This is a blog concerning everything to do with my Love and Deepspace AU, a work that I have taken to calling "𝑴𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑭𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒍'𝒔". It is a retelling of the story of Love and Deepspace, taking the Protagonist character and dividing her into five unique women, each one the partner to one of the LI's.
Here's a brief summary to get you up to speed;
In the years leading up to the 2034 Chronorift Catastrophe, EVER made a revolutionary discovery. A unique protocore that formed in the heart of a very special young girl. Wanting to replicate this phenomenon, they began gathering test subjects.
A total of five young girls were the only successes out of a diverse pool. But on the day the Deepspace Tunnel opened, their lab was destroyed and the subjects were lost.
Fourteen years later, a pair of sisters join the Hunter's Association to fight Wanderers-- the strange creatures that emerged from the Deepspace Tunnel. In a series of chance meetings and fateful encounters, a tangled web of mystery, deception, love, loss, and fate begins to unravel.
For the people that explicitly asked to be tagged/updated: @cinnamonpinktea @dwuclvr @vanaaa @justwinginglife @whocares-idont
Thank you all so much for your enthusiastic interest! Here's a link to our Master List, where you can meet our Protagonists and find all the chapters of the story! Hope you enjoy reading!
And last, but not least, Caleb. Just like my Raf, Xavi, and Sylus posts, I'd like some help identifying which Memoria and Tender Moments are crucial to Caleb's storyline. Don't worry about the Bonds and Anecdotes, I have those covered. This is to help me bring his story and character justice as I write my fanfiction (Master List).
Any fans or Mains of Caleb's that are willing to help me in my research, I would be greatly appreciative. Feel free to flood the comments or reblog as you like with suggestions.
As a bonus, you can also tell me which of his memories is your #1 favorite.
If you're not a Caleb Main, maybe try to forward this post along to someone you know who is.
Just like My Rafayel and Xavier Posts, if the Sylus girlies would be willing to help me identify any Memoria or Tender Moments that are central for Sylus's lore, I would be eternally grateful for the help. This is to help me bring his story and character justice as I write my fanfiction (Master List).
Any fans or Mains of Sy's that are willing to help me in my research, I would be greatly appreciative. Feel free to flood the comments or reblog as you like with suggestions.
As a bonus, you can also tell me which of his memories is your #1 favorite.
If you're not a Sylus Main, maybe try to forward this post along to someone you know who is.
I have a proposition for all the Xavier Girlies. Like my Rafayel Post, I need help identifying which memories are important for understanding Xavier's full story. Not, the Bonds or the Anecdotes or the Main Story segments, those are already accounted for. I need to know what Memoria and Tender Moments specifically I should be looking at. This is to help me bring his story and character justice as I write my fanfiction (Master List).
Any fans or Mains of Xavier's that are willing to help me in my research, I would greatly appreciate the help. Feel free to flood the comments or reblog as you like with suggestions.
As a bonus, you can also tell me which of his memories is your #1 favorite.
If you're not a Xavier Main, maybe try to forward this post along to someone you know who is.
Okay! I have a proposition for all the Rafayel Girlies. I need help identifying which memories are important for understanding Rafayel's full story. And no, I'm not talking about the Bonds or the Anecdotes or the Main Story segments-- I already have those covered. I need to know what Memoria and Tender Moments specifically I should be looking at. This is to help me bring his story and character justice as I write my fanfiction (Master List).
Any fans or Mains of Raf's that are willing to help me in my research, I would be greatly appreciative. Feel free to flood the comments or reblog as you like with suggestions.
As a bonus, you can also tell me which of his memories is your #1 favorite.
If you're not a Rafayel Main, maybe try to forward this post along to someone you know who is.
I'm so sorry everyone, but I won't be able to post an update for M&F this week. There's just been a lot going on irl, and I have barely had a chance to touch my computer for more than 5 minutes. I'm still very motivated to write this story though, so I promise there will be an update next week. I hope your lives are less chaotic than mine right now.
Summary: Xavier is being mysterious, and Lucia struggles to puzzle out his purpose in this forest.
a/n: Alright, I think my new schedule is going to be posts on Saturdays. I keep aiming for Friday, and just never hit the mark, posting on Saturday anyway.
Cross-posted on AO3 and Quotev
Word Count: 3k
Master List
Previous Chapter I More Soon...
“It’s only a sprained ankle,” Lucia sighs, rubbing at the tender joint now wrapped in clean white bandages. Her black boot lay beside her on the ground, and the man called Xavier stood nearby, carefully polishing his sword while she tended to her injury.
“I suppose I should thank you for your help,” Lucia admits, though it was his trap that injured her in the first place. He doesn’t respond, prompting her to look up at him. The silence that stretches between them feels tense and awkward, and the young woman finds herself searching for ways to fill it.
“I… didn’t expect us to meet again so soon,” She says.
“And I didn’t expect you to be brave enough to come here alone,” comes his flat reply. Lucia blinks owlishly at him in the dim moonlight. Was he… angry with her? The brief admonishing glare he sends her way seems to suggest as much before he returns his attentions to his blade.
She frowns at him.
“I didn’t have a choice,” She says defensively, reaching for her boot to pull it back on over her bandaged foot. “My partner went missing.”
Just the same as before, Xavier acts as if he didn’t hear what she said, not acknowledging in the slightest that he was her wayward partner for this mission. Instead, he banishes his sword and stands up straight, staring off into the dense forest surrounding them.
“The energy fluctuations make it easy to get lost,” He explains briefly, looking down at her before nodding his head towards the treeline. “You should leave-- now that you hurt your ankle.”
“What about you?” Lucia demands, her pride feeling a little rankled, but logically knowing he had a point. Even a small injury was a potentially deadly variable in a No-Hunt zone. Even so, he was supposed to be a hunter too, right? They were supposed to stick together. “Aren’t you worried about getting lost? Oh-- wait,” She starts, cutting herself off. “I forgot, you can just--” She spreads her hands in a “poof” gesture. “--vanish whenever you want.”
Okay, maybe she was still a little bitter he didn't show up to the rendezvous. Who could blame her? Rory was right, this guy didn't seem very reliable so far. Part of her still doubted this was even the same hunter her sisters mentioned. He could be, based on some pieces, but others… was she crazy? He really did seem way too young to be a seasoned hunter, but she’d also seen how strong he was. She saw how he handled that Wanderer with such ease, and that teleportation ability he had was also an asset in a place like this. Was it really so impossible that he was the same Xavier who kept outperforming Rory in the Deepspace Trials? She didn’t know what to think anymore. Maybe he just looked younger than he was?
Lucia blinks, realizing Xavier had chosen to kneel beside her. Gently, he helped her pull her boot back on, his hands steady and careful near her sore ankle.
“This forest isn't scary because of the unpredictable Metaflux surges,” He says, carefully tightening the strap before propping his arm on his knee and looking up at her. “Many Tenebrae came here seeking the high-grade Protocores to sell on the market.”
Lucia swallowed thickly-- Tenebra is the term Hunters use to refer to those who break the Hunters' code and engage in illegal activities. Usually, she only heard the term in passing-- hushed whispers and murmured rumors in dark corners. She imagined she might hear it more now that she was a full-fledged Hunter, having to investigate them herself. But this…
“But after obtaining them,” The man continued with a severe expression. “The Hunters were never seen again.”
Lucia feels her brow crease in confusion. “Why?” She can't help but ask, curiosity and anticipation getting the better of her. Xavier doesn't respond right away. Instead, the space between them is filled with the whisper of wind rustling through the trees, the distant rumblings of Wanderers. After a long, tense moment, it almost felt as if…
“This forest is alive,” Xavier echoed, as if reading her thoughts, his gaze steadfast as it locked onto hers. “It consumed them.”
The shadows of the forest seemed to crowd in on them after his declaration. Lucia felt her heart tremble and waver, the weight of his tone carrying something deeper. His expression didn't betray any deception. He truly believed the words he spoke. Yet there remained a part of Lucia that was skeptical. This wasn't a man who was simply trying to warn her away. No-- he wanted to scare her, to make her leave and not come back.
“Nice try,” The blonde says with more confidence than she feels. “But scaring me won't work.”
Xavier doesn't deny it. In fact, he seems almost impressed as he looks away, casting his eyes to the side with the barest hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.
“You have guts,” he remarks before looking back at her. “I hope it serves you well.”
Lucia creased her brow again, not liking the implications behind his words. Xavier stands from his crouched position, the smile fading from his expression, but the warmth of it somehow lingered.
“We’re not far from the edge of the forest,” He starts, looking back in the direction Lucia had initially come from. “You’ll be able to get to safety from here.”
Then he turns to walk in the opposite direction, clearly heading deeper into the forest.
“Wait,” Lucia calls. “What about you?”
His stride slows to a stop, but he doesn’t turn to face her. Lucia lets out a sigh. “I don’t know why you didn’t show up to the rendezvous, but I can guess you don’t care that much about the Hunters commission. If you’re not here to follow the Association's orders,” Lucia starts with a heavy sinking feeling in her stomach. “Then… why are you here?”
Xavier pauses only for the barest moment before he speaks.
“Take care of yourself,” Is his only response before he walks into the shadow of the treeline.
Lucia, suffice to say, is disappointed by the man's lack of a response. Maybe she was still too new to the association, but it simply didn’t make sense for him to be out here on his own. Part of her worried for the strange man's safety in this forest, but the other part remembered just how easily he had dispatched that massive Wanderer.
The thought crossed her mind that he may have been a Tenebrae. It wasn’t an impossibility by any means. But the young woman couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn’t right. There was just something about him-- an air he carried that spoke of honor. She didn’t think he’d be the type to break the rules for personal gain.
But that begged the question once more-- what did he want?
Kaliyah was right-- this guy was difficult to read.
The woman sits back on the rock again, heaving a weary sigh. This whole night was leaving her with more questions than answers, and she’s barely even done anything besides get lost and fall into a trap.
A creeping fog enshrouds the moonlight, making Lucia’s small clearing even darker as the evening wind creeps through her ears like a distant sob. She knew she couldn’t stay here-- it was only a matter of time before something wandered across her path. She gingerly moves her ankle, trying to decide how difficult her journey out of the No-Hunt Zone was going to be.
The woman lifts her watch, though she already knows what she’ll find-- No signal, the system still unable to connect to any other hunters in the near area. As far as this device knew, she was on her own.
She glances briefly at the spot where Xavier disappeared. No use sitting around anymore, she supposed.
The woman stood up slowly, carefully bearing weight on her injured ankle. It was definitely a little sore, but if she moved slowly, she suspected she’d get out just fine-- so long as she didn’t run into any trouble.
A Wanderer’s roar cuts through the night. Lucia instinctively reaches for her sword, the weapon materializing in a spray of embers that illuminate the clearing. That sounded uncomfortably close. Was it Xavier? Did he run into trouble already?
Lucia considered following the sound to reach him, her hand tightening around her sword. But no-- she shouldn’t worry about him. If anything, it’s the wanderer who should worry about him.
But Lucia had a mission to complete. She had barely cleared even a fraction of the zone she was assigned. Could she really just… leave?
The Hunter's code says no Hunter should fight alone. She was also injured-- turning back seemed like the smarter option at this point. Kaliyah was definitely going to kill her for the trouble-- probably Aveline too, but that was only if she could get out of there unscathed.
The leaves rustle behind her, and Lucia spins quickly. Her ankle throbs from the sudden movement, but she grits her teeth and ignores it. A familiar figure emerges from the brush, bright blue eyes blinking at her in confusion.
“You’re…” Xavier starts. Lucia blinks back at him, just as confused.
“Why did you come back?” She asks. Her question seems to catch him off guard. He looks at their surroundings, his eyes lingering on the rock where she was resting only a moment ago.
No way. Was he lost?
Xavier turns away from her, clearing his throat.
“There are many Wanderers here,” He starts, clearly trying to save face. Lucia lowers her sword, unable to help the way her lips curl in amusement at his obvious embarrassment. “I’ve already taken care of some of them. It should be safe for you to leave.”
The blonde presses her lips together to suppress her bubbling smile.
“Uh… thanks,” She says with a slight waver of laughter in her voice. It was an ironic moment, after all, considering how he left her here only a few minutes ago. If she were Rory, or even Giselle, she might have teased him ruthlessly for it.
“You’re welcome,” comes Xavier's reply. Lucia presses her lips together harder before letting him walk back into the forest.
Once he disappears into the forest's shadow, she lets out a snort, laughing quietly to himself. Serves him right after all the trouble he’s caused her--
Another wail from Wanderer interrupts her thoughts. He must have run into more already.
Lucia takes a deep breath. Enough standing around-- which direction was the exit again?
The woman tried making her way back out the way she’d come-- truly, she did. But she’d only been walking for a few minutes, keeping herself hidden in the shadows, when a beam of light cleaves through the shrubs and dissolves her shadows. Amidst the flurry of leaves and branches, Lucia and Xavier lock eyes once more.
“Ah,” Lucia starts. “Let me guess-- you cleared out the Wanderers in this area, too?”
Xavier hesitates for only a moment.
“Yes…” Is his short response.
Lucia nods her head.
“I appreciate it,” She told him, which wasn’t a lie. Fighting alone in her state would be difficult, to say the least. It was a happy coincidence that he was, once again, lost.
As amusing as it was to run into him twice, it was considerably less so as she continued to wander the woods, looking for the way out. It took only a few minutes before the pair crossed paths a third time under one of Lucia’s markers. Lucia pressed her lips together once more, this time in her own embarrassment as she found herself in the same predicament as her wayward partner. Xavier, seeing this, seems to relax a bit.
“I’ve been thinking,” He starts casually. “Leaving an injured teammate behind isn't a good idea.”
Lucia lets out a small breath of relief.
“And leaving you to fight alone just seems careless,” She agrees, just as casually. “So, we should team up then?”
Xavier nods his agreement. “Besides,” He starts, holding out a hand to her. “It’s too dark for you to see out here.”
Lucia snorts. The shadows have never been an obstruction for her. Her Evol allows her to sense the presence of anything that dwells within them, be they living things or simple obstructions.
But sure-- whatever he needs to believe to spare himself from discomfiture. Lucia places her hand in his and leans on him as he guides her through the woods.
Together, they managed to find their way back to the clearing where they initially met up.
“Well, we should at least sync up our watches,” Lucia sighs, sitting down on a tree stump to get the weight off her foot. Xavier says nothing as she pulls up her watch. Over a greater distance, it made sense that their watches hadn't been able to detect each other in a No-Hunt Zone. But, with any luck, being right next to each other would help matters significantly.
Her watch, however, seemed to disagree.
“‘Identity verification failed?’” She reads aloud, her brows scrunched. “Is the interference in the zone that strong?”
She tries again-- and again. Each time, the watch's screen illuminates her partner's face as it claims it can’t identify him. After the fifth attempt, Lucia lowers her arm in frustration.
“Is my uniform not enough?” He asks. Lucia frowns, her eyes tracing up and down the crisp white of hsi hunters garb. At this point, it wasn’t as though she didn’t believe he was who he said. Despite the suspicious behavior and discrepancies from her sister's stories, she didn’t think he was untrustworthy.
Be that as it may, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something important he wasn’t telling her-- something she was missing.
“Anyone can wear a uniform,” She tells him, turning off her watch and the shadows softening the details of his face once more. “I don’t see any reason not to confirm the details.”
If their tech wouldn’t help her, then she would have to resort to some old-school methods.
“Tell me something only a UNICORNS hunter would know,” Lucia prompts him, crossing one knee over the other and propping her chin on her palm.
Xavier crosses his own arms, curling his fingers in front of his mouth contemplatively for a moment.
“During the Chronorift Catastrophe,” He begins to recite. “The first Wanderer to be killed was Tezcatlipoca. It happened--”
“Any teenager with access to the internet could look that up,” Lucia interrupts him. “Try again.”
Xavier lowers his arms, staring at her for a moment that seems to stretch into an eternity. He lets out a soft sigh, then raises his hand, palm up between them. Lucia watches as a soft light gathers in the air around them, flecks of starlight glittering in an assortment of constellations. Lucia was captivated as the light moved along his fingers, transforming into golden threads that stretched the expanse between them and forming a pattern composed of several diamond shapes..
Surrounded by radiant light, Xavier stares at her, waiting for her to speak. At his expectant gaze, Lucia falters.
“Uh,” She starts. “It… looks pretty?” She says, feeling oddly nervous about her answer.
He closes his eyes for a moment, then meets her gaze again.
“Does it look familiar to you at all?” He asks, a strange vulnerability in his eye. Lucia looks at the golden patterns again, watching the way they shimmer. They truly were beautiful, but she couldn’t say they were familiar.
Finally, she shakes her head.
“Should it be?”
His expression is still passive, but the reflection of the light in his eye seems to dim at her question. As the pattern flickers and fades, she thinks that maybe she imagined it.
“You’ll see it soon,” he whispers. “Keep an eye out for any ruins. This pattern can appear on the Flux Nexus.”
“The what now?”
“It’s a device that captures Metaflux,” He answers without blinking. “It’s also the source of the fluctuations here.” That statement gets Lucia’s attention, making her sit up straighter. “Our mission will be complete once we find it.”
“You know what’s causing the fluctuations?” She asks in surprise. He gives her a slight smile of amusement.
“Has my identity been confirmed?” He asks teasingly. Lucia blinks rapidly. She’d nearly forgotten that’s what she had been asking him about.
“No,” She says, leaning back again as her mind races through the information. “The objective said nothing about a pattern or Flux Nexus. Assuming you didn’t just make it up, how did you get this information?”
She wanted to trust him-- but with every moment she spent in this man's presence, he just kept getting more and more suspicious.
Xavier-- just who was he?
Xavier seemed caught by her questions, shaking his head slowly.
“Forget it,” He sighs. “Just think of me as a normal hunter who--”
Rustling in the brush draws both of their attention. Lucia feels her heart leap as she jumps to her feet, ignoring the ache in her ankle again, whilst she summons her sword. Xavier, too, put up his guard, positioning himself ahead of the dark-skinned woman. The foliage parts a moment later, revealing--
“Kali?” Lucia gasps, watching her sister sink her claymore six inches into the dirt after cutting away the branches in her path. Her red eyes snap up, locking on the soft purple of her sisters-- and her expression hardens in an instant.
“You,” She growls lowly, releasing her sword and planting her hands on her hips with a harsh puff of air. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?”
Previous Chapter I More Soon...
Master List
a/n: You guys didn't really think the sisters were just gonna leave Lucia on her own, did you? As always, please like or comment, or even reblog. The feedback does wonders to keep me motivated and writing.
Summary: Alpha Team receives a commission from HQ; Investigate the source of the metafluctuations that are causing Wanderers to pop up all around the city. It's Lucia's first official commission for the Association, but who is her supposed Partner?
DISCLAIMER: This chapter contains Lucia's Hunter ID number. This was randomly generated, so if it matches anyone's actual Hunter ID, it is purely coincidental. The same will be true if the other sisters' Hunter IDs are written in the future.
a/n: I had actually intended this one to cover more of the in-game story, but it ended up running longer than I thought it would, so I had to divide it up a bit further. Hope you guys enjoy!
Cross-posted on AO3 and Quotev
Word Count: 3.7k
Master List
Previous Chapter I Next Chapter
It was a Meta Storm all across Linkon. Reports flooded in from headquarters-- Wanderers are popping up all over the city. Kaliyah and Lucia had dispatched the one on the train easily enough and two more in Azure Square before they received new orders from Captain Jenna.
“Alpha team is converging on No-Hunt Zone Number 7. You should each be receiving coordinates to rendezvous with your assigned mission partner.”
Lucia studied her watch as it lit up with a new commission.
[Order No. 85]
A sudden fluctuation occurred in some districts of Linkon City. Please proceed to investigate and solve the crisis.
Objective: Clear the Source of Fluctuation
“Ordinarily, we wouldn’t be assigning rookies to a crisis on your second day-- but the situation is not looking good in 7. The Alpha team needs to work in pairs, and as it is, we need all available hands on deck,” Captain Jenna explains briefly.
Lucia can only hope Zayne had the good sense to confiscate Aurora’s watch once she was admitted. If she were hearing this, she’d be chomping at the bit to get out here and help, the blonde was certain. Thankfully, Akso is locked down to maintain patient safety until the alert lifts.
“Rendezvous with your senior hunters and make sure you follow their lead. No heroes-- Our objective is to investigate and send back information. Prioritize your safety and don’t get into any unnecessary fights.” Then Captain Jenna sounds off, probably to make it to her own rendezvous.
“No-Hunt Zone 7,” Lucia repeated. “Wasn't that one of the first places affected by the Chronorift Catastrophe?”
“It was,” Kaliyah confirms. “We set up a survey station there to monitor the Deepspace Tunnel, but it was destroyed during the catastrophe, and the protofield blanketing the area has been unstable since.”
No-Hunt Zones were places of dangerous and unpredictable fluctuations, dense enough that they transformed the area into its own protofield, rather than creating a dimensional pocket. They were closed off to the public because Wanderers frequently manifested in those locations. Even Hunters were barred from entry without explicit permission.
“What exactly are we going to be looking for?” Lucia asks, following her sister out of Azure Square.
“Not sure,” Kaliyah responds. “But something must be there. The fluctuations are converging on that location-- a powerful Wanderer, maybe… which zone were you assigned to?”
“Uh…” Lucia scans the commission again, looking for the information. “Zone 4,” the blonde replies.
“Damn,” the dark-haired beauty sighs. “I'm Zone 1-- which means we'll have to split up for this one. You know how to use the watch's navigation?”
“Yes.”
“Good-- when you get to your Zone, don't go inside. Wait for--”
“My partner,” Lucia finished before her sister could. “I know-- the Hunters' Code dictates that we don’t fight alone unless necessary.”
Kaliyah lets out a huff of air.
“Okay, smart-ass,” She grumbles fondly. Moments later, they hear a rumbling from the street- two 270HM motorcycles drove themselves up to the curb for the Hunters to mount. Kaliyah moves first, throwing a leg over the seat and connecting her navigation to the vehicle's system. Lucia does the same, taking a moment longer to sync her watch to the vehicle interface before she reaches for the helmet mounted to the front of the bike.
“Make sure to check in when you arrive,” Kaliyah tells Lucia once the blonde is settled comfortably.
“Understood,” Lucia nodded her head. “I’ll talk to you soon, then. Stay safe out there, Kali.”
“You too,” Kaliyah returned the sentiment. Two engines rumbled and roared to life, and then the Hunters shot forward into the city streets. They drove side by side for a time before Kaliyah peeled off onto another street, leaving Lucia to finish her journey on her own.
The blonde had just gotten off the highway and was traveling the road that ran along the forest surrounding the city limits when her comms crackled to life in her helmet.
“This is Captain Jenna and Lieutenant Aveline reporting in. We just reached Zone 2 of the No-Hunt Zone. Sound off when you all have reached your locations and rendezvoused with your partners.”
Lucia sped up, tearing down the road to reach her rendezvous when Kaliyah's voice reached her ears.
“This is Hunter's Kaliyah and Belloma. Partner Rendezvous complete-- we're entering Zone 1.”
Lucia pulled her bike onto a side road, taking a wooded path that led her to an opening in a chain-link fence. She saw the large warning signs labeling it as a No-Hunt Zone, with yellow tape making a feeble attempt to keep the battered gate closed. Despite the risks, people still liked to sneak into these areas, trying to play hero or prove something.
“Hunter’s Hoel and Giselle-- we've entered Zone 3. We'll report back when needed.”
The hunter's watch gave a chime, and Lucia looked down at the device.
> According to the risk level of this mission, special privileges will be activated for you.
While the information buffered, Kaliyah removed her helmet and killed the engine on her bike. When she next looked down, the watch had several new notifications that flashed across the holographic screen.
Name: Lucia Fabel
Hunter ID: 82000901458
Sector: UNICORNS - Alpha Team
> Entry permit to No-Hunt Zone 7 - [Applying] - [Granted]
> Emergency signal band 0.347 - [Boosting] - [Boosted]
> Companion signal - [Connecting] - [...]
Lucia watched as her wristband strove to connect to her partner's signal for several beats. Then, finally--
- [Failed]
She frowned, watching as the watch tried to connect twice more over the next few minutes, each time ending in a failure message. She looked around the area, trying to find any trace of them she could-- but there was nothing. No tracks, no Hunter-issued vehicle. Just the eerie whisper of the trees beyond the fenceline and the distant growling of Wanderers.
Her partner wasn’t here.
“Zone 4, have you arrived yet?” Aveline's voice sounds through the comm. Lucia waited a moment, hoping maybe her companion had just gotten held up somewhere. A beat passed, then another.
“Zone 4, do you copy?” Captain Jenna prompted, and Lucia felt her stomach sink before replying.
“This is Hunter Lucia-- I’ve reached the entrance of Zone 4, but…” She looked around the area one more time, waiting for her partner to appear from the trees or the road behind her. Once more, she was met with only the sound of the wind. “My partner isn’t here yet,” She relays into the comm.
A heavy silence falls over the channel, and Lucia waits patiently for her next instructions.
“Your partner isn’t exactly known for being punctual,” Jenna sighs. “Hold your position until he arrives, then go in together. Remember what I said-- prioritize your safety first, and don’t take unnecessary risks.”
Lucia frowned, her shoulders slumping as she leaned back to sit sideways on her bike.
“Understood-- I’ll keep my eyes open.”
“Good. We’re entering Zone 2 now, which means you won’t be able to reach us until we come back out.”
Lucia sighed softly.
“Copy that-- hopefully my partner will arrive before too long, and we can scout our own area.”
The blonde received no response from the comms, and so she crossed her arms and settled in to wait.
…
Two hours had passed. Two hours of deafening silence and impatient waiting. Two hours for Lucia to sit and think of the way the day had transpired. She had wondered absently, frustratedly, just who her partner could be and why they might be taking so long. Given what she knew of Alpha Team and its members so far, she concluded that her partner was more than likely Xavier, the Hunter who rarely ever showed up to work and was supposed to be covering for Aurora. Given how late he was to their rendezvous, it wasn’t much of a stretch to realize.
She had also finally remembered where she had heard that name-- Xavier. She had thought, in the hospital, that the name sounded familiar. She had initially written off the feeling. After all, her sisters mentioned him in passing to complain about his attendance and other typical office drama. But given enough time to think, she remembered that was also the name of the man she had met in the warehouse two days ago. She hadn’t immediately drawn the connection because of the way her sisters had described him-- it didn’t quite seem to fit the man she met. The Xavier they spoke of had been in the Association for years, but the man she met was young. Is it possible there was another Xavier in the Association? But Aurora had assured her he was strong, even if she deemed him unreliable, and the Hunter at the warehouse had certainly been strong.
If he were her partner for today's mission, then where was he? Even getting caught up in another fight in the city, he should have been here by now. Had he been hurt again? Or maybe her sister was right, and he really was a flake. Or maybe it was a different hunter entirely, and something terrible had happened.
Lucia shook her head. How much longer was she expected to wait for a man who might never show?
Impatiently, the blonde tapped her fingers against her arm when she heard feedback over the comms channel.
“This is Hunter Belloma reporting in-- can anyone read me?”
Lucia releases a sigh.
“This is Hunter Lucia-- I copy,” she answers. “How’d it go in there?”
“Zone 1 is clear-- no abnormalities that we could find. The place is crawling with Wanderers, though.”
“Are you already done with your search?” Kaliyah asks, jumping into the conversation.
“My partner still hasn’t shown up,” Lucia admitted with a sigh. “Please tell me this guy isn't who I think he is?”
There’s a pause over the channel before Kaliyah answers.
“Ava’s with Jenna,” Kaliyah starts aloud, her voice sounding weary. “And I heard Hoel state he was with Giselle… with Rory in the hospital, there’s only one other hunter it could be.”
Lucia tilted her head back, letting out a heavy sigh into the night air.
“Fantastic,” She grumbles. “So I get the guy that goes AWOL regularly.”
Lucia turns her head, looking over to the entrance of the Zone again. The shadows were thick, and the moon was shrouded in cloud cover. If Kaliyah was already back from her search, it shouldn’t be too long before Ava, Giselle, and their partners return as well. As it stood, there was one chance in three that the source of the fluctuations was in Zone 4-- not very high, but a higher chance than it was before Kaliyah and Belloma cleared Zone 1.
Jenna had said not to take unnecessary risks, but Lucia had been monitoring the signal's strength. Even now, it was worsening. This situation was becoming more dire the longer it took them to find the problem.
“What threat level would you say the Wanderers in the zone are?” Lucia decides to ask, standing up from her spot where she had been leaning against her bike.
“Luce-- no,” Kaliyah growls admonishingly.
“We can’t afford to sit and wait much longer,” Lucia reasons. “The fluctuations are only growing stronger. Someone has to clear the zone.”
“It’s too risky,” Kaliyah insists. “At least wait for backup.”
“There is no backup-- you said it yourself. It's just us,” Lucia reminds her. “I’ll use my Evol and stick to the shadows. I won’t have to fight anything if they don’t know I’m there.”
“Lucia--”
“I’ll be fast. If I’m not back in an hour, you can come in after me.”
“Lucy, don’t!”
But the blonde wasn’t listening as she pulled a face mask out of her pocket, looping the straps around her ears and ducking under the yellow tape with sword in hand.
“Lucia Victoria Fabel, listen to me!” Kaliyah continued to demand through the comms. “This situation is different from the warehouse-- you need to hold your position until--” Static drowned out the last of her sister's words, metaflux interfering with the signal as she stepped further into the No-Hunt Zone. When even the feedback cut out from Lucia’s ear, she knew then she was alone.
True to her word, Lucia stuck to the shadows, using her evol to make them thick enough to hide in as she made her way through the forest. Wanderers’ occasional crossed her path, their stone-like bodies twitching and convulsing while they lumbered along. She kept her sword ready at her side, but did not engage the monsters, letting them pass her by before continuing her journey. As she went, she used some luminescent tape to mark her trail in case someone needed to come after her.
She searched the woods in increments, occasionally using her watch to try to find the densest metaflux and follow it deeper into the woods. Or at least, she thought she was heading deeper-- until she came across one of her own luminescent marks on a tree. Lucia let out a frustrated sigh-- everything around her looked the same, no matter where she turned. No doubt the protofield was distorting things as well, making it nearly impossible to navigate the terrain.
She tried going in another direction, keeping her eyes on her surroundings, looking for any landmarks that would help her find her way. Then she came across her own mark again.
“Shoot…” She grumbled, realizing she was going in circles. This wasn’t good-- how was she supposed to find her way in this mess? Should she turn back? Or would that end in the same result as attempting to push forward?
Before she can come to a decision, she hears a loud growling coming from the trees ahead of her. A surge of metaflux makes her already churning stomach swoop once more, and she’s already pulling a shroud of shadow over herself.
Wanderers-- there was no doubt about it. A surge of metaflux that strong might indicate a clue about what was going on, and it sounded like whatever it was was somewhere ahead. Determined to observe, Lucia pushed forward, her shadows cloaking her in the darkness and allowing her to move unnoticed as she approached the source of the surge.
She feels it before she sees it, ducking into the shadow of a large boulder before a clearing. Cautiously, sword brandished at her side, she leans out to see what is there.
A massive, shadowy form blocks out the bright moonlight, hovering at the top of a ridge only a few paces away. The Wanderer gave off a strong energy, making the woman tremble slightly as she watched it, certain that if she even tried to confront it, she would certainly die. But if she could distract it somehow and sneak by…
The Wanderer seemed to be focused on something over the ridge. Lucia leaned a fraction further out from behind the boulder, and there stood a figure standing on a steel beam, facing the monster directly.
Someone else was here? What the hell did they think they were doing? That Wanderer was going to slaughter them!
Lucia was ready to leap forward from the shadows-- she needed to protect whoever that was, before they got themselves killed. But then the figure calmly raised a hand towards the Wanderer, and the woman froze, her mouth agape in a mix of shock and awe. Not only were they reaching out to it, but… the Wanderer didn’t seem to be attacking them. In fact, from this distance, it almost looked like the person was… comforting it. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? Why would--
Light cut through the night in an explosion of power, forcing Kaliyah to shield her eyes and retreat behind the boulder again. After a moment, the light receded, and the world felt still once more.
She peered around the boulder once again. The figure was still there, standing tall on the steel beam, and looking up at the place the Wanderer was. But the large monstrosity was now gone-- vanished as if it had never been there to begin with. All that remained was a faint, red glow-- a protocore that descended into the stranger's hand. Lucia watched them observe the stone for a moment, and then--
He crushed the protocore in his hand in a familiar motion, and Lucia’s eyes widened in recognition. It was him-- Xavier, the hunter from the warehouse and her partner who never showed up to the rendezvous.
A red glow flashed around his neck, there for a moment, then flickering out of existence again. So it wasn’t her imagination that day then. But if he was here, then why didn’t he meet her at the entrance? Or was this really the same Xavier that she was supposed to meet? Could she really be certain that he was who he claimed to be? He had asked her to keep his presence at the warehouse a secret-- if he was her teammate, then why would he--
His head snapped up, and she knew he was looking in her direction. She instinctively ducked back behind her boulder, heart beating a fast rhythm in her chest. Too late to hide-- he appeared before her too fast for her to see and held the tip of his sword to her throat. His eyes were dark in the moonlight, holding her gaze in a bone-chilling glare. Lucia instinctively threw her hands into the air, her own sword dissolving in her hand.
“Who--” He started to demand, but Lucia was beating him to the punch.
“I-it’s me!” She exclaimed. “We’ve met before, I swear!” She said desperately. Before she could react, the man twisted his wrist-- but instead of cutting her throat, she felt her face mask fall away from her face. A flicker of recognition passed over his eyes, a beat of hesitation. “Back at the research base,” Lucia continued, watching carefully as he slowly lowered his sword to his side. With her heart hammering away inside her chest, she took a few nervous steps away from him. “After we escaped, you asked me to--”
Something wrapped around Lucia’s ankle-- a snare made of light. She barely registered the trap before her feet were pulled from under her and she was hoisted into the air, dangling upside down and looking at the unreadable expression of the man standing below. In the motion, she had ended up dropping her sword, and she could see the white grip lying in the grass and wildflowers above her head-- or was it below?
Her head was spinning, her blood rushing to her head, and she tried toprocees the change in orientation, finding herself stupidly finishing her sentence through breathless gasps.
“You asked me to keep our meeting a secret.” At that particular moment, however, she was thinking she shouldn’t have done so.
Xavier blinked up at her for a moment, his expression blank and oddly calm, given the fact that she was currently strung up like a rabbit. After several moments, when he didn’t move to help her, she let out a nervous sigh.
“I’m telling the--”
“I remember,” He interrupts her calmly. “What are you doing here?”
The woman groans audibly.
“I don’t know if you heard, but there’s a pretty serious situation going on in the city right now. Metafluctuations that seem to be originating from this No-Hunt Zone, and Alpha Team was dispatched to look into it.”
Xavier creases his brow.
“All of you?” he asks. Lucia’s head was starting to feel a little full at this point, and she was losing her patience with being interrogated while strung up.
“Yes-- now can you let me down? I’d much rather have this conversation on the ground, if you don’t mind.” There was a lot of pressure bearing down on her sinuses, and she was feeling hot in the face due to the blood in her body pooling with the inverted gravity.
Xavier's eyes fluttered, as if he was realizing she was still caught in the snare. Before she knows it, the pressure around her ankle releases, and she’s falling back to the ground with a yelp-- or almost to the ground. At the last moment, she feels a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders and legs. She looks up, and his face is only inches from hers, studying her with a sort of curiosity that she doesn’t know how to place.
Up close, though, it was easy to tell how pretty he was, even in the dark. That had been something she had almost forgotten. His eyes were a light, shimmering blue that reflected the moonlight, and his features were so soft, so young.
According to her sisters, he was supposed to be a seasoned hunter who had been with the Association for more than six years. Yet, looking at him now, he couldn't have been more than two years older than her, if not younger.
“Are you alright?” His voice breaks through her thoughts, bringing her back into the moment.
“Yeah,” She says automatically. “Yeah, just-- let me down, please.”
Xavier is at least gentle as he sets her back on her feet. She takes a step away, about to utter a word of thanks, when a sharp pain shoots up her leg as soon as she puts weight on it. She grimaces, her breath catching in her lungs.
“You’re hurt,” Xavier observes. Lucia leans her weight onto her other leg-- the one that hadn't been caught in his snare-trap and thankfully seemed unaffected.
“I’m fine,” She insists, even as she lets him guide her to sit on a nearby rock. She waves him off, carefully sliding off her boot to look at the damage. She’s carefully inspecting her injured ankle when something small and white is extended in his hand.
“Here,” He says, pushing the roll of bandage into her hand. She takes it carefully, and he takes a step back. “Where’s the rest of your team?” He asks, an edge of concern in his tone. She sighs.
“We were paired off and sent to investigate Search Zones. I was assigned to this one with my partner.”
“Partner,” He repeats slowly. “And where are they? Why are you here alone?”
Lucia looks up at him, eyeing him up and down.
“I don’t know,” She says. “After all, you’re the only person who can tell me why you never showed up to the rendezvous.”
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Master List
a/n: Likes, comments, and Reblogs are always greatly appreciated (please show this work some love, it give me life). I'll see you all next week!
Summary: With the help of Rafayel, Aveline faces the wanderer once more-- but that is only the beginning of their troubles.
Cross-posted on AO3 and Quotev
Word Count: 5.2k
a/n: I let this one run a longer so I could wrap up the "First Mission" Section of the game and show off my next banner, tee hee. Just so you all know, the poll I posted will only be available for another day after this, so be sure your get your votes in! I think it'd be fun to revisit the first two battle scenes, but I'd like to know what you all think. Enjoy the chapter!
Master List
Previous Chapter I Next Chapter
Space warped around her, the metaflux scraping out the bottom of her stomach as reality bends, melts, and reshapes itself into a completely new space.
Light shimmers in a fluid net on the stone mosaic under her feet. Banners drape the walls of a large, round room, an altar decorated in candles set at the far end.
Over the years, Aveline, as well as other hunters, had noticed that some protofields had recurring scenery. There was no rhyme or reason to their appearances-- different wanderers always produced different Protofields, in different locations, at different times, and under different circumstances. But this was one of the ones Aveline recognized over the years; The underwater palace, as she had taken to thinking of it.
“I don’t see any Wanderer’s,” Rafayel muses, making Aveline startle. “Is it up ahead, maybe?”
“What are you doing here?” She demanded angrily.
“Uh, backing you up?” Rafayel stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Isn’t there some rule about not fighting alone for you hunters?”
“You’re not a hunter,” she pointed out. “You shouldn’t have followed me here-- this is no place for civilians."
The painter gives a noncommittal shrug.
“Too bad-- I don’t see a way back,” Rafayel says, gesturing at the empty space and solid wall behind him. “Guess we’ll just have to team up.”
Aveline frowns deeply as she observes the lack of an exit. Somehow, that had never been something she had observed before. Perhaps that was why the protocol was in place. She shakes her head, ridding herself of the useless thought. Now wasn’t the time.
Perhaps it was a good thing Rafayel was here. She could use him to kill this thing.
“Stick close to me,” She orders him, turning her eyes toward the arena that is this protofield. “The Charybdis Rex likes to stay hidden in the shadows,” Aveline explains, brandishing her sister's sword. “It’s a cowardly enemy that picks off the vulnerable. It’ll strike when we have our backs turned.”
“So in other words,” Rafayel says, idly examining his knife with an unbothered air. “Watch each other's backs.”
She nods her head, sweeping her eyes over the empty room.
“One last thing,” She starts, not facing the painter. “When I tell you to, I need you to throw your fire at me.”
“What?” He exclaims, looking appalled by the suggestion. “Why would I--”
“Just do it,” She growls in frustration. “I have a plan, but it’ll only work if you do as I say and throw your fire at me.” She turned to look at him, and the man seemed to pout as he listened to her. Where was this hesitation in his studio when the man practically burned her hand and lit Aurora’s sleeve on fire?
After a moment longer, Rafayel finally releases a long-suffering sigh.
“If that’s your wish,” He says with a barely concealed moan. Aveline nods in satisfaction, and finally, the pair cautiously advances further into the protofield.
Aveline holds her sword in one hand, cautiously stepping into the wide open space. The air is still, as if holding its breath, and it’s far too quiet. She feels Rafayel at her side, keeping his eyes on the eerily empty space. Carefully, she keeps in the periphery of her vision-- not because she doesn’t trust him (though she’s not entirely sure she does either), but because of his hand.
Twice now, the Wanderer has tried to attack him seemingly unprovoked. It was lured into his studio by the coral stone, but only after his blood made contact with it. He mentioned getting something as simple as a paper cut and hearing strange noises after.
The wound on his hand was still wide open, though he seemed entirely unbothered by it. For whatever reason, his blood was the key to this. And if her hunch was right, then it was possible the Wanderer would try to ambush him first.
And just as she predicted, the monster quietly emerges from a metaflux tunnel behind the painter.
Quick as lightning, Aveline lunges, striking the Wanderer before it even has a chance to attack. It turned to her with a chittering sound, and just as Rafayel turns to take in the scene, Aveline thrusts her sword forward, lodging the tip in the crack of its shell. It shrieks and rips itself away, dislodging Aveline’s sword in the process. It swipes at her, but she sidesteps it and strikes again.
It’s a heartbeat later that Rafayel joins in. He moves in with a lethal grace, skillfully swiping his blade over its hardened shell. Almost immediately, it turns to him, striking out at him. Aveline frowns-- she was the one who hurt it, but it was clearly more enticed by the painter. Was it because he wielded fire that could hurt it? Or was it really his blood it wanted?
Either way, it gave her an idea. If it was Rafayel it wanted, then she’d give it something to focus on.
The next time Rafayel attacked, she concentrated on the image he made-- the way he stood and moved, the fiery glint of bloodlust in his eye, the easy confidence he exuded. She held that image in her mind as he started to leap away. Her blood surged in her veins, and for a moment, she had a strange sensation like she was falling, then flying.
Rafayel retreated from the Wanderer, but its attention was held by the image of him that lingered in the place he had been. This Rafayel moved in the opposite direction of the original, drawing the Wanderer’s focus away from the real thing.
It was time to move in.
“Rafayel!” Aveline called to the painter. “Now!”
Without waiting for his response, she started rushing toward the monster. It swiped its claws through the illusory Rafayel, dissipating the image of him-- but it was far too late.
Aveline felt the heat of Rafayel's flame and twisted her body to sweep her blade through it, absorbing it into her sword. With one fierce strike, she cleaved through the Wanderer’s shell, shattering it entirely. The Wanderer collapsed in a dazed heap on the ground. Rafayel whistled from his place several paces off.
“Well-- it’s definitely easier to deal with now.” He remarked in an impressed tone.
“Time to finish it off,” Aveline growled, brandishing her still flaming sword. Rafayel twirled his dagger through his fingers. They moved like a single being, closing in on the vulnerable creature. Two flaming blades sliced through the air, and in the next instant, the Wanderer and its protocore both dissolved into sparkling dust.
Aveline releases a long breath, lowering her sword. The space begins to ripple and dissolve around them. Within moments, they were once again standing in the chaotic mess of Rafayel’s studio in Linkon City.
As soon as the studio finishes materializing, Aveline makes her way back over to her sister's side. Aurora was still unconscious, collapsed in a heap, but Aveline noted her breath was steady. A quick press to her hunter's watch revealed stable life signs. Aveline checks her own watch for the status of their evac.
“Sheesh-- look at this mess,” Rafyel sighs, and Aveline looks over her shoulder to see him casting his eyes around the studio. “How am I supposed to work in this?”
She shakes her head, ignoring the artist and checking on her sister one more time. After making sure she’s stable, the Lieutenant stood to her full height and looked around the area.
It was true that there was definitely evidence of a battle left behind by the wanderer. A toppled easel here, scattered brushes and empty cans everywhere-- she hadn’t quite realized just how much of the space they were disturbing while trying to subdue the creature. Aveline frowned, reaching into her back pocket and once more pulling out the faintly shimmering coral stone. With a frown, she scans the stone with her hunter's watch, her mind turning all the while.
The Charybdis Rex is a generally cowardly Wanderer, preferring to maintain a distance and strike when its targets are least suspecting. But this coral stone drew it out into the open-- or, was it the blood of the painter? The scan showed low levels of fluctuations emitted from the stone. Yet they were stronger than they had been before the incident. Was this because of Rafayel’s blood? Or was there something else at play here?
She looks up at the artist in question to see the man inspecting his paintings.
“Looks like they’re all A-OK,” he nods, setting down the canvas carefully. “The Wanderer was nice enough not to harm them…”
“This coral stone is imbued with Metaflux,” Aveline calls, clutching the stone in her fingers as she addresses Rafayel. “Where exactly did you get this, sir?”
“You can’t just buy coral stones from the market,” He says, brushing off his hands. “I might have bartered with the Sardinian locals. Or maybe…” He seems to genuinely ponder this for a moment. Then, wordlessly, he begins searching through a drawer in a desk.
“Your memory cannot be that bad,” Aveline says, an edge of irritation in her voice. Given the way the afternoon had gone, the eldest Fabel’s patience was far shorter than usual, and she wasn’t in the mood for this man's verbal games.
It’s then that the artist plucks a small booklet from the drawer, presenting it to her between two fingers and a hand on his hip.
“Wanna check my collection log?” He asks with a tilt to his head.
“You have a log?” Aveline mutters, blinking in surprise. Given what Thomas had told her of his character, she didn’t think he was the type to actually keep a log of… well, anything. He scoffs as if reading her mind.
“There are millions of colors-- some people even create samples of their own paint,” He explains, an eyebrow cocked like it should be obvious. “How could I recreate certain colors if I don’t remember where I got the materials for the paint?”
Aveline presses her lips together, realizing he had a point there.
“If there’s actually a problem with the source,” He starts slowly. “How are you guys gonna deal with it?”
“Investigate,” Aveline answers him honestly, reaching for the log. “Might even have to close off the area--”
Before her fingers could make contact with the book, Rafayel pulled it out of her grasp.
“Not so fast-- I won’t just give it to you for free. I’ll need an alternative.” He gives her a sly, mischievous smile, and Aveline gets a foreboding feeling in her stomach.
“What did you have in mind?” She asks hesitantly. His smile widens in response.
“Coral stones can be found near Linkon City,” He tells her, using his collection log to fan himself nonchalantly. “I was planning to have a look-see.” He then lifts his hand, holding it limp with a deep frown. “It’s a shame I got injured today-- I can’t even lift a paintbrush.” She resists the urge to roll her eyes. This man was wielding a blade in that hand not five minutes ago-- rather skillfully, she had to admit. “I’ll be in trouble if I encounter any danger.” He lifts his gaze to hers again, just the right mix of smug and pitiful that has her frowning deeply.
“Where are you going with this?” Aveline asks warily.
“Well, I saw how you fought-- quick and precise. Your cunning is unlike anything I’ve seen before, and you’re incredibly strong to boot.” The compliments were disarming to say the least. While Aveline couldn’t help but flush in appreciation of them, she was waiting for the catch. “If you could be my bodyguard…”
Ah, there it was.
“Excuse me?” Aveline asks with a quiet sort of disbelief.
Rafayel continues.
“Protect me on our journey together,” He elaborates. “If we find a suitable alternative to the coral stone in your hand, I’ll happily give you what’s in mine.” He smiles at her then, an arrogant gleam shining in his eye. He knows this is an offer she will find hard to refuse.
She thought about outright refusing him. She was a Hunter after all-- the Lieutenant of UNICORNS and right hand of Captain Jenna herself. But this arrogant man wanted to put her on a bodyguard detail? It should have felt like an insult.
And yet, she needed to find the source of these coral stones. If there were more like the one today, this could spell trouble for any odd collector or passerby. It would be irresponsible to turn down his offer point-blank.
“Don’t worry, I can wait,” Rafayel says. “Consider this a… private commission, from yours truly. You know where the door is.”
It wasn’t just some pretty stones, and he knew it. She needed to know the source of those stones, yes. But she also had the strangest urge to keep a close eye on this artist as well.
“Alright,” She sighs heavily. “I’ll do it, but don’t push your luck,” She finished, keeping a stern expression on her face and refusing to look away from the strange, blue eyes of the man before her. Eyes that seemed to light up with her acceptance.
“Great!” Rafayel looks very pleased by her answer, if not completely unsurprised. “I’ll let you know the time and place.”
The man then steps into her space. She shouldn’t have been surprised that he grasped her hand again-- the one with the coral stone.
“My safety--” He began, pushing the stone into the palm of her hand and closing her fingers around it before cradling her fist in both of his palms.
“--is in your hands,” He finishes, and she meets his eyes as he finishes the statement. Strangely enough, she can’t help but feel there’s a deeper meaning to his words as he backs away with a mysterious smile. But that would be ludicrous… right?
She didn’t have a chance to dwell on it-- backup had arrived at the scene.
Aveline watched over her sister as she was moved onto a stretcher and put in an ambulance for Akso Hospital. Her mind raced through the list of tasks she had to do now that things had calmed down once more. First, she would call Zayne’s office and give him a heads-up about Aurora’s arrival and condition. Then she would have to write up an incident report about the entire ordeal. She was already pulling out her phone to dial as she walked out of the artist's house, settling in her car, and letting the navigation take her back to headquarters.
However, as she arrived back at the office some twenty minutes later, her phone dinged with an incoming message. She didn’t recognize contact, and very nearly ignored it-- until her eyes caught on the contents of the message itself.
A digital envelope containing a transfer of 50,000 Gold pieces labeled 'as for your salary' She frowned, thinking this had to be some sort of scam before the next message came through.
‘my life and wealth are in your hands now’
She squinted at the message, frowning deeply. Something about the lack of grammatical accuracy and punctuation told her she knew exactly who this was.
She typed out a tentative reply.
'You're Rafayel?'
A few moments later, she got her answer in a short reply.
'who else'
Her jaw went a little slack in disbelief before his next message came through.
'aside from me what employer would pay you before you started working'
Aveline felt a muscle below her eye twitch briefly, staring at the message for a long time as she tried to process the information. But even as she typed out her next reply, reigning in her mild irritation at the audacious artist, she couldn’t help but wonder- how the hell did he get her contact information?
…
Lucia and Giselle were already demanding to know where their sister was by the time Kaliyah caught up to them in the lobby.
“I'm sorry,” Yvonne started, looking slightly panicked as her eyes flicked between the fiery runt and the stormy blonde. “I need you to slow down. Who is--”
“Hey Yvonne,” Kaliyah greets the nurse with more calm than her sisters. “We're here for Rory.”
The other woman lets out a sigh.
“Ah-- now I see. These must be your youngest sisters then.” She concludes calmly.
“Come on-- where is she? Is she okay?” Giselle demands.
“Settle down-- Rory is stable. Doctor Li is with her now.”
“Can we see her?” Lucia asked anxiously.
“Guys,” Kaliyah jumps in, laying one hand on each girl's shoulder. “Take a breath-- let the nice nurse talk.” She waits until she feels both women start to relax under her steady hands before meeting Yvonne's eyes, nodding encouragingly.
She can't blame her sisters for reacting the way they are. The last time the younger Fabel's would have been told about Aurora’s hospitalization was when they were all living in Bloomshore. Aurora had once fallen into a brief coma when they were all still kids, only a year after Josephine adopted them all. Kaliyah still remembered how scared they all had been, seeing her so lifeless in that hospital bed. That fear had a tendency to rear up any time she was in a hospital again.
As a result, even when she was in the hospital, Aurora never wanted to worry any of them if she could help it, so she wouldn’t tell them when she was hurt or sick. Kaliyah has worked with the Association for two years already and seen Aurora come out of worse situations than today's, so she knew it was more than likely fine. But the middle-most Fabel had learned just how stubborn her sister was. That was why Aveline had seen fit to tell them herself after she got back, asking Kaliyah to make sure she didn’t give Zayne a hard time while she filled out the mission reports.
Yvonne typed on her keyboard behind the desk, and Kaliyah gently massaged her sister's shoulders, trying to wordlessly reassure them.
“Her doctor is still waiting on a few results to come back, but let me call him and see if she’s up for visitors,” Yvonne said, rolling her chair to the side and beginning to reach for her desk phone.
“No need,” says a flat voice behind Kaliyah. “I’m right here.”
The three sisters turn to see a tall man in a white coat and glasses studying them all with a blank expression.
“Kaliyah, Giselle-- you look well.” Zayne greets calmly. “I see being a hunter has already resulted in a small lesion for you, Lucia.”
“How is she?” Lucia asks the man, ignoring his remark about the cut still on her cheek. “Ava only told us she got hurt and had to come here.”
Zayne doesn’t look overly concerned as he responds to her question.
“She is alright. Minor injuries, all things considered. She is extremely lucky it wasn’t worse.”
“What makes you say that?” Giselle asks anxiously.
“Aveline informed me she was thrown into a wall by a wanderer,” Zayne replies bluntly. “I assume you would all like to see her. Come on-- her room is this way.”
The dark-haired man turns and begins walking down the hall.
Before long, he led them to a small room on the second floor, knocking twice before he opened the door.
“You have some visitors,” Kaliyah hears him say as he steps into the room. Unsurprisingly, Giselle and Lucia crowd into the room first, each with a cry of “Rory!” When Kaliyah herself walks in, she sees Aurora looking at them both with wide eyes.
“Guys-- what’re you doing here?” She asks, seeming genuinely confused by their appearance in her room.
“What do you mean?” Giselle scoffs. “You got hurt on a mission, and you expected us not to visit?”
“It’s a little bump on the head,” She defends herself. “Hardly anything worth concern.”
“You suffered a blunt traumatic brain injury, second-degree burns, multiple contusions, and a subluxated hip,” Zayne lists off calmly as he stands by the computer at the side of the room, looking at something none of them can be bothered to identify. Aurora rolls her eyes.
“If you mean a concussion, a few bruises, and a joint that’s already been put back into place, then fine, yes. Still nothing to worry about.”
“I disagree,” Lucia argues immediately, frowning at the golden-eyed woman. “A few bruises are one thing, but a concussion?”
“I’m fine!” Aurora exclaims.
“You were unconscious for twenty-three minutes,” Zayne interjects. “That indicates a grade three concussion with potential intracranial hemorrhaging."
“You are not helping,” Aurora spits at him. Kaliyah shakes her head bemusedly.
“What’s your recommendation, Zayne?” Kaliyah asks the man. He hasn’t so much as looked up from his computer this entire time, and he remains focused on his task as he replies.
“Overnight hospitalized observation, followed by three days leave and four days of reduced labor.”
Aurora groans audibly.
“Seriously-- it’s not that bad,” The woman insists with a grumble.
“And we’re going to make sure it stays that way,” Kaliyah says firmly. “It’s only a week, not the end of the world.”
“This is why I don’t tell you guys anything,” Aurora grumbles irritably.
“I would hope you at least tell Zayne some things,” Lucia remarks. “Seeing as he’s your primary.”
“I can’t afford to take time off now,” Aurora tries to insist. “The mission--”
“Jenna has already reassigned me to take over for you,” Kaliyah jumps in. “Ava told her what happened, and she made the call.” Aurora visibly deflates at this, leaning back in her bed in defeat. Kaliyah can practically feel the frustration simmering under her sister's skin, so the red-eyed beauty steps up to her bedside and covers her hand gently. “Listen-- I know you’ve made it through worse injuries than this. You’re tough, and you don’t want us to worry-- I get it. But, for our sakes, rest. Can you do that?”
Aurora frowns deeply once more, searching Kaliyah’s eyes before letting out a long-suffering sigh.
“It seems the choice has already been made for me,” Aurora says. “Alright-- but someone better get that flake to cover for me for once. Our team is short-handed as it is.” Kaliyah sighs in response.
“We’ll try, but you know how he is.”
“Sorry, who are you talking about?” Lucia asks curiously, looking between her older sisters.
“Xavier,” Kaliyah answers. “He’s that guy Rory is always complaining never shows up for work, yet somehow he’s always beating her numbers?”
“Oh, yeah,” Giselle says. “That guy. How hasn’t he been fired yet?”
Kaliyah shrugs her shoulders.
“I’ve worked with him only a couple of times-- the guy is strong, I’ll admit, but also incredibly reclusive. I can barely ever get a read on him.”
“He mostly does solo missions,” Aurora continues. “Supposedly, that’s how he’s been able to keep his position in UNICORNS, but I feel like he’s got some kinda deal with upper management behind the scenes.”
“Nepotism?” Lucia asks. Aurora shrugs.
“That’s my best guess.”
Lucia frowns deeply, contemplating.
“Then why do you want him to step in if his work ethic is so bad?”
“Better him than nothing,” Aurora sighs. “If any of you need back-up, his strength alone makes him a good pick.”
“Hm,” Lucia hums doubtfully.
“Alright, that’s enough for today,” Zayne interjects calmly, stepping into the small circle of women. “It’s getting late, and Aurora needs to rest.”
“Aw, come on,” Giselle complains. “We just got here!”
“You can return tomorrow once she’s been discharged,” Zayne replies unflinchingly.
“I hate to say it, but he’s right,” Aurora sighs. “You all should head home before it gets too dark out.”
“Are you sure you’ll be alright if we go?” Lucia asks with concern. Aurora blows a raspberry in response.
“I’ll be fine-- this stick in the mud does everything by the book,” She mutters, jerking her head in Zayne’s direction. His expression remains carefully neutral, but Kaliyah spots a slight quizzical arch to his brow. “At the very least, I’m in good hands.” Aurora reiterates calmly.
“But--” Giselle starts, but Kaliyah interrupts her by wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“Come on, Pip-- we’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning to pick her up. She’s not going anywhere.” The woman reassures gently, and Giselle pouts, inevitably giving in.
Bidding their goodbyes to their older sister, the three women depart for the trains that will take them home.
“You sure you’ll be alright on your own?” Lucia can’t help but ask the youngest of them. “I heard the Empyrial Ring District has seen a lot of Wanderer activity recently.”
“I’ll be fine,” Giselle tells her sisters. “The news likes to make it out to be worse than it is. Besides, with the Aerospace Academy's next term coming up, there are a lot more hunters in the area, as well as DAA officers.”
“If you say so…” Lucia grumbles.
“We wouldn’t mind a slight detour to make sure you got home safe,” Kaliyah offers. Giselle rolls her eyes.
“That’s really not necessary. If anything, I’m more worried about you two and that eye we saw the other night. At least you both live in West Garden.”
“Ugh-- don’t remind me,” Lucia groans. “I haven’t opened my blinds since you guys stayed over.”
Kaliyah presses her lips in a sympathetic line, patting her sister gently on the shoulder.
Giselle bid her sisters farewell on the platform before boarding her train. After seeing it pull away from the platform, the pair makes their way through the evening rush-hour crowd to get to their own.
Rain begins to drum against the glass dome of the train as they’re watching the city lights blur by in companionable silence, surrounded by the murmur of the crowd. A voice over the intercom intermittently announces stops, switching to a relay of the latest news and public notices. The sisters sit in companionable silence. Just then, Lucia’s watch chimes with an incoming call. She answers on the second ring before Tara’s ID appears on the holographic display.
“Hey there!” The woman greets over the line. “How’s the Sergeant doing?”
“She’s got a concussion, but the doctor says she’ll live,” Lucia replies. “Do you have something on the coral stone?”
“Mm,” Tara hums thoughtfully. “Not much, unfortunately. We’re still trying to calibrate our sensors to the stone’s readings.”
“The coral stone’s Metaflux is faint,” Kaliyah admits with a sigh. “I could barely feel it when Aveline showed it to me earlier. It must not be easy for you to detect either.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll let you know the results as soon as we get them,” Tara reassures the elder Fabel. “I’m actually calling because we stumbled upon something new at the abandoned research base from the other day,” Tara tells her. “Interested in a little info?”
“What did they find?” Lucia asks, sitting up straight in her seat with a clear intrigue shining in her lavender eyes.
“A box with illegally sold protocores?” Kaliyah asks dryly, earning an elbow from her younger sister. “Wouldn’t be the first time,” She says defensively.
“Nononono-- a stele!” Tara corrects enthusiastically, earning Kaliyah’s intrigue as well now. “It’s got all these weird patterns and symbols… They found it in the area we’ve been keeping an eye on.”
Kaliyah frowns. A stele? Like those things from Lucia’s archaeology books?
“But wasn’t the base specialized in researching protocores?” Lucia asks, seeming just as surprised by the information. “How did a stele get there?”
“Who knows,” Tara sighs on the other line. “Sadly, it was caught in the explosion, so part of it is destroyed. Nero mentioned something about it…”
The train enters a tunnel, and a whistling sound reverberates through the car, muffling Tara’s voice. At that moment, however, something ripples through the air, carving out the bottom of Kaliyah’s stomach. Her head snaps up mere seconds before Lucia’s, and both stare at the weary faces of the other travelers reflected in the glass dome, illuminated by the screen's glow. Panicked murmurs erupt across the train car as even the ordinary civilians sense something terribly wrong.
Amidst the panic, the train exits the tunnel. The hunters' watches release a chime in unison as a shadow passes the dome outside the train.
“It sounds pretty loud over there,” Tara’s voice carries back to them as both look to each other. “Is something happening?”
“There’s a wanderer outside the train,” Kaliyah states firmly, turning to watch as the train begins to approach its next stop on the route. “Sync up with our position, now!”
“Got it,” Tara replies with significance. “Switching to the emergency comms channel. Stay on your toes!”
The intercom sounds their arrival, but the energy fluctuation monitors have already sounded the alarm.
The doors open, and frightened people rush out of the train car, startling the poor platform staff members who hadn’t caught on to the danger yet.
One such individual was pushed into Kaliyah’s arms as she exited the train-- how convenient.
“I’m a hunter from UNICORNS,” Kaliyah tells the staff member, flashing her ID on her watch for them to see. She perceives the moment they hear the alarms and begin to understand the gravity of the situation. “Evacuate everyone. Until the alarm is lifted, do not let anyone enter the station.”
The staff member nods their head and rushes off to do as instructed. Kaliyah turns to her sister, who has followed her off the train.
“You’ve got your weapons with you?” Kaliyah checks.
“My sword, yeah,” Lucia confirms. Kaliyah nods her head in satisfaction.
“Good. Get ready to use it,” and Kaliyah stepped away to help evacuate the civilians from the station, Lucia following suit.
…
The sudden chaos around the silver-haired man didn’t perturb him in the least as he scanned his watch over the vending-machine sensor. He’s waiting for his energy drink to roll into the compartment below when his watch chirps with an incoming audio call.
“You’ve got a new mission,” comes the brisk voice of Captain Jenna. “Go and help your teammates evacuate the area.”
“Young lady-- you can’t go there!” Someone on the street calls as the man lifts his head slowly to look out at the crowd. A girl enters his line of sight, with beautiful ebony skin and golden hair that shines like starlight. She gracefully walks along the train's dome, her eyes sharp and attentive, scanning the area before she leaps over the platform, landing several meters away. He watches silently as she approaches a taller woman with straight black hair, the two exchanging information with severe expressions on their faces.
“We didn’t expect things to escalate so quickly,” Jenna sighs. “And we’re already down a pair of hands. I’ve sent you the rendezvous coordinates. There are a couple of rookies in the mix. keep them out of harm's way if possible. You’ll also be receiving their personal information.”
“No need,” The man says with a soft, calm voice as he watches the two figures look down at their wrists simultaneously, then rush off out of view. “We’ve met before. They don't need protection.”
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Master List
a/n: Dang. These women just cannot catch a break this week! Don't worry-- we'll have more fun and games soon enough.
So, now that I've started posting again, personally, I think my new formula for writing battle scenes works really well. It certainly feels a lot better, and I'm more confidant writing them than I was before. But now I feel like Lucy and Rory's first fights were lacking in comparison. So, I would like to put it to a vote!
Should I rewrite the previous battle scenes using my new writing formula?
Yes, rewrite both of them
Only rewrite Lucy and Xavier's battle
Only rewrite Rory and Zayne's battle
No, both are fine as they are
Voting ended onFeb 14
To be clear, this is not something I would do right away. This is more something I would do in my own time, behind the scenes, if I get around to it. I'd let you all know down the line when they were updated, but I would not let them get in the way of my regular posting schedule.
If that's something you think would be cool to do or just a waste of concentration, please let me know! This poll will be active until February 14th PST, so take your time thinking about it. Either way, I'll see ya'll in the next chapter!
Thanks for sticking with me thus far! If this is your first time seeing me post anything, here are links to the battles in question:
Lucy and Xavier
Rory and Zayne
Ava and Rafayel (New Formula)
And here's the Master List for the whole story too if you wanted to read more.
Also, my taglist is still open-- if anyone wants to be added, removed, or it needs to be updated, please let me know.
Summary: An interview quickly turns into a battle with a monster-- but who is this contradictory artist?
a/n: I'm back! My hyperfixation has graced me with a return to this story-- I'm so sorry for the wait. On the upside, we have a bit of a visual update! Aren't these banners pretty?
I also have a new technique for writing fight scenes. This chapter was originally longer, but the fight got away from me, so I had to split it up. At least I have the next update ready to go!
Anyway-- I hope you enjoy!
Cross-posted on AO3 and Quotev
Word Count: 3.8k
Master List
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BANG! BANG! BANG!
Giselle rolls to the side as the holograph takes a swing at her, lifting her gun to fire two more bullets at it. It dissipates before two more take its place in the Training simulation. She catches a glimpse of Lucia out of the corner of her eye, standing off to the side-- But the woman focuses her attention on the enemies.
BANG! Dodge-- BANG! BANG!
The holo-wanderers dissipate only too easily, then OTTO’s voice is chirping in her ears.
“Congratulations! You have just beaten your personal best by: Two minutes and twenty-eight seconds.”
Giselle sighed heavily, frowning deeply.
The door to the room opens and Giselle hears footsteps enter.
“Maybe we should tick you off more often,” Lucia suggests. “You could probably clear out a horde of wanderers just working out your frustration.”
Giselle only frowns further.
“Yeah, well, Ava doesn’t seem to agree,” She grumbled irritably, taking her guns over to the assembly table to inspect them. Lucia sighs, following her sister.
“You can’t blame her, Gigi,” The woman insists gently. “She only did what she thought she had to-- you know that.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who got benched from her first ever mission.”
Lucia frowns.
“Hey, at least you got a real mission,” The blonde counters with a sigh, sitting on the edge of the table. “I’ve been stuck on boring patrols the past two days.”
Giselle unloads one of her pistols, the parts clattering to the tabletop with reckless abandon. She starts unloading the remaining rounds of Evol-Bullets from the magazine. They fell into her palm, some skittering from her hands and clattering to the ground in a cacophony of metallic rain. Giselle curses, leaning her knuckles on the table's surface in an effort to take a breath. Lucia leans over then, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Hey-- quit beating yourself up,” The blonde says, trying to be encouraging. “It was only one mission-- there’ll be more.” Giselle could only shake her head in response.
“What’s the point? Even if I do get another mission, I can’t use my Evol outside the weapons.” She growls angrily. Lucia sighs.
“Yes you can--” She stops talking when the younger girl shoots her a look. “You can! But you don’t have to. Not all Hunters have an Evol. Even among those who do, do you even know how little other hunters use their raw Evol on missions?”
“Kal uses hers all the time. So does Rory.”
“Their Evol's have tactical applications that give them an edge in battle, not to mention forewarning. When was the last time you heard of Ava using hers?” Giselle frowns deeply. “Just-- remember you have more to offer than your power.”
Giselle breathed a small sigh, still discontent with her situation. “If I ever get the chance,” She grumbles irritably.
“You will,” Lucia reassures her. “Count on it.”
…
Aveline couldn’t help but stare at the familiar red fish that swam in the glass dome on the coffee table. She was certain it was the same fish he’d caught for her back at the pier. That distinct red was hard to mistake. She wasn’t sure why it surprised her so much, but she had never expected to see this fish again. In fact, she might have thought he’d release the poor thing back into the ocean. Yet here it was-- thriving in his studio.
She snaps back to attention as a rustic blue tea cup is placed in front of her. She looks up as he sets another in front of Aurora, who’s taken her place in a chair across the table, then he seats himself on the far end of the sofa from her-- all of this, without saying a word.
When he does speak, it’s with an unexpected ease that he did not have when they first entered.
After raising his cup and taking a sip of his tea, he chuckles softly before saying, “I really can’t tell if it’s destiny or bad karma for us to meet again after two days.”
Aveline sees confusion crease Aurora’s brow while Rafayel places his cup on a small side table.
“Anyway,” He continues. “You’re not here to check on the fish, are you?” He meets her gaze, something like boredom on his face.
“You already know we’re hunter’s,” Aveline tells him. “We’ve heard you may have a Wanderer problem on your hands.”
“Oh?” He asks, sounding somewhat surprised. “I wasn’t aware there was something dangerous at my studio.”
“You told your gallery manager that you heard strange noises?” Aurora prodded. He glances at her, then sits up a little suddenly.
“Ah, that’s right,” He says, glancing between them both. “Now that you mention it, I did hear some weird noises while I was painting earlier.” He leaned back once more in a disgruntled manner, frowning while he reached for his cup again. “It was very annoying.” Looking at Aveline again, he tilts his head inquisitively. “So, Thomas sent you then?”
Both hunters share a look while he takes another sip of his tea. Based on what they already knew, it sounded like a Wanderer was interfering with his paintings in the studio. Aveline wondered quietly if it could be connected to the incident at Mr. Raymond’s mansion.
“Where did you hear the noises?” Aurora asks, and Rafayel frowns at her.
“I’m not an animal that can use my ears to locate prey,” He scoffs at her, then languidly looks around the little studio. “It’s probably… downstairs, upstairs, or somewhere else.” Aveline does her best to keep the scowl off her face in response to his decidedly unhelpful suggestions.
“In any case, Wanderers are everywhere. Literally. I even heard there’s one that’s sorta like a lemon.” As he talks, he leans forward and crosses his legs, resting his elbow on his knee and propping up his chin before he raises a brow in Aveline’s direction. “Am I wrong? One time, I dreamt about slimy, rainbow colored Wanderer’s. They kept mutating--”
Aveline glances to her sister while the man continues to ramble, and sees the judgmental glare she’s shooting the artist's way. Aveline looks back and he’s still going on-- did he love the sound of his own voice or what? It’s a wonder his magazine interviews are so sparse.
Wanting to get the conversation back on track, she reaches into her hip pouch and brings out the coral stone. The motion seemed to have quieted the man, and she found he was watching her hand with a singular focus by the time she held the stone up.
“This is what you use to make your paints, correct?” She asks bluntly. He lifts his head in interest, huffing out a short breath, then leans back once more. He couldn’t not sit still for a single moment, could he?
“Thomas let you take that?” He asks her, drinking more tea.
“Other than these stones, do you use anything else that might be considered unusual?” Aveline prompts him, letting her hand fall back into her lap.
“Well, nothing’s unusual if you can get color from it,” he tells her, and she raises an eyebrow silently, almost reflexively. He rolls his eyes and sets the teacup back down. “Fine,” He sighs. “Do mummy bandages count? Different refinement processes don’t necessarily produce the same tint of brown though--”
“That’s not what I meant,” Aveline sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. Why was he being so difficult about this? “Is there anything that might carry a trace of metaflux?”
Rafayel goes quiet briefly, and she sees a slight lilt to his lips before he looks at her.
“You know, you’ve asked me sooo many questions,” He sighs, his gaze steady on hers. “Yet you’re not here to solve my issues, are you?”
The look in his eyes is suddenly much more pointed, and it causes Aveline to sit up a little straighter.
“What do you--” She begins, but he cuts her off.
“I’ve only used this batch of coral stone pigment for one painting.” His body language was relaxed, but the tone of his voice had taken on a dark tint. “Let me guess; Devon Raymond got into a bit of trouble after he purchased it?”
“You knew about it already,” Aurora says quietly. Rafayel turns a lazy glance her way. “Raymond’s erratic behavior is related to you.”
Rafayel scoffs.
“What kind of twisted logic is that?” He asks, and Aurora’s scowl deepens. “And why are you so worried about him, but not me? I’m a victim too, you know.” He turns his eyes back on Aveline. “Also, that coral stone is mine.” He holds out his hand expectantly. “Give it to me, now…”
“Are you kidding?!” Aurora scoffs loudly. “How spoiled can you--”
“Rory!” Aveline snaps at her sister sharply, and the woman clamps her mouth shut. She looks back to Rafayel to see him smirking self-righteously. A look that melts from his face as she stands from her seat and pins him with a bitter scowl. “If you won’t tell us the truth, then it seems there’s nothing left for us to talk about.” Aveline nods at Aurora, and the other woman stands. “Fair warning-- if your work causes any more problems, it won’t be just us who come knocking next time.”
The two women make it two steps towards the door when they hear his voice call out.
“Really? A hunter's patience only lasts three minutes? I wasn’t done talking.”
Aveline couldn’t help but wonder if he was ever done talking. She turns to face him to see he’s stood to his feet and is currently approaching them both. “Let me check first,” He tells them, crimson particles summoning a black, curved blade into his hand that the artist twirls deftly between his fingers. “I would also like to know if it’s the coral stone that’s the problem.”
Without waiting, he reaches out with his other hand and grabs the blade of his knife, slicing open his palm. Then, banishing his knife, he grabs Aveline’s wrist-- the one still clutching the coral stone.
“Hey, what are you--” He raises his bleeding hand, his focus locked onto the coral stone.
The crimson ichor dribbles over the jagged edge of the stone, nearly blending with the color of the coral. The stone grows hot in Aveline’s palm, even catching on fire, and she hisses at the feeling, trying to pull away. He holds her hand fast though, and the burn subsides. A shimmer of metaflux appears above the stone, and next thing Aveline knows, she’s looking at a blue fish swimming through the air above her outstretched hand.
“An illusion…” She gasps quietly as the fish drops, dissolving into particles as it comes into contact with the stone once more.
“That explains why I started hearing things right after getting a papercut.” Rafayel hums thoughtfully. Abruptly, he fixes his gaze on something over Aveline’s shoulder. She turns to see her sister has drawn her sword and is looking cautiously around the room.
Aveline creases her brow, wondering what has her sister so on edge, until it hits her-- she had a premonition. Dread pools in her stomach, even before their watches ring out the metaflux warning. The stone seems to have attracted a Wanderer.
She looks back to Rafayel.
“Do you have a lot of valuables here?” She asks quickly.
“Depends on who you ask--” He starts and she growls in frustration.
“Give me a simple answer-- yes or no?”
He frowns for a moment.
“Not really,” he admits.
“Ava,” Aurora warns, and she knows they’re running out of time.
“Go, get yourself somewhere safe,” She tells him, watching the metaflux gather behind him. She draws out her firearms, channeling her Evol into them in preparation for a fight. “Leave the Wanderer’s to us.”
“Excuse me?” He scoffs, turning his head to peer over his shoulder. “This is my house.”
Before she can say anything, a bright crimson light has gathered in the palm of his hand, and he throws it at the meta-fluctuation still forming into a Wanderer behind him, making the strange light spread over the still materializing monster.
No, not light-- fire.
“You should be the ones hiding,” He throws over his shoulder. “Don’t even think of damaging my things.”
Before the Hunter can protest further, the Wanderer has materialized in the space-- a massive crab-like creature with a cluster of hardened protocores on its back.
The Charybdis Rex, she recalls.
“Rory,” Aveline calls immediately, pulling her guns from their holsters and brandishing them in front of her. The other Hunter doesn’t need to be told twice-- Aurora lunges forward without hesitation, her sword already poised to strike the Wanderer’s thick hide. As she approaches, it raises a claw to swipe at her, something the woman dodges deftly and counters with a swift strike to its hide.
A strike that barely scratches against the crystalline shell before glancing off.
Aurora retreats as it swings around to strike at her once more. Aveline raises her guns, firing off a few rounds that hit the Wanderer’s back, but it barely even seems to notice as it advances on her sister.
A red glimmer draws her attention to the side, and she catches Rafayel about to step into the fray. Aveline quickly stops him by throwing her arm across his chest.
“What are you doing?” He demands. “I just said--”
“You are a civilian,” Aveline states firmly. “We are trained Hunters-- let us do our job.”
The painter frowns at her, clearly unhappy with her order, but Aveline pays his pride little mind. It is her duty to protect the people of Linkon, no matter how much they get on her nerves. She cannot afford to let him get involved in a dangerous situation.
Aurora leaps within striking range once more, bringing her sword down against the Wanderer’s hide again and again with powerful strikes, but again and again, the blade bounces off the crystal with a sharp clang, only managing to scratch the surface of its shield.
“This is taking too long-- she’s barely doing any damage to it!” Rafayel points out irritably. Aveline frowns, but doesn't acknowledge his observation. She lifts her gun and fires three more rounds at the Wanderer. One manages to hit near its face-- or at least where she assumes it’s face is, and it turns towards her and the painter.
Something shifts then, and suddenly the Wanderer burrows into the floor, creating its own spacial tunnel out of metaflux and disappearing into it.
Shit.
“Huddle up!” Aveline orders, and Aurora follows the command, joining her and Rafayel. The Hunters flank the painter, turning their backs to him and keeping an eye on their surroundings, waiting for an ambush.
“Shouldn’t we team up? We can take it down if we work together.” Rafayel continues to argue with her, and Aveline feels her eye twitch.
“Not now!” She growls at him.
“Ava!”
The Wanderer appears from Aveline’s blindspot, giving her very little time to react as it approaches Rafayel from behind.
Luckily, Rory is faster. Her sword notches into the Wanderer’s outstretched claw, locking it in stalemate of pure force. Aveline takes the opportunity to push the painter back to a safe distance-- but her blood runs cold when she hears a cry of pain.
Turning to take in the scene once more, the Wanderer has used its other, larger claw to wrap around Aurora’s waist, squeezing her slowly.
The woman barely has time to call her sister's name before she feels a searing heat fly past her face. The Wanderer ignites in a crimson blaze, and it screeches as it releases Aurora and retreats in a panic. Aurora, too, leaps back from the blaze, knocking aside a few stray paint cans in her hurry and frantically patting at her sleeve which had ignited.
Aveline turns to see Rafayel, his hand still smoldering from the flame he summoned. He cocks an eyebrow in her direction, barely an instant of arrogant gloating, before he brandishes his dagger again.
He, for once, doesn’t say a word, but he made his point clearly enough. The Wanderer was intimidated by the painter's flame, if not hurt by it. They could use that to their advantage.
“Alright-- you win,” She tells him. “But you do exactly as I say, is that understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Rafayel agrees with a cocky little smirk.
“Rory!” Aveline calls to her sister, who is keeping the Wanderer busy for them. “Change of plan-- Rafayel is going to help us out!”
“You’re kidding me!” She exclaims, deflecting a claw attack from the wanderer that throws her back with a grunt. “The guy just lit me on fire!”
“It saved you, didn't it?” Rafayel fires back at her.
“Just do as I say-- trust me!” Aveline counters firmly. Aurora lets out a sharp huff, but doesn’t argue further. She would always trust her sister’s judgment, even if she didn’t trust the painters.
“Rafayel-- see if you can use your fire to create an opening for Aurora to attack. I’ll continue to offer support from here.”
Rafayel nods his understanding, and then lunges into the fray with a swift leap, striking with his dagger at the Wanderer’s flank and leaving a trail of crimson flame in its wake.
The Wanderer whirls on him, scrambling back from the heat of his fire and Aurora strikes while it’s distracted, landing a powerful blow to the place the flames still lick at its shell.
Aveline observes the battle keenly, noting how the Wanderer seems weakened by Rafayel’s fire. But it still wasn’t quite enough…
The Wanderer slams the ground in frustration, forcing both melee fighters to leap back to avoid it.
“Look at it, trying to act tough,” The painter jeers in amusement. Much to Aveline’s surprise, her sister offers her own amused scoff.
“Looks more like it’s throwing a fit to me,” She tells him.
“Don’t underestimate it,” Aveline admonishes them both. “It still has its protocore shield.”
In spite of their combined efforts, the shield had remained intact through their attacks. Aveline had almost hoped it might have at least cracked by now, but the shell of crystal remained stubbornly in place. They still needed something stronger to break through it.
“Screw its shield,” Aurora growls. “One welling blow is all I need to finish it off.”
Rory lunged forward, aiming another strike at its hide. Aveline huffed, not truly concerned by her sister's impatience. The painter seemed to agree with her sister, extending his hand to throw more fire at it. Except, this time, his aim was slightly off, and her sister was on a collision course for the flame.
For one heartstopping moment, she feared the fire might hurt more than just the wanderer. But then she saw it-- the fire made contact with the hunter's sword, getting drawn into the blade the way it was designed to absorb evol. Aurora struck the Wanderer, and in a burst of crimson, the crystal cracked under the attack.
The shield had been damaged, and the Wanderer shrieked in panic.
“Ha!” Aurora exclaimed triumphantly. “Not so tough now, are you?”
As if in a agreement, a ripple of metaflux bottomed out Aveline’s stomach, and she saw a portal manifest behind the Wanderer.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Aveline exclaimed, rushing forward and firing her bullets at the Wanderer, keeping it from retreating into it’s protofield. Now that the shield was weakened, her bullets seemed to be more effective as it used it’s claws to protect itself from her onslaught. Once she was close enough, she gave it a swift, hard kick, forcing it away from the unstable fluctuations as much as she could.
It chittered aggravatingly, snapping it’s claws at her in response. She brandished her guns threateningly.
“Rafayel!” She called, staring down the Wanderer. “On my mark, I want you to--”
Before she could finish, the Wanderer lashed out at her in a frenzy. She tried to retreat away from it’s blows, but she was too slow-- one of her guns got caught in it’s pincer, and with a deafening crunch, the weapon crumbled into shards of metal and plastic, the protocore inside breaking and dissolving into metaflux.
Ava raised her other gun, firing a few bullets in the hope of making the monster back off. It rushed her again instead.
What happened next was a blur of movement. All she recalled was that she was on the ground, thrown to the side, and her sister was standing before the wanderer, then getting thrown into the far wall and crumpling to the floor in a dead heap.
Rage overtook Aveline’s reason. She ignored Rafayel’s concern as he knelt at her side, brushing him off and raising her gun. Bullet after bullet hit the Wanderer’s weakened hide. She didn’t notice the way it retreated away from her now. She barely even noticed when the gun in her hand started clicking from an empty clip. Not until the Wanderer vanished into the very protofield she was trying to keep it from retreating into.
Part of her wanted to go after it, but a stronger instinct pulled her attention away to the way her sister lay in a heap at the far end of the room. Aveline dropped her empty gun, rushing over to Aurora’s side.
“Rory?” She called, shaking her sisters shoulder. The other woman barely stirred, a small trickle of blood rolling over her forehead. That wasn’t a good sign.
“She’s still breathing,” Rafayel points out behind her. “That’s something, at least.”
Aveline could barely agree. Who knew how hard she had hit her head? What about her heart? Had the impact shifted the protocore shards at all? It was hard to tell anything with her unconscious like this.
“Ava,” Rafayel called. “The Wanderer is gonna get away.”
Part of Aveline wanted to say fuck the wanderer-- her sister needed help. But another part wanted to kill the thing that hurt her baby sister. The Fabel’s had all sworn they would never run from another monster, and this one had done the unforgivable of hurting someone she loved. She was the oldest-- it was her job to keep the others safe, and she had failed. The least she could do was kill the thing that hurt her.
Aveline pulled up her watch, sending out an emergency SOS so help would come for her wounded sister. Then she cast her eyes to the ground, scanning for Aurora's discarded sword.
Protocol dictates a hunter should never enter a Protofield alone-- but Aveline had already decided to forget Protocol. What she needed now was a weapon to kill the damn thing before it got away.
After spotting the long, white blade, Aveline picked it up and marched straight for the shimmering portal that would take her into the Wanderer’s protofield.
Hello! I'm back and I have motivation to write again! Sorry for vanishing for a while, my hyperfixations had to go through their yearly cycle apparently. I have ideas for keeping up with this fic though-- I really want to explore this story with you all!
Just as a hello, El and I even put together some new visuals going forward! Just so you don't have to go back to the Prologue to see them all, I've put all the previous banners up to this update in this post for you to see! I hope this will spruce things up a bit going forward.
In order, I have a General banner (for the Master List), My Prologue Banner, To Begin, and The First Mission. I'm having lots of fun playing with these for future sections, so look forward to some unique looks!
Thank you all who have stuck with me so far and not given up on me! I hope to explore this story with you all more! I'll have Chapter 11 out soon.
Sucks when I wanna like share an idea or little drabble thought or smth about the Characters but I just can't fucking think. But I wanna talk with y'all so bad 😭
Ooooooooh, I couldn't have put it better myself. If only I could share the little scene snippets I write for future things (instead of writing the actual current chapters. My hyperfixation has officially abandoned me 😭), because I know ya'll would melt.
Good grief, I know I'm super late with the next update. I don't know what to tell you guys. I'm trying to make my brain do the thing, I swear, but it just won't! 😭
If it doesn't kick into gear by this coming Tuesday, I may need to take a impromptu hiatus. 😖
Man, I was really enjoying writing this one too...
Summary: Aveline and Aurora arrange a surprise meeting with the artist of the painting.
Cross-posted on AO3 and Quotev
Word Count: 3.6k
a/n: I stayed up way too late editing this, so forgive me if there are typos and stuff.
Master List
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Seated in Thomas’s office, Aveline had let Aurora explain her experience at Mr. Raymond's mansion to the gallery manager, even going so far as to admit she thought the Wanderer may have been hiding inside the painting itself. Upon hearing this, Thomas’s face had gone pale, but he retained a professional composure.
“Are you suggesting Rafayel might have messed with his own painting?” He asks.
“Whether deliberate or accidental, it doesn’t matter,” Aurora tells him.
“If a Wanderer really was in one of Rafayel’s paintings, then they could be in any of them-- His studio, your gallery, and Rafayel himself could all be in danger,” Aveline explains calmly.
“Is there anything at all you can tell us?” Aurora finishes for her sister. The two hunters watch as Thomas rubs his expensive cufflinks, hesitating over their question. It takes a while before he finally decides to speak.
“Mr. Raymond is a renowned art collector famous for his discerning taste. He graced Flux Arts with his presence last month,” Thomas begins, and Aveline listens intently. “Despite the gallery being filled with better paintings, he was utterly smitten with that one.”
Aveline had to fight the frown that tried to pull at her mouth. ‘Better’ was a matter of opinion-- the painting currently sitting at HQ was a gorgeous blend of colors, and the projection she saw in the gallery had quite literally stolen her breath not fifteen minutes ago. It bothered her that he could be so dismissive of the piece, but she didn’t have the luxury to argue with the man over semantics.
“He needed to buy it,” Thomas explained. “Had to nag Rafayel before he finally agreed to sell it.” Aurora hummed thoughtfully beside Aveline, and when she looked over, she saw her sister wasn’t looking at Thomas at all right then.
“During the process of arranging, displaying, and selling the painting, more than a dozen people have been in contact with it. Up until now, no one mentioned anything about a Wanderer.” Thomas finishes his explanation, and even Aveline has to admit it comes across as slightly absurd when put that way.
“But,” Aurora begins, her attention back on the gallery manager. “What if the painting could alter a person's mental state and even induce a hallucination?”
Aveline blinks, surprised by this question. A hallucination? She hadn’t said anything about that in her report. A lengthy silence stretches across several moments, but then Thomas bursts into a fit of laughter.
“What a compliment!” He takes a deep breath to calm his outburst, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “Making people literally go crazy over artwork isn’t something many artists can pull off these days.”
“Are you saying he’s trying to cause drama to increase the value of his work?” Aveline asks her sister. Aurora frowns, but doesn’t answer, and Aveline only grows more concerned. Thomas proceeds to clear his throat.
“I wish,” He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “If Rafayel cared about that stuff, my job would be much easier. You’ll understand once you meet him.” Then the man rubs his chin thoughtfully.
“Now that I think about it, he did mention something a while back. Said he often heard strange noises in the studio late at night.” Thomas lets out a weary sigh. “Honestly, I thought he was trying to trick me. He’s always coming up with excuses. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays-- he’s sick. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays-- a Wanderer showed up…”
“Sounds like a handful,” Aveline offers sympathetically as Aurora stands from her chair and begins circling behind Aveline slowly.
“He is.” He nods his head. “I do not envy the task ahead of you.” Then he looks up at the Hunter. “But if there really is a Wanderer in his studio, that’d be a first. If you could check for me, it’d be a relief. And if it turns out to be a false alarm, well-- I’d love to see what excuse he’ll try to cook up next.”
Aveline shakes her head, remembering many nights trying to coax her younger sisters into doing their schoolwork in the past. It sounds like Rafayel isn’t so different from a child in that respect.
Speaking of her little sisters, Aveline notices Aurora has taken position in front of a display case by the wall behind Thomas, her back turned to the other occupants of the office.
“Rory?” Aveline calls, standing from her chair to join her partner. Thomas turns to look over his shoulder. “What are you looking at?”
Aurora doesn’t answer her sister, and Aveline tries calling her again with the same concerning result. Walking up to the display case beside her sister, Aveline sees an assortment of colorful stones inside.
“Oh, I see the Coral stones have caught your eye,” Thomas observes. “Rafayel uses them to make his paint.”
Aveline creases her brow as she looks between her sister and the coral, wondering what’s happening.
“Do you see it?” Aurora asked in a hushed tone. Aveline blinks, then turns to the coral again. They’re a bright, vibrant red, almost like blood. They’re certainly eye catching, and pretty, but other than that--
That’s when she sees it. A faint quiver in the light around the coral, a shimmer like a string being plucked. The coral stones are giving off faint Meta-fluctuations.
“May I?” She asks over her shoulder to Thomas, lifting her hand and hovering it over the stone.
“Please, be my guest,” He says, gesturing to the stones. Aveline picks it up and brings it up to her face, examining it closely. It’s such a low level of Metaflux, it would hardly be extraordinary in any other situation.
“This is the source,” Aurora tells her, and Aveline raises her eyes to meet hers. The Amber of her irises burn with confidence. “I’m sure of it.”
Aveline nods her understanding.
“You said he makes his paint from these?” She asks Thomas, which the gallery manager confirms. “Would you mind if we took this with us when we go to see Rafayel?”
“Sure,” Thomas agrees, clearly curious but unwilling to pry. Smart man. “Let me show you where you’ll be going.”
Aveline follows as he walks over to the French window. Outside, she can see the Linkon Skyline with beautiful blue skies as far as the eye can see. Thomas points to a gorgeous ivory structure that extends toward the sea in the distance.
“That giant white building is where you’ll find him-- over on--”
“Whitesand Bay,” Aveline says, laughing to herself. And to think, that’s where she suggested he go to admire the ocean views.
“He’s a pretty forgetful person, and often doesn’t lock his door. You should be able to just walk right in.” Thomas shakes his head wearily. “While you're there, could you tell him to hurry up on that painting he’s working on? It’s already been sold to someone.”
“We’ll see what we can do,” Aveline tells him. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Reede.”
Aveline holds the door open for Aurora to exit the office with her, and the two hunters make their way out of the gallery in silence.
Aveline fiddled with the coral stone in her hand for a moment, thinking about their meeting with Thomas. They’d gotten a bit of valuable information, at least, and a meeting. But then Aurora had mentioned hallucinations, and suggested it was because of that painting…
Aveline is closely watching her sister while they ride the elevator down. Aurora was watching the floor numbers gradually tick down with a certain level of impatience.
Aveline takes a deep breath, then tucks the coral stone into her hip pouch and prepares to bring up her concerns.
“So,” She begins. “A painting that causes hallucinations?” Aveline might have missed the way her sister immediately tensed if it weren’t for how closely she was watching her.
“Uh,” Aurora stammers. “Yeah. Who would have thought?” She laughs unconvincingly before going quiet again. Aveline waits for her to say more, but a long silence is all that greets her.
“Are we gonna talk about it?” She breaks the silence with her query.
“About what?” She asks in such an unbothered tone it’s almost convincing. Almost.
“You know what,” Aveline says flatly. “You told me you had a premonition back at Mr. Raymond’s house, yet you failed to mention anything about a hallucination.”
Aurora hesitates, and Aveline creases her brow at her sister's reluctance.
“The butler was talking about it,” She tells her, not meeting her sister's eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. “Sometimes, Mr. Raymond would go into a dissociative state and… talk about being in the ocean.”
Aveline narrowed her eyes, noting the nervous shifting and the awkward stance that Aurora had taken. Her gaze was stuck fast to the floor numbers, and she could see her jaw tensing and relaxing reflexively.
Aurora continues to avoid her gaze and waits for the elevator to finish its descent to the ground floor. Aveline waited for Aurora to correct herself-- change her mind about her answer. But when they neared the ground floor, and she stayed stubbornly silent, Aveline knew she wouldn’t do anything of the sort.
Aveline feels herself grinding her teeth. She turned to the door as the elevator slowed down.
“Since when did we start lying to each other?” She doesn’t mean it as a question, and Aurora doesn’t get a chance to respond before the doors are opening and Aveline marches out ahead.
She knew it seemed silly to be so hurt by Aurora’s silence, but after Grandma took them all in, Aveline and Aurora had been each other's confidants all through the years. They were the closest in age, with only three months between them, and shared everything, from a bedroom to secrets and dreams. It had never even occurred to her to try and hide anything from the tawny skinned woman. But now she was beginning to think that sentiment was not shared.
“Ava!” Aveline heard Aurora calling, but she didn’t slow her pace until she was outside and calling their ride. “Ava, come on-- you know it’s not--”
“Did you really have a premonition? Or were you just hiding the fact you’d had a hallucination?” Aveline knows it’s not a fair question-- she knows Aurora would never lie about her visions. She didn’t even really know why she was saying it, and she regretted it as soon as the look of hurt flashed across her sister's face, quickly masked by a dark anger.
“You know me better than that,” She says in a low voice. “I don’t need to tell you everything that happens to me. But you know damn well I will tell you the important parts.”
“A hallucination-inducing painting that spawned a Wanderer didn’t seem like something I needed to know?” Aveline counters as their car rolls up.
“Not as much as the fact that it triggered my Evol, no.”
“And there was no way you could have informed me of both occurrences, I suppose,” The sarcasm was positively dripping from Aveline’s voice before she gets into the car and puts it into manual control while she waits for her sister to follow.
They’re driving through the city in a tense silence, making their way towards the bay, by the time Aurora decides to speak.
“I couldn’t tell the difference,” She says. Aveline glances at her out of the corner of her eye-- she’s leaning against the car window and looking out at the passing scenery with an unsettled frown on her face. “When the hallucination hit, another premonition did too. They were… tangled together until I couldn’t tell which was which.” Aurora sighs heavily, but Aveline continues to watch the road as she processes that information.
Aurora had included her premonition in the report, of course-- both of them. But now that Aveline thought about it, she doesn’t recall Aurora actually explaining her second premonition-- just that she’d had one, and it was of something that was still yet to happen. They’d had plenty of evidence to follow a trail, so it hadn’t seemed important at the time. She assumed it would come into play eventually.
“Then, how do you know it was a--”
“I just do,” Aurora snapped. Aveline snapped her teeth together, feeling on edge from Aurora’s defensive tone.
Aurora sees the expression on her sister's face, and lets out a weary sigh.
“Giselle had doubts about it too,” She admits softly. “It was… unlike any other premonition I’d had. And the fact it was tangled with whatever vision that painting gave me…”
Aveline glances at her through the corner of her eye, her shoulders relaxing as she finally understands what her sister was trying to say.
“That’s why you didn’t say anything,” She sighs. “You didn’t want to put the validity of your premonition into question.”
Aurora’s silence is all the answer she needs. Aveline shakes her head.
“Gigi should know better than to doubt your instincts,” The eldest Fabel sighs. “I’ll have a talk with her when we get back.”
“No,” Aurora is quick to deny her sister. “She was right to ask. I’m actually proud she did-- as a hunter, questioning every piece of information is a good habit to have.”
“But she also needs to trust her partner,” Aveline argues.
“That doesn’t mean blindly following orders-- you know that.”
Aveline holds her silence at this, ceding Aurora’s point. The silence stretches between them again, and Aveline finds herself wanting to ask about Aurora’s second premonition. The opportunity passes, however, as they pull up beside their destination and wordlessly get out of the car.
The building in front of them was just as grand up close as it had been from a distance. It was a grand, white building with wide windows and a glass dome over one of the wings. There was a lush garden with a red stone walkway behind the front gate that led to the arched entrance of the main building. A thick stone wall bent around the gate, with the words “Mo Art Studio” carved into the front.
It was a very big house, but Aveline noticed it seemed… strangely empty.
“This is the place, right?” Aurora seemed to have the same inclination as they approached the gate.
Rather than answer, Aveline reached forward and gave the gate a gentle push. It immediately swung open under her touch, making her frown. She supposed Thomas was right-- this artist seemed like a uniquely careless person if he just left his gates unlocked like this.
Following the winding path to the front door, they found just as little resistance when opening the front door.
The foyer was silent as they walked in, their steps echoing around the wide space.
“Hello?” Aveline calls out. There’s only silence in response.
“Maybe he isn’t home,” Aurora suggests. “Should we wait?”
“Let’s have a look around,” Aveline replies. “Make sure there aren’t any Wanderer’s to worry about.”
“Won’t he be upset if we just poke around his stuff?” Aurora says, raising a brow.
“If he didn’t want anyone poking around, then he should have locked his door,” Aveline counters, making her sister snort in amusement.
“You sound like a burglar,” She says lightly, and Aveline has to suppress a laugh.
The Hunters take a walk through the mansion, Aveline’s watch scanning for abnormal fluctuations while Aurora keeps an eye out for anything familiar. They aren’t looking for very long when Aveline’s watch signals a holographic alert.
“Energy traces,” Aurora observes when her sister stops. Aveline looks around, trying to identify the source. She stops when she’s standing in front of a set of double doors, a bright light shining through the crack in the door.
“I think it’s coming from here,” She says before turning off the watch's display. Quietly, she reaches for the handles and pushes the door open.
Sunlight spills into the hall from the ceiling height windows across the way. Soft white curtains flutter in the breeze. The room is messy. There’s a lamp standing beside a cluttered pile of books on the floor, a yellow couch with a blanket draped across the seats, empty canvases leaning against the wall, and she sees a couple of wilted roses on the ground, their petals scattered around.
Aveline steps further into the room, Aurora trailing behind her. As the Lieutenant looks to the left, she sees more petals trailing across the ground, more vases, some with flowers and some without, littered all around. The ground by the wall was drenched in blue paint, and sitting in front of a massive canvas was a ladder. A man was perched precariously on top of it, with a palette in one hand and a brush in the other.
His back was to the door, and Aveline watched him for a moment while he mixed paint on his palette. He was so focussed on his work, not a single sign of any disturbance. He traces a line of blue that curves around in a hypnotic pattern, then pulls his brush back and seems to consider the canvas carefully. Mixing more paint onto his brush, he lifts it once more and, with a swift precision, swipes it across the canvas, then spreads the color to blend in with the rest of the textures around it. She sees the corner of his mouth turn up, clearly satisfied, and Aveline can’t describe how the sight of it leaves her in awe.
She feels a sharp jab in her ribs, and startles, looking over her shoulder. Aurora raises an inquisitive brow, and Aveline shakes her head, demystifying herself.
Turning back towards the artist, she approaches him calmly. She’s about to clear her throat in the hopes of not startling him when something clatters at her feet-- a bucket of brushes, she realizes with a curse.
“Who’s there?” His voice is surprisingly hard, and she looks up, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. “The studio is closed,” He says, then she catches his expression shift into one of surprise. “Hang on, aren’t you the Hunter from the other day? What’re you--”
But whatever he’s about to ask is cut off as he shifts on his perch. The motion turned out to be a bit too much, and the ladder pitched underneath him. Before she knows it, he’s calling out for her to move as he falls-- right on top of her.
One moment, she’s standing, and the next she’s breathing heavily with a solid weight pressing down on her as her eyes peel themselves open.
And there he is, pushing himself off of her and onto his hands until his face hovers right above hers. She can see the way his lashes flutter as he raises his eyes to her face, flushes when she sees the way his shirt opens over his clavicle-- this man was undeniably beautiful.
He seems as lost for words and she is, and for a brief moment they can only stare at each other.
“You…” She tries to break through whatever has come over her, fighting the flush of heat that seems to shoot from her head down to her toes. What was happening to her?
Before she can dwell on it too long, she hears Aurora call out to her. In a flash, the man is pushed off of her and pinned to the floor, Aurora twisting his arm behind his back.
“Ow ow ow ow ow!” The man cries out plaintively while Aveline pushes herself into an upright position. “Let go! Let go of me!” He taps frantically on the floor with his other hand like he’s in a wrestling match.
“Rory, stand down,” Aveline says, and it’s only then that Aurora releases the poor man. He lets out a sigh of relief. Aurora helps Aveline to her feet.
“Are you alright?” She asks, checking the woman for injuries. Aveline has to push her back in order to reassure her.
“I’m fine, just a bit startled.” Aveline turns and approaches the stranger. “Apologies, you caught us off guard,” She says, holding out a hand for the man to take. He peers up at her, his eyes glancing between her face and her hand. Ultimately, he decides to push himself to his feet.
“That makes two of us,” He grumbles, rolling his tender shoulder and wincing. To Aurora he says. “You’re really strong. I thought you were gonna rip my arm off.”
Aurora grimaces. “Sorry, it was a reflex,” She says. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“No. This woman here did a pretty good job of breaking my fall.” He gestures back to Aveline, his eyes catching hers.
“Don’t give me too much credit,” She says, her cheeks warming as she glances away. “All I did was stand there.” Then she clears her throat before meeting his gaze again “You are Rafayel, yes?” Aveline asks.
“Yeah, that’s me,” He replies. “And you two are…?”
“I’m Lieutenant Aveline Fabel, and this is my partner, Aurora,” She says, gesturing to each of them in turn. “We’re here on behalf of the Hunter’s Association. Could you spare us a few minutes to answer some questions?”
Rafayel looks between the women, his gaze lingering on Aveline, sweeping up and down her form, and she fights the urge to shift her feet.
“I’m kinda in the middle of something,” He says, gesturing to the toppled ladder and the large canvas leaning against the wall.
“It won’t take much time,” She assures him. “And it’s important. Just a few minutes,” She asks again. He seems to hesitate, wary of their unannounced presence in his home, and Aveline tries not to dwell on it too much.
“Have a seat over there,” He finally agrees. “I’ll get you both some tea.”
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Master List
a/n: Thank you for reading! Please leave a like, comment, and feel free to reblog! The Taglist is still open, so lmk if you want to be added and receive updates for this fic.
Hihi! I saw u tag me for the hunters association ask game!
unicorns girls go go go!: who's your favorite side character?
tete-a-tete: which LI are you most similar to? which one are you most different from?
Destiny's Answer (Author):
Ooh! Both great picks.
My favorite side character is probably Tara. I just love her bubbly personality, I can't help it! A close runner up is Yvonne-- she definitely ships MC with Zayne, and I love her for that. 🤣
(Edit: I completely forgot about Luke and Kieran, noooooo! I swear I love them, my brain just sucks.)
The LI I'm most similar to is Rafayel, 100%. Not only are we both creatives that dabble in everything, as well as strong swimmers (wink wink), but we also both have some deep insecurities to work through. Funny enough, he's also my least favorite LI because I see so many of my own flaws in him. Love him as a character! I just know that, if he and I ever met face to face, I would not get along with him unless he and I were allied in a common cause (ie, keeping my best friend/his girlfriend happy).
The one I'm least similar to... this one's harder to answer. It's between Xavier and Sylus, but I think ultimately it's Sylus. He's just so suave, confident, brutal, uncaring of others opinions-- and I am not those things. At least not in the same ways, and not so completely as him. Part of the reason I admire him so much.
El's Answer (Editor):
Ohhh ok I think my favorite side characters have to be Luke and Kireran. I just think they’re so goofy and entertaining. Love me some henchmen hahaha.
Honestly it took me a second to think about which LI I’m most similar to? I want to say Caleb (minus his unhealthy obsessions). I’m pretty goofy, I love to tease, I’m a bit of a flirt (intentional or unintentional) so I think it falls fairly in line with Caleb’s character.
The LI I’m least similar to is definitely Zayne. I am not cool, calm, calculated, or collected in any understanding of the words. I react on my every whim and am the most impulsive person I know. Could not be me nuh uh.
