"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Diana.
"Why not?" The dark-haired boy asked.
"Because we've taken enough detours,' she replied. "The very existence of the Alpha Sector relies on this mission ending successfully. I don't know about you but I do not want to be the reason why it fails."
"This is part of the mission though," Hunter argued. "We'll be protecting a life and keeping a closer eye on the twins, just as Camille wanted." The sprite sighs before sitting on the bed at one side of the room, the snow-white-haired woman sits next to him.
"When we first arrived, we were told that there were three members of the Drumalak house, not including you, that were here. That has been on my mind for some time because Camille said she thinks they were here to destabilize the region or steal the Jidda cube. The fact that the twins were here, in this school, meant Camille was wrong and their mission was something else entirely: take the third Drumalak; Euphemia. If we don't do anything, the twins would complete their mission and leave Dreieck for Leinheim and that would mean our stay here was useless ... But something tells me you knew that already."
"Hunter --"
"I'm going to ask you one more time and I need you to cast aside your generational hatred for the fairy Maddisons before you respond: why shouldn't we help Euphemia tonight?"
Diana runs her hand through her hair and sighs.
///
"There'll be a formal party at the university later and that's when Euphemia would be taken," said Queen Maitreyi.
"So we'll simply need to take her away from the party? This should be a breeze," Hunter said confidently. "I'll see to it that your daughter is safe and sound after tonight."
The viper-eyed Queen smiled. "Thank you, Hunter Heffernan."
Diana frowns at the monarch. "Did we need to be naked for this?"
///
Hunter and Diana walked into the building where the party was taking place. The latter was wearing a long, red gown while the the former was in a well-fitted white suit.
"Whoa ..." Diana said surprised to see the place bustling with partygoers.
"Alright, let's split up and find the princess," said Hunter.
Diana frowns. "The princess happens to be a girl with long white hair, how hard would it be?"
Hunter moved away from the Drumalak and began walking through the room in search of the princess.
"You see her?" The peach-eyed woman asked the sprite through the small earpiece in the latter's ear.
"Already finding the job hard?"
"Maybe the Queen should've told us where exactly the twins would get a hold of her daughter," said Diana.
The tone with which the snow-white-haired woman said 'the Queen' was not lost on the sprite but he decided to ignore it. "It would be too late by then," said Hunter.
"You don't fancy our chances against those two milquetoasts?" The teal green-eyed boy could hear the disbelief in the peach-eyed woman's voice.
"I don't know, everyone else has been portraying them as the final boss of the story," he said.
"They are not. Maybe against others they are, but I'm certain they wouldn't stand a chance against the both of us," Diana asserted.
Hunter moved to the bar, the barmaid frowned when her eyes met his.
"Um ... Hello," the sprite said confused by her reaction.
The barmaid's hands rest on her hips before speaking. "Right back at you and no, I'm not getting you any drink," she said.
"Not that I wanted one but why not?" asked the year one Metropolitan school of mysticism student.
"You're underaged," the barmaid said.
The teal green-eyed boy's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm 19."
"And that's two years off the age of majority in this part."
Hunter places his hand over his face. "I was not going to order a drink," he said.
"Sure, you weren't."
"I'm straight edge."
"Sure you are."
"I wanted to ask you a question."
"Sure, you did."
The dark-haired boy sighs. "Have you seen any white-haired girl around?" He asked.
"Only the one you came in with," the woman replied.
"So you've been watching me since I arrived?" Hunter asked. The woman frowned before moving on to attend to the other customers.
'Strange. There are supposed to be three other members of the Drumalak house but I can't find one ... Am I too late.'
[Doubt it. The princess and the twins are only fashionably late, which was something we should've done too.]
'Yeah, not when someone's life is on the line.'
Bored of sitting alone with his thoughts, the sprite shifts his attention to a lady who had just taken the stool next to his.
She had purple eyes and hair and kept glancing at her phone.
"Waiting for someone?" Hunter asked.
She looked up from her phone to the sprite."How'd you know?" She asked
"Well, you keep checking your phone and have been looking around restlessly."
"You're perceptive."
"No, I'm Hunter."
"As in hunting l --"
"As in that's my name ... My parents didn't forsee this moment when they named me so ..."
The lady laughs. "I'm Gigi. And I love your humor."
[Oh no.]
'Oh yes!'
"Can I buy you a drink, Gigi?"
She looks around before responding. "Sure."
Hunter flagged down the bartender who frowned once she got close to the duo. "I'm still not serving you anything."
"I wasn't even going to order for myself," he threw up his arms. "The glowy blue drink for the beautiful lady over here."
The barmaid narrowed her eyes at Hunter before walking off to get the drink.
"You two know each other?"
"Nah, I'm meeting her for the first time today. I'm pretty sure she has it out for me."
"Why would you think that?" She asked.
"Well, she refuses to serve me because apparently I'm below the age of majority but she's okay with serving you even though I'm pretty sure we're the same age."
Gigi raises an eyebrow. "How old are you?" She asks.
"Nineteen."
"Well, we could share the drink once she brings it over."
"I don't drink," said Hunter.
"Then why are you mad she didn't get you one?"
"Oh, I'm not mad, it's just one of those things."
Gigi's eyebrow shoot up. "What things?" She asks.
"I don't know why I said that," Hunter said causing the both of them to laugh.
"That's it!" Gigi exclaimed.
The dark-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "That's what?" He asked.
"I was wondering where I recognized you from, I've figured it out now," she said.
'Uh oh.'
Hunter shoots the purple-haired girl a smile. "And where do you recognize me from?" He asks.
"You're the exorcist ... You once helped my roommate with some ghost issues she had. I was convinced you were a scammer but things became better after you helped," she said.
"Well I for one am insulted you thought me a scammer," said Hunter.
"I'm sorry," she apologized as cutely as she could. "How can I make it up to you?" She asked.
"Couple things. First, I'll need your phone number," he said.
"Oh? I didn't know my phone number could fix my offenses," she said as she took out a napkin to write down her number.
'And that my friend, is why I am called rizz --'
Before the sprite could finish his thought, a figure walked between him and the gorgeous purple-eyed girl. "Hey!" The sprite exclaimed looking up at the lady who was blocking his view, she had white hair but she wasn't the person he had been searching for. "What the hell, Diana, I'm in the middle of something!"
"Seriously?" The snow-white-haired woman frowned. "You know I didn't want to be here at all and yet you leave me to do all the work while you flirt with the first girl you find," said Diana.
"I --"
"Why don't you go ahead and tell her you're married," Diana said moving aside so the sprite could talk to the gorgeous purple-haired lady. When the sprite looked forward, he found that the girl was gone.
"Thank you for that," said Hunter pointing towards the empty stool in front of him.
Diana turned and saw the stool, a small smile crawled up on the corner of her lips. "You're welcome," she said.
"Here's your dri --" the bartender pauses when she notices that the girl she got the drink for was gone. "Where's the purple-haired girl?" The barmaid asked.
"She's gone, now shush, the adults are talking," Diana waved her away.
The barmaid looked at the two younger faces, raising an eyebrow before walking away.
"Are you actually je -- Y -- you know we're not dating, right?"
"Tell that to the ring around my finger," Diana said flashing her diamond jewelry.
"When did that happen?"
"I can get you one if you want," said Diana.
"We're not married!" The teal green-eyed boy exclaimed.
"Debatable. Eyes up, I see the princess."
Hunter turned to see the white-haired princess descending a flight of stairs."Let's do this."
----