Chapter 31 – Argus: Revenge of the Grimmslayers

The Ansel Invasion hit Pete's Gaming Emporium like the tide.

As in, the door opened, and it flowed in... and kept flowing in, with Cinder carried along like a swimmer in a rip current.

By the time Garek and Selene made their way through the doorway at the back of the pack, Terra was standing behind the desk staring at the sea of blonde hair and listening to their chattering with something approaching awe. "What… the… heck?"

"Yeah, it's quite a thing, eh?" drawled the muscular and intense blonde man now standing beside the counter, drawing Terra's attention. "You must be Terra?"

"Y-yeah… you know me?" She tried to focus on him, but her attention kept getting drawn back to the gaggle milling around the room.

"By reputation." He pointed at the tallest of the girls, "I'm told our oldest, Saphron, is going to be hired on here, to give you a break from babysitting. My name's Nicholas. Nicholas Arc." He stuck out his hand, and she took it, still slightly dazed.

"And I'm Juniper, the unfortunate mother of that mob." A lovely older lady (by Terra's standards) shook her hand as well." Juniper scanned the room and sighed. "Our kids do tend to make an impression. Though it gets expensive fast. One of the reasons we don't tend to do organized vacation trips." She leaned against the counter. "What's it like working here?"

"Oh… it's… usually quiet. Most of the kids are pretty well-behaved. And I have the panic button," she thumbed back at the wall, "if anything crazy happens." She went very quiet. "Only had to push it a couple times." She seemed to withdraw a little.

"That's good to hear." Juniper said. Garek and Selene had told her and Nicholas about what had happened, and she wasn't about to dig further into that with Terra. "Not trying to pry, just satisfying motherly curiosity about what kind of work Saphron will be doing." She leaned closer. "You know, make sure no one is going to work my baby girl to death."

"Mom… I'm seventeen," came a voice behind her as Saphron walked over to the counter.

A faunus woman approached Terra next, and based on her appearance she could only be Garek's mom. "Oh Saphron, you know it doesn't matter how old you are. Garek's my only son, and he's still my baby boy."

Nicholas just rolled his eyes and nudged Rorson Grae beside him. "Better intercede before she teaches the entire room all the cute names she's used for him." Garek was already looking horrified. "He'll never forgive you otherwise."

Rorson coughed and interrupted. "Anyway, great to meet you, Terra. I'm Rorson and that's Grace. And yeah, we're Garek's parents."

"Thanks Dad. You're still on my Vytal invitation list," Garek laughed. "You guys wait here, and try not to embarrass me with stories about when I was a baby, okay? I'll dig Pete out of the cellars, assuming he's here."

"Oh he's here. Him and Sophia are downstairs." Terra smirked. "Might want to knock first. BA says he caught them making out down there on the conference table last week."

"Not a visual I needed, Terra. Thanks for that…"

"And on that note…" Nicholas and Juniper headed off to see what madness their kids were getting into. It wouldn't be long before they had satisfied initial curiosity and were begging for lien to play.

"Spreading the pain around, Garek. Spreading the pain." Terra looked pensive for a minute. "How's Cinder?" she asked quietly, peering through the sea of yellow hair to pick her out.

"She's doing better now. Getting her into Sanctum and then the Arcs showing up kinda took some of the sting out of things. Selene, you fill her in? I'm heading down the hole." He walked through the Staff Door without a backward glance.

"Of course. Ah, yes… Sanctum made a very good impression on her. She is still upset about Argent, though." Terra cringed at that, and felt her stomach sink. It must have shown on her expression, because…

"So… what's a typical evening on the job here?" Saphron interrupted, and Terra decided right then and there that the blue-eyed blonde was her new favorite person in the whole world. She risked a glance over, and saw Saphron nod subtly. Thank you… she thought in response.

"Oh… it's pretty straightforward really. I mean over half the time, you're just keeping an eye on things. You can even get a little reading in or play games with the kids." She gestured toward the various stations. "I used to like riding the motorcycles. The other half, it's mostly handing out or recharging play cards, helping someone get logged in for the first time, maybe give them some pointers."

Saphron crossed her arms. "Oh… I'm not really all that experienced with most of the games here."

"Don't worry about it. We've got a whole set of cheat sheets we can send to your scroll. Most of the time, if there's an issue, you can just follow that. And really, a lot of the time the older kids will pitch in if they see you flailing around." She laughed, and Saphron smiled. Selene watched the two interact with interest. "And of course, I've got GNU… that's Sophia… on speed dial. She' knows everything about the tech. And Pete's our game guru. If the game borks, he's the guy. You're not expected to do everything, just be there and know who and when to call."

"Okay, that sounds better," Saphron was nodding, starting to relax a little.

"Yeah, it's really not bad and… oh here comes the horde to pillage the village." She could see Nicholas Arc heading back toward the counter, a half dozen kids in tow. Terra was pulling out prepaid cards before they even made it to the counter. "Here, Mr. Arc. These are pre-charged with enough plays to get them off your back for a good thirty minutes, and you can figure out how much you want to add to them while they're doing that."

The big man looked suddenly less put upon. "Oh, that's perfect." He took the cards and held them above the sea of suddenly grasping hands and yammering mouths, except of course for Coral, who was sitting on one of the motorcycles rolling her eyes at the entire scene.

The rest of the evening was pretty much a blur. Nicholas and Juniper Arc ended up not going bankrupt, because Garek and Selene pitched in on the games, and then Pete threw in the family and friends first timers discount (which he'd made up on the spot). And it wasn't long before Sarah Tourmaline and Laurel Frost had shown up, and Cinder spent close to an hour dragging Sable, Hazel, and Jade into a huddle with her old friends, and then the entire crew set out to teach the younger kids how to kill virtual Grimm like a real virtual Huntsman.

Except for young Jaune Arc, who kept spending credit after credit on the motorcycle racing game, which seemed to make his dad both amused and unusually happy. Listening to the boy scream and whoop, you'd have thought he wanted to be tournament racer.

While that went on, the current and future staff of Pete, Sophia, Terra, and Saphron wandered the room, Saphron alternating between consulting the new scroll files she'd gotten about the machines, listening to Pete, and glancing from time to time at Terra to make sure she was understanding right. Or at least that's what an observer might assume she was doing.

The other adults sat in chairs over by the front entrance. "Nice to see the kids all enjoying themselves," Juniper said.

Grace nodded happily, turning toward Garek. "You and Selene have found a nice circle of friends here. Can't tell you how glad I am to see that." She gave Selene a pointed look and a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. We have been very fortunate. We have an… extensive support network here."

"Good. Very good."

"And of course, I wish you to know that family are welcome to visit any time you please."

Grace smiled broadly, rounded ears perking up. "Ah Selene, every time I get the chance to talk to you, I'm amazed at how lovely a person you are." She leaned in conspiratorially. "What's the catch, dear? Are you secretly a master criminal on the run from the law? Working on your fourth husband because the previous ones died from mysterious causes?"

Garek paled. "Ma!"

"Oh gods, Garek, I'm just teasing a little." Then she saw the look of horror on Selene's face. "Oh! Oh Selene, I'm sorry! I really was teasing!" She reached out for the poor young woman.

Rorson sighed and put a hand on his wife's shoulder and speaking past her. "Forgive her, Selene. My lovely wife has always been a bit of a joker."

Juniper Arc was nodding in agreement. "If she didn't absolutely adore you, she wouldn't bother, Selene. Trust me, we've been friends for years, and I'm still not immune to her sense of humor."

"Oh that's just hurtful, June."

"Not nearly as hurtful as your jokes, Grace."

"Ooooo that's gonna cost you a pie," Grace threw back. Juniper laughed and punched her neighbor on the shoulder, and the situation was suddenly defused. "Seriously, Selene, I'm sorry. I was going to lead into some crack about how 'there's no way Garek is good enough for you, and so there must be some deep dark flaw and blah blah blah' just to get under my boy's skin. Ignore me." She looked at the two of them and sighed. "Oh, screw it. I love my only son more than my own life. He's the second best thing to ever happen to me, and you two are perfect for each other. So take that as the ultimate compliment."

"Thank you… Grace. That means a lot to me."

"And how is your mother?"

"Ah… well my mother is better than previously. It was… difficult for her when I first left home. Especially with the difficulties in communication. But we have been able to improve that, and she is happier now, though she still misses me."

"Oh yes. I'm sure she does. Please, pass along our regards and tell her we understand completely."

"I will. Thank you."

The only thing really marring the evening was the missing fourth in Cinder's little team of Grimmslayers, and Selene still felt some guilt that she'd been unable to resolve that. Though Cinder and the other two girls seemed to be holding up, at least for the time being.

The next few days flew by, filled with tours of the city, squabbling kids, and chaos. But it was all an excellent kind of chaos.

And then the bulk of the visitors were off, latching onto another merchant caravan back to Ansel. Garek and Selene had offered to pay for airship fare, but they had declined, saying they would enjoy the trip and the two semi-retired Huntsmen the exercise.

The next three weeks were quieter, but still busy. Saphron settled into the household quickly, and became more of an older sister or young aunt to Cinder. She also was fitting in well at the Emporium, proving to be a fast learner, and getting along well with everyone there including Terra and the customers. Crys came by regularly to visit the Grae household, which was nice, and they received a tour of her new apartment, which she had clearly taken some pains to furnish in a way that made her feel like it was hers and not just a place she was staying. That made Selene feel much better about her moving out. Crys had also taken to ferrying Cinder around Argus, which seemed to keep Cinder more than happily occupied, and often freed Selene and Garek up for dates and to coordinate with the Lone Huntsmen.

And Garek received his first follow-up call with Headmaster Lionheart.

It hadn't been anything groundbreaking, but it was exactly what Garek had hoped for. Lionheart had seemed troubled, but unwilling to say about what, and they ended up just chatting about life in general. He told Lionheart all about Cinder's registration at Sanctum and Headmaster Brand's initial impressions, which seemed to cheer Lionheart up. Garek made him promise to call more often, and not to worry about bothering them. "And I'm happy to come visit, if you ever need someone to gripe to. I'll even buy the drinks," he'd said, laughing. "Especially if your usual shoulders to lean on aren't looking so steady."

And again that comment triggered some wariness. But that too was what he wanted… just a hint of suspicion. Lionheart had tried to draw him out on that, and Garek had danced around it, and in the end they both turned back to lighter matters, and ended the call pleasantly.

Dangle the bait, The Lone Huntsmen had agreed. Keep throwing it out there, let it catch the light. Not right on top of him, that'll spook him. Just off to the side. Just enough to keep him questioning whether he's imagining it.

Garek hoped their collective read on Lionheart was right.

It was at the end of the third week after their return from Mistral City that the doorbell of their townhouse rang in the middle of the day. Saphron and Garek were at the Emporium. Cinder was off somewhere with Laurel and Sarah.

Selene opened the door to find someone completely unexpected.

"Ms. Reece," Selene said, and felt her face go completely still. She felt the intense urge to slam the door in her face immediately, but her body mostly just locked up. What? Why is this woman here?

The look on the face of Argent's mother was… odd. As if she was wearing a mask that formed over her face, but her real face was trying to move around underneath it. Her eyes looked exhausted and haunted. She was dressed for work.

"Ms. Lumerent," the woman began, then paused. Her jaw worked. "I need you to put a stop to this, at once."

That made Selene both bewildered, and angry enough to laugh bitterly. "It is you who have put a stop to… everything. So, I fail to see what I can put a stop to."

Raechel Reece raised her hands, balling them into fists in front of her. "You… you don't know? It's your daughter. She isn't stopping!"

"Stopping what?" Gods, woman, can you not speak plainly?"

"She's everywhere! Her and that little squad of hers!" Raechel hissed, eyes rolling wildly.

Selene, you see, had been powerless in the face of Raechel Reece's steadfast decision regarding Argent's safety and well-being. Raechel had blocked her, then ignored her, and finally insulted her, and that had been that.

But young Sarah Tourmaline, it turned out, was another matter entirely. Sarah was, it turned out, a devious little twig of a girl. Her dad was a cop in Argus, her mom a no-nonsense kind of woman, and her aunt just happened to be the combat instructor at Sanctum. And the three collectively had taught Sarah to be a strong, independent young girl, and to pursue what she wanted out of life.

And what she wanted, she'd decided, was for Cinder and Argent to be happy. For her, watching the two of them dance around each other's interest had been freaking adorable, and then that night Cinder had played scary-as-all-heck white-freaking-knight and saved Argent's life, and that had pretty much sealed that fairy tale deal.

And then Argent's mom had gotten in the way.

So it was Sarah, not Cinder, who had taken the lead, and forged the Grimmslayers into something new… a covert organization made up primarily of four teens dedicated to making Argent's mom lose her shit, with the full and giddy cooperation of Argent and 100% plausible deniability.

She had even dropped a few comments to GNU at the Emporium, and Cinder had roped Crystal into their little cabal as transportation.

And GNU… Sophia, had totally accidentally left a few gadgets out where Cinder and Sarah could find them. Totally by accident.

The first few days of Operation Screw That had been spent mapping out both mother and daughter's weekly itinerary.

Then Sarah and Laurel began openly inviting Argent to every activity they organized, and made it 100% clear that Cinder would be there, forcing Raechel to tell Argent she couldn't go for that reason, and causing an absolute meltdown at first, and then as that proved not to be as effective, moved into Operation Sad Eyes, which apparently was much more effective against Ms. Reece.

To counter that, Raechel tried to make it up to her daughter by letting her do other things. But she found then that if Argent did anything without her mother present, the rest of the Slayers would find a way to either be invited, or would innocently crash the event. They didn't even try to hide it, either. Of course, Argent would protest complete innocence, and the other girls were always on their best behavior. They didn't do anything wrong… other than just be there.

Worse than that, if Argent was with her mother, then the rest of the Slayers would just happen to pass by. Walks in the park? Slayers. Shopping Trips? Slayers. Theater? Slayers, two rows back and thoroughly enjoying the movie.

Raechel Reece was a single mother who worked a full-time job. She had neither the time, nor the energy, nor the patience to deal with this.

By the middle of the second week, she'd confiscated Argent's scroll, convinced she was using it to tip the other girls off.

Unfortunately for her, the Slayers had smuggled in a second scroll disguised as a book a full week prior to that.

By end of that second week, Raechel realized that Argent not having a scroll made life more difficult for her than it did Argent. So she'd had tracking software installed and given it back to Argent. Which reported zero communications to any of those girls. Zero.

And so it was, near the end of the third week and with nerves shot, Raechel for the first time in her life as a parent had a literal screaming meltdown at her daughter, who cried big fat tears and protested complete ignorance of how her friends were managing to just… be around all the time.

Omitting, of course, that the crew had totally bugged Raechel's house, car, and purse. No one knew where they got such gear. It was a mystery.

Late that night after her exhausted mother fell asleep, Argent had called them on the other scroll. "Hey guys, it's working," she whispered. "But… I'm really starting to worry about mom. What if… she cracks before she gives in?"

"It's gotta work," Sarah insisted. "Otherwise, we'll have to break up the Grimmslayers, and we promised that can't happen. Right?"

"Yeah, but… I still love my mom, even if she's being a butthead about Cinder."

"Give it another week," Sarah said, with the confidence of youth. "One more week. I got a good feeling about this."

And so it was, that the next day, Raechel had found herself on Selene's doorstep. It seems Sarah's predictions were somewhat conservative.

Selene had stood quietly in her doorway, listening to Raechel Reece provide her a somewhat less than coherent explanation of what she had been experiencing the last three weeks.

Selene found herself shocked, impressed, and quite unsympathetic. "I see. And what do you propose I will do regarding this? Do you wish to negotiate?"

"What?!" Raechel stepped backward as if struck, and waved her hands. "No, you need to-"

"I fail to see that I need do anything, Ms. Reece. When I approached you three weeks ago, attempting to resolve this matter, you ignored my attempts to communicate, and then slammed a door in my face. Now you come to me, making demands. Will you now slam my door in my face to prove your superior position?"

"I… that's… "

"Or do you wish to discuss this matter?"

Raechel crossed her arms tightly on the doorstep, shaking in anger or frustration. "She's my daughter," she began, voice cracking.

"And Cinder is, for all practical purposes, mine. We both seek to raise and teach our children correct behavior, and we both find ourselves bewildered when they choose to misbehave."

"It's not the same! Your daughter is a monst-"

Selene stepped back, and slammed her front door in Raechel Reece's face.

And stood inside her living room shocked at herself. She could not believe she had done that. Selene had never… expressed herself like that before. It felt righteous and satisfying.

And yet… it also did not resolve the issue.

Argent's mother stood on the front stoop of the townhouse, shaking and hyperventilating, for a good full minute. And then her scroll pinged.

S: I know the word you were preparing to use. I will not hear spoken. If you wish to discuss, you will control yourself, and you may then knock upon the door, and we will begin again.

Raechel stood there, staring at the message, for another five minutes. Then she gritted her teeth and knocked at the door.

Which opened. "Ms. Reece," Selene said neutrally.

"Ms. Lumerent."

"I believe you wish to speak with me?"

"I… yeah. I do."

"Very well. Let us speak with one another," Selene opened the door, beckoning her inside. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Ms. Lumerent, you have to understand. Argent is my only child. Her father ran off while I was pregnant and we've not seen him since. She's all I have." She took a long drink of her cooling tea. Her hand was shaking and it made the cup rattle on the saucer when she put it down. "And I have bills to pay, I have a full-time job. The Emporium was the only place I felt safe leaving Argent for hours on end. She had friends there, and Terra watched out for them."

"Yes. I understand."

"And now…"

"And now… your feelings of safety have been shattered."

"Yes."

Selene sighed. "Ms. Reece, Cinder is not a monster. She is a young orphan girl who was tortured by her prior guardians and used as slave labor for two years. It was only after this that we found her, and extracted her from this situation. She was very traumatized."

That seemed to have an impact. "Oh gods…"

"Yes. And I will admit that this has made it… difficult at times for her to react as a typical child would… as your Argent would react. She is also, both fortunately and unfortunately, the bearer of an unlocked aura and a particularly powerful Semblance. She will be an incredibly gifted Huntress someday, capable of defending all of us from dangers."

"But what Argent told me…"

"Yes, it was devastatingly brutal."

"It was horrific!" Raechel was winding back up, hands flattening on the table. "And Argent thought it was fine!" One hand slapped the table. "What if…"

Selene caught one of her hands. "Raechel, Cinder is incapable of harming Argent. In fact, it was the threat of harm to her friends, Argent in particular, that caused Cinder to react as… violently as she did." She blinked past her own stinging eyes. "I once risked drowning to save the life of my fiancé. Were I to find him in danger as she had, and if I held the power that Cinder does, I would let no one harm him."

"That's different, Selene. You're an adult. You know right and wrong. You… you wouldn't…"

"I do not know what I would and would not do, in defense of those I care about. What would you do to protect Argent, if you held such a power, and an unknown man were threatening to harm her?"

"It's not the same," Raechel said, more quietly.

"No, it is not, because as you say, we are adults. What would you have me instruct Cinder to do?"

"I can't watch Argent every second, and those three… they've figured out how to make my life a living nightmare trying to keep them apart. They're everywhere! You have to get them to stop trying to-"

"You wish me to instruct Cinder and her friends to abandon Argent? I will not. Please, provide me another option."

Raechel grabbed two handfuls of her own hair and pulled. "Aaarrrghh…You're-"

"I am what?!" Selene responded, nearly yelling. "I am doing as you are, looking out for the welfare of someone I love. Argent and Cinder are children. We are adults. It is up to us to reach an agreement we can both willingly enforce." She stood. "Or do you wish to leave things as they are now?"

She's not going to budge, Raechel realized, deflated, and leaned against her hand, elbow planted on the table. She grasped for something… anything that would give her some amount of control over her only child's safety, short of moving to another city. "How about… supervised activities?" She added quickly, "but it'll have to be someone capable of reining Cinder in and protecting Argent."

Selene tilted her head. That sounds… promising. "Hmm... that would require the presence of a Huntsman. Very well. I accept your offer. I would propose for the time being they can be together at the Emporium or at our homes, and then as you say only if there is a Huntsman present, to ensure Cinder behaves in a manner that allows you to feel secure in Argent's safety."

Raechel blinked. She hadn't actually expected agreement. "Can you actually enforce that on your side?"

"I can and will, if you agree." Selene sat back down, hands crossed on the tabletop before her.

Raechel examined her tea while she considered, before looking up. "And Cinder can't use her… Semblance… around Argent."

"I will conditionally agree to that as well."

"Conditionally?"

"We have enrolled her in Sanctum, and her classes shall begin in January. Once the Headmaster there is willing to attest, in writing, that Cinder has both the ability and the judgment to control the use of her Semblance, then we shall lift both restrictions."

Raechel's eyes narrowed. "How do I know he won't just sign off on that now?"

"I do not believe he would. Headmasters take such things very seriously. But… perhaps we will say a minimum of one month training before we will seek this?"

"Too little. Six Months."

"Unnecessary. Two."

"Four."

"Three." Selene looked at her. "Ah, my apologies. I was carried away. Four. I will accept four."

Raechel finished her tea and gestured with the cup. "Four then. And we start slowly, and you have to convince Cinder and her… little team of operatives to stop trying to undermine my relationship with my daughter."

"Agreed. We shall start at twice per week at the Emporium?"

"And you'll cancel the secret sleepover that they were organizing."

Well, I was completely unaware of such an event, but I suppose I should not have been surprised. "Agreed. I believe we should instead hold a movie night here, and would beg you to attend with her."

"I'm not happy with this, but… okay."

"Nor am I pleased. If I had my choice, Cinder would be free to socialize as she wished. It seems we have both compromised, then." She shook her head. "I fear that if we had been unable to reach this agreement, the four of them would cause us both such grief that one of us should be forced to relocate our home, and even that might not be enough. I have spoken with those girls, they are… strong willed." She gave Raechel a careful look. "And I do not believe that can be attributed solely to Cinder's influence. She has not been known to be so… aggressive in flouting authority."

"No… probably not. Argent has always had… opinions. Probably from being raised an only child of a single mother."

"You have done well, with her."

"I… thank you." Long pause. "What you are doing with Cinder, from what you've told me… it's admirable."

"She is my daughter. I can no more abandon her than you could yours."

"Right. Yeah." She stood and offered her hand. "I guess I should thank you… Selene. It looks like we might be forced to become friends or something, if our kids have any say."

They shook hands. "Perhaps. And I thank you as well… Raechel."

Raechel left, looking both somewhat relieved and exhausted by the experience after three weeks of feeling powerless.

The door closed.

Selene's scroll rang immediately with a group call, which she answered.

And nearly dropped at the sheer volume of squee's, cheers, and babbling that came from the speaker. It took her a few moments to realize who, in addition to the obvious answer of Cinder, the other numbers belonged to, and what that call meant. "You were listening to the entire exchange." She shook her head. "You have been… monitoring Raechel's activities. My… gods... Cinder. I am of a mind to ground you for that alone." She heard silence, and then more than one girl gasped.

"No please no Selene, I'm sorry I'll-"

"An apology is insufficient, but I will defer such punishment, if… and only if… you all four agree to abide by my restrictions in both spirit and letter."

"I'll do it! I'll do it!" Cinder cried, and the other girls agreed as well.

"Very well. So, no more plots against Argent's mother. No more sneaking. And no more making your mother insane, Argent. Am I heard?"

"Yes ma'am," Argent bubbled.

The only remaining conversations were simpler. Garek was hesitant at first, but when she pointed out it would make a decent short-term contract for Huntsmen passing through Argus looking for a few lien and easy work, he agreed. And of course, Rhodes would be a willing escort whenever he visited.

The conversation with Crystal and Sophia was more amusing and frustrating. She'd felt home court advantage would be preferred and invited them to her house to explain their roles in the matter.

"I cannot believe you went along with this," she accused them, sure her guess was correct.

Crystal and Sophia just blinked at each other. "Got no idea what you're talking about. I had some gear misplaced for a few weeks, but it turned up in Crystal's car trunk today," Sophia bluffed, completely unconvincingly.

"Yeah, must have been underneath my spare coat."

"I like that coat. Looks good on you."

"Thanks. Be good to get the kids back hanging here so I'm not burning dust driving them all over creation, though."

The two women looked at each other, bumped fists, and smirked at Selene.

"I… should have left you in that tree, Crystal, I am now outnumbered."

"Missed opportunity. Now you're stuck with me, Selene." Crystal laughed. "And look at it this way, you didn't have to even do anything. Cinder's got her own little street gang."

"Nope," Sophia corrected her. "You read that totally wrong. That's Sarah's gang. Cinder is not in charge, in case you didn't notice."

"Huh… now that you say it like that… you're right. Hey Selene where you going?" Selene had stood up from the table.

"I am going to go purchase a bottle of wine. I feel I shall need it."

"Need a ride?" Selene just glared at her. "Ah… okay then. Well… we'll wait for you here?"

[A/N] And Selene discovers that she is not all-powerful when it comes to resolving Cinder's problems, and that sometimes she is better off letting others take a whack at it.

Raechel discovers the true joys of single-parenting a teenager who has ideas about their own life. I felt for her, really I did. And frankly, I can imagine a parent acting as she did, if they were a normie and the other kid was an overpowered pre-Huntsman.

And finally, it looks like we are wrapping up FoB-10 nicely here with Lionheart starting to nibble the bait a bit. But then again, who is luring who here?