried to rise again. Flora took one hand away from Cinder's arms, and then it was burying itself in Cinder's lengthy shimmering strands. She twisted it all up in her fist and pulled.

"Flora!" Cinder gasped as her head was yanked up and back.

The fist immediately extracted itself from her hair, letting her go. Flora got up off her. "I'm sorry, I didn't think that was-"

"Huh?" Cinder rolled over to stare up at Flora. "Why'd you stop?"

"I thought I actually-"

"What?"

"Hurt you? Went too far with it?" Flora had hands over her mouth.

"No!" Cinder laughed, sitting up and crossing her legs. "You really almost had me with that one! Flora, that was exactly what I wanted you to try! That was good, you find your move, you work with what you have, you play dirty if it gets you the win!"

"But going for the hair is just so..." Flora shook her head, letting her hands fall away to reveal an uncertain smile.

"We had our Auras up," Cinder reminded. "You weren't going to actually hurt me! Not that badly. You could have won it, Flora!"

Flora's smile grew back again. Then she fell to the floor, hard on her ass, and took her own head in hands. "Damnit! Really?"

"Really!" Possibly; I could still have gotten free any of a dozen ways, especially if it was a real, life or death fight...But this is about building confidence and getting the movements down.

"Damnit!" Flora reiterated, slumping to faceplant on the carpet, her ass upturned. "I can't believe I was that close for once..." she bemoaned into the floor. "I was on the verge of victory!"

"You really were. I think you'll definitely get me next time - or the time after that. You're getting so close, so good now. Really, you are."

"Thanks..."

Cinder crawled over to her and sat next to her - gave Flora's ass a pat and a caress. "Want to try again? One more time?"

"Well, now I just kind of want you to massage me a bit more..."

"You're not actually hurt here."

"I know - Aura - but it's the thought that counts, right?"

"Right..."

Flora's head perked up. "Alright, let's try again!"

Cinder grinned. "One more time, and then we go to bed?"

"Yeah! Alright, on three - threetwoone go!"

Flora whipped her lower body around, roundhouse kicking Cinder clean across the face with the back of a foot.

Cinder went with the blow and twirled on hands and knees, flinging herself up to her feet with a little dash of Aura.

Flora was on her, furious and more determined than ever.

Is there even such a thing as a third wind? Cinder wondered, reengaging her partner. If she gets a fourth when we go to bed, I don't think even I'll be able to handle it...

Cinder shifted, and rolled over to find there was a dark skinned woman perched on her window sill.

This woman had on a hard mask to conceal the lower half of her face, and wore a tight-fitting outfit with too many belts and pouches attached to count. Cinder's eye immediately noted the collapsible hilt of some weapon on her primary waist belt.

For a long moment, the two just stared at each other.

Cinder in sleep fog, not quite sure if what she was seeing was a dream, hallucination, or maybe some strange misunderstanding...

And then it cleared.

She tensed, and her eyes lit up with burning flames in the darkness.

"Shit!" The woman whirled, long beautiful braids flying, and flipped up out of sight with ease, precision, and a helpful burst of Aura.

Cinder leaped out the window and activated her Maiden powers from her bare feet, soaring up after the woman without a second thought.

The woman was fast, balanced and confident with her footwork. Across roofs she leapt, sliding down the sides and flipping off ledges like it was nothing, no thought given to where hand or foot would be - just the confidence that they would be where they were needed to be. And they were!

Cinder gained on her almost without even trying, of course - flying overhead was too great an advantage to have. It rendered all her opponent's fancy footwork moot (impressive as it all was, she had to admit).

She boosted herself forward and made to tackle the woman bodily from the next rooftop; but the woman slid herself out of the way with an Aura-blast out of a foot pressed to side of a chimney. Cinder twisted around and flew for her again, this time flexing a hand at her side to pulse Maiden magic in another form: ice. Ice formed over the woman's feet instantly, and so when she tried again to dodge, she found herself unexpectedly stuck in place.

Cinder bodied her, taking her down into an alley and slamming her into a wall. Not to much surprise, a turquoise Aura flared over the woman's body on the hard-hitting impact. The woman bounced back from it and lashed out with her fists - Cinder batted them aside and clasped grimm clawed digits around her throat, shoving her flat to the wall again with superior strength.

"I'm getting really damn tired of people spying on me through my windows in my life," Cinder hissed in the woman's face, materializing a flaming blade and holding it to her neck. Seriously, do I just have a sign on my back that says, "Feel free to perv on me"? Is it just some vibe I'm giving off to the world? "Tell me why you were, before I end yours!"

The woman struggled a bit before finally seeming to realize she wasn't getting out of it; she stilled, her hands came up, and her Aura dropped. "That's a little hard to explain..." she gasped out.

Cinder pressed her blade; sizzling, and a miniscule trail of smoke - a cry. "Try your best, then. I'm not exactly in the right mood to be patient with the person who broke into my room - where my partner was sleeping!"

"N-no, I mean I c-can't exactly talk with your...monster hand on my windpipe like this..."

"Oh - right..." Cinder eased her grip, just a bit. "Now tell me!"

The woman gulped down a grateful breath of air. "Okay, so, this might sound really dumb, buuuut...I was hired to bring you to my employer."

Cinder snorted. "That is dumb. Did you think you actually stood a chance against me?"

"Not in the slightest - I see that now - but the pay was way too good to pass up."

"What pay?"

"A billion lien."

"Right, okay. So, what are you? Some sort of mercenary?"

"Bounty hunter. For people."

"Obviously."

"Obviously!"

"Right..." Cinder murmured, letting a breath go. "What's your name, and how old are you?"

"Aisha, and, I'm twenty-one."

"Right...okay, Aisha, listen to me very carefully on this, because I am not repeating myself to you." Cinder burned her Maiden eye flames to life, shoving her face into Aisha's. "You're an idiot."

Aisha nodded. "Got it!"

"Really? Do you really?"

"I am...ninety-two percent sure."

Cinder lifted Aisha up by the throat, clear off the ground. "Try a hundred."

"I'm getting there..."

"Your employer - who was it? You weren't, by any chance, sent after me by a woman that goes by the name of Salem? Pale skin, blonde hair, blue eyes?"

"My employer doesn't go by that name or have those features."

"Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent on this one! It wasn't even a woman, it was a man! Please, can you just let me down? Game's over; I failed!"

"A GAME?!" Cinder snarled, yanking her closer just to slam her back against the wall again. "My partner and I have had our lives threatened more than once before, and to wake up at night with someone armed and sitting in my window was not fun! It was terrifying! If you'd really been there looking to attack us, to kill us, to kill her, or to kidnap her instead of me - we have children, we have children and if you'd taken us from them-"

"But I d-didn't, I didn't! I failed hard, clearly, so why don't we just call it-"

"I don't care!" Cinder whirled and threw the woman across the alley - Aisha barely got up her Aura in time before her face smacked against the opposite wall of hard stone. "You wanted me? Well, here I am!"

She lifted into the air on swirling winds, calling rumbling clouds above; a raised hand and a bolt of lightning flashed down to strike Aisha in the chest and send her flying down the alley. Aisha ricocheted off a dumpster and rolled to a stop.

Cinder hovered forward, and with a jerk of her chin she sent the dumpster flying at Aisha.

Aisha leaped over it; Cinder blasted at her with a handful of streaking blue lightning strands, catching her in mid air and tearing through her aura. Aisha hit hard on her face, a loud crack splitting the alleyway.

She pushed herself up, blood pouring down her face. Fear on that face now as she looked at Cinder.

Good!

Cinder flicked her wrist and froze the woman instantly from the neck down.

She flew forward and punched her in the face. Once, twice, a third time, a fourth.

She twirled in the air and kicked her in the chest, exploding her Aura and shattering the ice - sending the woman flying once more. Skidding now across the alley floor without Aura, in a way that definitely had to hurt.

"Cinder!"

Cinder turned around to find Flora running up to her. "Stay back and keep your Aura up!"

"Screw that, I'm going to get a punch in, too!"

Cinder held out an arm to stop Flora from just rushing on past her. "No - this isn't-"

"Isn't what?"

"She's only after me - not you. I don't want you giving her a reason to start hurting you, too."

"I'm not actually here to hurt anyone," Aisha spoke up, bracing herself on the wall. "Just to bring my mark in! It isn't perso-"

Cinder raised a hand and slammed the woman into the wall with a gust of fierce wind. Once, twice, and then she stuck her to the wall in an icy cocoon. She stalked for her, seized her jaw in hand and squeezed. "You're going to tell me who sent you. Now."

"It was just some man - he didn't give me a name. He was tall, had a lot of scars, really pale, and he had a big long beard of lightish red - brown eyes, I think?"

"How old would you say this man was?"

"Maybe late fifties?"

"Okay. And where did you meet him?"

"He came to me a few days ago, in the next city over - that way. He told me he knew I was looking for more work, and he had a job that could set me up for life. For several lives! So I said yes, of course. Who wouldn't?"

"Right. And he told you that your target was the Fall Maiden?"

"Well...no. If I had known that ahead of time, I never would have taken the job! That's just setting me up to fail."

"Then he never told you my name? Cinder Rynon?"

"He told me your first name - but a different last name," Aisha replied, confused.

Cinder leaned in, narrowing her eye. "What was the name?"

"Aryle. He said Cinder Aryle. Not Rynon."

Cinder let Aisha's face go, stepping back. She glanced at Flora. Her harsh breaths eased. "What even are those odds?" she said aloud.

Flora's face was overcome with worry - with fear. "Do you think that someone's been spying on us? Besides her?" She gestured crudely at Aisha. "How could they know that we were just setting out for your family? Or where we even were? That we stopped here for tonight?"

"Let's ask." Cinder whipped around, raising her blade to place the tip to Aisha's nose. "He told you where to find us, the man who hired you? Right here in this city, right in that hotel? Tonight?"

Aisha's eyes went wide. "Y-yeah! He gave me your room number, told me to try going in after midnight for you. He said you'd have a companion, but not to worry about her at all."

Flora pulled an offended look, huffing. "I bet I could have taken you."

"Probably," Cinder assured her absently. Two years of one on one training with Cinder really had improved Flora's combat skills (even if they couldn't go too hard at it inside the house, or in Mantle as a whole; only driving out into the tundra had let them really let loose with each other, much to Bae and Maggy's delight at the spectacle of magic and dust).

"So...can I go now?" Aisha said meekly. "I don't think I really have anything more I can tell you."

Flora darted forward and socked Aisha in the face, eliciting a shriek and more copious blood flow.

"Flora, I don't think she needed that," Cinder said, shock bursting in her - and a strange feeling in her stomach.

"I did!" Flora said harshly. "This was supposed to be some nice vacation, just the two of us, but instead here we are, fighting for our lives again! I'm sick of it, I thought we were done with that bullshit! Two years done with it! And what if these people want to try going for Bae or Maggy next?! Our family, our kids - it was supposed to be safe now! But it's not! It's sick, and I'm sick of it, and it's- it's-" Flora began to draw in shaky, shallow breaths. Her body shivered, her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides.

"Okay, okay, Flora - calm down, please! Calm down - sweetie," Cinder said, grabbing Flora by her shoulders and pulling her close. "You're okay, we're okay - we're all going to be okay. Bae and Maggy will be perfectly okay! They have the best protection anyone could ask for, and they're nowhere near here. And if we can believe Aisha here, this wasn't even about them, or you - just me. My family name, my mother - I presume?" Cinder shot a hard look at Aisha.

"I have no idea!" Aisha exclaimed, shaking her head furiously. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone - I definitely wouldn't go after anyone's family! I was just trying to get paid, get my life in order! I didn't know you were the Maiden, I didn't know you were even-"

Cinder twitched a finger, and ice formed over the woman's mouth, silencing her. She pulled Flora into a tight hug, feeling every tremble that rippled through her slender form.

Out corner of her eye, she saw the dark shadows on the alley wall beginning to shimmer, to ripple and sway...

And then they bent out away from the wall, becoming three-dimensional strands, which immediately surged out for Cinder and Flora!

Cinder twisted around with Flora, putting her back to the shadowy tendrils, and pulled up a rocky barrier.

There was a shrill hissing noise as those tendrils made contact with the rock, indistinct whispers echoing up and down the alley...

And then there were more shadowy tendrils emerging from nearby - from Cinder's own shadow cast onto the alley floor!

Reaching and twisting up for them, around them.

Cinder immediately exploded Maiden flames, soaring up out of the alley entirely - Flora's arms around her neck for dear life.

For dear life.

Again.

Flora was right; Cinder was sick of it, too.