Libra
She woke up to a sudden. She wasn't sleeping on a pillow. It was Dan's arm. Dan had been awake for at least half an hour, but he didn't want to move. She realizes and got up and sat up straight.
"Whoa, where's my shirt?" She asked. She was only wearing a tanktop, she usually wears a shirt to sleep.
"Behind your pillow." Dan saif as he got up himself.
Laura quickly grabs her shirt and wears it.
"Wh-Why was I only wearing my tanktop?"
"You took it off last night. You said it was hot."
"Why are you in my room?"
"Your dad said all the rooms are full. So he brought me here. You were already asleep, though."
"Oh right..." She paused for a bit, "did you try to kiss me?"
"I thought about it."
"Did you try to touch my boobs?"
"I thought about it."
Laura giggles and stood up. She head to the bathroom to shower. Leaving Dan alone.
Dan felt awkward in his pants. It was morning, he was sleeping next to a girl he liked. He had to fight it off.
TWO HOURS LATER
They had breakfast at Laura's house and the two were off to find Yui Hara. The informant that could them to the identity of the Death Flower assassin. They were walking pretty aimlessly. No exact objective. Dan knew he was looking for a kid with orange hair and a red hoodie that looks mean. Dan wanted a drink so he went to a diner along with Laura.
They walked in and immediately head for a seat for two. Dan paused for a moment and grabbed a hold of Laura's arm. She stopped in her tracks. She looks at him with a confused look, "what's up?" She asked.
"Orange hair, red hoodie, looks mean. That guy looks like he fits the bill, right?"
Laura follows Dan's eye sight and saw the guy sitting in a seat for two, facing the back wall. Opposite of Laura and Dan. The two started walking towards the guy. Slow but quick. Long strides, slow stepping.
"What are you doing?"
"Shut up, Jon!"
"You need to talk to him, not kidnap him."
"Well... Yeah."
Jon sighed.
The two took a seat. Laura pulled the chair that was set for that table, Dan pulled an empty chair and sat down next to Laura.
"Heath?!"
"What the hell?"
"What the fuck are you two doing here?"
"Could ask you the same thing."
"No way, right?" Laura whispers to Dan
"Yeah, surely it's not?" Dan whispers back to Laura
The two then looked at each other and looked at Heath, "it's definitely him," they said in unison.
"What the hell are you two on about?"
"We need to see the informant."
"Who?"
"Don't act dumb, Heath."
"Informant...? What's their name?"
"Yui Hara."
Heath paused for a brief moment. Dan and Laura saw Heath's face. For someone who bases their spells around cards, he doesn't have that good of a poker face.
"Never heard of it."
"Bullshit!"
"Why do you need to see her?"
"Because this name has been nagging me ever since I enrolled at Core Intel. The Death Flower, sound familiar?"
"It does."
"Heath, please let us see her."
"Why me?"
"Her dad says you're the middleman. Didn't say a name, but his description of you were few but accurate."
"If I was the middleman, hypothetically speaking, why should I do it?"
"Coz you're a nice guy...?"
"I'm not that nice." Heath got up from his seat and started walking away. Dan let him leave the diner.
Dan got up himself and sank into his shadow. He emerged in front of Heath, stopping him in his tracks. "Look, Heath. This is really important to me."
"Why is it so important that you see her?" He said as he started walking the opposite direction. "Because I've never met my dad," Dan claimed. Heath stopped to listen a bit more.
"Three perpetrators, right? Dark Kin, Manipulator, and Death Flower. Dark Kin and Manipulator are ghosts. Probably actual ghosts. Death Flower is the only one I can find."
"You said you've never met your dad. Is she a girl?"
"What? Oh, fuck. Sorry. My dad is the Manipulator."
"So, let me get this straight. Your dad is a mass murderer sorcerer known as The Manipulator, you want to find him, and your only lead is the Death Flower?"
"Yes!"
Heath's mind went all over the place. Speculating a lot of possibilities of Dan's dad, who the Death Flower was or is. "Fffffffine. You only get this one thing, got it?"
"Got it. Thanks!"
Laura walked out of the diner and joined them. Dan ran to Laura, "he said he wants to help us!" He exclaimed excitedly
"That's great!" She celebrated with him
"We're leaving now, to her house."
"Yes, sir!" Dan and Laura teased
"Fuck off, both of you."
Heath ordered an online taxi. It arrived quickly. It was a black sedan. For some reason, all three of them decided to sit in the back. Heath's reasoning was that he doesn't want to see Dan and Laura being lovey-dovey in the backseat. Whatever that means. It was Dan, Heath, Laura, they sat in that order. The car was on its way to the informants house.
"Why did you sit here?"
Heath leaned his head back and shut his eyes. He grit his teeth feeling annoyed, "shut it," he ordered. The entire ride was silent and awkward. Especially for Heath. He began regretting his decision. Dan leaned forward looking at Laura, she did the same thing. The two smiled at each other. The two leaned their heads onto Heath's shoulders. Purposely pressing them, making them heavier.
"I will burn you two into a crisp!" He whispered angrily
"Aww, so tilted, and for what?"
"Have some levity, Heath."
Heath surfaced his hands onto his thighs. He swiftly lifts up both his hands, slapping Dan and Laura in the face. He went full force on Dan, but pulled back heavily on Laura. "Fuck off, please."
Dan and Laura then stopped. The rest of the ride then really was silent. They arrived around twenty minutes later. A tall black fence surround the perimeter. They stopped at a taller gate. They got off and Heath paid the driver through the app he ordered. Behind the gate was a big house. Old English house-like. Brick wall painted dark grey, layered roof painted dark brown. At least three stories tall. Clear pane glass placed in perfect symmetry.
Heath texted something through his phone. Half a minute later, the doors opened. Heath walked through it, Dan and Laura looked at each other, pretty suspicious of Heath. They still followed behind him.
They made it to the entrance doors. They were quite tall. Eight feet tall, three and a half feet wide. The door was thick wood, not painted, but polished. Heath pushed open the doors and the two followed behind him. The inside didn't quite match the outside. The two paid no attention to it, however.
Heath walked in a straight line. He was exposed to a room to his right and left. Heath was jumped from his right. A female with brown hair, a wool vest, and a long sleeve button-up shirt. She hugged him. Her arms wrapped around him over his shoulders. Heath hugged her back around her back. Dan and Laura looked confused and clueless.
"I missed you so much!" The girl said in a high pitched cute voice
"I missed you too." Heath replied
"Eh?" Dan and Laura reacted aloud as they tilted their heads in unison
The two lets go of each other and faced Dan and Laura, "this is Yui Hara. My... Girlfriend."
"WHAT!!?" The two screamed in absolute disbelief
"All this time YOU have a girlfriend!?"
"Is that so hard to believe?"
Dan and Laura looked at each other then looked at Heath, "YES!" They answered together.
"You two must be Heath's classmates, right?"
The two nodded in response.
"Please follow me. I've prepared drinks and food."
"You did?" Heath surprised
"I'm rich Heath, of course I did."
The four sat on two separate couches, spread two by two. In front of them was a rectangle table. Scattered on the table were tea snacks with glasses of water.
"I'm assuming you two are here on business?"
"Umm... Sure. We're looking for The Death Flower."
"Why?"
Dan then explained all that was necessary for Yui to know.
"I need at least a few hours."
"That's fine," Dan said. He then noticed a strange mana wavelength from Yui. Laura noticed it too. It was almost all condensed in her eyes. In fact, her eyes didn't seem like normal eyes at all. Three primary colors gradiated perfectly. "You're a sorcerer, right?" Dan asked
Yui nodded in response. "Though Heath forbids me from enrolling at Core Intel."
"Why?"
"None of your business."
"Okay," Dan backed off. "You're an Anomaly class, right?"
"Indeed. Sagacity is my element. It's a non-combat element. Another reason Heath doesn't let me enroll."
"Man, Heath." Dan chuckles, then progressively starts laughing as he say, "you're an abusive husband."
"Fuck you." Heath slurred
Seven hours had passed since their meeting. Dan was lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Laura was alone outside. Heath accompanied Yui doing her research.
Her methods wasn't that she was actively looking for her, she used her Sagacity to place different pieces of puzzles. Her ability allows her to elevate her intelligence and IQ. It also allows her to speculate hundreds of probable outcome and discern which is the most likely.
She was done. She told Heath first about the identity of the Death Flower. Heath then went to Laura. He told her what he knew. The two of them joined back with Yui and talked it over. Contemplating whether to tell Dan or not. Half an hour they were arguing. They were too loud and Dan just happened to be passing by.
Dan trespassed into Yui's work space. "What're you three doing? Is it done?"
The three looked at each other. Heath crossed his hands and backed away. He shook his head in disapproval. Yui stayed neutral. Laura then steps up and speaks, "are you sure you want to know who the Death Flower is?"
Dan was confused by Laura's question. Made him doubt something.
"Of course I'm sure. What do you mean?"
"Are you a hundred percent sure?"
"Yes, I am, Laura."
"The Death Flower... She's your... Your mom."