"So, what's your story?" Aerendyl smiled and slowly sat down, waving a hand in Nara's direction. "However, I want to make one thing clear before we begin," He added, shooing a few teenagers away with his badge who'd tried to run up to them. "Very. Very clear; this is not Aerendyl, the Director, you're speaking with. It's a man who wants to help, because I'm an angel and it's the right thing to do. To the best of my ability, I won't let those two things cross. You have my word."
"Thank you," Nara sighed, slowly sipping her coffee, eyelids heavy.
"You're very welcome. So, your story?"
"I'm looking for a woman," Nara shrugged. "Here's the tea, Director, I was in a holding cell in one of the Contracted Arms facilities, being drugged regularly, and a squirrel chewed through the wires keeping me drugged at night. I ended up escaping, once the drugs were out of my system."
"Oh yeah?" he asked lazily. "A squirrel? Sure, continue on. Wait- you were in a holding cell being drugged. In my facilities- and you're comfortable talking to the Director privately like this? I'm at the head of all Contracted Arms in Ravenwood."
"Yeah, but, here's the thing- you're a good man," Nara admitted. "I doubt you know what's going on, and I wager you'll be launching a huge investigation before long."
"Hm." Aerendyl sat back, thinking, nodding, sipping his coffee. "You're correct, and how perceptive of you- but, pray tell- how would you know I'm a good man?"
"See that's the thing- I'm missing half my soul Aerendyl. Sometimes, when I dream, the other half, I see flashes of her thoughts, and her memories… and you're in there."
"Oh?" He asked, leaning forward slowly.
"Yeah, Aerendyl. You made her coffee while she admired the auroras in the sky, right? Her name is Lynx. Other half of my soul, it's inside her. That's why your men kept me locked up- having a demon with their soul split, it's unheard of, right?"
"That, and it's along the lines of what a certain arch demon is looking for, too…" Aerendyl nodded, looking down, seemingly processing. "You're right Nara, I don't know what's going on, but I'll get to making the proper reports and interrogations once I'm back at work. As for you… do you know why your soul was split? Or how?"
"I know that one of the gods likes to create stories," Nara offered, lowering her voice. "I know that he keeps souls in a place called the court, when they enter hell, rather than letting them return to life. He releases them when he believes the time is right- doesn't seem good or evil. Just cares about the stories, even talked with me himself when I got too bored wandering around."
"The court…" Aerendyl thought slowly.
"It's a place in hell," Nara nodded. "I know he put the other half of my soul inside of Lynx so that I would seek it out. I revived in Pempa, came here after figuring out what country Lynx was in- but at the port, I was ambushed by contracted arms, and the rest is history. I haven't killed anybody on my travel here, haven't hurt anybody. I'm sorry, but that's all I know- there's a grander design by a god who wants me to reunite with Lynx. Can you help me reach her?"
"What…" Aerendyl sighed, thinking. "What will you do, when you find her?"
"I never met her in life, her life isn't my business. I guess just, become her friend? Get my soul back? I could return to Pempa, but there's nothing for me there, I was an orphan, and, it sounds like Lynx is getting settled in here.
"Then…" Aerendyl sighed, rubbing his temples and shaking his head. "You… you've got, nowhere to go?"
"Well actually, I'm only eighteen, and I have a high school diploma." Nara smirked softly, leaning forward. "I always wanted to become a police officer…"
"I'll help you to meet Lynx." Aerendyl nodded quietly. "Promise. Comfortable coming to my car?"
=
Lynx, thinking, slowly tugged the book out of her coat pocket as she walked, looking down at it. The cover was plain, and dark, but she still remembered how it'd looked with the blue light of the library on it. It's been a minute since I stole you, huh…? Time I read you, and stop thinking for a while…
"Ah!! Delightful, it's been, maybe fifty years since somebody spoke with me!" A voice chirped loudly, that of a scholarly, energetic man, and Lynx threw the book as hard as humanly- no, demonly?- possible into the wall, blinking rapidly. "Hey- no need for violence if you please!" The book, now in the snow, shouted out. "Please, as well, won't you pick me up?! If the words on my pages become smudged or torn then how am I to share my story with students like you?!"
"What in the hell are you?" Lynx muttered, slowly picking the book up with two fingers- it didn't move, it had no face, or anything like that to identify it by- just a plain, dark, leather book.
"Well I'm a book, dear girl! Well, you are a girl, aren't you? After all I hear such questions are veritable minefields anymore, forgive me if I have offended. However I cannot see, as I have no eyes, so it is only with your voice that I can identify you."
"Uh… why can you talk?" Lynx reiterated her question more clearly, now.
"Oh! I'm not very sure dear girl, I just suppose that when a book has been sitting in a magical library for very many years, perhaps it absorbs some of that magic for itself! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance! I have no name, and so you may call me- book."
"Lynx…"
"Lynx!! How very quaint- so, similarly to how you threw me, the library threw me to you! I can only assume that you wish to know my story?"
"I… suppose?"
"Well to suppose is not to be sure, lass, and I wish not to offend, or offer unwanted information!!"
"I- I am sure? Just, come on, what's your story-?" Lynx stammered out awkwardly, holding the book normally in one hand, letting it sway at her side as she walked, now.
"Alright! Well, as we all are aware, gods are real- but seem more of an urban legend. This, my dear friend, is not because they are stronger than any other- though they are. Rather, this sort of power often leads to boredom, and boredom to unusual hobbies or interests!!" The book almost seemed to be cheering as Lynx walked, but she listened intently, yawning tiredly into her hand. "One such god- and mind you this is all rumor and he said, she said- decided to fancy himself a play-write and create the finest stories that the world has ever seen!! However, what does any good story need, if not actors?!"
"Hm…" Lynx grunted.
"This god with no certain name to our knowledge created a special room- his, back stage, so to speak!! Here, he collects the actors for his perfect stories, preventing their souls from reforming their bodies for a time, hanging onto them until the time comes- and if this story is to be believed, some of the most chaotic and good events both were born from this man's court of actors- from the book-burnings that removed the holy ones in their ring-and-marble forms, to the Pempan Tsunamis after a nuclear mistake."
"Some of these actors supposedly have no idea whatsoever of their involvement, but- and remember this could be fact or fiction- some claim that they are the chosen actors of the Play-write, believing in his goodness fervently, in a sort of cult-like way! However, magic on the transference of souls is not widely discussed, and it is hard to understand whether or not this is in fact possible!!"
"A talking book is so…" Lynx blinked slowly, thinking. "I guess that actually, doesn't teach me all that much, but Nara mentioned something called the court, and that I have half her soul, so I wonder- hm?" She paused, ears perking up and swiveling sideways, looking around. "Did you hear that?"
"Yes- I did in fact!!" The book chirped. "Do you have a stalker, perhaps? By your voice, I assume you are rather blunt and perhaps seen as rude- so then, are you a celebrity? Maybe a, what do they call you, streamers? Who puts on an attractive persona and runs the risk of parasocial relationships with stalkers?!"
"Sorry, did you just call me a bitch?" Lynx whispered, looking around, walking backward now- she'd heard something, for sure. Snow crunching under somebody's shoes, but that didn't have to mean anybody was following her- except, nobody was there. A vague sense of unease filling her, Lynx backpedaled faster, then turned around and set off properly at a jog, tucking the book back into her coat.
"Lynx! Will you forgive me if I take a rest? I'm exhausted, it's been a long time since I did quite so much speaking!!"
"Yeah yeah, go to sleep," Lynx called out, moving faster. "Unless you know who that was."
"Honk, mimimi," The book replied with a mockery of fake laughter, and Lynx rolled her eyes, continued, walking faster.
"To her right, again, down an alley- the crunch of snow- but nobody there. Frowning, Lynx hurried along still faster, fairly confident she remembered the way- yeah, there was the coffee shop with the odd healing brews. Sighing with relief, Lynx barreled forward and shoulder rammed herself into the dorm lounge, which was empty now except for that blonde angel with her halo, once more screaming vile insults into her headset while staring at a kill-camera in whatever game it was that she played. Still, Lynx felt a growing sense of unease, her tail lashing about as she moved forward.
But, wait- do I make for Alice's room if I'm worried I'm being followed? Or do I go to my own? Ugh. I wish I had a working phone number, call Aerendyl and ask if I should be worried.
Hurrying up the stairs, Lynx jogged down the hall and shoved into her own bedroom, locking the door behind her and beginning to look around. Hair prickling on the back of her neck, she locked the window, as well, and then headed for the bathroom, taking a peek around- something was wrong, her heart beating too fast, almost painful in her chest, even her tail bristling- but everything was fine?
"Calm down Lynx, it's just a panic attack," She exhaled shortly, gripping the counter and looking up into the mirror, just in time to see something behind her before pain exploded through her head, and she staggered to the side.
"So, you were a demon the whole time? Why bother disguising yourself as a human," Came a voice, raspy and probably female- and then there was a flash of light so brilliant, so overpowering, that before Lynx's eyesight could clear there was nothing but white, a ringing in her ears, hands around her throat. "You'll forgive me, the crude murder, but there are sensors for weapons on every door and window."
"Get, off, me-" Lynx choked out, grabbing the wrists at her neck and pulling, squeezing, shifting, trying to crunch bone, anything. She couldn't see, could barely hear, and breathing was hard- but, through the haze, Alice's words came to mind. Keep quiet, Lynx, we don't want a noise complaint, or something like that…? But, she couldn't scream, couldn't breathe; her eyesight was returning but framed in gray, now- over her, the attacker was masked and hooded, indistinguishable from anybody else. "Hell do you, want from me-?!"
"You really thought that fleeing the country would help you, cowardly mage? We have eyes, everywhere." She? He? They squeezed harder, and Lynx gagged, shifting her weight, planting against their stomach, and then the other, pushing, hard- it wasn't much, but it was enough for Lynx to turn her head down and sink her teeth into one of the hands around her neck, hard, latching on.
"You- bitch-!!" The attacker shouted, and Lynx bit harder, eyes dilating, nose wrinkling, tasting blood, feeling something crunch. Screaming, now, the masked stranger released her neck and staggered back, leaving Lynx to slowly haul herself to her feet, wheezing, clutching her throat. "H-Hold on, we can talk about this-!!"
"You're, an, amateur," Lynx panted out, raising her thigh and leveling a kick with the stranger's face, sending them back, sliding a few inches into the hallway. Still massaging her throat, she watched as, with inhuman reflexes, this person rolled to dodge the next kick and darted for the window- but she was faster, grabbing their arms and twisting back, pinning whoever it was against the kitchen wall, panting raggedly. She was shaking, felt like an animal, and Lynx couldn't help but to snarl as she spoke.
"Who, the hell, are you? And why are you here?"
=
Alice sighed, wiping tears from her eyes, looking down as her phone buzzed. The screen read simply, 'Director', and she picked up, fighting to keep the sobs out of her voice.
"Alice? I apologize for bothering you at this hour of the night, but there was a noise complaint from Lynx's bedroom and I was hoping as the two of you are associated, you might be so kind as to deliver the message, rather than my sending a residential advisor?"
"Oh, you think Lynx and I are close? I think she hates me, personally," Alice laughed, hiccupping weakly. "Said she needed time to think and she would come by later, and then nothing- gone, back to her room I guess!! So you might be asking the wrong person, boss, ugh…" Swallowing, she continued. "Sorry, I'm a wreck… why did you get the noise complaint instead of the Residential Advisor anyway…"
"The RA did get it, but say on how to handle things still comes from me, due to creepy RA's who have long since been removed. Are you okay, Alice? If you'd really rather not-"
"No, no it's fine, I'll get that cat to shut up, or whatever, bye," Alice sighed, hanging up and dropping the phone, walking to the door and out, to the hallway… what felt like moments later, unable to help a colossal pout, Alice rapped quietly on Lynx's door. A long moment passed, and then the door opened, Lynx smiling through a crack without opening it all the way.
"Hey, Alice- sorry for going back on our plans to sleep together, I ended up getting an important phone call, I'm sorry,"
"Liar, your phone doesn't work- are you okay? Is that your blood?!" Alice whispered, stepping forward- Lynx's face and neck were drenched in crimson. Her pupils were slitted, breaths rapid and shallow; all in all she looked more like a horror movie killer than a student in school, right now. "Lynx what happened to you-"
"Come here," Lynx huffed, reaching out and grabbing Alice's arm, yanking her inside, shutting and locking the door before she could even react. Her earlier fears gone, for now, Alice reached up, gently cupping Lynx's cheeks, gloving her own palms in scarlet.
"Lynx, Lynx what happened to you- what's going on-?"
"I'm gonna figure that out as best I can here, okay? This bastard should be waking up soon," Lynx added, and slowly forced Alice to turn around- as she did, her blue eyes widened in shock, alarm. Tied to a chair with what looked like two winter coats cleverly tied, a young woman dressed in black head to toe, with dark hair. Her hand was wrapped in bandaging, but stained red, and her head was down, unconscious.
"What the…"
"Wondering where I got the bandage? There's a first aid kit under the bathroom sink," Lynx hummed, and Alice's eyes widened slowly.
"N-No that's not it at all, what happened here?!"
"Something is wrong, Alice- this person was sent to kill me. I don't know why, or by who, yet, but something is wrong. They… they got the drop on me. I was blinded, half deafened, should have had no way out, but it was easy to get away and even easier to stop her from leaving. This, isn't a professional, so it has to be some kind of… test?" Lynx groaned, and Alice peered up at her worriedly, thinking.
"Mm, I'm a demon, I'm pretty strong… want to go and wash your face, while I look after her…?"
"No." Lynx shook her head. "You and I can have a nice shower later, but, I think I'd be more afraid if the person interrogating me still had their face and neck covered in my blood, wouldn't you?"
"Shouldn't we call the director, or at least the usual hotline?" Alice whispered, standing on tiptoe and cupping Lynx's cheeks again. "Listen, please, let's be smart about this," She pleaded softly, searching Lynx's eyes- after a moment, there was some clarity in those slitted pupils, and Lynx's eyes softened. Slowly, the cat girl nodded.
"Sure, yeah. You have the number? My phone has no service."
"I'll call the Director," Alice sighed and stepped away, toward the door, taking out her phone and dialing. After a few moments, he picked up.
"Alice, what is it? I'm busy at the moment."
"Are you- um, Lynx has been attacked. We don't know why, or by who, but it's a woman in dark clothes and we don't know what to do- Lynx is in interrogation mode, she's definitely ex-military like I thought, there's no way I'm mistaken."
"I see." Aerendyl, on the other end, was quiet for a moment, but Alice thought that she could hear… music in the background? "I'll be there within two hours- I'm out of town right now, but still taking work calls. I'm going to head your way, okay? Don't let the person leave, if you can help it."
"Do you want me to call the normal contracted arms line too?"
"No- don't do that Alice. If Lynx was attacked… I've learned, today, that the corruption in upper management is much worse than we thought. We need to be careful who knows what; I'll be there within a couple hours. Hold tight. Alice, it very, very important that you say NOTHING to ANYBODY right now. I have a bad feelings things are about to blow up. Okay?"
"Okay," Alice whispered, and as soon as she had, the line clicked dead from Aerendyl's end. "He's coming- as fast as he can, he said give him two hours as he's out of town- and he said to keep them quiet. Nobody can know but him- he thinks Contracted Arms has a rat over his head."
"Somebody who leaked my location, you mean? Somebody looking for me?" Alice paused, thinking she understood, and nodded.
"Yeah, like Contracted Arms, somebody leaked your whereabouts to somebody else, or something? I think we need a full explanation from the Director, but yes, he's coming, and he said to sit tight- I'm surprised your would-be assassin hasn't woken up yet. How hard did you hit her?" The dark haired woman in the chair was, at the very least, breathing.
"Not that hard," Lynx mumbled sheepishly. "Just kicked her around a little, that's all- and, the hand thing, I couldn't help that, she was choking me."
"Mn… still, weird that she hasn't woken yet, getting knocked out doesn't last more than a few minutes," Alice mumbled tiredly, sitting down on the edge of Lynx's bed. "Lynx, about, earlier…"
"Alice we are good- you are not special because you hate yourself, okay? I'm here, but now is not the time for that at all." Lynx smiled weakly, rolling her shoulders, and sitting down on the kitchen island, looking sideways at the dark-haired woman who'd attacked her. "Ugh, all this is too much, with too little explanation… I hope Aerendyl and this chick can shed some light on things…"
"Surely," Alice agreed, sitting quietly. "Let's wait for her to wake, see what happens…"
=
Lynx sighed quietly, closing her eyes for a long moment as she tore her eyes from the lights in the sky. "Do I wait for Aerendyl, really…? My first thought is to take out a knife and do this myself…"
"W-What?" Alice asked softly from behind her, and Lynx turned, thinking. "No, Lynx, we do this the right way, come on- I don't know what exactly you had to do in your past, but, we do this the right way. If you kill a killer…"
"Yeah, yeah, same number of killers in the world. If I kill twenty murderers, though… "Lynx trailed off, nodding. "No, though, I'm with you."
"She's starting to stir," Alice murmured, and Lynx nodded, catching a faint trace of breath quickening as the dark-haired woman began to come to. Turning, she grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with tap water, then walked around and slowly stood in front of her would-be assassin. When dark, smoky eyes met her own, Lynx proffered the water, raising it almost to the stranger's lips.
"Water?"
"No. Thanks. Don't know what you put in that."
"You're tied up to a chair and completely at my mercy. If I wanted to kill you, I would. Would you like the water?" Lynx asked again, raising her head slightly, smiling, and after a moment of deliberation, the strange, dark haired women opened her mouth. Lynx relaxed, a bit, feeding her the water- no point escalating things any more than she had to.
"So, you were sent to kill me, that much is obvious. Let's start small, though," Lynx added, closing her eyes as she walked away, washing the water glass. "What can we call you?"
"Alicia."
"Wow, even giving me your name? You really are an amateur," Lynx smiled, shaking her head and stowing the glass away, then slowly walking around, leaning against the wall beside her bed, in full view of her hostage. For a long moment, she simply thought, flicking her tail rhythmically, glancing sideways at Alice once before continuing. The succubus stared through those snow-white eyelashes, as beautiful as she was nervous.
"What do you want? To know who sent me? I'll tell you that if you release me."
"I believe in full transparency, and honesty," Lynx smiled, amusement curling in her chest, almost eliciting a laugh. "There's a man on his way who is… both fair and straightforward, from what I've gathered. You're going to be arrested, but I'm sure that if you talk, he'll listen. I do promise to neither kill you, nor deliver you to anybody else," She added, nudging herself off the wall and stepping forward. Gentle, she cupped the girl's jaw, keeping her hand away from biting range. Just as the dark-haired woman began to look confused, Lynx squeezed, hard, the jaw bone straining as she leaned down, making her expression blank.
"As for whether you're going to be able to talk, when he gets here? That only depends on whether or not you answer my questions, do you understand?"
"Psycho, you can't make me unable to talk-"
"Listen," Lynx leaned closer, cutting her off, keeping the woman's head steady in place as she, Lynx, leaned so close she could smell the other's breath, closing her eyes, angling her head. "My head was obliterated, or something like that- somehow, they brought me back. Ripping your jaw off wouldn't be the end if I'm confident I can keep you alive- and I am very, very well versed in healing magic." Lynx lied, then opened her eyes, drawing back and smiling, her heart thudding almost painfully in her chest as she stepped back, leaning on the wall once more. "Do we have an understanding, my dear would-be killer?"
"Yeah, fine. Whatever. If I'm getting arrested anyway."
"Smart girl, why add torture if we don't need to?" Lynx smiled , nodding- judging by Alice's stunned expression, she sounded as confident as she hoped to- which was, in a small way, funny considering the way Lynx felt like her heart was going to flee back to Pempa and leave her body behind. "So, who sent you, and why?"
"I don't know exactly- definitely some sort of organization though. I'm an ex-merc, worked as a mercenary for two years and quit, got tired of it. But they offered me too much money to refuse to off some college kid, said she'd pissed off the wrong people. The kind of money that'd let me finally afford a house and then some. I'm rusty, not very equipped, and you can't bring a weapon into these places- but I thought it would be easy. You're a freak, what the hell is a student doing here? You ought to be graduated already."
"Maybe I'm not very book smart," Lynx replied quietly. "You have no idea who hired you?"
"All I know is that he had a mask on, drove a black van, and shouted at the driver to head toward the city center after. You want my honest thoughts? Y'know, as a mercenary. I think I get the full picture now."
"Yeah? What do you think?" Lynx raised an eyebrow, her heart rating start to calm, her tail slowing. Alice, maybe sensing her lingering distress, gently wrapped her demon's tail around Lynx's cat one, looking down at her lap.
"Sure- I only got one condition. I've told you what I know. Now if I give you my guesses, you put a good word in for the guy coming to get me. You know, say that I'm not resisting or anything. Can you do that?"
"Sure. You understand you lost, you've got no reason to be loyal to the masked man in the van full of free candy and you're answering questions, got it. So? What's your guess?"
"Mm…" The stranger went quiet for a moment, then sighed, looking up at Lynx with tired eyes. "When I was sixteen I jumped into a mercenary force- dropped out of school, I was fed up with mom and dad insisting I go join Contracted Arms just because I'm a demon. Wanted to do things against the rules, piss 'em off, I guess. First job they had me do was to go and start a fight with the commander of their most prominent enemy at the time, one on one."
"Yeah? You beat his ass?" Lynx asked, raising an eyebrow, wondering if the story would be quite as cliché as that.
"Ha. No. I was left bleeding in an alleyway, and the mercs I wanted to join didn't even take me. Found my way into another band. But, then, later, a new guy came along and everybody doubted him, so before he could join, they sent him to do some collections jobs alone. See what I'm getting at?"
"Yeah," Lynx nodded. "You're totally unrelated, you were just sent as a test of sorts."
"Yeah, but I'm not trying to find a new family. Which means they're not testing me- they were throwing me at you not caring if I died. I should have known it wasn't as simple as that from how much money they offered, but… I didn't. I didn't care. Now I realize they probably wanted to use a random merc to gauge whether or not they need to take you more seriously."
"Yeah… I wasn't a demon, before, after all… And where are you supposed to go, to collect your payment?" Lynx asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Lynx no," Alice whispered nervously, suddenly standing up. "Wait for Aerendyl, come on,"
"If I wait too long, they could get suspicious," The cat girl countered, stretching.
"Come on, you don't have weapons, we don't know if you have magic, so please, please just wait," Alice insisted, grabbing Lynx's arm harder, eyes wide, pleading. "Please, come on,"
"Fine, fine… get Aerendyl on the phone, then," Lynx sighed, staring down at Alice.
"What?"
"Get him, on the phone."
"I… hope you know what you're doing," Alice sighed quietly, taking out her phone.
=
Aerendyl swallowed as he drove, Nara snoring slovenly in the passenger's seat.
"Incoming call, from, that mother redacted at work," The car spoke.
"Answer."
"Boss??" A disgruntled woman's voice. "Hey, we've got a call I'm routing over to you. It's an emergency."
"Go ahead."
Silence, for a moment, and then a man's voice.
"Boss? We need you to get back to the city faster. As soon as you can, we've intercepted a call from the cultists- they're planning another attack. Here, this time, and we know what they want."
"What's that?"
"The Academy and the barracks. They're planning something big."
"Are they?" Aerendyl raised an eyebrow, driving faster, the engine slowly revving, kicking up snow as they flew through the woods. "I see. I'm on my way- where are we to meet?"
"Academy Parking Lot B, we've got a good spot set up for debriefing."
"Close to my office, how thoughtful of you. I'm on my way." Aerendyl hung up, glancing sideways as Nara yawned enormously, slowly sitting up.
"So sleepy, Aerendyl… are we almost there?"
"Sorry, Nara- but we're going to have to take a detour."
"Why's that…? I need to get to Lynx…"
"Going to need you to wait just a little bit longer, I'm sorry." Aerendyl swallowed, again, taking a slow, deep breath. "My subordinate just called me to let me know that they've intercepted a call and the demons are planning an attack on the capitol city, as well."
"Oh, shit- are you worried about that? Are you prepared?"
"Am I worried about that? Yes, they just staged the attack in Eastbrook… but…"
"What is it?"
"You. Lynx's past. We have moles, too many of them… now that I've met with you, they want me to show up at a private meeting at the academy lots in the middle of the night when everybody is gone? For debriefing? I don't like this."
"What are we going to do? Wouldn't it be better then, to go to Lynx? People you know that you can trust?"
"My guess is that they want to kill you and I both at once, to keep their corruption from getting out. I didn't say that we were going, though."
"You said we were taking a detour…?"
"Taking a detour to my house. I'm unarmed- and I want you to wait there. I feel like putting you in the same place as Lynx right now will only paint a bigger target on your back, so please, will you just trust me to keep my promise a bit later? I know Lynx is talented but she's reckless, over confident, that's our instructor's assessment. I don't want her thinking she can run in alone.
"Incoming call, from, Alice." The car chimed.
"Keep quiet for just a few minutes. Please, trust me," Aerendyl sighed, tapping the little green button on his dashboard.