~
After the night's work, Riya and Rick said their goodbyes to Mr Andrew and walked out of the pub. Riya stood in front of the pub looking up at the night sky.
"It's a starry night Rick." She said smiling.
"Yeah." Rick replied.
"Long day?" She asked as she turned to look at him.
"I'm just worried about what we discussed earlier today, you heard what Voleth Meir said, aren't you scared?."
"I am, but I have to regain my memories before we're all toast." She said and then sighed softly.
"Yeah right." He replied.
"Let's go?" She asked as she flagged down a taxi.
They both walked towards the taxi and both got in the back.
"Russell's." Rick said.
The drive was quiet, as both parties obviously had a lot on their minds. Riya looked at the lit up sidewalks as they drove along the road.
"Pretty." She whispered.
They finally got to their destination and the taxi stopped. Rick paid the taxi and they walked to the front porch where Elijah and Voleth Meir were sitting, obviously waiting for them.
"You're finally back." Elijah said irritably
"Elijah." Voleth Meir whispered, nudging him.
"You said I should take the whole day to myself to reflect and rest." Riya said with amusement in her eyes.
"You sure know when to be obedient." He muttered.
"Ohhh my Elijah, did you miss me?." Riya said, irking him.
"You wish." He scoffed and walked into the house.
Voleth Meir burst out into fits of laughter with Riya and Rick following suit. She stood up and came to hug Riya.
"Welcome Hun.". She said smiling.
"And don't mind him, he's usually cute sometimes." She added.
"Really cute." Riya replied still laughing.
"Thank you." She said as she hugged Voleth Meir back.
They both smiled and walked into the house with Rick following closely behind them.
That night, they all ate and laughed like nothing in the world was wrong, except Elijah who just kept checking for something off outside the house.
Voleth Meir left the others at the table carrying a tray containing a glass of juice and pasta, and went to stand close to him at the living room window overlooking the street. She took his hand and led him to the sofa close by. She gave him the tray and sat down beside him with reasonable distance.
"You should learn to free your soul Elijah." She said softly
"Even in war, where there's loss and tears and blood, soldiers can still recount good memories to you even in those horrid times, the times they smiled together, the times they ate and danced together like death wasn't at their doorsteps." She added.
"We should learn to grasp those happy moments as they come, move on far from the past and embrace a new beginning where there's hope and redemption for our past mistakes." She said, patting his shoulder lightly.
"I can never be happy, I shouldn't ever." He said quietly.
"I really hope to witness the day you forgive yourself Elijah." She replied, still patting his shoulders.
Watching the two closely from the dining table, Riya and Rick continued to eat quietly.
"Those two got history."Rick said, breaking the silence.
"Definitely." Riya said.
"So someone can actually be his friend." Rick asked amused.
"Ohh be nice Rick." Riya said, laughing softly.
"Let's go join them." She added.
Riya and Rick took their food and went to join them in the living room, also bringing some for Voleth Meir too. They joined them and sat down as they ate and watched a show on TV while Elijah kept complaining repeatedly and asking them why they bothered watching unrealistic shows on TV.
"We should take a selfie." Riya said suddenly.
"Good idea." Voleth Meir said.
They all got together for the selfie as Voleth Meir continued to place Elijah in favourable positions. They took a selfie and more selfies continuously until an hour had passed.
"They all look pretty great." Riya said smiling as she showed Voleth Meir.
"Indeed." Voleth Meir said.
After a while, when everyone was done eating and the TV show had ended, Riya stepped outside to get fresh air while Rick had started to dose off. Elijah just sat in the corner reading a book like none of them existed.
"Perfect night." Voleth Meir said as she came to stand beside Riya on the front porch.
"Too perfect." Riya replied smiling.
"Feel better?" Voleth Meir asked.
"Yeah, today was a fulfilling day." Riya replied.
"That's good to hear." Voleth Meir said.
They stood there for a while, taking in the fresh scent of flowers the night breeze brought as silence enveloped them.
"Can I ask something?" Riya asked.
"Sure, ask away." Voleth Meir answered.
"You and Elijah got history right?" Riya asked
"Yeah, it's complicated though."Voleth Meir whispered dramatically.
" I thought as much." Riya said smiling.
"Yeah, things just didn't work out, a lot happened, it broke him." She said sadly.
Riya stepped closer to her and patted her shoulder.
"We'll all be fine." She said.
"I hope." Voleth Meir answered.
"Let's go in?" Riya asked
"Sure." Voleth Meir answered.
They both stayed for some seconds more before giving in to the cold and going inside. By the time they came back in, Rick was already fast asleep on the couch and Elijah was still reading his book. Voleth Meir went to sit with him, while Riya went to get blankets.
Riya returned with blankets and made a makeshift sleeping area for two on the floor. Voleth Meir joined her while they said their goodnights to Elijah who just ignored them like they were talking to themselves.
"It's like talking to a wall." Voleth Meir whispered.
"It's frustrating, I want to pull out all his hair." Riya replied quietly as she glared at him.
Voleth Meir laughed softly and closed her eyes while Riya kept on staring daggers at Elijah who just ignored her and continued reading.
"It's no use, his case is hopeless." Voleth Meir said, smiling with her eyes still closed.
Outside the house, some demons hovered from a safe distance watching the house closely as they slithered about.
"How do I isolate that Warlock." Adonis pondered.
He paced back and forth in the alley, flicking his fingers impatiently as he continued seething in anger.
Still awake, Elijah kept on reading his book without sleeping as he already felt the presence of the demons hovering around the premises.
"I just want your master." He whispered as he stared out the window with a crooked smile.
He checked to see if the rest were still asleep, satisfied that they didn't sense anything off about their surroundings, he went back to reading his book.