William was watching T.V. at his apartment, the news playing on the screen about the recent failed attack on Imperium. Apparently Spectre had officially declared war on the Lord Ruler, as if that wasn't clear enough during Mayor Beodulf's kidnapping. Still, it now meant that Spectre was now considered public enemy number one to the Royals. William grabbed the T.V. remote to lower the volume, that's when he got the call. Jill had promised to call him before leaving for her vacation outside New Miami. She wanted him to take her to meet her daughter at the dome's threshold, at the edge of Lowtown. William had said yes without hesitation, now she called to remind him that today's the day she was leaving.
After hanging up the phone, he immediately left his apartment, heading out to pick up Jill, taking the car his sister had rented for him. Claudia had wanted him to be able to get to places fast when she needed him, especially now that he had gained popularity by non-Royals. They had dubbed him the Vigilante Lord, a better title in his opinion than the Copycat superhero.
Traffic was slow today, as it usually is in Lowtown district, where a rare few actually owned a vehicle while the rest had to walk to places. He made his way to Jill's place, driving carefully through narrow streets filled with trash cans, most of the trash not even in it. Jill's place was an apartment, much like his, only she lived on the first floor. He parked, got out of the car, then walked over to knock on the door.
"Jill, it's me." He called her. When the door opened, and Jill walked out, he immediately felt his cheeks grow hot.
"Hey, you." Jill wore a vibrant red dress, matching the color of her lips and giving her smile a very sexy look. God she was beautiful, William thought. Her blonde hair was loose behind her back and her green eyes had a slight glow to them. Her features, which William had to admit to admiring many times during work, were stunning to look at.
"Your blushing flatters me." She said, reaching and kissing William on the cheek. "It's sweet. Thanks."
William scratched the back of his head, feeling very nervous all of a sudden, yet very happy at the time. "I, ugh, I don't know what you're talking about. You, ugh, you just look… very beautiful s'all." He himself wore casual clothing; a loose white shirt with blue jeans.
Jill chuckled. "Thanks." She closed, then locked, the door to her apartment. "You don't look… that bad yourself. Ready to go?"
William nodded, then led her to his car, opening the door for her. "So, where to?"
"17th street, 29 ave. Lowtown border." She reached inside her red purse and pulled out her cellphone, sending a text to someone. Probably her daughter. She then put the phone away and winked at Willliam. "Oh, and no rush." She added.
William knew the address, it was right at the edge of the dome. The Dome's Limit, as it was called. He also knew what Jill really meant by the 'no rush' comment. He liked her very much and was almost sure she shared his feelings.
"The more time I spend with you, the better, I suppose." He said, but as the words left his mouth, he knew he was already blushing. Still, it had the desired effect of drawing a chuckle from Jill, her smile a very lovely sight. The drive will only be a few minutes long, but it'll be a delightful few minutes for him. He enjoyed Jill's company, liked being around her as much as he could. It saddened him that he'll have to spend days without seeing her beautiful face.
"So, this vacation…" He said, driving past a traffic light and turning down the street, keeping his speed below the limit. It's been awhile since he'd driven a car, and he didn't want to take unnecessary risks. Accidents happen a lot more often than one would expect in a city where Royal's enjoy fighting for the littlest reason.
"It's for my daughter's seventeenth birthday." Jill said. "It's been awhile since I've spent time with her since moving to New Miami."
"When's the day?"
"Tomorrow."
William never really heard Jill mention her daughter, not since her interview when applying for the bartender position at the Calming Clam bar. At the time he didn't put much thought into it, they needed a new employee and Orion was looking for a pretty woman who didn't take shit from Royals, and wouldn't be easily intimidated by them.
"Mind if I ask a… somewhat personal question?" He didn't mind the fact that Jill had a daughter, he liked her just the same. She was fun to be around with, witty and playful, and socially savvy. But he had to know more. He already knew why her daughter hadn't visited New Miami, being within the ages of Awakened and entering the dome meant you couldn't walk out unless you wanted your ability gone, but why did Jill leave her to come here?
Jill shook her head. "Go ahead, ask away." She said, "What do you wanna know?"
"Why did you move to New Miami in the first place? It's not exactly a city one normally chooses to live in, only visit. And what about your daughter's father, is he… you know?"
Jill raised an eyebrow at him, a smile forming with her red lips. "That was two questions."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's alright, Will." She cut him off, sensing William's nervousness in his tone. She placed a gentle hand on his lap, which made him even more nervous, though this was of a different kind.
"I was just stating the obvious." She stated, "Which should I tackle first?"
"Start with the first, I guess."
"Why did I move to New Miami?" Jill paused for a moment before answering. "I… owe a favor to a friend. He needed my help for a few months, so I rented an apartment here for the time being. It helped being close to where he needed me."
"Who's the friend?" William asked, then quickly added; "If you don't mind me asking, I mean."
"I don't." She said, "And you've already met him once, I believe. Though at a misunderstanding. His name's Wren."
William thought for a moment, searching his memories for that name. He did remember Wren. A Royal Elite. No, more than that. One of Lady Ada's Royal Knights. Claudia had informed him about the Lady's knights a few days back, who they were and what their abilities were. And William had met Wren in person, that night during his first meeting with the Guardian of High Tier. He and his friend with electricity based ability had attacked them, jeopardizing Claudia's meeting. The realization hit William like a brick. Jill was friends with a Royal. He also remembered the way Jill behaved when she met with Natalya, she acted like she knew her somehow. Did that mean that Jill was involved in what's happening with Spectre and the Royals. And if she is, then did that mean that Jill…
"Will," Jill said, bringing him out of his thinking. "I know you're trying to connect the dots and figure things out, but whatever conclusion you arrive at, just know that I'm on your side. Always had been. Always will be. I like you, I hope you know that. By the time Wren told me about you, about who you really were, I had already fallen for you."
William glanced at her. God her smile was beautiful. He smiled back. "Fallen for me you say."
"Tsk," She playfully punched him on the shoulder. "Don't make this awkward, wait for our date when I return from vacation."
"So it's a sure thing then?"
"What do you think?"
"I think that I like the sound of that." It was better to put those doubts behind him. Whatever business Jill had with Wren, William knew at least two things for fact. One, Jill had never betrayed him. Two, who was he to demand answers from someone keeping secrets when he himself had been doing the same.
It was early noon by the time they arrived at the address Jill had given him. William parked by the sidewalk, and opened the door for her, holding her hand as she stepped out of the car. He still felt his cheek grow hot from blushing, but he no longer felt as nervous touching her. In fact, he wanted more than just a touch, but held back the impulse to kiss her. They walked up to the Dome's Limit, the spot where the dome's influence reached its maximum range. To him, it looked like a golden barrier, surrounding the city like a bubble. The Aura was clearer to his eyes because of his innate ability to see, but to others, he knew it just looked like see through glass. He stood a few feet away from the dome, a few more steps and he would lose his ability forever. No Royal dared come this close to the dome, for fear of an 'accident' happening.
Jill pulled out her phone from her purse again and sent a text message, then put the phone back. "My daughter should be here in a few minutes. Mind keeping me company until then?"
"It would be my pleasure." He said, then after a moment, he added; "So, you never answered my second question."
"If you mean the one about my ex, you don't need to worry about him. That man is nothing to me but my daughter's father, unfortunate as that may be. He left us when Remi was four. The only interactions I've had with him have been with his payment for child support." Jill paused, frowning. "William, I would rather not talk about that man any further, if it's alright with you."
"It's fine by me." William assured her. "So… Remi, huh? Cute name for a girl. I'm assuming you came up with it."
Jill looked up at him, smiled, then kissed him softly on the cheek. Then she nodded. "You'll meet her in a moment. And if you like me, you'll like her too. Wait here a sec." She walked out of the dome, then pulled out a keychain with two small keys dangling from the chain. Then, there was a puff of yellow smoke, and a figure appeared in front of her, materializing out of thin air.
Remi resembled her mother in almost every way. Blonde hair, green eyes, angular face, though still slightly rounder than Jill's. She was tall though, for a soon to be 17 year old.
"Heya mom." She said in a lively tone, hugging Jill in a tight embrace. "I've missed you."
"Missed you too sweetie." Jill hugged her daughter back. "Remi," She said after the hug, motioning over at William, who was standing inside the dome a few feets away. "This is William."
William gave a lazy wave of his hand. "Hello."
Remi looked him up and down. "So this is him, then. The famous Willy."
"Willy?" William raised an eyebrow.
"Mom mentions you almost every time we talk over the phone." Remi said, crossing her arms across the chest. "I thought you'd be some hot rich guy, but my expectations were too high. You're just an average looking dude."
"Remi!" Jill exclaimed, though it was clear she was trying to hide a smile.
"What? It's true, ain't it?"
William was too preoccupied working on mimicking her ability to pay attention to what she had said. Remi's ability was a rarity even amongst the Royals in New Miami. A form of teleportation. A very powerful ability that could prove very useful in Operation Overthrow. He tried to use the ability but found that he couldn't, much the same way he tried the Garden Seer's prophetic ability. It required a trigger, something that activates it. What was it? Would it be rude to ask Remi?
"Hey!" Remi called, snapping William from his thoughts. "You listening, average looking guy?"
"Um," William scratched the back of his head. "Happy birthday."
"My birthday's tomorrow, man." She said, "I would send you an invite, but my mom tells you can't leave the dome. Stupid reason really, but who am I to say." She shrugged. "Look, I don't really know you, but my mom does. And you don't look like a terrible person like my father, so I'm going to give you a gift. Not that it'll really do much good, but you can consider it as me giving you the 'ok' to date my mom, if nothing else." She pulled out a plain looking silver bracelet from her pants pocket and tossed it at William, crossing over the dome.
He caught it in his hands. When he touched it, it started to give off a soft golden glow. "Aura." He thought, not realizing he'd also said it outloud.
"What?"
"It's glowing with Aura." He said, looking up at Remi. "What is it?"
Jill crossed the dome, approaching him. "Please," She said, taking the bracelet from his hand and locking it around his wrist. "This is a very precious gift from me and my daughter. Don't ever take it off, promise?"
William looked into her eyes, her expression serious. He nodded. "I promise."
"Okay then!" Jill kissed him on the cheek for a third time, her lips hot against his cheek, then walked back to Remi. "I'll see you in a couple of days then."
"Mom, please don't kiss a guy in front of me." Remi said, then waved at William, holding to her mother with the other hand. "See you around, average looking guy. I hope to meet again in the near future."
There was a puff of yellow smoke, and they were gone, leaving behind faint traces of Aura particles that disappeared into the wind. William stood alone now. He looked at the thin silver bracelet on his wrist. The Aura was gone from it. No, not gone, he could still feel it, even though Remi had probably teleported hundreds of miles away and he could no longer hold her ability. He shrugged, still unsure of what value this bracelet had aside from a sentimental one, but fully intending to keep his promise.
It was a few minutes later, as he drove back to his apartment when he received a call from his sister. Claudia was about to make the exchange. Spectre was to meet with Lady Ada at an abandoned warehouse by the Docks and Piers district. Phase three of Operation Overthrow was about to take place, two days from now.