Feet kept wide, the brunette looked towards the window.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he dinged the teaspoon against the cup. Flakes of white were drifting down outside, blue skies taken over by grey.
"Do your little blink trick, there're dozens of assassins ready to get you around the area. You can't run and you can't hide," gruff tone emanating from a smile.
Now was not the time to panic… The lights were all turned on, how quickly did the snow roll in? Just like last time… The phone sitting in the-
"Wouldn't try that either, all your calls are being monitored. No one to call. So glad you all decided to split up; makes our job easier!" he gave a low chuckle.
"You're bluffing," she glared.
"Maybe; if you really wanna test that theory, be my guest," he dipped a finger into the steam, taking a taste, "Now, where's the sugar around here?" he reached for the cabinets.
Sword by his side in full armour, leather that teemed with sparkles—enchantments… His black hair tied back, revealing the one or two scars on his forehead.
Her eyes looked around; kitchen knife out in the open, sachets of tea scattered, "That's Hotaru's favourite jasmine tea and that sugar isn't yours. So, skip the act. If you're looking to fight-"
"SLAM!" The cabinet shut, making Fumeko back up against the wall, "That's the thing Namora, I can't fight you. That would've made things much simpler!" he shook his head.
"But, here I am," he dropped cubes of sugar into his cup, another at the ready. Every step stomped across the wood, boots shining before he sat down.
"Sit," he placed the other cup down, "It's not poisoned, unless you somehow poisoned the tea already here. But if you had that much foresight, I wouldn't be here, would I?" he sipped.
She leered and leered; what would Jotou do, what would Hotaru do, what would her dad do? If he wanted her dead… there were many ways to achieve it rather than this…
Seething, she forced each leg forward and sat opposing him; brown irises stared into ember-like orange eyes. The snow began to howl, making their marks on the windows.
"I'm not drinking that."
"That's fine by me."
"Why are you here?"
"Well, you must have questions ever since you and the acting chief found the evidence we left behind."
"And you're just gonna answer all of them? That sounds stupid even for you."
"The plan's already in action, there's nothing you can do to stop it. Howllett's an anomaly, but we have an ace up our sleeve.
The elf's potent, definitely has something more than an illusion affinity, but it ain't that hard to take care of her. You? You're just a rat who can scurry away.
You want stupid, how about not taking a single paper from that room?" Her eyes darted to the floor. In the hazy panic… All she wanted to do was protect them…
"Kria's pretty much been under control by Trailon for months now, working in the shadows. There are eyes every turn you make. Your friends are all planned for.
If you run, you're running alone. The borders are kept tight, the chances of you escaping are one in a million; and even then, you have no evidence to back you up.
Where are you gonna run? Cravolta? Luxinor? Hell, Avon? Hefaloss? Ocesia? Or are you just gonna end up running back to daddy?"
Her gaze jerked to him and her back straightened up, "You know about him then…"
Moren sighed over the cup, steam flying as he put it down. He interlocked his fingers, "Asobi's just a powerful magic caster; some affinities are weaker, some are stronger, but elves, oh boy… Powerful people. She's the most powerful out of all of you.
Howllett is an anomaly no one predicted and couldn't figure out for a few weeks. Even then, she babbled most of the truth to anyone who asked.
I was shocked to hear Anastasia Princely, some secretary who dug her nose where it didn't belong and got, terminated, came back to life.
A threat from the start, but fortunate for us it wasn't her. Even without information, she couldn't be easily terminated… So, we had to probe and probe.
Send a velatos, test the boundaries, self-destruct, bring you into a false sense of security for that snowy day and then… She surprises everyone again!" he clapped, mimicking the thunder outside.
He slouched, elbows on his knees as Fumeko reared back a little. "She was a constant threat that needed to be dealt with. You never know when lightning's going to strike while running in an open field.
And even then… Kinoshita… She was the biggest threat to everything. Her healing pretty much made it a pain in the ass to kill her effectively.
There was no negotiation with her. And again, and again, and again she tried getting into the guild. I personally had no issue, but the uproar within the guild it would've caused?
You know how much money I lost when she finally slithered her way in with some clause? Luckily I could pay off some angry protestors and said she'd get killed soon enough.
Then she didn't and kept living. She could bring this entire operation to its knees by the law alone and her rate of success in the courtroom can attribute to that.
It could be complex wartime law and she would handle it like the strings of a puppet and ruin every single operation. We had to carefully outmanoeuvre her the most."
Fumeko glared…
"But you?" he pointed, "We were lucky that velatos didn't kill you when you were with Howllett.
Wellers got his punishment though and we played all our cards right and grouped you three together.
Got control over that velatos before it did. You see, the unique problem with you was, that you aren't the threat—we needed to keep you alive.
If the daughter of the greatest detective in Burnetrout died? Now, he would've figured this all out much sooner and pulled the plug, but lucky again, we got you!
We delayed you long enough till today. So plan's the plan, you figured it all out a little too late just like we expected. Oh right and Detective Namora's been getting info on a rookie working for the Krialin, Fumeko. She's safe, we're keeping an eye-"
"You didn't do shit…" Fumeko replied as Moren faced her. "I know my dad. I made sure to give him a wild goose chase before I ran away.
Things didn't go as planned, but that goose chase should've given you weeks if not months. If you gave my dad anything, you just shortened that timespan."
"Well, then it doesn't matter now, does it?" flames alit in his eyes and faded in an instant.
"Gah!" Fumeko recoiled on the sofa—eyes bubbled and quickened breaths.
"We've got a little telepath on our side. Can't control minds, shame, but they can read quite a lot. It's amazing how easy it is to make a web of lies when no one knows anything.
'They come out at night', 'they're manifestations of fear'. We had to start killing people because Howllett just, wouldn't die. Up the fear factor, give them a few little abilities like summoning water elementals.
You were thrown off the scent like that," he snapped his fingers as a tiny flame appeared on his pointer finger. He brought it closer to Fumeko; the sofa scratched the floor moving back.
She gulped—hands at the back of the couch and legs rising. Her eyes fixated on the flame. "Howllett could've just ran away with all of you and all these headaches would've ended, gah.
Either take the advice on that day or… you were all gonna die. If the detective's already on our scent, which I doubt," he sighed, "No use for you to be alive is there?
It was all a grand accident, fighting in the sudden attack of the Trailon Regime. A young life lost, but Kria is safe," he said like a news headline.
"That's your plan then?" she squeaked, "Make the attack real and Kria wins, but Trailon still has control over it?" she cleared her throat.
"Poor Trailon has to take a hit, sure. Lexi and I, have to be the heroes today; save the City of New Beginnings! Lexokodac gets a little share of the fame, the guild and I get all that and more."
He brought his hand away; Fumeko slumped down in response, hand on her heart. He got up and walked towards the exit. Her eyes narrowed along her bated breath…
"Woosh!" Shadows disappeared from Moren's sight; she stood in the kitchen, the glimmer of metal she grabbed before—"Woosh!"—shadows appeared to his back.
She swung to the back of his neck! "You," he caught her wrist and her eyes jolted wide open. She was out of reach—maybe if she was taller or blinked from above.
"Need to stay inside!" he held her up like a coat and threw her across the room. "Clunk!" Against the sofas her body crashed and the knife flew elsewhere.
"Gyah!" Fumeko rolled down, holding onto the coffee table to get back up. Hearing the approaching stomps, she looked behind her towards the hallway. Shadows coalesced around- "Wo…sss…" She blinked to the other side of the table?
"What?" in her confusion, she failed to dodge the hand grabbing a fist full of her hair that hoisted her up, "AHH!!" her legs and arms flailed, her eyes winced.
She widened her eyes and looked to the hallway once more. Her legs tensed, blood trickling down her nose as shadows surrounded her and- "Wsh!" She appeared in the kitchen instead?
Free from his grasp, Fumeko got up, looking to the exit of the house. Try as she might, no shadows appeared to engulf her; her gaze met with Moren's…
With widened eyes, the brunette dashed for the door, but the heavy footsteps reached much quicker, grabbing her by the neck, "Enough of this!"
Fumeko opened her eyes, only a choked breath escaping. She peered down, raised her foot and—"BASH!"—kicked him in the crotch… Probably only hurting her foot more against his armour.
"Childish," he remarked before he threw her back in the house. "THUD!" Against the back wall she went.
"GAH!!!" she slumped next to the hallway, holding herself up with her elbows and knees.
"I heard you're not a big fan of fire," he trailed his finger across the doorframe.
"Fine…" she wiped the blood from her nose, "You've got me… but you're running in an open field. I've seen her when she's angry. You have no idea what she can do, what makes you so sure you've got her now?"
She coughed out her pain, "All of them will live and you'll be behind bars. My dad will track you down till your grave. I made a few mistakes, but I'm not as stupid as you if you think you've done everything flawlessly."
"Oh? Is that so? What's got you so confident? You have no idea what plan's already in the process. They're probably fighting for their lives as we speak.
You've been wrong every time, the things you found are what we wanted you to find." The wood set aflame to his command, stepping out into the snow.
Was she wrong this entire time? It was true was it not? Everything he said… So much was information she didn't glean… Did she truly do… anything…?
"I just want to protect you. Please, listen. The world out there, you're not ready for it. One step at a time, don't leap head first into a ditch…" Her memory recalled a voice.
She would never listen, she couldn't, she wouldn't… Her father's voice rang in her mind as the door slammed. Dancing and gliding across—a magical flame made to combust…
The flame… The tears, began to roll; not much did she remember, most of it told… Fumeko grunted up; she looked out the window, wiping her cheeks.
The shadows… Why couldn't she…? She stood up, "Come on," she sobbed, clenching her fists, gritting her teeth.
"…no…" a mere whisper escaped her lungs, the crunching of embers behind her. This home… the fire… The door was not an option…
Were people waiting for her…? Were her friends already dead…? How should she know, she hasn't gotten anything right, has she?
Everything in the house, it was about to be reduced to ash and all she could do was stare out that glass. What hope was left…? Nose sniffling and just crying…
Maybe today… maybe today she would listen to that voice.