"Hey, did you hear?"

"About what?"

"Our new boss."

"Yeah, I saw her earlier."

"She's got some knockers ain't she?"

Smack!

"Care to repeat that, pervs?"

"Ow! Wh-what did you do that for!"

"Y-yeah, we were discussing something between men."

"I heard you talking about the new boss, so I was curious. I guess I shouldn't expect too much from you thirsty fuckbois."

"Hey! I wasn't only talking about our boss' killer physique."

"And you wonder why you're single."

"In any case, my friends over at the reception told me that she's constantly accompanied by three guys."

"Ooh! I saw that, they were fine. So fine!"

"Need I remind you that you were reprimanding us earlier about–"

"The Asian guy's the hottest, honestly. The inner koreaboo in me is fanchanting. Also, that jawline could cut anything. Their jawlines can make any Michelangelo sculpture cry in shame."

"That tall guy with blue eyes could do an intense smolder."

"You too, dude?"

"No homo, just stating facts. Also, his physique's not something any gym could replicate. You think he does crossfit?"

"Guys, we're getting off-topic. I was about to say something more important than their bodies."

"Well, you started it."

"Okay, I regret everything. I regret describing our boss' near-perfect measurements. Are you happy?"

"I can sense the salt."

"Urgh. Can I share now or maybe you'd rather I not?"

"Sorry, sorry. We'll stop."

"Thanks. Now, not only is she always accompanied by them but I heard from Trav, the bellhop, that they also brought their things with them."

"You're friends with a lot of people."

"More importantly, are you sure about this? I mean, it could be an overnight bag."

"Yeah, and they're probably gonna have a slumber party and braid each other's hair. No, Trav told me that they brought a lot of suitcases. Apparently, they're staying with her."

"That's–"

"That's some Boys Over Flowers stuff right there. How do I be her?"

"Some people just have the luck, I guess. Can you imagine rooming with a bombshell like her? And what's Boys Over Flowers?"

"Ah!"

"Oh, sorry!"

Ted never said much, even before everything. When he was young, he was someone you often found alone. In school, he sat with acquaintances, hang out with the people that didn't leave lasting impressions in the school, and teachers described him as the achiever-to-be if he just applied himself.

"Ted, is everything okay?"

The man nodded, eyes looking at everything but Mirajane. "I… I should go." His king currently wore a silky bathrobe that showcased a lot of her assets.

"No, no, this is our kitchen. We all live together, so we all share this space."

"I… I guess." He chanced a glimpse at her and noticed that his king's hair was damp. Mirajane was someone who rarely used make-up, so there was no surprise in seeing her bare face, but since she's fresh out of a bath, her skin looked dewy and supple.

"Oh, well, is something the matter?"

His enhanced sense of smell could also pick up hints of rose and jasmine. "I'm… just not used to rooming with girls."

Mirajane hummed thoughtfully. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" She ran a hand over her hair and judged it to be dry enough that she slicked it all back.

Ted couldn't look away. At this point, he was blatantly staring. Mirajane was trying to put her hair into a bun and the way she arched her back made her curves show: her hips showing from the otherwise flat bathrobe. The way she raised her arms made her ample chest–

"No, it's more like I'm conservative." He whispered, turning around.

He couldn't see her but he figured she was confused. "Oh. I'm sorry. I guess I was so used to rooming with someone blind that I guess I forgot about modesty and courtesy."

"No, my kin–I mean Mirajane, you don't have to adjust for me. It's something I need to work on."

"If it helps, I'm not naked underneath this bathrobe."

Mirajane, Ted was starting to realize, happened to be very confident about herself. Normally, this would be no problem, and it was praise-worthy that she was someone who didn't let others bother her. However, there were times when her sureness made her the unsuspecting tease. The worst kind of tease, in Ted's opinion. Not that Mirajane was in the wrong, but being hot and being clueless about being hot were a problematic combination.

"I… I see."

If anything, Ted was the one who was wrong. She was someone above him, he should never have thoughts like these.

"What're you guys doing?"

"Bob." Ted felt at ease now that it wasn't just him and his king. With just the two of them, it felt intimate. Exhaling, Ted replied, "Nothing."

"Are you hungry?" asked Mirajane, opening the fridge.

"We're fine, thank you," Ted said. He at first planned to familiarize himself with the layout of their new home. That's how he found himself alone with Mirajane in the kitchen. "We were just about to go." Best leave Mirajane to her own devices. They were her loyal subjects, they must not disturb her.

"No, I haven't placed this on the fridge yet." Bob showed a six pack in his hands.

That made Mirajane snap her fingers. "I know what we need."

The four of them, Baekho came out from his room when he heard noise outside of his room, were in the living room.

They popped open a bottle of wine that Baekho picked from the refrigerator. Bob preferred his beer so there were only three half-filled wineglasses.

Baekho was a vampire so it was no longer possible for him to get alcohol poisoning. Dead people don't get poisoned, normally.

Mirajane never got tipsy because of her immunity to poisons. Even for demons, alcohol was considered a fine delicacy, but unlike humans, they don't get drunk from excessive intake.

Bob and Ted, well they were testing it out. So far, no one was tipsy.

"This reminds me of my time as a model." Mirajane shared, wrestling with the gigantic throw pillows on her seat.

"A model?" Bob asked. "This I've got to hear."

Mirajane gave a light laugh, explaining that it was really just a side job of being a [Wizard] from where she was from.

Ted was jealous. Of Bob. Ted was someone who didn't do well with conversations, not because he hated talking, but because starting and maintaining discussions were hard for him.

"What did you do before, Ted?"

"Huh?" He turned to person who spoke.

"I said, 'what did you do before?'"

"I was in the military. Served for–well it's boring."

"No," Mirajane said leaning forward. "I want to listen. I want to learn more about you guys."

"Well, for me, I used to work for a kingpin," said Bob, sipping his beer. "Mom and dad died, so pretty soon I was living in the streets. That's how they found me. They taught me their trade and before long I was part of them too."

"By kingpin, do you mean Fisk?" Baekho asked.

"No, but he was one of the Dons who controlled part of the city before Fisk overthrew everyone."

"That's nice and all but… What's a Don?" Mirajane asked. Dead serious and dead curious.

"It's getting late." The guys noticed that Mirajane's fatigue was starting to show. Her head started to droop, and she more than once tried to hide yawning.

Bob was the one who finally acknowledge it because it looked like their king didn't want to be impolite and be the first one to retire. "We should go to sleep."

Mirajane, too tired, simply nodded her head before standing up. She grabbed the empty bottle of wine and their wineglasses.

"No, let me." Ted grabbed it from Mirajane, who tried to put up a fight. "No, I insist. You've had a very exhausting day, you should sleep."

"We've a very busy day tomorrow too, I hear," said Baekho, stretching his limps.

At the men's further insistence, Mirajane relented. The other two guys also said they were retiring for the night, leaving Ted alone in the kitchen doing the dishes.

He heard soft footsteps from behind, "Oh, do you need something else, Mirajane?"

The platinum blonde suppressed another yawn, "Just a glass of water."

A glass of water later, Ted saw that Mirajane hasn't left her spot.

"It's a nice place, this apartment don't you think?"

She nodded. "But it's only temporary."

"Yeah, but your room upstairs' just about done."

"No, I didn't mean that."

"Huh?"

Mirajane opened her mouth, as if to say something before closing it.

If there's one thing that bothered Ted was the fact that Mirajane had this habit of getting lost in her own thoughts. She was exactly like this too, when the [True Vampires] had cornered her.

"Um, I know it isn't my business," Especially since you are my [King], "but can I ask something, Mirajane?"

At her affirmation, he asked what was running through her mind when the vampires said that she had a goal she wanted to achieve.

He has his back facing her, so he couldn't have seen her reaction but Mirajane was silent for a moment.

Ted thought that he must've hit a nerve and was about to apologize when Mirajane began to speak. "I… I'm not from around here."

"You're from a different country?" It sounded probable now that Mirajane's said it. From not knowing certain terms, to how things worked, even what was considered to be acceptable behavior, Mirajane was definitely someone who grew up from a place very different from around here.

"Try different dimension."

"O-oh."

Mirajane then began to tell him everything, how she was from a place in the middle of a war; a war in which she played an important part on. She also told him that she was currently looking for a way to go home.

When she finished her story, Ted tried to hide his sadness. That meant that her end goal was to leave this place altogether. But if given the choice, Ted decided he would follow her.

His wanted to be as useful to her as possible. Besides, following her is an adventure of a lifetime.

I… I'll help you in any way I can.

"You've a very big hill to climb." Baekho's skin was like ivory under the dim lights.

"It's as you say," Mirajane told him simply. "But it's not impossible."

He raised his hands, like a man caught red-handed. "Staying or leaving doesn't bother me in any way."

"Are you speaking for your people or for yourself?" Mirajane didn't bother with his reply. She simply went passed him and retreated back into her room.

"You may have the approval of my king," Baekho whispered when she entered her room, "But you've yet to prove yourself to me."

In her dream, Satana was visited by the last person she expected. "Well this is interesting."

"What? Can't have a dad visit his daughter?"

"In a dream? That's pretty much an invasion of my privacy." Satana flipped her hair.

"Are you still upset?" The voice was strained.

"You wanted me to kill my ally!"

"It was proof of your loyalty to me!" this being roared. Everything was explosively massive, but Satana's used to her father's antics by now.

"It's also proof of your doubt in me!"

A terse silence followed until she said, "Return me to my dream."

"I will but later."

Satana flipped her hair again. Her brother used to tell her that this was her telltale sign that she was agitated. "What do you want?"

"There's a demon in your area."

"And?" If her father disrupted her dream all to get information, she would make it difficult.

"C'mon, tell me what she's like?"

That's when Satana smiled. "Oh, we're like that now." But her smile was high-and-mighty.

"I need to know so I could keep you safe."

"Really?" Sarcasm. Too thick.

"Well, what do you want?"

Satana appeared to think about it for a minute until her father's had it.

"You think I'm the only who moves [Hell]? As we speak, forces are trying to get information about this demon."

"What makes you think I haven't met this demon too?" Her smile was haughty.

"Wh-wha–"

"That's right, I've also met her!"

"…so it's a female." Her father looked pensive.

Satana cursed inwardly. That was her bad, but Mirajane's gender is too broad of information for it to be considered important.

"I want my own horde. I want a means of bolstering my power." Her succubus status meant that her primary source of power came from tantric rituals, and those were fun to do, but she wasn't as equipped as, say, a vampire in increasing her horde.

She expected her father to tell her that she was too young, heck even mock her, but his response made her nervous: he actually considered it.

"You do need to protect yourself more." A second later, "Okay, fine."

Satana tried to keep her cool. She's going to get her own minions! And minions loyal only to her!

"But I don't want to hand it to you in a silver platter. I want you to work for it. I want you to put in effort."

Her smile was genuine now, and her father recalled the look she had when he taught Satana her first animal sacrifice. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Every night, I'll visit your dreams to teach you all that I know."

"Okay! What do you want to know?"

"Sir?" There was a soft tap on his shoulder, "We've arrived."

The man looked at his surroundings and met the flight attendant's eyes. "We have? What time is it?"

"A little over four in the morning."

"Oh." Most of the passengers have left by now. He stretched and stood up. "Sorry."

"It's not a problem. We hope you've had a good flight."

The man nodded after making a quick grab of his things. A few hijinks in the airport later, the man was waiting for his Uber to arrive.

His phone started to ring. "Yo, had a great flight?"

"Are you really asking that?"

"No, but I was just being polite." The person on the other side of the line sounded sheepish. "Anyway, be careful, you're going to meet some pretty powerful people."

"I know." His breath was visible under the cold, but these temperatures no longer harmed him easily.

"My father visited me earlier."

"Wait, how? You were in a plane?"

"In my dream." He said like it was the most obvious answer.

"Oh, that makes sense. But how was it?"

"He tried to recruit me again into his cause."

"And?" Like the other person on the line expected him to say that about this person's father.

"That I should stay away from New York if I could help it."

"Oh, the irony."

"Anyway, my ride's here. Call you later."

"Is everything done?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then let us rest. Tomorrow marks a new beginning of this city's history."