A Young Vampire's Cohabitation Arrangements [Youjo Senki/Dresden Files]

[Obloquy]

Mouse is named! And indeed, many things do not stay sufficiently dead, not least of which is the Argent Silver!

 

[WrandmWaffles]

Daddy Issues Parental Concerns​

The police and fire department weren't too happy about having Harry hovering over their shoulders, though they lightened up a bit after he explained what he saw and didn't interfere with their work. It may have also been because Inari had decided to keep him (and Mouse) company, and there weren't many people that could stay angry at her.

In the end, the police didn't think there was intentional foul play, though all the emergency servicemen were just a bit pissed off at the landlord, since it looked like they had failed to maintain their electrical systems properly. Even grizzled Chicago cops didn't like seeing kids getting hurt, and Giselle sure looked like one, even if she was a legal adult.

And while there wasn't really a way the cops could sense the curse, Harry was a wizard. Now that he didn't have to worry about someone dying immediately, he had time to process what he sensed. The curse was targeted, it had ignored anyone else in the room, singling out Giselle. Arturo was nowhere near this blast zone, so Tania was right, this was solid confirmation that the "evil eye" was not targeted at him.

It went after women around him, particularly the younger ones.

Maybe Inari was on to something. Arturo had said "not yet" when Harry asked if he had a fourth ex-wife, perhaps there was more to that than he thought.

He didn't get great cell signal in the warehouse, so Harry went outside to call Murphy and ask her if she could get a hold of some of Arturo's records. She promised to take a look, but it would be a bit tricky to get much since he wasn't actually subject to investigation.

Harry then called Tania to tell her about the incident and to ask if Arturo was getting married anytime soon. Tania had made an angry sound and hung up immediately. She sounded pissed. He'd probably hear back from her soon, probably with an idea.

Man. Cell phones were really convenient. Magic had a nasty habit of killing modern technology like he had killed the lights, so Harry had never been able to make much use of that kind of modern convenience, since they'd probably pop, crackle and die before he could say 'hello'. Fortunately, Nokia phones were tough, and more importantly in this case, had a reputation of being indestructible. For magic, that was sometimes the biggest part.

Even then, he had to use them sparingly, or they would die anyway.

His phone rang, the spooky tune of the X-files meant it was from his office. Huh. Another case? Hopefully the Nokia would last this many calls in short succession.

"Harry Dresden." He picked up the call.

"Not sure if I should be pissed at you wasting my time, or applaud your caution." A quiet voice started with little fanfare, soft but clearly masculine.

"Kincaid. Didn't think I'd hear from you so fast. I'm on a case right now, so I left a note in the office."

"Heh. You're an unpredictable guy, Dresden. But this phone call works. Shame. I had a whole grand entrance planned. Although…" His voice trailed off, a sharper edge in his tone, even if he didn't raise his voice, "you better be who you say you are. And don't try anything funny over the line."

"There's no reason for me to do that."

"You say that," Kincaid drawled, "but I didn't make it this long by taking dumb chances. I got plans. You know the best way to kill a wizard?" Well, that wasn't ominous at all.

"Yeah, and I'm guessing you've got a pretty good idea?" For all the power their magic gave them, they were still human, and just as vulnerable.

"Just so we're clear," Kincaid said. Harry nodded. "Good."

Well, looks he was in the line of fire again. Crap.

Harry tamped down the urge to look for Kincaid, it'd be better not to show concern, even if he doubted his suit could stand up against a high caliber rifle like the one most likely pointed in his direction, enchantments or not.

Harry looked at his watch, pushing a bit of his power into it. The clockwork shield might hold. His phone crackled, but the Nokia lived. "Nothing says flattery like the barrel of the gun."

"Ain't that God's own truth," Kincaid chuckled. "Now, let's talk."

A conversation under the barrel of the gun wasn't his favorite setting, but at least this time it seemed like caution and not malice. It was a little eye-opening; this was probably a bit of how Murphy saw him, someone who could pose a danger she didn't have an easy defense against.

"There's a scourge of Black Court in town."

"Whose?"

"Mavra."

"Her. Crafty old hag. Heard she used to haul a pretty large crew. Also heard it got cut down to size a bit."

"Yeah, I'm looking to shave it down a bit further, maybe even a buzz."

"Black Court are not exactly easy to drop."

"Unless in their coffins. I've got a few leads."

"So where do I come in? Bodyguard?"

"No, I want you to help me go in there and kill them all."

"Suits me better, I'd say," Kincaid said, a grin clear in his voice. "What's the plan?"

"Once we find them, go in midday while they're napping, put 'em down in their coffins like they should have been a long time ago."

"Simple enough."

"That's the idea. What's your price?"

Kincaid gave him a number, and Harry almost choked.

"Damn, I hope you're worth that much."

"Oh, I'm sure you won't be disappointed." Kincaid paused, "Though, I have a couple conditions."

"Go on…"

"I want another pair of eyes on the raid."

"I've already got more help lined up, but why ask?"

"Takes two to drag an injured guy out."

"Didn't take you for one to care."

"Of course I do," Kincaid scoffed, "The guy getting dragged could be me."

"Already done anyways, what's the other condition?"

"Don't sic your pet succubus on me." What?! "Not my business, but if she tries anything, I'm going to have to look out for myself, you understand?"

"I'd say you don't have to worry about her, but you're not gonna believe that, are you?"

"I'm not one to talk about dangerous games, Dresden, but that's a risky one if I've ever seen one."

Wait, was it bad that Harry knew exactly who he was talking about? Not the time for that.

"I've left a note with my pager number on your office desk," Kincaid continued, "send me a note when you're ready to move. Before Sunday would be best."

"Got it," Harry replied.

Kincaid hung up.

Harry wasn't sure if the gunman was actually as human as he claimed to be. He'd seen Kincaid fire from the hip as accurately as a skilled gunman would if they aimed. But that didn't matter in the end. Their little posse already had one person who wasn't really human.

He hadn't really considered the threat of sniper rifles or the like against wizards before he had been roped into playing paintball with the Carpenters (and they were damn good). In some ways he was also not really with the times.

If the hit was pulled off right, he'd never realize he was shot before he died. No chance of a death curse, no last hurrah. Kind of humbling, and scary.

On the other hand, this could work on many monsters as well. While most were tougher than humans, not many were immune to bullets completely, especially not high caliber rounds.

The thrum of a motorcycle shook him out of his thoughts, and he spotted Tania speeding into the parking lot on her Yamaha bike. She slid the motorcycle into a parking spot, brought it to a halt, and slid off the bike, almost in one motion. Harry liked watching her get off her bike a little too much, and the distractingly long boots made it even worse. Aside from that and Tania's red biker jacket, the twins had managed to match their outfits today (again).

"Oh, hey sis!" Inari chirped, waving cheerfully. Mouse barked excitedly, dashing over to the other twin and bumping his head into Tania's foot. The boots' occupant took off her helmet, fixing her platinum blonde hair idly as she pulled a small ziploc bag from her pocket.

"Don't 'hey sis' me, Inari. You just almost died." Tania glared at her twin, but the severity was a bit undercut by her bending over to feed Mouse a treat.

"What do you mean?" Inari asked, "I just helped save someone's life, I wasn't the one in danger."

Tania sighed, straightening back up and wrapping her twin in a tight hug. "You are just making yourself more of a target."

"I'm not gonna leave, Tania." Inari shot back seriously, though she still returned the hug with her usual enthusiasm. "Not when they clearly could use help."

"I did not expect anything else," Tania replied, pulling back to look her sister in the eye. "Even if I don't like it."

"Heh," Inari grinned, "You're a real softie sometimes."

"Please," Tania sighed, "No need to embarrass me in public." Inari just giggled, patting her sister's arm affectionately.

Tania shook her head, before stepping back and unshouldering the backpack she had been carrying. "I brought you a change of clothes." She handed her twin another shirt and a pair of pants. "As it so happens, we are the same size."

"Thanks Sis!"

"I had not expected you to be the one keeping her out of trouble," Tania remarked wryly to her wizard tenant, "but thank you."

"Hey, isn't that like half of why I'm here?" Harry replied with a grin.

"Hmmph, and here I thought you were on this job for the money, like a normal person." Tania kept her face neutral, but Harry could see a slight grin.

"Sure, doesn't mean I can't keep an eye on Inari here in the meantime," Harry waved at the more cheerful twin. "Turns out she can end up in all kinds of trouble."

"Hey! It wasn't actually me this time!" Inari objected. She frowned, glancing between Harry and her twin. "But you guys know more about what happened, don't you? What does this have to do with Stacy and Sheila?"

"Come, let's go inside," Tania requested in lieu of answering, waving the group into the building. She glanced questioningly at Harry, and he led them to a small room that the staff sometimes used for meetings. Mouse dutifully bounced after them, and Harry poured some puppy chow into a paper bowl for him.

"Alright," Inari began as she plopped down in one of the swivel office chairs, idly spinning slightly. "So whatever's going on is a hush hush." She looked over her twin carefully. "I figured as much when you brought in your PI friend, sis, but what's the deal?" She twiddled her thumbs thoughtfully. "Mr. Genosa isn't a bad guy, but he's got people who don't like him. You saying Stacy and Sheila weren't accidents?"

Tania and Harry shared a look. How much could they explain to Inari? If she learned too much, their father would almost certainly involve himself.

"Look, Tania," Inari called, voice soft but firm, "I understand you're always trying to protect me. I don't know how you always knew about how dangerous the world was, and I never asked, because you didn't want to say, but I'm involved in this now." She folded her hands together in front of her, fixing her twin with an intense look. "Like you said, I'm not one to do nothing when I can help."

Tania looked uncertain, nervously licking her lips, while Inari was resolute, calm and still. It was a bit uncanny valley, like they had suddenly switched with each other.

"Inari," Tania began, sounding pained. "There are forces in the world beyond what can be properly explained with modern science." So they were going to come clean about that? Fair enough.

One of Inari's eyebrows rose questioningly. "Of course there are. Which one is this?"

Harry and Tania blinked. How did she know?

"Actual Witchcraft," Tania replied hesitantly.

"And Madge, Lucille and Tricia are the witches?" Inari questioned, a sharp gleam in her eyes.

"That's a possibility," Harry chimed in, trying to ignore the wrongness of seeing that look on Inari's face, "though we don't know for certain yet."

"What will you need to make a solid judgment?"

"I've met Madge, and she doesn't seem to have any power, as far as I can tell. I haven't met Lucille or Tricia, so can't confirm that."

Inari narrowed her eyes. "And you figured this out 'cause you're a wizard, right?" Harry blinked. "Seriously?" The younger twin threw up her hands, looking like her normal self momentarily, "You literally got yourself listed as 'Wizard' in the phonebook, and you're friends with Papa Carpenter, so you've gotta be on the level."

Huh. Harry had really not given Inari enough credit. While she didn't usually come off as being as smart as Tania, they were twins, and Inari was very sharp herself, even if it was sometimes easy to forget.

"Glad you aren't gonna try burning me at the stake anytime soon," Harry snarked.

Inari snorted. "Mr. Dresden," she continued archly, "that punishment is for heretics."

What was this? Some sort of Spanish Inquisition? Tania looked poleaxed.

The youngest, and least Raith-like Raith, snickered, then broke out laughing. "You should see your faces!"

Harry and Tania shared a look of mutual disbelief. For some reason, it didn't sound entirely like a joke.

"But that aside," Inari continued, face smoothing back into seriousness, "Lucille and Tricia probably aren't witches." Her mouth quirked up in a wry smirk. "They're…kinda dumb."

"Stupid does not preclude them being threats," Tania commented, still looking unbalanced by her twin's response.

"Right," Inari agreed, looking back at Harry. "But as our wizard friend, Harry, how hard would it take for you to do something like this curse?"

Harry frowned. Killing with magic was against the First Law of Magic set by the White Council. It was not an impossibility (quite the contrary) but rather a prohibition enforced with extreme prejudice. He had run afoul of that rule before, when he had used lethal force against his first teacher's attempt to enthrall him (and Elaine).

"Good point. Pulling off Thaumaturgy like this would require a fair bit of work." He waved his hand a bit. "Well, using it to kill them would not need that much work, but running this kind of crazy accident? That would take some effort."

Inari leaned back in her chair, tapping her lip thoughtfully. "On one hand, Tricia is often late to shoots, so she could be pulling something while she's lollygagging. On the other hand, when she is on set, she's usually a tad…uh…distracted."

"That doesn't solve her stupidity," Tania noted, glancing over to Harry. "Is there some way of creating a shortcut? I know foci can make certain spells easier, but is there a way to compensate for the lack of power as well?"

Harry groaned. "Aw, Stars and Stones! Rituals! If they were using a ritual to launch this curse, they would just need knowledge of the steps, which are probably simple enough that they could pull it off."

"How does that work?" Inari asked.

"They're a bit like magic vending machines." He explained. "Insert sacrifice to whatever sketchy thing's behind it, get magic murder. More importantly, they don't require the user to have any magical potential."

But. They couldn't have found those steps on their own…

"That complicates things," Tania mused.

"Yeah, it means that it could be anyone, and Harry won't be able to figure them out as easily," Inari added.

"But I am sure one of them is involved, at least. Arturo remaining unmarried would benefit them too much," Tania commented.

The vaguely annoying but extremely catchy jingle from the Jeopardy game show suddenly filled the room and Inari hopped up out of her chair. "One sec!" She stepped out of the room before picking up the phone. "Hey Charles!" She chirped, back to her normal self all of a sudden. "Yeah, I'm ok!" She closed the meeting room door. Huh, were Inari and that guy…?

Tania palmed her face in frustration. "I should have expected that. She's sometimes too clever for her own good."

"Yeah…" Harry trailed off, choosing not to comment on how that could apply to her as well. "So, what did you find?" He asked.

Tania sighed, pulled out three lunchboxes, then slid one over to Harry. "Oh, thanks."

"Just don't forget it next time." Tania pulled a file out from her backpack, spreading it onto the table as Harry popped open his lunchbox and inexpertly began eating with chopsticks.

"Remarkably, it appears that Arturo has managed to learn some caution," Tania commented dryly, "How unfortunate that this would also make it more difficult for us."

Harry grunted questioningly, chewing a piece of the schnitzel sushi roll (as much as Tania bemoaned Inari's strange tastes, her own were also quite unusual, if at least sane).

"If he should remarry, then his ex-wives will no longer have claim to his assets should he die. And as it so happens, he has apparently fallen for another woman."

Stronger evidence, even if still circumstantial. "He's being a bit cagey about who exactly he's marrying, isn't he? When I first met him he specifically avoided saying anything about that."

"Indeed." Tania nodded, stroking her lip thoughtfully. "If the culprits are likewise unsure whom he is planning on marrying, then that could explain the seemingly arbitrary nature of the attacks."

"How are they so sure the person Arturo is marrying is even on set?"

Tania tilted her head slightly, drawing Harry's gaze to her pale neck and the choker with a small clock set at her throat (honestly not a bad place to wear a shield charm). "I do not know. It could be that the ex-wives heard something slip due to their proximity, or that they are simply making assumptions."

Harry frowned, stabbing at his lunch angrily. To use dark magic so freely, for something so banal, and against completely innocent women…he wanted to strangle whoever was behind this. He wasn't a Warden (fat chance of that ever happening!), but he'd swing the sword with no hesitation in this case.

"We need to find out who Arturo is marrying so we can warn them. I'm supposed to be security anyways, so I can keep an eye on Tricia."

Tania frowned, "Based on the schedule, Tricia should be filming a scene today, so I think she will be too preoccupied to summon a curse."

Harry shrugged, "Then I'll have to be on the lookout for someone else." He frowned in thought. "If this is a ritual, then it's probably got a specific time for casting. This one came at around noon, do you know when the other attacks happened?"

"I do not know, but they were presumably also close to the middle of the day, judging by the most common times golfing and water skiing take place."

Right, that's when Arturo's assistant and driver had been killed (Bees and hit by a car while water skiing? Seriously?!)

"Hopefully that means that they won't be able to get another shot in today."

"I find that less than comforting, Mr. Dresden, if they could simply repeat the attempt tomorrow."

Harry frowned. "I can't just arrest Tricia, I'm not a cop."

Tania narrowed her eyes. "She has a drug habit. If there is an anonymous tip-off…"

"That's assuming she's the one behind this."

"Why not all three of them?" Inari piped in as she stepped back into the room. That…was actually a pretty good point.

"Perhaps T is on set to feed information to the other two as they set up the ritual?"

"Exactly!"

Both twins tapped their lips thoughtfully, standing in mirrored poses (well that was slightly creepy).

"Maybe," Harry mused, "but there's gotta be someone else involved. No way these three just stumbled on this kind of dark magic on their own."

"So, then our best move is to track down more information about the three suspects, perhaps we will be able to find something leading to the organizer." Tania hummed thoughtfully. "Is there a way to trace the ritual to its source from the receiving end?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it. Whatever they're doing uses normal things and cranks them up into crazy. They must have used this because it is much harder to declare foul play or track." Even though it was a direct attack, it wasn't that easy to trace now that it had already fired, especially since the power wasn't coming directly from the caster.

Inari glanced at Harry curiously. "Witches can curse people by using their hair, right?" Where did she learn all this? Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

"Yeah," he replied, "hair, blood, anything with some sort of link to them."

The younger twin frowned, "Then I'd better clean up the dressing room–should I burn the hair?"

"Not here," Tania admonished, "That would likely draw unwanted attention."

"Think that's the first time I've seen someone volunteer for janitor duty," Harry snarked.

Inari chuckled, "Um, it's actually an extension of my job to prevent injury!"

"Does this ritual truly require a thaumaturgical link?" Tania asked, pumping the brakes on that idea for the moment.

"Huh," Harry mused, "It may not. It would have been pretty easy for them to get a hold of something from Giselle, but I've seen other curses that use that kind of link, and they don't have to affect the surroundings." At least not explicitly, that much magic would still mess with technology.

"Did they cause a heart attack, or something?" Inari asked.

Victor Sells had made his victims' hearts burst out of their chests. "Yeah, something like that."

"If it was something of that sort, they could directly affect the victim, and thus would not need the likes of a falling car." Tania concluded.

"Not necessarily, especially if the caster was trying to make the deaths look like freak accidents," Harry countered.

"Is there any way to know for sure?" Inari sighed. "We were able to save Giselle this time, but they already killed Stacy and Sheila." She frowned, "They may even go after Giselle again." Why did they target her anyways? The unlucky girl seemed pretty new, so couldn't have known Arturo that long.

"It seems pretty clear to me that Giselle is not Mr. Genosa's type, she's not established enough," Tania added, echoing Harry's thought, "So why would they target her specifically?"

"Madge, Lucille, Tricia…hmm…she's also not assertive enough," Inari continued thoughtfully, before brightening in realization, "Oh! Giselle's the youngest actress for this movie. Mr. Genosa married all three of his wives when they were young, right?"

That could be it. Either that or they didn't think Joan or Emma were likely candidates, and Inari probably didn't come off as someone who would marry a porn director.

"Inari!" Tania snapped, "That would mean you're a target!"

Why didn't they go after Inari? Wait, Inari was barely eighteen– "Is Giselle even allowed to be here?"

Inari shrugged, "Technically, I think she's older than she looks." She chuckled sadly, "Maybe this will make her think about doing a different job?"

"Did you not hear me?!" Tania grit out, slamming her hands on the table, "If they are working by age you would be next!" Harry blinked and Mouse paused, head shooting up from his bowl. Tania hadn't even reacted so strongly to her own brush with death. To some extent, he could understand; it felt worse knowing someone you loved was in danger compared to when you were in danger yourself.

"If," Inari emphasized, apparently not that concerned about being in the line of fire. Maybe it didn't quite sink in?

"We don't know if they're actually going by age." Harry interrupted, trying to calm Tania down. "Is there a reason they might assume Inari and Emma aren't the bride to be?" Emma may be older, but she still fit Arturo's track record aside from that. As much as they knew otherwise, Inari would also fit that profile.

"Most likely, they assumed Arturo would not marry someone who didn't appreciate his 'art'." Tania replied acidly, probably imagining strangling the exes.

"I guess…" Inari began, "I was pretty weirded out my first few days." Like most normal people.

"And Emma?" Harry asked, glad that Tania appeared to have relaxed slightly. Though they would have to find a way to protect Inari.

Mouse went back to eating.

"Emma's got a kid," Inari supplied, "and the exes probably assume Mr. Genosa doesn't want that."

"Wouldn't that give Emma more motivation to get married?" Harry asked. It took a lot of time and money to raise a kid.

"Not necessarily," Tania replied, "This industry does allow for significant periods of downtime, not to mention pays better than many other jobs, or the likely difficulty of finding employment with her job history."

"No offense to him, but Mr. Genosa isn't really someone you'd want raising your kid either," Inari added.

Harry nodded. "I can see that." Then who would they target next? "Any guess on who the lucky woman is?"

"It's Joan."

Tania and Harry blinked. The dumpy looking, middle-aged producer? When he was around so many younger and more attractive women?

Inari sighed, "Come on, guys! Hiring people of different ages is kind of his whole schtick! Is it really that surprising his tastes might change a bit as he got older?"

"Joan would make a much more reliable spouse," Tania added wryly.

Huh, he hadn't thought of that. It did make sense that the young and beautiful might have soured in Arturo's opinion after three divorces.

But if the exes were behind these attacks…"Then they're just going to keep killing people until there's no one left!" Harry growled. He doubted they would guess Joan aside from the process of elimination.

"Is there anything you can do to mitigate the curse?" Tania asked, "Otherwise neutralizing these witches seems the best option."

Harry frowned. No matter how stupid it was, he didn't like the idea of killing women, even if they were warlocks.

"I might be able to deflect or disperse the curse. All the mirrors in the dressing room would help with that."

"That would require the curse land here," Tania pointed out.

"Well…" Inari began, "It is easier to protect everyone if they're all in one place." She pursed her lips in thought. "Also! There weren't that many people here this morning when the curse happened, so they've got to have been going after Giselle or just grid squaring."

Unless… "Maybe one person is directing the curse nearby, and whoever got them the ritual is helping them cast it." If they had been targeting a general area, they wouldn't have managed to kill the woman water skiing.

"Either way," Tania sighed, wincing in resignation. "Inari's right, it would be easier to build a defense if all the targets are in one place."

Inari nodded. "Plus, I can stick to Joan without looking that suspicious. And Harry is security so he has an excuse to chuck someone out if they look funny."

"I don't like this, Inari." Tania growled, and Harry had to agree. "There's no reason you need to risk your life for these people."

"Does there need to be?" Inari asked. There were days when Harry wondered if Michael had somehow cuckolded Lord Raith, but he knew that would've never happened. Maybe nurture trumped nature after all.

Tania groaned (not the time to get distracted, Harry!), "I told you that bleeding heart will get you killed." She sounded more defeated than Harry had ever heard.

"It's too late to run away, sis." Inari said softly, "You were right about being here making me a target. But we can't exactly change that now."

"Do you have any charms that can help, Dresden?" Tania turned to Harry, giving him the most demanding set of puppy eyes he'd ever seen.

"I will be alright, sis." Inari continued before he could say anything. She fingered her crucifix reverently.

Tania's face distorted into a strange look of fury and resignation, her emotions nearly bursting out. Inhaling sharply to center herself, the young succubus plopped down into a chair, then exhaled violently. "Will you at least hear his suggestion?"

"I've got my shield charms," Harry started, "but they wouldn't have helped for what happened to Giselle. I designed them to stop direct attacks, not environmental electrocution." He should probably figure out something that could, but he didn't have time for that now. "And Inari would need some training before she could use them properly."

He gestured to Tania's own charm. "It took you a few weeks to get it working properly, didn't it?"

"There has to be something!" Tania snarled, eyes glinting silver oh so beautifully, "I'll kill those wenches if I have to!"

"Tania!" Inari's shout snapped her out of it. "We can't kill them based purely on suspicion!"

"There's also whoever they learned from," Harry added, shaking himself, the silver and white rope bracelet on his wrist stinging him slightly. "Not to mention that we don't know for sure it was them. There's a lot of evidence pointing that way, but we can't get sucked in by our assumptions." He sighed, running a hand down his face. "What we know for sure right now is that the curse has been targeting young women and that it has only fired around noon. The rest is circumstantial, pretty damningly, but still." Lord Raith was another suspect, and Harry would put his money on the old monster, but why this method?

Tania nodded begrudgingly, "You're right, as long as the distributor is at large, removing the witches may not stop the curses."

She stood, collecting her files and her lunchbox. "I will look further into the exes' histories and see if that will reveal the culprit."

Her blue eyes bled into an alluring silver as she looked Harry in the eye. "Keep her safe, Dresden." Her voice was low and soft, tinged with a hint of desperation, like when she had knocked on the door to his office.

"You take care too, sis," Inari called, moving to give Tania a quick squeeze. The younger twin was still smiling, endearingly innocent, even if she turned out to have matured quite a bit.

"I'd die before I let anything happen to her," Harry promised.

Inari frowned, "Don't say stuff like that! Even if it's flattering."

Tania shook her head. "You two are both too reckless sometimes." Says the Vampire Slayer!

She left, shouldering her backpack again. Harry watched her go, hoping that he wouldn't regret not siccing Tania on the exes.

"So…" Inari started, "should I still clean up the dressing room? 'Cause cleaning up stuff that's linked isn't gonna be fun if we have to clean up…other fluids."

Bleh.

Harry went back to being security. It beat being janitor, especially here.

♤♤♤♤​

"God bless you, Mr. Dresden. How can I ever repay you?!" Harry bore Arturo's very Mediterranean hug with good grace, patting him on the back. The middle-aged man's smile-lined face was not so jovial now, and his head of silver hair and short beard looked a bit more unkempt since Harry had last seen him. Nevertheless, Arturo's dark, intelligent eyes shined with a sort of resigned determination.

"I mean, you're already sort of paying me for this," Harry replied with a slight grimace. Ideally, neither Giselle nor Jake would have been hurt in the first place. "Inari did a lot of the work too."

"Yes, she is an angel." Arturo looked exhausted, but he had enough energy to smile. "Without you two…we might have lost both of them."

"Is Giselle going to be ok?" Harry asked.

"She'll live," Arturo sighed. "But ok? I don't know. The scars…"

"I'd say it builds character, but it'll be rough for an actress." Harry had his own share of scars, but he wasn't that fancy looking anyways, and it wasn't like he was on screen.

Arturo nodded solemnly, before someone coughed from behind him.

Joan smiled tiredly at Harry from behind Arturo, while a stressed looking woman in a sweeping skirt and peasant blouse covered her mouth in a pretend cough.

"Ah! Harry, this is Marion," the director put a hand on her shoulder; "She's been working hard pulling double duty organizing things since the accident." It showed, she looked like she needed a nap.

"Pleased to meet you," Harry said, shaking her hand. It was cold, but not lifeless. Also lacking in magical spark.

"Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Dresden," she replied, smiling sincerely. "I have to admit I was a bit skeptical when Arturo hired you out of the blue, but it turns out it was a good choice."

"I aim to please, but I'd prefer if we could stop these things altogether." That's what he has really been paid for.

"Yes," Arturo agreed solemnly, "let's talk in my office about that."

"Should I actually ring the studio in salt?" Joan asked tentatively, as if she couldn't believe she was even saying that. Marion looked at her in confusion.

"I don't think there'd be any harm in trying," Harry shrugged, "Though I doubt it will do much." A circle could help with shielding them from the curse, but it would be tricky to keep a salt circle that big from being broken.

"Salt?" Marion asked hesitantly, "Joan, are you alright?"

"Actually, how's the puppy doing?" Joan continued, "He still awake?"

"Puppy?" Marion was starting to look frazzled.

"He's still awake," Harry answered. "Inari's got him."

"Come, come," Arturo ushered them into the building. "Do whatever you think needs to be done, Joan." He waved Harry over to a room that the wizard had pegged for an office earlier.

The older man pushed the door open, walking behind his desk and settling into his chair. He looked drained, and Harry couldn't blame him. Directing could be a stressful job, and most directors didn't have to worry about their staff being murdered on top of that.

"Mr. Dresden, you give advice, yes?" Arturo began. Harry nodded. "Should I stop this project?"

"You believe someone is targeting your people to get you to stop?" That was pretty cutthroat– would have been even in more competitive industries. But if the Raiths were interested in this…Why would they attack the project if Thomas was the one who asked Harry to help out? Not to mention Lara and Inari working on site?

Arturo took out a cigar, contemplating lighting it, before setting it down. "I am not sure. But this attack was clearly not aimed at me."

"And Sheila and Stacy? Were they involved with this project?"

The director frowned, "They helped me a lot…but not specifically on this film." His eyes widened and he straightened in his chair. "Are you suggesting that some bastard is trying to get to me by killing girls I know?!"

Harry waved a hand so-so. "Maybe, maybe likely, even. Do you have enemies, particularly in this industry?" Guess Arturo had a similar caveman streak to Harry's. Maybe that's part of why he had such a loyal crew, especially in porn.

"Enemies?" Arturo repeated, "Competitors, Detractors, but none like this!" He shook his head, "Even those that hate me would not call on malocchio! That is what this is, no?"

"It is similar," Harry answered, "but it's a really nasty version of the Evil Eye. It can't just be shutting you down, someone's got to be trying to send a message." Her frowned, "Is there some kind of porn mafia?" How much did he know about the Raiths? It was true that they had a lot of control over the industry, but they weren't the only ones in the business.

Arturo laughed, "Ha! Maybe the FCC?" His face became more serious. "There has been someone buying up smaller studios. And Silverlight has been pushing me in a certain direction recently." He did not have direct knowledge, then.

Lord Raith would certainly be able to provide a ritual, and convincing women to go along would not have taken him much effort. But why? Why bother with all this? No offense to Arturo, but Harry didn't think he'd be worth this investment for the old bastard, not to mention how easy it would be for the old Raith to off the director.

"You have an idea?" Arturo asked intently.

"A theory," Harry replied, "but there're a few holes in it." Why would Thomas, Lara and Inari be in the line of fire? Harry knew Thomas wasn't on great terms with his old man, but Lara was basically his right hand woman, based on what Tania told him, so surely she wouldn't be targeted, right?

If Papa Raith was behind it, there would definitely have to be some way to ensure it hit the target they wanted.

"Do whatever you think needs to be done," Arturo declared. Harry nodded and exited the office, jogging a few faces down in his memory.

Genosa's office had a few pictures posted on the wall, including of the director's ex-wives. Harry recognized Madge from the party where Arturo had given him this case, and Tricia from the employee pictures. The bronze skinned faux-Amazonian woman would be Lucille then.

Harry had spent the early part of the afternoon setting up something to reflect the curse. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it would hopefully count for something. Most of the mirrors in the dressing room had been undamaged, so he'd put one in the center of the office next to the dressing room and ringed it with a chalk circle infused with a sliver of his will. If it worked perfectly, it would bounce the curse back, act as a little Karma, maybe stop them entirely. Hopefully it would at least deflect part of it.

Using a chalk line, he made a circle around the studio, studiously ignoring the weird looks people gave him. He pricked his palm, using a drop of blood to channel magic into the circle. Reaching out with his senses, he felt a barrier form around the set, a very weak barrier, but better than nothing. It might also distract from the mirror.

"Will this chalk circle help?" Joan asked, chewing on a cookie worriedly. "We have to not smudge it or anything right?"

"Yeah," Harry replied to the latter. "It should keep the lights from blowing out, but they might not work as well as you'd like. Magic messes with electricity a bit."

"Of course," Joan gave him a skeptical look, but shrugged. "At worst it does nothing. Not really going to affect us as it is."

"Hey," Harry shrugged, "The Placebo effect might help."

"You're a pretty weird security guy," Joan commented. "Where the heck did Arturo find you?"

"A friend recommended me to him," Harry replied. "And like I said, this isn't my usual line of work." By that he meant the security, not the limited warding.

"Well, if you're into branching out, you'd look pretty good in front of a camera," Joan smirked, trying to inject some levity into the situation.

Harry snorted. "Nah, cameras and I have a bit of a hostile relationship. Damn things want to suck my soul out."

Joan frowned, but shrugged. "It's not for everyone."

He finished wiping chalk off his hands and stood up. "Probably best I get back to watching the front, now that we have more people coming in."

Joan nodded. "Try not to hold them up too long, or else we'll be here real late."

Harry got to the front just in time to see Marion fussing over a redheaded woman who looked like she stepped directly out of a raunchy magazine: smooth skin, voluptuous body and a lovely face. She'd be more attractive looking if she hadn't been scowling like she'd smelled something foul. It was an ugly scowl, filled with petty spite, not like the thoughtful or disapproving ones that looked good on Tania.

Well, Tania would have to try pretty hard to look bad. Even her slasher Vampire Slayer grin was pretty hot.

"I can't believe this!" Tricia Scrump screeched. "Where's the Eurotrash pig?" She sure was spiteful enough to be a strega.

"Is there a problem here, Ms. Scrump?" Harry growled in the best security guard voice he could muster, reaching out with his senses at the same time.

"My name is Trixie. Vixen." The irritable woman growled, a whiff of foul magic wafting off of her. She turned and looked at Harry, before suddenly smoothing her face into something that might be called a smile. "Oh, well if it's someone like you, I think I can be okay with whatever you call me."

Hello, strega number one.

"There is no pig on set that I'm aware of," he replied seriously, "unless someone brought bacon when I wasn't looking." Marion choked, face contorting weirdly, and even Scrump looked taken aback.

"What're you doing anyways?" asked the strega. "I didn't hear anything about a replacement dude. Is Guffie out?"

"Security," Harry answered, "and Jake got back some time ago." It was good that he was wearing dark sunglasses, or else they'd see his furious eyes. He'd gotten them to make avoiding soul gazes less awkward, but they did also help cover his expression.

"When'd we get security?" Tricia wondered, glancing at Marion, looking both peeved and confused that her little act hadn't seemed to have an effect.

"Just today," Marion whispered. "Mr. Genosa was worried, and it turns out it was for good reason."

The strega looked back at Harry with narrowed eyes, and he could see her anger growing, like a child denied a toy.

"Take me to Arturo, I need something from him."

What a bitch.

Harry inclined his head. "I believe Mr. Genosa is in his office." He turned and walked back down the hallway, the pissed off actress stomping after him, well, as best she could in heels.

"Arturo," Harry called, pausing outside the office, "Tricia Scrump is here to see you."

The woman in question growled and pushed into the room without invitation. "Arturo you Eurotrash pig! What are you playing at?!" Real creative, this one. Harry followed behind her, readying his force ring in case she tried anything.

"Trish—" Arturo began, before the strega cut her off.

"I told you not to call me that! It's Trixie. Vixen. It's been legally changed." That's kind of sad. And lame.

"Trix—"

"What are you trying to pull?! There isn't space here for two stars!"

"What do you mean?" Arturo asked, furrowing his brow, "There hasn't been a major change in the script."

"You know what I mean!" the red head growled, "Romany is retired. Out to pasture. Yesterday's news. This is my film, and I'm not about to let you use my name to support a comeback appearance for that bitch!"

Very charming. Harry could see why she could only make it in this industry: she was gagged some of the time.

"Lara has already agreed to wear a mask and play under a different name," Genosa replied. "You are still the star of this film, Tricia." Pretty obvious why that divorce happened.

"Fine then," Tricia snapped, crossing her arms under her chest. "At least you can understand that much."

Arturo nodded.

The actress turned on her heels, flinching slightly when she saw Harry looming by the door. She tried to save face by glaring at Genosa instead. "So why'd you get a security guy, huh? Scared like the little boy you are?"

Arturo stood from his desk, a thunderous look on his face. "Harry is here because someone has attacked my people, and I cannot let that stand." Scrump froze, glancing between the uncharacteristically furious Genosa and the angry wizard.

"Don't pretend like you care, Eurotrash." The unbalanced actress strutted out of the room.

Or at least she tried.

She froze midstep, tensing up like a taut wire.

Trixie Vixen was physically a very beautiful woman. She checked off basically every box on the popular image of beauty, almost as if she had been made to order. A statuesque woman, but one sculpted by the book.

In comparison, the woman that stood in the doorway made Trixie Vixen look like an ugly duckling, except the newcomer was the swan and Vixen was not a cygnet. Only about six months worth of practice kept Harry from staring.

If Trixie was a statue, she would be the inspiration. If Trixie met every beauty standard, she would have set them. She was what art aspired to portray, and Harry would not be surprised if she was as maddening as any Muse.

She was tall, but not quite as tall as Tania and Inari, even with the high heels that she still made look practical. Her hair was the opposite of the twins, dark and shimmering as the evening sky, rather than rays of sunshine. Her eyes were dark gray, bleeding into the violet twilight of her pupils, sparkling with charm, intelligence, and no small amount of danger. Her clothes were matched fashionably: a black skirt and a white blouse, visible under the open jacket embroidered with abstract burgundy roses.

At first, it was hard to describe her facial features, besides saying they were superb. She had the kind of draw for which looks were almost extraneous, like the glass on a snow globe; distracting if poor, but almost unnoticeable when sublime, serving to highlight the spirit within. Underneath and outside her physical presence, Harry could sense some of her nature: will, cunning, a slice of sardonic wit and fanged with a lazy, sensuous Hunger.

Hunger.

Harry blinked, the sting from his rope bracelet snapping him back to himself. He focused on the woman again, this time managing to note some familiar features in the shape of her face and eyes. While Tania and Inari were an unusual mix of western and eastern features, (seriously, how the hell were they blonde?) novel and exotic, this woman's features came fully from old Europe.

This had to be Lara Raith, Tania and Inari's eldest sister and the right hand of the White Court. Even knowing what kind of predator she was, Harry could not smother the primal caveman part of himself that wanted her. The chivalrous ideas he used to cage his temper dissolved, giving way to a frenzy of emotions.

First and foremost lust, then avarice, and finally a sliver of disappointment. However alluring this Hunger was, languid in its confidence and stunning in aura, it lacked a certain kind of excitement.

By no means was it boring, quite the contrary, but Harry couldn't help but feel something was missing.

The strega took a step back in the face of the superior predator. "Hello, Lara." She was angry, but fear cut most of the edge from her voice.

"Trish," Lara replied evenly, rolling the name with no small amount of mockery. Her voice was low and sultry, running a thrill up Harry's spine. "You look well."

"I'm a little surprised," Tricia replied, her bitchiness apparently winning over her fear. "There aren't enough chains or whips to interest you here."

The vampire laughed, obviously unimpressed. "What is bondage of the flesh to the chains and whips of the mind?" She idly flipped her hair over one shoulder, an eerily familiar motion. "When done properly, there is no need for such crude things." Lara eyed Tricia contemplatively (and contemptuously). "Still not interested in my offer?"

"I don't do that kind of thing," Tricia shot back, a sneer evident in her voice. "Bondage is for used up has-beens trying to stay relevant." She started forward.

Lara did not move. Tricia stopped right in front of her, highlighting the difference in height, looks and threat. They appeared to lock gazes, and the red head began shivering.

"If you say so," Lara finally replied. She smiled and stepped to the side, no longer blocking the doorway. "Keep in touch, Trish."

The undoubtedly younger actress fled, well, more wobbled away, almost stumbling over her six inch heels. The raven-haired vampire watched her go with a satisfied smirk, unusually satisfied for getting one over a normal human. "Exit scene. It must be difficult to be the center of the universe." She turned to the director, "Good afternoon, Arturo."

Her gaze swept over to Harry, who had instinctively stepped between his employer and the probably not exactly friendly vampire. "Oh?" She asked, voice creeping into his ears like fingers running up his spine, "Who is this alert guard dog?" Her eyes swept over him slowly, starting from his shoes and trailing up to his dark sunglasses. Everything about her, from her dress, to her mannerism and her speech, was calculated for allure, designed to short out the higher brain function of any male (and some females) with a pulse she came across. Harry was not immune.

"Your sister is hotter."

There was a beat, Arturo letting out a confused grunt, having stopped just short of speaking. Lara's smooth mask cracked for a moment, a confusing mixture of emotions swirling across her features, a combination of womanly offense, familial concern, sisterly amusement and maternal(?) pride.

"Harry!" Arturo exclaimed, "Inari is only a child!" Well, yeah, but when did he bring up Inari?…Ah crap.

"Oh come now, Arturo," Lara drawled. "She is an adult now. Why, she's even old enough to perform here if she chooses to." What?!

"Lara!" the director interrupted indignantly, like a disappointed uncle chastising his niece. A bit ironic since she was much older than him.

"I doubt Inari'd choose that," Harry cut in quickly. "She's here because she wants to help if someone else gets hurt."

"Oh?" the vampire asked archly, a slight threatening edge to her voice. "You know my cute little sister well?"

Harry shrugged. "We share a few mutual friends, and I did have a nice chat with her today." No, Ms. (Mrs.?) sexy vampire, he was not after her little sister.

She narrowed her eyes at him, a smoldering look that was as alluring as it was concerning. "You better not harm even a hair on her head."

"Lara," Arturo called, waving his hand disarmingly, "Harry and Inari saved Giselle's life this morning, he isn't going to try anything like that." Obviously. It would take a special kind of messed up person to want to hurt Inari.

"Hmm, my little sister is a brave little thing, isn't she?" Lara crooned, a proud smile lighting up her face. "So precocious."

That was a bit of an understatement. At their age, Harry hadn't had any idea what to do with his life, even if he was getting some much needed guidance from Ebenezar McCoy, his first proper mentor. Tania and Inari were already business owners, even if they had quite a lot of help getting set up from their family.

"That is true," Genosa said. "I do not think there are many young women who are as kind as she is, but also bold enough to take charge when it is needed."

Lara laughed affectionately, a surprisingly genuine sound, even if it still sent pleasant shivers down Harry's spine. "If I did not know better, Arturo, I might think you have your eyes on her yourself!" She strode forward, and Harry turned to watch both of them.

The middle-aged director scoffed, "Any man would be lucky to find a woman with her spirit, let alone her looks."

The vampire raised a delicate eyebrow, "Oh? Has old age granted you wisdom? Do you now see that a woman's charm is more than merely skin deep?" Interesting, either the older Raith didn't know about Joan, or she was pretending not to.

She was lined up for this opening way too early for it to be a coincidence. Harry knew that Lara Raith was usually busy; at least, that was what Tania and Inari's description of her would suggest. Supposedly, she was also Lord Raith's right hand, so for her to be able to drop everything and help Arturo in this role… it was much more likely that she was involved somehow.

"Hmmph," Arturo grunted. "I have learned that the hard way, three times over."

Lara gave him a pleasant smile. "Well then, how about you make use of your newfound wisdom and remember to take your medication?"

"Yes," Genosa sighed, "I should probably do that, no?"

"Well then," Lara urged gently, gesturing to the door, "why don't we do that? You've had a stressful day, is it not better to take a breath before continuing again?"

Arturo nodded, starting towards the door. He paused, frowned in thought, then shook his head, setting his cigar down on the desk. "You have a point."

Harry followed after them, but Arturo held up a hand. "I don't need protection from pills, Harry," he said with a slight grin, "Please, keep my people safe."

"I promise I don't bite," Lara quipped with a sly grin.

That was almost certainly a lie (both figuratively and literally) and Harry didn't think it was a good idea to leave a White Court Vampire alone with his employer… not that he could really throw stones here.

"I'll go back to doing my rounds," he replied. If they happened to always result in him lingering around Genosa, well that was just a coincidence.

The director and the vampire starlet went and joined the various other crew members preparing the shoot. Harry posted up at the front door, checking off the remaining employees as they arrived, before again walking a circuit of the warehouse, occasionally looming in the background. Quite a few of the crew members gave him nervous looks, and Harry had to admit that Tania had a point about presentation. Then again, he wasn't trying to scare the crew–though if standing there in a suit did manage to intimidate the strega enough that they stopped killing people, that would work too.

As it turned out, filming pornography looked a lot more awkward in process than the finished product. Though that was true of movies in general, especially for any scene that called for passion. Repeated stops and restarts were already awkward enough, not to mention pretending to be intimate with a coworker while everyone was watching. It must have been worse for Inari, given her big sister was involved. Harry didn't really blame her for taking Mouse on walks as an excuse to occasionally leave the studio.

True to the twins' prediction, Harry could not spot any attempts by Tricia or Lara to direct the curse, as they were…otherwise preoccupied. There had been a delay as the former tried to pull some sort of leaving stunt, which could be a cover, but that seemed unlikely. Of course, that didn't mean they weren't involved at all, especially since he had noticed traces of dark magic on the redhead. It was also possible the window for casting the curse had passed for the day.

Harry checked the chalk circle as he did his rounds. It remained intact, surprisingly. Even with Arturo telling his confused crew not to disturb it, he had expected someone to accidentally smudge it. It seems that having a superstitious client could work in his favor sometimes.

The shoots moved from set to set; one for a bar, another for an alley, and one for a bedroom. Harry couldn't say he was exactly an expert in that kind of thing, but seeing Arturo give directions for that scene from behind a camera was…weird to say the least. Fortunately for his own sanity, he had a good excuse not to stare, especially not at the soul sucking vampire.

Some time after the shoot began, Harry noticed Inari fishing her phone out of her pocket and frowning at the contact number. She then stepped away from the set, Mouse cheerfully bouncing after her. It didn't seem like she was looking forward to the call, so Harry followed her out of the studio. It was about time to continue his circuit anyways. He felt a little bad about intruding on her privacy, but he had a sneaking suspicion just who was calling.

"No, Father," she said (Bingo!) "I'm fine." Lord Raith said something over the line, to which Inari sighed. "Of course I'll be careful." She knelt down to pet Mouse, who stared up at her intently, eying her phone suspiciously. "No, not really," she frowned, "I didn't think you'd think this was a good place to look."

Harry checked the front door, making sure it was still locked, while keeping an ear on the conversation around the corner. It didn't sound like anything really relevant to the curse, but he couldn't help clenching his fists. Fathers were supposed to protect their children, not try to twist them into monsters.

Inari let out a laugh, though not with her usual cheer. "I'm only eighteen, father. I'm not going to become a spinster anytime soon. Not to mention none of you are married anyways!" She paused, "Of course I have a lot of guy friends, most of them are genuine too." Another pause. "Well, they're all special in their own way."

It sounded like a pretty normal conversation a father with a recently grown daughter would have, but Harry knew it was more sinister than that. He also noticed that Inari wasn't telling him anything concrete. That wasn't that strange for a girl embarrassed by her father's question about her romantic life, but with the surprising insightfulness she'd shown earlier, Harry was beginning to suspect that Inari was being deliberate.

"Ok. Sure, I'll do that. Take care." She scoffed as Harry rounded the corner again, "Hey! I didn't write those rules! Maybe you just need different dice." She shook her head and hung up with a sigh, scratching Mouse's back as the puppy crawled around in her lap.

Inari glanced up at the wizard, setting Mouse back on the floor. The puppy bounced over to Harry and bumped his head into his shoe. He squatted down to give the small dog a pat on the head. "Family Matter?" Harry asked.

The white sheep of the Raith family shrugged her shoulders, springing smoothly to her feet. "I guess," She sighed. "I don't really get it. My father keeps asking me whether I've got a boyfriend, which I guess isn't that weird." She frowned, making a face similar to Tania's look of annoyance, yet distinctly Inari in how open it was. "What's weird is that he's pushing me to find one, and he doesn't seem to care who it is."

Harry grit his teeth, feeding Mouse a treat to distract from his anger. He had lost his own father while he was young, but that was better than having an old monster like Lord Raith as a parent. Tania had been hesitant to explain their family situation to her twin, since their family preferred their children to stumble into their nature blindly, probably so they could be more easily manipulated. The turned twin was probably right that letting Inari know would put her in danger from the old bastard, but it looked like it was happening anyways.

"Oh, sorry," Inari apologized. "I heard you never really got to know your parents. Must sound a little ungrateful for me to be complaining about the one I got, right? Especially since they're so rich." She looked a bit like a kicked puppy, which made Harry even angrier. The twins didn't deserve the bastard of a father they had.

He shook his head. "Nah, I can't really relate, but from what Tania told me, your dad can be a bit…" Evil. "Controlling." Harry picked Mouse up and handed him to her. That should help.

"He's not–" Inari frowned, taking the puppy again. "Yeah, I guess a golden cage is still a cage." She inclined her head towards the studio. "Don't you think it's weird that all my older siblings don't strike out on their own? Especially since most of them have got quite a bit of money to themselves."

"Family's important, I guess." Harry would like to think he would care about his family, had he had one. But aside from Mouse and Mister, the closest would have been Susan, and that was…not going to improve anytime soon.

Tania…was Tania.

Inari looked at him glumly. "Yeah, I think so too, but I know what that should look like, and it isn't my family; it only flows one way." She let Mouse nibble on her fingers, the puppy trying his best to cheer her up. "I really shouldn't complain, should I? For some reason, father was always pretty hands off with me and Tania, compared to our older sisters." She frowned, and Mouse whined insistently, before he yawned, pink little tongue lolling. Inari smiled slightly at the sleepy puppy, but it looked like his efforts had not done that much. "He doesn't like Tomas for some reason."

Toe-mas? Harry still had no idea why Inari liked pronouncing her family's names differently, but it's not like he could really judge. On a more serious note, he also had no idea what he was supposed to say to help a teenage girl with perfectly reasonable daddy issues. Where was Michael when he needed him for this stuff? Actually…

"Can't say I'm the best person for this kinda stuff," Harry said, rubbing the back of his head. "My mom died when I was born and Dad died when I was six."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Inari whispered. "I knew your parents had passed away, but I didn't know it was that early. How did you, you know, make do?"

Harry shrugged. "I was in an orphanage for a bit, before someone took me in." He snorted. "He wasn't the best person," understatement of the year, "but eventually I did end up with someone who cared."

"That sounds pretty rough," Inari commented, eyes gazing up at him concernedly.

"Eh, it didn't always feel that bad," Harry waffled. "Probably because I didn't really know what I was missing."

"Is ignorance really bliss?" the unknowing baby vampire asked softly.

Harry almost choked. "I…don't really know." He growled, shaking his head to try and throw off old feelings about missing family. "Maybe ask Michael? He's a better person to ask than me. I'm pretty messed up on that side."

"Now don't be getting down on yourself, Mister!" Inari scolded gently. "If you're out here helping keep people safe, I'd say you managed to not get that messed up."

"I'm getting paid to do this."

She shrugged slightly, taking care not to disturb the dozing puppy in her arms. "Sure, you've gotta make a living. But it's not like you're putting people in danger just so you can make money, right? You could probably make a lot more money doing those psychic consultation things."

Harry frowned at the thought–he kind of doubted people would be that eager to listen to a scruffy looking man, even if he was pretty good at getting a read on people, magic or not. "Don't think I'd be that good at that."

Inari chuckled lightly. "Alright, maybe that wasn't the best example," she looked up at him again, "but you run into danger a little too eagerly for someone just interested in money." Harry didn't meet her eyes. He didn't think a soulgaze with Inari would be bad, probably the complete opposite, but the thought of her seeing into his soul…he didn't really want her to see that.

"Anyways!" she chirped, "You're right, this isn't the kind of thing I should try working through all by myself. I've never been that good at that." A smile spread across her face. "Thanks for listening, Mr. Dresden…um." She nodded at the puppy sleeping in her arms.

Harry waved her off, "You can hold onto him, I'm going to be walking around too much."

Inari grinned, then walked off. Harry went back to his circuit.

♤♤♤♤​

As it turned out, the film industry indeed had different hours. There were a few other actors that showed up late. They were a bit upset about being locked out, but they all shut up when they saw Harry. After a while, it became clear that the plan was to keep filming until they were done, however long that would take.

At least they ordered food for dinner, though the delivery man was also slightly spooked by him. Whatever snobs from New York might say, Chicago style deep dish was proper pizza! Though as tasty as it was, it wasn't as good as some of the stuff Tania, or even Harry himself made. Guess that's the difference between food cooked specifically for your own palate and food designed for general consumption.

A few people had gone out to dinner instead, including Inari(Lara looked miffed she hadn't been invited). The food she had must have been pretty good, since she came back looking a bit more like her usual cheerful self. Harry kept a close eye on the other employees leaving and returning.

He noticed one car parked across the street in an empty parking lot, even though there were still spaces left in the studio's lot. Hmm…hadn't that car been parked in their parking lot after lunch? Even curiouser, Inari didn't know who the car belonged to when he asked her.

Harry actually went and checked the car, but there was no one inside. Perhaps it was nothing; if you wanted to hide, this wasn't a very good way of going unnoticed. He still kept an eye on it during his rounds, but it became harder to get a good look once the sun set and it got darker.

As it got later and later, the atmosphere in the studio became more strained. Trixie Vixen stormed off the set after yelling first at Joan, and then at Inari when the younger girl tried to diffuse the situation. Harry hadn't needed to exactly "escort her off the premises," but he made sure to loom disapprovingly as she left. Guess he had found one type of person who could stay angry at Inari; maybe that particular red head actually didn't have a soul.

Mouse was curled up in a towel, sleeping in the director's chair. Maybe it was Inari's idea, or maybe Arturo liked dogs a lot too. The director seemed unaffected by the fatigue clear in the rest of his crew, deciding to direct the latest scene while standing.

Inari had a point. Had Harry not known Lara was a White Court Vampire or Lord Raith's family policy, he would have also found it a bit strange the older Raith daughter was in this kind of career to begin with.

Harry checked the second floor again as it drew closer to midnight. There was no one here, since everyone was downstairs–

That window had not been open earlier. He glanced outside. There was a tree that could allow someone to clamber into the building through the window. Finger marks on the outside of the window.

Damn it!

Harry flicked on the flashlight he got from Joan, sweeping it across the dressing room where the lights still didn't work and reaching out with his senses. Nothing, they must have moved on.

He marched down the stairs, doing his best not to appear agitated, even as he glanced around cautiously.

Harry checked the offices– Nothing.

Side rooms– Nothing.

The set would be where an intruder would want to go to direct the curse, but shouldn't they have been noticed?

He walked onto the set, where it seemed like they were wrapping up a scene. Reaching out with his senses, Harry began a search around the studio. He recognized everyone around the set. He checked the more out of the way places in case someone was hiding in the shadows–!

A dark figure suddenly moved in one of the corners of the warehouse. "Hey! Stop right there!" Harry yelled at them, aiming his flashlight in their direction, but they were too fast, ducking down a hallway.

Harry rushed after them, only to see the main door begin swinging shut. These warehouse doors did not lock from the inside so employees did not get trapped (which made sense, but was a bit inconvenient at the moment!)

He chased the figure into the night. Not the smartest thing to do, but he would not let the curse go on, dammit!

♤♤♤♤​

This day had proven rather frustrating, Tania mused as she guided her motorcycle back towards her place of residence. It was difficult to get official documents about someone without a clear reason, and while she had found some information she had not been aware of, she had been unable to dig up legal documentation about his marital plans.

Even more frustrating, the clerk had seemed to seriously consider handing them over, before his supervisor came and yelled at him. Now, Tania did not exactly begrudge the woman for doing her job, but it was rather inconvenient.

She had instead spent an annoyingly long time at the library trying to work through the confusing contract Mr. Genosa had with his employees and former employer, as well as the ones he had with his former wives.

Tania pulled to a stop at red light, mentally scoffing at the thought again. She wasn't quite sure if that contract had actually been legally binding, as it looked like it was mostly Silverlight Studios using their influence to threaten blacklisting. What was the point of alienating so much talent? There needed to be a change in management–

She smelled rot.

The young vampire leapt off her bike and threw herself to the side as some unseen force slammed into the motorcycle and hurled it sparking onto the sidewalk.

She sprang to her feet, hand on her gun, sharp silver eyes following her Hunger's focus on a distortion. The air parted like a veil, revealing a walking corpse of a woman dressed in what a Renaissance European noble might have been buried in. A pleased grin spread across the creature's pallid features, revealing yellowed and decayed teeth.

Not again!

"Why, such a lively little granddaughter!"

---

 

[Dark as Silver]

Bloody stupid business over on SB glad it finally got this to be posted on the superior site

 

[WrandmWaffles]

A Question of Descent Dissent

​

Whoever he was chasing was fast.

Harry was not the most athletic person out there, but he had a solid exercise regimen and could run flat out for no small distance. This guy was still faster.

Unfortunately for them, the mad dash didn't look planned out; they lost time picking directions. It also helped that Harry had a lot of experience in Chicago foot chases (even if he had often been on the other end.)

He hounded the figure through the sporadically lit industrial park, feet pounding on the pavement.

This was a bad idea; the further he went, the further from help–but he needed answers, damn it!

Harry's quarry sprinted along the side of one of the warehouses and planted his right foot to turn–

He slipped on loose gravel, his feet collapsing from under him and sending him to the ground. But that was not the end of the chase; he sprung up from the ground like some sort of gymnast, righting himself again–

Harry slammed into him, the slight delay giving him just enough time to close.

The wizard threw his weight against the figure, toppling them both to the ground. The impact almost winded Harry, and judging by the masculine grunt his target let out, they were not better off.

He tried to rise; Harry slammed his arm into the guy's back, trying to pin him down. He moved. Harry hit him again.

He twisted with sudden force, throwing Harry to the ground and leapt up again, sprinting across the pavement towards a tall chain link fence.

Harry scrambled after him, hoping to pull him down as he climbed up the fence.

His target leapt four or five feet and climbed upwards smoothly–well there went that idea.

He reached out his left hand and called on his magic.

"Tracte Forzare!"

An invisible hand of force grasped out and pulled. The chain-link section snapped off its frame and the figure let out a startled yelp as the fence section fell backwards on top of him. Harry stumbled as the spell lurched him forward (Newton's third law and everything.)

He reached for his blasting rod and cursed. He must have left it in his bag! The figure threw off the chain link section with a grunt of exertion and stumbled to his feet. Harry's hand grasped at his waist–Oh right, he had a gun.

"Freeze!"

The figure froze, and Harry could dimly see him raise his hands. Ah crap, he must have dropped the flashlight!

"Woah, Jesus Christ, Harry! It's me!" Thomas blurted out.

Harry tightened his grip on the gun, growling at the vampire.

"Dresden, what the hell are you doing? It's me!"

"Thomas." Harry grit out sharply. "I know your family's involved with Arturo's business. Just what the hell are you playing at?!"

"I told you he was a friend!" Thomas shot back. "Of course we're involved!"

"Not the same thing as Genosa slipping your leash." Harry growled, keeping his handgun pointed center mass at the Raith. "I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt because of your sister, but now I catch you here at the site of the crime. Explain."

"What?" Thomas sounded genuinely confused. "I was keeping an eye on things just like you were!" That didn't really help his case.

"Were you guiding the curse?" Harry asked quietly through gritted teeth. The vampire would hear him.

"No!" Thomas retorted. "I had nothing to do with that!"

"So you do know more than you told me." Harry willed his pentacle to light up, casting Thomas' concerned face in silvery glow.

"Harry–"

"Shut up!" Harry pointed his gun at Thomas' face. "Here's a strong reason to explain just what your family's planning for Genosa."

A prickling sensation crept up his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck stiffened.

The sound of a gun being drawn came from behind him. Lara's unsettling, alluring voice followed shortly after. "Here are two to reconsider…"

♤♤♤♤​

Tania ripped her pistol out of its holster faster than a normal human, but it was not enough.

The thing moved, crossing the distance in an instant, its dead hand lashed out, hammering into the rotating shield Tania conjured via her makeshift clockwork orb and flinging her to the side.

Tania fired as she fell, the Korth revolver shattering the quiet of the night, sending a 0.44 round tearing through the undead creature's shoulder. Damn! Off center!

It staggered, but Black Court Vampires were not so easily stopped. Tania cursed as she hit the ground and sprung back to her feet, just in time for the thing to send her flying again.

Pain spiked in Tania's skull as her shield wavered from the impossibly heavy blow, but she grit her teeth, holding on to the spell so it mitigated her impact with the pavement.

"Industrious too!" The thing crooned patronizingly. "So young yet already expanding thy skill at the Art, meager as it might be."

Why was it talking like it was some proud relative?

Tania rose to her feet (slower this time.) The night suddenly grew clearer as she and her Hunger joined in one accord. The thing seemed content to speak, apparently certain that the younger vampire was no threat.

"Oh, this is quite fortuitous." The thing smirked, idly strolling forward. "One of Lord Raith's little ones, under my wing."

Her gun trained on the monologuing creature, Tania slipped her hand into her pocket, pressing the emergency call button on her own Nokia.

"There is no revenge quite so sweet as suborning the children of one's foes, no?" The thing grinned, stretching her hand out towards the young Raith.

Tania fired. Once. Twice–

She strafed to the right as a bolt of sickly energy shot from the creature's hand. One of her shots passed through the bolt and decayed into motes of dust. The other hit center mass–

Blocked by the creature's own barrier.

Scheiße, a vampire wizard!

"Now, now," the thing spoke, "children should respect their elders." Tania felt her body lock up, the words drilling into her mind. Her finger refused to pull the trigger again.

The thing continued forward languidly, idly lifting the wreck of her motorcycle in curiosity.

Her legs refused to move.

It turned what passed for its face towards the younger vampire, and Tania felt ice churn in her gut at the soulless eyes glinting with old malice.

"You shan't be naughty, will you, dear child?"

♤♤♤♤​

Huh, Lara's voice was hot—Not the time Harry!

"What nice guns you've got there, Miss 'Romany'. Or is it Mrs?" Harry drawled, trying not to let his concern show. It was not a good idea to push the elder Raith.

"Why, thank you." Lara replied pleasantly, as if they weren't in the middle of a sort of stand off. "You could say they are some real money makers. But, more importantly," her voice lowered to a cutting edge, "what exactly do you plan to do with your little gun?" Her voice was still really distracting. "If you put it down, you can call me whatever you want. If you don't…"

"Oh, c'mon, Lara," Thomas called, "we were just talking!"

"He has you at gunpoint and you say you're just chatting?" Lara asked skeptically, her voice sounding closer, even if Harry had barely heard footsteps.

"This is all just a big misunderstanding!" Thomas yelled, waving his hands in emphasis. "Look, can we just all calm down and discuss this like normal people?"

Lara tsked, a sound of almost maternal disapproval. "Now, when you say things like that, I find myself having a hard time believing my little brother isn't as stupid as he seems."

"Thanks, sis." Thomas deadpanned.

He didn't seem about to run off, so Harry looked over his shoulder. How the heck did she catch up to them in heels?! Oh right, sexy vampire. Her being dressed in just a coat thrown haphazardly over black lacy things didn't help. Did Tania look like that—

Harry winced as the silver rope bit into his wrist. "Now I'm confused, Thomas was lurking in the corner and you don't have a problem with it?"

"I respect your dedication to your job," Lara drawled lazily, her red lips tilted in a slight grin that didn't reach her silvery eyes, "but please cease threatening my brother, or I will not be so polite."

"What guarantee do I have that you won't just shoot me if I do that?" Harry pushed a bit of his will into his watch, starting up the shield just in case.

"I'd kind of appreciate it if you both point those things somewhere else." Thomas commented idly. Lara sighed, relaxing her stance slightly.

"Fine." Harry barked, pushing power into his shield and stepping to the side. He lowered his gun slightly, no longer pointed at Thomas, but still at the ready in case he needed to aim at either of them.

Lara likewise lowered her guns; they were small, for easy concealment, but they would kill Harry just fine.

"Now then, Mrs. Lady of the Night," Harry growled, eyes glancing between the two vampires, "care to explain what you're trying to pull with this set up?" If she was unconcerned with the curse, it was even more likely Lord Raith had something to do with it.

Lara looked at him carefully. "Empty Night." she cursed. "You're Harry Dresden! I really should have known."

"It was probably the sunglasses." Harry quipped, but internally he frowned. Sure, he had a reputation, but as flattering as that reaction could be, he didn't think he was worth that kind of response.

"Harry, this is my oldest sister, Lara." Thomas introduced.

"A pleasure." Lara said, looking ready to put Harry under the gun again. "I suppose I should not be surprised Arturo looked for help, but it is quite inconvenient that he found you."

"Wait!" Thomas interrupted. "Lara, don't kill him."

"I would not deprive our little sisters of their wizard friend without due cause," Lara replied icily, looking no less prepared to attack, "but his presence is unacceptable. This is an internal matter."

Ah, Hell's Bells, the Raiths were behind it! But then why…? "Do I really count as external, if one of you brought me in on this?"

Lara's eyes widened slightly. "Explain." (Huh, Tania was better at the glaring thing.)

Harry turned his head deliberately towards Thomas. "I'm still waiting for my own explanation."

"Thomas, brother."

"You know Arturo is protective of his people." Thomas decidedly non-answered, his stance tense, coiled like a snake ready to strike.

Lara frowned, shock and relief (?) warring on her statuesque features. "You brought him in on this?"

"Uh…" Thomas grunted intelligently.

"Just what are you playing at?" Harry growled. "Hiring me to stop a curse when you're the ones firing it."

Lara's jaw dropped. "Thomas, you're entering the game now?"

Thomas rubbed the back of his neck with a wince. "Looks like it."

Harry glanced back and forth between the two Raiths as their family politics came to the surface. Ah, Hell's Bells, what had he gotten himself into this time?

"He'll kill you." Lara spat. "And worse, you haven't gotten near enough strength to defeat him. You don't even have an external base! Tania has more independent assets than you do!"

"Well, that depends." Thomas replied. That didn't sound all that certain.

"On what?"

"On where the other members of the House choose to stand."

Lara let out a bark of laughter. "Do you really think any of us would take your side over his?"

Thomas shrugged. "Inari would, and Tania would back her."

"They are not like us." Lara cut him off dismissively. "Not yet." Wait…she didn't know?!

"Just a thought," Thomas demurred, "but I know you've got more of an eye on the throne than you let on." Lara glared, but Thomas continued before she could speak. "Think about it, if I win, it'll be a lot easier for you to take charge. If I lose, you can blame me and get away smelling clean."

How could they have missed that?!

"How calculating of you." Lara commented. "Have you been reading Machiavelli?"

Could Tania really be that good at hiding things?

"With Justine, at night." Real romantic there, Thomas, your girlfriend/sandwich must really appreciate it.

Lara stilled, lips pursed pensively, a bit like Tania when she worried about her twin. "This is most unwise."

"But—"

"Your timing could not have been worse. Our position is already insecure," Lara continued, "internal divisions now would spell the end of us. The Malvora and the Skavis won't hesitate if they smell blood. Even the de Rossi could turn on us."

Wait! Oh…

"Dad's losing it." Thomas pressed. "He's not been right for decades. He's getting senile and it's not long before the other families make a move, and we'll go down with him."

"You don't know him like I do." Lara cautioned. "Do you know how many brothers and sisters I've heard say that? They are all dead."

"They tried going against him alone." Thomas countered, as if he had someone in his corner. "I'm suggesting we try taking him on together."

Lara snapped her arms up, one gun pointed at Harry's head, the other at Thomas'. Harry focused on his shield bracelet, a faint blur appearing in his vision as a barrier formed between him and the vampire.

"I have always been fond of you, little brother, but Father already suspects you, and excuses won't save me."

Thomas tensed. "We don't have to do this, Lara."

"Killing you brings me no joy–"

"Then don't!"

"And leave you to his mercies? Thomas, I love you, brother, almost like a son. I have some principles."

No wonder Tania and Inari were so desperate for a real family.

Thomas blinked and Lara's head snapped over to Harry, eyes blazing silver. Ah, shit, did he say that out loud?

"Lara." Thomas called, a sliver of command in his voice. Lara swayed a bit on her feet. "We can still talk–"

"I'm afraid all you can say is goodbye, little brother." What a lovely family. "Same to you, wizard." Her arms stilled, steadying her guns, features calm and resolute.

"Where have all the good men gone?" Harry's phone rang—Fuck! Tania!

♤♤♤♤​

Tania snarled, her Hunger growling in frustration. Her finger still wouldn't budge.

The remains of her motorcycle sparked–

Tania flicked her gun left and fired.

Fire bloomed as the fuel tank ruptured, and the thing yelled in surprise as it was doused in burning gasoline.

Tania fired again. The thing shouted a word and the flames died out as a wave of frost coated the creature, the bullet impacting uselessly against a barrier once again.

"Naughty it is then." It grinned.

The Black court rushed forward in the blink of an eye, arm lashing out with a clawed hand.

Tania dodged to the side, drawing her knife and striking towards the creature's heart.

The thing spoke another strange word and Tania found herself launched again through the air. Instincts from another life twisted physics to her benefit and she landed on her feet, even as pain split her skull like knives.

Blood trickled from her nose.

As suited as her current brain was for mathematics, perfectly calculating spell formulae on the fly was still beyond her, at least, not without strain.

The creature laughed, an ugly, corrosive sound that made Tania's hackles rise. "Ah, the brazenness of youth." Tania had one more bullet. "The manners of today leave much to be desired." It would have to count–no time to reload.

As much force as the specialty round could pack, the thing could still absorb much of the impact with its shield, not to mention its undead fortitude…

"Well, art thou willing to listen to grandmother?"

Tania brushed a scraped knuckle against her left earring, smearing a small amount of blood from the closing abrasion onto the silver cross (she should not have let Inari pick.) Her skin glowed a pale silver as her Hunger drank life eagerly and warmth flooded her veins, spreading from her ear through her head, chasing away the migraine, before shooting down her spine. Her vision sharpened again, as did her thoughts.

Scrapes closed, fresh skin replacing torn. Bruises cleared, the ruptured blood vessels resealing. A cracked rib snapped back into place, and her tendons pulled taut with inhuman strength, their union pushing her body beyond normal limits.

This thing had counters so far, but could it cover all its weaknesses?

Her Hunger roared between her ears and Tania moved.

♤♤♤♤​

Harry was no stranger to hairy situations (you could say his whole life was a Harry situation!) and if there was one thing he had learned from all that experience, it was that things could always get worse.

Such as chasing an intruder resulting in a gunfight with a vampire in lingerie like some weird stripper version of O.K. Corral.

Thomas snarled and darted towards one of the warehouses, producing his own pistol (was that a Sig Sauer?)

Lara shot first. Then Harry. Then Thomas.

A cacophony of sound exploded across the industrial park, the staccato retorts of four separate handguns sounding through the lot.

Harry missed. He wasn't that bad of a shot, but Lara was inhumanly fast, and his own frantic dodging made aiming more difficult. Thomas had slightly better luck, plugging holes into her coat and knocking it from her shoulders. Lara's aim was deadly.

Two rounds deflected off of Harry's shield, lighting up in a flash of blue-white energy, a third whizzed past him, smashing into the warehouse wall behind him.

With two bloody thumps, Thomas got hit; one round knocking his leg from under him, the other striking him square in the chest.

Lara's falling coat interfered with her aim for a moment– "Forzare!" –giving the wizard an opening.

The pavement cracked and burst under the elder Raith's feet, smashed apart by a dart of force launched from Harry's ring. She kept her footing, almost seeming not to stumble, but her next volley missed. Vampiric reflexes or not, stripper heels did not make for a stable firing platform, especially on suddenly uneven ground.

Harry rushed over to Thomas, putting himself and his shield between the downed vampire and his gunslinging sister.

Seeing that she couldn't penetrate the barrier, Lara slunk away into the night behind some industrial equipment, lurking for a better opportunity.

"You alright, Thomas?" Harry asked urgently, keeping his eyes peeled for the other vampire. Funny how hostilities could change so quickly. He switched to powering a rotating shield–it wasn't as strong, but he didn't know where the shot would come from.

Thomas took a while to reply. "Doesn't feel like it. Ow."

"Well, you've been shot, so pain is actually kind of a good sign." If he didn't feel anything, then he would probably be a goner.

"Real encouraging." Thomas gasped out in a half laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, can you walk?"

"Don't think so." Thomas panted. "Hurts to breathe, can't feel my leg."

Harry glanced down at his injured friend(?) and winced. Thomas was bleeding profusely from a wound in his leg and in his chest, but luckily there didn't look to be spurts of arterial blood.

White Court were tougher than humans, but severe bleeding could still kill them. Thomas could recover from this, but that would take time they didn't have.

"Just sit tight." Harry said, reaching out with his senses, seeking any indication of where Lara was hiding. "At least until I know where she went."

"Stay in place?" Thomas gasped. "That's what you do when you're a lost kid. We'll be sitting ducks!"

"Can you still shoot?" Harry asked sharply, trying to keep the injured vampire focused.

"Badly, why?"

"So we can compromise. I walk, you shoot."

Thomas let out a huff of laughter, but broke into wet, painful coughing, blood dribbling from his lips.

"Damn!" Harry cursed, crouching down and trying to steady Thomas into a sitting position.

"C'mon… you'd better leave! I'll… make do."

"Shut up!" Harry retorted, checking over Thomas' injuries as best he could. He found the chest wound, and his hand was covered with blood for the second time today. "Here," he directed Thomas' hand to the wound. "Keep pressure on it. I can't do that and haul you."

"Forget about that." Thomas rasped. "Just… get out of here. She'll just be able to… off us both."

Harry snorted. "Right, two pairs of eyes are better than one. I can hold a shield."

"Not much use… if… you can't hit back. Get out… call the cops… then come back for me."

"Fat chance." Harry shot back. Most likely, the only thing keeping Lara at bay right now was the threat Harry's magic posed.

Harry dragged Thomas' left arm over his shoulders, hauling the injured man to his feet. From the sounds of protest, it was rather painful. Thomas' breath hitched and Harry felt him lock up.

"Come on," Harry grunted, "you've got one good leg, help me out."

"Just go." Thomas sounded hollow, voice almost ghostly. "I can't."

"Don't give me that! Shut up and move!"

Harry began walking as fast as he could towards the nearest corner, channeling his will into his shield watch, ignoring the migraine spiking in his temple. The watch made keeping up the rotating shield easier, but it still caused a bigger headache than normal.

Thomas would probably have been screaming if he had the air. The walk back was a lot slower than the chase there, and Thomas got progressively paler as they went, turning an almost ashen gray. He still had enough strength to take a step. Harry didn't know if Inari knew how to handle gunshot wounds–

Running footsteps. A woman rounded the corner and Harry cursed, focusing his shield and hurriedly aiming his gun–blond hair!

"Oh my God!" Inari gasped, skidding to a halt in front of them. "Thomas, what happened? Were you shot?" Speak of the angel…?

Thomas nodded as Harry set him on the ground gently. Inari cracked open her first aid kit for the second time that day and flicked on her keychain flashlight, hissing as she looked over his injuries. "There's an exit wound on the leg, not on your back. That's–" She furrowed her eyebrows as she pressed gauze to the hole in Thomas' chest. "Why's your blood pink?!"

A look of shock passed over Inari's face and she stilled for a second, before she shook her head and handed Harry another piece of gauze to staunch the bleeding from Thomas' leg.

"He's going to need a doctor." Inari said. "There's probably fragments that need to be taken out." Wait, she did know how to treat gunshot wounds?! "Pink blood…" Not the time, Inari!

The younger Raith glanced over Thomas' gun, then at Harry's. She looked at the wizard, then at her brother, face tense with concentration. "Who shot you?!"

"Step away from my siblings, Dresden!" Hell's Bells! Harry whipped around and found himself staring down Lara's guns again.

"What's going on?!" Inari's eyes zeroed in on her sister's guns, a horrified realization dawning on her face.

"Mr. Dresden here just assaulted our brother." Lara replied–

"Don't lie to me Lara!" Inari snapped, a cold edge to her voice, suddenly sounding like Tania on the hunt. "If Harry hit him here with that gun, he'd be dead."

Lara flinched, taken aback by her sweet little sister's hard eyes. Thomas managed to look poleaxed while almost bleeding out.

"Inari, please." Lara tried to salvage the situation, but Inari was not so easily deterred.

"Why did you shoot Thomas, Lara?" the youngest Raith growled, silver bleeding into her furious blue eyes. "I thought we were family."

Harry froze as a cold, slimy feeling snaked up his spine.

Three Black Court vampires seemed to appear out of the shadows; one moment nothing, the next there.

One of them was the one-eared vampire Harry had slapped with a holy water balloon instead of paying his toll. The other two looked like dead teenagers, male and dressed for their own funeral. They couldn't have been dead long, they looked too intact. Dried blood caked their mouth and throat and their eyes were glassy, lifeless things.

Inari gasped, eyes widening in fear, one hand clutching her crucifix–that would actually be pretty useful. Lara hissed, raising her guns at the new arrivals and turning slowly so she could keep an eye on each of them in turn.

"Well, well, we meet again wizard," one-ear rasped, "and what luck. Three Whites too. How delicious."

A dark fog of black magic began to form.

The malocchio! Ah, shit! Midnight and Noon!

Did the mirror not work?! No, they were outside, it must be targeting one of them!

"Shall we?" the Black Court vampire asked, probably rhetorically.

Sorry Tania, but the hero's in danger of his own tonight.

♤♤♤♤​

Tania fired the last bullet in her revolver, the explosive round bursting a fire hydrant open like a fountain, spraying the thing with a jet of water.

Running water.

It screamed in pain and surprise, jerking away from the hydrant–

Tania impacted the creature, lifting it off its feet and toppling them back under the water's flow. Water interfered with magic–at least mortal magic, and she guessed it might affect the vampire's wizardry too.

At the very least, it kept it flailing wildly instead of casting a spell, attention split between getting away from the deluge and striking the younger vampire. Tania ducked and weaved, launching a flurry of blows with her knife and using her now empty gun as a bludgeon.

But the thing was old, and thus no fool. Even under furious assault and suffering from a bane, it did not allow Tania a strike at its heart, letting her bury the knife in its arm and using its greater strength to rip it from her grasp.

The spurting water hindered Tania as well, the mist obscuring her vision, as sharp as it was—

The young Raith found herself on the pavement again, blinking stars from her vision as pain lanced up her chest from the blow.

The creature laughed as it strode into her vision, visage even more ghastly, strips of dead flesh sloughing off from the water. "Clever child," it crooned, "but be not so keen to suffer discipline."

Tania tried to stand—

The thing hauled her up by the throat, slamming her against a brick wall, the impact knocking the wind out of her lungs, and she was forced to gasp for air. Her cracked ribs made it painful. The chokehold even more so.

"Now, now," it whispered placatingly, a ghoulish smile on the remaining half of its face, "no need to struggle, grandmother is here."

Tania's left arm shot up, the thing was actually shorter than her, so she could actually reach its heart–

Crack!

Tania clamped down a scream as the thing snapped her wrist with its other hand, her spare knife falling limply from her grasp.

Her vision blurred as it slammed her against the wall again. "Such spirit!" Curse it all! It still came down to this, yet again. "But children should answer when a parent asks, no?"

It stared down at her with lifeless, rheumy eyes filled with old malicious glee. It dug a clawed finger into Tania's arm, before dropping the limb, letting it fall painfully to her side. "Hmm…" It brought a bloody finger to its mouth. "Ah, such a wonderful taste!"

It grinned, half dead flesh and half naked teeth. "I wonder, will your twin taste just as sweet?"

KILL!

"Oh? Finally something to say?" It let up on its chokehold slightly.

MAIM!

The thing frowned in confusion as Tania lifted her empty gun.

"Crescat Scientia; Vita Excolatur."

The phoenix engraved on the barrel glowed white, and light exploded from its business end.

BURN!

A shriek; a crack of air, and it was gone.

♤♤♤♤​

Harry sighed. He really got into these situations far too often.

At least this time he had planned ahead.

He reached for his belt buckle, running a finger over the bear carved into the silver. It had taken quite some time to make this little trinket; it would have taken longer if Tania hadn't helped out.

Harry grabbed the buckle and whispered, "Fortius."

He let out a breath as vitality rushed through his system, washing away the aches and clearing the fog of fatigue from his brain. This was not like "magic coffee," as Tania had put it. No, it was pure magic, the essence of life itself. Things suddenly didn't feel as bad, and Harry had hope that they could get out of this mess just fine. He was still going to feel it later, as unlike for Tania, the life energy wouldn't actually heal the strain, but that didn't matter if he died now. On that matter…

"Lara," Harry called, "I realize you've got a bit of unfinished business with me, but it looks like we've got a bit of a different problem at the moment."

The elder succubus glanced at Thomas and then at Inari. "Agreed, Dresden."

"Common enemies, common goal: get her out of here?"

"How much Power do you have?"

Harry stood, flexing his right hand. Really could have used his blasting rod, but his gun and magic would have to do, even without a focus. For all their threat, the vampires hadn't moved yet. Lara still kept a close eye on them, facing away from the wizard.

"Enough for this." Harry pushed power into his shield in preparation.

Lara chanced a quick glance over her shoulder, a surprised look on her face. "Well then. Pax, shall we?"

Harry nodded sharply. "Twenty-four hours?"

"Done."

"Peachy."

"What are these guys?" Inari asked sharply, a lot calmer than expected.

"Got a knife?" Harry asked. "If you get a chance, make like Buffy." Tania usually carried a few knives, hidden under her tight clothes (not that Harry went looking for them), maybe Inari did too? "Maybe pray."

"That kind of vampire…" Inari muttered, a rather sharp looking knife seeming to appear in her hand (was that some kind of twin skill?) "We could really use running water." Her eyes flicked back and forth, tracking each of the vampires carefully.

There probably wasn't much she could do, but at least she wasn't freaking out.

Less encouraging was the dark, noxious energy of the curse swirling in a cyclone, smothering Harry's senses with a crushing, unpleasant sensation. He tried to focus, find where the curse was aimed at. It was a matter of survival now.

His attempts to reflect it seemed to have failed, but as it so happened, there were a few acceptable targets conveniently available. Harry fingered his pentacle with his free hand nervously.

"What are they standing around for?"

"They're communicating with their master." Lara explained.

"Didn't expect to get put on hold," Harry groused, wrapping his pentacle's chain around his fist, "should we forcibly disconnect?"

"No." Lara hissed. "They are watching us. Don't make a move, or they'll react. Time is our ally."

Harry glanced at Thomas bleeding on the ground, his other senses tracking the cranking guillotine of the malocchio. His eyes flicked upwards, looking for a sign. "Not so sure about that, Mrs. Raith."

The smallest of the Blampires twitched, letting out a short screech of pain. Its glassy eyes swiveled around in their sockets like marbles for a moment before focusing and landing on Harry.

It spoke, and Harry knew that voice. It wasn't the voice of a fresh raise. It was older, filled with cunning, viciousness and no small amount of glee, yet still somehow sounding feminine through the dry rasp.

"Dresden," the voice called, "and Raith's right hand. Raith's freakish get. And the apple of his other eye. What a fortunate night."

Other eye? "Evening, Mavra." Harry replied. "I don't remember your hand being long enough to stick up a cadaver's ass, did you get work done?"

A choked laugh came from the ground. "Christ, Harry." Thomas gasped. Harry glanced down. The pretty boy Raith still looked like hell, but he was awake, eyes focusing, if blearily. "Did you get drunk in the last five minutes somehow?"

Harry grinned. "Something like that."

The puppet vampire growled, somehow sounding a bit girly as Mavra projected her anger. Its voice pulsed with ill intent, echoing with agitated power. "There will be many debts settled this eve. Take them, my kindred, but leave the little one for last. I want to see if she is like her twin."

Tania?!

The vampires rushed in.

One-ear leapt at Lara. Mavra's sock puppet went for Harry. The last one charged at Inari. They were fast, crossing the distance almost quicker than the eye could follow. Sock may have been fresh and clumsy (looks like Mavra's guidance only went so far), but Harry still almost lost track.

He sidestepped, snapped his gun up and fired.

Once. Twice.

It shrieked in surprise as the bullets ripped into its back, falling to the ground, but it was not destroyed. Harry cursed, trying to hit a moving target in the heart was not as easy as movies made it look.

A thump and a frustrated snarl.

Harry glanced to see Inari's attacker face plant into the ground, tripping over her leg sweep. Unfortunately for the girl, the force of the impact sent her stumbling, so the thing was back on its feet before she could capitalize.

Lara slid to the side gracefully–

One of her heels snapped and she lost her footing. One-eye slammed her to the ground in an instant.

The succubus pressed a gun against her assailant and fired, sending One-ear jerking back. It grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head with a snarl. Lara glowed silver as she kicked out with her feet, shoving against the mangled vampire.

"Why, you look lovely, and you'll be lovely still–"

"Forzare!" Harry punched out with his right hand, picturing One-ear's skull like it was one of Tania's chew toys. The force dart struck the vampire in the side of the head, sending it reeling back and ripping off its other ear. Succubus Lara might be, a part of Harry still raged at seeing her hurt, soul sucking monster or not.

Lara ripped her arms out of its grasp and started to rise, kicking off her heels even as she fired one handed. There was another thump and snarl as Inari kept up her game of keep away.

Overhead, the curse stilled, the guillotine clicking into place at its zenith.

Right over the older Raith.

They were out of time.

Harry grabbed Lara's arm with his left hand. "What are you doing?!" She hissed furiously, starting to pull away.

"Wait!" Harry pulled on the curse. Magic entered through the left side, and the noxious energy of the curse entered his system, tearing at his insides like swallowing razor blades.

It was wrong. Magic was supposed to be the energy of life, but Harry knew that wasn't the only source. This magic was made to kill, and it clawed at him violently. He fought it in turn, wrestling it into submission and chaining it with his will. The dark energy swirled within him, now controlled, if not exactly tamed.

He looked towards No-ears—

Sock flung itself at him with its arms, legs dragging awkwardly–

Harry thrust his hand out, energy leaving from the right side.

The vampire didn't react to the magic—

Something fell from the sky and it was slammed to the ground with a startled shriek.

A full frozen turkey crushed its spine between its shoulder blades, pinning it face down and leaving it twitching helplessly like a specimen in some deranged insect collection. Did that fall off a plane?!

There was a pause. Everyone stared.

Vampire, wizard or Inari, no one was prepared for this kind of fowl play.

"Hey, God?" Harry asked. "Do you happen to have a spare piano?"

Lara flinched away from Harry with a pained moan – whoops – and fired her gun at No-ear's legs. Inari yelped in shock as the other vampire recovered quicker, shoving her face into the ground, decayed jaw aimed at the back of her neck.

"No!" Thomas shouted, leaping from the ground, skin a pale silver, almost glowing in the night. He slammed into the undead monster, knocking it away from his sister, pummeling his fists into the blampire.

Harry knew the thing was stronger, but Thomas had better technique. The Raith ducked a blow and heaved, hurling the corpse into the side of a warehouse, the force shattering brick.

The Black Court vampire fell to the ground, and a moment later, so did Thomas, skin returning back to his normal pale hue, his energy spent.

Harry fired his fifth shot at No-ears, catching it in the sternum and staggering it. Lara fired, her shots smashing its knees, then its elbows as it collapsed to the ground.

"Thomas!" Inari yelled, pushing herself up with a pained grimace.

Lara fired again, blowing out No-ear's left eye. It wasn't going to have much of a face after this.

"Do you think you've won?" It rasped. "Tis merely a flesh wound."

"Your arm's off." Lara answered coldly. "It will slow you down."

No-ear snarled. "I'll be after you in hours."

"The sun is bright this time of year," Lara sneered, "good-bye."

Her gun clicked empty.

Was it just Harry, or was the older Raith having some performance issues tonight?

The vampire Thomas had stunned leapt up and charged.

Harry shouted out a warning, spinning up his shield and trying to block its path.

The moving corpse hit his shield and the two were flung in different directions.

Harry bounced on the pavement painfully, the strain shorting out the shield. The blampire hit the wall like Spiderman and leapt at Lara in a zigzag motion.

He pushed himself up into a crouch, feeling the energy from his belt buckle starting to ebb, just in time to see the blampires slam Lara to the ground, one bouncing her off some kind of industrial tank while No-ear chomped on her calf, keeping her from leaping clear. Tonight was not a good night for her to be working on her back so much.

The black court vampires moaned excitedly, one flicking its unnaturally long tongue over pink blood seeping from Lara's injuries, while No-ear slithered up her body, undulating like some freakish worm, tongue trailing up her leg. "Raith's eldest daughter, and our betrayer." It hissed. "Revenge is mine."

"Get off me." Lara growled weakly. She pushed against the vampire pinning her, to no avail.

"Mine!" No-ear repeated, dead lips brushing over Lara's neck, seemingly savoring her panicked expression.

"Unhand my sister."

Harry blinked as he heaved himself to his feet against the wall. The two blampires paused, heads snapping around to see Inari standing firmly several feet from them, aiming Thomas' gun at them.

There was an eerie calm on her face, a singular focus foreign to the energetic and sometimes scatter-brained young woman. Despite the blood trickling down her forehead, she didn't look afraid.

"Inari, run!" Lara cried. The vampires laughed, a ragged, croaking sound.

"Don't worry, sweetie." No-ear chuckled. "We'll be with you shortly."

Inari raised the gun. "Last chance." Where was she aiming? They weren't going to be intimidated by a handgun!

The blampires scoffed and leaned towards Lara.

Inari fired. There was a pinging sound—

WHOOSH! A torrent of water burst over Lara and the two corpses, rushing out from the ruptured pipe above them, pushed down by the pressure from the cooling tower on the roof of the building.

The three vampires flailed in surprise, the blampires bursting away from the deluge in pain, flesh sloughing off in chunks.

"In your hands, O LORD, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters."

Light burst forth from the crucifix clutched in Inari's hand.

"In this life you embraced them with your tender love;"

No-ears shrieked in pain and fear, fleeing into the night half drowned and half burned.

"Deliver them now from every evil and bid them eternal rest."

The remaining Black Court vampires made no sound, silently dissolving into dust, leaving behind a frozen turkey and a sputtering, thoroughly wet Lara.

Holy—!

It wasn't a piano, but Harry would take it. (Definitely not the time to swear.)

Lara shot to her feet out of the water, stumbling on her injured leg even as it visibly started to heal. Her hair was plastered across her face and her lacy clothes were soaked, leaving little to the imagination.

Her eyes glowed silver as her head whipped around, before she focused on Harry—

"Lara, are you ok?!" Inari rushed forwards, snatching up her first aid kit, ignoring her own scrapes and bruises.

The glow faded from Lara's eyes, her glistening form dimming back to a still lovely, but more normal state.

"Where'd they go?!" She yelled, spinning her head wildly.

"They're gone for now, sis." Inari consoled, catching her older, but shorter sister as she slipped on the slick pavement.

"Inari?" Lara asked, eyes wide in shock. "What…what did you do?"

Inari smiled wanly. "I could ask you the same, but I think we need to get out of here."

Wait–!

Harry fished his battered phone from his pocket, dialing Tania's number frantically. "Come on, come on!"

The dial tone sounded. Yes!

It cut off.

"Shit!"

Lara and Inari glanced at him at his outburst. The older Raith raised an eyebrow at his phone.

Inari frowned, fishing her own phone from her pocket.

Lara looked to the turkey, then to Harry.

"We still have a truce, no?" She asked.

A gasp from Inari cut her off. "No, Tania!"

"What is it?!" Lara demanded, rounding on her little sister.

"Emergency call." The younger Raith replied despondently.

"No…" Lara closed her eyes and slumped in defeat.

"Tania will be ok," Harry muttered, trying to reassure himself as much as his friend's sisters, "she's tough. And smart."

"Wizard." Lara called resignedly, looking down first at Thomas prone on the ground, then to the distraught Inari. "I cannot protect them. Help me. Please."

The last word seemed to almost pain her.

Damn his quixotic foibles! Lara was Hungry, and thus a threat. Even if she would have trouble feeding on him, he really shouldn't let his emotions get the better of–

Were those tears in her eyes? Or just the water?

Crap. This was a terrible idea, but Tania would kill him if he left Inari alone to deal with this, and the younger twin wasn't exactly going to ditch her older siblings.

"Fine." Harry let out a breath. "What do you have in mind?"

"Thomas needs a doctor!" Inari answered. "I think you two need to go to the hospital."

"No," Lara disagreed, "we will return home, and to the protection it offers."

"Are you sure?" Inari asked tremulously, crouched down and checking over her prone brother.

"Yes." Lara replied. "Our own doctor will be able to treat him."

Inari bit her lip worriedly, but did not object further, peering intently at Thomas' wounds, which had already partly closed.

"Alright," Harry interjected, "I'll drop you off there, then go find Tania."

Lara pursed her lips. "I cannot offer you our family's protection if you go on your own. I will make some calls, but they will likely take some time." Time they did not have.

"They'll be too late," Harry growled, "I'll just go find her without your help." He wasn't going to wait for whatever minions Lara had.

Stars and Stones, what a messed up family.

---

 

[WrandmWaffles]

Artwork by @Eiznel

Spoiler: Tania in Action

Spoiler: Inari in Action

 

[WrandmWaffles]

King and Generals

​

"Well, looks like you've got me again, Boss," the old man standing across the table from Cleph de Rossi conceded, throwing a white handkerchief. Despite his advanced age, he wasn't leaning too heavily on his cane, and his hands only trembled slightly. "Good game."

"Good game, old friend," Cleph returned, reaching over the table. The two men shook hands over the Witchflight board. "You could say I have had a bit more experience."

"Hah! You young whippersnappers these days, with your tabletop war games." The old man began packing up his miniatures, shaking his head in amusement. His voice was much more tremulous than it had once been.

"We had toy soldiers back then," Cleph observed idly. "At least until we became them."

"I think it's much better from up here," the old man commented, "We're not the ones getting shot at!"

"It'd have been real nice to have a bird's eye view of the whole field too," de Rossi agreed.

"Well, if that was all a game, I don't think I want to see what reality is like."

The two men lapsed into a comfortable silence. The younger, aged man steadily packing up his army, while the older, youthful man organized his army to the side of the board.

The aged man straightened as he finished. "It was good seeing you again, you old bastard." He grinned, reaching out a hand a second time. Cleph shook it again.

"Are ya going to make it back to the hotel, ya stumblebum?" de Rossi retorted, though partly seriously. As spry as he was for an elderly human, Chicago could be a rather hazardous place. The drivers were bad enough, let alone the street violence.

"Bah! If it's my time, it's my time," the old man scoffed. "I'll be able to tell the younger boys that Clifford's still red enough for the Rainbow, not to mention that ridiculous mustache."

"Entschuldigung!" Erika de Rossi interjected, striding over to their table, dressed fashionably, as always (even if for the wrong century.) "I believe your grandson seeks you."

True enough, a rather perturbed looking young man stood by the game store's doors, eying the two de Rossi warily.

"Did you run off on your own again?" Cleph asked drily.

"Hah!" the old man laughed, "I'm not quite dead yet! And well…" He gestured to some of the Witchflight posters, particularly the ones done in the style of old propaganda posters. "This all reminds me a bit of my younger days… a little too much, actually."

He stepped to the door, Erika supporting him. "Grandpa, you know doing this is unsafe," the young man chided.

The old man scoffed. "It's been a long time, sonny. If they wanted to blip me off I'd be coolered a long time ago."

He turned, straightening. He brought his hand up in a smooth salute, still practiced, even after all these years. Cleph returned it.

The younger man hustled the old veteran out of the store, keeping an eye on the two vampires the entire time.

"Not much longer," Erika observed, gliding back towards her husband.

Cleph nodded sadly. "Not many of us left."

He would have preferred to play a few more rounds with his old friend, but family business called.

The de Rossi head wasn't sure why the Old Monster wanted to meet, not to mention interrupting some of his usual activities. But there were few who would dare to refuse the White King.

"Why seeks the Raith you?" Erika asked, leaning against his side, asking the question they had both been wondering for some time.

Nominally, their families were allied, but it was quite clear they were far from on equal footing; never had been. Even at their height during the twentieth century, the Barbarossa had been definitively lesser than the Raiths. They had perhaps been equal to the Malvora and Skavis, but war and violent peace had cut down many of Cleph's relatives and splintered the family, leaving his own branch theoretically in charge in the new world.

"Still can't say for sure, love," Cleph replied after a moment. "I'd guess it's about your favorite Raith."

Erika stiffened, a concerned frown crossing her naturally severe face (not that most people would be able to tell the difference.)

"Never thought I'd see you take a shine to a Raith," Cleph teased. "What would the kids think? They're being replaced!"

"Hmph." Erika snorted, her nose curling up in aristocratic disdain. "They would demand another sibling."

Cleph chuckled. "And they will continue to do so until it stops riling you up." Their family liked to fight, but had made sure it was mostly in good fun (otherwise things would get… messy.)

Those of the White Court tended to be a backstabbing and scheming bunch, but the Barbarossa had always been more direct, in no small part because of their choice of flavor.

That was not to say Cleph didn't have schemes of his own. It was often better to be thought a fool, than to play one's hand too early.

"Tania is odd," Erika commented, rather blatantly changing the subject, even though she knew that Cleph could sense her simmering irritation. "She is more like a Tarquin than a Raith."

"Sure of herself, unshakeable in her beliefs, and very determined to get what she wants?" Cleph twirled his mustache in amusement. "You got a point there."

Erika sniffed. "I always do, dear." Cleph patted her arm affectionately.

"Though, you'd think Eilean was a Raith," he observed, shaking his head. "Kids these days."

"Mei," his wife shot back, causing Cleph to laugh.

"Ha! Our granddaughter is rather wild."

At least little Rosa was relatively tame, keeping things to schoolyard fights for now.

Erika stood back up and returned to stalking tensely around the store, jackboots thumping steadily on her umpteenth circuit. The store's regulars thought she liked to cosplay, which pissed her off. But, funnily enough, this was the kind of place where she received the fewest strange looks.

Times change, and their children changed with it.

But that was enough reminiscing. Cleph sat up slightly straighter, outwardly idly adjusting his miniatures, but inwardly not so different from his pacing wife, periodically flicking his gaze over his surroundings.

He could sense when The Raith arrived.

There was a shift in the atmosphere, an animalistic sense that someone, or something important was afoot, raising the hackles of everyone in the store.

Lord Raith strode into the store, his daughter Elisa hanging off his arm; the two inhumanly beautiful monsters drawing the attention of everyone in the store, like moths to a flame. Cleph and Erika stilled, their Hungers growling angrily at the intruders.

Like the de Rossis, the newcomers were dressed in attire that would not have been too out of place in the city a century ago, the head of the family in a white suit, white pants, and white dress shoes (clearly a theme there), and his daughter dressed like one of the adventurous cosmopolitan women that had flocked to his kind during that time.

A pair of doll-like bodyguards trailed after them, one man and one woman, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Barbie and Ken dolls.

The King of the White Court smiled, opening his arms wide. The room waited for his words with bated breath, especially the handful of young women.

"Cleph," the Old Monster drawled, grinning lazily like a satisfied cat. "It is good to see you, young man. How are you faring these days?"

"Mario," Cleph replied, standing up to greet The Raith. "It is a pleasure to see you again." That wasn't his name, but when you played mysterious, you opened yourself up to the imaginations of other people, or lack thereof.

Lord Raith snorted, even though Cleph sensed a flash of irritation as they repeated their typical greeting. It was a bit strange; when Cleph was young, Lord Raith had been a distant, but ever considered threat. He had not expected to be the one representing his family, nor could he have been truly prepared for how… sedate Lord Raith had become in recent years.

"Wrong again," the White King declared, shaking his head in feigned amusement. "You will have to study the classics closer to find my name." It made sense to disguise one's name, particularly one's True Name. They may not be as vulnerable to that as some others, but it was still a potential vector of control, and the White King would not risk that.

It was also a dig at his counterpart's youth. Compared to The Raith's long life, Cleph's three centuries were quite short– shorter than some of the White King's own children, in fact.

"Hmm…" de Rossi mused. "More classic than Mario? Perhaps Latin?"

Raith snorted. "You are welcome to try." His name was likely Etruscan, but feigning ignorance tickled his rage, so that was what Cleph did. It wasn't something he would have risked half a century ago, but either the White King had learned more restraint, or he was getting complacent.

"Erika!" exclaimed Elisa Raith, nearly bobbing out of her short dress as she bounced on her heels. "It's so good to see you!"

"Elisa," Erika greeted blandly. "Likewise."

The two men took their places across from each other at the table. Lord Raith set his case down to the side, smoothly unpacking his own miniatures. "So, what assault have you designed today, Cleph?"

"I like the get up, Erika," Elisa twittered. "Looks good, if a bit dated, like you."

"You are certainly taking after your mother," Erika replied drily. "Or are you the consolation prize today?"

"Artillery is always a fun surprise," Cleph drawled, handing 'Mario' his army list, hiding his amusement at Elisa's angry snarl and spike of rage. Who could have guessed the family of Lust would have parental complexes?

"As if! At least I'm not a trophy wife, like you!" Elisa snarled.

"Unlike you, I am not a daddy's girl," Erika shot back.

Strong emotions bloomed from the two women, their argument drawing the attention of most of the store. A mix of irritation at the loud argument and no small amount of lust at the sight of two attractive women getting heated. Cleph could never tell where the line between cooperative performance and actual hostility was.

"Children these days," Mario tutted, shaking his head disappointedly. "Feuding in public, how pedestrian." He looked more amused than anything, but honesty was a rarity among the White Court. That was partly why young Tania was so interesting.

"They are really getting too comfortable nowadays," Cleph agreed; the Raiths' position was becoming more tenuous, especially as the Malvora and Skavis gradually made inroads into media influence.

The social influence the White Court wielded over humankind was also blinding them to their own peril. Humanity could be… unpredictable.

"Oh, envy looks bad on you," Elisa sneered. "I think it suits you." Her face morphed rapidly into a pleased, smoldering smirk.

"What is there to envy?" Erika inquired rhetorically. "Just like your mother: pretending to be free and independent while still hiding behind daddy's pants and money."

"Quite so," Mario agreed with Cleph, looking pleased. He swept his hand over the board. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

Cleph readied the objectives deck, shuffling the cards dexterously in well-practiced motions. He set the deck in the middle of the now empty board. 'Mario' cut the deck.

A quick flicker of cards, and the two men each had a hand of five.

Twirling his mustache in thought, de Rossi considered his options. He could only input two cards into the pile they would finally select from. Johnny Fireball, while quite a powerful character, was not the brightest when it came to long term thinking, so normally only had one pick. Fortunately, he had the well-advised trait, so Cleph could select two cards instead of one.

"More money and better pants than yours!"

"He is not your father, you are his toy!"

Hmm… Exterminate, Pitched Battle, two copies of Breakthrough, and an Inopportune Encounter. Mario was fielding Liberty Belle and her combined arms, a rather dangerous combination list, built around unit synergies. Very difficult to dislodge from objectives, especially with the morale boost.

"Aw, does your husband not play with you enough?"

"Always overshadowed by your sisters; none of your conquests are your own."

Cleph's own army had excellent firepower and artillery, but it was rather lacking on the mobility side, so Breakthrough was out. The more objectives the scenario called for, the greater Mario's advantage, so Pitched Battle was not in his favor. That left Exterminate and Inopportune Encounter.

"Oh come now, it's been years! Your siblings are dead and gone, just move on!"

"Would any of yours mourn your loss? Or would they be too excited about daddy spending more time with them?"

He set his pair of cards in the middle; Mario placed three out of his hand–Liberty Belle giving him more choices. Five more random cards went into the pile. A quick flourish, and they had their objective cards.

Stand Your Ground? That worked pretty well for him, as Johnny Fireball was a pretty difficult character to shift. The Raith flipped over his card with a sly grin. Inopportune Encounter, which rewarded him for preserving his forces. Theoretically… they could simply keep their forces well away from each other, and they would both score easy victory points.

They drew secondary objectives.

Hmm…

"You're one to talk. You ran off to a whole 'nother continent when your siblings died."

None of them were easy, though he had drawn the tiebreaker objective, which was always a funny card to win on. Mario gave no indication how useful the secondary objectives he drew were.

"You slept with the man who killed your mother."

The two White Court Lords placed terrain down onto the board, looking to create advantages for themselves.

The Raith placed several denser terrain pieces on his side, which would grant his forces cover against de Rossi's greater firepower. Cleph placed his own dense terrain in the center of his side of the board, making it a strong defensive position.

Aside from the fortified locations, the terrain they drew was mostly flat but rough ground, slowing movement across it (perhaps it was muddy or the like.)

The weather card drawn was Clear, which meant that there would be no effect at the moment, though there could be rapid change. In some ways, it was the worst setting, since it was harder to plan around.

The battle would take place at night, likely selected by Mario to mitigate Cleph's greater firepower.

Erika and Elisa continued trading insults, their Hungers rising threateningly. The other games in the store slowed to a crawl as the two women made a scene.

Their lords largely ignored them, accustomed to their long running cooperative animosity.

Neither of the men's objectives required aggression, so both their opening moves were cagey, securing their holds on their objective locations and sending probing flights to spot for artillery.

The Raith forces took some damage from de Rossi's longer range artillery, but the night conditions and dug-in infantry limited its effectiveness. Cleph opted not to fire with the majority of his artillery, instead moving them into different positions.

Raith moved many of his units into place inside the fortifications, but sent some of them forwards, most likely to pose as tempting artillery targets.

The second turn started much the same, with Lord Raith sending token forces to prevent de Rossi's aerial mages from spotting for his artillery. Cleph did not bother firing his artillery at his opponent's exposed forces, instead continuing to shell the fortified enemy positions, doing limited damage, but allowing him to improve their effectiveness on following turns. He kept some of his guns ready to dissuade Raith from attempting counter battery.

While it was true his objectives called for Raith to preserve his forces, sitting still and scoring points would not guarantee victory if Cleph was likewise scoring points by sitting on his own objective. This level of caginess was not uncharacteristic of the Raith, or the White Court in general, preferring indirect action as they did. However, in Cleph's experience, Lord Raith's pride would not let him be satisfied with a victory left to the random chance of secondary objectives.

His hunch proved right, when on turn 3, Lord Raith abruptly shot his mages forwards, making an attack run at de Rossi's heavily fortified position. It was reckless, notably more so than the White King's usual behavior, though it was not entirely a foolish gamble. They had close to parity in terms of numbers in the air, but Cleph had more ground attack mages, meaning that Raith would have the advantage in aerial battles.

The de Rossi's ground forces were not helpless against mages, now dug in as they were, not to mention a significant amount of anti-air firepower. However, that was not going to completely block the aerial mages from picking apart the fragile artillery units.

While it could be considered a risky, but potentially effective move, it wasn't really necessary. Mario could have quite easily won based on points if he simply kept his forces out of range of Cleph's artillery, aside from keeping a few units hunkered down on a critical location.

The de Rossi scored points for every turn he held his location, while Raith scored points for units surviving until the end of the game. Based on their random roll, this game would end at the bottom of turn seven, perhaps before that, and if Raith kept his forces intact enough, his score total would quite comfortably exceed de Rossi's. Sending them forward like this did not exactly work to achieve that aim.

If he wanted to win, Cleph would have to destroy a good portion of his opponent's forces. So he sent his own flight mages ahead, ignoring the enemy mages bombarding their compatriots, instead returning the favor on the other side of the board. At the same time, de Rossi saturated the Raith position with artillery. If they were about to die, he might as well make use of them.

All he had to do was hold his location.

As Johnny Fireball blasted a sizable hole in the Raith fortifications, Cleph caught a faint twinge of annoyance in Mario's mood. The White King kept a perfect poker face, of course, even down to keeping his Hunger silent, but Cleph had long ago learned not to rely just on any one of his senses, and he noticed the slightly quickened breathing, as well as a longer than normal look at the blasting wizard. Hmm… did he have a particular dislike for this character?

"Come on, Erika! Don't you ever get tired of pretending? The Nazis are never coming back!"

"That remains to be seen, especially when sluts like you are ever eager to lose your clothes for tyrants."

Ah, they were at that point of their performance/argument.

"Ah, excuse me, sirs?" One of the hostesses interrupted as the two men were wrapping up their third turn. She was a pretty little thing, likely a university student willing to trade a bit of feminine dignity in exchange for catering to a largely male crowd that was often not considered very desirable to women, but notably rather liberal with their spending habits.

The two Lords of the White Court turned to her, and she visibly trembled under the force of their gaze. "Could you…uh…please control your…uh…" She glanced over to the two arguing women. "Arm candy?" A wince passed over her face, surprised at her own words.

"Are they bothering you, dear?" Lord Raith crooned, reaching out to clasp the girl's arm in a comforting gesture that was anything but. "Why don't you stay over here for now, they will not bother you when you're with me." The hostess froze, quivering in a mix of fear and excitement, glancing around nervously.

When she looked in Cleph's direction, he shrugged. "My wife can make her own decisions."

As expected, an insecure young woman offered no resistance to Lord Raith's charms, and she ended up waiting on him attentatively, giving Erika more ammunition, if Elisa's rising anger was anything to go by.

Ah, such a delightfully sharp tongue! And the other families wondered how they kept a lasting partnership.

At the end of the third turn, things got interesting. A sudden storm occurred, forcing their aerial mages to ground, many of them right in enemy territory.

This proved worse for Raith than for de Rossi, as Johnny Fireball and his posse were quite dangerous even on the ground, while the more generalist aerial mages on the other side were not much more effective than normal infantry on the ground, not to mention possessing far fewer numbers.

As a result, by the end of turn four, both men had lost most of their mages, with all the units Mario sent to attack Cleph'a artillery being destroyed or driven to flee. In return, he destroyed most of Johnny Fireball's command, but the plucky mage refused to die, much to the Raith's irritation.

Frankly, it was greater irritation than de Rossi expected to see from the White King over a board game. Perhaps he found Johnny in particular annoying, or he had run afoul of surprisingly resilient grounded mages before.

The storm further limited the effectiveness of de Rossi's artillery, but Johnny Fireball could count as a spotter, as long as he blasted something, so he directed most of his fire there. Ironically, this meant that Raith's sacrificial forces actually reached de Rossi's position, unmolested by artillery. They helped contest the objective, albeit not for long.

The catfight in the background devolved further, moving from character insults to rather ineffective attempts at critiquing each other's appearances.

Hah! Erika had brought out the measuring tape.

This must be for show, given that their Hungers always kept them in peak condition, and Cleph knew his wife did not care that much about her appearances.

Back to the game at hand though. Amusingly enough, Mario's mages getting grounded technically meant they had contested Cleph's objective, even if they had not lasted long. On the same note, driving them off also nabbed the de Rossi a few points, rubbing a bit of salt into the wound.

Johnny Fireball managing to inflict indiscriminate damage throughout the bulk of Lord Raith's army also proved irritating for the White King. Fireball was one of the worst named mages at maneuvering, but compensated for that with impressive firepower and remarkable survivability, not to mention being able to explode on death. This meant that he was actually quite effective when grounded, compared to any other flight mage character.

Turn six saw the storm worsen, inflicting further morale penalties on top of the drop from the nighttime conditions. Mario's forward infantry broke and fled, but the Raith managed to wipe out Johnny Fireball's unit. Frustratingly for the White King, Fireball himself managed to survive.

The storm condition always made for interesting matches, as it effectively neutralized the most mobile units in the game (except for Silbervogel), resulting in a more traditional tabletop war game. Without the mobility of their aerial mages, their tentative early turns now meant that there was not much either of them could actually do to change the outcome of the game before the potential end of the game at the bottom of Turn seven.

Erika and Elisa seemed to have had their fill, as they actually left when someone finally worked up the courage to ask them to take their argument elsewhere. Well, that, or they were annoyed their partner was paying more attention to their game than them. Cleph could taste Elisa's conflicted rage at her father seducing another girl. What a sorry state.

Compared to the chaos of turns four, five and six, turn seven was actually less eventful than the first few turns, with the most interesting event being Johnny Fireball exploding in a, well, fireball. After that, their forces were too far apart to accomplish much, and the storm prevented their aerial mages from spotting for artillery. Given that the battle was at night in the middle of a storm, the two armies couldn't even glare threateningly at each other.

It was… not a very satisfying game, though Cleph had seen it coming based on what objectives they had drawn.

Despite the relatively light damage their armies took (in numbers, as opposed to logistical cost), and the fact that the bulk of both their armies had not really fought, they both managed to score quite a few points. Well, for Lord Raith, preserving his forces was his entire objective.

"I count 29," Cleph announced, flipping over the two secondary objectives he had managed to score. Mario stilled, a surprised look on his face.

"I also count 29." He revealed his own secondary objectives.

Cleph let out a bark of laughter, flipping over his tie-breaker card, reveling in the spike of rage from the White King. "The best laid plans of mice and men…"

"Bah!" Lord Raith scoffed. "But we are not mere men, are we?"

"No," Lord de Rossi agreed. "Though we are likewise subject to random chance."

The White King smirked, looking down at the game board. "Perhaps some can depend on the hand of fate, but there are plenty of ways to tip the odds in your favor. You are young, yet, Cleph. You will learn, in time. Or not."

Without another word, Raith turned and left the building, leaving his army on the table. How wasteful.

Cleph shook his head. When one had so much money, they could afford a certain level of financial imprudence. Even so, it was a sign of a poor leader to discard their soldiers so readily, especially after a failure wrought mostly by their commander.

Erika reentered the store, looking slightly flushed as she was when she had recently fed.

"Had fun antagonizing the princess?" Cleph asked, a hint of amusement coloring his tone. He packed up his miniatures, smiling apologetically to the flustered hostess.

"She was less dull than usual," Erika reported. "Something is indeed off."

Hmm…it was possible the Raiths were finally going to be making a move in this current climate, or it could mean something else entirely.

"What do you think, dear?" Cleph inquired, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulder, following her gaze to one of the Witchflight advertisement posters.

Erika growled, throwing off his arm. "I will inform you when I see something," she grouched, studying the artistic rendition of Silbervogel, who looked remarkably similar to his most… obsessively studious student.

"Why, dear," Cleph teased. "If you keep mother henning the little Raith, our children are definitely going to conclude you need to give them another sibling!"

Another flare of irritation, and his wife's Hunger nipped at his own. He pushed back, taking a calming breath.

"Don't be ridiculous," she snarled. "I was simply thinking of her visit to my shop the other day."

"Oh?"

"She mentioned some undesirables infesting the city. A problem of the Gypsy kind."

Cleph frowned. Black Court could be dealt with fairly easily if they were foolish enough not to guard against their weaknesses, but the older ones were canny, and even weak Black Court could overpower one of the White Court head-to-head.

"I see," Cleph mused. "Do you wish to offer our assistance? More than what you already have given."

Erika nodded. "Tania's a clever girl, but she may be in over her head."

"Why, aren't you being consistent?" her husband joked. "And here I thought you had your fill of street violence."

Cleph smirked as his wife slapped him on the chest irritably, her Hunger pushing against his. "If you keep this up," she warned, "you will be sleeping on the couch tonight."

"But that would be lonely!" Lord de Rossi pulled his wife into another embrace, his Hunger grappling with hers.

They both slept on the couch that night.

---

 

[WrandmWaffles]

Meeting the Father
​

Giving Arturo a heads up would probably have been a good idea, but Harry was a little pressed for time, what with Thomas bleeding out and Tania in trouble somewhere out there. He had a sinking feeling that Mavra may have also had someone go after the lone Raith twin–no time!

He scooped up Mouse from where the puppy was frantically pawing at the door, retrieved his backpack, and dashed to his rather too small for a taxi service Blue Beetle.

Harry grit his teeth as he banged a knee getting into the undersized car (maybe he should listen to Tania's suggestion about getting a bike.) He keyed the ignition, then again, finally getting it to start the third time. The wizard tore his buggy out of the parking lot at a speed that couldn't be reasonably described as safe, speeding back towards the Raith party.

Its partly functional headlights illuminated Lara and Inari hauling Thomas between them. Man, the twins had gotten pretty tall.

Harry skidded his car to a stop and got out to help them get Thomas into the back. Lara stared at the car's interior with a sort of resigned disgust. It probably wasn't the grossest thing she had to deal with before. "There is no backseat," she pointed out acidly.

"That's what the cushion's for." Harry shrugged. "Get in. How's he looking?"

"Alive, at least for now," Lara replied, glancing between Harry's expensive suit and his beat up car. "He will be famished."

"You should probably get something to eat too, Sis." Inari piped in. "It's a warm night, but you wouldn't want to catch a chill."

Lara winced. "Yes, dear, but first we need to get home." The two sisters settled Thomas into the back of the car, the vampire probably opting not to say anything else that might give her away.

Inari got in next to her brother, banging her head against the top of the doorframe. "Ow! How the heck do you manage to survive this thing?!" Harry shrugged, depositing Mouse in her lap and getting back in the driver's seat as Lara buckled herself into the now wet passenger seat (the seatbelt increasing the amount of clothes on her by about fifty percent.)

The puppy snuggled up to the younger Raith, who hugged him desperately. Harry turned the car around and floored it away from the industrial park.

The first few minutes were tense, but after a few detours and turns to make trailing them harder, no attack came and Harry started to relax. Once they got onto a larger road (still some traffic, even at this hour), he finally felt they had enough space to speak.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Harry would prefer to go to his own home, but he had a feeling that explaining his and Tania's arrangement would be… awkward.

Lara nodded. "Thomas will need to feed. If he does not, he will not last the night."

Harry cursed.

"Not to mention that Mavra knows where you live." Not a creepy thought. At all.

"Doesn't she know where you live too?" He shot back.

"Likely so," Lara admitted. "But it is unlikely they will be so bold."

That wasn't actually all that reassuring, but neither was the thought of inviting Lara into his home. "Alright, so how do we get there? North on Lake Shore?"

"Yes. I will give you directions."

Harry followed her instructions (better not make it a habit.) Along the way, Inari's phone went off. Apparently it was her friend Charles again. Man, that guy seemed to twig on to her being in trouble pretty damn quick.

"I'm ok! We got jumped by some guys that looked like Nosferatu, but we made it out ok." Inari chattered rapidly at her friend, even describing how Lara shot Thomas. Harry shared an uncomfortable look with the older Raith, who looked torn on how to explain that Inari shouldn't be so open with that kind of thing without giving herself away.

"Wait, have you seen Tania?!"

Lara's gaze snapped to the backseat. In the small rearview mirror, Harry saw Inari's face light up. "Tania! You're ok!"

Harry let out a sigh of relief, dimly registering Inari excited chattering. Her phone must have been messed up. Looks like they were going to have to agitate the Nokia customer service guy soon.

Poor guy.

Inari hung up after a short conversation. Harry blinked. He had kind of expected her to have more to say to her twin. Instead, the youngest Raith pursed her lips, slipping the phone back into her pocket. She stayed silent for a moment, licking her lips a couple times, before finally taking a deep breath.

In.

Out.

"So, Lara. When were you planning on telling me about our family being White Court vampires?"

Harry choked, swerving slightly as spit went down the wrong pipe.

Lara froze, pale features caught in an unusually doe-eyed expression of surprise. "I… do not know what you mean."

"I'm not as dumb as I look, Lara," Inari shot back drily. "It's pretty obvious that something's up when no one in the family looks older than thirty, nor visibly ages at all."

That seemed like a rather obvious oversight.

"Our family–" Lara began, probably trying to salvage the situation.

"I don't know why they don't tell you about it." Harry cut her off. "Seems like kind of an important thing to know, especially if you keep getting attacked by Black Court."

Lara glared at Harry, before a lightbulb went off in her head. "What do you mean by that?!" She hissed. "This is the first time Inari has seen such things."

"Not the first time for Tania."

"What?! That's impossible!" Lara's face froze again, a look of crushing defeat leaking through her usually perfect facade. "She… has fledged?" It came out as a whisper, slow, halting and almost broken (still way too distracting.)

Stop doing that! It was hard to see you like the monster you are when you make a face like that!

"Yeah. Well, as far as I know." Harry continued, doing his best not to look at the distressed women in his car, especially the one wearing not much at all. "I've seen her fistulate a Red. Pretty sure that's more than a normal human can do."

"She never mentioned getting into fights…" That didn't seem to encourage her at all.

"It was around Halloween freshman year, wasn't it?" Inari asked softly.

Harry blinked.

Inari sighed. "Thought so. She started getting stronger around then." She frowned, a look of concern spreading over her tired face. "Oh. That was also the night she spent at St. Mary's."

Lara slumped her head against the worn headrest. "Almost three years? How…how did I not see?"

"Yeah," Harry answered Inari. He wasn't really sure if the older Raith was actually looking for an answer or not. "Though I still don't really know why she came to me for help. Michael or Father Forthill probably would have been better picks."

Inari chuckled sadly. "Tania is a little weird. She's got no trouble accepting you're a wizard, but can't seem to trust Papa Carpenter on some important things." Harry still didn't understand the twisted logic Tania had come up with to see him as more trustworthy than the Knight of Love, especially when she had known the older man already. Not that Harry was really complaining about meeting her.

He kept driving.

"So…um…" The youngest Raith started. "I'm pretty sure I'm just a normal human right now. My blood is red, you know? How does that work?"

"White Court are born mostly normal humans," Harry answered, keeping his eye on the road. Partly because he didn't really want to see their faces through this awkward conversation, and also partly because he didn't really have any idea where he was going. "When they drain their first victim, their Hunger awakens and they become a full White Court vampire."

"So, like getting someone so angry that they have a heart attack and die?" Where did she get that?

"Haven't heard that one," Harry mused. "At least for Raiths, it tends to be…the first time with someone."

Inari gagged, curling up into herself. Mouse whined insistently, trying to cheer her up with a few doggy kisses. Unfortunately, this was something a little too serious for that to fix.

"So, that's why they're all so messed up." Inari croaked, clutching at Mouse.

Harry shrugged. "I wouldn't be shocked. I've had some pretty messy relationships, and they've certainly screwed me up a bit."

"To answer your question, littlest sister…" Harry twitched slightly. Lara had become so quiet he had somehow managed to forget she was there. "I haven't been ok in centuries."

"I'm sorry," Inari choked out.

"Whatever for?" Lara asked. "You had nothing to do with that, quite the opposite."

"No! Not that!" Inari paused, struggling to contain her tears. "I'm sorry for running away."

"Running away?" Lara asked, sounding perplexed.

"I knew our family was messed up." Inari continued, voice wet. "Even when I was little. Tania always knew, and I kinda picked up on that too." She inhaled slowly, then exhaled. "But I got lucky. I found a happy family that was all too open to have me around, and I spent more time with them than I did with you."

It kind of felt like he was intruding here…please don't tell him that meant he was part of the family…

"The two of you were always so independent, littlest sister," Lara tried to console, somehow. "There isn't anything wrong with making friends."

"It was not just making friends!" Inari insisted, "It was about living a fantasy. Having loving parents, cute little siblings to dote on, and a nice, normal home. All while living off all the money our actual family had instead."

"That is not all that strange for us," Lara replied. "Just observe Thomas and Justine–"

"I'm sorry I was too much of a coward to try and help!" Inari cut her off, face set determinedly, even through her tears.

"Inari!" Lara gasped. "There's nothing you can do. You have nothing to apologize for."

"I still shouldn't have ran away."

"You know, you were kinda there when Thomas needed you." Harry pointed out, keeping his eyes on the road so he didn't stare at the emotional scene.

"Yeah," Inari laughed hollowly. "It took my brother getting shot to appreciate my siblings."

"That was not your fight, Inari," Lara tried consoling her. "Please, just focus on keeping yourself safe."

"I don't want to just be a mascot, Lara."

"If He finds out, he will hurt you!" Lara hissed. "He will still coddle you for now, please don't!"

"What about Tania?" Inari whispered. "Does he know?"

Lara stilled again.

"Wizard." She stated. "I will view revealing my sister to my father as breaking our truce."

"What?!" Harry exclaimed. "Of course I'm not going to rat my friends out to him!"

The elder vampire raised an eyebrow at him. What? Did she seriously think that low of him?

He frowned as an unpleasant thought came to mind. "Are you sure you can keep him from finding out?" Surely, Lord Raith had some way of knowing...

The eldest Raith daughter inhaled sharply. "I will have to."

"How's Thomas looking?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject from something he probably shouldn't be present for.

"I'd still recommend getting him to a hospital," Inari began. "But with him being a vampire, I don't know exactly how he heals. We still have to get the bullet fragments out of him."

She glared at the back of her sister's head. "Still don't understand why you had to shoot him."

"I did not want Father to get his hands on him." Lara snarled. Inari gulped, going back to checking over her brother. She seemed to be handling the revelations better than expected, but Harry wasn't sure how much it was just a brave face. Tania had been barely holding herself together.

Though now that the cat was out of the bag…

"Hey Inari," Harry called. "I've got some stuff in my bag that might help Thomas. There's a medical kit, grab that."

Inari fished through his backpack, looking vaguely confused as she took out a few candles and a box of slightly melted chocolate, before finally retrieving the first aid kit.

"What would that do to help?" Lara asked archly. Oi! Don't talk to him like that until you get more clothes on!

"Do you see the small metal strips?" Harry ignored the elder Raith. Inari nodded, glancing up at him quizzically. "Stick that in Thomas' mouth, make sure he bites down on it but doesn't swallow it."

Inari looked skeptical, but did as she was told. Thomas reflexively chomped on the iron strip and his body glowed silver as his Hunger drank the life energy (if Harry remembered correctly, this one was from a stray ghoul.) The injured man gasped as his wounds began to heal rapidly, the now exhausted Life Energy battery falling out of his mouth.

"Whuz'at?" Thomas muttered sleepily.

"Shh…" Inari shushed. "Sleep. You'll be ok Tommy."

Her brother nodded tiredly, then drifted off, looking better, even though he was still badly hurt.

Harry glanced at Lara, checking for directions, only to find the older woman staring at him intently. Her eyes flicked from him, to her arm, then to Thomas.

What?

"So…uh. Is this still the right way?" Real smooth Harry.

♤♤♤♤
​

Tania winced, biting down a groan as she struggled to a sitting position. Warm, sticky fluid dripped down the back of her neck. Head injuries bled a lot.

She leaned her head down and bloodied the silver cross in her right earlobe with a cut on her good hand, the empty pistol clicking awkwardly against the ornament as her hand shook.

Heat bloomed in her ear, then her head, and she felt her injuries begin to close. Her Hunger growled ravenously (how shocking), devouring the stored energy all too quickly. She should have listened to her paranoia and brought more! It was not paranoia if they were really out to get you! These trinkets also needed a more convenient release mechanism if they were to be truly useful. Dying with a medical kit at hand because she could not unlock it would be embarrassing.

Sirens sounded in the distance.

This… would be quite difficult to explain to the police. Tania had plenty of respect for many of the hardworking police officers, but vampire attacks were largely outside their purview (wouldn't that be an odd thing to explain to a judge?)

She tried to stand, cursing as her vision spun and pain lanced through her broken wrist as her bones reset. Her Hunger snarled and her instincts screamed a warning.

But no threat came.

Letting out a grunt of exertion, Tania stumbled to her feet, pushing herself up against the wall, eyes darting around in search of danger. She gingerly loaded more ammunition into her revolver one-handed, holding her injured wrist limp against her side. Her fingers' trembling waned as new energy sharpened her senses again.

It was unlikely that the vampire would return as the police drew nearer. Even though it could kill the responding officers without much issue (unless Chicago's finest were extraordinarily lucky), drawing mortal attention to themselves was rather taboo for supernatural creatures. Predators were cowardly by nature.

What was the matter with it anyways? It couldn't possibly be her sire's mother, and by the dress, it couldn't be her mother's mother. Tania already had too many people she had to send Mother's Day cards to! She did not need more!

Pushing off the wall, she limped down the street, stumbling occasionally as the pain in her chest flared.

Gun grasped in one hand, she reached for her phone with her other, now partly functional hand. She pulled out a battered piece of plastic and metal instead. Damn! It must have been crushed when the thing slammed her against the wall!

She sensed nothing around her, her Hunger sensed nothing, so why was she still so on edge?

It couldn't be the police. While her weapon was not exactly legal by Chicago dictates (shall not be infringed!) it was unlikely that she would suffer serious consequences for possessing it when her current state made it clear that she had quite a good reason to have it.

As galling as it was, there was also the tendency of people to be more lenient to those they found attractive, and her Hunger made certain that Tania knew just how many different people looked at her that way.

If not that, then what was this feeling?

To be fair, she had felt agitated ever since Inari told her about her job–

Inari!

Damn it all! Could the curse have struck at midnight as well?!

Tania lurched into a run, faster than reasonably human even in her injured state. She was burning her Hunger's reserves, but that was fine, she had some other batteries ready.

Technically, she was fleeing a crime scene, even if she was primarily the victim, but talking to the police would take too much time. Time she did not have.

Fortunately, she was not too far from her residence–

That thing must know where she lived!

Curse it all! The wards on the building were quite powerful, based on what Dresden explained about this world's magic, but that still left the problem of getting Inari here unharmed. Surely Lara would keep her safe–

She wouldn't be in on this, right?

Tania's expression pinched. Lara had cared for them, when she had time, but she had never gone against their sire. If it came to a question between them and him…

Hell's Bells!

Tania rushed into her neighborhood, passing by several properties she technically owned (did her mother set aside this residence for any specific reason?)

She skidded to a stop in front of her townhouse, stumbling a bit as her chest seized painfully–

Why was there a car in front of her house?

"Hey, Tania–oh shit! Are you ok?" A sharp spike of concerned anger flared, before fading swiftly into a simmering burn. A familiar taste.

"Charles?" What in the world was he doing here?

"That's me," the lanky, dark-haired man replied blandly, belying his tense posture. "D'ya need me to fucking call 911?!" A wash of concern emanated from him, despite his blank face.

"No," Tania cut him off sharply, even as her chest twinged in pain. "Why are you here anyways?"

"Huh? Didn't you just call me?" Charles asked, stopping short and scratching the back of his head. "I just moved in a couple streets over, so I thought I'd swing over to see if you needed anything when I got a call with no voicemail from you." He paused, looking her up and down. "Are you absolutely sure you don't need medical attention? You're freaking bleeding."

She was fine. Did she actually call him? Tania shook her head. Bah! The vampire magic probably caused some strangeness.

"I'm fine, Charles."

"Wait, haven't you got a bike?" Not anymore. It was a good bike too. Nice and snazzy.

Hold on…

"I need a ride, Charles, do you mind?"

The young man in question blinked. "Sure? To the hospital? I guess if you're standing you might not need an ambulance."

"No," Tania declared, "A moment please." She rushed to the door, far less gracefully than she intended, and turned the physical key to the door as well the metaphorical one for the wards.

Charles narrowed his eyes at her, as if he was about to object, before relaxing slightly. "Ok… guess I'll just wait out here then," he muttered, leaning against his car. He whistled aimlessly, probably to calm down, judging by his impatiently tapping foot.

Tania opened the door and stepped inside, Hunger keening insistently for energy (not Charles, he was Inari's.) She pulled open the cabinet, grabbed the first aid kit and flipped it open.

Reaching inside, she fetched one of the iron strips they had experimented with and bit down on it. A rush of energy flooded her system along with a metallic taste (not exactly like blood), placating her Hunger, at least for now. Her more minor injuries closed completely, but her broken wrist, bruised chest and the back of her head were still tender.

Grunting in disgust, Tania spat out the now useless scrap. Iron drank life more readily than silver, but could not hold it as long, corroding as it did over time. Still, these could be useful in emergencies (and for more convenient harvesting.)

Head now clearer, the young succubus blinked down at the first aid kit, wondering why she hadn't gotten her other rechargeable batteries. It was frustratingly difficult to think straight when Hungry. More importantly–

She dashed for the house phone, dialing Inari's number frantically. Busy tone! Damn!

She tried Dresden's number, but there was no response. If he had been in danger, like Tania assumed, it was likely his use of magic had shorted out his phone.

Tania closed the first aid kit, yanking it off the counter and rushing back out the door. Charles glanced up as she exited the townhouse, phone to one ear and pacing back and forth, his anger boiling hotly again. "Actually, she's right here," he said over the phone, deliberately calm. "Hey, Tania, Inari wants to know if you're ok. Do you guys have that twin telepathy thing–?"

He stopped short as Tania was on him in a flash, snatching the phone from his grasp. "Inari?!"

"Tania! You're ok!" her twin breathed over the line, sighing in relief.

"Well, that works too," Charles muttered.

"What happened–?"

"Are you hurt?!"

"Um…some weird stuff happened Tania," Inari started after a short pause. "Tomas was here, then ran away because Harry found him hiding, then Tomas got shot! I think Lara did it! Then we were attacked by some weird people who looked like Nosferatu! Tomas needs a doctor, Lara needs a rabies shot, and I think Harry is just bruised a bit."

Lara shot Thomas? Nosferatu? Damn it! The Black Court vampires must have coordinated!

"Are you headed to the hospital?" Most likely not, not when Lara and Thomas had some inhuman characteristics.

"No," Inari answered. "Lara wants Harry to take us back to the manor and not the hospital. I guess so we have more guards in case we get attacked again. It seems a bit weird, but Harry seems ok with it too." The threshold would also offer protection, not to mention the rest of their sisters who were in town.

"I see. Tell him to wait when you arrive, I will meet you there."

"Oh. Ok. But we're going to need to talk, Tania." The vampire twin blinked; Inari wasn't talking about just the attack.

"Of course." Tania's finger hovered over the button, hesitating, part of her fearing hanging up would destroy the illusion and she would find her twin was not, in fact, ok. "Love you, sis."

Inari paused, probably surprised her twin declared that unprompted. "Love you too, sis." She hung up.

Tania blinked, and stared at the phone uncertainly. It must be serious for Inari to hang up so quickly, she usually had a lot more to say.

"Hey, Tania." A sliver of anger colored Charles' voice, leaking out from his boiling rage. "I know you don't like to talk about your family that much, but what the hell is going on?" He held out a hand, silently requesting his phone back. Tania obliged him.

"My family has…enemies," Tania replied carefully. "Tonight, they made a move against us."

Charles raised a disbelieving eyebrow, a hand flexing to avoid becoming a fist. "Right…your older porn star sister shot your playboy brother and that's due to enemy action? With Inari in the line of fire too." It was pretty clear what he was most concerned about. "I knew your family was weird, but this is pretty fucked up."

He wasn't wrong, and Tania could appreciate having his priorities straight.

"I…cannot say I disagree," she began. "Our kind of family can be…cutthroat." That was quite an understatement. "But we were attacked by some thugs."

"So…you aren't calling the police, because? Have to handle it personally?" Charles seemed a bit unsurprised by that, just irate…

"Charles, no," Tania interjected. "These are not the kind of enemies you want to make."

"As likely meaningless as it is," Charles replied drily, "they have already made an enemy of me."

"There's nothing you can do about them," Tania pressed. She was a vampire herself, and as uncomfortable as it was, she had to admit that surviving her encounters with the Black Court had been due to luck and the twisted attempt at parenting she had faced tonight. Charles was a normal human, he stood no chance.

"What else is new?" he spat bitterly. "I see why you two moved out so early… hold on," he frowned. "Was that why you two rushed through school?"

"In part…" Tania answered. "But I cannot completely distance myself from my family." She was still a White Court Vampire, and while Dresden could provide some protection, the Raith name served as a significant deterrent, to a point.

"Right," Charles drawled, before narrowing his eyes. "What about Inari?"

Tania sighed. "I… really don't know. She's… too kind for this." It wasn't like she could explain their fate explicitly.

Charles scowled. "Inari isn't an idiot, Tania, she's gonna have figured something out."

"I…don't want to see her get involved," Tania admitted. Even though it seemed a vain hope in the end, she did not wish to see her twin end up like one of their elder sisters.

"I have a feeling you don't have much of a choice in that matter."

Tania winced. Charles was probably right, their sire was becoming more insistent… on that note, getting a ride from Charles may be a bad idea–

"Is this a bad time to mention your shirt's torn?"

What? Tania glanced down, and sure enough, there was a tear down the front of her shirt, shades of pink stained the ragged edge. Perhaps she should have kept her jacket zipped up despite the autumn heat.

"Ah, I will need a change of clothes."

Charles eyed the ripped shirt, specifically the blood stains. "You sure that's all you need? Adrenaline can only keep you going so long."

Tania shook her head. "No, there are still a few things I will require." Now that she knew Inari wasn't in immediate danger, she could afford the delay. She reentered the townhouse, leaving Charles outside once again.

"That was mostly rhetorical," he commented under his breath.

Inside, Tania made her way to the conjoined sub basement that served as Dresden's lab, popping open the container that contained a few more of the life batteries they had made.

They had tried various trinkets, such as a brooch, a necklace and bracelets in their experiments, actually finding a use for the extraneous gifts her older sisters liked foisting on her (Basic Economics had been a much more thoughtful birthday present.)

It turned out the belt buckle and earrings worked best, the former possibly due to association with preparing oneself for a task, the latter seemingly because it was inserted into the body.

They had not tried other kinds of piercings.

Her Hunger crooned in satisfaction, and Tania realized she had just drained one of the batteries. Damn! Thomas would need them if he was shot, so now was not the time for gluttony!

Ignoring her Hunger's protests, Tania slammed the container shut. Bob the Skull might have had some useful information, but his skull was unoccupied. He must be out with Mister seeking Mavra's lair.

Having grabbed the most crucial item, she clambered back up the ladder and hurried to her room, setting her backpack and box down before doffing her damaged clothing (thing ripped her undershirt! How rude!)

She threw on the first clean shirt she found, grunting in annoyance as it proved slightly undersized. Curse you puberty! At least she was not small this time.

Her jacket was scuffed, but intact, so she threw it back on, before patting down her pants for holes. None that she could find. Good, that would be rather embarrassing.

Unlocking another safe, she collected a few more defensive implements. More ammunition (including a few enchanted ones), more knives, and an aerosol can with an unusual mixture. She briefly considered retrieving a more powerful firearm, or even some explosives acquired from Frau de Rossi, but decided against it. Charles was a rather agreeable person, but he would notice, and Tania wasn't entirely sure how he would react.

With a sigh, the succubus fished out a crucifix from her drawer labeled 'Extraneous Jewelry' (it was a lot fuller than the one labeled 'Jewelry'.) As tonight had shown, some things were just more effective against this type of monster. Tania was no Michael Carpenter, but even her skeptical acknowledgement would offer some additional protection. Or she could just make Charles hold it.

As an afterthought, she packed some spare clothes into her backpack, just in case she or Inari needed them later.

Speaking of equipment for others, Harry would likely appreciate some more tangible assurances than the promises of known liars.

In that vein, Tania scooped up her backpack (huh, it weighed more than expected) and made her way into Harry's side of the townhouse. As always, it was cleaner and more orderly than one might expect from his appearance and personality, so it did not take her long to collect more ammunition for his gun, as well as his staff.

She stepped out of the front door thus armed, receiving a confused look from Charles. "Wait, didn't you go in the other door? And what's with the stick?"

Oh.

Do not acknowledge.

"I have what I need." Tania said in lieu of answering. "Can we go? The matter still appears to be urgent."

Charles raised an eyebrow, glancing at the address number on the two officially separate townhouses, but did not pry further, instead getting into his car. Tania slid into the passenger seat, setting Harry's staff in the back.

"Alright, where to, river girl?"

At least it wasn't "River of Love" and "The Nile" like what some other odd people who looked up the kanji for her name went with.

"I need to get to my family home, I'll direct you as we go."

"Where is it, exactly?" Charles asked. "North side?"

"Yes," Tania nodded. "It is near the Gold Coast."

Charles blinked, before shrugging. "Oh right, you're rich." For a relatively intelligent man, he missed some obvious details.

He drove them out of their college adjacent neighborhood, which was quiet, since the school year had yet to begin.

"So…" Tania's human friend began, eyes fixed on the road and driving at the speed limit, "What exactly's going on at the family place? And what happened to your bike?"

"Some unfortunate family business," Tania replied offhandedly. "My bike suffered a case of vandalism."

"Business, or business?" Charles pressed. "You two sounded a little agitated about the whole thing."

"It would be better if you did not get involved any further."

Her makeshift chauffeur glanced over at her skeptically. "Somehow I feel like I'm probably involved already, regardless of whether I want it or not."

He… wasn't wrong. Tania would prefer if her friend didn't get attacked immediately after dropping her off, which was a possibility now that he was a confirmed associate of hers.

"That may well be so. It would probably be safer for you to stay at our residence for the night." Not a lot safer, but definitely less risky than leaving him to the mercies of the undead monstrosities.

Charles gave her a nonplussed look, before looking back at the road. "I guess I'll have to hear your sister yelling at me to go to sleep earlier in person then." He was really too agreeable!

"Though speaking of siblings," he continued. "Don't you have quite a few more?"

And here was another reason Tania disliked mentioning her family to her acquaintances. "Yes, I have nine other siblings aside from Inari." Charles blinked, surprise coloring his emotions.

"Are they much older or younger than you?"

"They are all quite a bit older," Tania answered. "Fair warning, they also are all rather more… crude than Inari and I."

"Crude? I have a bit of a hard time imagining someone related to you as crude."

Did she really have to spell it out? "They are all sex fiends." She couldn't keep a tinge of embarrassment from coloring her tone.

Charles, oddly enough, just seemed amused. "So, that's how it is, huh? They made the wild life seem too boring to you?"

Tania crossed her arms with a huff–gah, her chest was still sore.

"You alright?" Charles asked again.

"Yes," Tania muttered distractedly, gingerly rubbing her bruised chest. "Though this might be the first time I have been thankful for having a sizable bust for non-vanity reasons." As sensitive as they were, they were not vital organs (even if her Hunger prioritized healing that area for whatever reason.)

She sensed a spike of lust and concern, and turned to see Charles watching her hand motions with a deadpan look.

Oh.

"That's it, we're going to the hospital!" Charles declared, making a turn in the wrong direction. "You are clearly concussed or something along those lines."

"Wait!" Tania leaned over and grabbed at the wheel, trying to keep the car on route.

"Woah, what the hell?" Charles braked and slid the car to a stop at the side of the road, ignoring the impatient honking of the car behind them as it zipped past.

"Uhh…" he made a confused sound, "are you really ok?"

Tania sighed, taking her hands off the wheel and sat back into her seat, ignoring the slight hitch in her friend's breath.

"I am not in immediate danger," she insisted. "But, I am injured." She rubbed her wrist gently. "And I fear my siblings were likewise injured."

Charles flicked his gaze around the street, looking too carefully for just reentering the road. "So, me driving you there is gonna lump me in with your family? Is that it?"

Tania winced. "Possibly." She really should have thought this through (damn Hunger interfering with her mental faculties!)

He shrugged, signaled and continued driving. "Would have been nice to know beforehand, but it's probably too late for that now."

"I'm sorry, that was not my intention."

"No," Charles agreed. "You just wanted to get to your family as soon as possible–which is fair enough. If the guy that went after you whacked your ride, I just happened to be conveniently nearby with a car."

"Still, I'm sorry. I should have at least told you about the risk." Her driver raised an eyebrow, but kept his eye on the road. Tania gestured for him to take a left turn on Lake Shore Drive. "I will have to find a way to compensate you for it."

Charles glanced at her again. "This has got you really shaken up, hasn't it? You usually plan a few steps further ahead."

Was her irrationality that apparent?! Oh, this was embarrassing!

"A life or death situation is known to make proper decision making difficult!" She huffed.

"Ah, so it was a life or death situation."

Tania pursed her lips, then sighed. "Yes, it was a rather close thing." Too close.

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you both seem largely unharmed." Charles' gaze remained steady on the road, but Tania could sense the sharp spikes in emotion. Anger, fear, and relief, along with what must be hysterical amusement. "Can't say I ever pictured a mafia princess using a Prius as a getaway car."

That was not the typical choice in movies, but hybrids were notably quieter at lower speeds, so it had its benefits. "My family is not aligned with the mafia, Charles, our dealings are legal. Mostly."

"Are you admitting to being a princess?" he shot back with a slight smile, poking fun at her disdain for Disney's ilk.

"That… is a more accurate description than I would like to admit." Not that she was very high up the line of succession, if it even mattered with conditional immortals.

"Isn't that unconstitutional though?"

"It is not exactly an official title."

"Ah."

The two lapsed into silence. Tania always had a hard time putting a finger on his mood, it seemed rather disconnected from his behavior. He did not seem angry at her, maybe vaguely annoyed, but that seemed a little bit of an underreaction to learning that you had accidentally been conscripted into something dangerous!

"Hey, uh…" Charles began again. Glancing at her lap once. Twice. "Is your bag moving?"

Tania looked down. Sure enough, her backpack was shifting slightly on its own. She peeled open the zipper slowly, glancing down into the bag.

A drowsy hedgehog grunted sleepily up at her, curled up in some of the spare clothes she had packed. "Damn it Hayek!" Now those clothes had holes in them!

Charles snorted. "Well, he's gotta go fast, doesn't he?"

Tania gave him a half-hearted glare.

♤♤♤♤
​

In all, it took about half an hour to reach the Raith's crazy rich neighborhood. Harry wasn't sure what it was about large bodies of water that seemed to attract rich (and crazy) people. Maybe it was the view, or the obligatory lack of neighbors in that direction.

The property Lara directed them to was even more elaborate than most. It was huge, with a small forest of old trees surrounding the massive multi-wing, multi-story house. With the imitation turrets and the carefully maintained surrounding terrain, complete with small illuminated pools, it seemed like whoever designed the place wanted to imitate an old European castle.

The carefully-manicured forest went on for close to half a mile. A long distance to cover if something went down. Too far to really run, and the trees would probably swallow any screams. Harry tensed, flexing his will into his shield bracelet, just in case.

He felt Lara's eyes on him, but he did his best to pretend not to notice. "Dresden, you and Thomas have nothing to fear from me tonight. I will honor our truce, including guest rites while you are in my family's home. I swear it."

Harry frowned, wondering how much his tentative trust of the older Raith siblings had to do with his friendship with Tania. This though… he was quite sure Lara was telling the truth, especially after he had helped save her life.

For all the power old supernatural foes had, not to mention their rather archaic moral standards, many of them still followed the Old World code of honor. For a vampire of White Court, an explicitly sworn oath and hospitality rites were more ironclad than magical bindings or physical force. If Lara kept to her word, it wasn't just a matter of not doing harm, she was also obligated to defend him as his host. Failing to perform her duties would be a major reputation hit, if word got around. Of course, that would require word get out.

On another note, it was pretty clear that while Lara had a lot of influence in the family, she wasn't the one ultimately calling the shots. If the Old Monster Lord Raith decided to create a Harry sized grave in one of his ponds, Lara probably wouldn't be able to stop him, even if she tried.

Harry wasn't very keen on this idea. The last vampire who offered him hospitality had set up the whole thing to try and kill him. She had also tricked Harry into starting a war, tried to feed him to a half-turned Susan, and drugged him. Burn in Hell Bianca! Lara didn't have the same motivations, and probably wouldn't try something due to Harry's relationship with Tania and Inari, but treachery was something the Raiths were well known for.

It would be best to just drop them off and search for Tania, even if running into the night alone was risky business. Thomas should live now, as long as Lara didn't go back on her word. Even though Inari didn't have any power, he doubted Lara was going to risk destroying their relationship by offing their brother, especially since they both were planning on keeping things from their father.

Maybe that was too optimistic.

Even if Lara seemed like she was on the level, that could mean nothing. White Court vampires were much closer to humans than the other courts, but that just gave them more agency for deception. Their humanity also made it much harder for Harry to categorize them as the monsters they could be. No matter how many times he'd seen Tania cripple and rip apart a Rampire or Ghoul, giggling maniacally the whole time, a part of him would always see her as the scared young woman who knocked on his office door that October day.

Lara was a liar, but that did not mean she never told the truth.

For one, she was very likely to keep her word about looking for Tania. Harry wasn't so sure about keeping Thomas alive–

Actually, the former may be a moot point.

As Harry puttered his beat up Volkswagen around the circular drive in front of Castle Raith's entrance, he noted another car parked to the side. It was a Toyota, one of those hybrid things he should never come within fifty feet of. That did not look like a car that any of the Raiths would be caught dead in (well, maybe Tania and Inari.)

He stopped his car well away from the other vehicle, with all its dainty electronics. The Blue Beetle, sensing that they had arrived, immediately coughed and died before he could turn the switch himself. Next to him, Lara let out a breath, seemingly relaxing now that she was somewhere familiar. Harry did not share her relief.

Past the driveway was a carefully ordered sidewalk which ran between two snarling stone gargoyles several feet high, before passing through a rose garden bedded with pure white gravel (a bit on the nose.) The rose vines looked old, and they crept and twined around the whole garden, even spreading onto the base of the gargoyle sentries.

An array of colored lights cast the garden in shades of soft blues and greens, giving Harry a glimpse of some rather nasty looking thorns under the roses. Appropriate, he guessed.

"I will carry my brother inside," Lara said. "If you do, in fact, wish to go and search for my little sister alone. I will not stop you, even if I will say that it is risky."

"Given Thomas is in this state since you shot him, maybe me and Inari should be ones helping him." Harry snarked back.

Lara's lips thinned, before she sighed. "Very well."

"Sounds good to me!" Inari agreed.

Lara stepped out of the car, opening the rear door to help her younger sister, but before she could do anything Mouse leapt awake and assaulted her with a flurry of squeaky barks and growls. Inari kept a hold of him, preventing him from throwing himself more literally at the older vampire, who jerked back her hand in surprise and annoyance. "Is there something wrong with your pet?"

Harry let out a chuckle as he stepped out of his car, stretching his legs a bit. "Guess he doesn't trust you."

"Oh, a mutt does not trust me," Lara rolled her eyes. "Whatever shall I do?" She still didn't try again.

Inari giggled and handed Mouse to Harry, who tucked the overeager puppy into his suit pocket. That did not dissuade the small dog, as he popped his head out in short order and continued growling at Lara. "There. No need to beware this dog. For now."

Lara gave him an unimpressed look, instead helping Inari extricate Thomas from the car as gently as possible. He was looking better than he had been, but he was still deathly pale. Inari threw one of his arms over her shoulders, and Harry did the same with the other one, making sure to keep a bit of will ready to pull up a shield.

Inari was stronger than she looked, but Thomas was not supporting any of his weight, and Harry was tired. He still refused to show any weakness. He could not afford to.

"Did you not say you were going to seek out my missing sister?" Lara asked archly. Harry nodded.

"Of course." He waved at the front door. Lara gave him a confused look, surprisingly unperturbed, before turning on her bare heel and stalking to the manor entrance. It would have been more intimidating if she wasn't almost naked. As it was, it was very distracting.

The rest of the group followed Lara up the path to the house. The elder Raith pushed a button on some kind of security panel and announced herself by name. A second later, there was a clicking sound of a turning lock, and one of the large doors swung inwards slowly.

Standing inside, just outside the arc of the door, was a very annoyed looking Tania, arms crossed and fingers tapping impatiently on the arm of her jacket.

She looked almost no worse for wear, but Harry spotted a few splotches of bloodstains on her jacket, as well as how her facial features seemed to pop out more than normal. She was a bit Hungry, but looked mostly fine.

"Tania!" Inari exclaimed, voice filled with relief. Lara let out a quiet breath, body relaxing noticeably.

"Inari," Tania greeted. "Lara, Dresden. Good to see you are alive, if not entirely well." She moved to inspect Thomas' wounds and tsked. "That is probably more than a few morsels can fix."

"Well shit, you weren't kidding about family business." Harry blinked as one of Tania's school friends commented on the injured vampire. What the hell was he doing here?! Oh right. Tania didn't own a car like that.

"He's probably going to need a doctor to get the bullet fragments out." Inari agreed as Tania swapped places with her, the vampire twin hefting their brother with little effort, even with the human twin giving her a tight hug. She angled her head towards a bench, probably for guests, and Harry helped her gently set Thomas down.

"Charlie!" Inari chirped, nearly bowling over the shorter man. "What are you doing here?!"

"Hey, Sunshine," he answered, sounding slightly strained. "Gave Tania a ride. Sounds like you guys had a rough night." He kept his hands to himself, even as Inari glomped him, glancing nervously at bloody and nearly naked Lara and Thomas' injuries.

"Shall we wake the doctor?" Tania asked Lara.

The older Raith sister opened her mouth to answer, eying Inari and Charles with a look bordering on concern–

She cocked her head to the side, eyes widening.

The headlights of another car swept across the impromptu gathering. A white limo pulled into the drive, stopping next to the Blue Beetle. Right after it came a white sedan, halting directly behind the limo.

Ok seriously, they were White Court vampires, but this was a little ridiculous!

The limo driver was a tall woman (not as tall as the twins, wow they were tall) in a gray uniform. Her hair was pulled back in a serious braid and she had dark red lipstick for some reason. A man of similar height and uniform exited the passenger side of the limo. Harry's gaze settled on the man's shoulder rig, watching as he swept his gaze over the surroundings, checking for lines of fire. Definitely a bodyguard. Which meant…

Oh, crap.

Two more bodyguards got out of the sedan. Another man and a woman, looking very similar–

Two sets of identical twins. Harry felt sick to his stomach.

The bodyguards fanned out around the limo in rote coordination, only paying cursory attention to the unplanned greeting party.

The driver opened the back door of the limo, and the temperature suddenly plummeted despite the residual Autumn heat.

A man slid gracefully out of the car. He stood calmly to his full height of around six feet, smoothing out his white linen suit, which matched his pale skin and dark hair fashionably well. Harry spotted some kind of red gem affixed to his left earlobe, the color contrasting his fine, straight black hair.

Lord Raith had long fingers, broad shoulders and the eyes of a relaxed monster. For some reason the only thing Harry could think about was how he was shorter than Tania.

The Old Monster turned and reached out a hand, helping a woman out of the limo. From first glance, Harry could tell she was one of the Raith sisters, though this one had her dark hair done in a pixie cut. She slid out of the limo, sliding against her father affectionately.

A little too affectionately.

At the doorway, Lara shivered. "No," she whispered breathlessly.

Lord Raith took his time to approach the battered group, striding over deliberately, and inexorably. The doubles fell into rank to his sides and behind him, and Harry couldn't help but be reminded of dolls. The other sister's eyes widened at Lara's state, but she did not dare move faster than their father as he idly paused next to one of the gargoyles and plucked a stem and rose from one of the bushes. He walked towards them again, plucking off leaves and thorns carefully, his presence keeping them in place. Even the completely normal Charles could sense something was off, given his widening eyes. Mouse hid in Harry's pocket with a whimper.

It took until he was only a few paces from her for Lara's father to finally look up from the rose. "Ah, dearest Lara," he crooned, voice deep, smooth and unnervingly pleasant. "It is always a delight to see you."

Lara kept her expression in a neutral mask, trying to cover the tension Harry could see in her stance. She angled her head in a courtly bow, eyes fixed on the sidewalk. Behind her, Tania was stone-faced, and Inari matched her twin, the two standing behind their sister in a sort of parallel to Lord Raith's guards. It was really wrong, seeing Tania so meek, and Inari so still.

Their father smiled, sweeping his gaze over the rest of the party, gaze distant and uncaring, as if they were beneath his notice. "Have you been well?" His gaze paused on Harry, a brief look of distaste flickering his eyes before it vanished. He didn't even do anything!

"Yes my Lord."

The creep freaking pouted and somehow made it look manly. "So formal, little Lara. Even at this hour. My, I have missed you."

Lara sighed. She glanced a warning at Harry, not that he needed one. Tania had already frantically signed for caution behind her back. The eldest Raith sister stepped closer to her father and kissed his cheek, never lifting her eyes. "And I you, Father."

Harry had a feeling they were in danger.

---

 

[WrandmWaffles]

In the House of Cards Raith​

Lord Raith raked his eyes over Lara. "That…is certainly a unique outfit you have there."

"It was a hectic night."

"Oh, I see." Raith nodded, looking over Lara at Tania and Inari. "What happened to you, dear daughters mine?"

"We were attacked by some enemies of the family," Tania replied steadily. "At least, judging by their words."

Lord Raith paused, scrutinizing her, raising an eyebrow at her injuries. "Enemies?" he asked gently, brushing past Lara to stand in front of his younger child. His hand reached up and ran fingers through Tania's platinum blonde hair, stopping as he found some blood caked into it–

Shit!

"Do not be afraid, daughter." He coaxed. "You can tell me everything." His fingers cupped her chin, gently raising her head so they were making eye contact. Harry fought down a wave of possessiveness at the sight, though he could not suppress his unease. If Lord Raith didn't see it now, he would have to be an idiot.

"I was attacked by some sort of zombie witch," Tania replied, her face betraying nothing as far as Harry could see.

Lord Raith blinked. He turned to examine Lara, looking over her injuries more closely. "If that is the case, I am pleased that you protected your little sisters, Lara." He frowned. "Although I am less than pleased about this provocation. We cannot let this stand." The entire time, he kept a hold of Tania's chin.

"I will make some calls." Lara promised, face placid, but Harry could sense she was anything but calm.

"Good. Good." Raith smiled. It was not a pleasant smile. "Though it appears you require some medical attention. I trust you know that hospitals provide such a thing?"

"Bruce is here," Lara replied. "I'm sure he can take care of it."

"Bruce?"

How many minions did they have? "The doctor."

"The one that followed you from California? Quite fortuitous."

This was taking way too much time, but Harry clenched his jaw as Tania glared at him out of the corner of her eye.

"If I may, father," Tania interrupted, "Thomas' injuries are severe, and Lara's wounds need tending as well."

"Hmm…" Lord Raith hummed. "And the outsiders?"

"The Wizard saved my life." Lara said. "I've invited him here under truce as compensation."

Raith's head tilted to the side, examining Harry as if he was some curious specimen. There was familiarity there, and some specific animosity. Oh boy, the White King had beef with him, and he hadn't even insulted him yet!

"In that case, it would be quite rude to ignore my debt to you, young wizard. I will honor her invitation. Thank you for your assistance."

"Right." Harry began, before Tania glared at him again. "You're welcome. But we've kind of got some pressing stuff, don't we?"

Lord Raith sighed, a flash of irritation passing through his eye. "Youth, so impatient." He finally let go of Tania, gesturing to his thugs. Two of them moved to help Thomas. "Lara, call your physician, if you would. Assuming, of course, that he has mind enough left to perform."

Lara bowed again, though it seemed there was a bit of resentment in the movement. Hmm…

"I expect you and Thomas in my chambers at dawn to discuss the events. Oh, and Wizard Dresden–"

The White King knew him by name on sight. That was concerning to learn.

"Lara can show you to Thomas' chambers. That girl of his is there, no doubt. I will have someone show you to a spare room later."

His gaze swept across the room, finally alighting on Charles with a blink, like he was surprised to see the random human. Maybe he was. "And who might you be?"

Charles pointed a thumb at Tania and Inari. "Friend of theirs, Sir. She needed a ride."

Lord Raith smirked. "Oh? Is that so?" He looked back at the twins. "Why don't you make your friend comfortable, Inari dear? It would be cruel to make him drive home at this hour, don't you think?"

Inari nodded, smiling nervously, sharing furtive glances with her twin and their friend.

Raith drifted into the house, before pausing. "Oh, and Tania dear…" he gave his daughter a slow look over his shoulder. "Come, we have much to discuss."

Tania stiffened, her gaze darting to Thomas, who was being supported by two of the goons.

"Now." Lord Raith left, trailed by his bodyguards. Tania shared a wide eyed look with Harry, before nodding her head at Thomas and tentatively following her sire into the house, ignoring the desperate warning look Harry gave her.

He ground his teeth, hating how the Old Bastard seemed to suck the life out of usually vibrant people. But right now he could not really afford to be antagonistic.

Harry moved over to Thomas, swapping out with one of the goons. Inari moved to help, but Lara held up a hand. "Go with your friend." Inari pursed her lips.

"I've got some ice cream in the car, if that helps." Charles interjected.

Inari covered her face with her hands. "Why do you always have ice cream?!"

He shrugged, "I have a cooler in my car." Inari just looked even more embarrassed for some reason.

Harry let out a grunt as he lifted Thomas up again.

"You sure you don't want help with that?" A sly, but somehow genuinely concerned voice interrupted them, the other Raith sister now suddenly unfrozen. What the hell had Papa Raith done to them?!

"I will handle it, Elisa," Lara answered instead. "Please keep an eye on them."

"Sure thing, mom," the pixie cut Raith snarked, meandering after Tania and Lord Raith– That was a very short dress.

Lara waved off the goons and threw her brother's other arm over her shoulders, taking care not to touch Harry accidentally. It seemed that as injured as Lara was, she was still strong enough to lift her brother without too much trouble. Or she was putting on a brave face.

The two of them hauled Thomas into the house and up a shallow, curving stairwell, while Inari pulled her friend down the hall. "That was more cordial than I was expecting from you," Lara commented on the way up.

Harry snorted. "Seemed like a nice guy, but doesn't seem like he likes me."

Lara gave him a look around her brother, something like approval in her face. "You saw that."

"I'm more observant than I look."

She nodded. "It would seem so. You should know that deception is our trade, wizard, and you are right, my father does not like you. I suspect he means to kill you."

"I get that a lot."

Lara smiled, and Harry had to clamp down on another surge of lust, though this may not have come just from her aura. She was intelligent, tough and he could respect her desire to protect her family. The lingerie ensemble and the way specific parts of her body bounced while she moved definitely made it worse. The blood should have detracted from the look, but–nope! Moving on. It did give him an excuse to examine the rest of her though.

After reaching the top of the stairs, they went down a long hall. Harry tried to remember the way out if he needed it, but his fatigue was making it difficult. Lara paused, letting him catch his breath, before they continued on.

"So, how's he looking now?"

"Thanks to your little trick, he seems to be out of mortal danger." Lara replied. "He will still need to feed or else his Hunger may drive him mad."

"That bad still?"

"I am unsure just how much you know of our Hunger–"

"I know enough." Both from Bob and Tania's commentary.

"Is that so? Then you'll know that he will be recovered once he feeds."

Something was niggling at Harry. Ah, he spotted one of Lord Raith's bodyguards in the reflective surface of some decoration. "Any reason your dad's driver's tailing us?"

Lara nodded. "She'll dispose of the body, if need be."

"So, he's that messed up? I still have a few of those boosters."

Lara paused, looking off into the distance. "If it can help, I will fetch your pack for you." She shook her head. "But I doubt it will be enough."

"This is his suite," she said, opening a door, leading them into a large room dominated by a sunken pit in the floor. What the heck was that for? The carpet was a lush crimson, with pillows strewn about and a smoking brazier in the center of the pit. Well, that's a fire hazard if he's ever seen one.

On the other side of the room, a curtain moved and a girl Harry recognized walked in from another room. Justine looked better than she did the last time he saw her, but that was hardly a surprise, since Thomas was a much more gracious host than Bianca had been. Dressed in an oversized bathrobe rumpled with sleep, Thomas' favorite lover (and that might actually be accurate) just looked a bit tired.

"Thomas? My God!" Evidently awake enough to notice that. She rushed over to her lover as the two carrying him set him down on the pillows and cushions in the pit. Harry glanced over his shoulder, eying the driver standing outside the room and speaking into a cell phone. He was repeating himself, but this family was messed up.

"Harry? What happened to him?"

"I will fetch your pack," Lara spoke up, ignoring Justine entirely. "I also need to fetch Bruce. If you will excuse me." That really wasn't a request, as she left without waiting for a response (Harry didn't excuse her, for what it's worth.)

Justine wrung her hands, fear and confusion running over her face. "What's going on?"

"Lara shot him," Harry answered quietly. "And then we had a run in with some Black Court goons."

"Lara shot him?!"

"Didn't seem like it was her first choice, but she was pretty enthusiastic about it anyways. Then he helped us fight the Blamps, so his reserves are pretty shot. Lara says he might still be a goner if he doesn't feed."

Justine glanced at the doorway, and her face blanched at the sight of the driver standing there.

"Oh."

She began to tear up.

"Oh. Oh no. Not my poor Thomas."

Harry grabbed her arm. "Wait. I have some stuff that can help him. You may not have to do this."

"But he's going to die!"

"Do you think he'll be happy if you do instead?"

Her lips trembled and she exhaled slowly, eyes closed. "I don't think so. Not really. But he'll be alive."

"You know," Harry mused. "From the way he talks about you. I'm not really sure he'd take that trade."

Justine froze. "What do you mean?"

"He's already tried trading someone else for you." Harry waved a hand dismissively. "But it's not really my place to tell. Either way, wait a bit. I'll see what I can do for him."

She stared at him, confused, before settling down next to Thomas. She looked up at Harry questioningly, before running her hand over her lover's face. Thomas shifted, leaning his head into the touch and placing a soft kiss on Justine's hand.

The girl shivered. "He might not take too much. He's always careful with me."

"Like at the ball?" Harry asked acidly.

Justine flinched. "That wasn't his fault." It mostly wasn't, but Harry was still a little bitter.

"Maybe, it still almost got you killed." Unlike Susan, Thomas had deliberately brought Justine there.

She was silent for a long moment. "I'd have thought you'd understand. When you love someone, there isn't much you won't do for them." She looked up at him, face resolved. "Isn't that right?"

Harry bit back a retort. He really didn't have much of a leg to stand on when it came to that.

Damn.

It had been years, but the hole Susan left never really filled. His friends helped, and as much as he hated to admit it, having more money did make life a hell of a lot easier.

But even if life had got better, he couldn't help but wonder what could have been.

Fucking Bianca.

He was going to kill every one of those bat-fuckers and feed them all to Tania or something.

One day.

Justine smiled sadly at him. "See, I knew you'd understand."

He felt the energy from his belt pitter out, but spite kept him going, just for a little bit.

"You still don't have to do it."

At that point, Lara returned with his backpack, looking vaguely amused. "Of all the things I could have predicted, I did not expect Inari to take her friend to the kitchen." She was still barely dressed.

Harry took the bag with a nod. "Not that surprising, she's got to be pretty hungry." Wait, phrasing! He fished out the first aid kit and pulled out another strip of metal. Justine watched curiously (and with some trepidation) as he slipped it into Thomas' mouth.

One strip was drained. Then two.

Soon, all of them were gone.

Thomas looked better, but it became pretty clear that it wasn't enough.

Damn.

Lara sighed. "It seems like he was more drained than I thought. Either that, or your trinkets can't feed this deep of a need."

Harry scowled. "Maybe. Tania's usually pretty topped off." Lara gave him a long, searching look. "What?"

She shook her head. "Come, I'll show you to the room we made available for you."

Harry frowned, looking back at Thomas and Justine, dressed up like some sacrificial lamb. He stood, ready to plant his feet–

The fatigue hit him like a truck and he stumbled. Lara and Justine helped steady him, the former being careful to only grab his clothes.

"You'll tell him for me, won't you?" Justine whispered at his side, a few tears running down her face. "That I love him?"

"Tell him yourself," Harry snapped. He had said it too late.

"Come now, wizard," Lara cajoled. "It is not so certain anymore, thanks to your help. You need your rest."

Tired as he was, Harry could not really resist Lara's pull. Leaving Justine, possibly to her death.

He was lucky Lara seemed serious about her truce. She led him out of the room and down a few hallways. Harry's vision slowly shrank into a gray tunnel, and he lost track of the path, blinking briefly back to alertness when they reached a room.

It was similarly sized to Thomas', though less ridiculously furnished. There was a really comfy looking bed, a neatly-ordered desk, and a couch. Unlike most of what he'd seen of the place so far, there really weren't any decorations in the room. Maybe that's just what the guest rooms were like.

Harry was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Was it just him, or did it smell familiar?

♤♤♤♤​

Tania followed after her sire with no small amount of trepidation. Even though he was her father, and this was their home, a place where she theoretically should be safe, it had been a long time since she had felt comfortable here. Even St. Mary's was more like home, no matter how much she felt she did not belong there.

Her sire–perhaps it would be better to think of him as her lord–led her into a study. It was the one he used to read to them in. He took a seat in the same chair he used then, gesturing magnanimously to the lush carpet. Did…he expect her to sit on the ground like when she was a child?

She chose to stand instead.

Judging from the pleased glint in Lord Raith's eye, that had been the correct choice.

He still was in no hurry to begin, taking a sip from a steaming mug of what smelled like tea one of the servants had brought. He took his time, savoring the taste, or the power in making her wait.

"You know, my dear," he finally began, setting his mug down with a quiet clink. "You look so much like your mother."

Tania furrowed her eyebrows slightly. "Is that…unusual?"

Lord Raith chuckled. "As humorless as she was." He shook his head, almost fondly. "But be that as it may, your mother was quite the helpful woman, and believe me, I still feel her loss to this day."

Tania found that hard to believe, based on his usual habits. He did not even deign to call her mother by name (did he forget?) "I miss her as well. Or, at least, the idea of her." She died shortly after their birth, so she had no real memories of her.

He smiled sardonically. "I appreciated your mother's realism, and I am glad to see you have inherited some of her good sense." Tania found that slightly dubious, as while personalities were heritable, in a sense, they typically required some actual interaction.

"That is kind of you to say." It seemed like just some talk to sweeten the real discussion.

Lord Raith snorted. "Ah, but it is just the truth." He waved his guards away. "We have some matters we must discuss alone." John and Jane Doe left with synchronized bows.

Tania briefly watched them leave, before returning her attention to her sire.

He stood, languidly, as if she had nothing better to do than just standing there waiting for him, then picked up a chair and set it down in front of the fireplace. "Please," he gestured for her to sit. "There is no need to stand on my account."

Tania obliged him, even if a part of her wondered if it wasn't due to her being taller than her sire. "Thank you, father. What is it you wished to discuss?"

"Many things," he reached down, now that she was sitting, and ran a hand slowly through her hair. Tania fought down a shiver, she could not show weakness.

"You have always been my most self sufficient child," he mused. "Remarkable, especially in this day and age." He ran his thumb over some of the congealed blood from her head wound. Congealed, pink blood. "But I must say, I did not expect even you to handle the revelation so well."

He brushed his knuckles gently along the side of her face, before cupping her chin and gently, but inexorably lifting so she looked up at him. "Tell me, daughter, what happened to your first encounter?"

Tania's lips thinned. At first, she had not mentioned her condition to her family because she did not expect them to believe her. After she learned more, she had just assumed they already knew, and were giving her space to become independent. She had been expecting this conversation for some time. "There are no remains to be found." The thing that turned her was dust in the wind, if Mr. Carpenter was to be believed, and he was no liar.

A look of surprise passed over Lord Raith's face, before changing into a wide grin. His hand slipped from her face and he began to laugh, rearing his head back in amusement. It was the most genuine sound Tania had heard him make. She fought down another shiver. She was going to need a long shower after this to feel clean again.

"Oh, I could always see you were cold-hearted, daughter mine." Her sire smiled widely, and Tania was not sure she liked the gleam of approval in his eyes. "Even so, I did not think to have such high hopes for you. To be able to Fledge without guilt at all–" He patted her on the head, mimicking a proud father. "My, modern women are quite something."

Theoretically, the praise should be welcome, but it felt wrong. Rationally, it made sense that vampires would prize their inhumanity as a way to parade their superiority, and Tania did indeed pride herself on being able to view the world rationally.

But. This just felt dirty.

"Though, I must ask." Lord Raith leaned down over her, bringing himself down to eye level with his daughter. "Why did you never tell your father, dear daughter? Surely you knew that we care for you?"

While Lord Raith had made sure she was well cared for materially, he had been quite insistent on hiding the supernatural world from his younger children, so Tania had had no indication that her family would have even taken her seriously, let alone provide care. Of course, she could not say that aloud.

"You are usually busy," she answered instead. "I did not wish to bother you with my personal business."

Lord Raith clicked his tongue, stroking her head. "Dear daughter, any personal business of yours is my concern. Come now, don't be shy, father will listen."

Tania frowned. Just what did he want to hear?

"Should this be our priority, father? Black Court ambushed us tonight, is that not more pressing?"

A annoyed gleam passed through his eyes, but it was gone in a moment as he nodded slightly. "Always so task driven, dear daughter, you ought to find time for family matters too." He straightened and turned away, facing the window. "Though your concern is understandable; we cannot let this go unanswered." He looked over his shoulder at his daughter with a slight smile. "But rest assured, you will be safe here tonight. They will not dare to challenge us so directly."

That seemed slightly presumptuous, even if it was likely correct. Even so, a Black Court witch could manage some rather dangerous indirect attacks if given time.

"If it pleases you, father, I have already begun preparations to deal with these intruders." Perhaps that would move the conversation away from the awkward topics.

Lord Raith reoriented himself to face her, one eyebrow arched curiously. "Oh? You are industrious indeed, daughter. Tell me more."

"My wizard friend is in the process of narrowing down their location. We have also acquired the services of several individuals who will be able to assist."

"Your wizard friend…" Lord Raith rolled the last word in his mouth, almost disbelievingly. "Just how dependable is he?"

"He has a proven track record."

Her sire smiled widely. "Good. Good. I am sure he will make a valuable asset."

Tania nodded. "He is quite useful in a fight, as well as competent in warding schemes."

"He is also single and unattached, correct?" Lord Raith mused, striding across the room and settling smoothly back into his chair. "Quite the catch." He stirred his tea idly, before taking a slow sip.

What did he mean by that? Dresden was not romantically involved with anyone at the moment, but he was still clearly pining for his half-vampire lover. It was both admirable and slightly sad.

"Not unlike his mother, it seems."

Tania's brow furrowed in confusion, something her sire noticed, as he made to speak again.

"I had the pleasure of his mother's companionship for some time." He elaborated. "A very passionate woman, she was…" His lips quirked up, as if in fond reminiscence. "Very stubborn, and so willful!" He grinned, revealing perfect white teeth. "And so satisfying to mold. You have a good eye, dear daughter." Did that mean…

His smile faded. "Though do be careful, dear. I hear he is at least as willful as his mother was. You would be wise not to let that behavior run rampant."

"I am confident I can convince him from anything too egregious." Mr. Dresden respected the rule of law, and usually only cut loose against supernatural creatures, who were not exactly protected under human law. Though it was true that he had a bit of a destructive tendency.

Her sire let out a short laugh. "Excellent! It is quite the irony, isn't it? My child by a wizard proved nought but a disappointment, while a mundane mortal produced such a dutiful scion."

He shrugged his shoulders, somehow making it appear an elegant gesture.

"I suppose that as entertaining as willful women can be, it is not surprising that they produce frustrating children."

Wait, Dresden had a sibling? Who was also her sibling? Based on the timeline, it would have to be… Thomas! Ah, so perhaps his pentacle was not merely a sign of dabbling interest. It also explained her half-brother's (why was that distinction important to her?) previously inexplicable fondness for the wizard.

Apparently interpreting her confusion incorrectly, Lord Raith waved a hand dismissively. "Bah! You are not old enough to appreciate that conversation." He gave his daughter a knowing smirk. "The wizard performed well tonight, did he not?"

Tania nodded. She actually didn't know for sure, but Dresden got Inari out safe and largely unharmed, so she would count that as a success.

"Well then!" Her sire gestured towards the door. "Such a service deserves recompense, does it not? We can discuss other matters later, you are young still. Go. Reward your wizard."

The way he phrased that order sounded odd to Tania, but Dresden was likely quite hungry, so she supposed throwing together an early morning meal would be quite reasonable. "Very well, father." She stood gracefully and left the room at his nod, passing by his two silent guards just outside the room.

"Huh, that was pretty quick." Tania blinked, spotting Elisa leaning against a salacious statue. "You're such a go-getter!"

"It is good to see you are well, Elisa."

Elisa sighed, rolling her eyes. "Come on, you don't have to be so formal all the time. Live a little!"

Tania raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you want, sister?"

"Ol' Lara told me to keep an eye out for you while she's getting busy." The pixie cut sister shrugged, draping herself over the statue. "I thought that meeting would've taken longer. A lot quieter too." She smirked at Tania.

"You seem to be less keeping an eye out than trying to seduce an inanimate object." Tania observed drily.

Elisa laughed. "Must be how your freak feels about you!"

Why would Dresden think she wanted to seduce inanimate objects?

"You're no fun!" Elisa huffed. "Inari's in the kitchen with her squeeze, by the way, in case you want to join in."

"Thank you, Elisa."

That had been decidedly uncomfortable. She needed a shower, and some sleep.

But first, Tania did need to speak with her twin.

♤♤♤♤​

Today had started as a pretty normal day. Well, technically yesterday, since it was past midnight, but whatever.

When she had woken up yesterday morning, the weirdest thing Inari had expected to deal with was working on a pornography set. She wasn't exactly fond of the job, but after yesterday, she would take the awkward job over fighting for her life and really uncomfortable family revelations.

Though funny enough, her family apparently being vampires who fed on sex actually helped explained a lot of things that had bothered her over the years. She finally had an answer for how everyone related to her looked young, and why their staff were usually so compliant.

It was still felt really squicky to learn that a lot of people had been mind controlled and raped throughout the place she had grown up in. Uhh…she wouldn't say she'd rather not know, but now she got why ignorance would be tempting.

Honestly, she could kind of see why Rosalina had deliberately not told her about her own heritage when she'd fussed over her roommate's apparent weird blood condition. Not that she wasn't a little mad–you would think that this kind of thing would be a priority to explain!

But it turns out dear old dad was a creepy sex vampire and didn't care about things like good parenting!

Nope! Not thinking about that right now. That was something for future Inari to freak out about. Present Inari was going to eat this ice cream and calm down.

She was glad Charles was here, even if he looked a bit unnerved. It was calming to have some normalcy after a real weird day, and the ice cream he had was always really good. Actually, where did he get the ice cream anyways? It wasn't branded or anything.

"Hey Charlie?" Inari asked, leaning on her friend's shoulder. "Did you ever tell me where you got this ice cream, and I just forgot?"

He shrugged. "Don't think so, unless I forgot about telling you."

"Well, where did you get it?" Inari bumped him gently with her elbow.

"My freezer."

Inari puffed out her cheeks at him indignantly. "Charlie!"

"What? I'm serious, I made this myself!" Oh.

She took another bite to avoid thinking about it.

"You know, you could probably sell it, it tastes great!"

Charles gave her a flat look. "Inari, it has onions in it. I think you and I would be the only people who like it."

Nope! Not thinking about why he made ice cream specifically for her.

"Well then other people'll just have to miss out!"

Maybe it wasn't safe for Charles to be here. But she hadn't brought him here, so it wasn't her fault, not that she wouldn't feel really bad if something happened to him. But even with the stuff she learned tonight, she was pretty sure that he'd be fine as long as she was with him. Father wouldn't hurt him in front of her. Probably.

"I'm kind of surprised you like it so much," Charles said, shifting slightly and glancing around the kitchen she had taken him to. "With this much money and a full wait staff, I'd figure that they'd manage to whip something much better up."

"Well," Inari started, "One, they have to make food for other people too, and two, they tend to not really understand the stuff I want to try, so I usually end up doing it myself."

Charles snorted. "I suppose it isn't that surprising for professional chefs to have difficulty going against their instincts."

Inari sighed. "While it'd be nice, they have a hard enough time already."

"If you say so." Charles didn't know. "I do have to say, this all is a little weird to me." Maybe he knew enough.

Him being here was very bad. If father had been asking about guys special to her…

Inari almost choked on her ice cream.

"Are you ok?" Charles sat her up gently as she coughed, hunching over as her stomach turned unpleasantly. Not from the ice cream. It tasted great!

"No," she sighed. "Not really." She pushed the bowl of ice cream away and leaned against her friend again. "I mean, the ice cream's great, but I think today, well yesterday's catching up with me."

"Sounds like a rough night." Understatement of her life!

"Do you want to go to sleep now?" Charles asked gently. "You look pretty damn tired."

Inari shook her head, trying to burrow into her friend's shoulder. "I just ate ice cream." Just stay like this, please?

"Ok, guess we'll just sit here for now."

Inari relaxed slightly. This was the nice thing about hanging out with Charles, he never really minded doing nothing. Well, except when he had to go and do something urgent, but sitting and chatting was enough fun for him. He and Xander also actually listened to her ramblings. On that note, that was probably also how they became friends with Tania.

As carefree as some people seemed to think she was, Inari wasn't naive enough to think that her looks or family's money weren't major reasons she had so many friends. It was why she appreciated the friends that were able to look past that, like the Carpenters. And Charles. He seemed to periodically forget that her family was rich, somehow.

Maybe he had something against rich people? Inari tilted her head to look at her friend, watching as his eyes periodically flicked nervously around the room. She was pretty sure Charles had no idea about their family secret, but something was clearly bothering him.

"You know you don't have to stay if you don't want to."

Charles frowned. "Not to be rude, but this place is a little creepy." He shrugged. "Having a staff kinda just seems weird to me when not at a restaurant or hotel."

Inari snorted, leaning into his shoulder. "I'm trying to imagine my siblings doing all the housework for this, and it's kinda a funny picture."

Her friend nodded, a yawn creeping onto his face. "Probably not a good idea to drive back at this hour though."

Inari jabbed him in the side. "Have you been staying up late again?!"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault this time!"

Even though he was right, Inari still puffed her cheeks indignantly at him.

Charles just raised an eyebrow. "What, would you prefer Tania have to hoof it all the way over here?"

"Course not! That doesn't mean you should stay up so late."

"I would like to point out that both of us are awake at this ungodly hour, and you are the one eating ice cream."

Inari sighed. "You know I don't have to sleep as much as most people."

Charles shrugged the shoulder she was leaning on, before yawning again. "You don't have to feel bad about it. Not like you forced me to stay up that couple of times."

She did feel a bit guilty for accidentally making him oversleep. But he was probably going to say something really sappy without meaning to, so she just admitted defeat.

Apparently tired enough, Charles plopped his head onto his arms resting on the counter. Oh come on! When she said sleep she didn't mean to do that! He was going to wake up with a sore neck!

Buuuut… this was kind of comfy, so Inari decided not to say anything. For now. Yes, definitely for now.

They lapsed into silence as Charles dozed off, his breathing steadying. Oh, his glasses were going to leave a mark! Inari carefully plucked them from his face and set them on the counter in front of him. There, that's better.

She sat up a bit, no longer leaning on her friend, before setting her head down on the counter with a sigh.

She could not distract herself forever.

There had always been something off with her family. When she was young, she could be excused for not noticing, but she was legally an adult now. She could not run from the truth anymore, especially not after tonight.

When she had first twigged on to the supernatural, she had been so naive with wonder. As she had gotten older, the world's ills became clearer, but she had never really considered that her family could be anything more than a mundane evil at worst.

Just how shortsighted was she? The signs were all there! Tania definitely knew something was up a long time before Inari had ever seriously considered it. And of course, her twin had not explained it to her because Inari would have been too naive to take it seriously.

And she really couldn't blame her twin. Wrapping her head around the fact that her family, people she loved, were responsible for causing so much pain–it made her want to puke now. How bad would it have been if she'd learned about it earlier?

Inari had tried her best to be a kind person, but what good did that do when she'd lived off the suffering of so many people? For once, she cursed her ability to remember people so easily, as faces flashed through her mind's eye. All the different staff they had who inexplicably "quit", all the people her siblings must have killed–

She gagged, a quiet, choked sob escaping from her as she shuddered.

Tania… Tania must have turned.

But how? She never had a boyfriend before Mr. Dresden, and she'd never shown any interest in dating before that.

Oh.

It must not have been something she wanted.

Tears welled up in Inari's eyes. How could she have been so blind?! It was obvious something bad had happened, but she had never pressed, because Tania was always fine–had always been fine. But that wasn't true, was it?

So much for her empathy that people said she had.

So much for kindness.

What good was any of that when she couldn't even see how her own twin was hurt so badly?!

No wonder Tania had latched on to Mr. Dresden so much. If her own family didn't care enough to notice–if her own twin didn't…

She was such a failure.

Did Tania even need her? She'd always been independent–it'd seemed like she'd always had an idea of what to do. Tania was smarter, more mature, and didn't need to chatter with random people for companionship. What could Inari do? Remember names and faces. What use was that?

Her other siblings… Inari didn't know what to think anymore.

"What do you do, when your family are monsters?" She whispered tearfully.

"Be something else…" Charles muttered sleepily.

Eh?! "I'm so sorry, did I wake you?"

"Wasn't ever really asleep."

"Oh, sorry for bothering you."

"You don't."

"Huh?"

"Bother me."

Inari turned her head to peek over her arm at him. "Really? Even with all my rambling?"

Charles shrugged, head still down. "You're not forcing me to talk to you, are you?"

"No?" Did she have baby vampire powers that made people like her more?

"Well then don't worry about it." Did she really have any friends at all? Or was it all just because of the family secret? Could she even make real friends–

Inari blinked as Charles poked her in the forehead. "Hey!"

He shrugged again, one eye staring sleepily at her. "You looked like you needed to be poked."

Inari pouted at him, even if she was internally thankful for the distraction.

"Anyways, your family being bad doesn't mean you are."

"Maybe." Inari buried her face in her arms again. "But I still benefited from the bad stuff they did. I don't think I can ever make up for that."

Charles scoffed. "Sunshine, we're all descended from thieves, rapists and murderers somewhere in our family tree; it's kind of a certainty in this world. We can never undo the bad our scummy ancestors did, and it isn't really our job."

"That doesn't mean it's right to ignore it."

"No."

Charles reached out and patted her on the head, one of the few times he was the one to initiate affectionate contact. Inari leaned into his touch with a sigh.

"I know I'm related to some bad people," he mused. "Some of the stuff my dad's mentioned about my relatives isn't really nice to hear about." He turned his head to the side, squinting at her. "But I'm not responsible for their actions. I can really only be responsible for my own."

He drew his hand back and tucked it under his head again. "Not sure that compares with what you're going through. But that's my thought, for what it's worth."

Inari hugged him. "It's worth something. Thanks." Oh no! She was getting his clothes dirty!

"Guess I'm still your pillow. Ok then."

The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence. Maybe falling asleep like this wouldn't be so bad. He did have a point too. Inari couldn't control what her siblings did. But that didn't mean she was blameless entirely. She knew her siblings. They didn't have to be monsters. But some had chosen to be, and she couldn't in good conscience ignore that, shared blood or not.

The sound of quiet footsteps reached her ears and Inari looked up to see her twin enter the kitchen, an unsettled look on her face. Just what did their father say to her?

Inari stood and hugged her twin, pulling back slightly as Tania winced in pain. "Are you ok, Sis?"

"As well as can be expected," Tania replied. "Though it seems I should be asking you that question. You seem distressed."

Inari pursed her lips, hugging her twin closer, despite her protests. "Of course I'm distressed! I just found out something terrible happened to you three whole years ago and I never noticed!"

Her twin stiffened in confusion. "Terrible? As inconvenient as it is, my condition is manageable."

"How can you just shrug it off?!" Inari hissed, pulling back and grabbing Tania by her shoulders. "And why did you lie to me about it?" She frowned. "Did you think I would think badly about you because of what happened?"

Tania stared at her uncomprehendingly. "I did not think you would believe me. Vampires are not something most people consider acceptable explanations."

Inari sighed. "Maybe, but you've never been one for fantastical things. I'd have at least taken you somewhat seriously."

The older twin patted her reassuringly on the arm. "I thank you for the trust you have in me. But there is no reason to worry about that, even back then. The situation resolved favorably and Dresden and Mr. Carpenter were there to assist me."

"But do you trust me?"

"Of course I do." Tania's brow furrowed.

"So why didn't you tell me?" Inari's face scrunched up, a toxic mix of emotions rushing through her. "About all of this? Why keep me in the dark about this whole vampire thing?! Or all the other dangerous stuff?!"

Tania grabbed her twin and pulled her close. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you."

Inari paused. "Why not?"

"This isn't the right place to discuss it," Tania whispered into her twin's ear.

"Then why are you here?" Inari groused. "You promised we would be able to talk, and now you say it's not the right place?" She was being a little unfair, given that Tania would have had to find her to talk to her first.

"I was here to make some food. I assumed our guests were hungry…" Tania's eyes widened–

"Hell's Bells!" She tore out of Inari's embrace and dashed out of the room like she had left the stove on in a different kitchen.

Inari glanced at Charles, who looked up sleepily at the noise. She glanced after her twin. Whatever got Tania so concerned had to be important. She ran after her.

Tania bounded up the stairs with a grace Inari envied. Really, it was obvious in hindsight her twin had become something different. But Inari was quite fit herself, so she was fast enough to avoid being left entirely behind.

Hey, wasn't this the way to Thomas' room?

Oh. No! Justine!

Tania rushed through the door to their brother's suite, and Inari reached the entrance moments later.

She froze at the sight.

Thomas looked inhuman. His skin glowed silver and stretched strangely over oddly protruding bones. The visceral confirmation of her family's inhumanity overwhelmed the creepiness of seeing her brother in the act. The disturbing sense of incestuous attraction trumped both the other feelings, and Inari slumped against the door frame, bent over and dry retching.

She heard her brother snarl, and she looked up hesitantly, just in time to see her twin wrestle him off Justine. Her brother's lover looked drained, paler even than she usually was, eyes rolled back into her skull and limply slumped against a bunch of pillows.

Thomas bared his teeth at Tania, but flinched back as she bloomed silver herself, a wild snarl of her own bubbling out of her chest. It was a feral sound, something Inari never expected to hear from her almost always composed twin.

Tania hissed a strange word and flicked a finger, a bloody, pink line appearing on Thomas' chest. She then jammed something into the cut and their brother groaned, a sound that made Inari feel very uncomfortable.

Was this her future? Turned into some beautiful monster?

She retched again at the foreign, incestuous feelings drilling into her skull.

No! No! This was wrong!

"Tania?" Thomas croaked, his voice dry, raspy, and filled with confused horror.

"Welcome back brother."

"What the hell are you doing!"

"Ensuring you did not kill your lover."

"What?" Thomas blanched as he saw the state his girlfriend was in. "Justine!" He grabbed her shoulder and shook her, but she was in no state to respond, just moaning softly and leaning into his touch.

"She should be able to recover, now that you are cogent enough to avoid drinking too much."

"You know?" Thomas sputtered. He blinked, finally registering his younger sister's predatory glow. "You fledged?! When? How?"

Tania shushed him, pushing him back down onto the pillows. "You need to recover, don't worry about that right now."

"Don't worry?! How do you expect me to not worry–"

He froze, shocked eyes meeting Inari's horrified expression across the room. "Inari?" he choked.

Inari fled.

She nearly bowled Charles over in her haste, accidentally shoving him against a wall. She clutched at him desperately and sobbed.

This was all too much for one night!

Charles didn't say anything, he just held her, patting her on the back encouragingly. Was there really anything he could say to help?

Inari didn't know how long they stood there–it probably wasn't all that long in actuality, but it certainly felt like forever.

"Probably time to go to sleep?" Charles eventually asked. "Maybe things will be better when you wake up. Or at least you'll be rested." Inari doubted she would sleep well–

The hysterical energy left her and she slumped against her friend. "M'be."

"So…uh…where's your room?" Charles asked awkwardly, still sort of pinned against the wall.

"I can take her there." When did Tania get here? "Here, let me take care of her." Her twin gently tried to pry her away from Charles.

"No!" Inari objected, tightening her hold on her friend. It was petty, but her twin unnerved her right now, and she wasn't sure she trusted herself not to say something she could never take back.

Tania sucked in a sharp breath. Inari didn't have to look to know there was a hurt look on her face, but right now she was having a little bit of a hard time caring. If this was what trying to be nice got her, what was the point?

"I… can show you the way." Tania croaked, sounding far more defeated than Inari had ever heard her. Oh. Guess she does care, under all that stiffness. Now she just felt bad.

"Alright." Charles patted her on the back again. "Let's go get you situated."

Inari did not remember the walk to her old room, the fatigue from this no good, very bad night finally crashing down on her.

Was that a puppy?

The last thought that passed through her bleary mind was that despite being mostly bone and muscle, Charles was surprisingly comfy to rest on.

♤♤♤♤​

Throughout her long life, Lara had been through worse nights than this, but she would definitely add it to the list.

She had been careless, too comfortable in the comfort of the modern age. Tonight had been a grim reminder of her own fragility, in more ways than one.

Three young Black Court, two barely out of the grave, had nearly been the end of her. She had been saved by a young wizard (shame she could not reward him in a mutually satisfactory way) and by her youngest sibling. Lara still wasn't sure where sweet young Inari had found the daring to threaten monsters at gunpoint, but it was certainly brave of her to serve as a distraction for whatever spell Dresden had cast.

That in and of itself would have been galling enough, having to be saved by an overgrown child (an admittedly powerful and quite handsome one) and looking weak in front of her cute little sister, but that was not the end of it.

Not only was Inari somehow partially aware of what they were, despite Father's commands, not only did Dresden bullishly throw them into a peril by explaining the change to Inari, but Tania had fledged without her knowledge.

Even worse, it had been nearly three years since she became one of the family in truth, and never in that time had Tania ever come to her big sister for help. She had updated Lara on her school life, but never that. Did her little sisters not trust her? Was she not sisterly enough for them to come to her?

More importantly, why had Tania gone to a wizard– no, a strange man she never met before? She couldn't have seriously thought the man in a phonebook would truly be a wizard, could she? If she had been that desperate, why hadn't she called her family?

What was it that caused Tania, the least prone to flights of fancy, to trust a self-advertised wizard over her family? Lara's little sister had the romantic sense of a rock, there was no way she would be taken in by his rugged looks.

Lara almost considered the possibility of enthrallment, but she knew Dresden's reputation, and after meeting him personally, she thought the chances of that were negligible. The young wizard was as blunt as his reputation made him out to be, with his idea of subtlety apparently being equivalent to planting a bomb in a crowded room and glaring at people until they ignored it. The fact that he had actually managed to fool her for some time did not help her current worries much.

He was clearly more cunning than what his reputation suggested, his brute force magic and irreverent tone masking a sharp mind. That should have made Lara more skeptical of him, but it ironically relieved her slightly. She would be more concerned if Tania was taken with a man who was actually stupid.

Lara also had serious doubts that a man who started a war in an attempt to save his lover would consider magically enthralling a new one, no matter how lovely Tania was. No, it was far more likely that he saved her from something and…

Oh.

For once, Lara was thankful that their first feeding was lethal.

It seemed she owed Harry Dresden quite a bit more than she had thought.

Lara kissed Bruce on the check before sinuously sliding off her bed. She had pulled back her Hunger so he would remain functional. After all, he had healed her injuries in more ways than one, not to mention checking over her brother's wounds in record time.

Hmm… perhaps Tania would be willing to share for a little while. Dresden certainly found them both appealing enough. But if her cute little sister turned out to be the jealous type, Lara could always teach her a few tricks. Tania may be inexperienced, but she was a very fast learner.

Though… Lara frowned as she stepped into the shower to clean herself off. Dresden's touch had burned her, an echo of True Love protecting him. Tania did not burn her, and the protection was not that fresh. Ah, perhaps they would actually be willing to share. Tania would have had to feed in the meantime, after all, and there was nothing that her cute little sister hated more than the "laziness" that enthralled kine exhibited.

Perhaps she had a coterie of would-be scholars, the young man that had given her a ride seemed unusually agreeable, though he seemed more taken with Inari–

Tania's situation was familiar, even if she seemed to have adjusted better than any of their siblings had. It did not excuse Lara's negligence, but it was not as pressing as a problem. Even though Father seemed to have also discovered her turn, Tania was valuable for her cunning, both financial, like her mother, and apparently strategically, though it would remain to be seen how well games translated to reality.

Inari was a different story.

Unlike her twin, unlike all of them, really, Inari was a gentle and kind soul who would have made many friends even without her supernaturally fine breeding and familial wealth. She could not possibly handle her change as well as her twin. And now she knew about it. Father did not care for such things, and he would break her, but there wasn't anything Lara could do.

The eldest Raith daughter shivered, a small part of her whispering that she should have gone along with Thomas' foolish scheme, if only for the chance to spare her little sister. It was drowned by the faces of her late siblings flashing through her vision, smothered by her Father's phantom fingers crawling over her flesh. A part of her liked it.

No. It would not work.

A tiny, battered part of her wondered if Thomas had a point. Father had been a bit strange recently, and he seemed to be more lenient with Tania and Inari. No, if Lara was in his shoes, she would have let her little sisters run free, they were just too useful that way. Inari was too kind to turn on them, and Tania would be hard pressed to find a more profitable support network.

Lara stepped out of the shower, toweling herself up and slipping into a bathrobe along with a pair of new slippers, enjoying the feeling of the comfortable clothes on her fresh skin.

Thomas would be distraught in the morning, having woken up to his–

Wait! Wasn't that buck who gave Tania a ride the one Inari was fond of?

Lara rushed out of the room, running barely dressed again that night. She had not been there for Tania when she fledged, she'd be damned if she was not there for Inari!

She burned through some of her fresh energy, reaching Inari's room in a flash. Tania stood outside her twin's door, lips pursed in discomfort–

Lara found herself staring down the barrel of a gun as Tania twitched suddenly. "Relax, little sister, it's me." Tania let out a breath, slumping slightly against the wall, her gun almost disappearing whence it came. When did her little sister become so skilled with such weapons? Going to the shooting range was one thing, that confidence spoke of actual experience.

"My apologies, elder sister. The events of tonight have me on edge." Tania looked down at her (ah, when did the cute little sisters get so big?) with a speculative gleam in her eyes. "But what brings you here in such a rush?"

Lara sighed in relief. "By your tone, I presume Inari will not be joining us tonight?"

Tania frowned. "It does not appear so." She jerked her head towards her sister's room. "They both fell asleep, almost immediately."

The elder sister stepped silently to the door, opening it slightly to peer inside. True enough, Inari was sound asleep on the couch, curled around her shorter friend (My, how her sisters had grown!)

She shut the door slowly, letting out another breath. "That is a relief." She turned her gaze back to Tania, who stared back accusingly. "But it is only a matter of time."

Tania frowned, her cute (not truly the proper term now) face radiating disapproval. "Lara, tell me the truth: Is there a way for her to be free?"

Father would have to be…deposed, for one. Although…

"This is not the place for that conversation, little sister."

Tania snorted. "Then where?"

Lara reached up and ran a hand through her younger sister's hair, stopping at the clumps of dried blood. "Why, you are filthy, little sister! You must get to the bath immediately!"

"You cannot be serious," Tania said flatly. Oh, but Lara was.

And that was how Lara ended up washing her little sister's hair for the first time in almost a decade.

"Is this truly necessary to prevent our conversation from being overheard?" Tania sulked in the bathtub as Lara rubbed shampoo into her hair. The shower was running, the noise covering their voices, if they were careful.

"Oh, there are certainly other ways," Lara conceded. "But subtlety is just as important." And it helped assuage her feeling inadequate as a sister, if only superficially.

"I fail to see how this isn't suspicious," Tania said flatly, scrubbing some grime and dried blood off of her skin. "I have not needed your help for this since I could reach the shower controls."

Lara pouted, not that her sister could see it. "Can't an older sister wish for some nostalgic things, even if their little sister is full grown?"

"It seems irrationally common," Tania groused. "And I am not so sure it is truly effective as a cover."

"Our staff knows not to interrupt us when we are in the bath." Or in bed.

"They are not primarily the ones we are concerned about, are they?"

Lara stilled, her finger coming to a halt. "No, they are not." Privacy was not at all sacred to a stronger member of the family. "But other avenues would be equally fruitless to stop them if they so wished. Best to remain below notice."

Tania huffed. "You may be right, but I would prefer not to be wet and undressed in that event."

What manner of cover was she thinking about that didn't involve that?

"I'm done with the shampoo." Lara began rinsing her sister's hair, sending foaming water down into the bathtub. "And I believe we do, in fact, need to talk."

Tania hummed in affirmation, eyes closed to prevent water from getting in them.

"What have you learned about our nature, sister dear? I want to ensure Wizard Dresden has not led you wrong."

"Why are you concerned about this now?" Tania asked, her tone suggesting merely bemused curiosity, but Lara could feel the cutting accusation.

"Why, isn't it obvious, little sister?" Of course Lara could not exactly admit she had not realized that Tania had fledged when she did. "You brought a man home to meet Father!"

Tania opened an eye and gave her sister a skeptical look. "I was not the one who invited Dresden here."

"Dresden?" Lara feigned confusion, internally amused. "I was speaking of your friend who gave you a ride. What was his name? Charles?" She was not, in fact, talking about that buck.

Tania rolled her eyes. "I did not bring Charles here for the purpose of meeting father, I simply needed a ride here since my motorcycle was destroyed and he was friendly enough to agree." Her eyes narrowed. "Why did you bring Dresden here anyways? Surely you have your own mode of transportation?"

Oh, was that hint of jealousy she heard? "Do I need a reason to bring back a tall, dark and handsome man?"

"Yes…" Tania was nonplussed. "But I find it unlikely you brought him here for salacious reasons. You were on an adult film set, there would be no need." Bah, she was no fun!

"The same reason you acquired his services: he is a useful deterrent." Lara wrung some of the water out of her sister's hair, before lathering it with shampoo again. "And you have yet to answer my initial question."

"Fine." Tania closed her eyes again as soap scuds slid down her head. "Essentially, our condition involves a parasitic entity attached to our souls that feeds off of the life force of living things, with a taste for humans in particular. To acquire this energy it has the ability to drive its victims into a vulnerable state during which it becomes easier to extract this energy."

So far so good, if a bit unflattering. Lara ran her fingers through her sister's hair yet again. "Do go on."

"They usually do this through heightening emotion to encourage the victim to make more of their energy available," Tania answered, holding herself stiffly at the contact. "Our Hungers prefer carnal lust as a medium. The Hunger is also poisoned by energy from a person exemplifying something anathema to its taste; True Love, in our case."

Dresden appeared to be more knowledgeable about them than she expected. Where did he get this information? It was no longer a secret, but the White Court did not exactly advertise it, for obvious reasons. Tania couldn't possibly have learned it herself.

"I feel you are being a bit uncharitable to our Hunger, Tania dear," Lara prodded while rinsing her sister's hair again. "It does provide us quite a few boons."

Tania sighed. "Yes, if not for its mind warping nature, it might be considered a symbiotic entity, as it grants us perfect health and perpetual youth if satiated. Its energy reserves can also be used to heal rapidly or to gain supernatural strength, but it is draining. If too much is used, the Hunger will drive us mad and destroy our minds."

Harry Dresden certainly warranted further consideration. It appeared that his reputation as a bumbling brute was not as accurate as Lara had thought. While most of this information was not incredibly difficult to find, it was not commonly available, not to mention how it was slightly concerning to discover a powerful wizard with a rather fiery grudge against vampires had such accurate knowledge, even if his ire was mostly directed at a different court.

And Lara had invited him into her home…

No, given his apparent attachment to Tania, this was an opportunity.

"Well, it seems your wizard friend is quite knowledgeable!" Lara finished washing her sister's hair. "Why don't we get the rest of you cleaned off as well?"

"I do not need your help for that." For just a wash? That was certainly true, but for looking her best? Even with their supernatural charm, there were many ways to supplement it, especially since Tania seemed genuinely fond of the wizard.

"Well, which scent would be best?" Lara had not expected that kind of development from Tania, but now that it had happened, was it not her sisterly duty to help her sister pursue it?

"Scent?" Oh, Tania, Tania, Tania. "I need soap, not perfume, Lara." Truly, no appreciation for the art!

"So you do need my help after all!"

"What is this nonsense?!" Tania snapped. "I thought you wished to have a serious conversation."

Lara stopped short, cursing herself for getting so sidetracked.

"Tania." She shifted so she could look her little sister in the eye. "You cannot fight Father."
Tania furrowed her brow. "I am serious!" Lara hissed, collecting a soap with a scent she was sure Dresden would find irresistible. "He has killed all of our siblings who challenged him."

Her younger sister's eyes widened. "That's why we only have one brother." Lara smiled sadly, her little sister was sharp indeed.

"Yes." Lara began lathering the soap on her little sister. "And I fear Thomas is not long for this world."

"So that is why you shot Thomas?" Tania snatched the soap from Lara, beginning to use it herself. "To curry favor with father?"

Lara shivered, face slackening at old memories. "You do not want to cross Father. He did not just kill, he made them suffer in ways…" She grabbed another bar of soap to distract herself, much to Tania's chagrin.

"What makes you think I wish to turn on our father?" Tania asked carefully, momentarily distracted from Lara's soapy machinations.

"Well, for one, you seem to be assembling a power base under your own control, what with your investments, your collection of mortal minions, and your wizard friend." Lara smiled slyly. "It is frankly quite impressive for your age."

Tania blinked. "I simply desired to not coast off the family fortune. I would much rather contribute than leech." That… Lara really should have expected that.

She smiled, shaking her head fondly. "Of course, but you must understand what it appears like to others, dear sister."

"I see," Tania replied, pursing her lips in an expression that quite fit her youthful, but mature face. "Though father seemed unbothered by this when we spoke earlier."

It was rather odd. In the past, Father would most certainly have curtailed Tania's activities by now. It couldn't be sentimental feelings for Reiko, could it? No, Father was not one for such things. So why?

"You must be careful, Tania." Lara warned, starting to rinse off her sister, who bore an expression not unlike an unamused wet cat. "He is no doubt watching your moves."

She pulled Tania close, running the water over both of them, whispering in her sister's ear. "You must not fight him when the time comes, Tania. It will be better for you both." Father seemed to dote on them, and if Inari remained as amiable as she was, he would have no reason to make her suffer.

"Time for what?" Tania hissed, tensing at the sudden contact.

"You know what I refer to." Lara said softly, shivering as she felt his phantom fingers groping her flesh. "Father will want confirmation of your loyalty. You need to give him that, when he asks. I do not want to see you slain."

Tania frowned, perhaps finally understanding the danger she was in. Finally, she nodded. "I will be careful, elder sister."

"Good." Lara stepped back, letting her younger sister clean herself. There were many other things they needed to discuss, but Lara sensed that Tania was reaching her limit of credulity.

Lara grabbed a bottle of conditioner, applying it to Tania's hair as she finished washing herself. There, now her little sister was fresh and rosy for her friend.

As they dried off, Lara moved on to the next stage. "Won't you let me do your hair, Tania? It has been so long."

Tania paused, before smiling slightly. "Why not?" Lara smiled back, sitting her sister down in front of the mirror. She looked quite fetching in a towel.

"He's surprisingly good at hair," Tania muttered. "But no expert." Had she been having Thomas do her hair?! Well, Lara would just have to prove her superiority!

"What tickles your fancy, little sister?" Lara asked, running a comb through Tania's platinum hair, a shade not dissimilar to the glow they cast when they drew on their Hunger. An unusual color for their family, but an auspicious one. "What about your friend?"

"Perhaps a braided bun?" Tania mused.

"Formal and elegant, really?" Lara wondered. "Don't you want something more adventurous?"

Tania snorted. "Adventurous is not what I need right now."

Lara hummed. "You would know better than I." It was true that Dresden did not seem to be too impressed by grand spectacle. My, little Tania was cunning.

Now, the elder Raith mused as she expertly braided her sister's hair, how to get Tania into the appropriate clothes?

"Just what are you planning, sister?"

"Is sisterly concern not enough?" Lara pouted, finger's weaving through her little sibling's silky hair gracefully.

"This seems a bit extravagant for just that." Tania commented flatly.

Lara smirked. Don't worry little sister, your man will be all yours tonight. "I am simply doing my duty as an older sister." The wizard was not going to know what hit him.

---

 

[Dark as Silver]

"Remarkable, especially in this day and age."

Click to shrink...

"My, modern women are quite something."

Click to shrink...

Are modern people generally disappointing or cutthroat, make up your mind

 

[WrandmWaffles]

Are modern people generally disappointing or cutthroat, make up your mind

Click to shrink...

Lord Raith is impressed at Tania's apparent adventurism, as well as amused at how openly cutthroat she seems to be

 

[WrandmWaffles]

AN. Tania will seem quite a bit out of character in this chapter. There is a reason for it.

A Rite of Passage Close Call​

Harry had some pretty bad experiences with dreams. A few years back a capital 'N' Nightmare took a bite out of him while he slept, which had been unfun, not to mention that fucker was a big part of what made that Halloween suck–Kravos and Bianca were dead. Mavra would get hers soon too.

He hadn't really had pleasant dreams after that ball, though they had gotten better after he moved out of his old apartment–guess the place brought up bad memories. Some of them were weird (he hadn't dreamt of going to school for a long time), most were not really worth mentioning, and some were actually pretty nice.

This dream was one nice one, but it hurt. Susan had never been to his new place, and they never cooked together, but it was nice. So was the smell of food–

Harry awoke as his stomach growled, but he squeezed his eyes shut with a groan. It had been a nice dream. His body still ached and fatigue still weighed him down. His throat was parched and his stomach protested its emptiness. At least the bed was comfortable, and the smell–

Wait, he still smelled food.

He blinked his eyes open groggily. The room was still quite dark, though there was a lamp lit in the corner casting a gentle light through the surprisingly austere room. Well, that wasn't quite the right term. The bed was comfortable, the furniture looked handcrafted, so very pricey, and there was a computer. But there were no decorations like he had seen around the mansion, everything looked functional and plain (the bed was really nice though.) It was almost like Tania had… furnished the room.

Oh.

Harry pushed himself up with a groan. Why the hell did Lara bring him here? Wait, maybe it was better not to make assumptions–

"Ah, you're awake." And there was Tania.

He looked up as the young Raith stepped lightly into the room, wearing nothing but a towel–

Oh.

"Wha?" Harry asked intelligently. He couldn't stop himself from goggling at her beautiful form–it was somehow better than he'd imagined.

"You must be hungry," Tania observed, gesturing to the table, which had a plate with a couple sandwiches on it. "I also brought refreshments." She held up her arms, a bottle of Mac's beer in each hand, before leaning down to set them on the table. Harry could not help but notice how the movements accentuated her… assets (were they always so… generous?)

"Uh…" Harry was still a bit groggy from sleep. Yes. That was it. Not that he was too busy staring.

"I would prefer it if you did not eat while on the bed," Tania commented with a smirk. "It makes the housekeepers' job more difficult."

Harry's stomach growled, a bit of a welcome distraction, and he clambered off the bed. Ah great, his clothes were still dirty, stained with blood, sweat and grime. "I also brought fresh clothes for you." Tania gestured to the couch, where a few shirts and pants were neatly folded. "They are some of Thomas' spare clothes; ones he hasn't worn yet. I presumed you would not want anything my sire owns."

Yeah, that was fair. Although…

"You brought clothes for me, and not yourself?" Harry asked groggily as he plopped himself down in a chair across from her. Part of him wasn't really complaining. But it was kind of weird.

Tania sighed in annoyance, reaching across the table to hand him one of the beers–was that a bruise on her chest? "Here, you sound parched." She twisted her lips, letting out a huff which moved one of her bangs, drawing Harry's attention to her elegantly done hair. "My sister took my clothes to wash them, and just happened to forget to leave replacements."

Yeah, that seemed sketchy; what a weird time to prank your siblings. "She do this often?" Tania still had her cross earrings. And her shield charm. Her bangs were styled in a way that drew the gaze downward–yep, that was a bruise alright.

"No." Tania shook her head, sitting back in her chair. "This is a first. Perhaps she is simply stressed due to recent events." Harry popped open the bottle of beer to distract himself from how her posture made the towel dip slightly.

"Maybe," Harry mused. "I definitely could use a beer after tonight. Thanks for that." He was pretty sure Lara was up to something. But why would she do this? If she was trying to seduce him, Tania would have already had plenty of opportunities, and if Harry was honest with himself, she really didn't need the help.

Tania picked up her bottle of beer and opened it, leaning forward (dammit don't look!) to clink it with his. "Cheers."

Harry took a sip. Yup. Mac still made the best beer in town. Wait. "Uh… aren't you underage?"

Tania raised a delicate eyebrow, swirling her bottle of beer and crossing her long, smooth legs. "Are you going to report me, PI Dresden?"

Harry snorted. "I'm sure you'll drink responsibly." Seemed like even Tania was willing to bend a few rules after tonight. He took a deep draught of his beer. He didn't know how Tania got a hold of it, right now he really couldn't bring himself to care. Tania drank from her own bottle.

Wait… shouldn't she be able to get other clothes for herself? She had to have some clothes here.

"Is this your old room?" Hold on, that was a bit of an awkward question, because it meant–

"Yes." Tania replied, setting her beer down. "I do not know why my sister brought you here when we have guest rooms." It meant he had just taken a nap in Tania's bed. This family was weird.

"I can get out if you want."

Tania scoffed. "That bed is one of the few pieces of furniture I can guarantee no questionable sexual activity took place on." Uh… too much information there!

"Don't you have clothes here if this is your room?" While she was really nice to look at, Harry didn't need that distraction right now.

Tania sighed, crossing her arms under her bust. "It seems one of my sisters removed all my normal clothes from my room. It was probably Felicia."

"Normal clothes?" Harry's stomach growled audibly.

"Ah, so you are hungry." Tania uncrossed her limbs in a mesmerizing motion and handed him the plate. Harry took it, his mouth watering as he bit into the sandwich–

He groaned happily. He hadn't known how much he'd needed a roast beef sandwich until now. Tania's cooking had always been pretty good, but Harry swore that she kept getting better.

Tania leaned back, crossing her arms again and glancing to the side a bit apologetically. "It isn't a steak sandwich, but it is a bit late in the night to cook that."

Harry swallowed. "It's really good, Tania. I'd have eaten basically anything you whipped up just now."

She smiled, almost bashfully, shifting slightly in her seat. "That's very nice of you, but my cooking is hardly stellar."

"Sure, you can't beat Mac," Harry said between mouthfuls, "but you probably got some fancy chefs beat."

Did Tania just blush? She did! That was too cute! "There is no need to flatter me."

"I don't think any compliment I give you is gonna be flattery." Harry had seen an unusual amount of supernaturally beautiful things that could be described as women, and Tania did not lose out in comparison, far from it.

Tania's blush deepened, the red flush creeping down her neck towards her breasts–was she drunk?

"Is the drink getting to you, Dresden?" Tania asked, trying to distract from her embarrassment that her state of dress made impossible to hide.

Harry shook his head. "Don't really feel it." If he was feeling buzzed, it was because of the view.

Oh, the sandwich was gone. She really knew what he liked.

"Well good," Tania huffed, "then you will not be at risk taking a shower you sorely need." She straightened, her crossed arms shifting her towel–

Harry did need a shower. "No arguments there." A cold shower.

He stood, wincing as his cuts and bruises complained and he groaned. Maybe not a cold shower. "Do you need any medical attention?" Tania asked, concern on her face.

Harry shook his head. "I'll be fine with some rest." He looked at the clothes Tania had brought. "Are these gonna fit?" One downside of being so tall was how hard it finding clothing sized for you.

"I believe so." Tania answered. "But perhaps not well. Thomas is the closest in height and frame to you, but you are still a good deal taller."

Harry smirked. "Aren't you the closest to me in height?"

Tania raised an eyebrow. "Yes, but as you can see–" she waved down at her towel-clad form– "I don't have clothes for myself, let alone you." She had to know the effect she had on people, or was she really that oblivious?

"What the heck happened with that anyways?" Harry asked, feeling a bit angry at her sisters. "Do they expect you to go around the house naked?"

Tania hummed thoughtfully. "My sisters sometimes do so, perhaps Lara simply forgot I have different preferences." What. No! Bad Harry!

"Uh… can't you wear these clothes?" Harry waved at the shirt on the couch. "They'd definitely fit, just not that well."

"They are my brother's clothes." Tania said archly, before blinking. "Also, I can afford to be less than dressed here. I would advise against you trying it."

Harry felt she was protesting a little too much, but if she wanted to wear a towel that was up to her. "Ok then, I'll go take a shower." A shower sounded nice.

He grabbed the spare clothes and stumbled into the bathroom. His shirt stuck to his skin as he pulled it off, his pants scraped against bruises as he removed them, and he was pretty sure his shield bracelet and watch were going to leave a mark. Should he wear them in the shower? No, water would cause complications and Tania valued privacy enough not to intrude. He turned the knob and stepped into the shower when the water heated up.

Man, how had he ever managed without hot water? Well, technically his part of the house still wasn't connected to the gas, but semantics.

This shower was fancier than the one in the townhouse, with different settings and all that, or at least Harry assumed it did based on the markings. Either way, the hot water eased his aches and pains a bit, as well as making him feel a bit cleaner.

It didn't really help with his dirty thoughts.

After close to a year of proximity, he'd thought he'd gotten a bit used to her supernaturally good looks. How she never seemed to intentionally flaunt it helped, as well as her preference for practical or comfortable clothing.

He was not prepared for seeing so much more of her–all those smooth curves and vast expanses of creamy, perfect flesh–

Harry shook himself. Curse it all! He shouldn't be lusting after a teenager! Even if she was legally an adult and seemed much older. He could blame her Raith aura, but after being hit by Lara's, Harry realized that Tania kept hers remarkably under control.

Which just meant most of his feelings were his own. He thumped his head gently against the shower wall.

No, it was just hormones. He hadn't been with anyone since Susan, and this was just his body complaining about it, especially with someone like Tania around. But no, there could be nothing more there.

It was a bit hard to tell, given how formal she was with everyone, but while Tania considered him a friend, Harry was pretty sure she wasn't interested in anything more. She was… oddly celibate for a Raith.

Did… she get off on violence?

Wait, no, while Whamps often were pretty influenced by their flavor of emotion, feeling that emotion by themselves wasn't how they fed.

Heh. It really wasn't surprising Tania was so interested in the life batteries; she found emotions to be "irrational" and frustrating.

He stepped out of the shower, drying himself off. Man, the towel was quite comfortable, maybe that's why Tania didn't seem too fussed about finding clothes (did she like it when he looked? No, couldn't be.)

The clothes she'd brought him sort of fit. Thomas was shorter than him, so they were a bit tight, but he'd take them over the blood-stained ones he had been wearing previously. They were actually pretty comfortable, if a bit thin. Well, it was a fairly warm night.

Harry stepped out of the bathroom, feeling a bit more in control of himself–

Only for that to come crashing down as he saw that Tania had not fixed her clothing problem.

She was currently picking through a drawer, so it didn't look like it was due to lack of trying. Her back was to him and she was bent slightly at the waist, revealing more of her statuesque body.

Harry had not lied to Lara when he said Tania was more beautiful.

Lara had an aura that made her an artist's wet dream. Ideal, unattainable, almost fake.

Tania hit the perfect sweet spot between art and function. Her long legs were smooth and perfectly sculpted, toned, taught and going on for days. Her arms were a mix of elegant lines and tense power.

Her silvery hair gleamed like starlight, not just meticulously braided like coils of silver, but also pulled expertly into a perfectly centered bun blooming like a rose above the nape of her neck, serving both as pleasing ornamentation and keeping her hair out of the way.

It was a lot fancier than what she normally did, but the lack of mirrors at their place made it a bit tricky to do anything too complicated, and Harry was no expert in styling hair.

"There really aren't any clothes that'll work? What, did your sister fill your room with gag clothes?"

Tania glanced over her shoulder, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a face that could cause traffic accidents. She cocked an eyebrow, meeting his gaze and nodding. "It seems the clothes fit you well enough." Her silvery blue eyes were like starlit pools, and these were some of the few eyes Harry could actually get lost in without risking a Soulgaze.

She licked her lips, then frowned. "As for your question–" she reached into the drawer and pulled out a lacy piece of lingerie, "–they are all in this style."

Oh. For a moment, Harry wondered whether she'd look better in a towel or in thin lace. "Uh…" Actually, she always looked great.

"Quite troublesome, aren't they?" Tania's lip quirked up. "Sometimes I feel like my siblings are all children, even though they are so much older than me."

"I… uh… see your problem now."

She may have a point, immortality could lead to kind of being the same for a long time. Though for her, it might not be a bad thing.

Tania turned to face him and straightened, posture all official like. The hairdo made her look very professional, but her whole serious mien was undermined by the towel and all her bare, beautiful skin.

Her face was fit for a painting, with a severe look you'd find on a stern school teacher pulled over delicate, youthful features in an intoxicating contradiction.

The soft curve of her throat, highlighted by a black choker, the pale slope of her shapely breasts, and her elegant arms that looked none the worse soaked in the blood of a dying Red Court–

"Are you alright?" Harry blinked, realizing he'd been staring like a lovestruck idiot. He didn't think he'd ever heard Tania sound so concerned for him.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just tired." His body was exhausted, he was sure of it, but he felt a sudden rush of energy.

He glanced at her closet to distract himself. "They really switched out your whole wardrobe?" Either Tania had a sort of a prank war with her sisters or the older Raiths had tried an "intervention."

"It seems so." Tania agreed drily. Her bare feet padded lightly on the carpet as she strut closer, hips swaying distractingly, producing his staff from seemingly nowhere (where did she get that?!) "I thought you could use some assurance in enemy territory." She slowly ran her finger across some of the runes. "Though please refrain from committing arson." Uh…

Harry took his staff gratefully. "Thanks, you need me to do anything?" It was a little unnerving to see his weapon in her shapely but dangerous hands. Yes, that was it.

"It may be wise to ward the door." Tania mused, licking her crimson lips (wait, when did they get the color?)

Wait… "You expect me to sleep in your room?"

Tania gave him a quizzical look, angling her head to the side, her bangs and earrings drawing Harry's gaze down her exposed neck. "You already have."

"Are you going to sleep with Inari then?"

Tania bit her bottom lip, looking to the side morosely. "She… doesn't want anything to do with me right now."

Huh. "I'm sure she'll have calmed down a bit in the morning." Harry tried to reassure her, decidedly not focusing on how cute that looked.

Tania closed her eyes and sighed. "I hope so. I… may have taken her for granted."

Harry reached out to give her a reassuring pat, then froze as he couldn't find a safe place to put his hand. "It's Inari." He said instead. "If you actually talk it out, I'm sure you'll work it out. Then again, I don't have siblings so I'm not exactly an expert."

Why was Tania looking at him like that?

"Hopefully, you're right." She eyed his floating hand. "Are you trying to pat me on the head?"

Uh…

She smirked. "I wouldn't mind it so much. You are the only one tall enough to be able to do so without making it look awkward."

Was she drunk? Harry obliged her, running his hand over her silvery scalp. Wow, her hair really did feel like silk– did she just lean into it?! She might actually be drunk. Crap.

"I'll sleep on the couch." Harry declared, pulling his hand back. Maybe she wanted him around as a kind of security blanket. It was always a bit strange when Tania youth leaked through. It was pretty cute.

Tania huffed. "Nonsense! You're my guest, and you've already slept in the bed." She gestured towards the couch. "Not to mention the couch is too short for you. I'd be a poor host if I offered you that."

Harry really hadn't expected her to be a lightweight. "So, where will you sleep?"

"On the couch, of course."

"Wouldn't it be rude of me as a guest to make you sleep there?"

A mischievous grin crept over Tania's face brightening her features. "Why, are you suggesting we share the bed?"

Guh… It has been so long since he'd been with someone. Just thinking about her pale flesh, pressed up against him–

Harry shook his head furiously.

"It's decided then," Tania declared triumphantly, hands on her hips, chin raised triumphantly. Was there a tinge of disappointment in her voice? No, Harry must be imagining things.

"Fine, I'll try and ward the door." He really didn't want to have to explain this to anyone.

There wasn't exactly a threshold to anchor a proper ward, but Harry was able to at least reinforce the door and add an alarm. He was too tired to do anything too fancy.

As he worked on the door, Tania continued searching through her clothes, to no avail, if her frustrated sigh was anything to go by.

"Would you mind assisting me?" Tania asked resignedly when Harry turned away from the door, gesturing to her open closet, drawers and cabinets. "Which one of these isn't too ridiculous?"

How was Harry going to judge that? He was hardly a fashion expert, and he knew even less about women's underwear.

His eyes settled on a drawer in the corner Tania had left closed. He strode over to it. Maybe she had missed this one.

"Wait–!" Tania moved to stop him, but he had already opened it…

Harry closed the drawer, trying to bleach his brain of the images running through his head. Now he knew where Tania had gotten her choker for her shield charm from (and that it originally had a leash.)

Just… why?

"That is not a clothes drawer." Tania mumbled, blushing scarlet. He was never going to be able to look at that shield charm the same again.

He heard a snapping sound and turned to see Tania drinking from a water bottle, probably to wash away the awkward moment. Harry could not help but stare at her choker as she gulped down her drink. He was not going to be able to unsee it now.

She set the bottle down on the table, having gone through most of it. Now that Harry was looking in that direction, he noticed several more bottles of water there. He had really tunnel visioned hard there.

Tania picked up another one and offered it to him, blush spreading nicely down to the top of her towel. "While beer is more enticing, it does not help with dehydration."

"Thanks." Harry took the bottle, thankful for the distraction.

"These are sealed, so you don't have to worry about my family slipping some unwanted additions in."

Harry almost spat out some water. "Is that something I have to watch out for?"

Tania looked at him like he was an idiot. "No, as I said, the bottles are sealed. Otherwise, it is a possibility."

He hoped she wasn't speaking from experience. "Well, good thing I have you looking out for me." He was actually pretty thirsty.

The water tasted good, maybe it was some fancy brand, or maybe he was just that thirsty. Harry gulped the whole thing down in short order. He set the empty bottle down on the table and turned to see Tania staring thoughtfully at him.

"What?"

She started, licking her lips. "Nothing, sorry. Today has been exhausting." No kidding.

Harry felt fatigue setting in again, and he yawned. He was tired, too tired to care about how awkward this was.

"Time to go to sleep then?" Harry sat down on the bed, hoping blood hadn't got into the sheets.

Tania frowned (she did not pout!) "Yes, but I would prefer not to sleep in a towel."

For a moment–definitely only a moment–Harry wondered if she was going to sleep nude like some of her sisters.

"Why do you want me to pick for you?" He asked once he came back to himself.

Tania winced. "If I pick one out, my sisters will assuredly find out and they'll pester me about it endlessly and foist more of them on me."

Harry really didn't understand that train of thought. "And how would it be better if I picked it out for you?" Wouldn't that just make it worse?

"They would not pester me." Tania replied. Harry was pretty sure she was reaching a bit here. If his brief interaction with some her sisters was anything to go by, it would be the opposite of what she was thinking.

"Could you just, not pick one out?" Harry asked flatly.

Tania's eyebrows rose in surprise, a small, mischievous smile lighting up her face. "Are you suggesting I sleep without clothes?" Uh…

All that statuesque, pale flesh…

"I meant the towel!" Harry spluttered.

"I am not sleeping in a wet towel." Tania shot back archly.

"Get a dry one?"

Tania huffed, looking unusually childish. "I have my hair in order, I am not wearing a towel with it." Her hair would still look good without the towel, or with any clothes that didn't cover her face. Actually she still might look good.

"Tania," Harry sighed. "You'd look great in anything. Just pick something."

"Well," She smirked, loosening her towel. "I suppose I shall see why my sisters are so fond of going without–"

"Fine! Fine, I'll pick out some damn clothes for you!" Part of Harry objected to his interruption, but he told it to shut up.

Harry stepped over to her closet, trying to tamp down his embarrassment at the sight of all the salacious underwear. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said they changed out the whole thing."

"Out of the few things my sisters are diligent in," Tania muttered, joining him in perusing the available pieces of fabric, "this is probably one of the most annoying."

If Harry has anything to say about it he'd go with the mind-whamming people, though he could kind of see where Tania was coming from. Most of the "clothes" were way too small to cover much of anything. Not really an improvement over the towel.

"You know, they kinda all look the same." He commented idly. There was probably more underwear in this room than clothes he owned.

"Indeed." Tania agreed. "Which is why it is rather frustrating when my sisters badger me about wearing the same style of blouse frequently."

"Well, I don't have any siblings to comment on my fashion sense." Harry shrugged–why was Tania giving him that look? "The only person who really does that is you." Oh. Harry got it now.

He shuffled through a few of the drawers. "Same stuff. More of the same stuff. Oh look, the same stuff in a different color!" He spotted something shaped differently. "Huh, well I found gloves." Harry picked it up and showed it to Tania. It was quite long, more like a sock for your arm, except with a hole at the end. On closer inspection, it wasn't a glove at all, with only a slot for the middle finger, still weird, but at least it was novel.

Tania took the sleeves from Harry, holding them up with one hand, her other hand held against her stomach to keep the towel from falling now that she had unknotted it. "I suppose it is at least distinct from the majority of this ridiculous collection."

From there, Harry just looked for anything that looked different than the rest, also finding some really long socks.

Glancing through yet another drawer, Harry found the first piece of clothing that was large enough to be folded. Straightening it out revealed it to be something that looked like a bathrobe. "This is the most continuous fabric I've seen in your stuff so far." He commented drily.

Tania blinked, before smiling. "Well, that's a relief, I was seriously considering throwing in the towel."

Harry laughed. "Ha! Glad to see you've joined the pun side."

Tania glared, snatching the robe out of his hands. "I have done no such thing!"

"Suure."

"I did not reference an alternate meaning of a word!"

"Sounds like you're in denial."

Tania stared Harry in the eye with the most unimpressed look she could muster, then let go of her towel. Harry quickly turned away to let her change–

Getting an eyeful of beautiful, pale curves. Why was that mirror right there?! He squeezed his eyes shut, which didn't help as the brief glimpse was etched into his mind. Not literally, like with the sight, but he doubted he would forget it anytime soon.

"Well, I will turn in now." Tania sounded unbearably smug. Harry turned and opened his eyes, finding her giving him a profoundly self-satisfied smirk, her red lips quirked oh so tauntingly and her silvery eyes glinting teasingly.

He glanced over her new clothes. The sleeves had seemed weird, but Tania made it work somehow, the odd one finger glove drew attention to her long, delicate-looking fingers (they were not delicate, Harry had seen them guts deep in a Red.)

The long socks–stockings? Whatever, they highlighted her shapely legs.

And the robe…Harry gulped. He could see why it was in the collection now. There was about as much fabric as a bathrobe, but it was much thinner, leaving just enough to the imagination to not be useless. But even its light color could not hide where sheer fabric ended and creamy flesh began.

"Night." He plopped himself onto the bed unceremoniously, this was too much for one day.

"Is it not to your liking?" Tania asked, her affected hurt tone undermined by the playful lilt in her voice.

"You look great Tania, like always." Harry groaned. She had to be drunk, better to go to sleep, she'd be normal by morning.

Tania made noise that sounded weirdly close to a giggle. Harry couldn't help but look at her questioningly–

And now he was staring at her again. She really did look great. Harry was starting to think that clothes couldn't really add much to Tania's appearance, asides from highlighting certain parts of her, like this translucent nightgown–

He jerked his gaze up to her gleaming eyes and was met with an amused smirk that would make Lara proud. "Actions make better compliments than words."

Harry groaned and covered his face with a pillow. "Didn't you say you were tired, Tania?"
He probably should have stopped her from drinking.

Tania laughed, "I am, perhaps it is simply the hysterical kind of fatigue."

Harry pulled the pillow off his face to give her an unimpressed look, only to watch as she sashayed over to the couch, the robe accentuating the sinuous motion of her body in a fascinating way.

It was a very pleasant way to end the day, especially with how crazy it had been. But it was a bit tortuous at the same time.

♤♤♤♤​

He was dreaming again, and he knew it. He was going on a run with Susan. A cheerful, very much human Susan, dusky skin without tattoos, no predatory edge in her posture, and an open smile he hadn't seen for far too long (probably never again.)

She asked him something, teasing him for his grumpy mood, though with some genuine concern in the mix. This wasn't real. And Harry knew that vivid dreams could be a sign of danger, but this didn't feel like that.

Dream Harry smiled tiredly and replied with some excuse about a rough job. Dream Susan complained good naturedly about him working too hard and not spending enough time with her. Harry agreed with her apologetically. He really had missed out on a lot of time with her.

In all fairness, those cases were ones where there was more on the line, and he didn't regret helping those people. If only it didn't have to come with so much personal loss. If he hadn't bailed on Susan as often, maybe she wouldn't have been so insistent on going to the ball.

Or maybe he should have brought her in more. Susan wasn't a coward and was too adventurous for her own good, but if she had seen more of the danger the world posed, maybe she would have listened to his warning.

Perhaps it would have been best if they hadn't gotten involved in the first place. If she wasn't so close to him, she wouldn't have gotten as many of those good stories, but she would still have a normal life running around as a reporter for The Arcane.

Dream Susan grabbed his hand and pulled him down the park path, teasing him for his brooding. The two of them broke into a run, not really racing, but still pushing a decent pace. The real Susan hadn't been out of shape, but she hadn't been that fit while her day job was a reporter. She'd gotten a lot more athletic during her time with the Order of St. Giles. Dream Susan was closer to the latter, another clear indicator it was a dream.

The two of them picked up the pace, beginning a race in earnest. Susan was faster than Harry remembered, but it was a dream, so he was even faster. Dream Susan pouted at him, before complaining that he should have let her win. Dream Harry laughed, making some offhand quip that had Susan rolling her eyes.

They sat on a park bench to catch their breaths, watching the sun set over the lake–which didn't make sense because the city was to the west of the lake, but hey, it was a dream.

Susan scooted into him and pressed herself against his side, wrapping his arm in a hug.

Harry leaned into her, breathing in her smell, some floral scent mixed with a tang of spice. It wasn't something Susan had ever worn, but it smelled delightful. Her touch almost felt real, more tangible than he expected for a dream.

She sighed contentedly, breath tickling his neck, and snuggled in closer, the contact vividly–

Harry blinked awake, eyes focusing on the shadows splayed out across the ceiling to Tania's room, cast by the soft glow of a dim nightlight.

Another breath caressed his neck, and he realized with a start that the touch from his dream had been real indeed. The alluring scent of flowers and spice kicked him into wakefulness, and Harry glanced down at his side, not daring to move.

Tania clutched at his left arm, her arms wrapped around it in the same way Dream Susan had. For a moment Harry felt a bolt of panic, afraid that his touch was burning her, but he felt soft fabric on his arm, not skin, the thin cloth of the gloves and robes apparently enough to protect her from the burn.

Tania exhaled again, her breath tickling the bare skin of his neck and spreading goosebumps all through his flesh, the slight shifting as she inhaled brought Harry's attention to her soft flesh pressing into his side.

He didn't move, struck by bewilderment and concern. It was still dark outside, so not that much time could have passed. Did Tania wait until he fell asleep before switching over to her bed? No, that wasn't something she would do (though she had been acting a bit weird) and he remembered the lack of touch in the first part of his dream. Time was difficult to measure in dreams, but acquiring a Tania limpet had to have happened well after he fell asleep.

As far as he could remember, Tania didn't sleep walk, but he did remember a few times when she had been exhausted, and even her fancy brain made mistakes when that tired. Maybe she had to use the bathroom and then went to her bed out of habit.

That didn't really explain the hugging his arm part–

That wasn't important right now! He shouldn't get close in this way to Tania, both because of the dangers to both of them, and due to the awkwardness it could add to their currently pleasant relationship.

Even though a part of him wanted to stay where he was, Harry inched himself slowly away from his… whatever they were to each other. Hopefully, he could extricate himself without waking her up. Tania made a sleepy sound of protest as he pulled away, clutching his arm closer to her chest. Fortunately, she didn't actually have a solid grip on him, his limb just held in her arms, so he managed to gradually slide his arm free, trying his best not to think about what it was rubbing against.

As he pulled away, Tania shifted in her sleep, arms reaching out searchingly before wrapping around his abandoned pillow and pulling it to her chest. Oh, maybe Tania was just a huggy sleeper. That was unexpected, and kinda cute. Well, with a twin like Inari, some things probably transferred over.

Harry swallowed dryly as he looked over her gorgeous sleeping form. Tania's face was relaxed, giving her a more peaceful look than he was used to seeing. It looked good on her.

He shook his head, stepping carefully to the bathroom, where he splashed cold water on his face, which helped clear his head a bit. The effects of the dream and Tania's unexpected closeness still lingered though, and he ended up staring into the mirror trying to distract himself.

Huh, now that he thought about it, this was the first time he'd really looked at himself in the mirror for a long time. He made sure there weren't any proper mirrors in his home; too many things that could use them as an entrance.

He was used to it, even if it had made shaving a bit more of an adventure. It was probably a good thing Tania didn't really use make up, or else she would have objected to getting rid of mirrors more. As it was, she has just decided to use Harry as a mirror of sorts, asking him for his opinion on her outfits, particularly if something was off or missing.

Harry yawned. Man, he was still tired. Though he actually looked surprisingly good despite the crapshoot of a day he had. He was still going to have to shave soon, but he didn't look as scruffy as he remembered.

Maybe Tania nagging him about personal grooming was worth something after all. She certainly kept herself looking good. And she was pretty fast at it too.

He shook his head. The lack of sleep must be getting to him. He stumbled back into the room and collapsed onto the couch.

Ow.

Tania wasn't lying about it being too short for him. But he'd been through worse. The couch smelled like Tania's perfume. Ok, maybe not.

Harry closed his eyes and tried to sleep

♤♤♤♤​

Harry dreamed yet again. Dreaming of Susan wasn't that strange, he'd been having those for a long time. They'd been terrible after The Ball, but they had gotten better after he moved. The dream being this connected was a little strange though.

After getting home from their run in that strange floaty way dreams could be, dream Susan took a shower while Harry made some sandwiches. Dream Susan came out wearing a towel, and dream Harry stared like an idiot again, much to Susan's amusement. When was the last time they'd been together like this? They'd never be like this again. Unless Harry could find a cure for the Red Court infection.

He had found no answers there. Everything and everyone said that it couldn't be done. After this long with no luck, he was almost starting to believe that too. Well, if there was some way to delete the Red Court from existence, maybe that would work. But that was a pipe dream.

Dream Susan swatted him to shake him out of his musings, annoyed at the lack of attention he was paying her. Dream Harry smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek, before going to take a shower of his own.

It was quick and in a flash the two of them were seated at the kitchen table, having a drink and some snacks, dream Susan looking gorgeous in the low light. They talked about stuff happening in their lives, joked about silly things, and flirted outrageously. Harry could see where this dream was going.

They embraced and kissed, the bright memories of their time together blending together like a collage of wonderful pictures, and for a second, Harry thought he might be able to fold sunshine into a handkerchief again.

One moment they were in the kitchen, the next in their bedroom, their bodies entwined passionately. Skin pressed against skin, tender and intense in a way Harry had not felt for quite a long time.

Could this ever actually happen again? It felt so real! His other dreams hadn't been this poignant.

He really should just enjoy the dream for what it was, but the practical part of Harry whispered poisonously that this could never happen, that Susan was half-turned, and their last time was a fluke, a true last time.

The dream shifted, tattoos snaking over dream Susan's skin, her face twisting hungrier. She strained against the pale rope suddenly holding her in place, bringing Harry back to their last night together, and not in a good way.

Dream Susan struggled, her tongue running tantalizingly over his neck, her bloodthirsty mouth held just away from his throat.

The taste was too much for her. She lurched forward, snapping the fraying rope and sinking her teeth into Harry's neck with a hungry moan.

Heat and pain bloomed at Harry's jugular and his hand shot out, seizing a fistful of Susan's hair and desperately yanking her head away.

Susan wrapped her limbs around him, almost crushing the wind out of him in an embrace both alluring and terrifying, trailing her long tongue along his tender neck in an electrifying sensation–

Harry jerked awake at a deep-throated sultry moan vibrating through the smooth body wrapped tightly around him in a sensation that felt sinfully good. A panting breath caressed his throat and the smell of flowers, spice and everything nice filled his nose. His fingers felt silky strands of hair clutched between them.

This wasn't a dream.

His eyes snapped open and he tensed. Looking down, he saw Tania draped over him, lithe limbs encircling him and gorgeous, pale flesh pressed against his body, soft and solid in different places, with only thin fabric separating them.

A cool, moist, electrifying contact startled him as Tania's tongue ran gently over the same spot dream Susan had bitten and he flinched, a sensation like lightning shooting down his spine.

His hand, tangled in her noose-like bun, jerked her head away from his neck (like it had been done up just for this purpose) angling her lovely sleeping face towards his, giving him an intimately close look at the soft curve of her throat and her slightly parted crimson lips.

Tania sucked in a breath, body tensing sinuously around him like a vice, flesh molding to him perfectly like a glove. Her neck straightened, pushing her head into the crook of his neck, velvety hair tickling his throat as his slackening hand lost its grip on her silvery locks.

Harry twitched reflexively, sending the two of them rolling off the couch and into the soft carpet with a muffled thud.

He landed on top of her, his greater weight pressing down on her, etching the sensation of their touch into his memory.

Tania stiffened, but somehow didn't wake, her limbs pinning Harry to her in an embrace so tight he could barely breathe.

Stars and Stones! Tania wasn't drunk! Harry was suddenly wide awake, mind shockingly clear. She was Hungry.

He tensed, thrashing in her grip, trying to pull away to no avail as her lips brushed against his throat. A part of him didn't want to.

She couldn't feed on him, his touch burned her–crap!

Harry tried to push himself off the ground, but Tania clung to him like a limpet, dragging them both back to the ground as she let out a pained, keening sound.

Let go, damn it! Or you'll keep getting hurt!

Groping awkwardly, Harry snaked a hand into her bun again and pulled her head away from his neck, wincing at the angry burns on her lips and face.

After a tortuous eternity (that probably only lasted a few seconds), Tania relaxed, panting in pain, her grip slackening and her arms slid down limply to the floor.

Harry jumped off of her, rolling across the floor away from the hug of death. His breath came in ragged gasps and his borrowed clothes were soaked through.

He laid there on the carpet for a minute, catching his breath and trying to collect his Tania-jumbled thoughts. The tingling sensation where she bit him spread. Harry rubbed at the spot, his hand coming back slick with saliva and a few beads of blood.

Huh.

He had thought Tania simply had more control over her Hunger, fitting how she seemed to be always put together. But she had never been that Hungry before, since she refused to use it most of the time, and their regular hunts kept it sated.

Tonight she had drawn on her Hunger more than she ever had before, and then she immediately charged it with a few batteries, like injecting caffeine into its veins. Harry shivered, cooling sweat making the room feel chilly. She wasn't drunk, but it must be similar to the first time someone got intoxicated, just with a soul-sucking parasite instead of booze. This was going to be really awkward to explain in the morning.

A shifting of cloth drew his attention back to the young succubus as she shifted in her sleep. In the dim glow of the nightlight, Harry could see her flushed features, the rapid rising and falling of her chest, and the glimmering sheen of sweat over her form.

Even with Tania in this state, Harry was probably still safer in her room. She couldn't feed on him, and he didn't and couldn't trust any of her sisters (except for Inari, but that would be weird.) Still, if tonight's trend held, he was not going to sleep until the morning. A traitorous part of him pointed out that he really didn't mind this kind of interruption. A warm body next to him as he slept–

No, he wasn't going to risk burning Tania just because he wanted a hug.

Harry pushed himself into a sitting position and grabbed his backpack, before standing up and shuffling over to the table. He slumped into the chair and cracked open one of the water bottles still on the table, downing almost the entire thing in one go.

Despite the fatigue from yesterday and his interrupted sleep, his mind felt remarkably clear, not unlike if he'd had a cup of coffee. That was good, since he needed to focus.

He rummaged in his bag and fetched a box of nails, a dead 9 volt battery and a metal hoop. First, he took out a nail and cleaned it off. Next, he set the battery in the metal circle, dabbing a bit of blood on the hoop and charging it with his will. A magically isolating barrier popped into place over the battery. He placed the nail on top of the battery, resting on both contacts. If the battery hadn't been drained, there would have been a current running through it.

Harry placed a finger on the nail, channeling some of his power into it, whispering "Esuri" under his breath. A spark jolted through it, charging it with properties of the empty battery.

Picking up the nail, he carefully pressed it to the beads of blood at his throat. A wave of fatigue crashed over him as the iron drank life, the edges of his vision darkening. He pulled the nail away, now humming to his senses with stored energy.

His breath came out ragged, and he grabbed the table to brace himself until the feeling passed, still leaving him feeling like he'd just survived an asthma attack.

Now armed with a fresh life energy battery, Harry stumbled back over to Tania, though making sure to stay out of reach. He kneeled down near her head and brought the nail to her mouth. He nearly flinched as she suddenly tilted her head and wrapped her lips around the nail (and his fingers.) A jolt of energy, and Tania's body glowed a soft silver, highlighting her lovely form.

The energy from the nail was drained in short order and Harry pulled it away. Tania's head dropped back to the carpet and she let out a soft sigh, looking content. Her breathing calmed, and her body relaxed.

With that problem solved, Harry stepped back to his pack and wrapped the nail in a rag, sticking it in his disposal box. He was going to feel it in the morning, but it was worth it. Probably. He finished the open bottle of water, wondering just what possessed him to spend the night here.

He glanced back at his landlady sprawled out on the floor like a drunk sorority girl. Ah, right.

Harry stepped back over to Tania, bent down, and gently shifted his arm under her form, being careful to touch bare skin as little as possible. He picked her up slowly, still a bit surprised she stayed asleep through the whole thing. She was usually a pretty light sleeper. Maybe she was just as tired as he was.

Walking slowly, he carefully carried her back to her bed and settled her onto the comfortable mattress. She made a sound of protest as he pulled away, but made no attempt to grab him. Harry shifted a pillow over for her to hug, then gently pulled the covers over her. He was pretty sure White Court vampires didn't get colds, but it would probably be chilly with clothes that thin.

That sorted, he shuffled back to the couch and collapsed back onto it, his legs hanging off the side awkwardly.

As uncomfortable as this was, he was out like a light.

♤♤♤♤​

Harry slept dreamlessly for the rest of the night. But he woke not too long afterwards, a little voice in his head whispering that today was a special day. When he was a kid–those happier times–he remembered feeling this on his birthday or Christmas, but after his dad died, that had stopped. The last time he had felt this way was when Justin adopted him, and when he brought Elaine home. If that was anything to go by, today was going to be a special kind of painful.

His body kind of agreed, the aches and pains not really much less than what he remembered from yesterday. But his mind was still surprisingly clear and he barely felt groggy at all. His legs complained and he shifted to get more comfortable–

Ow. That was the floor.

Yeah, the couch wasn't all that comfortable. Not compared to the bed, or Tania.

Wait.

The events of the previous night flooded back and Harry jerked fully awake. No vampire limpet this time. He shook his head furiously, stretching out his legs as the prickling sensation of a limb waking up stung at them. Maybe there was something there–he and Tania were friends at the very least–but something more? With how out of character her Hunger seemed to push her…

Harry hauled himself up until he was sitting on the couch, exhaling loudly. It had to have been the Hunger. He had never seen Tania act like that before, the closest thing would be the times she was flush with victory after bringing down her prey, turning the tables on a would-be predator of humans.

If it was her, and not her Hunger, why now? She had plenty of opportunity to try something like this, why wait until they were in the family manor? If Harry didn't know better, he would have thought she lured him here for backup in case things went south, but he did. It was clear that Tania was at least as unnerved by her father as Harry had been. More importantly, Michael believed in her.

He rubbed at his face with his hands, a clinking sound bringing his attention to his wrist, where his shield bracelet, watch and a strand of rope sat.

Harry sighed in relief. The rope had been on his right wrist, and he must have forgotten to put them back on after the shower. Someone must have put them back on, and the only real option was Tania. If that wasn't a sign she hadn't planned on trying to eat him, he wasn't sure what was. Plus, Tania was smart enough not to forget he would burn her.

The door to the room opened, and Harry looked up to see the cause of his concern enter the room, two plates of food in her hands.

He gulped, a bolt of raw need shooting through him–she was still wearing the thin nightgown, the gray light of morning giving him a barely obstructed eyeful of beautiful flesh–

The rope stung his wrist.

"Rise and shine," Tania greeted, not meeting his eyes, a red flush spreading across her face and neck. Huh, guess the rope wasn't a failure after all.

"Morning," Harry mumbled back with a yawn, eyeing the food instead of the all too attractive woman (why hadn't she tracked down more clothes yet?)

Tania set the plates down on the table with a shake of her head. "I whipped up some breakfast for you," she muttered, uncharacteristically bashful.

Harry frowned. "You alright? You still seem kind of Hungry" He had hoped it would have been enough, but she still seemed pretty out of it.

Tania sighed, straightening her posture, attempting to compose herself, even if she was clearly uncomfortable. "I apologize. I thought I had more control over her, but I was clearly mistaken."

"It's not your fault," Harry countered, "I should have been more careful. But at least it was me and not someone without protection." He glanced over her, wincing slightly at the angry red marks across parts of her pale flesh. "Sorry about that."

"These are the product of my own lack of self-control," Tania scoffed. "And your remarkable dedication," she added softly.

"Considering last night was kind of like your first time getting drunk," Harry began, rubbing a hand over his face, "I think you handled yourself pretty well." While drained, Tania had acted about the same as Lara when she was topped off.

"It is still not excusable!" Tania hissed, crossing her arms defensively. "If I get a bit banged up I might well be a hazard to my allies."

"Well, then I'll just have to make sure you never get hurt again."

Tania blinked. "That is likely impossible."

Harry waved a hand disarmingly. "Sorry, sorry, not the time for jokes."

"I didn't think you had any time like that." Tania shot back, a slight grin on her face.

"I can be serious when necessary!" Harry objected. She returned a skeptical look.

…When had they gotten so comfortable around each other?

"In all seriousness…" he paused, looking her deliberately in the eye, something he couldn't do with many other people, "What does this make us?"

Tania bit her lip thoughtfully, and an expectant silence stretched between them as they tried to distill their relationship into a few words.

"I…quite like our current cohabitation arrangements," Tania began cautiously. "Are they…not satisfactory for you?"

"No, no, it's great," Harry replied quickly. "I don't think I've been this comfortable since I lived with my dad. Are we good just leaving it at that?"

Tania nodded slowly and swallowed, looking away. "Yes, I believe that would be for the best."

Harry frowned. "If I'm making you uncomfortable–"

Tania shook her head, pale blue eyes snapping back to his. "You are not."

Harry blinked.

"I know what you feel about me," she said, smirking slightly. "My Hunger can sense her favorite emotions, after all."

Uh…gulp. He really didn't know how he had missed that until now. "Sorry."

Tania laughed. "You are hardly the only one who looks at me with hungry eyes." Her lips twisted in a wry grin (still a fetching shade of red.) "And compared to many others, your lust is rather…pure and flattering."

"...Wut?"

Tania frowned, eyes darkening. "There are an unfortunate number of normal humans with dark desires. When you are bombarded with the feelings of those who want you as a trophy, possession, or as something to tarnish in envy…" She smiled, almost shyly. "Pure carnal admiration and slack-jawed staring is refreshing."

Every word Tania said technically made sense, but Harry still felt that she was reading the world like an upside down newspaper. "So wait, you want me to stare at you?"

"Obviously not when we have something important to do," Tania sniffed, tilting her nose up haughtily. "Otherwise, being an object of desire is a goal of many people. Even though I don't care so much about that, it is still quite flattering." She smiled wanly. "And besides, you can at least see me as a person, even if you stare at me like admiring a painting." A painting of her would look really good–

There were times when Harry wondered if Tania was an alien. Wait…

"What about you?" He asked hesitantly. Her hug of death (it was actually very nice) was probably because of her Hunger, but based on what he knew from Thomas, it wouldn't have come from nothing. "Do you…stare at me sometimes?"

Tania stiffened, eyes glancing around furtively. She pursed her lips, then looked down. "My Hunger has the temperment of a hormonal teenager, and you are a handsome man."

Huh. Really? Sure he didn't look as washed up as he did after Susan was turned, but that seemed a little bit of an exaggeration.

Tania snorted at his face of disbelief, before letting out a short laugh. "I am tempted to point out that you are an absurdly tall man with rugged features, an aura of danger, and a protective streak that many women appreciate even if it wounds their pride, but if I couldn't sense others lusting after me, I think I may have been as clueless as you."

"Are you still drunk?" Harry blurted out. Tania self-reflecting was weird.

She shook her head, that damnable amused smirk only getting wider. "If you do not trust my judgment, perhaps it would help if I told you Lara described you as 'tall, dark and handsome.' " What? "It seems she finds you about as appealing as you found her."

He was getting teased by Tania. This day was already weird as hell.

Tania's face became serious. "I apologize. That is likely not a comforting thing to learn."

"Eh, vampires wanting to eat me isn't something that new," Harry joked.

Tania dropped her face into her hands, massaging her temples for several seconds before straightening again. "My sisters seem convinced that we are in a romantic relationship," she blurted out, cheeks flushing a nice, rosy red.

Huh. "You know…" Harry mused. "In hindsight, I can see why they might think that." Charity was going to kill him. Gulp.

"And…if I understand my family's quirks correctly," Tania continued, "They will leave you alone as long as they believe it to be so, like how they do not feed off Justine." Her face twisted in an expression of confused distaste.

Uh…

"Don't think that'll last long, given the, you know, burning sensation." Harry waved his hand awkwardly. "It'd be useful while it lasts though." Wait.

"Is Justine…?" He asked hesitantly.

Tania smiled slightly. "She still lives. Thomas was able to snap out of it soon enough to avoid killing her."

Harry let out a sigh of relief. "I should probably still get out of here."

Tania nodded. "Inari and Charles have already left." She sighed. "I can't say I blame her for getting out as fast as she could."

Oh, right. Good thing he was fine too. Harry felt a little bad for forgetting about him.

"Good, we should get going then." Uh… Harry gestured to her clothes. "Don't you have something other than that somewhere?"

Tania looked down, then froze, her face turning a similar color to her lips. "Ah. It's actually quite comfortable."

Harry gave her a skeptical look, then shrugged. "You can wear what you want, though you probably need to get changed before we leave."

Tania nodded, still furiously blushing, grabbing up a pair of chopsticks and picking up her plate.

Harry's stomach growled, and he grabbed his own plate of breakfast food. Bacon, sausage and some eggs. Real tasty!

The two of them ate in comfortable silence, a familiar activity, if in an unfamiliar place (for Harry.)

"You know," Harry started, chewing on a piece of bacon, "you didn't actually answer my question."

Tania froze, before swallowing a piece of sausage. "I don't really know." She set her plate down, folding her hands in her lap. "With my tagalong, it is hard to determine where its influence ends and my own feelings begin." She licked her lips, glancing to the side before making eye contact again, her face softening into a sad smile. "Not to mention that your loss still pains you so much."

Harry flinched. He had probably spent more actual time around Tania than he had around Susan, even though they had dated for several years. But the emotion vampire was right, he still wasn't really over Susan. Hah! When they were together, he hadn't made her priority, and now it took a sex vampire to consider anything else.

He shook his head. "We don't have to figure it out right now. Just…" He looked Tania in her uncharacteristically vulnerable eyes. "Promise to talk about it if one of us figures something out?"

Tania nodded. "That would be for the best."

They went back to eating as if nothing had happened.

As they were finishing their meal, Thomas stepped into the room's doorway and stopped short. His face slackened in surprise and his jaw dropped wide enough to fly a passenger jet through.

"Ruff!" Mouse barked excitedly at the sight of his friends from where he was held in Thomas' hand. Hayek the hedgehog snuffled sleepily in his other hand.

"Is something the matter, Thomas?" Tania asked, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"Wha?! You?! Him?! How?!" Well, that was another person convinced.

---

 

[Dark as Silver]

Lord Raith is impressed at Tania's apparent adventurism, as well as amused at how openly cutthroat she seems to be

Click to shrink...

I do understand what Mario means, thats not going to stop me mocking him.

 

[WrandmWaffles]

Meeting the Family
​

Tania stood, walking over to her brother and taking her pet hedgehog from him. "Do you happen to know where Lara stored my clothes?"

"Huh?" Thomas grunted gormlessly. "Wait, no! How did this happen?!"

She snorted. "Evidently not." Tania smiled at Harry, looking a bit like a not-so-family-friendly Disney princess cradling her hedgehog friend in her arms.. "I believe the two of you have something important to discuss." She nodded her head to the side. "I put your cleaned clothes by your pack. Take all the time you need, I will be waiting."

Tania strode out of the room, and Harry was relieved that her gait looked more normal (still looked gorgeous).

What exactly did she mean?

"Did you want something, Thomas?" Harry asked cooly, finding Thomas' shocked expression kind of funny.

Thomas worked his jaw for a moment. "I have several questions."

"Ruff!" Mouse barked squeakily, tilting his head curiously.

Harry stood, looming over the shorter vampire. "You want something."

"I just want to talk!" Thomas placated, holding Mouse out towards Harry. "And to return this little guy."

"Given the mess that happened after our last talk," Harry cautioned, "forgive me for being a little skeptical."

"After what I just found out," Thomas shot back, "I suddenly have a lot more questions myself."

Harry took Mouse; the small dog snuggling into him excitedly, looking a bit disappointed at the lack of pockets to burrow into. "Question for question, then."

"Ok," Thomas sighed, plopping himself down in a chair. "What are your intentions with Tania?"

"She's a friend," Harry replied, taking a seat again.

"Friend? Or friend?" Thomas asked seriously. Hey! It wasn't his turn.

"How's Justine?" Harry asked sharply, setting Mouse down on the couch next to him. The puppy sniffed at his new surroundings curiously.

Thomas stiffened, face twisting in guilt. "She's alive, I didn't take too much. But–Tania!" He glared at Harry. "What happened to her?!"

"She got jumped–"

"Fuck!" Thomas cursed, slamming a fist in the table, the clattering sound from the plates startling Mouse, who hid between Harry and the couch.

Harry didn't blame him; he'd probably react the same.

"At least the fucker's dead." Thomas growled.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Michael made sure of it."

"I'm sorry, what?!"

"We're actually not really sure what happened," Harry tried to explain. "Tania doesn't really remember, but Michael found the remains of a Blampire."

Thomas looked physically ill. "What the fuck?"

"I don't think that kind of thing happened," Harry replied. "Given it's Tania, she probably tried to rip its heart out." Come on Tommy, it was his turn to ask questions!

Thomas slumped back against his chair, his face slackening in shock and what Harry hoped was shame. "We really messed up, didn't we? How is she still alive?" Looks like he was too out of it to play the question game.

Harry shrugged. He didn't really know either, and he was pretty sure Tania didn't want to talk about it. "It's Tania, she'll find a way."

Thomas stared at him, gears turning in his head behind his eyes. Something seemed to click and he began to laugh hysterically, throwing his head back and running a hand down his face.

"Empty Night! Never…thought…Tania would be weak to a white knight!" He gasped out between his laughter. That didn't sound like Tania at–

Actually, he might have a point. Not being a "white knight" exactly, but Tania was a bit paranoid about her security.

"Don't think she is," Harry drawled. "She'd say something like 'a knight in shining armor is probably inexperienced and not to be trusted' ."

"Well good thing you aren't very shiny!" Thomas laughed back. Hey!

Harry snorted. "But enough idle talk, you came here for something, and it wasn't this."

Thomas blinked, eyes going wide. What? He shook his head and sighed. "Yeah, but first–"

"I have some things I would like to know first." Harry interrupted him sharply. "Will Justine recover?"

Thomas stared at him for a second, before looking down. "Yeah, I think so–I'll make sure she will. She's asleep right now." He looked up at Harry again, shame and an odd gleam of hope in his eyes. "I never wanted to hurt her, you know that right?"

"That why you brought her to Bianca's?" Harry shot back cruelly.

Thomas flinched. "Harry I said I was sorry–"

"I can't say I don't blame you for what happened, but I understand why you did it." Thomas may have kicked Susan to the mercy of the Red Court, but it wasn't his fault Susan was there. That had been on Harry.

Thomas stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"I'd do a lot for the woman I love," Harry replied. "So I can understand why you would do similarly, even if I hate the result."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Thomas said, the quaver in his voice betraying the lie.

"Have you talked to Justine?"

"No, she's…too drained."

"Do you know what she told me? Before she went to you."

"No…?" Thomas looked at him, confusion and trepidation in his expression.

"She told me she loved you." Harry declared. Thomas froze as if the world was collapsing around his ears, staring off in the distance. Asides from ripping his stomach open like Tania did to bat-fuckers, Harry wasn't sure there was anything that would be as painful for the vampire.

Harry stood. "I better get going. Don't want to wear out your hospitality." It may have been a bit cruel, but it was something Thomas needed to hear.

"Wait!" Thomas called, reaching out a hand to stop him. He took a trembling breath, face turning a color almost as ashen as he was yesterday while bleeding out on the ground. "There's still something I need to talk to you about."

"No, Thomas," Harry said. "Tania and I aren't–" They…did just kind of sleep together. "We aren't dating."

Thomas snorted. "Sure. And Tania just decided to wear lingerie for the first time in her life for no reason?"

"Lara stole her clothes." Harry protested, wondering if he should let Thomas jump to conclusions or try to clear up the situation.

"That…sounds like something she'd do." Thomas admitted. "But that wouldn't stop Tania if she really cared."

He had a point there.

"Just…be careful, alright?" Thomas requested, wincing uncomfortably. "I don't want to see either of you hurt."

It was a lot harder to see Tania's older siblings as monsters when they seemed to really care about each other. Although…

"Why do you care so much?" Harry asked, eyes narrowed. "Tania's your little sister, but you've gone out of your way to help me as well. What's your angle?"

Thomas opened his mouth, then shut it again. "Does the Old Man think you're Tania's thrall?"

What did that have to do with this? Harry shrugged. "How would I know? Though I guess Lara thinks we're together." And wanted to join in. Harry wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Thomas let out a breath. "Good. I think." He glanced over Harry. "You're…not actually her thrall are you?"

"Could you even tell?" Harry asked, feeling morbidly curious. Tania had never fed directly on him, but as recent events had shown, her aura definitely could affect him. Though, it seemed different from Lara's or Thomas's.

"Normally, it's pretty obvious," Thomas mused. "But Tania would hate having a thrall–not productive enough, or something."

"Well, I actually got more productive since I met her," Harry replied, "so clearly I'm not her thrall." As tedious as keeping track of finances more carefully was, it was surprisingly helpful.

"Right. Good." Thomas still looked confused. He shook his head. "Still, I never expected Tania to get with someone this fast, especially not you." Hey! Wait. Was that a good or bad thing?

"Either way," Thomas continued, "If Father thinks Tania's got you wrapped around her finger, he probably won't try to kill you just yet." That was… nice to hear?

"That isn't very encouraging." Harry said flatly.

"No," Thomas agreed. "But it'll keep you safe-ish while you're here."

"I'm still not sticking around." Even if that was true, Harry didn't want to risk it. He had seen the look in Lord Raith's eyes. "Unless you've got more to say."

Thomas stood, walking over to the door. "I can show you the discreet way out, around the guards and monitors."

"You don't seem very convinced your dad doesn't want to kill me." Harry replied drolly, walking over to collect his clothes. "Give me a minute." He went inside the bathroom and changed. Huh, maybe he should get more comfortable clothes. Now that he felt the comparison, it might be worth it.

Feeling a bit more like himself, he walked out of the bathroom, staff over one shoulder. He put on his backpack and scooped Mouse up, slipping the puppy into one of the suit pockets.

Thomas scrutinized him oddly. "What?"

The vampire smirked. "I see it now."

"What are you talking about?" Harry growled.

Thomas laughed, waving at the door. "We can talk as we go."

If all of her family was so cryptic all the time, Harry was starting to appreciate Tania's blunt but confusing way of explaining things.

He shrugged, then followed Thomas out of the room and down the hallway.

"So…" Thomas began, turning to look at him. "Just how much do you know about us? Our nature, I mean."

"Enough." Harry answered curtly. "Though I still don't get why you didn't tell them about it."

"Our father forbids it." Thomas answered quietly. "I didn't know when I was that age either."

"That is stupid and incredibly risky."

Thomas shrugged. "He'd kill us if we disobeyed."

"Yeah," Harry scoffed, "and as a result, two of your siblings almost ended up in a different court."

Thomas winced. "Thanks for making sure that didn't happen."

"I didn't do it for you."

He laughed. "No wonder you have the Bane."

Harry had a suspicion that Thomas wouldn't be laughing about that topic soon. "True Love's protection," he muttered. "If it weren't so real I'd have laughed at it. My life certainly doesn't feel like a Disney movie."

"Hah! I'd have thought you would be more of a romantic." Thomas smirked, stopping by a panel and nudging it with his hip. It slid open, revealing a dim secret hallway. He stepped in and gestured for Harry to follow.

"Love is a powerful thing," Thomas began, looking over his shoulder. "Love is patient. Love is kind. Love always forgives, trusts, supports and endures. Love never fails. When every star in the heavens grows cold, and when silence lies once more on the face of the deep, three things will endure: faith, hope, and love."

"And the greatest of these is love. First Corinthians thirteen." Harry finished. "Tania mentioned her father would read that to them sometimes. I think you tweaked it a bit there."

Thomas blinked. "Yeah, I paraphrased. Father makes us all memorize it. A bit like how parents put vomiting stickers on stuff they don't want their kids getting poisoned by."

Harry snorted. "I think it backfired a bit, given Tania and Inari."

Thomas nodded, then cocked his head curiously. "You're definitely right about Inari, but Tania?!"

Harry's lips quirked up in a wry grin. "She has it on a checklist for an ideal relationship. Probably based on the Carpenters."

Thomas' eyes widened. Ok, what the hell was going on with the older Raiths and giving him weird looks?!

"That's so much like her!" Thomas laughed. "Guess she has objective proof it exists and is possible." His face turned serious. "Maybe not for us though."

You just jinxed it, you fool! But on another note…

"This isn't the exit Thomas, why are we here?"

"Just wait a bit." He assured Harry, before walking further down the hallway, leading them to a lowly lit room which seemed to be a big fancy study, given the numerous books and many expensive and comfortable looking leather chairs. A whiff of pipe smoke permeated the room.

Thomas stepped over to the other side of the room and opened a door. Beyond was a long room. He flicked on the lights, revealing thick gray carpeting, gray walls, and three sets of portraits hung on the other three walls of the rooms.

"I still can't really believe you're here. Never thought you'd be in one of our houses–even this one in Chicago. I need to show you something." Thomas was acting a bit too familiar here…

"A portrait?"

"Yeah," Thomas said. "Father always paints a portrait of the women who bear him children. Take a look."

Harry didn't like where this was going. He started at the left wall. Huh, it seemed that Raith was a pretty good artist. The first one depicted a tall woman, who was probably Mediterranean, dressed in clothes that looked like they were from the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries. A golden plate at the base of the portrait read: EMILIA ALEXANDRIA SALAZAR.

He went around the room. For a sex vampire, Raith apparently hadn't sowed his oats as much Harry had thought. He wasn't a historian, so he couldn't put an exact finger on it, but it looked like none of the portraits were made within a few decades of each other. Going left to right, the clothing got closer to that of the present day.

The second-to-last portrait was one of a woman with dark hair, dark eyes, and sharp features. She wasn't the traditional standard of beauty (was Tania skewing his sense of that?) but her features were definitely striking and intriguing. She sat on a stone bench wearing a long, dark skirt and a deep crimson cotton blouse. Her head was tilted arrogantly, a self-amused smirk on her face, and her arms rested on the back of the bench on both sides of her, casually claiming the entire space as her own.

Harry froze, his heart pounding in his chest. His vision narrowed and unfocused, making it difficult to read the nameplate.

It read, MARGARET GWENDOLYN LEFAY.

Harry knew her. All he had was one picture to remember her by, but he recognized her.

"Mom," he whispered.

Thomas smiled. He pulled a silver chain from under his shirt and passed it to Harry. It was a silver pentacle much like his own.

Exactly like his own. If a lot less beat up.

"No, Harry," Thomas said, quiet and serious.

No way.

"Our mother," he said.

Harry stared blankly, shock robbing him of any expression. "Can you prove it?"

"What do you want me to do, Harry?" Thomas asked. "Didn't you want to know why I've risked myself for you? This is it."

Harry frowned. Thomas did help him out in some bad spots, more so than it made sense sometimes. But the White Court were liars (even Tania, though she lied to herself more than other people).

"You have," Harry acknowledged. "But that usually was also to your benefit. I can trust you to have my back, but this is different."

"If I looked like I was just helping you out of the goodness of my heart, then I'd draw too much attention to you!" Thomas exclaimed. "You know dear old dad is out to get us!"

"That could be your con, befriend the independent wizard, stick your neck out for him at times when your father is looking to kill you anyways, then play this card to convince him to help you topple your father." It seemed a bit out of character for Thomas, but Raiths were good actors.

Thomas snorted. "That sounds more like something Tania would try."

"No," Harry said. "Tania wouldn't think to try the sibling angle. Inari might, if she was less of a good person."

Thomas gave him a strange look. "How would you know that?"

Harry had seen Tania's soul, so he might know her better than even her own siblings.

Wait. A Soulgaze would do it

"Look me in the eye." Harry demanded.

"Uh…I don't think that will help." Thomas stuttered.

"Do you want me to believe you or not?"

"I'm not a good person, Harry. I don't know if it will make a difference."

"All the more reason for this."

Thomas sighed. "Alright. How long will it take?"

"A few moments. Feels longer."

"Ok. Fine. I don't know what you're going to see–"

"I've seen something like it before," Harry waved him off. "Though we probably should sit down. I haven't been pleasant to look at either."

The two of them sat down angled towards each other, cross legged in front of the portrait. Thomas took a steadying breath and raised his eyes.

The saying that eyes were the windows to the soul had a lot of truth to it, even for regular people. Eye contact forced two people to acknowledge each other's existence, even if they tried to pretend it didn't. It was a primordial challenge, an instinct built into them since long ago.

For a wizard, it was a bit more literal. Wizards had the Sight, seeing the world in truth beyond just the physical, and locking eyes with a person did just that with them. It was risky, since in this case they could see into him just as he saw into their being.

Most importantly, there was no chance of deception about who Thomas was. Harry wouldn't be able to see everything about the man, but he would be able to know him at his core. And he would never forget it.

Harry met Thomas' eyes, and the world fell away as they saw into each others' souls.

He found himself standing in a crumbling chamber, a bit like the pictures of ruined Greek and Roman cities. The whole thing was made of cold, elegant marble, with sharp contrasts between the pale and dark stones. The floor was checkered like a chess board. Old, Corinthian columns rose upwards into the dark sky. There was no ceiling or walls. Light shone, as if from the moon, but cold and silver. The air tasted like a storm.

Statues stood around the room, marble facsimiles of human figures, placed seemingly haphazardly like pieces from a halfway discarded game of chess. Most of them were women, and they were all crumbling in one way or another. One was in pieces on the floor, but its head and features remained oddly intact. One stood near the center, looking the least weathered; it resembled Justine a bit.

Near the statue, facing away from her, was a young man. He stood in front of a large mirror big enough to drive a car through, one hand on the glass.

Harry approached the man, steps echoing in the ruin hall despite the lack of walls and ceiling to bounce back the sound. As he got closer, he could see the man more clearly. It was Thomas. Not the Thomas he knew, but quite clearly the same man. Here, he wasn't as lethally airbrushed and was blessed with a more mundane physique. His face was twisted in pained exertion, the muscles in his shoulders and back straining with effort.

Harry looked past him into the mirror, and saw something both vaguely familiar and quite foreign.

In the reflection, the room was laid out much the same, but instead of black and white marble, the room was made from thick, drying arterial blood and sun-bleached bone. The statues were misshapen constructions of flesh that vaguely resembled people, contorted into tortured looking poses. A creature stood in the mirror, right in front of Thomas. It was mostly humanoid, matching Thomas' size, and its skin shone with that familiar silver glow. It was crouched, hunched and grotesque, yet still with a symmetry that could be eerily beautiful. Its glowing white eyes burned with literal flames, fixed eagerly on Thomas, brimming with unsatiated desire.

The thing also had a hand against the glass–no, through the glass. Harry shivered at the realization, seeing the creature reaching through the mirror, clawed hands clamped cruelly into Thomas' forearm, drawing dark rivulets of blood. Thomas' hand was also inside the mirror, clenched tightly around the thing's arm in turn. The two were locked in a furious tug-of-war. Thomas was trying to free himself. It wanted to drag him through, among the blood, flesh and bones.

"He's tired," sighed a woman's voice.

Harry froze as his mother appeared in the mirror, wearing a flowing dress of rich, royal blue. She watched the furious struggle as she drew closer. The portrait had failed to depict everything. She had a vitality impossible to capture, much more beautiful in motion than in a still image. She was also tall, not that much shorter than Tania even just in flat sandals.

Harry suddenly found it hard to breathe, eyes watering with tears. "Are you real?" He choked out.

She smirked. "And why would I not be?"

"You could be, I dunno, Thomas' memory of you?" Harry blurted out.

Her smirk turned into a gentle smile. "No, child, it really is me. Or at least, a part of me. I suspected this day would come, and I prepared a part of me in each of you so you would know the truth. I wanted you to know each other."

"He's really your son?" Harry asked, voice choked with emotion.

His mother smirked again, dark eyes bright with amusement. "You have a perfectly functional intuition. What does it tell you?"

Harry's eyes brimmed with tears. "That he is."

She nodded. "You must listen to me. I cannot be there to protect you. You and Thomas must watch out for each other. Your brother will need your help, as you will need his."

"I get this mirror thing–I've seen something like it before–but what do you mean he's tired?" It was different than what he saw in Tania, but in principle the same.

His mother sighed, nodding at Thomas. "The girl he loves, he hurt her. More than once now, and it eats at him. He drew strength from her, but now he fears doing so. It knows this."

"Just how smart are their Hungers?" Harry asked.

His mother eyed him curiously. "You have shared a Soulgaze with another of White Court." She stated more than asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, with Tania."

His mother arched an eyebrow.

Oh right. "Thomas's younger sister." Wait.

"Hmm…" his mother hummed. "She was not mine. Must be after my time. Curious."

"What do you mean?" So Thomas was his half-brother and Tania was his…not anything actually. Huh.

"To answer your question," his mother started. "The Hunger is cunning. Perhaps it could even be wise, but it feeds off excess, and is slavishly driven to it."

Tania's had looked different, but there was the same principle; she had just been in a war over her headspace instead of being pulled into a different one like Thomas.

The image-man in question snarled at his Hunger, which answered back in a slow, sibilant tongue Harry didn't recognize.

"Can you do anything for him? Like this?" As wonderful as it was, it couldn't be much more than a message.

"I have done what I could." She replied, a gleam of dark, seething hatred in her eyes. "His father will suffer a fitting punishment for what he's done to us."

"He's not." Harry's mother blinked at his interruption. "He may have sired them, but he's not their father."

His mother smiled. "No, he is not. And now he is weakened. Perhaps you two might have a chance against him."

Thomas's demon hissed again, redoubling its efforts. "What is it saying?" Harry asked.

"That it is futile. To give in. That he's too weak to resist on his own. That he's pathetic."

"It isn't."

"Oh?" His mother asked archly.

"Futile. There's ways around it."

"Then his long, vain struggle may not be so vain in the end." Mother smiled, proud and a bit sad. "You are both my blood; we do not give in so easily." She met Harry's eyes and moved closer to the mirror, reaching out. Her hand passed through the mirror as if through water.

Harry stepped closer to the mirror, reaching out his own hand tentatively. Her fingers were soft and warm, and she squeezed his hand gently, before raising it to his cheek. "You are so tall," she whispered, "like your father. And it seems you have his heart too."

A strangled sob forced its way out of Harry, and he just cried.

"I have something for you," she said. "If you are willing."

Harry blinked open tearful eyes, and saw his mother standing in front of him. She held what looked to be a glowing gem in her fingers.

"What is it?" He asked curiously.

"Insight," she answered.

"Knowledge?"

"And the power that goes along with it," she answered, lips quirked up in a half smile, touched with irony. It looked familiar. "Think of it as a mother's advice. It cannot make up for my absence, but it is all I have to give."

"I accept." Harry answered. What else could he say?

His mother handed him the gem. It disappeared in a flash and Harry felt a spike of pain in his head, before it faded into a dull ache. Knowledge took effort to learn, and sometimes pain was the best teacher.

She touched his face again, a sad but loving smile on her face. "I was so arrogant. I left too great a burden on you to bear alone. Perhaps one day you will find it in yourself to forgive my mistake. But just know that I am proud of what you have become. I love you."

"I love you too," Harry croaked back. There was so much more he wanted to say…but he couldn't find the words.

"Give my love to Thomas," she said. She ran her hand down Harry's face, her smile loving and sad, tears sliding down her face as well."Be well my son."

Her face became serious, but her eyes sparkled teasingly. "One more thing: do not make the same mistake I did, child. No matter how tempting it may be." She smirked, shrugging her shoulders in a devil-may-care gesture. "But who knows? Perhaps you are a better judge than I was."

Huh? Was his mom teasing him about Tania?!

She drew back her hand into the mirror, and Harry came back to himself. He was on the floor across from Thomas, who has tears in his eyes. The two of them looked at each other, then up at the portrait.

After a long moment, comparing the woefully lifeless painting to the living woman in his vision (did she really have to throw that last bit out there?), Harry handed Thomas back his pentacle. He put it on.

"Did…you see her?" Thomas asked shakily.

Harry nodded. "Yeah." He was familiar with longing–last night's dream for one–but this…this was an even older, lonelier hurt. Despite that, he couldn't help but chuckle, before breaking out into full blown laughter. He had seen his mother, alive in a way, with his Sight, the wizard's gift, etching the vision forever in his memory. It could not make up for a lifetime of loneliness and solitary grief, but it was more than he had dreamed he could have, and it was something no one could take away from him. So forgive him for laughing maniacally (Tania was rubbing off on him.)

Thomas met his eyes, looking a bit bemused, before he started laughing as well. Mouse yipped excitedly, scrambling out of Harry's suit pocket and bounding around the two of them in contagious joy. The little rascal probably didn't know what they were so happy about, but he knew enough. Which…might actually be a lot, given the impressive track record he'd managed with his tiny feet so far.

Harry watched the fuzzy menace let out some of his energy for a few seconds, before scooping up the wriggling puppy and standing up himself. "I've never heard her voice," he whispered, "or really seen her face."

"Maybe she realized you wouldn't have," Thomas theorized. "Maybe this was so you could." Perhaps Mother was quick enough, but given she died in childbirth, it would have had to have been really fast.

"She told me to tell you she loved you."

He smiled, a sad and bitter expression. "She told me the same thing." She left them both.

But regardless… "This changes things." Harry declared.

"It does?" Thomas asked hesitantly.

Harry nodded. "I don't think we can pretend to start from a clean slate. But yeah, things are different now."

"Not all that much for me," Thomas replied, grimacing. "I…already knew this. It's why I've tried to help you when I could."

"I get it," Harry started speculatively, "and you had to coach it in terms of self benefit to avoid looking out of character." He nodded. "Thank you for that."

Thomas blinked. "Yeah, that." He gave Harry a curious look.

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, what do you plan to do about Arturo?" he asked instead of saying what he actually meant. Seriously?! Harry believed the Raiths to be liars, but now it seemed like they were just bad at communicating and too prone to jumping to conclusions, particularly in the direction of sex.

"I'm going to keep playing security, in multiple senses." Harry answered. "How much do you know about him breaking away from your family influence?"

Thomas shrugged. "I think you may know more than me. I just thought he was a friend of Lara from her time in the industry."

"He used to work for your family-backed company, and he's trying to strike out on his own." Harry explained, slightly confused on how he knew more about this than Thomas. "How come you didn't know that?"

"Dad doesn't exactly advertise what he does, and I've barely said a word to him in years," Thomas replied.

"Huh," Harry mused, "Tania managed to figure it out in a night. Said something about needing a change in management and that you should have just given him a subsidiary or something."

Thomas stared at him, bug-eyed. "Wait, wait, wait! I know Tania helps Lara with the family finances, but she really said that?!"

Stars and stones! Harry sighed. "Why does your entire fucking family read so much into what I say?!"

"Uh…?" Thomas asked intelligently.

"Sorry, sorry," Harry scoffed. "It's just that every one of you I've talked to seemed to think I said something profound or dangerous when I said normal things."

Thomas winced. "Paranoia is pretty common for us, being a family of liars, and that includes reading between the lines."

"And seeing things when they aren't there…" What else had Harry accidentally convinced the Raiths of?

"Yeah," Thomas sighed. "There's a reason we tend to look for company outside our kind–even outside our family." That…seemed to track with all the Raiths Harry had met, even Tania and Inari. That was…kind of sad.

"Anyways," Harry redirected. "I still need to stop the entropy curse. How good's Papa Raith at rituals?"

Thomas shrugged. "I can't say for sure. I've heard of stuff he's done in the past, some of it is probably true, but he's not done much of that where I could see. He's got a big library he keeps locked up too, so he could have some ancient lore. Even without magic, he can just rip out the life of anyone who pisses him off."

"Oh?" Was that not a normal Whampire thing?

"It's like when we feed. Normally it's slow, more gradual. But he doesn't need that kind of time or even intimacy. Just a touch, a kiss, and then bam! You're dead. He's where the kiss-of-death in The Godfather came from."

…Apparently not. "I see…" That sounded a little like what Tania did to the bat-fuckers. "Just a touch? No blood or anything?"

"I've never seen it myself," Thomas explained, "but Lara has–all the older ones have. Madeline once told me at some point he liked to start conversations that way, since that way he had the complete attention of everyone still breathing."

"Huh." A fitting punishment, eh? "That's a lot of hearsay."

"Yeah. Sorry." Thomas apologized. "My head's not really in the best place for that kind of thing right now."

Harry shrugged. "I know the feeling."

"Just what do we do?" Thomas asked. "I'm kind of short on options right now."

"I may have an idea." Harry replied.

Thomas narrowed his eyes at him. "Your idea? Or Tania's?"

Oh, come one! "I can think for myself." Tania may be brainier than him, but he wasn't outsourcing his thinking! Mostly.

"Better than nothing." Thomas shrugged.

Harry snorted, offering his hand instead of answering.

Thomas took it, and Harry pulled his brother to his feet.

---

 

[WrandmWaffles]

International House of Pain
​

"Should I say 'Welcome to the family?' Or is that too much?"

Harry and Thomas started, whipping around to see Tania leaning against the doorframe of the gallery, a soft smile on her face and a teasing gleam in her eyes. She was finally back in her normal clothes (and damn if she didn't look good anyways).

"Christ!" Thomas yelled. "Don't do that!"

She shrugged. "You seemed to be having an intimate conversation, it would have been rude to interrupt."

"Did you know about this?" Harry asked sharply, surely she would have told him, right?

Tania shook her head, "I only learned about this last night." She frowned. "My sire had some…uncomfortable things to say about your mother."

"Bastard!" Harry spat. His reasons to try punting Raith off a cliff kept increasing.

"Quite possibly," Tania mused. "Technically speaking, we all are." Yes, Tania, that was totally what he was talking about!

"Huh," Thomas grunted. "Never thought of that." He shook his head as if to throw off distraction. "Wait, what the heck are you doing here, Tania?! How did you even know about this place?!"

She sighed, "Inari was quite distraught when our sire moved mother's portrait. She found this eventually." Pushing off the doorframe, she stepped over to the two brothers and glanced up at the portrait of their mother.

Oh… "Guess we've got this bit of pain in common," Harry muttered, looking over at the last portrait in the gallery.

The woman there looked strikingly like Tania, in part due to some similar features (even if Tania looked more like her father), but mostly in how they held themselves. Tania definitely made that 'why are you bothering me I have important beans to count' kind of face a lot. Wait…

"How the hell are you blonde?!" Lord Raith had dark hair, her mother–IKEDA REIKO, based on the nameplate–also had dark hair. Did he really get…

"Wait, does this mean my dad cuckolded the White King?"

Tania and Thomas stared at him wide-eyed, before sharing an awed glance.

"Holy shit," breathed Thomas, "that's nuts! Wish I could shake his hand for that."

"I had not thought of that," Tania agreed lightly. "Your father must have been an impressive man."

"Yeah…" Harry sighed. "He was a good dad." But gone too soon, like too many good things in Harry's life.

The three of them stood there for a while in comfortable silence. Well, comfortable for Harry and Tania, Thomas shifted awkwardly, glancing between his two half siblings.

"I wish I could have known my mother," Tania whispered. "I am told constantly how similar we are, but that means little to us."

Harry squeezed her shoulder reassuringly (no longer dangerous since she was actually wearing clothes.) "I'm sure she'd be proud of you."

He knew what that feeling was like. And he just got to talk to his mother once. Tania didn't even have that. She probably never would.

"Yeah," Thomas agreed. "Reiko would be really proud of your business success."

"And Inari?" Tania inquired softly, staring at her mother's portrait.

"I think she'd be proud of her too," Thomas assured.

That didn't sound as confident as before. A bit unfair, really. Inari was a pretty normal girl who was an absolute sweetheart, despite her family. She was also very smart and capable– something Harry had really underestimated until recently–just often overshadowed by Tania's fanatical focus.

"I think any parent who's disappointed in the two of you has crazy standards." He squeezed her shoulder again. "Or is just an idiot."

Thomas faux gagged next to them. "Damn, Harry! You learn I'm your brother and the first thing you do is flirt with my sister? You fit in a little too well!"

Hey! He was nothing like them!

"We are not related," Tania scoffed. "And this is hardly flirting."

Thomas snickered. "What is this? A sitcom?" It isn't that funny!

Tania frowned. "I don't think our circumstances are a cause for laughter." Yeah, you tell him Tania!

Thomas's face became serious. "Yeah, you're right. We're all in a bit of a bind right now."

"Father aims to kill you?" Tania asked carefully. Wait what?

"Been trying for a while," Thomas replied, "but not that hard until now." Right. The Ball, and the duel. That…seemed a little…impotent for the White King…

"I don't understand," Tania said. "You have never opposed him in any meaningful way."

"Don't have to," Thomas spat, glaring to the side.

"Think it's best if we got going," Harry interjected. "I think you should probably go somewhere else too, Thomas. Maybe help keep an eye on Arturo and Inari?"

Thomas nodded. "Is that your plan? I'm not sure it'd be smart for me to be there, but I'll figure something out."

"It's part of my idea." Harry gave him a look. "Just don't try to sneak in. You know Arturo, just say you're worried about your sisters or something."

"Based on his track record, that should be sufficiently convincing," Tania judged. Yeah, Arturo would probably eat that up.

Harry glanced back at Tania and saw her staring at her mother's portrait longingly. "You have everything you need, Tania?" he asked softly.

She nodded, giving Thomas a worried look, before locking eyes with Harry. "Take me home."

"Alright," Harry moved to leave the gallery, giving his mother's painting one last look on the way out.

Thomas stared at their backs as they left, before muttering under his breath. "If they're really pulling a con, I can't tell which one it is."

♤♤♤♤
​

The two of them (well, three with Mouse) left Casa Raith in the gray early morning. It was a harbinger of a dismal, drizzling kind of day, but Tania just stuck a helmet on and drove another motorcycle anyways. Harry and Mouse followed her in the Blue Beetle, which was surprisingly cooperative for once.

Man, Tania really could give off some very divergent impressions. Biker Chick, Office Lady, Eager Student, Dutiful Housewife Roommate, and especially Sexy Femme Fatale. It didn't feel like she was really trying to do that though. Guess she was just too independent to be easily put in a box. Good for her!

Mouse observed the weather excitedly as they drove, tongue lolling happily as he rode in Harry's suit pocket. He probably had seen rain before, but not in Chicago. Harry was sure he'd get bored of it in no time.

They pulled up in front of their townhouses together. Tania must have driven slower to let him keep up with his puttering old car. She parked her motorcycle and dismounted in her usual mesmerizing way, before kneeling to inspect something on the ground.

Harry parked the Blue Beetle and clambered out, walking over to see what she had noticed. Burn marks. In a pattern too.

"Something made an attempt at the wards," Tania observed. They hadn't gotten through, but it was still a bit concerning.

Harry nodded. "Probably our corpsey friends. With any luck, they won't be a problem for long."

Tania turned her helmet towards him (she looked good in that too.) "Our day will be quite busy, then."

"Yup." Harry replied, keying through his wards and then his front door. Tania did the same for hers.

Mister the cat threw himself at his legs, as was tradition, glaring up at Harry in annoyance. Harry set Mouse on the floor and went and got some food for the two of them. Oh, hey, Tania must have gotten dog food.

Mouse greeted Mister happily, but the cat wasn't having any of it. It didn't seem to deter the small dog too much though.

That sorted, Harry clambered down into their sub-basement. "C'mon, please?!"

Tania was already there, and thus Bob was awake. "I just want a quick look!" Dammit Bob!

The young succubus scoffed at the skull. "No. Not for you."

…Harry was going to try ignoring that. "Boss! Please, you got to help me!"

"Bob," he growled.

Apparently undeterred, the spirit of knowledge went on. "I saw a bunch of strippers and hookers last night and none of them could compare to Candy here—"

"I told you to look for Mavra!" Harry snarled, picking up his claw hammer.

"I was! I was!" Bob shrieked placatingly. "I was listening in on if they'd heard about any of them going missing, since Black Court do grab ladies of the night pretty often, can't have competition, you see."

"More likely targets of opportunity," Tania commented. "They are not exactly appealing to the same markets."

"Yeah! That!" Bob agreed. "See! She gets me."

Harry sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Just get to the point, Bob."

"I'm pretty sure I found them. Some of the ladies I checked up on did mention a spot to avoid around Cabrini Green. I checked it out and it looks like the old hag is holed up in a homeless shelter."

"A homeless shelter?" Harry asked sharply.

"Low chance of retaliation," Tania muttered. "Is it possible the Chicago government willingly turns a blind eye to these disappearances?" That wasn't a pleasant thought.

"They've also probably turned the people who worked there into their minions," Bob continued.

"Damn! Renfields?" Harry asked. Like the one in Dracula a la Bram Stoker, Renfields were dangerously violent thralls the Black Court made out of living people by destroying their minds. It was some dark stuff; real nasty magic.

"Probably a few," Bob agreed. "Most of them probably aren't though, they need some deniability."

"It is remarkable how similar dealing with supernatural creatures resembles counter terrorism," Tania observed.

"Yeah, that's going to be a bit of a problem for me." Killing people with magic was a big no no. "Is it reversible?"

"Not really," Bob replied. "Black Court aren't really subtle, since they don't care very much about keeping their food alive like Reds or you guys."

"Damn."

"Hmm, we will have to consider a few things. Thank you for your information, Bob," Tania said.

"See! She appreciates me, boss!" Bob crowed. "Why can't you be my boss, Candy?"

Tania smirked, "Ah, but if I understand correctly, that would alter your persona, and your current taste for salacious material is far too convenient."

"Nooo!" Bob whined, hoisted by his own petard.

Ignoring him, Tania stepped over to their box of life batteries. "We will need to stock up soon."

"No real time right now," Harry observed. "I've got to talk to Murphy and Kincaid about this, then head to the set." This was going to come back to bite them later, wasn't it?

Tania nodded. "I need to…speak with my twin." She sighed dejectedly, hanging her head sadly.

Harry patted her on the head and ran his fingers through her soft hair. "Hey, chin up! Inari loves you, she's just got a lot to process right now."

A shiver ran through Tania and she sighed again. "You're probably right, but my fear is uncomfortably irrational." She leaned in to his touch.

"C'mon, Inari isn't scary!" She apparently could be though, given what she did to those Blamps.

Tania tilted her face up at him with a flat look. "Did I not just say it was irrational?"

"Just agreeing with you there," Harry replied, running his hand over her scalp, trying his best to resist the temptation to hook his fingers in her bun again.

"Are you calling me irrational?" Tania accused, though with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Hey! You said it, not me!" Harry lost the fight and hooked his fingers into her hair, twirling it between his fingers.

Tania sucked in a breath and pouted at him, eyes fluttering a bit before breaking into a yawn. "I suppose we have other concerns at the moment."

Harry shook his head. "Nah, you should go talk to Inari." He rubbed a strand of her hair between his fingers. "I think you'll make Kincaid nervous."

Tania arched an eyebrow at him, but smiled. "Thank you."

"Hey, what am I here for?" Harry grinned.

Looking a bit cheered up, Tania flowed up the step ladder to her side. Harry definitely did not stare–

"By the way…" Harry looked up, meeting Tania's eyes as she paused to look down at him with a smirk (oops, busted). "My hair is naturally this color," she said, before springing up the rest of the ladder. That didn't answer his question!

"Boss?!" Bob gasped when she was out of earshot. "Did you? No way! What was it like?!"

Harry scowled, before checking himself and grinning. "Even if we did, I'm not telling you about it."

He clambered up his own stepladder.

"Boss, wait! You can't just leave me hanging! Boss!"

♤♤♤♤
​

The two of them each made a few calls with the house phone. Tania called Charles to confirm where Inari was, and Harry called Murphy and Kincaid to tell them he had information and to meet him at an IHOP. Tania pulled out two new Nokias from their "Nokia" box, tossing Harry's bricked phone and her vampire mashed one into the box labeled "ハリーはここにいた." He didn't know what that meant, or why she labeled this one in what was probably Japanese. Apparently the word for trash in Japanese was quite long, or something.

Tania did something to move their contacts over to their new phones that Harry did not really follow, but hey, whatever works. He was still a bit surprised that the phones worked at all for him, even with their sturdy reputation (which Harry had tested). "I would say try not to break this one," Tania drolly said as she handed Harry the new phone, "but we both know that would be pointless."

Harry glowered at her jokingly, "Not my fault technology goes kablooey around me!"

"In a way, it is indeed," Tania countered with a small grin. "Which has its uses."

It did, as it was how he had saved Jake and Giselle, but it still made living life in a modern society rather hard.

"I still don't get why you are willing to risk me busting up so much fancy tech."

Tania shrugged. "Some things are worth the cost. An older style of living and a few extra expenses are a fair price to pay for esoteric protections, don't you think?"

"I kinda have to," Harry pointed out. "It's not like I really have much choice in that matter."

Tania frowned. "There may be ways around it." She smirked. "For now, brute force will suffice."

"Throwing money at the problem?"

"A traditional American solution."

Harry frowned. "You know, you don't have to go out of your way to help me with this."

"Nonsense!" Tania scoffed. "I am hardly going out of my way. Being able to communicate with you serves my own interests." Pretty sure she didn't need to give him a phone that he could use to call other people for that. "Besides," she gave him a serious look. "I do have to properly thank you for saving my sisters."

Honestly, they did pretty well for themselves, but still. "I was already getting paid by Arturo for that, you don't have to–"

Tania pressed her index finger to his lips, shutting him up, ignoring the slight burn. "I will not hear more of your self-inflicted suffering. This is not charity, merely an incentive for you to keep doing what you do."

"Haven't you spent enough money on me?" Harry wasn't opposed to it, exactly. It's just, it felt kind of wrong for Tania to insist on paying him like it was a job and not a favor for a friend.

"What would you prefer instead?" Tania asked him curiously, as if perplexed he would want anything else.

"I dunno, a hug?" Wait no! Did he really just say that?

"A hug?" Tania parroted, a knowing look in her eye. "Very well then. Though we do have things to do at the moment, don't we?"

He was so lame! But Harry nodded, they did have a lot of stuff to do, and he needed to get out of this conversation before he lost any more of his masculine dignity.

"I'll hash a plan out with Murphy and Kincaid, then go to check in on Arturo." Harry paused. "Will Inari be there?"

Tania frowned. "I will inform you once I speak with her."

"Ok," Harry continued, "Then we'll fire off the vampire hunt around midday."

"That seems quite ambitious," Tania mused, cocking her head to the side cutely. "I will endeavor to meet the schedule. It is possible I may be able to find additional assistance."

Harry shrugged. "I've called in my favors, and more help is probably a good idea."

"Just call me when you are ready." Tania said. "I will call you if I finish first."

The two of them went on their way, Tania to try to clear up things with Inari and Harry to round up the day's vampire hunters. Of course, Harry brought Mouse. The puppy was a good vampire detector.

Lucky for him, it was early enough that traffic wasn't terrible, even for a Saturday(still bad), so he got to the IHOP without too much trouble.

Karrin was already there, leaning against a Harley motorcycle, dressed in a dark leather jacket and wearing heavy boots. Her blonde hair was a bit mussed up by the ride and her helmet, which made it look good, as usual.

"Good morning, Harry," Murphy greeted as Harry got out of the car.

Mouse perked up at the sound of her voice, scrabbling about until he could poke his fuzzy head out of Harry's pocket. "Yip!" He greeted Murphy with a cheer only a puppy could manage. "Morning, Murph," Harry gave a greeting of his own. "You seem pretty chipper today, what's up?"

"Nothing much," Murphy replied, giving Mouse a scratch on the head, causing his tail to thump wildly in Harry's pocket. "Just remembered how much I like riding my bike."

"You know," Harry mused, "A lot of the women I know like riding motorcycles." Murphy, Tania, Inari, Georgia, even Charity. "Wonder if there's something to it."

Murphy rolled her baby blue eyes. "That probably says more about the type of women you know than anything about women as a whole demographic."

"Women that like a vibrating ground rocket?" He might have taken that seriously if Charity and Inari weren't on the list… although Charity had seven kids…

Karrin scrunched her face up in an attempt to look angry, but she couldn't stop from laughing. "You're such a pig, Dresden." Her face grew serious. "But really, you look beat. What's wrong?"

"Exactly that," Harry answered. "I got a bit beat up last night. I've had worse, though."

"Really?" Murphy raised an eyebrow. "I've seen you put through the wringer before, but you look more exhausted than beat up."

Harry shrugged. "I got off lucky. Had an early run in with the vampires we're going to hunt."

Her eyes widened in concern, gaze darting to his neck. "Do I have to worry about you growing fangs and thirsting for my blood anytime soon?"

"Not that kind of vampire, why?" Harry looked at her in confusion.

She shook her head. "Never mind, it's nothing." It kind of sounded like something…

"How much time do you have before the family hoo-hah?" He asked. That might be what she was feeling weird about.

"A bit. Enough time to go over what you found."

"We're going to meet one of the other troubleshooters too, he's probably inside." Harry nodded at the IHOP, which had surprisingly few cars parked in its lot for a Saturday morning.

Murphy tilted her head questioningly. "Just one? I thought you said you had at least one other person planning to help."

"Yeah, the other one's got some personal stuff to take care of. She's also apparently just heard back from someone else about more help so she's working on that."

"She?" Murphy asked. "One of your college friends?"

Harry shook his head, then nodded. "Actually, yeah."

She sighed, giving him a hard look. "You shouldn't get kids involved in this, Harry."

He winced. "She's already had a run in with these guys, so she's got a bit of a score to settle. She's also not entirely human."

Murphys gave a disapproving shake of her head. "And that's enough justification for you to let her join instead of one of my men?"

Harry sighed. "I know SI has dealt with vampires before, but my friend has handled vampires better in the past. No offense." Based on Murphy's look, she had taken some offense. "This is also a bit of a different threat. I'll explain more inside."

She didn't look entirely convinced, but eventually nodded. "My hips still hate you for this," she groused at the restaurant.

"Hey! At least it isn't a donut place."

"Real funny, gumshoe," Murphy growled.

IHOP was a lot less packed than he expected for a Saturday morning. There was actually an entire corner sectioned off as reserved seating, but even then the rest wasn't full. The radio wasn't on, and the people eating were doing so in silence. Weird.

The two shared a glance, noting the odd atmosphere. Murphy folded her arms across her stomach, keeping her hand near her gun. "What's happened here?"

Something moved in the reserved area, and they looked to see Kincaid waving them over. The lean soldier of fortune was dressed in grays and dull blues, very nondescript. His hair was pulled in a ponytail under a black baseball cap. That kind of looked really suspicious.

Harry and Murphy walked over to him into the screened-off area. "Morning," Harry greeted. "You know this isn't a great way not to be overheard?"

"Dresden," Kincaid grunted, eyeing Murphy skeptically. "Are you really going to complain about a quiet section to sit in?"

Harry shrugged. "No, just saying, dressing like that in a reserved section kinda makes you more memorable than not."

The mercenary narrowed his eyes at him. "I just prefer not to have too much noise around when I eat."

"Whatever floats your boat," Harry conceded, waving at Murphy. "This is Murphy, she'll be coming along."

Kincaid closed the accordion curtains. "Seriously?" He looked at Harry questioningly. "I always heard you liked making jokes, but this one isn't that funny."

Murphy glared at him. "I don't think I like your attitude."

"Your pet succubus is one thing," Kincaid went on, ignoring her. "But I don't have time to babysit Shirley Temple here when we're fighting Black Court."

Harry started to speak, thinking about how Murphy had taken on the loup garou, but stopped short. Murphy would be incandescent if he tried to cover for her, and Kincaid probably wasn't interested in hearsay.

"Now I know. I don't like your attitude." Murphy glared challengingly at Kincaid.

Kincaid pulled back his lips from his teeth and shifted his jacket, highlighting the gun rig under his jacket. "I'd love to chit chat with you over breakfast, cupcake. Why don't you go grab a kid's seat so we can make it work?"

Murphy didn't blink. She looked deliberately at Kincaid's gun and then stared him in the eye. "We can sit down. This doesn't have to get ugly."

Kincaid grinned wider, his own challenge. He put a hand on Murphy's shoulder. "This is a big boy thing, dollface. Why don't you go back and watch your Ripley tapes or something."

Murphy eyed Kincaid's intruding hand. Her voice softened dangerously. "I'll tell you this once. Don't touch me."

Kincaid's face twisted in a snarl and he shoved her. "Get out of here, whore."

Murphy's hand snapped out, catching Kincaid's wrist and she twisted, unbalancing him and sending him falling to the side. Kincaid bounced off a table and hit the wall, but recovered almost instantly, hand going for his gun.

Murphy trapped his gun arm with her arm and body as he tried to draw, produced her own weapon at near Tania-speed and pressed it against his chin. "I dare you to call me that again," she whispered dangerously.

Kincaid's anger faded so quickly it had to have been a mask. Instead, a faint grin crept over his face, spreading surprisingly wide. "Oh, I like her," he said. "I've heard about her, but wanted to see for myself. This one's fun, Dresden."

Did he have a thing for being beat up by a woman? "You know she's right there and has a gun to your chin. Might want to talk to her."

"You have a point," he conceded. He looked at Murphy, lifting his empty hand, posture relaxing. She let him go, stepping back and lowering her gun, still fuming. Kincaid set his gun down and took a seat at the table, palms flat against the table in front of him.

He gave Murphy an acknowledging look. "Seems like the rumors are true enough." He grinned. "But I had to make sure, can't be too careful in this line of work. Is that a Beretta?"

"SIG," Murphy replied. "Do you have a license and permit for your weapon?"

"Of course," Kincaid smiled.

Murphy scoffed. "Sure you do." She eyed Kincaid carefully for a moment. "Let me get this straight from the get go. I'm still a cop. That means something to me."

"Looks like that's true as well," Kincaid observed.

"Murph," Harry interjected, taking his own seat at the table. "He's a merc, and I'm the one hiring him at the moment."

She looked at him nonplussed. "Can you make sure his actions all stay within the realm of legality?"

"Kincaid," Harry said. "Ask me before planning any felonies, okay?"

"Yassuh," Kincaid replied.

"See? He agreed." Harry shrugged at Karrin.

She looked at Kincaid without much approval, but nodded and pulled out a chair. Kincaid started to stand as she moved to sit down. Karrin glared at him. He sat down again. She made to sit down and Harry stood up. She put one hand on her hip and glared at him. "It's not chivalry if you're only doing it to be a wiseass."

"But I'm respecting the honor of a woman!" Harry protested with a grin. Karrin glared harder.

Kincaid snorted. "Go ahead, Lieutenant. I think we're past the niceties."

Murphy growled and sat down. "All right, what do we know?"

"You two want breakfast first?" Harry asked. "I already ate."

"Did you cook?" Murphy asked, surprised.

Harry shrugged. "Kinda, not really."

She frowned, then shrugged. They opened the screen and waved over a waitress and ordered some food. Harry just got a coffee, even if he didn't need the muddy beverage so much nowadays. Once their food arrived, they closed the screen again.

"All right," Harry began. "I think I gave you guys the basic rundown already, right?"

"Find them," said Murphy.

"Kill them," said Kincaid.

"On the first thing," Harry continued. "Looks like they're holed up in a homeless shelter near Cabrini Green."

Murphy frowned. "Bastards."

"Heh," Kincaid scoffed. "That's like a drive-thru for them."

She glared at him.

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "Plenty of people with no one to come looking for them or making a stink if they disappear. Might be a few Renfields too."

Kincaid grunted. "They'd be a bit stupid not to."

"Renfield?" Murphy asked.

"You read Dracula?"

"I know the story, but the name doesn't ring a bell."

"It's their version of a thrall," Harry explained. "They basically scoop out someone's brain, metaphorically, and replace it with an angry, rabid attack dog."

Murphy's lips thinned. "Can they be fixed?"

"No," Kincaid replied with finality.

"That might be a problem," Murphy said. "They'll probably be on a missing person's report somewhere."

"We'll have to take 'em out regardless," Kincaid continued.

"Didn't you say you had someone who could handle people?" Murphy turned to Harry.

"Yeah, though I don't know if capturing them would do any good."

"I don't think your pet succubus will work on Renfields, Dresden." Kincaid pointed out.

"Okay," Murphy interjected. "What the hell is this talk about a 'pet succubus'?!"

Harry glared at Kincaid. "For one, she's not anyone's pet. And two, I wasn't talking about the come hither. She's got the White Court strength and speed to pull off a takedown."

Kincaid raised an eyebrow. "You've seen her do it?"

"Yeah, on a Red Court."

"Huh." Kincaid grunted thoughtfully.

"Asking a vampire to come along on a vampire hunt?" Murphy asked skeptically.

"Not the same kind of vampire," Harry explained. "Think of it a bit like how we humans fight all the time, and we're still the same species."

"Great." Murphy intoned.

"Hmph, what next?" Kincaid snorted. "Do you have a helpful Red Court lined up too?"

"The only thing I'd line up a bat-fucker for is a firing squad," Harry snarled.

Kincaid raised his hands disarmingly. "Can't trust those bloodsuckers, true." He didn't mention how the White Court wasn't much more trustworthy.

Murphy looked at Harry with some concern.

"Back on track," she started. "Do we have a driver?"

"He's on his way. Should be here on time," Harry answered.

"Who is he?"

"You haven't met," Harry said. "I trust him."

"Like you trust the succubus?" Murphy asked carefully.

"More," Harry replied.

She looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "And what are we up against? You told me basically Dracula. Are we going to need garlic and holy water?"

"That works," Kincaid answered. "Blowing their heads off works too. Body shots not so much. Shoot their legs and they'll fucking crawl."

"They are slightly dead on the inside. Not really any vital organs there."

Murphy and Kincaird rolled their eyes. "What?! It's true!"

"He isn't wrong," Kincaid admitted reluctantly.

At least Tania didn't think his jokes were stupid (just that he was). "Anyways, there are at least two Black Court, maybe more, plus whatever help they have."

Murphy nodded. "You mentioned them being really nasty."

"Yup," Harry agreed. "They can flip cars with one hand, are really fast, and can punt you through a wall. We can't really go toe-to-toe with them, so the plan is to hit them during the day."

"They'll be asleep?" she asked.

"Maybe not," Kincaid cautioned. "The old ones don't always have to. Mavra might be functional."

"Even worse," Harry added, "she's a practitioner. A sorceress at least."

Kincaid took a slow deep breath. He finished the bite he was on. "Shit." Then he took another.

"Sorceress at least?" Murphy asked.

"Someone with enough magic to cause some serious damage," Harry explained.

"Like the Shadowman, or Kravos?" Murphy asked.

"Yeah, like those wannabees." Kravos should have stayed dead.

"Good thing we have a wizard coming along then," Kincaid said.

Murphy looked at Harry questioningly.

"Wizards can do sorcery too," he explained. "We can do about the whole range of human magic with enough practice. Most practitioners have a specific thing they can do and not much else. A good wizard can switch up his magic any way he can imagine. Which is the problem here."

"What do you mean?" Murphy pressed.

"Mavra is good at veils," Harry continued. "Dangerously good. She also pulled some long-range mental communications last night, too."

Kincaid stopped eating.

"So this vampire's a wizard?" Murphy wondered.

Kincaid gave Harry his undivided attention.

"It's possible," Harry said. On that note, he really should have asked Tania more about what happened to her last night. He'd been a bit…uh…distracted though. "Maybe even likely. It'd help explain how she's survived this long."

"This mission is sounding more and more FUBAR," Kincaid groused.

"You want out?" Harry asked.

The mercenary thought for a minute, before shaking his head. "No, but if Mavra is up and about, and she can toss out some heavy magic in close quarters, we might as well drink some cyanide and save ourselves some walking."

"You're afraid of her," Murphy accused.

"Damn right," Kincaid agreed.

She pursed her lips. "Harry, can you shut down her magic? Like you did with Kravos?"

"Depends on how good she is," Harry replied. "But a wizard could handle her. Probably."

Kincaid frowned. "Magical lockdown. I've seen that work before," he said. "One time I saw it fail. Everybody died."

"But not you," Harry observed.

"I was bringing up the rear, covering our spellslinger when his head exploded. Barely made it out the door." Kincaid pushed some food around his plate. "Even if you can shut down her magic, Mavra's still going to be a real bitch to handle."

"That's what I'm paying you for."

"True."

"Murphy had it right," Harry continued. "We go in with garlic, crosses, holy water, and fire if necessary but we kind of want to avoid burning the building down."

"Hey," Murphy interjected, "What about that pocketful-of-sunshine trick you told me about? The one you used on Bianca?"

Harry's face contorted into something ghastly. "No. I can't." Another thing Biance took from him, may the crispy slice of bat-fucker burn endlessly in Hell! Maybe he should track down her corpse so he could fucking burn it more.

"Harry?" Murphy asked worriedly. He blinked.

"I can't use it anymore."

"Alright…" She looked more concerned.

"If it can't kill vampires it doesn't matter," Kincaid cut in, giving Harry a speculative look.

"Right," Harry continued. "We should be able to deter Mavra long enough to deal with her minions. After that we can take her down, maybe launch her out a window into the sunlight. Questions?"

Kincaid fake coughed, nodding at the table where the bill was left by the waitress. Harry nodded and paid the bill. It was his job, so his treat too.

"If not, that's it for now." Harry rose. "I have something I need to take care of in the meantime. Get anything you need ready and we'll hit them a bit after noon in their equivalent of the early morning."

Kincaid nodded and returned to his plate. Harry left the restaurant and headed back towards his car. Murphy joined him.

She looked like she had something to ask, but didn't say anything until he had gotten into his car. "What got you to finally paint this damn thing blue?" she asked before he closed the door.

"A friend of mine got really annoyed at it for some reason." Tania was funny like that.

Murphy raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment further. She looked like something else was bothering her.

"You okay, Murph?" Harry asked.

She frowned. "I'm trying to process this. I can see that we're doing one of the only things we can responsibly do. But I've always been on the side of the law. I'm not so sure about this cowboy stuff. It isn't what a good cop does."

"I mean," Harry started hesitantly. "US marshals used to kinda do this, back when a lot of America was a frontier. And the supernatural is definitely a frontier for normal human society."

Murphy narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not a US marshall."

"And Mavra isn't bound by US law," Harry shot back. "Not like we can call SWAT on vampires."

She sighed. "I know that in my head." She thumped a fist against her chest. "But I don't feel it here." She was silent for a second. "The vampires aren't the problem. I can fight them. Happily. But the people they screwed up? I don't think I can be so gung ho about fighting when I might hurt people I am supposed to protect."

"I don't think I can really say anything to make that better."

Murphy was silent for a minute. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

She looked at Harry, looking slightly concerned. "Why can't you do the sunshine thing? It sounds really handy, and you've done it before–"

"I have to be actually happy for that to work," Harry grit out. "It hasn't worked since that damn Ball. I tried." Though admittedly, he hadn't tried it in a long while.

"Oh." Murphy mumbled.

Harry shrugged. What could he do? Well, asides from just trying in vain.

"I guess I'll be in Wolf Lake Park for the picnic. At least for a few hours until lunchtime." Murphy said awkwardly. "I'll have my pager on me."

"Ah. Sorry I didn't manage to quite schedule things right."

She smirked. "See you in a while, Harry." Murphy glanced at her watch and sighed. "T minus two hours and counting 'till the picnic."

Harry nodded. "I gotta get going." Time to catch the curse. "Bye, Murph." He accelerated the Beetle out of the parking lot. Murphy wasn't a traffic cop, she shouldn't give him a ticket.

♤♤♤♤
​

Tania pulled the spare motorcycle up to her friend's apartment building, parking it near Charles' Prius. The morning drizzle was still dying down.

The falling droplets slid off her jacket and helmet, leaving a cool feeling in their wake. A good thing since Tania was still feeling frazzled from the previous night.

The violence had been unwelcome and unexpected, but not unfamiliar. What followed…

Tania felt blood rush to her face as she remembered what she had done. Curse it all! She wasn't some hormonal lovestruck girl! She had been an adult! She had survived a world war and defied that damned Being X! So why did this bout of irrationality vex her so?!

She took a slow, shuddering breath. No, that was not what she needed to focus on right now. Inari just had her world turned upside down, and Tania needed to be there for her, no matter how much that dream refused to leave her memory, the echo of that mind melting sensation still shivering through her.

Tania shook her head, stepping over to the door to ring the doorbell, not thinking at all about her (was it hers?) inappropriate and unprofessional feelings for Mr. Dresden. Or just how much she enjoyed the sensation of his hand running through her hair; him pulling on her hair—

Priorities! She pressed the button next to 'Charles Li & Xander Umberto' much harder than strictly necessary.

Tania huffed. There, now she was on task.

After a moment, the intercom crackled to life. "Hello?" came Xander's questioning voice, much lighter than one might expect from a man so large.

"Hello, Xander. Is my sister there?" Tania greeted.

"Oh hey Tania!" Xander greeted her in turn. "Yeah, Inari's here. I'll buzz you in." The door made a shrieking sound and clicked open.

"That needs repairs," Tania said flatly as she pulled the door open.

"Heh, yep! See you in a bit," Xander laughed.

Tania stepped into the apartment building, taking off her helmet and tucking it into the crook of her left arm. She ran her right hand through her hair. It was a bit disheveled, but for some reason she had liked the look when she saw it in the morning.

Charles and Xander wouldn't care. Her eyes flicked around the older looking apartment building with a hint of nostalgia as she climbed the stairs to the second floor. A life of wealth had rather spoiled her, but she remembered living in a place not unlike this once.

She stopped in front of the door labeled 204 and rapped sharply. A moment later the lock clicked and Xander pulled the door open.

"Hey Tania," the large man greeted with a smile. "Come on in."

"Hello, Xander, how are you today?" Tania greeted again, stepping into the apartment, noting the faint line of a potential threshold.

"Not bad," he replied amiably.

"Hey Tania," Charles waved over his shoulder from their kitchen counter.

Tania nodded at him. "Hello Charles, thanks for the ride last night."

"No problem," he returned, going back to preparing some food.

Going through puberty in college had been a bit strange. She had not too long ago been shorter than Xander and Charles, now she had a few inches on them.

The two of them also looked a bit different than they did when she first met them. Charles was still lean and skinny and Xander was still large and bulky, but a few years of active paintballing (and Tania's training) had made them look a bit less like the bookworms they were and more like fratboys. Not that either of them had any interest in such things.

"What brings you over?" Xander asked. "Not that I mind, but you sound kind of serious." He nodded towards one of the bedrooms. "That, and Inari seemed kind of upset."

"Inari and I are having some family problems. They came to head last night and she suddenly had a lot dropped on her."

"Yeah, she's sleeping now," Charles added, "seemed pretty worn out. Don't think she slept that well last night." That wasn't much of a surprise.

"You look oddly energetic," Tania commented, eying Charles curiously. He usually slept in a bit more on weekends, especially if he was up late.

He shrugged. "I slept pretty good, but I don't know exactly what happened with your family. Neither of you were in a state to properly explain anything." He cut up a few more strawberries and tossed them into a blender.

Tania blinked. There were strawberries, chopped onions, minced garlic and sliced ham in the blender. Was that a lemon too?! "What are you making?" She asked with mild horror.

Charles waved a hand uncertainly. "I dunno, figured I might try to make something for Sunshine, try cheering her up." He grinned over his shoulder. "Gotta say, my family knows a thing or two about chucking anything and everything into a pot, but even we don't try the stuff Inari tries."

Tania eyed the concoction doubtfully. "I am impressed you manage to find food to Inari's taste. It is a bit difficult to acquire." She was stalling, this was embarrassing!

"Eh…" Charles waved a hand in disagreement. "On the contrary, if she likes something, she'll like it basically in any shape or form."

"Even in combinations that should never see the light of day," Tania drawled, trying to pretend she had noticed that before just now.

She really had failed as a sister.

"Well," Charles said. "Ones not usually seen outside someone's stomach or a sewer system." He laughed. "I mean, I guess she's being efficient and skipping a few steps."

"It is not healthy!" Tania exclaimed. "Even if the components are nutritious, there are combinations that can be deleterious."

"Inari seems fine, though," Xander pointed out.

"You know…" Charles began, dumping more questionable ingredients into the blender, "I don't think I've seen you or Inari ever get sick, even the one time everyone else got food poisoning at that chinese restaurant we never went back to. You two might be fine."

He was right, to an extent. Her Hunger helped her maintain perfect health, and perhaps Inari's dormant one did something similar. That still was likely not the reason Inari had a strange palette, given Tania herself had more normal tastes.

"How serious was the argument?" Xander asked, looking concerned. "You're usually a bit more focused."

Charles looked over his shoulder again as he stuck the lid of the blender back on. "Did something happen with your boyfriend too? Or just your family?"

"Dresden is not my boyfriend," Tania shot back flatly.

Charles raised an eyebrow at her. "Didn't you let him use your room last night? And make food for him?" He cocked his head. "Isn't he also renting one of your properties?"

"And how does any of that make him my boyfriend?" Tania asked archly.

He shrugged. "I dunno, seems like a lot of work for someone who's just a friend." He turned and started the blender.

Tania shared an exasperated look with Xander, who smacked himself in the forehead with a quiet "doh!" Did Charles not realize that everything he just stated would suggest he and Inari were dating? Assuming that his assertions had any merit, which it of course didn't.

Her assisting Mr. Dresden was just the logical step for protecting herself from supernatural dangers she could not reliably depend on her family or public services to assist with. It had nothing to do with how the crackling power of his magic felt!

"Do you want something to drink? Or something to eat?" Xander asked, gesturing to their small refrigerator. "You can take a seat if you want too."

Tania glanced over at the rest of the apartment, which currently had all of two chairs and a stool for seating, and shook her head. "No, thank you for asking. But I already ate." Neither Charles or Xander cared very much for decorations, having only an obligatory school logo poster and a stuffed plant (of all things) for that purpose.

Of course, there was a cabinet for storing miniatures and a desk with assorted paints and tools for working on them. They were loyal customers after all. Tania made a note to give them a few posters and other tie-in art for the game, they probably would never buy those themselves.

"Ok," Xander nodded. "Inari's asleep, I think, so there's no need to rush."

"Assuming I didn't just wake her up," Charles commented as the blender slowed to a stop. "Though I bet she'd get woken up by the smell and not the noise. Somehow."

Tania nodded in vague acknowledgement. "I should go check on her." She gave Charles a questioning look, and he nodded.

Permission acquired, she stepped lightly over to his room and carefully opened the door.

The room was dark, the dim light of the gray morning providing little illumination, but Tania could see just fine. Not too surprisingly, there was little in the room aside from a bed, a small table and a laundry basket.

Inari lay bundled up on the bed, burrowed in the blanket and hugging a pillow to her chest, hair a lot more disheveled than usual. Based on her breathing, she was awake, and had probably been crying recently.

"Is this a safe enough place to talk?" Inari grumbled sharply as Tania gently closed the door. The older twin cringed internally at the accusing tone in her sister's voice. It was very at odds with her usual cheer.

"I believe so," Tania replied softly, walking over to sit next to Inari on the bed. It was unlikely that their sire could have bugged this place. The younger twin didn't look up, instead burrowing herself further into the covers.

Tania reached out to comfort her twin, before freezing in indecision. For all of her lifetimes, the rejection last night had stung painfully, now coming back to the fore as the glow of her…indiscretion with Dresden faded.

"I'm really a failure of a sister, aren't I?" Tania sighed.

Inari shifted under the covers, one blue eye peeking out from the sheets. "I guess we both are," the younger twin croaked, voice sounding rough from crying.

Tania frowned, "I still do not see how you have done anything wrong. The fault should be mine, for hiding things from you."

Inari closed her visible eye, before opening it again and meeting Tania's gaze.

"I know that there are things we don't have to share, even if we're twins," she began, "but if I didn't notice something so horrible happening to you…" Inari sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. "So much for being the kindly twin."

Tania cocked her head questioningly, "You were quite distraught after that event." She smiled slightly. "If I remember correctly, you insisted that the two of us sleep together for some time after that." It certainly hadn't seemed like that event had gone unnoticed.

"Yeah, as if that could help with something like that," Inari scoffed, burrowing back under the covers.

"But it did help," Tania forced herself to admit. There was a time when she'd rather have died than admit to enjoying her twin's affection, but her body was no longer a child and thus no longer subject to those whims. Not to mention her infantile pride wasn't worth Inari's well being.

"There's no way it was enough!" Inari barked, sitting up suddenly, face emerging from the blanket she was still wrapped in. "If you were…" she hesitated, her lips quivering. "If you were raped, I should have done more."

What?! Tania blinked. "Inari, I wasn't raped. Actually, I have not had sexual relations with anyone, consensual or not." Where did she get that idea? Dresden would probably murder anyone that tried that if Tania didn't get to them first herself.

Inari stared at her, face blank. "But you were attacked, right? And our family becomes vampires through…" She trailed off in confusion, but looked no less concerned.

Ah. "I was attacked, but nothing of that sort occured," Tania explained. "The risk to my life drew my Hunger out in desperation."

Inari stiffened, before slumping slightly. Her arms suddenly snaked out of the blankets and pulled her twin close. Tania didn't resist as she was drawn into the covers, instead returning the hug as the two of them tumbled down onto the bed.

"Silly sis," Inari whispered into Tania's ear. "You dying isn't better." She clutched at her twin tighter, and Tania blinked. Why had she thought the difference in the type of assault would allay her twin's concerns? Had she really grown so out of touch with Inari?

Inari deserved better. A better family, and a better sister–

Tania blinked as her twin tapped their foreheads together. "Don't say stuff like that sis!" Had she accidentally said it aloud? Inari pulled back so the two of them could look each other in the eye, a small, wry smile on her face. Tania gave a small smile in return, glad that her twin seemed to be a bit more of her usual self.

"It is true though," Tania commented. "You are far better of a sibling than I deserve. And you deserve a family that is as loving as you are." Perhaps like the Carpenters.

"Everyone should have a loving family, Tania," Inari chided. "You should too."

"I have you," Tania blurted out, before reddening in embarrassment. Damn Dresden, breaking her composure so irreparably! "And our siblings are loving in their own strange way." It was odd, but Lara depriving her of clothes around someone strongly attracted to her could have come from a place of affection, strange as it was (though Tania could not even say she was entirely upset with the result).

Inari laughed slightly. "Well, I have you too." Tania frowned, but Inari silenced her with a finger. "Hey now! Don't start with thinking you aren't loving." She smiled conspiratorially. "I know you've been setting up stuff so we can stay moved out after college and support ourselves. That's enough to tell me you love me."

Tania stared at her twin, not sure what to say. Her attempts at independence from the family were for her own benefit, but in hindsight, she hadn't had to include Inari in her plans. She hadn't even really made a conscious decision, it had just seemed perfectly natural.

That couldn't be it. Wasn't that just something siblings were obligated to help each other with? There had to be more to Love than that!

"That doesn't change the fact that I've risked your well being by being too cowardly to explain our condition to you," Tania countered morosely, biting her lip worriedly. "I was so focused on my own problems that I neglected to consider your feelings." She sighed, closing her eyes defeatedly. "It was hypocritical of me to badger Dresden for information about the supernatural dangers while hiding it from you in an effort to protect you."

"I won't say that it doesn't sting to learn you were hiding something so important from me," Inari replied seriously. "It makes me feel like you don't trust me." She huffed out a short laugh. "But it would be hypocritical for me to get too mad at you about that."

Tania's eyes blinked open, eying her twin with trepidation. What…kind of secret had Inari been hiding? That was what she was saying, right?

Inari frowned, staring at the wall distantly. "It isn't anything crazy like you not telling me that the world is more like the old fairy tales than it seems. But…" She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, before she began again.

"You've always been smart, Tania," Inari said. "Smarter than me, more mature, and always so focused on goals I can never understand until years later."

Tania frowned. What did that have to do with this? She had the memories of two other lives before this, so her skills were just a product of carried over experience. It wasn't that impressive.

"Exactly!" Inari exclaimed, pointing at her twin. "You don't even seem to get just how crazy that is! I have some trouble with Witchflight's rules now, and you created the original rules, which are actually even more complicated than the ones we published, when you were seven!"

In hindsight, Tania may have let too much of her past experience slip through.

"I based many of those rules off of preexisting wargames," she demurred. "It was not as impressive as you're making it out to be."

Inari rolled her eyes. "Even if that's true, you still had a good idea of how to actually make it a business before Lara ran with it. That's definitely something kinda unusual for a seven year old to have worked out."

It had seemed rather obvious to Tania, but that was a product of her previous memories. It was not truly an indication of talent. But she couldn't really say that, could she? "It was not that difficult on my end," Tania replied. "Lara did the majority of the work in actually starting the business." The twins had been too young to do a lot of things at that time.

"Not that difficult?!" Inari snorted. "Most people never start a business, let alone as a kid!"

She sighed, turning her head so her face was squished into the mattress.

"You always seem to be so far ahead of me, even if we were born almost at the same time," she muttered into the mattress. "Sometimes, I feel like I would always fall short in comparison, always be the inferior twin." Her voice was muffled, but the tinge of bitterness came through clearly. "Sometimes I can't help but envy you a bit."

Tania felt a chill spread through her chest, the extent of her failure as a sibling dawning on her. She really had failed to account for her twin's emotional well being. Hell's Bells! How stupid could she get?! This was the blindspot that ended her first life. It seemed even acquiring supernatural empathy did nothing to remedy this deficiency.

"And yet," Tania said softly, "for all that, I have completely failed my duties as a sister. How you would feel never crossed my mind." Some bitterness crept into her own voice. With only one lifetime's experience, and still being quite young to boot, Inari could make sense of the irrationality of human emotions better than Tania could in her third life. "That never seems to be a problem for you."

Inari snorted. "I'm not all that great at that either; I lived in that house for ten years and I never noticed how messed up the people who worked for us were," she whispered, looking back at Tania with sad and unnervingly hollow eyes. "I also took you for granted," her voice cracked and she swallowed a sob. "I thought you'd always be okay, because you'd always seemed to be. Never thought about your feelings about that."

"You don't have to worry about my feelings," Tania replied, trying to pull her twin out of her depressive spiral. "I'll be fine; they are just distractions."

Inari sighed, giving her twin a long-suffering look. "Tania, if your feelings don't matter why are you living with Harry?"

The thought of the unusually tall wizard sprung a few unwanted memories into Tania's head. The feel of his impressive musculature against her, the comforting tingle of his magic, and that damn concerned look her teenage body found so distracting–

What did that have to do with anything?

"He is a valuable source of defenses against various supernatural threats, not to mention a substantial deterrent himself." He had been the most accessible source of countermeasures against unusual things, so it had been only natural.

"He makes you feel safe," Inari accused with a smirk. "I guess it makes sense, there aren't that many guys taller than us."

"That is not the nature of our relationship!" Tania protested, trying in vain to suppress the embarrassed flush across her face. "He's a wizard, and thus has abilities to mitigate supernatural threats. That's all it is!" And yet, being wrapped around him, his long arms gripping her in turn…a traitorous part of her shivered happily at the thought.

"Pretty sure Papa Carpenter can kind of do that too," Inari pointed out, looking unbearably smug. "Methinks the lady doth protest too much!"

Tania blinked. Why had she latched on to Dresden so much? No, no, she was not going to let Inari distract her! Mr. Carpenter has his own family to protect, Harry…didn't anymore.

Oh.

No wonder he had been that irritable at her attempts to curry his favor. She had known then that he had lost someone close to him, but she hadn't really considered the context outside of trying to repay him for his aid. If not for Dresden's unreasonable tolerance for being abused by women in general, she might have been thrown out much more forcefully.

And while he wasn't the most muscular man, he was quite strong, and given that he must have carried her to her bed last night, he wouldn't have had much issue throwing her out—

Tania shook her head slightly, trying to push away the distraction. Damn her Hunger and her damned unprofessional dreams!

She heard a giggle, and Tania blinked, focusing on Inari again as her twin laughed into her hand, a smug expression not dissimilar from a pleased Mister on her face.

"Wow," Inari wondered as she got herself under control. "You must have it bad if just the thought of him gets you so worked up."

"I am not worked up!" Tania protested quickly, "my Hunger just has an obsessive fixation on him and I have to drag her away. That's why I'm distracted, not anything else!"

"But Harry isn't here," Inari shot back, her amused grin not fading in the slightest. "I thought Hungers needed to be very close in order to feed? So that means any distraction is your own."

Tania frowned, trying to clamp down on her embarrassment, even as she felt her Hunger trigger certain aspects of her physiology. "She's like a dog," Tania groused, "the sound of a food bowl clattering and she concludes it's time to eat." She licked her lips, trying to forget the phantom iron taste of Harry's vitality (he must have fed her a battery to keep her Hunger under control).

Inari's sly look didn't waver an inch. "But Hungry-chan is only like that with Harry, right?"

Tania nodded, ignoring another one of Inari's silly pet names. "I don't understand her," she grumbled, "she can't even feed on him because he's protected by True Love, so why does she keep trying?"

"Wait, hold on, True Love?!" Inari asked incredulously.

"Yes," Tania replied. "Those who are in a Truly Loving relationship are protected from our Hunger, at least to some extent."

Inari blinked at her in incomprehension. "True Love is real?" she asked in a small voice.

"Very much so," Tania answered firmly. She had been quite incredulous herself when she had found out.

Inari stared at her meaningfully, sisterly amusement and satisfaction glinting in her eyes. And also a small measure of hope.

Ah. When put that way…Tania closed her eyes and sighed. "It is important to consider people's feelings." She opened her eyes to see an expectant look on her twin's face. "Fine! My feelings matter too, at least for you." Inari narrowed her eyes. Tania stared back for a moment, before sighing again and glancing away. "And it isn't good for me to bury them," she let out grudgingly.

Inari smiled, gripping her twin's hand in her own. "Some burdens are easier when shared, aren't they?"

Tania squeezed her hand. "Yes, though not all." She looked Inari in the eye. "Do you remember the jokes about us? That we are like a person split into two?"

Inari nodded, her smile fading. "Yeah, the joke is that you got all the brains and I got all the people skills."

Tania rolled her eyes. "It's ridiculous, I know. Neither of us are incomplete; you are very intelligent, even if your ability to understand others often seems to overshadow it."

"And you're not so bad at people yourself," Inari observed. "You're very good at organizing people."

Tania smiled faintly at the compliment. "It pales in comparison to your knack for befriending just about anyone. Especially your ability to remember everyone you meet and sense what is meaningful for them." She smiled wryly. "I must confess, there were times I envied that talent of yours."

Inari snorted. "Yeah, it's not really that big of a deal though. I just remember the stuff people seemed to care about, well and also stuff like birthdays and other stuff like that." She smiled sadly. "Sometimes all people want is for someone to remember they exist."

Tania squeezed her twin's hand. "And that is a rare skill. One that is not very easy to reach by practice."

"Maybe," Inari mumbled doubtfully, "but it's all surface level. But you've got people who care enough just for you that they are willing to die for you, like Harry."

"That probably says more about him than it does about you."

"Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't have that." Inari pressed her face back into the mattress. "I'm not worth that much to anyone," she muttered dejectedly.

Now this was simply ridiculous! "Of course you are!" Tania countered. "Didn't Lara and Dresden risk their lives to protect you?"

"Yeah…" Inari mumbled, "but Lara's our big sister. And you told Harry to protect me."

"Have you even ever asked one of your friends about this?" Tania asked.

Inari shook her head.

"Because you aren't selfish enough to think of it, at least until now after you've been in danger," Tania concluded. "But if you never asked, how can you be sure?"

Her twin glanced to the side in thought, but didn't say anything.

"I think Charles might be willing," Tania observed.

Inari grimaced. "Charles doesn't value his life enough. It isn't healthy."

"Be that as it may," Tania pressed, "he is clearly quite attached to you."

Inari didn't object, because they both knew it was true. "But he's just a normal guy," she said. "Is there anything he could even do to help?" As those words left her mouth, her eyes widened in embarrassment.

"Oh." She wasn't in that different of a situation.

Tania shook her head. "We're going on a tangent; my point is that we are two different people, for all we share."

"So I shouldn't worry too much about what other people say when drawing comparisons," Inari concluded thoughtfully.

"Indeed," Tania agreed, "we don't have to be the same. In fact, we should not try to be."

Inari hummed. "Yeah, I know that. But even if I know it in my head, I can't stop feeling that way sometimes."

"Emotions are quite irrational," Tania commiserated.

"You know," Inari mumbled, "you say that word a lot, but I don't think it means what you think it means."

Tania frowned, her forehead creased in consternation. "What are you getting at?"

"Being 'rational' means being bound by reason or logic," Inari explained. "That just means having a conclusion follow from the premises. Acting on emotion is basically working off of bad premises."

"Yes," Tania replied slowly, "Illogical."

Inari shook her head, "Technically, it's bad reasoning, not without reason at all." She frowned. "It's still usually not very good to act on emotions without thinking things through, but it's not like feelings aren't real."

Huh, that was true, on a technicality, though there could be an argument regarding whether poor logic could accurately be called irrational or–she was getting sidetracked again.

"I will concede that emotions are real and quite tangible factors in people's decision making," Tania acknowledged, "But they still tend to impair judgment."

"Yeah," Inari agreed moresely. "But it isn't so easy to deal with them."

Tania snorted. "My Hunger certainly has shown me that." She hummed thoughtfully. "Though she has also shown me that it is possible to function despite them." Observing how Dresden managed to act somewhat rationally despite his strong emotions was fascinating (and more than a little gratifying, given how strongly he felt about her). "In some ways she has given me a new respect for people who manage to make the right decision in spite of their urges."

"Is that why you like Harry so much?" Inari asked with a slight grin.

"You would not believe how much control he actually has," Tania replied, "considering how impulsive he can be." Frankly, she was surprised that Dresden hadn't self-destructed, given how high his emotions ran, and how much he loved Susan. True, Tania had helped him get back on his feet, but she felt pretty sure he could have managed it without her, as he was admirably determined to ensure his battle maniac tendencies were directed in constructive directions; he was too civically conscious to allow himself to vent on regular society.

"Gotta admit, I am a bit surprised you like him," Inari observed. "When I first met Harry I thought he fit Lara's type more than yours."

One of Tania's eyes twitched. "Lara has a preference, yes, just not in the way you are describing."

Inari blanched, realizing more of the uncomfortable implications of their family's nature. "They must be very lonely," she murmured sadly, "not being able to have healthy relationships." Aside from horror and disgust, Tania sensed a wave of pity, probably at the realization that their older siblings likely could not have functional relationships (even if Thomas proved it was not entirely hopeless). Truly, her twin was too kind.

"It is likely a strong factor," Tania observed. "Their typical behavior makes it difficult to properly bond with another. Though I suppose you are correct that Dresden fits Lara's usual profile."

"That kind of highlights my earlier thought," Inari pointed out, "I'm pretty sure you two have very different standards."

"I suppose that is true," Tania conceded, "hence why I am not interested in him romantically." That may be a lie, she wasn't really sure of her frustrating feelings. But in truth, the thing about Dresden that first earned her respect wasn't anything Inari was likely thinking about. He was often unprofessional at inappropriate times (even if he remained focused), not particularly well educated (though he leveraged what he had quite well), and was very disorganized financially (despite how carefully he organized his magical instruments).

No, what Dresden had was defiance, a determination to do what he considered right, in spite of whatever foes he might face or make along the way. It was a sentiment Tania could respect.

Though in hindsight, she couldn't help but feel her own motivations had been…lacking in comparison.

Tania blinked as Inari poked her in the forehead. "Whatever you say, sis," she smirked. There was no winning with her on this fact, was there?

"If you are content to tease me," Tania groused, "does that mean you are no longer angry with me?"

Inari frowned. "I was never really mad at you–okay, I was a little mad." She sighed. "It was just a lot to take in, and I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm sorry if you felt like I was rejecting you."

"I accept your apology," Tania said, worrying her lip nervously. "I thought that was the case, but it still stung, even if I was at fault for keeping you in the dark."

"I'm still a little mad at you for not telling me this stuff before," Inari replied, and Tania felt her heart sink. "Up, up, up!" Inari shook her a bit, face becoming more serious. "I know you have a reason for it. I'm more mad about you not telling me about almost dying!"

"I…didn't want to worry you," Tania explained, glancing away. It sounded sillier now that she said it out loud.

Inari huffed, shaking her head, her loose hair covering part of her face, before she blew it out of her eyes with an annoyed pout. Tania pursed her lips. Inari had always been quite beautiful, but she could see the supernatural edge creeping into her appearance after last night. They didn't have much time left.

"Silly Tania," Inari muttered, "I always worry about you! At least let me worry about your real situation and not what I imagined!" She mock glared at her twin, but Tania could see there was little heat in it. Inari wasn't one to stay angry for long; Dresden was certainly right about that.

"Thanks for your concern," she said back to Inari. "I worry about you too. It's why I couldn't tell you."

"Because father?" Inari asked, gently pulling her twin closer and resting her chin on Tania's shoulder. "He would be mad?"

"Yes," Tania sighed. "You've noticed it too, haven't you? How he always asked if we were interested in someone."

Inari nodded on his shoulder. "He pestered me about grandchildren the other day, which was kind of weird since I don't think we have any nieces or nephews."

It was a bit strange, given the amount of attempted procreation her siblings went through. "He wants us to blindly stumble into killing our first lover. I am not sure why, but if he was that insistent already, enough to arrange you a stint on a pornography set, think what he would do if you were aware."

Her twin tensed. "And he knows about Charles now. He thinks we're dating. Oh God…" They were effectively dating, even if Charles was too oblivious to notice and Inari remained in denial, but yes, Charles was likely in some danger now.

"I don't want to hurt him!" Inari sobbed, Tania rubbing her back soothingly. "But I just wanted a family of my own, why did it have to be like this?!" She pressed her face into her twin's neck and Tania could feel fresh tears.

Tania hummed sympathetically. "We have to pay for it somewhere, it seems." Wealth and power came with costs, and so too did mechanical immortality.

Inari nodded. "That's true," she said, determination setting into her voice through the sniffling. "Is there any way to avoid that though? There has to be some way; otherwise why hide it?"

Tania blinked. She had a point. "I do not know if there is a way." Neither did Dresden, what he found hadn't mentioned anything promising. "The potential paths of reversing it are…problematic."

"Don't hurt yourself over it, ok?" Inari insisted. "I love you anyways."

Tania smiled. "I love you too, sister."

"So what are we going to do next?" Inari asked. "If we have to put a pin into me becoming a vampire for now, there's still a bunch of stuff going on."

"First of all," Tania replied, glad to be focusing on more tangible action, "Dresden and I will deal with the Black Court vampires that attacked us last night. We'll strike at noon while they hide from the sun."

"Not just by yourselves, right?" Inari questioned worriedly. "Those things are dangerous, they were so fast I could barely dodge."

Tania shook her head. "No, we will have some other assistance. Not to mention we will be better prepared this time."

Her twin didn't look entirely convinced, but nodded. "Alright, I'll trust you on this, sis. Just stay safe."

"Of course," Tania smiled reassuringly.

Inari frowned. "What about Arturo and his people? Were the vampires behind that too?" Not those vampires.

"I do not believe so," Tania said. "Though I believe you should avoid going there today, just in case."

"Didn't we talk about this yesterday?" Inari shot back with a frown. "They clearly need me there, no one else on set has proper first aid experience. And since they targeted Lara while she was outside, I don't know if not being there would protect me anyways."

Tania frowned in turn. She would much prefer if her sister remained safe, but after last night, it was clear that shielding her in the way she had been so far would not work. Especially when their family name would bring enemies after them regardless of what they did. "I see. Just stay close to Dresden while he's there setting up wards against the curse and ensure that they are not tampered with."

While Inari lacked the memories of another life, she was competent and brave. She was also her twin, and if Tania wanted to keep her trust, she would have to trust Inari in turn.

"He's not going to be there too long, then?" Inari asked. "Should I ask Thomas to help keep watch?"

Tania nodded. "That is the plan: Harry stays long enough to deflect or manage the curse, and Thomas will help keep an eye out for more direct threats."

"And I'll help anyone who ends up getting hurt," Inari added. "Hopefully no one does."

There were quite a lot of things that could potentially go wrong, but it would have to do. "Stay safe, sister," Tania said, pulling Inari into a hug. Her twin didn't resist, and it seemed they were reconciled, at least for now.

"You too," Inari returned, tapping their foreheads together.

It had been a while since they were this close like this, so Tania was content to stay where she was for a while. There were some pressing things she needed to do, and Charles probably wouldn't want them to stay there for that much longer, but that could all wait for now. Inari seemed of the same mind.

Their peace and quiet was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Everything alright in there?" Charles asked cautiously. "I have a…smoothie…of sorts. When does it begin to count as soup?" He muttered. "You'll probably like it, Inari. Sorry Tania."

Inari giggled, rubbing her cheek against her twin's before sitting up and scrambling out of bed. Tania followed, slightly miffed at the intruding man, even if she couldn't really say anything against him for it. It was his room, after all.

"One sec! We'll be right out," Inari called, padding over and opening the door.

Charles smiled at her and glanced between her and Tania. "You two good?"

"Yes. We're good," Tania replied. At least for now. Inari hummed in agreement, giving Charles a quick hug before stepping out of the room.

"Thank you for taking care of my sister," Tania said, noting his slight embarrassment with some amusement.

"No problem," Charles waved her off. "Wasn't too much trouble, I had to go home anyways."

"Even still," Tania pressed, "your help has been timely, even if you don't think much of it."

"Anytime." He shrugged.

"Ooh! This tastes good!" And Inari had found the…concoction.

At least she was happy.

---

 

[WrandmWaffles]

Old Dogs, New Tricks
​

Despite the mess that happened last night, Genosa seemed unfazed when Harry arrived at the studio, dressed in business casual and hair no worse for wear. He gave Harry another European-style friendly greeting almost before the wizard even fully got out of his car.

"The malocchio, it came again, didn't it?" he asked. "Last night. At midnight?"

"Yes," Harry nodded.

Arturo licked his lips worriedly. "Who?"

"Lara, but she's fine."

Genosa sucked in a breath. "I think you may be right. Someone is out to stop this film." He shook his head and spat on the ground. "Trying to kill such a lady; disgusting." A lady monster, though Harry probably couldn't really throw stones since he'd helped save her life.

"You still sure it isn't your ex-wives?" Harry asked.

Arturo frowned again. "I still think they couldn't do this, but…they're only targeting stars…but not Tricia." His face twisted anxiously.

"She's not doing this alone," Harry asserted, causing Genosa to glance back at him sharply.

"You know who did this," he stated more than asked, a rising anger in his voice that hadn't shown itself before.

"I have a prime suspect," Harry replied. "Though there are a couple things keeping me from committing." The only thing that didn't add up was Lara. Why was she targeted? Last night had shown that she wasn't interested in overthrowing her dear old dad…but did he know that?

"Who?" Arturo growled.

Harry shook his head. "It's not someone you can fight. I can try to block the curse, but that's probably not going to be the end of it."

"Not the FTC," Genosa replied carefully, narrowing his eyes. "Mob? I don't think I did anything to them, but…this city has a reputation. No offense."

"Something like that," Harry affirmed. Arturo wasn't really the main target, Lord Raith just saw him as a pawn to push around. But on that same note, the Old Freak probably wouldn't care too much about Genosa once he was not threatening his position, which would require one of them die.

"This is personal, isn't it?" Arturo asked, a surprisingly satisfied look in his eyes. "You think they are going to try again today?"

"Most likely," Harry replied. "I bet it's at noon."

"What do you need," Genosa asked, standing straighter. "How can we help? Whatever helps keep my people safe."

"Have everyone take an early break before noon," Harry said. "Keep them from dangerous stuff, but keep things running like normal until then. I have to set up a spell of my own."

"Is that all you can do?" Arturo asked with a frown. "If you know who it is…"

"For now," Harry replied, a frown of his own spreading on his face. "But I'll have to do something about him." If Papa Raith was willing to try offing his second-in-command, Tania wouldn't be safe with him still alive. And whatever Harry's relationship with her actually was, he wasn't going to let some vampire lord walk all over his friends. Not again.

Genosa gave him a searching look. Whatever he found seemed to satisfy him, and he nodded. "All right. May Lady Luck favor you."

"She's not been a huge fan of me in the past," Harry said with a slight smirk. "But hey, if you ask, maybe she'll change her mind."

Arturo returned the smile, both of them knowing it was more for reassurance than any solid confidence, and then headed back into the building to get started on his work. Harry entered the building shortly afterwards, his pack of equipment in tow. The chalk line again, tinfoil, candles, and hopefully he could use the mirrors in the dressing room.

As with the day before, there weren't that many people on site yet. Harry waved a quick hello to a harassed looking Joan before finding Jake reading a magazine in the main warehouse. Or least trying to look like he was reading given how he didn't turn the page.

"Mornin', Jake." Harry called, causing the shorter man to jump slightly. "Mind helping me out on something?"

Jake looked at him a bit nervously. "It's not gonna be anything weird, is it?"

"Weird?" Harry wondered, "Not as weird as the crap happening here." Jake hesitated, slightly more unnerved. "It's nothing dangerous though," Harry reassured.

"Is it supposed to help with security?" Jake asked. "Dunno what you did yesterday, but that was quite a lot of gunshots."

"Yep," Harry confirmed, waving for Jake to follow him. Though this was more to do with the electrical fault and oversized, out of season fowl falling from the sky.

"Uh, ok then," Jake said hesitantly, but followed Harry upstairs anyway. As Harry took the chalk line and candles out of his backpack, Jake's confusion just got worse.

"Just what exactly are you doing?" He asked skeptically.

"Setting a spell to counter the jinx," Harry replied, waving a hand around the dressing room mirrors. "I'm going to try using these to reflect it the next time it hits."

Jake opened his mouth, then closed it, before starting again. "You know, I'd say you're nuts but after yesterday…" He trailed off, watching as Harry ran the chalk line around the room. "Is this a bit like Feng Shui, or something?"

Actually…dispersing negative energy and sending it away…yes it kind of was. "Close enough," Harry acknowledged. It was a bit similar to Mac's, in principle.

"Ok, makes sense." Jake nodded and moved to help, apparently satisfied. It was funny, everyone had an explanation they would accept for the strange things they saw. Some of those explanations were stranger than the actual cause–well, at least in Harry's eyes.

They went around the building, drawing a chalk line around the edge, Harry pushing a small amount of his power into it as they went. This would ensure that whatever direction the curse came from, it would have to cross this line when it entered the building, triggering his set up. After that, the two of them rearranged the dressing room mirrors, mostly recreating what Harry had tried the previous day. Apparently, some people had moved them around for putting on makeup and costumes or the like.

After the standing mirrors were put back in a ring, Harry and Jake drew another chalk circle around them and placed the mirror Harry had brought into the middle. "Is this supposed to shoot the bad energy out of the building? Like a chimney?" Jake asked.

Harry waved a hand in a so-so gesture. "Kind of. It's more of a return to sender setup."

"Seems a bit aggressive, dude," Jake commented.

"The sender almost killed you and Giselle," Harry pointed out.

"Point," Jake conceded. "Fuck 'em. And not in the fun way."

The two of them continued working, well, Harry did most of the work, and Jake helped when he could. The actor wasn't paying too much attention, even if he watched Harry's actions curiously. That confirmed that he wasn't involved, so his proximity to Giselle was because he tried to help, not anything else.

Bobby wandered into the room as the preparations were almost done, holding a notebook and pencil. "Jake, was looking all over the place for you, man!" He waved the notebook. "Arturo says I have to tell him a name today..." He blinked as he saw the mirror arrangement. "Uh, what're you guys doing?"

"Feng Shui," Jake replied, "Got any ideas?"

"Oh, cool." Bobby didn't look like he knew what Jake meant, but he was seemingly more relaxed than he was the day before. "How about Rocky Stone? Maybe Rack McGranite?"

What was with the rocks? "Rocky Stone's a bit redundant," Jake mused. Exactly! "And racks are more of a girl thing."

"Oh, yeah. Right."

"Pick a famous rock?" Harry suggested. "I dunno, Rocky Gibraltar or something?"

"Sounds kinda cool," Bobby muttered.

"Nah," Jake objected, "I don't think you really fit that. Should go with something nonstandard man. How about Gowan?"

"Gowan?" Bobby parotted.

"Yeah, he was a knight," Jake explained.

"Like the Round Table guys?"

"Sir Gawain, Knight of the Sun," Harry supplied.

"Uh, sounds kinda…soft, don't you think?" Bobby grumbled.

"Maybe," Jake conceded, "Stiffen it up with a heavier last name."

"The Rock?" Harry snarked.

"Gawain the Rock?" Bobby tested, "Sounds pretty good to me."

"That's cutting it a little close to copyright, I think," Jake cautioned.

"Aren't puns you guys' whole thing?" Harry countered.

"Point," Jake conceded.

"Alright, Gawain the Rock!" Bobby crowed. "Thanks man!"

There was the light padding of footsteps outside the door and Inari quickly poked her head into the room. "You found Jake, Bobby? Ooh, hi Harry!" She waved, looking much better than she had last night.

"Hey Inari," Harry waved back, glad that she and Tania seemed to have made up. "Do you need Jake for something?"

She nodded, pointing at Bobby and Jake. "Yup! Joan's looking for you two."

"Do you know what she needs?" Jake asked.

"Nope!" Inari chirped, "I'll go ask." She paused, "Do you have everything you need, Harry?"

He nodded.

"Great! Be right back." Inari left in a rush. Her footsteps were very quiet, not as silent as Tania, but it was actually a little creepy, given the twins weren't exactly tiny.

"She kinda scares me," Jake mumbled under his breath before tensing slightly and glancing over at Harry. "No offense."

"What are you talking about?" Bobby asked Jake sharply. Harry looked at him questioningly as well. Inari was actually quite a bit more dangerous than she seemed, but she was too nice to hurt anyone without serious provocation.

Jake shrugged. "I don't mean anything by it, really. It's just…" He shook his head slightly. "I've known quite a lot of girls that act like her, but she actually cares, and stuff."

Bobby rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Oh yeah, it was a little weird."

"Inari's nice like that," Harry interjected, not really understanding what they were getting at.

"Yeah, definitely," Jake agreed. "I don't mean to diss your girl, but it's just kind of weird meeting someone who isn't actually putting on an act about being nice, and also asks about a bunch of…uh…specific health problems you might have." Wait what?

Bobby winced. "Is what she said true?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah…if this job goes bad we're probably screwed in this industry, but honestly, if that happens, it'd probably be a good time to call it quits. We don't have that long of a shelf life anyways."

"Damn. Should have read the fine print," Bobby muttered.

"It's not in the print," Jake pointed out. "Not gonna lie, kid, there's a whole lotta sketchy practices in this job. It's why I decided to stick my neck out for Arturo, he doesn't do any of that crap."

Harry must have missed something. "What do you mean Inari's my girl?" Tania would kill him! Not to mention Michael and Charity!

Jake blinked, "Oh…uh. Sorry, I kind of just assumed."

"So she's single?" Bobby asked hopefully.

Harry gave him a serious look. "Her family is dangerous, best not get involved." There was a chance she'd end up accidentally killing him, and while Bobby was a bit of an ass, he didn't deserve that. Neither did Charles, for that matter.

The two actors shared a look. "I get it; you're not part of the mob," Jake drawled meaningfully. Bobby's face scrunched up in confusion. "She the boss's kid?" Jake added. "That's rough, man."

Bobby looked confused, which made Harry feel incredibly stupid because he was also lost.

"Arturo gets a bit like how you are now between girls," Jake continued, "glad that's over soon."

Harry frowned, doing his best to ignore the creeping ache from the reminder of Susan. "He getting hitched soon?" To Joan, if Inari was right.

Jake shrugged, "I dunno the specifics, but the man's got hearts floating around his head for a couple months, and he's acting like he usually does before he gets married." That would explain why Genosa seemed quite cheerful despite the setbacks. And the urgency with which the killers seemed to be moving at. The man was definitely cleverer than some people gave him credit for.

"Good to know," Harry said.

Inari popped her head into the room again, a happy look on her face. "Jake, Joan says Giselle's on the phone! Sounds like she's ok!"

"Wait, what?!" Jake rushed out of the room. Inari waved at Harry cheerfully before leaving as well.

There was an awkward moment of silence, before Bobby coughed. "Uh, so, Harry right?"

"Yes," Harry replied. "Good morning."

"Yeah, right, morning," Bobby mumbled, scratching at his face uncomfortably. "I was kind of an asshole to you yesterday. Sorry about that man."

Harry gave him a steady look, not really convinced, at least until Bobby coughed awkwardly again and offered a hand. "We cool?" he asked.

Harry blinked. People didn't usually apologize to him, especially not those of Bobby's type. "What the hell." He shook hands with the kid and shrugged. "Not a big deal." Not compared to the other crap that happened yesterday.

Bobby smiled slightly, "Cool." He blinked. "I probably should go before Joan comes and yells at me."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Don't piss off the boss lady." Bobby nodded in agreement and shuffled out of the room, leaving Harry to turn back to the arrangement and his thoughts.

More and more evidence pointed towards Raith. While the exes certainly had motive, they wouldn't have had the means. Lord Raith had means, and based on Harry and Arturo's friends' observations, the filmmaker was quite quick to fall in love. If he happened to have True Love, then he would be quite far out of direct control by the Raiths.

Though, now that he thought about it, Harry wasn't certain that this was a sure thing. There were plenty of other ways the Raiths could influence Arturo and keep him under control. There was Tania's solution of giving Arturo a branch studio for him to experiment on, though that had the issue of letting him work against their social engineering, something Tania wasn't considering. Legal challenges due to the rather questionable nature of this film's employment set up would also work. To use such blunt force was not the favored method of the White Court, not to mention relying on such sketchy help like the Evil Exes.

The sound of footsteps brought his attention back to the door.

"Alright Barry, hands where I can see them and nobody gets hurt!" Tricia Scrump stepped into the room, wearing little asides from a robe and clenching a pistol in her hands, shakily aimed vaguely in Harry's direction. "You're gonna stop doing whatever this is or I'll blow your head off."

For a moment, Harry saw red. This bitch had sold her soul to fucking Lord Raith just for a paycheck, and had killed two innocent people due to proximity because she was too incompetent to do any research! Incompetent and morally bankrupt, there was only so much Botox could fix. Compared to Tania she looked downright disgusting.

He pushed power into his shield watch instead of going for his blasting rod, standing up from the crouch he'd been in while checking the chalk circle. Tricia thrust the small handgun towards him like some sort of sexual aid, eyes wild and slightly unfocused. "I said hands where I can see them!" She demanded.

"You can't see them? Are you blind?" Harry snarked. It was usually a bad idea to mouth off at someone holding you at gunpoint, but this bitch was also putting people in danger and working with a threat to too many people Harry cared about. She also didn't look like she knew what she was doing with that gun, but Harry couldn't really risk letting her disturb the magical countermeasures, so he moved to put himself between her and the mirrors.

"Fuck you, Barry!" Tricia snarled, face twisted in an ugly snarl that highlighted just how fake her face was. "Don't fucking move or I'll shoot!"

"Just how good are you with that thing, little Miss Warlock?" Harry growled, mind racing as he tried to figure out why she was acting so overt all of a sudden. "Having performance issues while playing callgirl for Cthulu?"

"You don't know what you're dealing with," Tricia sneered, taking a step forward in what probably was supposed to be threatening. It was stupid, closing with someone you are holding at gunpoint, the heels were another.

"Huh," Harry scoffed. "So you always were this dumb." Lord Raith might actually be impotent, if he hadn't bothered enthralling Tricia…That was why Lara was targeted.

"Fuck you!" Tricia screeched. "I'll fucking do it!" There was no way he'd let them almost kill his right hand woman if they were enthralled. But why would he not? It's not like a ritual required…unless he couldn't. Huh.

"No thanks," Harry snarked back. "You can't even get any without a contract." He stepped forward, closing the gap.

"You don't know anything," Tricia sneered, but he could see fear in her eyes. "Better men than you want me."

Harry snorted. "Nah, they just want Arturo, you're nothing without him." Lord Raith could hardly care less about a random pornstar. She wouldn't even be a worthwhile toy for him. "But that's always been the case, hasn't it?"

Bang!

Tricia screamed, jerking wildly as she pulled the trigger once. "Fuck you!" Twice. "You don't know anything about me!" Harry didn't move.

He didn't need to. The first bullet didn't even hit his shield, punching a hole in the far wall, the second dug itself into the ceiling. Ok, apparently it was possible to miss at this close range.

The bimbo witch gaped, wide eyed, trying to control her trembling hands as she thrust her gun at Harry like some sort of warding gesture. "What the fuck are you?" she gasped.

Harry blinked. Was she really dumb enough not to realize she just missed horribly?

"Put the gun down before you hurt yourself," he requested evenly while taking a step forward.

"No, no, no!" Tricia pulled the trigger again while backpedaling, "Get the fuck away from me!" She actually got a bit closer this time as the bullet winged the edge of his shield.

With the sound of shattering glass, a large standing mirror crashed over Tricia's head and she dropped like a rock, small glass shards bursting away in a neat circle, hanging the mirror around her neck like a very strange bib. Inari huffed angrily as she dropped the mirror and kicked the pistol away from Tricia's limp hand, before stiffening.

"Oh no! I broke the mirror!" She exclaimed, glancing at Harry apologetically. "Did you need more?" Her eyes widened, "Did you get hit?!"

Harry shook his head, slightly dumbfounded. Yeah she and Tania were twins alright. "I'm fine, Inari, she's a terrible shot."

There was the sound of pounding feet as Jake and Bobby rushed back down the hallway. "What the hell just happened?" Bobby yelled.

The hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood on end as he felt the nauseating wave of the curse washing into the room. Dammit this better work!

Inari knelt by Tricia, checking her over. "Tricia just tried to shoot Harry!"

"What the fuck?" Jake swore. "Is that bitch behind this shit?!"

The curse swirled into the room. "Stay out of the room!" Harry barked. Jake and Bobby skidded to a stop, eyes wide. The dark magic fouled the room, like the smell of rotting flesh on Harry's senses. It coiled around the room, funneling towards the mirror circle, the sense of wrongness building like pressure in a rattled soda can as it condensed inside the ring of glass.

Then in a rush, it was gone.

The mirrors shattered as the pressure was relieved, and Harry let out a sigh of relief. Return to fucking sender!

"Should be clear," he called out.

"You bounced it back?" Inari asked as she attempted to extricate Tricia from her mirror bitch cone.

"It worked?" Jake asked, glancing around nervously.

"What worked?!" Bobby squawked.

"Harry bounced the jinx back," Inari explained.

"Seriously?!" Bobby's eyes widened. "That's metal, man!"

"We're still gonna have to call the cops," Jake muttered. "Gunfire two days in a row has gotta raise a few eyebrows."

"Here at least," Harry agreed. "There are places where they don't bother, but this isn't a usual trouble spot." He frowned. "But I've got somewhere to be." Mavra needed to die.

Again.

"Uh, isn't running from the police a bad idea?" Bobby asked.

"Harry," Inari said seriously, looking up at him with an all too familiar face. "If Tania needs help you should go. We'll deal with the police." She frowned down at Tricia. "I think she was on some pretty bad drugs."

"Shit…" Jake whispered.

"You probably want to head out one of the side doors," Inari continued, bandaging a cut on Tricia's neck from the glass. "Karolina's here from The Arcane and she's a little too excited about the story."

Harry felt a jolt at the mention of Susan's old employer, but he pushed down that feeling and nodded, striding purposefully towards the stairs. Jake trailed after him awkwardly while Bobby hovered over Inari as she checked on Tricia.

The sound of people shouting rang up the stair as Harry and Jake went down to the first floor. They sounded…happy? Harry glanced at the scene and saw the staff crowding by the entrance.

There was a sharp intake of air next to him as Jake inhaled. "Giselle?!" The shorter man took off towards the group and Harry blinked in surprise. Sure enough, the lanky woman was here, looking shockingly well considering what happened to her the day before. How in the world?!

"Hey! Hey, give her some space!" Jake called, waving the other staff member off from crowding her. The very much alive girl gave him a small, thankful smile.

As good as it was to see her on her feet again, Harry had somewhere to be, no matter how curious he was about how she had recovered so fast.

Curse blocked. Vampire hunt next. But first, he had a few questions.

♤♤♤♤
​

It was funny how much faster the police responded when Harry needed to avoid them, but he had left fast enough that he never actually saw them, even if he heard the sirens. They probably wanted him just for questioning and not any charges, but he was pressed for time.

He would have to track down Murphy at her family shindig and meet up with the rest of the team, but there was something he needed to ask Bob first, so he drove home.

There was no sign of Tania's new (old?) motorcycle, so she was still out. That was fine, she would distract Bob a little too much.

Harry reentered his apartment and clambered down into his lab, flicking on the candles with a quick word. "Hey Bob, got a couple questions I need answered."

Dim orange lights appeared in the eye sockets of Bob's skull. "I'm not saying nothing, Boss," he grouched, "not after you left me hanging like that!"

"I'm not going to kiss and tell, Bob," Harry snorted.

"You kissed!" Bob interjected indignantly. "Damn it boss! You can't just keep her for yourself like that!"

"Bob." Harry said softly.

Bob shut up.

"Go over what you found at Mavra's lair."

"I basically told you everything," Bob grumbled. "They've got the staff enthralled, but I didn't get that far in. They probably got darkhounds too."

"Darkhounds?"

"Dogs infused with a little bit of the dark power the Black Court got. Stronger, faster, don't feel pain. You know, kind of the same set up."

"And I bet you can't really take them by surprise, can you," Harry thought out loud.

"Nah," Bob agreed. "They're nasty guard dogs."

"We're gonna have to find some countermeasures for that."

"Normal anti-pup stuff probably works," Bob supplied.

Harry shook his head. "Anyways, that wasn't my main question." He frowned in thought for a bit. "I've heard of curses lasting for a long time, decades, even centuries before. How exactly are they kept running for so long?"

"What brought this on?" Bob asked.

"Trying to make sense of the curse that's getting slung at some local ladies," Harry muttered.

"Right! That totally tasteless thing," Bob muttered angrily. "I thought that one was a boom and gone kind of thing, but yeah, you can keep something running if you've got money or hooking it up to a source that's gonna last that long."

"A source," Harry repeated. "What, like a ley line?"

"That could work," Bob replied. "Pretty common for them to be anchored to a place with magic or some sort of importance. Another way is by anchoring it to people, or even family line, like that loup-garou guy."

"A family curse…" Harry murmured. "Could my mother have done something like that?"

"Sure," Bob confirmed. "She was capable enough, if what I know about her is true."

Well then.

"Good to know," Harry said. "I'll get you something for this later, Bob. Maybe one of those miniatures the Alphas are so obsessed with."

"Now you're talking!" Bob crowed. "But still…any chance you're gonna tell me–"

Harry climbed back up the ladder.

"Damn it! Worth a shot."

Back upstairs, Harry grabbed his backpack from where it had been sitting on his table. It was still filled with tools for magic and his weapons. Tania had decided to collect more ammunition for him, given the neat stack of boxes by his desk. He wasn't going to need that much!

Harry snorted and shook his head. It didn't look like it, but Tania definitely picked up quite a lot from Charity, especially the fussing over people around her part. It was kind of cute, how she always felt like she needed a justification to be nice. But Tania disliked 'one-sided transactions' almost as strongly as Fae, so she had to lie to herself.

Something tingled at his senses. Ah, about time. Harry grabbed his staff and thumped it against the ground in a deliberate staccato beat. After a moment, a tremble came back through the staff. Once. Twice. Good.

Armed for undead bear, Harry exited his townhouse and sealed the wards behind him. As he stepped outside, a weathered and venerable looking Ford truck with a Missouri plate rumbled to a halt alongside the townhouse, looking like some relic from before World War Two, though the wizard's staff on the gun rack kind of worked against that image.

The driver parked the truck and swung open the door without killing the engine. He was an old, but hale, short and stocky man dressed like a farmer in overalls, heavy work boots and a flannel shirt. His hands were rugged and scarred, with a plain steel ring on each index finger. His head was bereft of hair except a few wisps of white, while his eyes were dark and looked severely annoyed. He was much older than the truck, and probably tougher too.

"Hey there, Hoss," he snorted. "You look like ten miles of bad–"

"Cliches," Harry interrupted with a smile. The old man huffed out a short breath of laughter and offered his hand. Harry shook the proffered hand, noting the calloused strength in his hand that belied his apparent age. "It's good to see you, Sir. Things are getting a little hairy here."

Ebenezar McCoy, senior member of the White Council, all around badass wizard, guffawed like an old grandpa. "Pah! You, in over your head? The more surprising thing is you noticed this time."

"Do you need anything, maybe a drink or a snack?" Harry asked. "Must have been a long drive."

"Bah," Eb scoffed. "Old age hasn't gotten to me yet, but I'm not in the habit of drinking before a fight."

"Suit yourself," Harry shrugged. "Let's get going."

"Hop in." Ebenezer clambered back into the truck and Harry did the same, sliding his staff into the gun rack alongside his old mentor's. The old man's staff was shorter and thicker than Harry's, but the carved sigils and formulae were quite similar, and the wood looked similar, both coming from the same lighting scarred tree back on Ebenezar's property in the Ozarks. Harry settled into his seat, quickly finding an appreciation for the legroom as Ebenezer started driving again.

"Not getting enough practice with Morse, are you?" He asked after a few minutes. "I could have sworn you spelled it 'blampires' on my staff."

"I did," Harry replied. "Black Court vampires. I just shortened it."

Ebenezer made an annoyed sound rather typical of disappointed seniors. "Blampires. You young people are always in too much of a rush, shortening words like that."

"Eh," Harry grunted, "Black Court vampire takes too long, the blamps would be on you before you finished."

"Shortening the term wouldn't matter," Eb countered. "They would still be all over you even if you did."

"Why did we decide they were all vampires, anyways?" Harry asked. "Black Court are more like zombies, and White Court are more like succubi."

Ebenezer grunted noncommittally.

"Jade Court are also kind of like zombies," Harry went on. "How does any of that fit vampires? I mean, sure Dracula the book was based off of the Black Court, but White and Jade Court vamps are kinda different."

"That's just how things are," Eb grumbled. "No real sense changing it when everyone's already agreed on it."

"But why did you guys agree to it?" Harry pressed.

Ebenezer shrugged. "Believe it or not, Hoss. I'm not that old." He glanced at his student for a moment. "And what exactly's got you so interested in vampires? Didn't Petrovich tell you that research was a dead end?"

"Yeah, he did," Harry spat bitterly. "The research is useful for killing them though."

"Are you trying to be his successor?" Ebenezer asked, something more than just curiosity in his tone.

"Not really," Harry shrugged. "All I was trying had to do with Susan, at least initially. Then it became about dealing with the other types too."

Ebenezer grunted, silent for a moment, before speaking again. "So who is the problem today?"

"Mavra," Harry spat. "You know it?"

"Yes." Ebenezer replied. "Killed a friend of mine in Vermont once. Also saw a Warden file on her. They suspect it has some skill at dark sorcery and rate it as extremely dangerous."

"More than some," Harry corrected. "I think it's the equivalent of a wizard."

"What."

"I've seen it throw some heavy stuff, not to mention put up one of the best veils I've seen through. It can also do some sort of long range telephone through its minions."

His mentor frowned. "That is more than a little talent."

"Yup, and it's got it out for me." Harry shrugged. "To be fair, I've got a serious bone to pick with it too. The thing was at the Ball and helped Bianca learn magic. I owe it a taste of Hell before I send it straight there."

Ebenezer glanced at him in concern. "You're still really beat up over that, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" Harry shot back. "That mess almost killed the woman I loved, not to mention starting a Goddamn war!" He grit his teeth angrily, trying to swallow the rage boiling up in his chest like it did every time that Damn Ball came up. "This thing has taken several swings at me and people I care about," Harry said quietly. "I'm going to take away everything it cares about, then kill it."

The older man frowned, as if holding back something, before shaking his head and letting out a sigh. "I can't say I disagree that it needs to be taken down…" he paused, considering his words. "But are you sure you can keep a clear head?"

"I'll be fine," Harry assured. When it was dead.

Ebenezer didn't seem convinced, but didn't press further. "So, what's your plan?" he asked instead.

"I've got some help," Harry began. "Murphy–"

"The police girl?"

"Yeah, but don't call her a girl," Harry groaned. "At least not to her face. But yeah, her, a mercenary called Kincaid–"

"Haven't heard of him," Ebenezer grunted.

"He works for the Archive," Harry explained. "He's good at killing vampires, which is good enough for me. On that note, I've got Tania's help, and she's pretty much a bona fide rampire slayer." Never mind the fact she was eating them.

"Tania?" the old man asked. "Haven't heard of her either." He blinked. "Rampires? Really?"

"Come on, you need to get with the times, old man," Harry joked.

Ebenezer snorted. "Whatever you say, Hoss." He frowned again. "And vampire slayer? Where do you find one of those in this day and age?"

"Apparently going to school," Harry muttered. "But she's good at it, no joke. Do you remember the cooler full of rampire heads?" Ebenezer nodded. "Those were mostly her doing."

"There were what? Four or five heads in there?" the old man mused. "Pretty impressive for one person."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. She might have had help, but she had definitely taken down a few by herself, and using herself as bait was risky, but very effective

"So, where do I come in?" Ebenezer asked. "Get-away driver? Or do you want me to lock down the thing's magic?"

"Both, if you're feeling up to it, old man," Harry replied.

The old man grinned, teeth flashing wolfishly. "I've still got quite a lot of bite, Hoss."

"I don't have something to link to her though," Harry admitted. "Is that still going to work?"

"Yes," the senior council member said. He didn't elaborate. "Though it probably won't be down to nothing. I can cut off any big working, but that might still leave it enough to be dangerous."

"That's better than the alternative," Harry said. "And we are a bit pressed for time; it's already taken over a homeless shelter."

"Vampires are that way," Ebenezer said evenly, though Harry noticed his eyes narrowing and his mouth pressing into a thin line. His mentor wasn't anymore a fan of vampires than he was, which worked just fine for what they were doing.

"Thank you."

The old man shook his head. "What about her death curse?"

Harry blinked. That was a thing?!

"You've planned for that, right?"

"It can throw a death curse?!"

"Think, boy. If it's got a wizard's power, it might be able to level one at you when it goes down."

"Oh come on," Harry groused. "That's just not fair, it's already dead!"

"Life, and magic, are rarely fair," Ebenerzer said.

"Yeah," Harry muttered. "Should have thought of that. Maybe I would have if the last couple days hadn't been so hectic–didn't have time to think."

The old man grunted. "So where are we going?"

"To a mystical thing unknown to me," Harry drawled. "A family picnic."

♤♤♤♤
​

The Murphy Clan was a large one, and they had definitely staked their claim on Wolf Lake Park for the day, their cars overfilling the parking lot and spreading all across the lanes nearby. The morning rain had cleared up into sunshine, lighting up the autumn colored leaves as summer began to die. If Harry had been drunk, he might have thought the trees were on fire.

The limited seating arrangements had not dissuaded the Murphy Clan much, as they had brought along plenty of pavilions and tables to supplement the couple of dread gazebos already there. There were perhaps a dozen people grilling under the portable shade they had brought along, close enough that Harry could smell a hint of searing meat on the wind. It made his stomach rumble hungrily, but that wasn't what he was here for.

There was music playing from various places, it even looked like the family had some amateur musicians putting on a show. Someone had even brought a giant TV and hooked it up to a generator, displaying what looked like a college football game, complete with the small crowd of men outside on the grass instead of in a sports bar.

A small horde of children ran around, playing soccer, badminton and volleyball, as well as tossing enough frisbees to show up on radar, not to mention storming an oversized bouncy castle, all supervised by various adults, some looking quite harried while others looked like they were having similar amounts of fun as the kids. More children ran around randomly, followed by or chasing a small pack of dogs, filling the air with happy chatter.

It was a bit of a surreal sight to Harry. His family had never been big, and circumstances had made it…smaller, even if it turned out to be one bigger than he'd thought. Something like this…would probably never be for him. Maybe it was just not having gone to one of these himself, but looking at the scene, Harry couldn't really understand why Murphy was so eager to get out of it. It seemed nice.

He stood there for a minute, trying to find Murphy in the crowd of her relatives, but picking her out of around two hundred people wasn't that easy. The family resemblance and the constant motion didn't help. His presence also didn't go unnoticed. He probably should have thought about that earlier, but a very tall man dressed in a suit and sunglasses on a sunny day at the park just standing there kind of stuck out among the crowd of people. A few of the men by the television had turned to watch him in turn. Based on the demeanor, Harry guessed they were cops. As was family tradition.

A couple other men bringing coolers back to their pod noticed their gazes and looked over to him. The older looking one frowned, moving to set down his cooler. The younger man shook his head at the older man, before nodding at Harry. That didn't really seem to mollify the older guy, who set down the cooler anyways, scrutinizing Harry carefully as the much taller, younger man strode over towards the intruder.

On closer inspection, Harry recognized him. He was in Homicide for CPD. A distant cousin of Karrin's. Conner? Conrad? Yeah that was it. About Tania's height, but about twice as wide and built like a brick house. Harry had a good few inches on him, but between running into Conrad or a Rampire in a dark alley, Harry would prefer taking his chances with the Rampire. He could just blast the Rampire.

"Hey Dresden," Conrad called, cooler still on his shoulder. "You looking for Karrin?"

"Hey Conrad," Harry greeted him. "And yeah, mind pointing her out for me? There's too many blondes here!"

"Hah!" Conrad laughed. "No such thing! But yeah, I bet it's confusing for other people." He turned slightly and pointed over to a group of kids. "She's over there refereeing for the soccer game."

Harry followed his finger, spotting a much more organized crowd of kids kicking a ball around. He still didn't see Murphy.

After a moment of fruitless searching, he glanced back at Conrad, wondering if the surprisingly jovial homicide detective was playing a prank on him. "Over there, in the sundress." Ok, he was definitely playing him–

Harry blinked. Sure enough, Murphy was there. In a dress. A yellow dress with flowers.

What.

"I know, right?" Conrad laughed. "I keep trying to tell her that she'd have a better time dealing with the higher ups if she didn't try so hard not to look girly." He shrugged. "But you know how she is."

"I thought she was that way because they wouldn't take her seriously?" Harry pointed out.

Connor chuckled darkly, his smile sliding off his face. "Yeah, there's definitely a bit of that." He glanced back at Harry. "But woman or man, you're not gonna get too far without sucking up to the bosses, or knowing the right people."

"Didn't expect one of Chicago's finest to be so upfront about institutional corruption," Harry drawled. "Thought you guys usually stuck together."

The large man snorted. "Sure, 'cause the politicians and a lot of the civies don't really get what we have to deal with." He gave Harry a nod. "But you do. You and Karrin took down whatever the hell that thing was that ripped through half the station like wet paper." He spat on the ground. "But the politicians ain't doing shit."

Now that he thought about it, the speed at which the Loup Garou story vanished was…weird to say the least. Even in Chicago, that many policemen dying, especially in a police station, was kind of a big deal. "If you're looking for Karrin on a weekend," Conrad began carefully. "Is there another thing like that you have to deal with?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Got to say I'm a little surprised you're so willing to accept this kind of thing."

Conrad snorted. "I see dead people, Harry." He waved his fingers and widened his eyes comically, before his features settled back into a serious look. "I know there are some sick fucks out there, but I'm damn sure that not all the perps were human." He slapped Harry heartily on the back, the force of which drew a wince from the wizard. "Good luck hunting them down." He grinned.

Harry couldn't help but grin back a bit, nodding to the surprisingly helpful cop before heading towards where Karrin (in a dress!) was watching over the kids.

"Oh, by the way!" Conrad called over his shoulder on his way back towards the television. "You might want to try pretending it's a date. The suit had me confused for a bit."

"It's bulletproof," Harry shot back. Conrad just laughed.

Murphy spotted him on the way over. "Still in the suit, Harry?" She called.

"Did you expect me in a dress?" He snarked, doing his best not to stare. Seeing her in a dress was weird. Not that she couldn't pull it off, as Karrin was very fit, built like a runner with all the lithe muscle, but he'd never seen her wear anything like this before. To be fair, most of the time when they interacted she was on duty or about to deal with something nasty, which wasn't exactly appropriate times to wear a dress.

It didn't help that she worked in a very male-dominated job, especially one as known for not taking women seriously as the police department. Conrad might have a point that Murphy–wait he was a Murphy too–she might have had it easier, but Karrin was too driven to protect people to settle for a desk job. That was one of the things Harry liked about her. It also made her wearing a dress even weirder.

"I hate these things," Karrin complained, brushing at her skirt and swishing it back and forth. "Never liked them."

"Even before you were a cop?" Harry asked. "I get it's not exactly work attire, but you don't look bad."

Karrin blinked. "Are you alright Harry?" she asked. "You're being polite. It's weird."

Was it? "Not as weird as seeing you in a dress," Harry shot back.

"My mom made it for me," Karrin sighed. "I figured wearing it would make her happy." She took off her whistle and handed it to one of the older kids, promoting them to referee.

"Is he your boyfriend Auntie Karrin?" one of the kids asked, staring up at Harry wide-eyed, his height forcing the kid to crane her neck up at him.

Karrin missed a step and Harry blinked. Damn you for being right, Conrad! "No, Milly," Karrin replied (did...she sound disappointed?) "Harry isn't my boyfriend."

The kid frowned, scrunching her button nose up cutely, before shrugging and going back to the game.

"Is everyone going to think that?" Harry asked as they stepped away from the informal soccer field. It was already bad enough that people thought he and Tania were dating. He didn't want to get a reputation for two timing while not actually doing anything.

Karrin sighed. "Why'd you have to show up in the suit?"

"It's bulletproof!"

"Resistant," Murphy corrected automatically, before frowning. "Honestly, it might get my mom off my back if she does think we're dating."

"That…wouldn't that make it worse once she finds out?"

"Probably," Karrin muttered, before shaking her head. "But forget about that, what's the word?"

"Driver's here, and the plan is we'll meet Kincaid and Tania near Cabrini Green shortly," Harry replied.

Karrin mouthed something (that looked like 'Tania?') before shaking her head slightly. "Do I have time to talk to my mom? I should do that at least before leaving."

"We have some time," Harry said. "Just don't take too long."

She nodded, then gestured towards a white gazebo where it looked like an older woman that must be her mother was holding court, with a bunch of other people milling about. "Mom's over there."

"What about the other people there?" Harry asked. One was a young woman who looked pretty similar to Karrin, dressed in clothes a size or so too small.

"That's my sister, Lisa," Karrin pointed out. "The one dressed in tight…everything." Somehow, Harry knew she didn't have the excuse of being run over by the puberty train like Tania did.

The two of them attracted quite a few looks on the way there, Harry wasn't that surprised he was getting curious or suspicious glances, but Karrin was getting a few looks of her own. Most of them looked sympathetic or even pitying. That was weird. They were obvious enough Harry would have thought she'd notice, but either she was pretending not to or meeting her mom had her that concerned.

Harry felt a bit out of place. Did his dad have any extended family like this? It hadn't seemed like it. Mom probably didn't have much of one either. Wizards tended not to have large families, for whatever reason.

Karrin stepped into the gazebo and greeted her mother, an older woman who bore her age gracefully. Her blonde hair was fading to gray, and her face was lined with frown and smile marks. The two Murphys hugged, though it looked a bit awkward, like something rote. Guess Karrin hadn't been exaggerating that their relationship was a bit strained.

The whole thing reminded Harry a bit like some of the monsters holding court, just with a lot less actual intent to kill people. Were all big families like that? Or were the Murphys a little weird too?

"Hey, Mom."

"Hello Karrin. It's good to see you."

There was definitely some tension there. It seemed like the other people sensed it too. All of sudden, the area around the gazebo was vacated except for five people, Harry, Karrin, her mom, her sister, and presumably her sister's fiance, given she sat in his lap.

Harry glanced at the couple as Karrin and her mom murmured lowly to each other. The man was actually the second cooler guy. Huh, he looked middle aged, a lot older than Karrin's sister. The man looked back at him with some degree of hostility, something echoed by his fiancee for some reason. As far as he knew, the only Murphy he pissed off was Karrin.

Lisa looked a lot like Murphy, at least if Murphy had decided to try to become a barbie doll. Same blonde hair, pert nose and cornflower-blue eyes, but a lot more makeup and dressed like she was desperate for attention in a Chicago Bull's baby doll T-shirt and jean shorts trying to be spandex. She was also wearing flip-flops, of all things. Those things were pretty useless, you were better off barefoot if you needed to run. Overall, she was pretty good looking, but compared to Karrin (not to mention Tania), she looked a bit fake.

"Mom," Karrin said, turning to glance at Harry. "This is my friend Harry. Harry, this is my mother, Marion."

Harry smiled as politely as possible, stepping forward and offering her his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Ma'am."

Mother Murphy shook his hand and gave him a calculating look. Her grip was similar to Karrin's, strong and hardened by hard work despite its small size. "Pleased to meet you as well, Harry."

"And this is my baby sister, Lisa," Karrin started, turning to face her sister for the first time. "Lisa, this is–" She froze for a second, her face slackening in disbelief and the words dying on her lips. "Rich," she started again after a second, her voice tense with emotion. "What are you doing here?"

The older guy, apparently named Rich, whispered something in Lisa's ear, leading to her sliding off his lap. He stood up slowly. "Hello, Karrin. You're looking well."

"You miserable piece of shit," Murphy spat. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Karrin," Murphy's mom snapped. "There is no place for that kind of language here."

"Oh, come on!" Lisa groaned.

"I don't have to put up with that, Karrin," Rich growled, rising from his seat.

"Whoa, whoa, people!" Harry interjected, stepping forward into the middle of angry glares. "At least let me get introduced to everyone properly before the fight starts, then I'll know who to duck."

There was a moment of tense silence, before Rich snorted out a laugh and settled back down into his chair. Lisa folded her arm, and wow did she look bitchy; that glare wasn't even third rate! Murphy tensed, but that meant she wasn't actually planning on throwing the first punch.

"Thank you, Harry," Mama Murphy said, projecting her voice pointedly. She stepped over to them with a paper plate laden with a hamburger and passed it to Harry, who found himself in the unexpected role of deescalating tensions. "It's nice to have another adult present. Why don't we try getting everyone introduced, Karrin." That…was probably the first time Harry had been described like that.

Harry glanced at the burger. It had everything on it but cheese, the way he liked it. Huh, Mama Murphy was pretty impressive. Guess she was more like Inari than Tania, as the latter twin preferred a sort of trial and error in a very scientific method. Though if that was the case…

Murphy took a centering breath, then squared up next to Harry. "Alright. Introductions. Harry, this is my baby sister, Lisa." She glared daggers at the man. "And this is Rich. My second husband."

Oh dear Lord.

Karrin glared from her mom to her sister to Rich. "I know we haven't talked for a while, Mother. So let's get caught up. Mind starting with why Lisa is engaged to my ex-husband and none of you even bothered to tell me?!"

Lisa jutted her chin out like a petulant child. "It isn't my fault you're too much of a bitch to get a man to stay with you. Rich wanted an actual woman, which is why you aren't involved with him anymore. And I didn't tell you because it was none of your damned business!" she huffed.

"Isn't that a bit premature?" Harry pointed out, preempting Mama Murphy's responsive scolding. "You're not even married yet. Right now Murphy–sorry, Karrin has had Rich longer than you've had him." Lisa's face twisted into an ugly expression (not very intimidating, Inari could do better). "There's no guarantee you'll last longer," Harry went on, "and she got married younger the first time, so she's got you beat there." Murphy stared at him in bewilderment, Rich looked torn between defending his fiancee and reluctantly agreeing. Mama Murphy looked amused.

"And if you're a real woman, why are you wearing so much makeup?" Murphy didn't wear much, Susan hadn't used too much, Charity didn't, and Tania found it unnecessary (she was already way too distracting as it is).

"What the fuck do you know?" Lisa snarled, ignoring her mother's scandalized scolding. "I bet you're just sore because a girl left you for someone better!"

For a moment, Harry wondered why his sunglasses were tinted red. The shades helped cover the sudden rage, but Rich and Murphy sensed it. "Ohhh-kay," Rich said, "that's a bit too far–"

"You really don't know what you're getting into, do you?" Harry said softly. Murphy tensed. Rich tightened his grip on Lisa's arm. A speaker in the distance suddenly shrieked and popped in a staticky demise. "Rich is a cop," Harry continued, voice flat as he bit down on the seething anger at this spoiled brat. "That's a job with a much higher fatality rate than average." He nodded at Murphy. "Karrin lost her partner, and she's been through the ringer a few times herself." He turned his head towards Lisa, though still avoiding looking her in the eye. She didn't deserve that. "Are you mentally prepared, for the possibility that one day, he won't come back?"

Lisa froze, her indignant, petulant anger suddenly evaporating in the face of cold reality. "I…"

Harry snorted. "Didn't think so."

Rich shuffled his fiancee away from the gazebo, looking torn between being angry at Harry for intimidating his girl or thankful that the argument was over. Lisa didn't protest, still looking unnerved.

"Harry?" Murphy asked uncertainly. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," he replied curtly, before dipping his head apologetically towards Mama Murphy. "Sorry about that, ma'am."

The older woman shook her head slightly, giving him a sympathetic look. "Lisa should learn to watch her words." She glanced over to her other daughter. "That goes for you too, Karrin."

"Seriously?" Karrin snorted, looking a bit disturbed that Harry was being treated like the mature person in the metaphorical room.

"Karrin," intoned Mama Murphy. "For goodness' sake, you aren't children anymore!"

Harry took the opportunity to begin eating his hamburger. It was really good. Perhaps Mama Murphy would be willing to share the recipe? Maybe some other time, today was probably not a good day for that.

"That's not the main problem here, mother!" Murphy declared. "How did this happen? I thought he was supposed to be in New Orleans?!"

"He is," Mama Murphy replied, "Lisa met him at Mardi Gras, apparently he had to arrest her."

"Mother," Karrin growled. "You let her go to Mardi Gras? I had to sneak out of the house to go to the prom." Yeah, probably not the best time to ask for that.

"You know how it is," Mama Murphy shrugged. "Parents get more relaxed as they age."

"Apparently," Murphy spat bitterly, "that includes tolerating felonies like providing alcohol to a minor. She's underage for beer until next month." Maybe introducing Murphy to Tania was a bad idea…

"It's always about work, isn't it," Mama Murphy said more than asked. It sounded more like complaining about parents being unfair, but what did Harry know about that?

"Work? This has nothing to do with work," Murphy shot back. "You chewed me out for chewing gum at school and you're fine with Lisa drinking underage? Not only that, she brought back a man, one who's twice her age even?!" Murphy sounded like a lot more of a rebel when she was younger, Harry mused as he ate his hamburger, wonder what changed?

"In the first place, Dear, it isn't up to me. It's your sister's life–"

"Are you kidding me?!" Karrin snapped. "You were dead set against me joining the force, but when Lisa gets sloshed and comes back with an old man like she's a cheap whore, it's suddenly her life?!"

"That will be enough, young lady!" Mama Murphy replied sharply. "Your sister found a man who genuinely loves her–" That seemed unlikely.

Murphy and Mama Murphy blinked and looked at Harry as if they had forgotten he was there…did he say that out loud?

"Care to explain, young man?" Mama Murphy asked archly.

"It just doesn't look like it to me," Harry replied, chewing a bite of his hamburger. "They are way too invested in Karrin's opinion for it to be True Love." He swallowed.

"Oh?" Mama Murphy prodded.

"Love is patient, love is kind, love doesn't envy, doesn't boast, and isn't proud. It doesn't put others down, it isn't selfish, isn't quick to anger and doesn't keep grudges. Or something." Harry shrugged. "I don't know them that well, but I didn't see any of that."

Mama Murphy blinked. Karrin stared at him, jaw slack in disbelief.

"Who the hell are you and what have you done with Harry?" Murphy mumbled.

"I the hell am Harry! Come on, Murph, you know this already!"

Murphy snorted. "Only you could go from saying something so sappy in one sentence and then sound like a jackass in the next." Hey! Tania kind of did that sometimes (though she just sounded condescending instead of a jackass).

"They're still in the honeymoon phase," Mama Murphy deflected. "I'm sure they will sort it out in time." Harry wasn't so sure.

"Maybe." He wasn't a Raith (which had actually been a bit of a close thing, now that he thought about it) so he couldn't just check, but working for Nick Christian had given him a bit of pattern recognition for divorces.

There was a bit of an awkward silence as Harry continued eating his burger. Murphy looked like she still couldn't believe what had just happened, and Mama Murphy didn't seem like she had a good comeback to what he said.

"So, where are the boys?" Murphy asked to change the subject.

Mama Murphy rolled her eyes and nodded at the group crowded around the big television out on the grass. "They're in the huddle over there. You can hear their yelling if you listen carefully enough."

Murphy snorted. "I'm surprised Rich isn't watching the game too."

"Karrin, I know you're mad at him, but it's hardly the man's fault he wanted to start a family."

"That was just a rationalization, Mother," Murphy protested. "What he wanted was for me to stay home so that I wouldn't make him look bad at work." That… kind of sounded like a rationalization as well.

"I'm sorry you still think so low of him," the older woman sighed. "But you're being uncharitable. It's not as if he could start a family by himself. He wanted a woman willing to do that with him, and you made it clear that you weren't."

"Because that would mean giving up my job."

"Enough of our family have taken up your father's duty," Mama Murphy sighed bitterly. "You don't have to."

"I didn't become a cop because of that."

Her mother shook her head. "Karrin, all your brothers are serving, but they're also taking time to settle down. I don't want to tell you what to do with your life–"

Murphy snorted.

"–but I do want a chance to hold my grandchildren while I'm still young and strong enough to manage it. Rich wants to settle down, and your sister wants to be the woman he does it with. Is that such a bad thing?" Not really, if Rich wasn't doing it as a substitute for Karrin, and Lisa wasn't doing it to spite her sister, then again, maybe Harry was reading too much into it.

"I also can't see you flying to New Orleans every month to visit them," Murphy added.

"Of course not, dear," Mama Murphy replied. "I don't have that kind of money. Fortunately, they chose to settle down here."

Murphy gaped. Yeah…Harry was starting to see why she didn't want to come to this thing.

"Rich is getting transferred over, he'll be working for the FBI office here in Illinois." Oh, in that case, Lisa was definitely going to end up a widow.

"I don't believe this," Murphy snarled. "Was that why no one told me beforehand? So the whole thing could get thrown in my face while everyone was around?!"

"Not everything is about you, Karrin," her mother deflected primly. "I'm sure we can all be adults about this."

"Really." Murphy snarled. "Then why were you all tip-toeing around this bit of crap like a bunch of damn schoolgirls?!" She shook her head. "I can't believe Harry is the most mature person here right now." Harry was having a bit of a hard time believing it too.

"It's something that Lisa should be the one to talk to you about," Mama Mother replied pointedly. "But you know how she is about confronting you."

"She was always spineless," Murphy spat.

"Karrin," her mother chastised.

"With my ex-husband?" Karrin continued.

"Whom you divorced," Mama Murphy cut her off pointedly, even if it was with a gentle tone. "You turned him away, why should you care if he found someone who'll stay?" Again, that's kinda premature.

"I don't," Murphy objected. "But my baby sister? That's just wrong on so many levels."

"Hm," her mother hummed.

Murphy scowled, but her phone rang, cutting off whatever reply she might have made. "Excuse me." She walked off.

"Work." Mama Murphy said. "You're a private investigator, aren't you?" she asked as she turned to Harry.

"Yes, ma'am."

"I saw you on Larry Fowler."

Harry winced. "Ah."

"Is he really suing you for wrecking his studio?"

"Yeah, also his car. Had to lawyer up and everything. The lawyer said that Fowler doesn't have much of a case, but it's expensive and dragging on forever."

"The legal system works like that," Mama Murphy agreed. "I'm sorry that my daughter dragged you into our family squabble."

"I kind of volunteered," Harry replied.

"Do you regret it?"

Harry shook his head. "Not really, I've seen worse. Besides, she's had my back through a lot of stuff, Mrs. Murphy. Her job can get really dangerous, probably more than you know. Special Investigations can be worse than the rest. Karrin saves a lot of lives, and there are plenty of people who would be dead now if she hadn't been there. I'm a few of them."

Mama Murphy didn't say anything for a moment, before speaking again. "Before they established Special Investigations, the strange cases usually got handed to senior detectives in the Thirteenth Precinct. They called them black cat investigations, with the detectives being black cats."

"Huh," Harry said. "I didn't know that."

She nodded. "My husband was a black cat for twelve years."

"Murphy never told me that."

"I never told her, and she never knew her father very well," the old woman explained. "He was away a lot of the time. And he died when she was eleven."

"Oh." Maybe he shouldn't have said that. "Line of duty?"

She shook her head. "The work got to him. He…grew distant and started to drink too much. One night at his desk, he took his own life." She looked at Harry and sighed, her voice tired and sad, "You see, Harry, my Collin never talked much about it with me, but I can read between the lines. I think I have a decent idea of what my daughter has to deal with."

Huh, why didn't she ever mention that to her daughter?

"You didn't tell her about that, did you?" Harry asked. "Why not? She's good, and not just as in 'good at her job,' she sticks to her morals more than most cops in this city. There aren't many people I'd rather trust my life with." One of them was a literally honest-to-God Paladin. "It seems a bit unfair to me for you to give her a hard time with her job if you know what she's up against."

Mama Murphy's eyes sparkled, though Harry spotted a hint of sadness there too. "She thinks she's protecting me from the awful truth, Harry, when I complain about her work and she keeps things hidden from me. It makes her happy that I don't know about those dangerous things. I could never take that away from her."

Harry frowned. "I used to think that way too. But it didn't turn out well for me in the long run." Susan had been way too eager to poke her nose into the spooky side of things. "No offense, ma'am, and I don't think Karrin's going to go the way of her dad, but it can't be good for her to feel like you're never happy with her."

Mama Murphy pursed her lips, and Harry could see a rebuke being bitten back. He was kind of sticking his nose where it didn't belong, but she could see he had a point. Besides, it wasn't as if that had ever stopped him before.

Outside the gazebo, Murphy turned back to him, face drawn into an angry expression. Harry joined her promptly. That didn't look like a good sign.

"It's Kincaid," she said, lips drawn into a thin line not unlike the look on her mother's face. "He says he tried to call you and that he's scoping out the shelter. The Red Cross just showed up."

"What? Hell's bells." Did his new phone have a different number or something?

Murphy nodded grimly. "They do a blood drive every three months out of that shelter's basement, apparently."

If the Red Cross went down there, they were screwed. Worst blood drive, ever. "Well, shit."

"I'm calling it in," she said.

"Wait, no!" Harry disagreed. "What are you even going to say?"

"Terrorists in the basement, or something," she replied. "Harry, people are in danger."

"And the danger will get worse if things escalate," he shot back. "You can't just throw SWAT at blampires like the loup garou getting loose in the station!"

Murphy scowled at him, voice rising a little. "Don't tell me how to do my job." A few people began to give them surreptitious glances.

"But this isn't your job, Murph," he countered. "Didn't you agree that you would trust my judgment when I promised to explain everything I knew? That you wouldn't try to throw cops at every problem like this?"

Her face twisted angrier. "Do you think that I'm too stupid to know how to handle this?"

"I think you're too wound up already. And this family argument can't get in the way of making the right decision. Remember how it felt to get thrown in against things like this blind, and how much you hated it? Are you really going to do that to your brothers-in-arms?"

Some of her anger deflated, but she still looked mad enough to throw a swing. "What do you expect me to do?" She grit out.

Harry stared her down, even if he didn't look her directly in the eye. "I expect you to listen to the person with some experience fighting these things. I expect you to trust me the way I trusted you. Tell Kincaid to see if he can stall the Red Cross, I'll ring up Tania and we can hit Mavra right now, keep the volunteers out of danger."

The staring contest continued for a few more seconds, before Murphy sighed. "Fine," she conceded. "I'll do that. But don't think I won't kick your ass for this later. Now give me some space so you don't kill my phone again."

Harry complied, returning to the pavilion.

Mama Murphy gave him an evaluating look. "Work?"

Harry nodded.

"Quite the argument," she commented.

Harry shrugged.

"One you seem to have won."

"I'll pay for that later," Harry sighed.

"You'll both be heading out, then?"

"Yeah."

Mama Murphy glanced between him and Murphy for a moment then smiled. "Let me get you another burger before you go."

The Murphy matron collected the food, including a second burger for her daughter, handing them to Harry on a paper plate. She frowned at his hands, then looked up at his face, finding his eyes despite the sunglasses. "Will you take care of my daughter?"

Harry blinked. Oh no. No no no, why did this suddenly keep happening?! It couldn't be the suit, could it?

"Yes, ma'am. I will do my best." What else could he say?

Her blue eyes flashed fiercely, and she smiled. "Let me get you a piece of cake."

She weirdly reminded him of Tania in that moment.

♤♤♤♤
​

Murphy met Harry near the parking lot, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She took one look at Ebenezar's truck and raised an eyebrow? "Really?"

Harry shrugged, "What? Not like you can bring your own ride for this. That'd look way too suspicious."

"What does it run on? Coal?" She quipped.

"I'm not sure myself," Ebenezer drawled, stepping out of the truck. "I usually just let it roam free to catch its own dinner." He glanced at Murphy with a raised eyebrow. "You're not planning on hunting dressed like that are you?"

Murphy shook her head with a glare.

"Do you mind if she uses your truck to change?" Harry asked. "Oh and this is Karrin Murphy by the way." He gestured to the old man, "This is Ebenezer McCoy, my teacher."

Murphy glanced at Harry, then pursed her lips, no doubt noticing the shotgun or the staff in the truck. "You our driver, then?"

"As long as you don't think I'm too old, girlie," he drawled sarcastically.

"You got a driver's license? You drive around Chicago often?"

The old wizard scowled at her.

"Thought so," she snorted. "I'm driving."

"What?" Ebenezer sputtered.

"I'm driving," Karrin insisted.

Harry sighed. "Might be best to let this go, Sir. We're on a time limit."

There was a thump as Murphy dropped her gym bag and stared at Harry, mouth open.

"What?"

"Sir?" she asked incredulously.

Seriously? Harry scowled. He could be polite when he wanted to!

Murphy picked up her bag, shook her head slightly, and then changed her tone into her on-duty voice. "If you don't mind, Mister McCoy, I know the streets better, and people's lives are at stake."

Ebenezer's scowl was undermined by a slight smile. "Bah, you young people and your street signs don't make sense anyways." He opened the door. "Best get changed quickly, miss."

She was quick, reappearing at the driver side window in short order, now dressed in jeans and a protective shirt. "What are you waiting for?" Harry and the old man clambered into the truck, and Murphy took off.

She didn't quite add cop lights to the top of the truck, but Murphy drove at record pace. Some of her driving decisions may or may not have been strictly legal, and a few of the road choices almost bounced Harry's head into the roof, but the old truck held up stubbornly.

As they drove, the buildings passing by the window grew more and more dilapidated, filled with empty storefronts and signs of decay. Gang signs marked almost every exposed surface and the smell of neglect filled the air. It was not all too surprising why the vampires had chosen this place to take root.

But even here, there were people, and quite many of them at that. They moved quickly, doing their best to project confidence to avoid being marked as easy prey. Harry noticed what was probably a drug house almost immediately, as well as the aftermath of several crimes. It would not be surprising if Murphy was the only cop who had been this way anytime soon. Another reason against calling it in.

"Damn!" Murphy cursed. "I should have expected the vampires to pick a place like this. It'd be hard to get a response here. We'd be more likely to get brushed off as a prank call." She grit her teeth angrily.

"Might be for the better," Harry commented. "A basement full of vampires is going to get a bunch of cops killed."

"What about us?" Murphy shot back. "Breaching a building against a wary target is a quick way to buy the farm."

"We'll at least understand what we're dealing with," Harry countered. "Tania will have collected some holy water, not to mention a few more weapons, and hopefully Kincaid will have scouted out the building's layout."

He glanced up at the bright early autumn sun. "If we really need to we could try shedding some light on the place, though I'm pretty sure you'd like it if we reduced the property damage."

Ebenezer snorted. "About time you learned restraint, boy."

Murphy took the time to glare at him. "We are not demolishing a homeless shelter."

"Not much of a shelter now, is it?" Harry muttered, though he didn't press the idea any further.

Speaking of homeless, there were actually surprisingly few of them around. There was a rather distinct lack of anyone milling about, actually. Every person Harry saw looked and moved like they had somewhere really urgent to be.

"Things seem a bit quiet to you?" Murphy asked grimly.

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

"They've been killing," she growled.

"Maybe. Maybe not," Ebenezer cautioned.

"It could be the dark magic they exude putting everyone around here on edge," Harry explained. "It makes your skin crawl and makes you twitchy. You'll notice it if you focus on it though, that stuff kind of leaves a stain."

"Stinks," rumbled Ebenezer.

"That wouldn't explain what we aren't seeing though," Murphy pointed out. "Most of them don't really have a place to go."

"If your street corner makes you more and more nervous every day," Harry continued, "you'd probably haul ass eventually, no matter how comfortable you were there."

"So they've been here a while, then," Murphy asked in horrified realization.

"At least a few days," Harry added.

"Probably more like two week," Ebenezer grunted emphatically. "Maybe even three."

"God," Murphy cringed. "That's a scary thought."

"If they've been sticking around for so long," Harry mused, "that means Mavra has got something planned."

"So this could be a trap?"

"There'll be traps, sure," Harry replied. "Maybe not explicitly for us, but yeah."

"You could have mentioned that at breakfast," Murphy said flatly.

"No plan survives contact with the enemy, especially if they're the living dead."

"Especially if you have bad information," she shot back, pulling them into a parking garage.

"Touche," Harry conceded, before moving on. "Do you know where Kincaid is? Is he on the second floor like Tania is?"

"Yeah," Murphy answered, furrowing her eyebrows at him. "But how did you know?"

"She sent me a message," Harry replied. "Stop on this floor."

"How did she send a message?" Murphy asked. "And why stop here? Thought we were going to meet them?"

"Kincaid doesn't know Eb," Harry replied. "And he's a merc, so best not make him twitchy. Hopefully Tania hasn't freaked him out too much." Harry definitely hadn't sicced her on him. Well, at least not in the way Kincaid was thinking.

"Good call, Hoss," the old man agreed. "Good hired guns are paranoid folk."

Murphy stopped the car and stepped out. Harry followed her and the two of them walked upwards. A ways away from the truck, Harry glanced at Karrin and lowered his voice. "You're a bit nervous, aren't you?"

She glared at him, looking tempted to deny it, but she didn't lie. "Some."

"Me too. Sensible really, for this kind of thing."

"Thought I was over this," Murphy bit out. "I mean, I'm over the nightmares, but I used to be a little excited about bringing these things to justice. Don't feel like that right now."

"Justice is blind, Murph," Harry replied. "Not vindictive."

"Justice isn't afraid," she shot back.

"But there's stuff it doesn't want to touch, especially in this city."

Karrin ground her teeth. It was actually pretty impressive that she had managed to keep up such a strong faith in the justice system after so many years on the Chicago beat, to the point she could have repelled vampires with her badge once. She'd always known that there were people the Law wouldn't touch, which grated her. There being things that the Law couldn't touch really bothered her.

"Part of this feels wrong," she muttered. "I feel like I'm doing the same thing as those Feds extrajudicially killing people with those wolf belts, taking the law into my own hands."

"Doesn't look the same to me," Harry countered. "There aren't any laws against poaching vampires." Well, human laws. Harry didn't give a damn about vampire ones.

"And what about the Renfields?" Murphy shot back.

Harry winced. "They're too far gone, like rabid people."

"That didn't stop you with Susan," she pointed out.

"Susan isn't too far gone!" Harry snapped. "She's fighting vampires, maybe even as we speak. And she's fighting her own infection all the damn time!"

"Sorry," Karrin said softly. "I shouldn't have gone there."

"It's ok; you're a bit wound up." It was still a bit of a low blow.

She sighed. "I just don't know what the right thing to do is."

"To get rid of those things before they kill more people."

"Ok," Murphy sighed. "I can work with that." She didn't look that reassured.

"You know," Harry commented, "I wasn't kidding about you looking good in the dress." Maybe it would distract her.

"Really?" Murphy looked up at him curiously, managing to meet his eyes through the sunglasses

"Yeah."

The eye contact got a little close for comfort and Harry looked away first. Murphy let out a short, low laugh and squeezed his arm. "Thanks, Harry." Well, it was true. As much as the floral print didn't really fit her personality, Murphy was pretty good looking, and the dress just highlighted that.

The compliment also seemed to help get her mind out of the depressive spiral. Harry hadn't really expected women like Tania or Murphy to appreciate that kind of thing, but Murphy probably didn't get much of that to her face on the job, and Tania was…sometimes like an overly serious puppy.

Now that the two of them were more focused, they walked purposefully onto the second level of the garage. The lights were out, but they could still spot two vans parked side by side, one looking beat up and almost old enough to be an antique, marked with a Red Cross, while the other was a nondescript white rental van.

Next to the vans was parked a familiar motorcycle, lit up by the midday sun shining into the garage. Leaning against the motorcycle, hair gleaming silver in the sunlight, was an even more familiar figure.

"Quite impressive driving," Tania commented, uncrossing her legs in a non-exaggerated way that still managed to be distracting. She had changed out her more casual clothes for combat boots, tactical pants and one of Frau de Rossi's bullet resistant shirts. She was still wearing her UChicago jacket. Made sense, she'd had Harry work a lot of enchantments into it.

"Thanks…?" Murphy trailed off, staring at Tania with a conflicted expression on her face.

"Ah! Where are my manners?" the taller motorcyclist said apologetically, striding over to the pair and offering a hand to Karrin with a professional smile. "I am Tania Raith, a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Murphy."

Murphy looked at the proffered hand for a moment before shaking. "Karrin Murphy," she introduced herself. "And please don't call me Ms. Murphy, that's my little sister. You Thomas's sister?"

"Very well, Karrin," Tania acknowledged, taking her hand back. "And that is correct. I look forward to working with you. I have heard good reports of your professionalism."

"That's…good?" Karrin replied. "Nice bike," she blurted, apparently a bit off balance. Yeah, Tania could be like that a lot of the time.

"It is quite pleasant to ride," Tania agreed. "Not to mention the reduced difficulty of finding places to park it."

"See what I mean, Murph?" Harry joked. "Some women like motorcycles, maybe 'cause they're like giant vibrators."

"Don't be absurd," Tania shot back. "They would not fit, though at least one of my sisters has tried."

Harry choked, and Murphy froze mid eye roll, her gaze slowly aligning back on Tania, who stood there as if she had said nothing out of the ordinary.

"Is…your sister alright?" Karrin asked carefully.

"No," Tania replied. "But not for that reason. She was merely slightly disappointed."

There was a low chuckle from the rental van as Kincaid stepped out of the side door. "I was going to ask if we were going to chatter all day, but where the hell did you find this one?" He jerked a thumb at Tania.

"At my office," Harry deadpanned.

He snorted. "Whatever. Don't tell me you walked here, you'd never have made it on time."

"Wheelman's here," Harry responded. "He's coming up in an old Ford truck in a minute. Just wanted to give you a heads up."

"My associate should likewise be here shortly," Tania added.

Kincaid glanced at the ramp and nodded. "Fine. What new information do we know?"

Harry frowned. "Direct assault is going to be tough, since they're holed up in the basement. The vamps are probably sleeping, but they've got minions, and could be pulling an all nighter."

"The building layout is not a stronghold," Tania commented, pulling a drawing of the floorplan out of her backpack and smoothing it flat against Kincaid's van. "But it is still an enclosed space with physically superior enemies."

"Kicking in the front door would be suicide," Kincaid noted, looking vaguely impressed that Tania managed to find blueprints on such short notice.

"Any solutions?" Harry prompted.

"Blow up the building," Kincaid said, still examining the map. "That works good for vampires. Soak whatever's left in gasoline. Set it on fire and blow it up again."

"I was hoping for a suggestion that didn't sound like it came from that Bolshevik muppet," Harry said flatly.

"A Bolshevik is liable to accidentally set themselves on fire, then label fire an enemy of the state," Tania snorted.

Kincaid grunted, whether in annoyance or agreement, Harry wasn't quite sure.

"So where did the Red Cross guys go?" Harry asked, glancing at the inactive van.

"I killed and dismembered them," Kincaid said.

Harry and Murphy blinked. Tania frowned.

Kincaid stared at them for a second. "That was a joke."

"Ah," Tania said. "I hadn't smelled any blood."

"Right…" Harry continued. "Sorry, where did they actually go?"

"On their lunch break," Kincaid replied. "They seemed to have gotten the idea that I was a cop and that they would interfere with a sting if they went into the shelter. I gave them a hundred bucks and told them to go get lunch."

"They believed you?" Murphy asked.

"They somehow got the impression I had a badge."

Murphy narrowed her eyes at him. "That's illegal."

"These individuals must be from out of town," Tania observed, "if they believed that there would be police in this neighborhood."

"Good thing, then," Kincaid said, digging around in the van. "And I'm sorry I offend your sensibilities, Lieutenant. Next time I'll just let them walk in and get killed. I added the hundred to your bill, Dresden." He threw a dark jacket with a Red Cross logo on the shoulder at Murphy, a baseball cap followed shortly. "Put these on, it might just let us get close enough to get the drop on them."

"That seems unlikely," Tania noted. "Though it would at least reduce civilian attention." She glanced at her motorcycle helmet. "I am unsure whether I will draw less attention with the helmet on or off."

"Yeah, you kind of stand out," Harry snarked.

Murphy and Kincaid rolled their eyes. "Indeed," Tania replied. Karrin's eyes bugged out and she glanced between Tania and Harry.

"Helmet," Kincaid declared, putting on another jacket, draping it over his ballistic armor and small armory of guns. "People remember a pretty face longer."

"Where did you get all these jackets?" Karrin asked, as the sound of Ebenezer's truck came from downstairs.

"Presumably he procured them from the Red Cross employees," Tania noted. "Without violence, given the lack of blood."

"Something like that," Kincaid said, turning to give Harry a look. "More importantly, did you think of a way to shut down Mavra's sorcery?"

"Yeah," Harry answered. "Our wheelman's got that handled."

"You sure?

"Deadly. Here he comes."

Kincaid watched the battered old truck roll over to them with a skeptical eye. "Who is he, exactly?"

Ebenezer stopped the truck next to them. "So, Hoss," he called out of the window. "Who is this hired gun?"

The old man and the mercenary saw one another and stared at each other, something around ten paces apart. Time stopped in a tense second–

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Everyone's heads snapped to the side as Cleph de Rossi stepped from behind a pillar that Harry was absolutely sure he hadn't been hiding behind earlier.

"The Hellhound and the Blackstaff," the red mustached man drawled, tipping his hat. "You must really want this Black ashed, wizard."

Ebenezer and Kincaid went for their guns.

---

 

[Dark as Silver]

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Everyone's heads snapped to the side as Cleph de Rossi stepped from behind a pillar that Harry was absolutely sure he hadn't been hiding behind earlier.

"The Hellhound and the Blackstaff," the red mustached man drawled, tipping his hat. "You must really want this Black ashed, wizard."

Click to shrink...

One rarely exploited weakness of the White Court is their OCD need for theatrics.

 

[WrandmWaffles]

Into the Breach
​

Kincaid was faster, one of his guns appearing in his hand almost as if it teleported there. Before he could bring it to bear on the old wizard, bolts of green light flashed from a simple steel ring on Ebenezer's right hand. There was a rush of vertigo and tense energy in the air as the pistol was ripped from Kincaid's hand and sent skittering across the parking garage floor. The other bolt struck a wall as the professor sidestepped faster than the blink of an eye. He made no move to draw a weapon.

Harry staggered slightly. Kincaid recovered before he did, producing a second gun from under the Red Cross jacket. Ebenezer glared down at Kincaid along the barrel of his shotgun, both barrels aimed squarely at the mercenary's head.

"What the hell?!" Harry blurted, throwing himself between them, powering up his rotating shield. Now Kincaid's gun was aimed at his spine and Ebenezer's shotgun was pointed at his throat. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Hoss," Ebenezer snarled, "you don't know what you're dealing with. Get down." But he made no move to fire; he wouldn't shoot Harry.

"Lose the guns," Harry countered. "We're here for a job."

"That sounds like a bad move to me, Dresden," Kincaid commented blandly, voice no different than it had been at breakfast. "No offense."

"I told you," Ebenezer declared, voice cold and full of terrible wrath. "I told you if I ever saw you again, I'd kill you."

"Which is one reason you haven't seen me," Kincaid answered. "There's no point to this. The kid's in the crossfire, not what either of us want."

"You expect me to believe you care a whit about him?" Ebenezer snarled.

"Half a whit, maybe," Kincaid drawled. "I sort of like him. Plus he's paying me, so there's no profit in killing him."

"Put the damned guns down!" Harry shouted. "And stop talking like I'm not here!"

There was a rumbling laugh from the side, emanating from Cleph de Rossi, who now leaned against the same pillar, an amused look on his face. "I was told that the younger Dresden was as infuriating as his mother, and here he is acting more your age." His eyes gleamed silver. "How immature of you two old men." Tania, why did you have to get his help?

"Don't think I'm done with you, Lobsterman," Ebenezer growled. His gaze never wavered from Kincaid. "Hoss, what the hell are you doing getting the White Court involved?!"

"These Black Court have assaulted me and my family," Tania explained. "As such, I would prefer to see them removed as threats."

There was a beat as Ebenezer's eyes widened, then narrowed into murderous slits. Harry had never seen the old man so angry at him, and he didn't even know what he did! "Hoss, why the hell is there a Raith here?" The words came out quietly through clenched teeth.

"She just told you," Harry replied cautiously.

"You don't know what you're getting into, Hoss. These are monsters."

"We're all monsters here," de Rossi interjected snidely. "Even the human."

"Empty words, Barbarossa," Ebenezer snarled. Harry's eyes widened as he felt magic charge the air again. "For all your pretending, you'll never be human."

The red mustached man snorted, seemingly unperturbed. "What do you know of being human, Blackstaff? Living so detached from their society?"

"I am not a leech like you, Lobsterman," the old wizard snarled, snapping his shotgun towards the White Court vampire. Kincaid tensed, but did nothing as Harry pointedly remained in his way. "I don't feed on innocent people."

The professor narrowed his eyes. "No, you just kill them," he said softly. "Your body count far surpasses mine." He smiled grimly, the ends of his mustache curling upwards in a way that looked weirdly sinister. "I've been through a human lifetime of war, but I would need nuclear codes to match your record."

What in the world was he talking about?! Killing people like that would be a violation of the laws of magic! Something Ebenezer had drilled into Harry's head. Wait, the White Court were liars–

"Nice work at Casaverde, by the way," Kincaid added. "Russian satellite for Archangel. Very measured response."

Ebenezer growled at Kincaid. "After Istanbul, you don't get to talk."

"I haven't talked to you since," Kincaid muttered.

"Come now," de Rossi said amiably, empty hands raised placatingly, even as the old wizard aimed a shotgun at him. "Surely there is no need for violence–"

"I know what you did at Dachau," Ebenezer spat. "Right piece of work you are."

"A pack of ghouls and a few Skavis killed by their victims?" de Rossi asked rhetorically. "My, I did not expect the Blackstaff to feel sympathy for them, of all creatures."

Harry froze. Kincaid was no pushover, and de Rossi was a Whamp. Eb was a dangerous wizard–on the senior council no less–but this was more than that.

"Don't act like you had nothing to do with that whole war!" Ebenezer roared, hand tensing on his shotgun. "Wherever there's smoke, there's a red beard."

"Ah, but was it not Kemmler that caused the most devastation?" the professor shot back. "We may pretend to be human, but at least we don't pretend to be better than we are."

"Kemmler was one man–"

"Again, one wizard proves so dangerous."

The old wizard stilled, but even Harry could sense his boiling rage.

"As fascinating as this dominance display is," Tania interjected mildly. "We are here for a task, one that does not involve killing each other."

Murphy snorted softly as the men's eyes snapped to the tall woman, whose cold, blue eyes burned from inside her motorcycle helmet like the hot edge of a gas fire.

"I will not fall for your tricks, Raith," Ebenezer spat, looking tempted to turn his gun on her.

"I am saving my strength for when it's truly needed; I have no need of such tricks." she returned, giving the professor an arch look. "Unlike some."

"I am much the same," Cleph replied, face turned up into a sideways smirk.

"What's stopping you from stabbing us all in the back?" the old wizard snarled. "You are allied to the Black Court."

"And dear Lara Raith ruined them," the professor replied lightly. "Believe it or not," he continued with a smirk, "your survival is in our best interests."

Ebenezer growled like a mad dog, his anger almost tangible as the rage roused his magic.

"Goddammit!" Harry yelled, waving his arms in frustration. "Can't we all just act our age?! Or at least agree that the turbozombies need to be made un-undead?!"

His mentor took a deep breath, curbing his emotions, at least for now. Kincaid snorted, but did not say anything. Murphy glanced at Harry with an odd look on her face, while Tania seemed lost in thought.

"If I did that, wouldn't I be dead?" Cleph guffawed.

"Laugh all you like, Lobsterman," Ebenezer snorted, "I'm not giving you the satisfaction."

"And here I thought high spirits were conducive to mortal magic!" the older whampire said.

"Are you quite done?" Tania asked archly, crossing her arms under her bust. "You are interrupting the briefing."

"Yes," de Rossi replied, face smoothing over into neutrality. "Do go on."

"Can I trust everyone to behave?" Harry asked carefully, eying the infuriating professor, who nodded.

"Didn't think I'd ever get lectured by you," Eb sighed.

Harry turned to Kincaid expectantly. "Yasuh," the mercenary drawled, "I will not argue with the hypocrites." Harry glared at him. "Yes, we'll get along just dandy as long as your money talks."

"This is hardly the place to misbehave; there are more appropriate locations." Tania observed drily, drawing a few scrutinizing looks from everyone else for some reason.

"Right," Harry began again. "Now that we have finished with the dick measuring, back on topic."

He looked at Ebenezer, staring at the old man searchingly, trying to look him in the eye. "Eb here can shut down, or at least cut down on Mavra's magic." His mentor nodded, but avoided eye contact.

"If we take a look at the floor plan," Harry continued, gesturing to the blueprints as Tania propped it up on the van window, "the back entrance is probably a no go." Too cramped.

"Bad sightlines for us," Cleph commented, "great spot for an ambush."

"Fighting a Black Court hand to hand is a losing proposition," Tania agreed, "though shouldn't they be asleep? It is midday."

"It is possible for them to stay up at odd hours," Ebenezer countered.

"Not to mention Darkhounds," Kincaid muttered.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "They most likely have their murder mutts on hand, so sneaking up on them is probably not going to happen."

"Could anti-canine tricks work on them?" Karrin asked, looking both more and less comfortable at the meeting getting back on track. It was a more familiar setting for her, but with stuff and enemies she didn't understand that well, which probably made things a bit unsettling for her.

"A bit," Cleph replied. "Strong smells can cover our scent, maybe disorient them, but they're tough enough that it wouldn't put them down for long."

"Your wife has managed to aerosolize holy water," Tania said conversationally, as if that wasn't probably some kind of sacrilege. "Would that be helpful in combating the darkhounds?"

There was a beat as the rest of the group stared at her, about as perplexed as Harry.

The de Rossi recovered first, snorting in amusement. "Of course she did." He shook his head fondly. "So vindictive."

"Not sure that'll be too useful against the darkhounds," Kincaid answered, "but that'll be a bitch for the vampires, as long as they don't move."

"Perhaps useful as area denial, then?" Tania returned. "How about putting them down in their sleep?"

"Pretty sure we won't be able to get close enough without waking them," Harry pointed out. "Not like we can just toss one of those right into their bedroom, right?" He gestured to the center sections of the basement on the blueprint. "Assuming they're holed up somewhere here."

"Perhaps not…" Tania mused, adopting her distracting thinking pose. Murphy glanced between her and Harry again. What?!

"Kincaid," Tania called, "did you notice if the shelter has its air conditioning active?"

"Pretty sure I heard a condenser running," the mercenary replied. Damn, his hearing must be really good…or perhaps supernatural.

"In that case," Tania continued, "placing one near an intake vent would help circulate the aerosolized holy water into the basement."

"Discriminate gas weapons," Cleph smirked. "Will wonders never cease?"

"Are you sure that will work?" Ebenezer asked through gritted teeth. "I would have thought the blessing would fade if you changed its purpose."

"Priests placing blessing upon weapons of war is nothing new," Tania replied with a shrug.

"Could be risky," Kincaid added, "mist will block sightlines."

"Aren't gas weapons against the Geneva convention?" Murphy interjected.

"We are not at war," de Rossi laughed, earning a glare from the cop.

"The Black Court is not protected by the Geneva convention," Kincaid drawled.

"The Geneva Gas Protocol does not prohibit the use of gaseous weaponry against non-ratifying members," Tania explained. "Not to mention that holy water is not a poisonous or asphyxiating gas. It is perfectly harmless for humans, perhaps more akin to a less effective smoke grenade."

"I think that goes against the spirit of the rules," Murphy groused.

"Convicting based on the 'spirit' of the law is just one form of arbitrary tyranny," Tania shot back.

"Don't lecture me on laws! I'm a police officer!" Karrin narrowed her eyes at the vampire.

Tania raised an eyebrow in response. "Well then you should understand perfectly, as the same protocol does not prohibit the use of said gaseous weaponry domestically, hence why you and your brethren are free to deploy it against riotous citizenry."

Murphy grit her teeth, but was forced to concede the point.

The professor snorted. "Ah yes, gentlemen and powdered ladies making laws for something they do not understand. As if they would not be the first to break those rules for their own benefit."

"Of course a vampire disdains human law," Ebenezer growled.

"It isn't as if you wizards pay too much heed to them either," Cleph shot back.

"Is it true that Wardens have not had a cost of living adjustment since 1959?" Tania asked, genuinely curious. "That seems awfully imprudent, not to mention illegal in most countries."

"What?" the old wizard sputtered.

"You cannot expect your fighting force to be willing to risk life and limb without proper compensation!" she continued, flipping into lecture mode, arms crossed and hips cocked pointedly. It was an effective pose for keeping attention.

"The Wardens are more than simple paid thugs," Ebenezer shot back. Harry honestly wasn't that convinced.

"Be that as it may," Tania replied lightly, a skeptical look on her face, "an army requires resources, thuggish or not. I hope for your sake, and that of mankind's, that the Wardens are as modernized as their pay is not."

Harry felt a shiver down his spine. Given how insidious the Red Court infiltration of human society was, and how up to date they were on human affairs, Tania was probably onto something there. But it was off topic.

"Tania," Harry called, cutting off his mentor's angry rebuttal. "Kill Mavra now, discuss unionizing Wardens later."

She blushed prettily, ducking her head contritely. "Ah, my apologies. I was carried away." A sex vampire should not be this cute!

"About modern weapons," Kincaid segued rather sharply, "how about this?" He pulled a sawed-off shotgun from his van. "Great for close quarters work. What do you think, resident police lady?" He offered it to Murphy.

Karrin eyed the shotgun suspiciously. "This is an illegal weapon."

"The Right to Bear Arms shall not be infringed," Tania countered, producing her own fancy revolver briefly, beforing reholstering it. Kincaid whistled appreciatively, while Murphy narrowed her eyes.

"Well-regulated militia," the cop returned.

"Justification, not a condition," Tania waved off.

"Law means less than it ought to in this city," Professor de Rossi commented idly, polishing a Thompson submachine gun he had suddenly produced from somewhere (he was really going with the mafia image).

Murphy sucked in a breath, looking ready to combust in righteous legal fury, before letting it out slowly, trying to calm herself down. With a grimace, she glanced towards the homeless shelter, maybe thinking about the very much illegal activity of the Black Court vampires, before letting out a sigh. "I better not get recognized," she muttered.

"Now you're speaking our language, lieutenant," the professor teased. "Would you like to borrow my hat?"

"This will suffice," Murphy grit out, slamming the baseball cap onto her head, eyes flashing with annoyance.

"What have you got up your sleeve?" Harry asked Kincaid, who was rummaging around in his van.

The mercenary pulled out his weapon, and contrary to his earlier comment, it was a throwback, a five foot long spear made of matte black metal. It was designed like a boar spear, with a cross-brace below the wide head. There was a protruding cap on its butt, with a similar protrusion near the base of the blade.

"It's vampire season," Harry quipped in his best Elmer Fudd voice.

"It really is, isn't it?" Tania muttered to the side.

Kincaid smiled savagely. "Sometimes the classics are terribly useful."

"Aye, I can drink to that," de Rossi agreed.

Harry thumped his staff on the ground. "Seconded." He did have some new tricks up his sleeve though.

Murphy frowed. "I thought fighting these vampires hand to hand would be suicide? Shouldn't you also use a shotgun?"

"Can't impale a charging vamp on a shotgun," Kincaid countered. "This'll stop 'em in their tracks." He did something to the spear, and a flashlight clicked on inside one of the bulges near the head. He tapped the other bulge. "Not to mention the incendiary rounds tied up here. Pressure activated."

"A flaming spear," Tania commented. "How droll."

"It seems we are quite well armed," de Rossi commented. "Even the wizard, though that could be true even if he had no arms left." That…was a compliment?

"That pistol enough?" Kincaid asked Tania. "High caliber, but still a handgun."

Tania pulled out a bullet from one of her pockets. Kincaid raised an eyebrow while Ebenezer narrowed his eyes at it. "Enchanted for additional stopping power," Tania explained. "Perks of being friends with a helpful wizard."

Murphy sighed. "Explosive rounds? Are we checking off a list?"

"Here's something that'll be less offensive to our good lady cop," Kincaid snorted, throwing a ring of garlic bulbs around his neck. He tossed another one to Murphy, then reached back into his van, producing a paintball gun and handing it to Harry.

Harry took it and looked it over. He hadn't gone paintballing with the Carpenter kids that often, but he knew enough to use one. "What's the mix? Blessed vodka or something?"

Kincaid blinked. "Now that is an idea." He shook his head. "No, garlic and holy water."

"Another discriminate weapon," Tania mused. "Certainly very useful." She licked her pink lips and curled them into a teasing smirk as she glanced over at Harry. "No offense meant, but your marksmanship could use some work, and this nullifies the friendly fire issue on your end."

"Hey!" Harry objected. "I use the range sometimes!"

"To test your magic, mostly," Tania countered.

"Point," Harry conceded. Why were Murphy and Ebenezer looking at him like that?

"Whatever the case," de Rossi said, steering the conversation back on track. "The Hellhound can take point with his spear, followed by Ms. Murphy then by our lovely Raith. Dresden and I will take the rear."

"If we see a Renfield, I'll drop flat," Kincaid added. "Gunners deal with them." He eyed Cleph carefully. "Don't even think about friendly fire, old man."

The professor smiled. "I can clean with a broom properly, just ask my wife."

"Can you play the Chicago piano?" Harry joked.

"Most certainly," the whamp grinned.

"Dresden can set up a shield if necessary," Tania noted, "not to mention evocation. Though why are you taking up the rear, professor?"

"I'm the most resilient here," he replied, "so I can handle the rearguard better if they get around us." He lifted his submachine gun. "Not to mention I have superior rate of fire."

"If I see a vamp," Kincaid continued, "I'll crouch and pin its charge. Rest of you light it up. We can probably take one down the hard way if we stay alert."

"If we are flanked," Cleph added, "can I depend on you for a barrier, Dresden?" He looked at Harry carefully.

"Sure thing," Harry responded. He thumped his staff on the ground. "Might be able to stop the charge another way too."

"As long as you are quick enough," the professor cautioned.

"If any of them get close, are you able to square up with one long enough to give us time to react?" Kincaid asked the two whamps.

"Of course," Tania replied quickly. Cleph smiled and nodded.

"If things go south, stay together and get back out. McCoy should have the truck out front and ready in line of sight to the door."

"I will," Ebenezer agreed through grit teeth.

"Well then, anymore questions?" Kincaid asked.

"Why do they sell hot dogs in packages of ten but hot dog buns in packages of eight?" Harry asked.

"To increase sales," Tania answered with no hesitation, short circuiting everyone else's glares.

"Damn marketers," Harry shook his head, holding his paintball gun in his right hand and his staff in his left.

"Let's go."

♤♤♤♤​

Harry drove the Red Cross van to the shelter, parking it right in front of the entrance. "Kincaid, Murphy, can you get the bystanders to clear out?" he asked. "They'll recognize me for sure, probably Tania too. Dunno about you though, Cleph."

"Likely," the male whamp hedged.

"How do you expect us to pull that off?" Kincaid asked.

"Up to you," Harry shot back. "What was the response time around here again, Murphy?"

"Officially six minutes, but this is gang country, so it will probably be more like ten to fifteen minutes. Maybe more," the wayward cop replied with mixed feelings.

"So we've got six or seven minutes to clear out after someone phones the fuzz about gunfire and rabid dogs," Harry summarized. "The longer it takes for the police to get here, the better for us, so get them out as calmly and quietly as possible Kincaid. By talking, preferably."

"No problem," Kincaid replied, leaning his spear against the dashboard.

"Clear out for decontamination?" Tania offered, voice slightly muffled by her motorcycle helmet. "Perhaps a fire alarm?"

The mercenary grunted, maybe in agreement, before getting out of the van and heading into the building. Murphy followed, keeping her weapon down by her side and out of sight as much as she could.

"Wait one minute, then we move in anyways," Harry instructed, beginning a count in his head. Cleph and Tania nodded, holding their weapons loosely, but at the ready.

At forty two, several haggard looking men and women stumbled out of the building. Some were beat down physically, but most of them just looked tired of life. They hadn't realized how close it had been to ending.

"Don't worry 'bout it, it shouldn't take long," Kincaid consoled one of the evicted people in a deliberately cheerful voice, whilst mimicking a Chicago accent well enough to avoid too much scrutiny. "Probably just a faulty detector. As soon as we get the gas company guys to check if it's safe we'll get set up and make sure everyone gets paid. No more than an hour, tops."

"Where is Bill?" one of the women demanded. "Bill is the man from the Red Cross. You aren't Bill."

"He's on vacation," Kincaid lied smoothly, a false smile plastered over his face. His eyes remained uncaring as he opened the van door and Cleph handed him his spear. The woman saw the weapon and hurried away, making no further complaints. The others followed suit, scattering like startled animals, though without the usual noises of distress. People here were too used to violence to draw attention to themselves; they knew no help was coming.

The rest of the group went inside, Kincaid and de Rossi backing into the building and closing the doors behind them. The reception area looked more like the security room of a prison, with heavy doors and a guard station behind heavy bars, a sadly common sight in the more violent parts of the city. The door was propped open with a chair, and through it Harry spotted Karrin watching over a group of people milling about a growth of out-of-place cubicles set up for the blood drive, her shotgun leveled at the placid occupants.

They should have been afraid, or at least nervous, but they just stood there zombie-like, eyes vacant, with blank expressions on their faces, not reacting to anything even as Harry and Tania walked up to stand next to the cop. "Harry," Murphy called, sounding unsettled, "Kincaid said not to let them out until you've figured out if they are dangerous."

"They feel nothing," Tania observed uncomfortably, her usually measured voice hitching slightly.

"Yeah," Harry couldn't sense emotions the same way she could, but it was obvious that these people had been enthralled. He didn't like the idea of leaving defenseless thralls in the line of fire, but it was better than letting a Renfield loose behind them. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. Examining the victims of the Black Court using the Sight was nowhere near his list of top things to do, but they didn't have time for anything else.

He opened his eyes and his Sight, looking at the first person in line.

A shudder ran through Harry's body, and he couldn't help but think of sheep being led to slaughter. The right preparations, and the sheep won't resist, even as the knife was drawn along its throat and it bled out slowly, any concern at the smell of blood pushed away by the shepherd's comforting hand. It never fights back, never reacts to its ongoing demise, still and unmoving long before it finally dies.

That's what he Saw in the enthralled people. They stood there calmly, relaxed, with not a thought in their heads. Like sheep, they'd been made docile somehow, not struggling or fleeing, kept for whatever benefit their lives would provide. Eventually they would have been taken for food. They were defenseless and beaten, blood soaking into their clothing as they lay still under the hand of something more powerful than they were.

Silent, dying like sheep. Five of them.

The sixth was a Renfield.

At first glance, they looked like the others, a burly middle-aged man in a blue oxford shirt, but in an instant that image crumbled, replaced with something even more unnatural. His face was twisted and deformed, muscles bulging, veins pumping black ichor and quivering with unholy power. There was a band of writhing, vile energy cinched around his throat like an animal's collar–the dark magic that had enslaved him

His eyes were worse.

They were empty, gouged out by something with tiny, razor-sharp claws. There was nothing in his gaze. Just an unending darkness so deep and terrible that Harry's breath froze in his lungs and words died in his throat.

Before what he saw fully registered, the thing had already charged him with a feral shriek. Harry shouted in surprise and backpedaled, throwing up his staff to defend himself–

There was a booming sound like a peal of thunder, a tongue of fire flashing over the Renfield, causing it to stumble. Harry glanced towards its source.

An angel, blazing with righteous fury and savage strength, eyes alight with azure fire, a flaming sword in her hands. Her once whites robes were smudged with smoke and blood and filth, but the original color was still visible in some places. She bled from a half a dozen wounds, and her face was drawn against the terrible pain.

Murphy.

She brandished her sword at the Renfield, the person now deformed into a muscle bound monster, but it was unfazed, batting the weapon from her hands–

There was a crashing sound as something smashed the Renfield into the ground.

Another angelic figure stood over the monster, but unlike Murphy, Tania looked like a statue given life, head to toe made of pale, white stone glowing a faint silver. Like Murphy, she was hurt, cracks running up and down her bare marble flesh, oozing crimson metallic blood. The same blood stained what remained of her once silver wings, tarnishing their luster into rust, red flecks flaking off and falling to the earth like plucked feathers. A deep gouge had been ripped into her stomach, crumbled away like a limestone statue eaten away by acidic rain. Black manacles wrapped around her wrists, ankles and throat, but the chains attached to them were broken, severed cleanly as if with an impossiblyb sharp sword, the smooth cuts glowing a light golden silver. A crown of ugly silver knives wreathed her head, driven into her skull, drawing more blood that flowed down her face, streaming past the blindfold cinched around her head, the only piece of clothing on her uncannily beautiful form.

It could not hide the sickly gold fire in her eyes, which blazed all the brighter as she tore jagged shards from her crown and drove them into the Renfields joints, staking it to the ground repeatedly, all the while a harshly beautiful snarl twisted her hauntingly alluring features into something mad.

But what captured Harry's attention was the cruel, dark iron stake driven through her chest and out her back, loose gears and springs falling out around it like blood from an impaled heart. No one should be able survive such a wound, but she still stood defiant, her violent motions sending the chain attached to the spike whipping outwards like a lash.

Harry instinctively reached for it as it snapped towards him, unsure of what compelled him. Somehow, he caught the end of it, and the dark iron peeled away into silvery metal before dissolving into motes of light.

He blinked, shutting off his Sight. And all he saw was Tania crouched over the Renfield, pinning it to the ground as it twitched violently, its limbs flopping bonelessly against the floor.

"Huh," Kincaid grunted, "you weren't kidding about her takedowns."

"Will he live?" Murphy asked Tania, an unnerved quaver in her voice.

"For however much it's worth," the taller woman replied, frowning down at the subdued Renfield. "Such a waste."

"Stay sharp!" the professor barked, sweeping his gun over the lobby area. "But I do have to agree, this is crude and wasteful." He shrugged. "But what can you expect of the Black Court?"

Harry shook his head, trying to clear away the unease from what he Saw. He would never forget it, but he couldn't afford to let it distract him at the moment. "What are we going to do with them?" he asked, gesturing to the rest of the thralls.

"Can they recover?" Murphy asked.

"In time, maybe," Cleph offered, "but not on a useful timeframe for us."

"Like drug addicts," Kincaid explained curtly.

"Perhaps we should herd them outside?" Tania suggested, eyes scanning the room through her motorcycle helmet. "If we leave them here they might get in the way of our escape."

"If they just stand around like this," Murphy grimaced, "the police that show up might overreact. They're not going to comply, are they?"

"It still would be better if they were outside when this building inevitably catches fire," the professor noted.

"I thought we agreed that we weren't burning down the homeless shelter!" Karrin glared at him.

"Just a suggestion," Cleph deflected, "if the current trend holds." He glanced meaningfully at Harry.

Hey!

"Alright," Harry sighed, "Kincaid, Hatman, get them out. We'll hold the fort."

"Aye, aye," the professor tipped his hat, looking amused at the nickname, before helping Kincaid direct the thralls outside.

Tania stalked around the lobby, her footsteps not making a sound, even in combat boots. She slid her visor up with one hand, the other holding her pistol steady. "This vent should pull air into the basement," she pointed to a grate on the wall, before pulling a canister out of one of her pant pockets. "Shall I?"

"Probably best to wait until we're ready to head down," Harry cautioned. "Don't want to give them too much time to react."

In the meantime, Murphy had checked the security room. "The basement cameras can't pick up anything with the lights off," she reported. "Damn vampires."

"In that case, kill the cameras," Tania suggested, nodding at Harry.

"Right," Harry pulled together a bit of his magic, intent on shorting out the security system.

"Isn't that going to tip them off?" Murphy asked. "Also feels weird acting like criminals," she muttered.

"Evidence." Tania countered.

"The vampires also already know we're here," Harry replied.

"...Fine," Murphy conceded, looking like she had sucked on a lemon. Of all the people here, she'd be the one getting into the most trouble if she was recognized.

"Hexus." The camera recorder popped and died.

Kincaid and de Rossi returned, sans the enthralled people. "SIPs secured," the professor reported, "well, as much as thralls can be."

"SIPs?" Tania asked, bemused.

"Somewhat Important Person."

Harry snorted.

"Now the civies are out of the way," Kincaid drawled, "are we going in? Or are we hoping the vampires die of old age?"

"Shall we?" Tania asked, palming her Holy Hand Grenade.

"One sec," Harry cautioned, approaching the door to the basement and running his hand close to, but not touching the frame. He did not feel any power. "Doesn't look like the door's warded," he announced.

Harry turned and grinned at Tania. "Payback time," he growled.

She pulled the pin, popped the vent open, and dropped the grenade down the vent.

Thunk. Hiss!

Kincaid kicked open the door to the basement and descended the stairs, the light at the end of his spear clicking on, partly illuminating the dark stairwell. Murphy followed him, then Tania.

Then it was Harry's turn, and he focused some of his will into his pentacle, casting the back of Tania's jacket in a silvery glow. The phoenix on her back beamed silver in response. Harry closed one eye to avoid being blinded.

Cleph brought up the rear, and if Harry hadn't been able to see his shadow cast down by the ground floor lights, he might have forgotten the professor was there at all with how silent his movements were (even Tania's clothes would have made some noise).

They were halfway down the stairs when the screams started.

Harry flinched, surprised by the sudden sound. Murphy also shifted uncomfortably. The other three were unfazed (just what had made Tania so hardened?)

By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs the screams had devolved into panicked retching, inhuman shrieks turning into the sounds like gas escaping corpses. Harry smirked. A fortress could turn into a deathtrap easy enough. It was too bad he could not watch Mavra's children burn–no, they were too cunning. This would probably not put all of them down, if any.

It was still a bit of poetic justice.

There was nothing waiting for them as they exited the stairway, just a dark empty room, stained with age, neglect and abuse, not unlike some of the people who had been staying here. Bits of trash and dirt littered the area, piling up in corners, probably shoved there by staff too apathetic to really properly clean. The musty smell did it no favors either.

"Clear," Murphy barked, not seeing any immediate threats. She tried the light switch by the stairs. It did nothing. The darkness and atmosphere, not to mention the pained groaning sounding from down the hallway, would have reminded Harry of a horror movie, but he knew what was making those sounds, and they deserved every last bit of suffering.

"Sounds like it worked," Tania commented.

"Unless they're faking it," Kincaid muttered, spear sweeping cautiously in front of him, casting light in a wide cone.

"Can't be," de Rossi whispered, "I can hear their flesh melting. But this won't down them permanently, not if they are more than freshly raised."

"Were it so easy," Tania sighed. She pointed to the closet near the stairs. "Hostages. At least five. I can sense their fear." Were it so easy indeed.

"Definitely a trap," Cleph declared, Tommy gun at the ready.

"Yeah," Kincaid agreed. "We should leave them there, get 'em out after we put down the vampires."

"We can't just leave them there!" Harry objected. The closet couldn't be that big…Hell's Bells.

"We aren't," Tania noted–

"We have to at least check on the kids," Harry cut her off.

Murphy tensed. "Damn! You're right, gotta be, with a closet that small," she spat.

"How unnecessarily cruel," Tania grit out.

"Very clearly a trap," de Rossi reiterated, scanning the otherwise empty room they were in. "Wizard, are there any veils?"

Harry reached out with his senses, searching for any traces of magic. He found nothing, not even on the closet door. "I don't sense anything," he replied with a shake of his head. "There's no ward on the closet either."

"Cover me," Kincaid ordered, approaching the closet. Tania and Murphy formed up next to him, weapons trained on the door. Harry tensed, pointing his paintball gun in that general direction. While he had protested Tania's quip about his marksmanship, he was actually quite glad he couldn't accidentally hurt any of them. Cleph trained his gun on the hallway, eyes glimmering silver in the dark.

The mercenary stepped lightly to the door, spear in hand, cocking his head so his ear was almost against the dirty white wood. Apparently satisfied, he grabbed the door handle and threw the door open, his spear at the ready in a blink of an eye.

But there was no need. No threat came from inside the closet. Instead, half a dozen children shrank away from the light on the spear. They were chained by the wrists and ankles to the wall, covered in filth and looked both miserable and terrible.

"Hell's Bells," Harry growled, as Murphy sucked in a breath. The holy water grenade was nowhere near enough retribution. Mavra was going to pay.

Kincaid and Tania raised their hands simultaneously to call for a stop. "There's a mine," Tania reported. Of course the bastard would! "Laser tripwire," Kincaid reported, "we step in and everyone in the closet goes bye bye."

"Unusually modern for the Black Court," the professor observed, still on overwatch. "Clever bitch."

"Stay against the wall! We'll get you out," Harry tried to reassure the children. They did as he said, though he wasn't sure if it was fear or whether they actually believed him. "Can we disable the mine?" he asked Kincaid quietly. "It's not one where you can put pressure on it or something, is it?"

"No," Kincaid snorted. "This isn't a World War Two mine."

"I could hex it and short it out," Harry suggested, but Kincaid made a disapproving voice.

"No, cut the signal, it goes off."

"So what are our options?" Tania asked. "Do you know how to disable the mine?"

"Leaving out the Bolshevik muppet solutions," Kincaid replied cautiously, "I could still do it but there's no way I'm getting over there without setting off the tripwire."

Tania was silent for a moment, staring at the doorway. "Yes, I see, you would not be able to fit between the lasers."

"I'm skinnier," Harry observed, "maybe I could try?"

Tania laughed lightly, "No, Harry. You are quite large. It would be too tight a fit." Murphy coughed, probably because of the smell.

"What about you then?" Harry returned.

She shook her head. "I could try, but my chest would complicate things." Oh, yeah that makes sense.

"I'll do it," Karrin volunteered. She was the smallest of their group.

"Whole thing's a bad idea," Cleph cut in, still eying the corridor warily. "I can hear them being quiet," he said. "They're probably waiting for someone to set it off or be busy trying to disarm it so they can rush us."

"We can't just leave them here!" Murphy exclaimed. "Not with the mine. That has to be dealt with at least."

"We aren't going to leave them," Tania reassured. "But we cannot save them if we get ourselves killed."

"Murphy's right," Harry countered. "We have to at least get rid of the mine, or else they'll be in danger."

"The vampires are the main danger," Tania argued. "The children are restrained so they cannot set off the mine, which helps deter the vampires as much as us. They are as secure as we could hope for at the moment."

"Tania," Harry sighed. She had a point, but it didn't sit right with him to leave the kids without helping them.

She sighed. "I suppose drawing them down this hallway also suits our purposes, not to mention ensuring the vampires won't hurt them further."

"True," Cleph agreed. "Better than trying to fight them in their coffin room."

"They did this because they knew you would want to save them," Kincaid growled. "This will play right into their hands." He glanced down the hallway carefully. "If we play on their terms, we're fucked."

"Then we do not," Tania replied, drawing another grenade from one of her pockets. "We have a way of forcing them to come to us, or attempt fleeing through other means."

"You have more of those?" Harry asked, face breaking into a savage grin. "Knew I could count on you."
"What did you expect?" Tania asked with an amused tilt of the head. "You were the one who requested Father Forthill bless a five-gallon jug."

The professor snorted, but composed himself nearly instantly. "That will hurt the vampires, but won't affect the Renfields much."

"Without the vampires to guide them, how effective are the Renfields?" Tania asked.

"Still dangerous," Kincaid answered. "Though not directed, so easier to deal with," he conceded.

"Did you see a receiver on the mine?" Cleph asked. "Won't matter if they can detonate it remotely, or just bull past us."

Kincaid shook his head.

"Surely the mine would at least injure a Black Court?" Tania inquired skeptically.

"Sure," the mercenary drawled, "but killing the hostages might just be worth the spite for them."

"Then we seal them in," Harry declared softly. "Toss the holy air fresheners, then I block the hallway with a shield." He grinned. "Lock them in a little gas chamber."

"Using old enemies' tactics against new ones?" Cleph muttered. "Might work."

"I like that idea," Kincaid commented, "less risk to us."

"Still, stay sharp," the professor cautioned. "They are not stupid and they have ears."

As if on cue, something shifted in the shadows at the end of the hallway–

"Contact front!" The world's loudest typewriter sounded in Harry's ears as de Rossi opened fire with his Tommy gun, the flash of gunfire shedding light on the crumpling form of a darkhound.

Tania hurled her grenade down the hall, holy water mist trailing after it, the droplets reflecting the flash of gunfire.

Kincaid placed himself next to Harry, spear at the ready. Two more grenades followed the first. "Get the shield up Dresden!" the mercenary yelled.

Harry blinked the stars out of his eyes, ears ringing from the sound of gunfire, but complied. He let his anger boil to the surface, stroking the rage to fuel his magic as he pumped will into his shield bracelet and thrust out his left hand, tossing his staff to his right hand.

"Munio!" A translucent blue barrier formed in place in front of him and Kincaid, sealing off the rest of the basement, the aerosolized holy water contained by the wall.

He winced as something slammed violently into the shield with a growl. The sounds of vampires in pain began again, and Harry smiled, throwing more of himself into the shield as several other things rammed into it.

It did not give.

An impossible wind roared from within, sending the mist hurtling back towards them, but it could not fully bypass the barrier. The wind broke against Harry's will and was funneled back into the darkness, taking the holy mist with it. The screams grew in intensity.

The sound of pounding feet–

Pain lanced through Harry's head as a blamp smashed its face into the shield, exposed flesh boiling away in the blessed air, alight with silver fire. It's mutilated jaw hung open, letting out a rasping groan as it slammed itself into the barrier again and again, undead lungs too damaged to scream.

"Fuck, that's ugly," Kincaid muttered, still tensed in anticipation of the shield failing.

It wasn't pretty, but it sure was satisfying. A part of Harry felt giddy, and he laughed. Laughed at the disintegrating vampire as it finally collapsed. The darkhounds continued their fruitless attempts, weakening themselves as they broke themselves against the barrier.

Another vampire ran into the shield, this one lacking the strength for more than a few blows.

A third one didn't even make it to the barrier.

"Shit!" Kincaid cursed, peering into the darkness with more acuity than humanly possible. "Mavra's awake!"

"Indeed, little lapdog," the thing's voice grated on Harry's ears, strangely loud in the sudden quiet as the darkhounds slunk away. Uh-oh. "I must say, your viciousness impresses me," Mavra continued, a small gust circling around her and pushing the mist away from her. "Though I wonder how you handle your preferred weapon used against you?"

Kincaid backpedaled suddenly. "Flamethrowers!"

Harry blinked, finally spotting the blue flicker of pilot lights–

Twin streams of fire cascaded over his shield and the temperature in the hallway suddenly spiked. Harry's shield was excellent at stopping physical objects, it even turned back the fire.

But it did not stop the heat.

Harry screamed in pain and fury as his hand burned. It wanted to play with fire?!

He channeled the agony and threw every bit of will he had into his shield, sending it rocketing forwards away from him and slamming into the Renfields holding the flamethrowers–

When did he end up on the ground?

Harry blinked up at the ceiling groggily–

The shield!

He tried to sit up but only managed to lift his head.

The hallway was burned and on fire and it was not his fault. The charred remains of the Renfields were scattered across the floor and walls. Someone was pulling him back–Tania?

"Stay with me!" Her voice tickled his ears. Ok. That sounded good.

A darkhound leapt through the flaming hallway, only to be struck with a hail of bullets, falling to the ground, its head separated from its body. The gunfire was kind of quiet, weird. Or maybe it was just the ringing in his ears drowning everything else out.

A brute of a man charged through the flames, only to impale himself onto Kincaid's spear, his ax swinging wildly over the mercenary's head. There was a flash of fire and the incendiaries set the Renfield alight.

Tania slipped something into his mouth and he bit down on it reflexively. It tasted metallic–

A rush of energy filled him like a shot of adrenaline and Harry sucked in a breath, almost swallowing the metal strip.

Ow.

His hearing returned gradually and he blinked his vision back into clarity, buoyed by the sudden influx of life energy, just in time to see Kincaid hurling the burning Renfield into one of the fires.

The flamethrower tanks must have exploded. That explained the pain. He looked down and cringed as agony exploded across his exposed skin. His left hand was badly charred and the smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils.

He tried to ask if the vampires were dead, but he couldn't manage more than a pained grunt.

"Three blacks, four dogs, four Renfields down," Tania reported, her voice oddly clear despite the ringing. How many more were there?!

From down the hallway, Mavra stepped into the red glow cast by the burning fuel. It was wearing the same tattered renaissance dress and hefting a large ax in one hand. Flames flickered in its dead eyes as it raised the ax.

"Kill them all!"

Two more Renfields charged out of the smoke, guns blazing.

Kincaid staggered, dropping his spear but drawing two guns in the same motion and returning fire.

Gunfire sounded from behind Harry as Cleph and Murphy let loose themselves.

Tania dropped into a crouch, setting Harry down with one hand while her pistol roared in the other.

As tough as they were, the Renfield on the left collapsed under the weight of fire, its head falling separate from the rest of its body, its face a red ruin. The one Tania shot no longer had a head.

With a frustrated cry, Mavra wound up and hurled the ax, sending it whirling end over end at Harry.

Tania leapt out of her crouch, shooting forward in a mesmerizingly sinuous motion and catching the ax midair, following its momentum into a spin, before sending it flying back towards the sender.

Before she could steady herself, another darkhound was on her, leaping from behind one of the fires. The impact knocked her to the ground, the hound's jaw snapping violently on air as Tania shoved it away from her throat.

Damn it Harry! Move!

He struggled into a crouch, gritting his teeth at the pain.

Bang!

The darkhound jerked as Murphy unloaded her shotgun into it, blasting away flesh and bone from the canine skull.

Taking advantage of the opening, Tania dragged the darkhound off of her and slammed it into the ground.

Murphy blasted its head apart with another shot.

Mavra lunged from the shadows. Murphy turned, but too slow–

Harry fired the paintball gun still clutched in his right hand wildly. Somehow, the stream of paintballs impacted the vampire square in the chest, bursting in a spray of garlic and holy water. And Stars and Stones did it work. Harry's eyes boggled as the toy gun ripped through Mavra's chest like a fire hose through paper, stopping the charging vampire dead–

Murphy blew its head off.

The re-dead corpse collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, and there was a moment of sudden quiet, punctured only by the sound of fire.

"Can I keep it?" Wait, no! He was getting distracted. "We–" Harry coughed, throat dry. "Gotta get the kids out before the fire gets worse."

"Firstly, is that all of them?" Tania asked around a metal strip of her own, eyes glowing an attractive silver in the dark.

"The leader is down," Cleph commented, reloading his gun. "And I can't hear anything else but the fire." He stared at the metal strip in Tania's mouth with an odd look in his own silvery eyes.

"I also cannot detect any more hostiles," Tania mused, kicking Mavra's corpse. "But this is not the one that attacked me last night." She gestured to the other three piles vaguely human shaped scorch marks on the floor. "Nor was it any of them."

Harry felt a chill run down his spine. "Are you saying Mavra got away?" he asked softly through grit teeth.

"Canny old bitch," Kincaid muttered. "If she could do the talk through minions trick, she might never have been here to begin with."

"They were acting rather blatantly," Cleph observed. "A blood drive? That's something I would do!"

"Fuck!" Harry cursed, slamming his staff on the floor. It would pay. One day. He glared at the destroyed corpses of part of her scourge. At least they took care of them.

"We need to get the kids, then get out of here," Murphy interjected. "Theorize about the vampire puppet thing later, someone's definitely called 911 by now."

"Let the bomb squad handle the mine," Kincaid grunted, staunching his chest wound with duct tape (wait what?)

"They would not notice the infrared lasers," Cleph cautioned. "And it might be best if the Hellhound and I confirm the basement is clear." He eyed Harry's injury skeptically. "See if you can come up with a way to handle the mine. You're in no shape to fight."

Harry nodded absently, slumping against the wall and leaning on his staff. "Ok. Yeah. Ow." He glanced at Kincaid, who was walking off getting shot much better than a normal human would be.

The mercenary snorted. "I agree with the Lobsterman. Don't feel too bad, Wizard. That shield saved our hides."

The two old hitmen stalked forward through the fires, Kincaid leading with his spear and de Rossi covering him.

"Damn unfair," Murphy sighed as they faded from view, "being able to shoot like that."

"It was an impressive degree of precision," Tania agreed. She shook her head. "But how can we disarm the mine? I don't believe any of us has experience with such explosives."

Murphy shook her head. "I can crawl under the laser," she offered with a slight grimace. "I am the smallest one here."

"Aside from the children," Tania replied. "But we can hardly expect them to disarm the mine."

"They are shackled to the wall," Karrin pointed out.

Tania paused in thought. She turned to look at Harry, then frowned.

"How is the pain?" she asked, crouching down to inspect his wounds. "You will probably have to visit the hospital after this."

"My God!" Murphy exclaimed. "Your hand!"

Harry glanced down and fought down the urge to puke at the sight of his hand. Angry red burns covered the entirety of his left hand, making it look more like boiled meat than living flesh. "Hell's Bells."

"The shield blocked physical objects, but not heat," Tania observed.

"Yeah," Harry gasped out. "Gotta get that fixed."

"Is that really a priority right now?" Murphy asked carefully.

"No, you're right," Harry sighed. "Don't think crawling under the laser is a great idea."

"Then we will need a method to manipulate it at a distance," Tania concluded.

"Can you do that?" Karrin asked Harry. "I know you can throw things around."

He shook his head. "I don't have that level of precision, especially not now."

"Could you project a shield around the mine?" Tania theorized. "Set it off and contain the explosion?" She cocked her head thoughtfully. "Or perhaps try hexing it thoroughly."

"Wouldn't that set it off?" Harry asked, remembering what Kincaid said.

"Quite possibly," Tania replied. "Unless you could also disable the trigger mechanism."

"I think the shield is the best bet," Harry groaned. "Not sure if I'm up for it though. Shaping the shield around the mine would be a bit tricky even if my everything didn't hurt."

"At least your tongue appears to have come out intact," Tania observed with a slight smile. "I would sorely miss it if you lost it."

"Heh," Harry chuckled. "Glad you approve."

"If you aren't up for it," Karrin cut in, an annoyed edge to her voice, "then I'll crawl under the laser."

"It would be best if you simply lay flat and someone slid you through," Tania suggested. "That would keep you as low to the ground and as flat as possible, with less chance of accidentally triggering the mine."

"Do we know if Murphy can get through?" Harry asked. "We can't exactly see the laser."

"I can estimate where they are, if I try hard enough," Tania replied. "But I agree with the professor that it is risky." She handed Harry another metal strip. If he was going to try a shield, then he would probably need the boost.

"What exactly are those?" Murphy asked, eyeing Tania suspiciously.

"Storage for life energy," Tania answered smoothly. "It allows me to recover from injuries, and keeps a normal human going, not unlike stimulants such as coffee."

"What's the catch?" Karrin shot back.

"Tastes a bit stale for me," Tania explained. "For Harry, it will be like a caffeine crash."

"Quite an ingenious bit of magic there," Cleph observed, he and Kincaid reappearing out of the shadows. The professor's eyes looked distant. "Could do a lot of good."

"The Blamps are dealt with," Kincaid declared. "Found four coffins, and four sets of remains." He grinned toothily. "That mist really did a number on them."

"My wife is ever so clever," de Rossi smirked.

"Given your wife's a merchant of death, got any ideas how to deal with mine now the other trap is dealt with?" Harry asked.

"Quickly if possible," Murphy snapped. "We're still on a timer."

The professor took his fedora off with one hand and fanned himself for a moment. "What about a magic circle?" He suggested. "That would allow you to anchor a shield around it, or perhaps age it to oblivion."

That…wasn't a bad idea, actually. Why was it that he was getting so many good magic ideas from the White Court?

"Sure," Kincaid scoffed. "Doesn't change the problem of getting past the tripwires. Once we do that, might as well just disarm the thing normally. I can walk you through the process."

Tania hummed. "Dresden is quite good at enchanting rope," she noted, giving Harry a thoughtful look. "Could you close a circle using a wire or something of the sort?"

"Might work," Harry mused. "Might not be the best for a shield though." Seriously, what did he say? Why was everyone else looking at him weird again?

"Could you use that circle to drop the mine into the NeverNever?" Cleph suggested.

"Less risk to us," Kincaid shrugged.

"Sounds like a plan," Harry said.

Harry fished some wire out of his backpack, poured some of his will into it, and snaked a section across the floor with his magic, closing a circle around the mine. Then with a flicker of a portal, the mine was gone.

That done, Harry slumped, the exertion of the day sapping the strength out of him, not to mention the lack of sleep (as oddly refreshing as it had been). Tania helped steady him while Murphy freed the terrified children. Despite their obvious fear, none of them made a sound. Harry tried not to think about that.

"Hmm, I've heard tales of your skills," Cleph commented, "but I still find myself impressed."

"That shield, plus the mist," Kincaid added, something like caution in his eyes. "Haven't really seen a wizard cut loose quite like that before."

"Yes, it was very impressive," Tania agreed, a pleased lilt to her voice that Harry couldn't help but feel flattered by. "Just do try not to wear yourself out so much."

"No promises," Harry scoffed.

Kincaid and de Rossi shared an unreadable look.

"What should we do with the kids?" Murphy asked, a few of the children hiding behind her.

"St. Mary's," Harry replied. "Father Forthill will have a better idea of what to do."

"That one is a dangerous man," Cleph observed. "Though a dutiful one."

"Alright," Karrin started. "Let's get out of this basement before more things catch fire."

Ebenezer met them outside the shelter, eying Tania and de Rossi suspiciously. His eyes widened at the sight of the children and Harry's burns. "We need to get you to the hospital."

Harry shook his head. "We need to get the kids to St. Mary's and Father Forthill."

His old mentor nodded. "I know of him. Good man." He and Murphy began loading the petrified kids onto the back of the truck, setting them down on a thermal blanket and placing another one over top of them.

Harry stumbled as pain lanced through his wounds, but Tania caught him before he could fall. "You do need medical attention," she hissed. "Let the others get the children to safety."

"Tania, I'm fine!" Harry lied. "Get them to safety first."

Kincaid exited the shelter, dressed in workman's clothes with a half-filled garbage bag thrown over his shoulder.

"As I see it, the contract is done. You satisfied with this?" He eyed Harry speculatively.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Should have specified Mavra herself, but we've cleared out the threat for now."

"You are too generous," Tania groused.

"He can be generous to my bank account," Kincaid rolled his eyes, handing Harry a business card. It had an account number and a sizable bill. Yeowch. He eyed Harry's injuries and then glanced at Tania. "I'm not in a rush. Get the money to me by next Tuesday, and we'll be square." He turned away, then paused, glancing over his shoulder. "You can keep the paintball gun, gratis. Consider it a gift for tanking a fireball."

He got in his van and left.

Eb and Murphy finished loading the kids into the truck, and Harry stumbled over towards them, shrugging off Tania's attempt to help. He had his pride, damn it!

As he leaned against the truck, Tania fished her phone out of her pocket. She glanced at the number and raised an eyebrow before picking it up.

"Hello Karolina."

The person on the other end of the line shouted something and Tania's eyes widened in horror.

"Inari was what?!"

---

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

Alright. All caught up over here. Now to wait for the migration to SV!

*Watches everyone go to QQ instead.*

 

[WrandmWaffles]

Interlude: Freedom Oppress​

August 2004

Karolina Ostrów hadn't really considered becoming a journalist when she was younger. It was a job that her family held in thinly-veiled contempt, calling them propagandists or just mouthpieces for the state. Growing up, Karolina had realized that in the US, journalists did actually speak against the state fairly openly, so there was some real freedom there, but there were still things they refused to talk about. It seemed to her that most were just the mouthpiece for whatever ideology they were a part of instead of just for the state; they all read their lines a little too well for her to believe they were as capable of the independent thinking as they claimed they were.

Interning at The Midwestern Arcane for the summer had changed that assumption, but not really for the better. It turned out that a tabloid was about as questionable internally as its headlines were publicly. Even so, it had been an…interesting experience so far, even if she had applied while drunk (why did they hire her?). Since the Arcane was a newspaper mostly printing articles about paranormal nonsense, most of the people working there either complained constantly while waiting for their next paycheck, or were extremely strange and actually believed what they were peddling.

Most of her coworkers were relatively pleasant in general, once you got past the whining, but a lot of them were prone to fits of rage, especially about how no one reputable would hire them after working for this kind of paper. Karolina did not really understand that, why wouldn't other newspapers want to hire people with clear experience in making shit up? That was their whole point, wasn't it? At least that's what the boss said.

The boss was really weird. First of all, he looked a bit like an attempted Elvis impersonator, probably going through more hair gel than Karolina could reasonably buy. He also seemed to actually enjoy when people argued with him, and not just because he liked to argue. Screaming fits that would get you fired anywhere else would just get a laugh. One person even got a raise out of it.

Probably the weirdest thing was that the boss was in a constant argument with the editors about letting the writers publish very strange articles as long as they had proper sources or labeled their piece as wild speculation, something about Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Speech. Karolina had never seen an executive argue in favor of one of his employees writing a blatantly insulting article about him, especially after breaking the punching bag he kept in his office over it. As weird as that was, Karolina definitely approved. Being able to take criticism, not to mention keeping controlled after such a low blow, was a sign of a respectable leader. The inability to stomach criticism was often a sign of being unfit for office whether because of moral failings or incompetence.

To make matters worse, he was also uncomfortably handsome. With slicked back black hair, very expressive green eyes and a face and body that looked like one of those Roman statues come to life, he was very easy on the eyes. That alone might be what was keeping some of the employees at the paper. Jayden was pretty good-looking, but John Joseph Jenkinsen was on a whole different level. It was honestly a little unnerving, how good he looked. Funny that that was the thing that bothered Karolina most about her boss, and not his constant cursing.

That did unnerve some of the other employees though, like Sally, one of the paper's reporters, who was scared enough that she had jumped at the opportunity to foist delivering her ideas to Jenkinsen onto the intern. Karolina, not knowing any better, had delivered the forms for her. After that, a lot of people in the office had decided to saddle the intern with extraneous paperwork.

And as inexperienced as she had been, it turned out that entry-level work didn't actually require much in the way of special skills. Fetching things for the permanent employees and filing paperwork just required being a functioning human. Helping them collect and source information or even helping them write their articles did take some skill though.

Karolina had assumed that more native speakers of English wouldn't need much help writing their own language, but it turned out that even they had trouble keeping track of the inconsistent grammar. Funnily enough, she felt her English had actually improved faster doing this than taking classes, and she was the one being paid for this. Her dad was right, cursing helped you learn.

Great, now her coworkers' ranting habits were rubbing off on her. Karolina shook her head as she reached the door to Jenkinsen's office. She paused as she heard the sound of his wheezing laughter through the door, slightly muffled. Looks like he was in a meeting. But not a serious one, since he was laughing. Probably. It was sometimes hard to tell with him. Well, she needed to get him this paperwork anyways, so Karolina shrugged and knocked on the door.

"Door's unlocked!" Jenkinsen shouted. "Just like it always is!" Supposedly because he had nothing to hide, which was probably just implying that he wasn't dumb enough to keep anything incriminating or particularly valuable in his work office.

Karolina shouldered her way into the door, shuffling awkwardly to avoid spilling the stupid papers all over the floor.

"Oh, and who is this?" a soft, sexy voice breathed, sounding like one of those camera whores popular in various movies. "I don't believe I've seen this cute little thing around here before." Karolina glanced up from the stack of papers in her arms and glared at the new person, before blinking in surprise.

Jenkinsen was a bit too handsome, but whoever this woman was, she was uncanny. Her hair was a pleasant sandy brown, about shoulder length and left loosely framing her face. Her skin was pale and perfect, without a blemish in sight, and her body definitely looked like it came off of one of the big-name actresses, though for some reason Karolina was sure that cosmetic surgery hadn't made this one. As if flaunting her really weirdly perfect beauty, this woman was dressed in a tight-fitting red sweater that barely reached her legs and had a cut out to expose half her chest, complemented by long dark boots with notable heels, one crossed over the other where she sat primly in a guest chair. To top it all off, pale blue eyes flickered impishly with amusement at the interruption. The only people Karolina knew that could match her were Tania or Inari, and they probably wouldn't wear that. Now that she thought about it, the twins were pretty uncannily pretty too, but she'd just gotten used to it.

"Uh…sorry boss, didn't realize you had a callgirl over," Karolina blurted.

"I'm not here for that kind of business," the woman purred, a slight smirk twisting her pink-painted lips. "Though if John is interested in an encounter of that sort…" she eyed her host meaningfully. Karolina wasn't entirely sure if it was teasing or serious.

"It's what everyone would assume anyways," Jenkinsen shrugged, leaning back in his chair, arms folded behind his head. "Could even pretend it was 'consulting' or something, maybe even count it as a business expense!" He grinned, not deterred at all by the other woman's rolled eyes or Karolina's obvious confusion.

The possible call girl sniffed haughtily, tilting her nose up in disdain. "I am not a commodity," she scoffed.

"Of course! You're a luxury," Jenkinsen shot back with a shit-eating grin.

The woman groaned, making a sound that would probably distract Jayden for about ten minutes, rubbing the bridge of her nose with a few delicate and expertly manicured fingers. "Why do I subject myself to your presence?" she grumbled rhetorically.

"I can leave if you two want to continue flirting," Karolina interjected. "I can bring the paperwork later."

"Oh," the possibly-a-whore laughed, "but I always love an audience." While she wouldn't describe herself as a prude, that was just a bit weird for Karolina.

It must have shown on her face, as Jenkinsen laughed uproariously. "Cat got your tongue, Polack?" he snickered. "Come on! I expected a lot more grouching from you."

"What the hell did you want me to say?" Karolina growled. "Shut up and kiss?!"

"Now, now," the woman drawled, "Let's not be too hasty here."

"There you go!" Jenkinsen crowed. "See, I told you I found an interesting intern!" He gestured for her to hand him the stack of papers. Karolina dumped them unceremoniously on his desk.

"One with quite a fetching accent," the annoying and still-not-introduced occupant of the room commented. "I like it." Bitch!

"Karolina," Jenkinsen said, flipping through one page after another, "meet Eileen Dover." He gestured towards his guest. "A not well-known but quite influential mover and shaker."

That couldn't possibly be her real name. Karolina strode over to her boss and dumped the stack of papers on his desk, narrowing her eyes at the woman.

"Believe it or not," Jenkinsen drawled, "she doesn't work in porn."

Ms Dover snorted, nose in the air. "Of course not! I would not subject myself to such tawdry work."

"Though she does have some connections in that industry," the boss noted, narrowing his eyes at one particular piece of paper. "Speaking of which…" He waved it at the two of them. "Looks like Sally's caught on to the same thing you were talking about 'Lean Dover."

"Oh, 'twas nothing," Eileen dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I already had a finger on this pulse months ago."

"What exactly are you getting out of this?" Karolina asked. "Why do you want whatever story this is about to get out?"

"Why, a lady must keep some secrets," Dover smirked, looking smug for no good reason.

"Bah! Ladies don't exist in this country!" Jenkinsen scoffed. "At least not officially. There's no nobility allowed here!"

Eileen snorted, "I'm sure I could convince someone otherwise, but that is neither here nor there."

"Are you going to get to the Goddamn point?! Or are you just trying to mess with me?" Karolina groused.

"Yes!" Jenkinsen declared unhelpfully, sliding a piece of paper over to her and tapping on it. "Sally and Eileen both heard about this poor cursed porn film attempt. Thought it might have been just an excuse to visit a porn set, but check this out!" He pointed out a particular line. "They actually hired an honest to God wizard!"

"My, my," Ms. Dover tittered. "That must be so scandalizing for the old man."

"No, no, get this," Jenkinsen continued. "They hired Harry Dresden, the young, strapping 'wizard' doing PI jobs out of an office like some detective novel."

Wasn't that the name of Tania and Inari's friend?

"Oh my," Eileen mused breathlessly, "the firebrand?"

"Called him to stop the 'curse', I'd bet," Jenkinsen continued. "I know of the guy. Dated one of my best employees at one point. Guy's a total romantic."

"Is that so?" Dover breathed, eyes lighting up like a whore getting an appointment with a rich client.

"Oh yeah," Jenkinsen confirmed. "Susan got so many stories off of him since they were dating." He shrugged. "Too bad about Susan, she managed to find some real good stuff."

"Reporters," Eileen sniffed. "So naive and arrogant, they are. Freedom of Press does not mean immunity to danger."

"I swear," Jenkinsen scowled, "I've got a bunch of vultures working for me looking for some big break to springboard their careers. Don't they realize the irony in that?! How can you be a watchdog if you act just like the people you're supposed to catch?!"

"Yes, yes! Reporters aren't the Press, the Press is print, or TV, blah, blah, blah!" Karolina shouted. "You tell us that at least once every single day!" She threw up her hands in frustration. "I brought you the papers, so you two fuck or whatever. I'm gonna go." She turned and headed for the door.

"Hold on, Karolina."

She paused, turning to look at her boss with a raised eyebrow. He laced his fingers together on his desk, giving her a more serious look than she had ever seen him use before. "I had honestly expected you to blow up about the vulture nest making you do all this grunt work a lot earlier." He smiled crookedly. "But you actually seemed to have made the most of it."

Karolina narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you getting at?"

"I know you don't really want to be a reporter," Jenkinsen continued. "But you've got a decent head on your shoulders, and aren't as lazy as most of the vultures I've got left." He tapped the piece of paper. "This. This is something big." His face broke out into a disgustingly handsome smile and he steepled his fingers over the page. "If Sally is too lazy to hand me this herself, I think it's about time our intern has a shot at things."

"How is this a big story?" Karolina asked skeptically.

Jenkinsen smiled, resting his chin on his hands. "You're smart enough. Figure it out."

"I'm not sure I want to help peddle some dumb shit to get dumb people interested," Karolina muttered. "Not to mention it seems a bit fucking rude to nose around about people that died and ask if it was something spooky."

"Ohoh," Eileen chortled, giving Karolina a teasing look. "Do a few naked actors bother your pretty little head?" The whore shifted her legs indecently again, like a, well, whore.

"I'm sure you'll find that there's more than meets the eye going on here," Jenkinsen assured.

Karolina narrowed her eyes. They were baiting her into doing this. They totally were. She would not give in and give them the satisfaction!

"Just imagine Sally's face," Jenkinsen smirked. "I'll save a picture of it for you if you can get me pictures of that werewolf!"

And that is how Karolina found herself knocking on the door to a porn set. Her parents were going to kill her.

"Lina? What are you doing here?"

"Inari?! What the fuck are you doing here?!"

♤♤♤♤​

While she was one of the last people Karolina expected to see on a porn set, it was just like Inari to decide to help out weird people. Apparently she actually saved someone's life! Well, honestly, the people here weren't that weird, they mostly seemed like normal people who happened to do porn. That Bobby guy even reminded her of Jayden a bit.

Suddenly, there were gunshots, screaming and then there were police all over the set, which kind of made trying to be a reporter hard, since the cops kind of took precedence. Oddly enough, while some of them gave her wary looks, most of them seemed pleased with her for some reason. Karolina didn't think she was doing anything worth mentioning, she had just politely asked the officers whether it would be appropriate for her to ask questions. They asked her to wait, but seemed surprised when she did. Why would she pick a fight with people who could shoot her?

Apparently the red haired tramp who had pulled a gun on someone would. She must be dumb. Why would you try shooting someone while wearing almost no clothes if you could avoid it?

Then another woman showed up who apparently almost died the day before.

"So, uh, eventful week then?" Karolina asked her more attractive friend. She hadn't seen Inari as often since they had gone to different colleges, and Mother of God did Inari grow up! Karolina would like to say she wasn't an envious person, but it was a bit hard not to feel any envy. Inari and Tania seemed like they had it all: money, looks, brains, and hell, even personality. But they were a bit too nice for Karolina to resent them, and if she did, Inari would notice and ask her about it, help her work through her emotions, and then Tania would notice and suggest some plan to get her a place where she could feel better about herself. They were…something else.

"Eh, heh, kinda," Inari demurred, rubbing the back of her head. "Yesterday was pretty rough, and this isn't my first choice of places to be, but overall my week could have been worse." She smiled, looking a bit childish for someone as tall as she was, though her bright cheer was…a little dimmer than Karolina remembered.

"That bad, huh?" Despite being a bit of a spoiled rich kid, Karolina had never found Inari to be a pampered princess, so if something was bothering her, it had to be really bad, like that time Tania got jumped. Did they ever catch that fucker?

"It was bad," Inari sighed, before perking up, which made Karolina feel even shorter (she was average height, Goddamnit!) "Though Tania and I did finally get a chance to talk through some stuff we really should have talked about a long time ago."

"What? That both of you kind of have really skewed ideas of what's normal?" Karolina asked, only partially joking.

"Hehe," Inari ducked her head in embarrassment. "Yeah, a little bit of that."

"Oh. Uh. Congrats?" Now Karolina felt a little bad for asking. While it was pretty funny when looking at it from the outside, it couldn't be that comfortable of a conversation to have. Especially if the chatter from the staff about the gunfight outside was true–

"Wait a minute," Karolina began accusingly, "did you get caught up in a gunfight yesterday or something?" Bobby said that Inari had run outside after they heard gunshots, which was a really bad idea, even Karolina knew that!

"A little," Inari admitted bashfully. "I missed most of it."

"How are you so calm about this?!" Karolina barked. She opened her mouth but Inari shushed her with an intense look in her eyes. Karolina complied, shocked by the sudden one-eighty.

"Please don't ask," Inari requested, deadly serious. It was a chilling look, one that even Tania probably couldn't match, as Inari's imperfect mask made the intense feelings it covered leak through threateningly.

"Ok." Karolina replied calmly (she did not squeak in fright). What else could she say to that look?! It didn't help that Inari could probably fold her in half if she wanted to; Karolina was not nearly as fit, and quite a bit smaller…in multiple ways.

"Thank you," Inari shot her a closed eye smile and Karolina shivered, nodding automatically. No one was ever going to believe her if she told them Inari could be more intimidating than Tania.

"What about the…uh, stuff that happened here?" she asked, trying to change the subject as well as at least trying to do her job. "I am kinda supposed to get a story on this."

"Oh, right!" Inari perked up. "You're interning at The Arcane. Congrats again by the way. And well, you definitely have a story here! Did you get hired permanently? I didn't think they'd send interns out by themselves."

"Uh…thanks?" Karolina replied awkwardly, still a bit unbalanced by Inari's familiar barrage of questions—she would make a great reporter. Curious, photogenic, earnest and actually pretty damned good at explaining things. Though… "You really think this movie…thing was cursed?"

"Oh no, the movie isn't cursed." Ah, right, she probably meant the story about people dying— "Some of the people here were cursed."

Wait, what?!

"It's not like a bad luck jinx you see in movies," Inari continued, as if that was the most normal thing in the world, "it's more like a lethal accident gun, someone had to fire it, instead of something that keeps on sticking to someone."

This was not what Karolina expected her to say at all! How did the twins say stuff like this with straight faces?!

"At least Harry seems to have blocked it today, and we were in time to save Giselle and Jake."

Harry? That was the 'wizard', right? Wait, since when did goody two-shoes Inari believe in that stuff?

"Whuh…can you explain all that slowly, and from the beginning?" Karolina asked pleadingly.

Inari nodded. "Well, magic is real and apparently there is a way to shoot a curse at people even if you don't have any magical potential yourself. You just ask some other dangerous thing to do it for you. And that's what probably happened here."

What? "So…if magic is real…do you think the Arcane is actually a serious newspaper in disguise?" Karolina asked hesitantly, not sure what to believe.

"Well no," Inari explained, "the Arcane is a double bluff. Most of the people working there are not told about the real deal so when one of them manages to find something real, it's hidden among the silliness–plausible deniability and all that."

How could she possibly know that?!

Her question must have shown on her face, as Inari scratched her cheek bashfully. "Or at least, that's what Rosalina says."

"The ginger bitch?" Karolina asked. "How the hell does she know?"

"Hey! Rude!" Inari pouted, causing Karolina to mumble an apology (she was the only person able to make her feel bad about cursing). "Alina's hair is more red than ginger!" Wait, that was what she was focusing on?! And bitch, that was her nickname!

"You're…not mad I'm calling her names?"

"Well that's rude too, but Alina likes being called names. And she can be pretty mean sometimes."

"Wait!" Karolina barked, "That's not the point! Stop distracting me!"

"Eh?" Inari blinked, then perked up. "Oh right! Her cousin once removed owns that paper, I think. That's how she knows."

That…now that Karolina thought about it, she could see the resemblance between Jenkinsen and Rosalina. They were both assholes, but assholes that fully expected other people to be assholes back, not to mention unfairly attractive. "I…see." It really made too much sense.

On another note, it was a good thing that Inari only used her information network to help people. Her ability to remember and connect gossip together would be really nasty if put to crueler goals.

Hold on, she was here for a job, not to chatter! Well, her job was to talk to people, but not like this. Not that Karolina cared too much about this job, but she wasn't going to give that bitch Sally something to be smug about!

"So…" Karolina began, hating how her hesitancy made her sound so awkward, "where did you learn all this stuff about the 'Curse' from anyways? And how trustworthy is that information? What about the other people here? Do they know more?"

Inari, naturally, was unfazed by the barrage of questions and proceeded to describe a strange tale about jealous ex-wives worried about being cut off out of a rich man's inheritance when he married again, and instead of doing the reasonable thing of trying to re-seduce their ex, decided to attempt using dark magic to kill the woman the rich man was marrying.

Apparently, because they were stupid, and the rich man was not quite as stupid as he seemed (or maybe just experienced after marrying three gold-digging sluts), they did not know who he was marrying, and instead of doing some basic research, just decided to use process of elimination and kill women around him until they got their target. All of this Inari had learned from Tania, who had figured it out while working with the 'wizard' Harry Dresden, who was also her boyfriend.

Karolina felt a headache growing as she wrote furiously to keep up with her friend. This was all a bit too much. Tania and Inari believed in magic? Bimbo murder witches? Tania had a wizard boyfriend?! What the hell was happening?!

It should be easily dismissed as exaggeration, especially since most of Inari's information about the fantastical stuff seemed to have come from Tania's wizard boyfriend, who may or may not be a fraud. The thing was though…as excitable as Inari was, and no matter how easy it was to underestimate her due to her fluffy friendliness…she wasn't stupid–actually she was quite smart, and more importantly, Inari did not lie.

But if this was a hoax, Inari would have to be wrong, which would mean Tania had to have lied to her, and Tania also rarely lied, and if she did, magical hoo haw wouldn't be what she came up with. And there was no way Tania would go for a man who was a fraud, she would figure him out instantly.

But all that considered…either Harry Dresden had managed to fool both Tania and Inari, so much so that Tania of all people agreed to go out with him…or there was something weird going on.

"Hey Inari," Karolina interrupted Inari's explanation of this Genosa guy's romantic history. "Did Tania start acting weird once she met Harry?"

Inari paused, and Karolina felt a chill creep down her spine at the sad, but intense look in her friend's eyes. "Harry helped her out after something bad happened to her." Her lips quirked up into an impish grin, her cheeks dimpling in a way that made her look childish despite her height. "I think she may have fallen in love!" Inari's eyes sparkled knowingly.

Karolina snorted. Tania, in love? That sounded ridiculous…but she had been around the Super Twins long enough that she had realized that the two of them were more similar in personality than they appeared… "And he happens to have particularly useful skills?"

"Yup!" Inari chirped. "That's probably a big part of why Tania's so taken with him."

"Is being good in bed that particularly useful skill?" Karolina snarked.

Inari shook her head. "That doesn't factor in for Tania. She doesn't know how that works anyways." Huh. She used to be easily embarrassed by this kind of talk.

Karolina snorted. "Right, she'd need a spreadsheet or something to get off."

"Lina!" Inari chided with mock outrage. A mischievous glint sparkled in her eye. "You haven't seen how Tania is around him. She bought new clothes by herself."

"Oh." She might actually be smitten then. Or this Harry could mind control people.

"Yeah. And they look good on her too."

It wasn't that Tania didn't care about her appearance, but she never was that interested in attracting that kind of attention before. Deliberately. Tania attracted a lot of that attention anyways.

"You sure this wizard guy isn't mind controlling her or something?" Karolina asked suspiciously.

Inari let out a sharp bark of laughter. It sounded a bit strained. "Harry's not the one with the mind control," she replied, an odd tone in her voice.

Karolina was going to have to investigate this Harry Dresden person more thoroughly now. Though…didn't Jenkinsen mention he dated one of The Arcane's reporters for a while?

Putting that aside for the moment, Karolina decided to go talk to some other people before she heard more things that made the world feel like it was turned upside down. One of the cops told her that they would make an official statement later, but humored her enough for her to learn that they had no information about any 'magical' misdeeds. Not surprising, but Karolina wasn't sure if she should be glad that the police hadn't been part of a conspiracy to hide stuff like that from the general public or concerned that they didn't know. Or maybe it was too little to work with because it was just one guy.

At first, Karolina was a little hesitant to talk with the other people there because the police were poking around, and the porn people also looked a bit nervous about talking to a reporter, but after she chatted with Inari, they warmed up to the intrusion almost instantly.

It was a little weird. Some of the people, like the red haired Emma and the gangly Giselle seemed to think Inari was some sort of living saint, or something, though given that Inari had saved Giselle's life, Karolina guessed that it wasn't too weird for there to be a bit of hero worship. Also, that was a nasty looking scar…and she had only been cut yesterday?! Something didn't add up here.

Her hand twitched, running a jagged line of ink across her notebook as it flailed her pen with the involuntary motion. She cursed under her breath, trying to ignore the itching feeling along her spine as she found out more and more suspicious things. Magic couldn't be real, but there was definitely something wrong going on here.

Maybe it was the murder attempts, or the crazed red haired telewhore who screamed like a drowning cat as she was dragged out by the police. Or maybe it was Tania and Inari's slightly off behavior. Something fishy was going on here, and Karolina was going to get to the bottom of it, not because she had any journalistic spirit or anything, but because some of her first friends in this country could be in danger, or under duress.

She kept her questions simple, letting the porn people talk most of the time, trying not to pay too much attention to the police watching her. They'd probably take her in for questioning or something, though she hadn't done anything wrong, so she didn't think they could arrest her, but it wasn't as if the police here always followed the law perfectly.

From her inquiries, Karolina found that most of what she heard supported what Inari told her, or at least did not discredit it. Aside from a few people, like Bobby (a weirdly insecure pornstar) and Jake (a less sleazy than expected porn star), most of them didn't say anything definitive about magic, but none of them laughed at her about it, mostly shrugging their shoulders in ignorance. For some reason, a few of them kept glancing at Inari when she asked that question. Karolina had figured out that her friend had saved Giselle's life, and that the lanky girl was well-liked, but the level of deference the porn people gave Inari was weird. It reminded Karolina of the awkward kids at school who absolutely melted under any attention at all from the Super Twins, but that didn't make sense. Porn people couldn't be awkward, right? Their job should squeeze that out of them, if that had any to begin with.

Not to mention that Inari was kind of like supermodel Mother Teresa, and definitely didn't think that pornography was healthy or moral. Oh wait, Inari wanted to become a doctor or a nurse, so it might be that she was asking them about the too-much-information stuff about what being in this job would do to their bodies. That didn't explain the almost reverent attitude though.

What they told her about the Harry Dresden guy was a bit more concerning. Half of them seem convinced that he was a mob hitman pretending to have a day job as a 'wizard' private investigator (maybe he could do magic tricks of making people disappear) who had been hired to protect Inari after some rival gang started putting hits out on the staff for this particular porn movie. Most of the others seemed to think he was a private security guy who was canny enough to try doing some magic tricks to help calm their director down about a curse, and if she hadn't talked to Inari first, that was probably what Karolina would have believed.

But she had, so what Jake and Bobby said refused her attempts at easy dismissal. The two pornstars said that Harry Dresden was some kind of magician or psychic pretending to be a security guy to help catch whoever was jinxing the movie. While neither of them seemed particularly bright, they also didn't seem super gullible either, even if Jake gave some sort of spiel about 'dispersing evil energy.' Jake also mentioned that Dresden knew some level of first aid, and had saved him from being electrocuted by using magic to turn off the lights.

What was this? Some kind of crappy horror film?!

Though…was Tania involved with organized crime? It was always a bit of a joke among their friend group, given how rich and always traveling their father seemed to be…but that didn't explain all this talk about magic.

Whatever the deal was, it involved two of Karolina's closest friends and put them in danger, so she'd be damned if she didn't get to the bottom of it! She even had a useful excuse.

Wait…did Jenkinsen know about all this? Maybe. Karolina would have to ask him about it, especially about this Susan person and especially interrogate him about Dresden. She probably had enough information here for a story, and she had a bunch of sources, even if questionable.

"Excuse me, miss?" She blinked and looked up from her notebook, doing her best not to freeze as she saw the cop looming over her.

"Uh…how can I help you officer?"

"Did you say you were a reporter?" he asked, giving her a curious look. It didn't seem hostile, but Karolina still tensed.

"Not really, I'm an intern at a newspaper," she answered truthfully. "I just got sent here for this story 'cause my boss had some sort of object lesson for one of his reporters or something."

"Was it because your friend was here?" he gestured towards Inari.

Karolina shook her head. "I didn't know she was here until I got to the front door." She frowned. "Am I being interrogated?"

The cop raised his hands placatingly. "Well, we would like to know if you have any information about this mess." He gestured to the notebook. "Not to mention you may be able to help us check if these guys are trying to pull a fast one on us–"

He was cut off as something barked from his radio. "One moment, Miss."

The policemen congregated together and began discussing something, growing gradually more agitated as they talked. Well that wasn't good. Karolina tried to listen in, hoping something fishy wasn't happening.

"–just handed her over?!"

"Always knew–"

"Why a pornstar though, of all people?"

Did the crazy redhead escape? How?! She was almost naked, hysterical and wearing heels!

There was some angry shouting from the front door and Karolina glanced over to see a couple police officers arguing with two very similarly looking people in identical suits. For some reason they reminded Karolina of a Barbie or a Ken doll, fake and a bit uncanny. Weird.

"Excuse me, Ms. Raith, but we should go," a calm, professional voice cut into her attempt at eavesdropping.

"Eh? Antonio?" Inari replied, standing up to greet the man in dark sunglasses and a suit that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "Why are you here?"

"To get you to safety, of course," presumably Antonio replied. Karolina eyed his right hand, which hovered close to a suspicious bulge under his left shoulder. Ok… Maybe Tania and Inari were mafia princesses or something. Fuck.

Inari frowned. "What do you mean? I'm fine, and everything seems to have been handled here."

"There was a shooting, it isn't safe here," the man insisted. "Come on, you'll be safe back at the manor."

"You didn't come yesterday when there was a shooting," Inari commented. "And the shooter today was caught and isn't here anymore."

Antonio sighed. "We should have come yesterday, but we were otherwise occupied. After last night, your father isn't taking any chances."

"Why are Jane and John arguing with the police?" Inari narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Wait, did she not trust her father? The twins almost never talked about him. Karolina had assumed that he was just absent like a lot of rich people, but was there something more…

"They want to ask you questions about today's events," her bodyguard explained, "but we do not believe that they will be able to guarantee your safety."

"What about all these people's safety?" Inari shot back. "I'm here because they needed someone with first aid experience–Father sent me here himself, so why are you trying to take me back all of a sudden?"

"Well, I assume your father did not think there would be multiple shootings on a film set."

"If there's danger, then I don't want anyone here to get hurt either," Inari said. "Maybe you can help the police keep an eye on things." It was more of a statement than a question.

"I'd be ok with that," Antonio offered, "but your father was insistent."

"Is he calling Tania back to the manor too?" Inari asked carefully, causing the man to blink.

"Not that I know of," he mused. "Which is a little strange. But we still need to get you to safety."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Inari insisted. "Not when someone might need my help here."

Antonio sighed. "That's very kind of you, but now that the authorities have been notified, they should have paramedics en route. Your friends will be fine."

"Why should I trust the police to protect them if my father does not?" Inari accused. "Does he have something to do with this whole murder spree?"

His bodyguard balked. "Where did you hear that?! Come on, he just wants you out of harm's way, nothing else!"

"No." Inari declared, eyes blazing. "There's something else he wants." Karolina stared. It should not have been surprising, Tania was very assertive, so it made sense Inari was capable of doing that too, but she had never acted like this around her friends, instead always playing peacemaker.

Antonio dipped his head in defeat. "I…would not be surprised if that were true, but he did not tell us anything. Perhaps you could call and convince him otherwise?"

Inari frowned, retrieving her phone from her pocket. She started as she flipped it open. "Aw, nuts. It's fried!"

"You can use mine," her bodyguard offered. "But let's head out back, it's a little too noisy in here for a call." He looked meaningfully at the cops distracted by the Barbie hitmen.

Inari stiffened, glancing over her shoulder at the two creepy people in suits. Were they twins or something? Karolina watched her friend in concern as she bit her lip and glanced around. Why did Inari look…scared? There was no way her father would hurt her, was there? Or was it–

Oh.

Karolina shivered. If Inari's father actually was a mafia boss…well the chick who shot up the place she was at was likely not too long for the world. And the people who didn't protect her might get blamed.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why did she come here again?!

Inari's gaze flicked from person to person, lingering a bit on Karolina, before landing back on the mafia suit twins, honing in on the suspicious shapes beneath the cloth on their shoulders. She closed her eyes and exhaled a long breath, clutching her crucifix with one hand. After a moment, she opened her eyes and straightened up, eyes glinting with determination.

"Alright." Inari said. "I'll go."

---

A.N. Thanks to @Sunshine @Half-baked Cat @Rakkis157 @Zule the Lich and @Vista of burning heavens for help proofreading and adjusting this chapter.

 

[Vista]

Always happy to help

 

[Stratagemini]

Huh. So, Inari's getting kidnapped to become a White Court? And Karolina's gonna call Tania to tell her what happened?

 

[Mazeka]

*Sigh* Karolina's going to have to be read into the Masquerade, isn't she?

Maybe she'll be happier if Butters lets her intern...

 

[Dark as Silver]

I have no idea if Karolina has been introduced in the friend group before, if she's canon or an OC.

"–just handed her over?!"

"Always knew–"

"Why a pornstar though, of all people?"

Did the crazy redhead escape? How?! She was almost naked, hysterical and wearing heels!

Click to shrink...

I'm not sure how Karolina worked this out via those three cut off sentences.

"They want to ask you questions about today's events,"

Click to shrink...

Yesterdays? Or do they somehow know about Tania's shootings, I'm not sure what the today events are?

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

I have no idea if Karolina has been introduced in the friend group before, if she's canon or an OC.

Click to shrink...

OC from the friend group, first introduced in chapter 2 before vanishing, only briefly being mentioned by Inari in passing. Until now, anyway.

Jayden Dawles and Karolina Ostrów both looked tired, not to mention the sheepish shuffling. "Must I repeat myself in perpetuity?" complained Tania to no one in particular.

Click to shrink...

 

[Mazeka]

@WrandmWaffles, are you going to post the other fan art works here?