Chapter 3: A Good Day

Irene proudly put the refrigerated box full of blood bags down in front of her fellow Schiff.

Karman opened the box. "Are you sure this isn't a trick? That they didn't put Saya's blood in it to get rid of us?"

To Irene's surprise, Dahz was the one who spoke next. "You're being too paranoid. I can smell the blood and it's as human as could be."

"I know," Karman admitted, looking sad. "It's just…I'm so used to something going wrong. I'm having a hard time believing it."

"I tried a packet already, it's safe, so don't worry Karman," Irene reassured him.

"It's only fitting that we keep our end of the bargain, then," Moses decided. "Let's eat."

With that, the Schiff tasted cold blood for the first time.

"Ugh, the cold makes it taste horrible," Gudriff blanched.

"I don't know what you're talking about. The cold makes it taste better." Dahz said.

"The cold blood makes it taste yucky," Lulu backed Gudriff up.

"You're all taking this way too seriously, blood is blood. It tastes the same no matter what!" Karman grumbled.

Moses quietly drank from his packet. Their leader didn't seem to have anything to say about what just happened. Instead, he seemed to be deep in thought. "So negotiating with the humans was successful?"

"Yes." Irene nodded. "Though they asked for a show of good faith. They want me to meet up with them every day in the daylight."

Moses nodded in understanding. "I see. Thereby limiting our movement during the daytime since you're both our tracker and the only one of us who can survive in sunlight."

"That doesn't sound like a good deal to me, it just sounds like we got ripped off!" Karman pointed out bitterly.

"Don't worry, Karman," Irene reassured him. "I remembered what you told me. The Red Shield will let a member be with me as a show of good faith. I'll be the one watching him and he's practically a willing hostage. If he's not there it won't be a breach in our deal if I run."

"So they limit our movements during the day and in exchange risk one of their own members. What if they consider that human expendable enough to sacrifice?" Dahz pointed out skeptically.

"Because the member is Saya's brother. The Red Shield will never risk breaking the deal with him on the line." It all fit together perfectly in Irene's mind.

Dahz let out an impressed sound. "Yeah, Red Shield will never risk him lightly. Good job, Irene."

Irene smiled at the comment. The big, blocky Schiff had always been the most cynical of them all. For him to be happy she must have done a good job.

"And what about nighttime?" Moses asked.

"We're free to do whatever we want as long as we don't kill humans and I still come back to check in on the next day," Irene said.

"Which doesn't matter to us much anyway. The rest of us can't be out in daylight, Diva's most likely still here in this city, and there's no way we'd want to take her on with just one of us, anyways." Gudriff summed it all up. "It really wouldn't change what we'd do either way. Hell, we'd have more time to search for Diva since we won't have to hunt anymore."

"So it truly is a mutually beneficial deal," Moses said, though he seemed to say it mostly to himself.

"What's going on, Moses?" Lulu said, noticing his strange behavior.

Moses gave each of the Schiff a meaningful look. "I understand now. This blood is proof. Even though we've escaped Khilbet we're still prisoners."

"What do you mean, Moses?" Karman asked.

"The scientists at Khilbet ensured no matter what we did we would be controlled. If we stayed there we all would have just died. They all made us think it was impossible to communicate with other humans constraining our choices even after we gained freedom and they successfully tricked us with misinformation so we would never make the right decision. An insidious, multi-layered trap on each level."

"I…think I get what you're saying," Gudriff was the first to respond, beating Irene to the punch. "We know so little about the world and in order to be truly free we need to learn more about it."

Irene then spoke up, this seemed like the best chance to bring up the most sensitive subject. "The Red Shield had another request. It's not a part of our alliance so you all don't have to do it but one of their scientists asked for samples of our blood to study."

As expected, at hearing the word 'scientist' an atmosphere of fear and worry descended over the Schiff. For a split second, they were all back in Khilbet, being used, poked, prodded, and experimented on. Ready to be thrown away the second they started to fall apart.

Moses saw his fellow Schiff's reactions. "And we don't have to give them our blood? It affects nothing about our deal?"

Irene looked at all the other Schiff with a serious expression. "No. It is all your choice. The scientist just asked and said that we could refuse if we wanted to."

"What do they want with our blood, anyways?" Moses asked, cool as ice.

"They want to study it to compare it to other natural chiropterans. We're something that they've never encountered before and they want to understand chiropterans as a whole better." Irene explained.

"So they can get better at killing chiropterans," Karman guessed.

"Most likely," Irene agreed. "But they raised a good point. If they could study our blood and see what's wrong with it compared to other chiropterans they might be able to find a different cure."

"And given everything that's against us it's best to expand our options." Moses mused.

"I've already given them my blood, but they aren't sure how much it would help. I'm the only Schiff in the world who Diva's blood has stabilized and they can't compare it to what the rest of everybody is like." Irene explained.

"How likely do you think it is that Red Shield could create a cure for us?" Moses asked.

Irene put serious thought into her answer. "I don't think it's likely, even with my blood. I'm even more of an outlier to the rest of us now and their core objective is to understand chiropterans to better defeat Diva. Saving us would only be a side-benefit to most of them."

Irene looked at all her fellow Schiff. Moses, Karman, Gudriff, Dahz, and Lulu. "So who is willing to give up their blood?"

Moses' earlier words wrapped around every Schiff like chains. Objectively, rationally, they knew that giving blood samples was more likely to help them than hinder them and they needed any edge they could get. But to give their lifeblood to a scientist, one of those cold callous beings who imprisoned them. Even free from Khilbet and all the scientists dead, they still decided how they even thought.

Moses looked ready to volunteer. He clearly wanted to. But his past held him back. Karman and Dahz were of course the most hesitant, but even Lulu looked unsure.

Until Gudriff spoke up. "I'll do it," he declared. "We're overthinking things here. We're searching for some perfect answer when we all now know the most important thing: Diva's blood is what we need, not Saya's. Knowing that changes everything and even though Irene being cured was dumb luck everything she's suggested us to do afterwards has worked out. So I'll do it. I'll give up my blood."

All the other Schiff looked at their sunglasses-wearing companion, shocked at the speech. Moses smiled, his unease replaced by happiness. "Well said, Gudriff, I'll give up my blood as well."

"Gudriff," Irene whispered softly, touched by his words.

"Me too!" Lulu promised.

"They have empty vials in the box, we can use those, right?" Karman suggested, going to get the refrigerated box.

"Hmm," Dahz grunted in agreement, going to help his equally cynical companion.

"We've reached an accord. Now all we have to do is wait for nightfall and our hunt shall begin." Moses declared, their leader back.

Irene looked out the stone building's window to the setting sun, ready to hunt down Diva and save everyone.

—-

To Saya's conflicting feelings, Irene showed up at the apartment at dawn holding five vials of Schiff blood, the sun happily rising on her back and Kai ran out to greet her as the terms of their alliance.

After the Schiff blood was put away in the fridge for future transport, she asked them where she should go, and Lewis suggested that she and Kai come to the library with them for research.

Despite not being the bookish type, Kai seemed keen on getting away from the apartment and Mao.

For the first time, Saya could sympathize with her brother's reservations about their schoolmate. She did stalk him to a different continent for some bizarre reason.

So there they were, Saya, Lewis, Kai, and the Schiff Irene sitting in a Parisian library with Saya and the Red Shield members researching the Goldsmiths who were becoming more and more likely to be linked to Diva in some way.

Time passed and tired from researching, Saya saw Irene sitting at one of the library's tables, a rather large encyclopedia in front of her, and while the Schiff was skilled with keeping a blank face, the chiropteran hunter thought she noticed the beginnings of irritation form on her features.

To the Schiff's surprise, Saya put down a book in front of her. "What's the matter? You getting bored?"

"No," Irene said, distracted.

Saya looked at the book in front of Irene. "Is it because you can't read? Kai told me you were trying to explore as much of Paris as you could when you met."

"No," Irene repeated. "We were taught how to read in Khilbet, if only to test our intelligence. I want to read this book, I want to see what it's like to enjoy a book, but I can't focus."

"What's on your mind? I could use a break anyway." Saya offered. She had promised herself to try and make their alliance work for Kai's sake. Time to live up to it.

"Us Schiff spent all of last night searching for Diva and we didn't find anything," Irene explained.

"Diva's good at hiding away like a rat," Saya agreed, newly regained memories of her century-long hunt swirling through her mind.

"It's not just that," Irene shook her head. "I'm our tracker, and I couldn't find any leads. No scent at the battleground, I couldn't hear any familiar voices, her name being spoken, her Chevaliers, nothing."

"Like I said, like a rat," Saya repeated.

"But you don't have my powers," Irene countered. "We were able to track you across the continent but now I can't find Diva."

Despite herself, Saya began to feel sympathy for the artificial chiropteran. "Diva's group created the Schiff, right? Maybe they have countermeasures against you guys?" Saya guessed.

"That makes sense," Irene agreed. "I guess I've just...been expecting too much."

For the sake of the alliance, Saya pressed on. "Why did you choose such a big encyclopedia as your first read?"

"While you all were searching I talked to one of the librarians. She explained to me that these kinds of books are called 'encyclopedias' and have basic information about most things. Last night, Moses said that even after escaping Khilbet, we were still prisoners because they still controlled how we thought. So I thought if I knew more I could change that."

Saya felt another pang of sympathy. Every time she heard more about the Schiff, the sadder things became. "You might just be overwhelmed. That is a big encyclopedia so you might be aiming too high for a first read."

"But I want to tell the rest of the Schiff more, so wouldn't it be best to start from the biggest book I can find?" Irene explained.

"In that case, we're in a library, you can just check out the books and have the other Schiff read them in the day?" Saya suggested.

Wait, what did she just say? She had just offered chiropterans information they didn't have.

"Yes," Irene said, oblivious to Saya's inner turmoil. "Kai said humans could share with each other if they say 'thank you'."

"Well, it's a bit more complicated with library books, but I think you understand the basics," Saya admitted.

At the mention of her fellow Schiff, Irene's eyes widened in realization. "I think I understand now, whenever I sit down and try to get comfortable I see Moses, Lulu, Karman, Dahz, and Gudriff sitting in our base, hiding from the sunlight…just waiting for me to come back, not being able to do anything." Irene said, forlorn.

Saya felt sympathy well up within her again, this time much more easily. "You can do everything everyone else can now but they still can't."

"And while they're waiting the Thorn can appear at any time," Irene finished.

How do you comfort someone on how all their friends could fall apart and die at any second and you can't do anything? Saya thought to herself.

Kai most likely had similar thoughts, he quickly entered the conversation. "How about we go out and see Paris? I'm not a guy who does well with stuffy books, anyways, it'll be good for me too." he volunteered.

"Kai, what are you saying? Diva's still out there in the city." Saya said, shocked.

"Irene will be with me and we'll stay around crowded areas and come back before sundown. Don't worry, we'll cover all our bases." How long had he been thinking that through?

"It's not against our alliance. Our terms were that Kai would follow wherever you wanted to go during the day." Lewis pointed out.

Irene was good at keeping a blank face, but Saya could tell that she was interested in spite of herself. Well, we did agree—Saya's immediately stopped her train of thought at that. She was going to leave her brother alone with a chiropteran, what was she thinking?

"Go out on the town," Lewis continued with a smile on his face. "Just sitting around is getting to you. Go out there and experience everything you've missed out on, make some memories so you can tell your friends what's waiting for them."

"You're supposed to be quiet in libraries, right? You can do more things in other places." Irene agreed.

"Lots more." Lewis nodded his head. That's the only outfit you've got, right? You'll stand out if that uniform is your only outfit, besides, a pretty thing like you should have more clothes anyway." Lewis complimented her.

"And all I have to do is say 'thank you' to get something?" Irene said in a way that showed that she had already convinced herself.

"Well, Red Shield will foot the bill. It'll be cheap compared to our normal purchases so consider it a gift." Lewis said.

That decided things for Irene. "Saya, the terms of our alliance is that I can go anywhere in the city as long as Kai's with me. Karman told me to not let myself get taken advantage of so I'm enforcing the Schiff's side of the deal."

It was incredibly transparent to Saya what Irene really wanted to do. She wanted to go out and enjoy the world that had been denied to her. Nothing more, nothing less. It wasn't anything like Diva or Karl who saw everyone else as food or lesser. She wanted to learn more about human culture, not scorn it.

And she looked so hopeful and excited…

Saya caved. "Alright fine, since it's a part of our deal."

Irene nodded. "And I can have a second talk with Kai like we promised."

Saya immediately decided to break the tension for her own sake. "You promised to talk again with a girl? You should have told me that, Kai."

"Can we please not do this, Saya? What if Mao finds out!" Kai begged.

"Yeah, almost forgot. Sorry."

—-

After checking a map, Kai took Irene to a large building called a 'department store' and Irene walked into the building ready to expand her wardrobe.

Irene was enthralled as she looked around the clothing store examining the great variety of outfits humans wore. There were jackets, skirts, dresses, pants, shorts, and so many different kinds of shirts and all of them were also in an endless variety of colors.

After searching through some of the clothing racks, Irene picked out a tank top, interested in its lack of sleeves. The sun didn't burn her anymore and with a shirt like this, she could feel the sun on her arms at all times. Such an experience was tempting, but…

It also reminded her of the clothes she and the rest of the Schiff had to wear in Khilbet. Thin and revealing, as if to make them look smaller and lesser than the scientists who tormented them as well as to take advantage of their weakness to sunlight.

With those thoughts, Irene put the tank top back on the rack.

"You seemed to really like that one, why'd you put it back?" Kai asked her.

"I was interested in feeling sunlight on my arms but then it reminded me of the clothes we had to wear in Khilbet," Irene explained.

Kai winced. "Yeah, I can see how that would bring back bad memories."

"Maybe sometime in the future, but not now," Irene decided. "What do you think, Kai?"

"You shouldn't ask me for fashion advice. If I had my way I'd just wear tank tops and shorts every day." Kai admitted sheepishly. "Mao or Saya would be much better at this."

"But Saya's busy at the library and Mao doesn't like me," Irene finished.

Kai thought about it. "What about things you personally like? Maybe base your decision around that?"

Irene tilted her head in thought. "Well, I like the clothes I'm wearing now."

"And why do you like them so much? You and the rest of the Schiff took them from Khilbet, right? So they were your only option." Kai asked.

Irene narrowed her eyes in thought and quickly realized why she liked the stolen military uniform. "Because I like what it represents. We all took these clothes when we decided to escape for the sake of hope in freedom. It's a part of my life I look back on with pride." Irene then turned downcast. "It's also one of my few good memories of when all ten of us were alive."

Kai winced again. He really didn't know what to say to that. "Then maybe you could look at the military-style fashion?"

Irene didn't know what that was, but it sounded like a good new experience. "Let's check it out."

But their trip was soon waylaid by Irene's interest in a rack of tacky sunglasses. She picked one at random and put it over her eyes.

"What are you doing now?"

Irene adjusted the sunglasses, trying to mimic what she'd seen her fellow Schiff do. "Gudriff always wears these 'sunglasses' even when it's night. I don't know why so I wanted to see what it was like."

"I remember a Schiff like that. He was fighting the military guy two days ago." Kai nodded.

Irene smiled, the sunglasses making it more noticeable as the dark shades contrasted her pale skin. "I'm happy that you remembered him." She then took the sunglasses off. "But I don't see the appeal. They feel strange."

"Those are just toy sunglasses. The really good ones tend to be put in cases to keep them safe. But maybe Gudriff just wears them because he thinks they look cool?"

Irene tilted her head. "What does 'cool' mean in this situation?"

"Let's go to a mirror and I'll try and explain."

The two moved to a mirror near the changing rooms and Irene put the sunglasses back on. Given her enhanced vision they did nothing to impair her eyesight but she did notice how the shades made her look… different. Different, but still the same.

The black shades hid her eyes and like Gudriff's did, and replaced them with a dark reflection making her face look more mysterious. The color black contrasted with her platinum blond hair and pale skin, making the sunglasses and black lenses stand out even more.

Irene felt a rush at her new appearance but it quickly faded. She took the sunglasses off. "I felt something when I put them on but it faded quickly. Is that what it means to feel 'cool'?"

"I think you felt cool for a little bit but the feeling can fade pretty quickly," Kai said.

Irene looked at the sunglasses again. "I had fun wearing them but I don't think I need or want these. I'll put these back and we'll move on."

Their shopping trip then went back on course. The two finding military-styled casual clothing. Irene looked the outfits over but found that they lacked any of the appeal she felt for her current one.

Still, the boots on the other hand wear quite the find. They could easily wether the tear of combat if she was attacked, they were more comfortable than her current shoes, and she liked the blue lining of the boots.

"They just feel so much better," Irene marveled as she wiggled her toes inside the boots.

"Trust me, when playing sports shoe size matters a lot. And shoes aren't like clothes you could just switch to that pair full time." Kai suggested.

Irene looked at the blue-rimmed boots. At their nice comfy insides, the way the blue trim complimented the shiny black. "Okay, I'll get them."

"Well, that's one thing down, any idea what you want to get next?" Kai asked.

The Schiff looked intently at her new boots. What made them so appealing to her? Besides the size, there wasn't much difference between them and her current boots. The only difference was…

Then it all clicked. "Kai, I want to see the blue clothes."

—-

Things went much faster after Irene's epiphany. The Schiff moved quickly examining every blue article of clothing she could get her hands on, taking full advantage of her vampiric grace to slip around other customers and not bother them, leaving Kai to struggle to keep up.

Soon enough, she found what she wanted.

It was a blue dress, and what brought it to Irene's attention were its sleeves. They were wide and billowing, spreading down like waves, letting the arms breathe freely despite their length. Even though they were long enough that the fabric could cover her hands, the sleeves could easily be rolled up and tied back letting her arms feel the sunlight whenever she wanted.

"I want this," Irene decided and it didn't take long for her to find a copy that was her size.

Kai paid with a yellow card and Irene changed into her new outfit in a small room in the back.

She walked up to a mirror outside the changing room, her eyes filled with fascination. The Schiff took in her new appearance, the blue dress fitting her nicely. She raised her hands and the billowing sleeves fell back like receding waves, letting the loose fabric flow outwards. The lower half of the dress was loose enough to allow Irene to still use all of her mobility and alongside her comfortable black and blue boots dark stockings finished up the outfit.

"I look so pretty," Irene said to herself. She loved her new outfit but in a different way than her military uniform. That was something that shielded and protected her from a dangerous world, the symbol of her gaining freedom. This outfit, however, was the first time she got to make a choice when she had actual options. The first time she had multiple paths before her each as valid as the next with no risk of pain or death attached.

"It probably doesn't mean much coming from me, but I think you look good, too," Kai agreed. "Saya's better at this stuff than me, so we'll have her give the final verdict when we get back."

Irene put on the backpack she had also bought, put her folded up uniform into it, and nodded her head. "Right, there's so much more to do today."

—-

The sandwich was served on a plate in front of Irene. Between two thick slices of bread and kept together by a toothpick were cuts of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, ham, roast beef, cheese, and probably a lot of other stuff.

Unlike Saya, Irene didn't salivate over the meal in hunger but instead examined it like it was some great experiment. Kai had stopped for lunch and to his surprise Irene had wanted to eat as well. He first thought she was like Saya in that she was a secret glutton when she ordered the stacked sandwich but she wasn't looking at it in barely restrained hunger.

"Why'd you get that?" Kai couldn't help it. He needed to know what was going on.

Irene blinked, regaining her attention. "Oh, I've seen how humans eat more than blood and I've always wanted to see what it tastes like. I can't get everything so I thought I'd get the meal that has the most different kinds of human foods," she explained.

That wasn't something Kai had thought about before. What did human food taste like to a race of beings that fed on blood?

Without further ado, Irene bit into the large sandwich chewing it slowly but steadily. Kai couldn't really tell if she enjoyed it or not. It seemed more like she was testing something more than tasting it.

"So…?" Kai asked.

Irene swallowed her food and answered. "It's…a lot. The cheese is the closest to the thickness of blood but at the same time, it's more solid. The greenery is crunchy but breaks apart and feels more wet the more you chew, the meat is the closest tasting to blood but it's also completely different and despite being red the tomatoes don't feel like anything I've ever felt before."

"Huh," Kai murmured, sounding rather interested.

"What do you mean?" Irene asked.

"Well, I just realized that I never really thought about how a chiropteran would feel about human food. Saya thought she was a human when we first met and Riku's just become a Chevalier and I feel like we've been drifting apart because of it. So hearing about how you thought about it made me think, if I can understand the differences maybe I can be better at bridging the gap."

Irene nodded, remembering their first meeting. "Then what about you tasting blood?"

Despite the macabre topic, the question was innocent. Kai couldn't help it and he laughed. "Humans sometimes taste their own blood when they accidentally hurt themselves. I've cut my lip lots of times while playing sports. Blood just tastes like copper to other humans."

Irene took another bite of her sandwich. "It's not just how it feels, either. It tastes different than blood because so many things are mixed together."

"You could take the sandwich apart," Kai suggested. "Try all the pieces separately and see what you like for reference."

Irene looked at her food with an intense gaze, considering his suggestion. "I want to eat it as a sandwich for more than two bites. I'll eat half of it and then try the ingredients separately."

With that the two silently enjoyed their meals, Kai finishing a bit before Irene hit the halfway mark of her sandwich since she was taking her time to chew it and savor the taste.

Then the sandwich was disassembled and Irene tasted each ingredient on their own terms, picking up the food with a plastic fork.

First was the lettuce. "It's rougher and more brittle by itself." To Kai's amusement, she then ignored the rest of the greens like how a young kid didn't want to eat their vegetables.

Then the onions. Irene perked up as she ate the white pieces. "It tastes stronger now," she said in wonder. And began to happily eat the white vegetables with gusto.

Followed by the tomatoes. "Juicy and smooth, but not like blood."

Then the cheese. "It tasted better when it was a part of the sandwich." But she still finished the dairy product.

Finally, the meat. "It still tastes the most like blood." was her verdict.

"Irene, what does blood taste like to a chiropteran?" Kai found himself asking.

The Schiff narrowed her brow in thought at his question. "Are you sure you want to know? Lewis said humans don't like to talk about us consuming blood."

"I want to understand you guys better," Kai admitted. "I've never seen Saya drink blood directly and Riku's gonna need to drink more eventually. I…I don't want them to think I'm scared of them or see them as different. I thought hearing more about it could help."

Irene went deeper into thought, thinking hard about how to describe the single, vital liquid she needed to drink to live to someone who said blood just tasted like copper.

"Diva's blood was the best blood I've ever tasted," Irene stated.

"I could figure that out. It saved your life, after all." Kai said.

"That is definitely a part of it, but, it…it tasted like," Irene wracked her brain at the words the scientists taught her to read. She needed something more to describe the taste of her salvation, "ambrosia."

"It was a pretty great moment for me as well, seeing Diva eat dirt after what she did to Riku's been the best thing that's happened since this all started," Kai said.

"Yes, it was a special moment. So many things were happening that it would be impossible to experience it again. Hmm…so how food is eaten can affect the taste, then?" Irene's eyes widened. "Maybe eating this food with you is part of the reason it tastes good."

Kai's eyes widened at the accidental insinuation. "Company can't affect everything. You still didn't like the lettuce on its own and I'm right here. Can you give me some info on what blood tastes like to you in general?"

Irene was quiet, wracking her brain for a way to answer his question. "Texture means a lot," she began. "If the blood is too thick it goes down too slowly making it taste too strong. If it's too thin it has even less of a taste and it gives less nutrients."

"It sounds like a lot of humans are eating unhealthy food or drinking a drink that's been watered down," Kai noted.

"I've only eaten this sandwich and its ingredients but I can already tell that taste-wise blood is so limited. It feeds and empowers me better than humans do food but that's all it really does. Besides Diva's blood, it just doesn't seem as varied or enjoyable compared to the separate ingredients and you can't combine them." Irene said.

"That is something to talk to Saya about." Kai put what he was told to mind. "Now I just have to get her to be willing to talk about it."

"Why would Saya be ashamed of drinking blood? She doesn't even have to hurt people to get it, right?" Irene pointed out.

Kai's mind went back to what he read in Joel I's diary. "Because the only experience Saya has had with other chiropterans has been Diva and her Chevaliers. Her only experience with the rest of her kind has been that group of sickos. I saw some nasty stuff in Vietnam and I can't even begin to guess what else Saya has seen over the years."

"But Haji is also a chiropteran," Irene pointed out.

"Haji never has an opinion," Kai grumbled. "He's always quiet and just does whatever Saya says. It's why I was thinking that if Saya could make peace with you and the rest of the Schiff she would stop being so closed off," he then admitted, "Meeting you made me realize how stupid it was to consider someone different because of their species. See not all chiropterans are like Diva's group."

"Saya went out of her way to talk to me in the library, I didn't think of it much back then but with what you told me her reaching out to me was odd," Irene realized. "Maybe she tried to do it for you?"

"If that's the case you can be my secret weapon to help Saya?" Kai half-way joked.

Irene's eyes widened in realization. "And maybe you could be mine. Moses said even after we escaped Khilbet we were still prisoners because the scientists still controlled how we saw the world. Being able to talk to more people will change that."

"And by the terms of our alliance I have to follow you around so you could just take me to where the Schiff are hiding out for the day," Kai continued. "Either Saya will follow and have to meet the rest of your group or I'll just come back at the end of the day perfectly fine."

"And it would be best to move past any bad blood Jan's death caused as well," Irene picked up from there. "If we get Saya and the rest of the Schiff to meet and talk it could help us all with our problems."

—-

Galvanized by their talk, the human and Schiff happily finished their meals and went back out to explore Paris. Irene led the two to the toy store he saw her examining two days ago that had the stuffed penguin out front.

After they entered the store Kai watched Irene gleefully look over all the toys on display absolutely enraptured by the simple objects.

It made Kai remember what Vietnam was like and how lucky he now felt that he got to grow up in Okinawa.

Being with Irene, talking with her, having fun with her, it made him think back to what he read in Joel I's diary. If things were just a little different would he have Diva as a sister and Saya as an enemy, just with different names? If things had gone just a little differently, if Diva hadn't attacked, Irene would probably be dead, another underserved death among many including his dad.

Don't think about that. Think about what actually happened. Meeting Irene and her getting cured of the Thorn has been the best thing that's happened since this entire thing started.

He decided to focus back on Irene who had become less and less frugal as the day had past, but to his surprise, she decided to get only three items: the penguin doll, a deck of cards, and a ball.

"You're not gonna get more?" Kai asked.

"I want to," Irene admitted. "I want to enjoy all the things humans do, but I have to think of other things. All I have is this backpack to carry things, the hunt for Diva is too important and I might have to drop everything to do it, and I need a place to hide my sword now that I don't need to wear my cloak anymore."

He couldn't argue against any of that. "And the deck of cards?"

"Oh, I saw the scientists play with them sometimes. I thought it would be good for the rest of the Schiff to have something to do when I'm out." Irene explained.

"I can't believe I didn't think about that. Do you guys know the rules?" Kai muttered.

"No, but I chose this pack because it says it comes with an instruction manual. And if I need more information there's most likely a book in the library that can help." Irene said in a rather practical way.

"And the penguin?"

"It…It's just so cute." Irene's monotone voice raised a pitch as she clutched the stuffed animal in her hand.

Kai chuckled at that, proud to see the Schiff so happy.

—-

Irene then led them to the street where the street artists worked. She was watching other humans get their pictures drawn again, but now she looked torn.

"Why aren't you getting your picture drawn?" Kai had to ask.

"Because it would take too much time." Irene's eyes stay locked onto the easels. "We told Saya we would be back before sundown."

"And we want to stay in her good graces," Kai finished.

"Still…" Irene continued. "Getting a picture of myself sounds wonderful. A moment in time immortalized. A memory made real. Physical proof that I exist separate from myself. It sounds so beautiful the more I say it."

"Don't worry, there are other ways to get a picture," Kai promised her.

This time the human took the lead after checking a map, taking the Schiff to a strange box that they both entered and sat on a bench inside.

As Kai got out some money he said, "Take any pose you like and wait for the flash."

"How so?" Irene asked.

"You want this to be a good memory, right? Then show how happy you are. Now just wait for the light."

As Kai sat back Irene saw a bright flash of light blind her causing her to make a face of surprise. She then felt Kai's hand on her shoulder and composed herself for the second flash. And by the third flash, she was able to bring her lips into the shape of a smile.

Afterwards, a chain of black strips came out of the machine and Kai took them and handed them to her. "Just give them a moment."

She did as asked and her eyes widened as she saw the black strips gain color and turn into pictures. There were images of her and Kai together, starting with her making an odd expression, before shifting into showing her normal blank face, before finally transitioning to a radiant smile.

"They're wonderful, Kai," Irene thanked him. "So many pictures, so many memories of us together!"

She then split the photo strips in two. "I want you to have half of them. That way even more people can see them!"

Kai happily took his share of the photos. "Let's look them over and split them up properly. After that, I just had an idea."

—-

Irene held a sketchpad in one hand and a pen in another. It was smaller than the portraits she saw in the city but she easily understood what she could do with it.

Taking the pen she scribbled something on the first piece of paper and showed it to Kai.

They were ten sets of stick figures with black scribbles drawn over them in what seemed to be an approximation of black cloaks. One of the stick figures had a bald head, another had squares for eyes, and a third had a black bar in the center of their face, so Kai figured they were all ten of the Schiff.

He couldn't help it, and he laughed. The drawings were just so terrible it was funny and thankfully Irene started to laugh as well at her amateur art.

"I'm laughing again and I don't know why," Irene said to herself.

"You can laugh at the silly things in your life," Kai explained and checked his phone. "It's almost four so it looks like we can do one more thing. What do you want to do?"

Irene had already decided. "I want you to teach me about what 'sports' are."

—-

The duo went to a park that was luckily empty.

"So that's why you wanted the ball," Kai said to himself picking up the ball Irene bought.

"Now I'm gonna throw it to you, and you've got to catch it." He then threw the ball at Irene.

She quickly raised her hand, her new dress' sleeves fluttering in the breeze as she easily caught it. She winded up her own arm and sent it back to Kai. "And now I throw it back to you."

She threw the ball—way too fast. Kai was forced to duck to avoid being hit by the ball sent flying with vampiric strength.

This broke her good mood. "Kai!" Irene shouted. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, I'm fine," Kai promised. "Just hold back a bit more would you."

Kai went to get the ball and threw it at Irene. "This is a 'sport'? It seems rather simple."

"This is catch, it's pretty much the core of almost every sport there is so it's best to start with this."

Irene caught the ball again and then threw it back at Kai. This time much more softly. "And throwing a ball is something humans do for fun?"

To Irene's joy, Kai was able to catch her throw without hurting himself. "Hey, catch can be fun by itself! My family had a lot of fun together just throwing a ball around." Kai shot back.

"Maybe if there were more people I'd be more fun?" Irene guessed as she caught the ball again.

"Really?" Kai asked as he caught the ball. "You seem really into it to me."

Irene paused in thought after catching the ball. "I'm enjoying playing with you," she realized.

Kai smiled. "And I just realized that I enjoyed today, I don't think I've been able to do that for a while. Hell, I just realized that I'm in Paris on a world tour and I'm finally getting to enjoy the city." With that speech, he caught the ball.

"I don't know much about enjoying life, but I know I enjoyed the day I met you and we talked, and I know I liked today even better," Irene swore.

—-

They continued their game for a time, just enjoying each other's company as the ball was passed between them, chatting about any random thing they could think of until they decided it was time to go back to the apartment.

They found Saya waiting for them, Haji behind her. "You're back," she began but trailed off as she saw Irene's new outfit.

"How do I look?" Irene spread her sleeves. "Kai said you'd have a better opinion than him."

Saya looked over the light blue dress with the wavy sleeves giving the Schiff an ethereal aura when mixed with her pale skin, platinum hair, and pointed ears. "You look really good." she honestly complimented the chiropteran.

"See, Saya? Everything went fine and we're both okay." Kai said.

"Yeah, everything went well," she agreed. "You two had a lot of fun, didn't you?"

Irene was noticeably more animated than she was when they met in the morning. "We did, I can't wait to tell the rest of the Schiff tonight."

Saya reached into a bag and pulled out a few thin books stacked together. "Anyway, I decided to check these books out from the library for you and the rest of the Schiff. They're a lot smaller and easier to read than the big one you chose earlier."

Irene took the books going over the covers. "I'm surprised, I know how worried you are about working with us."

"Think of it as an apology," Saya looked down. "You kept your word and Kai's safe so…I figured I should see if I could make it up to you. You're putting a lot of effort into this so I should do the same as well."

"I accept, Saya." Irene promised. "Do you want to talk again tomorrow?"

Saya barely hesitated. "Yes, I would. See you soon, Irene."

Irene smiled at the promise. It was getting easier for her to do now that there were more things to smile about. Giving up was not an option anymore, she had to give the other Schiff what she had gained.

Not sure about the ending, I'm worried that it's too cheesy and feelgood.