"Well of course I'll accept," Leila said to Mrs. Snow after a lengthy conversation in the car. Mrs. Snow had just offered Leila the same deal she offered Edward when they first met. She would help Mrs. Snow combat the impending mania and Mrs. Snow would do her best to protect Leila's friends and family. Truthfully, there was no reason to refuse— unless you didn't like Mrs. Snow, but that didn't apply to Leila.
"Good. I'll get Doctor Monroe to oversee your tests— it'll help us understand the exact effect stat points will have on you. Afterward, I'll get you an apartment on the same floor as Edward, considering how close you are," Mrs. Snow smiled.
"Ikarus wants to see you, too," Edward smiled. Leila turned to him, surprised, "He was practically begging to come with us when I left tonight."
"Ikarus? I thought Ikarus was your companion in the game. He can cross over to Earth?" Leila asked, full of excitement. As she saw Edward nod, her expression lit up once more, "Oh! That's wonderful! I can't wait to see him."
"If you have any other friends you'd like to invite, feel free to tell me about them," Mrs. Snow said, "Even if they're only Profession Origin users. They may be able to upgrade their Origin to a Kinetic Origin if they check the right boxes."
"Two of our members have already become Kinetics," Edward told Mrs. Snow, "I'll tell them about your offer, but I'd have to talk to one of them first. He's still not aware of the ascension Avalon causes."
"He's not?" Mrs. Snow said, surprised. Edward shook his head.
"His main stat is luck, so his physical body isn't that affected. If he finds himself in a fight, he'll know, but there isn't any other reason for him to find out," Edward explained, "He's at college now, though, so I can't talk to him unless we make our way to his university."
"What about the other one?"
"A good friend of mine. He's already aware of my ascension and just managed to upgrade his Origin today. I'll tell him about your offer when I see him next," Edward told her. By now, the car stopped. When the door opened, revealing the private plane waiting on the tarmac, Leila was instantly impressed.
"A private plane? This is the first time I've seen one!" She smiled. The pilot smiled as he saw Mrs. Snow exit the car and stepped forward to meet with her.
"The plane has been refueled, Mrs. Snow. I assume we're heading back, now?" The pilot asked. He didn't spare a glance to Edward or Leila. Mrs. Snow nodded. After the group climbed into the plane, Leila gasped in awe as her eyes looked at the plane's interior.
"Amazing!" She muttered. Mrs. Snow stepped closer to the alcohol bucket before turning back to Leila.
"How old are you, Leila?" She asked. Leila turned to look at Mrs. Snow, curious, before she noticed the drinks.
"Twenty-two," She replied. She turned to Edward and smiled, "Nearly have my bachelor's degree, too."
"I only managed to get my associates," Edward replied as he sat down. Leila sat opposite him as she shook her head to Mrs. Snow's offer for refreshments. Mrs. Snow sat in the same spot she did on the way there before turning to Leila.
"So, Leila, how much do you know of Blood Origins?"
Over the entire flight back, Mrs. Snow explained everything she knew about Origins to Leila. She began with the story about the experiment in Sweden before moving on to the Stranger. Leila nodded along, believing everything Mrs. Snow said without question. Considering Leila's body had already gone through ascension, the woman didn't have any problem believing Avalon was a parallel world rather than a video game.
Then, when she told Leila about the other Blood Origin players, Leila's eyes widened.
"I haven't heard about any of the other ones, but I think I know the Glitch," She said. Edward turned to Leila, surprised, before Leila explained herself, "She posted a bunch of tips on the forums. Remember the one explaining the differences between the starter cities? That was her. Nobody knows how she's been teleporting between cities so often. She's been claiming her friends donated teleportation funds to help her explore, but I don't buy it."
"I remember that post," Edward smiled. That exact post was what allowed him to reach Pathe so easily. He talked to the original poster of the post a few times, but his memory of the event had already passed out of his memory. Without her help, though, he might've still been wandering in the wilderness as he made his way to the next town.
"She's helped me a lot, to the point where I have her account friended on the forum page. I could talk to her, explain that you want to meet her," Leila smiled as she looked at Mrs. Snow, "I'm sure she would be amicable to the idea."
"Please do, Leila," Mrs. Snow smiled.
"Still, I had no idea she was so powerful," Leila smiled, "If she can copy abilities, she might be able to go up against anybody."
"Do you think she could stand a chance against Clockwork?" Edward asked as he looked at Mrs. Snow. The woman narrowed her eyes as she began to consider the possibility.
"Clockwork's invincibility comes from his ability to stop time. If she could copy it? Maybe, but the MP cost might only allow her to stop time for a few seconds. If she can't kill him within those few seconds, Clockwork would destroy her."
"Such an overpowered ability makes him a wild card," Mrs. Snow said. She turned to Leila, "If you can, try to avoid him. If he thinks you are a threat, he may end you before you even realize what happened."
"I will, Mrs. Snow," Leila nodded.