Chapter 65

"So, if fixing this stuff is THAT easy, and we can handle issues THAT easy with magic, why the fuck are we bothering?" Ash asked curiously, reaching back to scratch at the nape of his neck.

If Ouroboros was going to be duped that easily, then why were they all gearing up like they were going to war? He shook his head, missing the good old days when it was just a bunch of straight forward fighting. Give him his weapons and a monster any day, at least that all made sense. Not to mention at least he felt useful then, right now all he was doing was pretending to be a guard.

"Don't look at me." Crow shrugged, shaking his head to get his silver hair out of his eyes, grinning down at Melyssa with another shrug. "So what other tricks do you have up your sleeves, Lyssa?"

"On the contrary, Mr. Carbide, magic DOES have its limitations, just as regular weaponry and anything else in the world." Rosalie appeared before them and waved her hand, making sure they were completely alone and couldn't be overheard. "The only thing I have done is ensure Machias has a safe place to have these meetings. Magic doesn't fix everything, believe it or not. And it wasn't Melyssa's idea, it was my own, so if you're not comfortable with it, you need to take your discrepancies up with me. I've afforded you the opportunity to be able to meet secretly without Ouroboros knowing. That does NOT mean everything is solved." Not by a long shot. "Or, as you so eloquently put it, fixed."

"Ash, you know as well as I do that magic only goes so far. I know you're not a fan of magic to begin with." He HATED anything related to the supernatural world, actually. "But for now, this is the best thing we can do. Going forward, we will still need to prepare ourselves and be on guard. At least in our apartments, we don't have to worry about being eavesdropped on anymore. Or rather, ME being eavesdropped on by Ouroboros."

Ash didn't say a word. His position on magic was quite clear and for Rosalie to just pop up with a 'magic doesn't solve everything', but she had appeared out of nowhere and sealed all these places… yeah… no thanks, he was good with concrete 'can's' and 'can nots' instead of this 'be awed but there are limitations, sometimes' thing. It was too confusing. He was the asshole because he had asked a curious question, note to self, don't do that again.

"Define discrepancy, apparently I'm an idiot." He remarked wryly as he stared at the ancient witch.

"You are an idiot." Crow agreed cheerfully, ruffling his friends hair and dodged a punch. "But we still love you."

Rosalie grinned, her crimson eyes sparkling and floated over to where Ash was, tapping his nose with the tip of her finger. "I like this one. So much spirit and fire. And I am sure you are aware of what 'discrepancy' means. You do read enough, so you are very knowledgeable. I am sure you can figure it out for yourself, handsome." She squeezed his backside for good measure, giggling when he jumped and floated away again. The 800-year-old witch could have fun when the situation called for it.

Melyssa could not keep the laughter in, though she tried by biting her knuckle and Crow was howling.

"Discrepancy is generally a lack of similarity between two things, generally facts." Ash was very well read and about the only one who knew it was Melyssa. "For example, you popping in magically to say magic isn't a cure-all is a bit of a discrepancy."

Crow's jaw dropped. "Who ARE you and where's Ash?"

"You were probably meaning something along the lines of my 'thoughts or concerns' and just jumbled the words." She wasn't going to like him for much longer; he folded his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't hex me when you get him…" Crow was backing away from the situation, wondering if Machias had a dictionary.

"For what now?!" What the HELL had he done the first time to get reamed? He got this time, sort of, but damn it, he was tired of this occult bullshit! "I'm going to get coffee. Crow… you're on watch."

"Uh… maybe bring back a few extras…"

"Sure… Rosalie, still take an ungodly amount of sugar in yours?" He got now why she needed it, the woman was salty and he grinned when she gave him a look. Ash supposed at her age, she was allowed.

"I'll, uh, go with him." Melyssa pulled the mask back on, heading out the door and jogged to catch up with Ash. "I figured you could use some help bringing the coffee back. You only have two hands, you know." She looped her arm through his as they continued walking, a smile on her 'masked' face. Melyssa didn't know Rosalie the same way the others did, only because she didn't go to war and fight side by side the witch or any member of Class VII. "You really don't like witches, do you?"

"It has nothing to do with whether I like them or not." Ash said after a long moment, glancing down at her thoughtfully. "It has to do with the fact that people are told magic isn't a cure-all, but then others like to show off their magic by that floating thing, or just showing up out of nowhere. It's misleading. As for Rosalie, the older she gets, the more her mouth runs. That or I'm getting hit with the 'can't have a different opinion' or ask questions brick." Apparently, her brains were on the way out, though he didn't voice it. He hadn't even been being mean when he had asked the others that question, he had been genuinely curious. "Rosalie is a brilliant witch." He admitted, grudgingly.

"For the record, I'm on your side, but…she is an 800-year-old witch, so I really didn't want to go against what she wanted to do."

Melyssa knew that was cowardly, but she was also thinking of self-preservation. Ash would understand that, surely. This was the first time they'd been alone since the log cabin and Melyssa was glad to see their connection was as strong as ever. At least, that's how it appeared to be.

"What are you doing tonight after work? Since Rosalie spelled our apartments, maybe you can come over and hang out? I could make dinner and we could watch a movie or something? What do you think, Carbide?"

"Maybe, we'll see how the rest of my day goes."

If he had to deal with another verbal smackdown over nothing, he might actually be piss-poor company and take his bad mood out on her. That was something Ash never wanted to do, not to her. He stopped walking, staring down at Melyssa and sighed, wishing she wasn't wearing that damn mask.

"I hate that thing." He muttered, watching her raise one eyebrow slowly and was tempted to tap her cheek. "What's for dinner, beautiful?" He hadn't even known she could cook. "And what can I bring?"

"Just yourself is plenty. And I was thinking spaghetti since it's easy to make and filling." She would never eat gelato again as long as she lived, but there were plenty of other delicious desserts out there to consume. Rean destroyed her love for gelato, unfortunately. "And I promise I won't wear it tonight, if you come over."

Melyssa knew Rosalie didn't mean to give a verbal smackdown to Ash. She was just pointing out that magic wasn't an end-all, be-all like others assumed. However, she also saw it from Ash's point of view since he was not a believer in magic at all, even with all he'd seen in Erebonia. Maybe that's why he hated magic so much in the first place.

"Just make sure to let me know before we leave, so I know whether or not to make it or just stop to get something on the ride home."

"I will." Verbally because he knew her communication methods were probably being watched. Unless of course, Rosalie had done something there. Magic made things seem to be too easy. It was easy to disguise and hide, but then… why wouldn't Ouroboros expect something like that to begin with? "Beautiful," Another thought had occurred to him, though he half expected her to have already had a counter in place or something. He needed whatever luck she had rubbed off on him. "They know Machias is married to a witch, a powerful one," Because in her own right, Emma was. "They've got to be expecting the magical wards and stuff on his office." And they would expect her to work around it or something, wouldn't they?

If not, how were they always a step ahead of the rest?

Melyssa honestly didn't know what to say to that observation because it was true. Ouroboros knew all about Machias and Emma being married and Emma's origins. The Grandmaster hadn't said anything to her about the magical wards, so either she didn't care or…she had another trick up her sleeve. That was disconcerting.

"That's probably why they're having me be their spy in the first place." Normally, Enforcers weren't dubbed as spies, but she was a new Enforcer and had to 'prove' herself. "I'm their only way of finding out exactly what's going on within the system of Crossbell." Not that she planned on telling them anything more than what Machias ordered.

"They'll expect you to learn and report back all of this."

And she wouldn't, Ash could see it in her teal eyes. She'd report only the smallest of things and the bare minimum, which he knew was going to trigger warnings if they weren't already on high alert. Sending her out into the field, her first time, against the people she had negotiated safety for, this was a test. This was Ouroboros testing her loyalty, throwing her up against the very people, friends, she had bargained her life away for.

"You're playing this close, beautiful." He forewarned quietly, calmly, his pink eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he stared down at her.

"I know, and I'm prepared for the consequences, whatever they may be. I'm not going to worry about it right now. Whatever Machias tells me to tell them, I'll do it. The Grandmaster knows it's going to take time to get any legitimate information from the Mayor and she even told me to take my time, to be thorough and diligent." Melyssa could see the worry in his eyes and it was for her, not them. She reached up to stroke his face tenderly with the back of her hand, cracking a smile. "You worry too much, Carbide. Your hair is gonna start turning grey if you keep this up."

"And it's all your fault for being such a damn difficult woman, you know that?" He shot back without missing a beat.

Nevertheless, he also stepped away from her, putting a respectable amount of distance between their bodies as they resumed walking. Her Grandmaster may have other spies present that Melyssa wasn't aware of; he wouldn't put it past the shady organization, having spies to monitor their spies. Being a network of liars and evil pricks came with a lot of inner-fighting and backbiting, he supposed. Ash would hate to have to live with that kind of paranoia, wondering who was going to stab who from behind next. Them being close enough that way probably looked intimate, more than was likely allowed or maybe they thought she was sleeping her way to information. Ash glanced back down at Melyssa, a little sharply, wondering if THAT was a method Ouroboros used and if she had been taught seduction techniques.

Not in the slightest. That was something Mariabell did, the seduction technique, but she was a drop dead gorgeous woman. When Vita Clautilde was in Ouroboros, she would do the same thing. That was how she had gotten Crow roped into listening to Duke Cayenne and she manipulated him into going to where Ordine, the Azure Knight, slept under the city of Ordis. Melyssa wasn't anything like those Anguis, she preferred to use her sword, her wits and smarts in order to obtain the information she needed.

"I'm not THAT difficult…" She mumbled good-naturedly, already knowing he was speaking the truth. "You got a sourpuss look on your face, what're you thinking about?"

"I'm just thinking that you're walking a fine line and going to get hurt." That was a lie, but also true. He HAD thought about it before just not right now. Ash wasn't about to tell her what he HAD been thinking, she might deck him for it and he'd probably deserve it. "Here we are." He gestured to the open double doors, the cafeteria. "Let's get coffee."

He and Crow checked in with the employees down here regularly, just in case. Poisoning was a thing and a possibility. It wouldn't surprise him at all if Ouroboros had planted someone in the kitchens or something in an attempt to poison Machias since Melyssa had declined to take him out.

As long as none of you get hurt and you stay safe, that's all I care about, especially you, Ash. Melyssa followed him over to the coffee, watching him smell everything and knew why he was doing it.

Poisoning. It wouldn't serve Ouroboros purpose or the Grandmaster's objective to try poisoning the Mayor, not when they needed vital information only the man could provide. Being the Mayor's secretary would give Melyssa access to all of that and more. During her training, she'd been shown all the different files where each client of Machias' went, along with scheduling, phone calls and whatnot. It was a lot to take in, but she pulled through and tomorrow would another round of training.

Once they were out of the cafeteria, Ash passed her the drink carrier before popping his head into the first men's restroom they passed. Once he had determined it was empty, he came back out, took Melyssa by the wrist and pulled her inside with him, flipping the deadbolt that wasn't supposed to be used unless it was an emergency. He set out each cup, which was labelled for who it belonged too and popped the top of each, pulling a vial from his pocket. Sniffing only went so far and, to be honest, not many people used poisons that were detectable via smelling, or even tasting. The most effect poisons, and ones he would assume Ouroboros would be smart enough to use, were odorless, tasteless and would kill someone before they realized it. He pulled a small vile out of one of his many utility pockets and poured a drop or two from it into each cup, just in case.

"My new motto is don't trust anyone."

Wow, Ash was not messing around or taking ANY chances, not that she blamed him. She watched as that substance dripped into each coffee and looked around the bathroom, just making sure they were completely alone. "What is that stuff?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her and rolled her eyes when he simply responded with 'my secret'.

Melyssa didn't take it to heart and nodded to show she understood why he wouldn't tell her. Hell, Ouroboros was capable of absolutely anything and if they found out she was playing for the other team, she would be in trouble. Deadly trouble.

"Ready to go back?"

"Yep."

Now he was satisfied that nobody would be dying from accidental ingestion of poison today and he capped the coffees again, putting them all back in the carriers. Rean wouldn't have done this, poured an antidote or more to the point, a neutralizer, into these cups with her present. Rean would have been concerned she'd develop a counter. Ash wasn't a mistrusting douchebag, well… not totally, anyway. He unlocked the door and poked his head out, making sure they were in the clear before stepping out into the hallway.

"Wouldn't do to have your reputation sullied so soon, ma'am." He teased, knowing it would have appeared like they were doing naughty things in there to most people.

Rean was a douchebag and wouldn't know someone was helping him if it bit him in the backside. All Melyssa had done was save him and everyone from sure death. Hadn't she come clean to Crow? She didn't have to and could have taken on Ouroboros on her own. Aurelia helped convince her that she did have friends out there that would help take them down. She thought Rean would be part of that friendship circle, and maybe more, but he had shown his true colors. He had changed, not for the better and had alienated every single person who ever gave a damn about him. Not just Melyssa, but all of Class VII…besides a few like Juna and Kurt. They were on his side, naturally, and she'd never gotten along with Juna, so that wasn't a huge surprise.

"Uh huh." She smirked back at him and headed back to Machias' office with him.

"Just say the word and I'll besmirch your reputation so thoroughly, it'll be the talk of Crossbell for at least 100 years." Ash actually said it casually, with barely the smallest hint of something wicked.

That mask did absolutely NOTHING to hide her blush and Ash bit back a smirk. Two years ago, at Thors, he had refrained from flirting with her. He had kept his lewd and crude comments to himself because she hadn't been the kind of girl he had been chasing. She had actually been a friend. She still wasn't 'that' kind of girl, not something for a night of fun, but… she was more than a friend to him now.

"If only I'd let you besmirch me, Carbide." Melyssa remarked in a tease, nudging him gently and silently wished he would follow through with what he said.

She wouldn't mind having her reputation besmirched if it meant being with him. What in GEHENNA was she thinking?! Melyssa took one of the coffees and sipped it, giving her something to do besides turn into a tomato under his intense, sultry gaze.

"Though, we never did have our sparring session and I'm still holding you to that one day."

"Well, given we're technically batting for different sides, that day may come sooner rather than later."

It would wind up being a legit sparring session. He wondered how far Melyssa would go to maintain her cover now that she was back in the fold of the 'good guys', so to speak. He already knew he wouldn't go the full mile, he would hold back out of fear of hurting her. WHAT THE GEHANNA WAS HE THINKING?

"Hey, we're here." Thank Goddess, he was losing his mind obviously. "Ladies first." He gestured towards the door with his head.

"Wait, Ash, hold on." Melyssa stopped him from opening the door and looked up at him, pure concern and confusion in her eyes. "I'm not on their side anymore. We're not batting for different sides at all."

Did he really believe that? Did he truly believe she was still on Ouroboros' side? Why did it hurt to know that was what he thought? Maybe it wasn't a good idea to have dinner together and watch a movie, after all. Did Ash trust her or was he just going along with this because of Machias?

"Never mind, let's get inside before the coffee gets cold." Opening the door, she walked inside with Ash following and plastered on a smile to hide her disappointment and sadness.

Ash had seen her do that with Rean at the cabin. He had seen her do it two years ago. Just walk off without letting someone explain themselves. He got Rean; Rean was a dick. He, on the other hand, had put in technically. He KNEW where her loyalty was, but that didn't mean she didn't have a part to play either. Sighing, he rolled his eyes and followed her inside, figuring he'd explain it to her later over dinner, providing she didn't start giving him the cold shoulder and cancel because of a misunderstanding.

"Coffee…"

"Yay, you have useful purposes." Crow teased, looking up from the map Machias had given him to study. Old tunnels and whatnot beneath Crossbell, he wasn't looking forward to going down in them.

"An escape route, that's clever. I know Heimdallr has them too, right?"

"Correct. My father has them maintained for security and emergency purposes. We used them when we were Class VII, actually." He remembered that vividly and how they had actually faced a bone dragon, thanks to dark ages device that brought it to life by one of Crow's former comrades – Comrade G. He was dead now.

"You know you can't tell them any of this, right?" Crow wanted to make sure she was aware of it and chuckled when she rolled her eyes. "Just checking, Lyssa."

"Uh huh." Time was what it would take to prove to them whose side she was on.