--Rina Darkling--
"You need to focus," I said tiredly.
Vanessa, I could tell, was getting frustrated. Which wasn't at all surprising.
"Don't forget to breathe. Let your breathing focus the arrow to where you need it to go." I tensed at hearing Dorian's voice.
Even years after our forbidden coupling, he still made my heart thrum in my chest. A feeling that I squeezed down more and more every time we came together to train Vanessa. We weren't important, but she was. That and protecting her from the would-be King Raphael.
Dorian had been quieter today than I had ever remembered him being, and that was including all the times he had avoided speaking to me. Dorian leaned against a wall, observing the lesson. His arms were crossed the muscles within them rippling like water.
He avoided my gaze his eyes on Vanessa who took another shot and missed by several inches. Again. Vanessa groaned muttering darkly as she leaned behind her lifting another arrow from the container at her back. I moved behind her and corrected her stance, "Inhale, and when you exhale. The exact moment you exhale then shoot." I said backing away from Vanessa and watching as she breathed deeply and then shot her arrow.
While it wasn't a perfect mark it wasn't a miss. "I did it," Vanessa said her eyes widening in surprise.
"Well mostly," I said sniggering a little. "Why don't you take a break? We can work some more tomorrow. I know you have a shift today." I said.
"Thanks, Lauri," Vanessa said.
"Rina. Call me my earth name please." I said scowling.
Vanessa walked over to the target pulling out the arrows and putting them back in her holder.
"Why Archery?" Dorian asked quietly. I turned surprised to see him standing much closer to me than I had originally thought. "The archery is a way for her to focus. She needs to be able to focus and control her powers, rather than let them control her like I did when I was first learning my own magic." I said looking at Dorian who crossed his arms scowling.
"You were taken from everything you had known only to be kidnapped again by someone even more horrible. You didn't really have a choice." Dorian pointed out.
"But Vanessa does," I said.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Dorian said sharply turning and walking off.
"He's been like that all day," Vanessa said as she approached me. "Withdrawn. He's usually more cheerful." She said narrowing her eyes.
"Don't worry about it. He'll talk to you when he's ready." I said smiling. I had never imagined Dorian having a friend, much less one as kind as Vanessa. Especially since their friendship had initially started as Dorian keeping a watch on her at the behest of his masters. But he had no master now.
"I know he will," Vanessa said."See you tomorrow, Sensei." She said putting her arms around me.
I smiled down at her patting her back. "Good day, Padawan," I said making her laugh at the Star Wars reference.
I sat down on the floor crossing my legs and closing my eyes. I'd started doing meditation not long after my powers had returned. Since they returned they'd been as erratic as they always have been. Centering my mind helped me greatly in achieving the control I was currently training Vanessa to do.
I breathed deeply once, taking in all the sounds that surrounded me, and as I listened I heard my front door open. I frowned my eyes still closed. I wasn't expecting anyone else for the rest of the day. I heard the person walk past the front office and heard the telltale sound of the floorboard in my dance area squeak as the person walked over it. I opened one eye and was surprised to see a familiar face. Dark hair laced with gold, a fandom shirt declaring her Hogwarts house (Hufflepuff), and faded jeans and tattered converse made the unmistakable look of Aria Summer.
"Aria, what are you doing here?" I asked opening both eyes and leaning forward. Aria Summer had been one of my son's best friends since they were three. Aria had grown up to be headstrong, fierce, she'd spent many a day at my house with my son doing homework, playing video games, and even just reading inside my apothecary while Seth and I worked.
She was basically family. This is why I had been so very grateful that she hadn't been around the day Seth had died. Or she might've joined him. "I'm here Ms. Drake because you and Seth just disappeared. I waited for months for you both but you never did. So I came to find you both." Aria said her violet eyes burning into mine. I gulped as I realized that she didn't know and I was going to have to tell her.
"Aria you shouldn't have come. You should've stayed in Alexandria. Your parents.." I said trailing off when Aria looked like she was about to cry.
"My parents are dead," Aria said tears rolling down her cheeks. "There was an accident, a fire. They are dead, and the only other people I call family are you and Seth." She said her eyes searching. My body turned cold at her words, as I remembered losing my own family to a different kind of fire.
"Where is he? Where is Seth?" she asked her voice sounding desperate.
I swallowed, my own eyes filling with tears. "He's dead, Aria," I said tears rolling down my cheeks. "Seth is gone. I held him as he took his last breath. We were attacked in our own home. It's why I left. My only family is here, my friends are here. I'm so sorry Aria." I said watching as Aria shook her head with disbelief.
"No. No. NO!" She screamed as she burst into tears running out of the studio.
"Aria wait!" I said grabbing my jacket as I chased after her. I ran out to the street and watched Aria run deeper into Bourbon St.
I started to walk when I saw a glint of someone in the window opposite mine. Reflected in the shining glass window stood my son Seth. Exactly how I had seen him before Raphael had stabbed him through the heart. I whipped around but there was no one there.
--Hunter's Bar--
"Should I be worried that you are day drinking?" My brother Terry Darkling asked me for the second time since I'd been in the bar.
I scowled. "It's only day drinking if it's in the morning brother dearest," I said pointedly. "And unless you want a punch in the face, I suggest you mind your own business," I said narrowing my eyes at him.
He shook his head but left to tend to other customers at the bar. I growled into my glass ignoring the other people at the bar. Technically it was two hours before happy hour, so I wasn't wrong about it not being Day drinking. But everyone was a critic.
Between Aria appearing and then disappearing and thinking I saw Seth, I needed some mind-numbing alcohol. I waited until Terry left before I leaned forward and grabbed the bottle of Tequila and poured myself another shot.
"Don't make me cut you off, Rina," Damien said as he walked up from behind me.
"Don't be boring," I said scowling at him as he moved behind the bar.
"You forget that I know what you are," Damien said pointedly. "We really don't need a lushy Demon princess that we are going to have to fight off to protect the humans," Damien said.
"You forget I'm half-human," I said quietly. "And neither version is a lightweight," I said pointedly.
Damien stifled a smile. He knew I had a point. "Here you are." I turned surprised to see Cassie. I got up immediately at seeing her.
"Cassie! It's so good to see you!" I said happily. "Yeah. That's not going to last. I need your help." She said, sighing.
"Of course," I said without hesitation.
"We also need Dorian." She said.
We heard a crash of glass from in front of us. We both turned to see Terry looking straight at Cassie flabbergasted. "CASSIE?" He said shock lacing his voice.
Cassie scowled. "I suppose we're going to have to include your half-wit brother, aren't we?"