Meeting With Lorelei Wingate

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 4, Post Number 100

-Capital Coffee, 8:00 P.M.-

Walking into Capital Coffee wearing her purple long-sleeved t-shirt, black skirt, black thigh-high stockings, and black tennis shoes, Diana had her iLac in her skirt pocket along with the message from Lorelei Wingate. The young woman the huntress had met at Singles Night some time ago had sent a message to Diana asking for a meeting at Capital Coffee to discuss something that had happened a few weeks ago. Lorelei claimed that it was important. Diana, having finished a "real" job a few days ago and curious as to what Lorelei wanted to tell her, decided to go to the coffee shop and meet with her.

Diana walked into Capital Coffee to find that it was lightly populated by college students chatting with each other, studying, or a little of both. She began to look for Lorelei because the blonde was a student at Crocus Magicka University and the last time the two had met Lorelei said that she usually arrived at Capital Coffee around 8:00 P.M. Diana noticed that the line for coffee was about eight people long, so she got in the back of the line to become the ninth person waiting to order coffee.

-Twenty minutes later-

After a wait that was short by coffee shop standards Diana walked up to the counter and felt someone tap her on the right shoulder. Diana turned around to look at the persona and found a young woman who looked a lot like Emily Barton, Jasmine's friend from almost a week ago. In fact, when Diana looked closer at the person the blonde noticed that the young woman was Emily Barton. The bespectacled brunette noticed Diana and warmly greeted her.

"Hello Miss Winchester. It's nice to see you again." Emily greeted Diana. Diana gave Emily a short wave. Emily was wearing her Crocus Magicka University t-shirt with black skirt and white tennis shoes just like she had last time. Diana was wearing the same outfit she had worn to the mall last time, so the huntress had no room to throw stones.

"Hello Emily." Diana greeted the bespectacled brunette.

"So, what brings you here at this hour?" Emily asked Diana.

"I am here to meet someone named Lorelei Wingate. She claims to have something important to tell me." Diana replied truthfully.

"Oh, OK. The name sounds kinda familiar, but I'm not putting a face to it yet. Me, I'm here for the coffee. Coffee helps keep me going when it's exam time." Emily explained why she was here at this hour. Diana gave a small smile. The huntress was here primarily for the meeting with Lorelei, but the coffee was also a draw for her.

Diana walked up to the counter and ordered an espresso, then stepped out of the way and let Emily order her coffee. Emily ordered a double espresso and Diana gave another small smile. Maybe she should try a double espresso the next time she was in Capital Coffee. Then she thought about it and decided that maybe she should stick to normal espresso. A double espresso might be too strong for the huntress and she did not want to waste money on a drink she might not like because coffee was not exactly cheap, especially in a place like this that catered to the university student crowd.

Diana and Emily decided to sit down at the same table for the sake of convenience and sat across from one another at a table located in the back of the coffee shop where there was almost no one except a bespectacled young man wearing a blue Crocus Magicka University sweater and brown khaki pants with brown dress shoes studying an anatomy textbook at a corner table three tables to the left of them. Once the two were seated they began to look at one another and make small talk. While Emily talked about her course of study Diana tried to pay attention but her mind inevitably wandered to the subject of where Lorelei was. She should have been here by now.

Diana sat in front of Emily and continued to let the bespectacled brunette tell her of the difficulties that came with studying for a teaching degree and of her apprehension about actually going into a classroom once she had obtained her degree. Diana was not familiar with the difficulties of being a student because she was not a university student and she did not plan on becoming one, at least not right now. She would need plenty of free time and plenty of money to pursue a university education. Maybe one day she would, but right now was not the time.

There was still a lot of work for her to do before she could even think about becoming a university student.

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-Thirty-five minutes later-

"...My great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother were all teachers, so it feels like I've got a tradition to uphold. I want to teach kindergarten or high school, but I'm not sure which one yet." Emily continued to talk about her plans for the future without pause. Diana continued to listen patiently, but she was not really focused on what the bespectacled brunette had to say. She was more concerned about whether Lorelei would show up or not. The huntress was not sure if Lorelei had simply forgotten their meeting or if some prior commitment was holding her up, but it was not like Diana really had anything else to do, so she would stay here until closing time if that was what it took to meet with Lorelei.

"So, I remember last time we met that you said that you did a lot of search-and-rescue work as a freelance mage. Have you done anything exciting lately?" Emily asked Diana. Diana kept a straight face as one of her least favorite subjects was brought up. The blonde really did not like to talk about herself or her work, but in this case she had nothing to hide. She did a lot of legitimate work finding people lost in dangerous areas and her last job was a legitimate job rescuing an elderly hunter from Silent Glaciers. Tonight Diana decided to humor Emily and tell her a bit about her last job.

"You could say that I did do something exciting recently, Emily. Just a few days ago I traveled to Silent Glaciers and rescued a hunter from that area. I had been hired to find him because a family member was concerned about his well-being." Diana replied, omitting details such as names. Emily did not need to know names, only that Diana had been to Silent Glaciers and that she had rescued someone from there. Despite the barebones details Emily showed interest in the story anyway.

"Really? I've never been there before. I don't really care for cold places either, which is why I'm in no hurry to go there either." Emily commented before taking a sip of her second double espresso. Diana smiled a little.

"I do not care much for cold places either, but I go where the work takes me." Diana gave another true fact about herself. The huntress would go to cold places if that was where the job took her, but she did not exactly enjoy traveling there. The cold of Snowfall Island was enough to make her glad that her travels had taken her there only once so far.

"I was born and raised in Capital Crocus. I'm a city girl through and through. My life is kinda dull compared to yours, but it's also more predictable than yours is. I know where my next meal is coming from and I don't have to worry about being accosted by bandits. Well, there's still the local toughs who show up from time to time, but they're not quite as bad as bandits." Emily explained that she was a native of Capital Crocus who stayed well within the confines of the relatively safe city.

"Bandits can be dangerous, but I would much rather deal with bandits than ghosts or other undead in places like Haunted Castle, the Haunted Guild, Abandoned Cabin, or Silent Cemetery. Those places are very dangerous for anyone without magic or a weapon." Diana told Emily. Diana had plenty of experience traveling in and around those places, so she spoke with authority.

"I recall you mentioning a few of those places the last time we met. I've never been to any of those places and I don't plan on going to them. It's way too dangerous for someone who can't use magic like me." Emily repeated what she had told Diana back at Jasmine's house.

"It is a good idea to avoid the Cursed Lands entirely if you can." Diana replied. If she was not on a job that took her there Diana avoided those places entirely. Even for someone as strong as her going to those places on casual strolls was not advised.

"Oh, I'll avoid them, believe me. I like it here where it's safe and there's a plentiful supply of coffee!" Emily said in response to Diana's warning. Diana sipped from her second cup of coffee and waited for the bespectacled brunette to speak again when Diana casually looked towards the door and saw Lorelei waving at her. Lorelei was wearing a white long-sleeved Crocus Magicka University t-shirt with blue skirt and white tennis shoes. Diana waved back and Emily looked towards the person.

"Oh yeah, I know Lorelei! She's in some of my classes!" Emily said to Diana as the bespectacled blonde approached them. Lorelei sat down in the empty seat with her back to the wall and the pair faced her.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late, but I had to help my parents care for my little sister before I came here!" Lorelei explained what took her so long to get here.

"It is no problem." Diana said calmly. Diana had nothing important to do tonight, so time was something she had plenty of.

"It's no problem, Lorelei!" Emily echoed Diana's statement. Lorelei smiled a little.

"Thanks guys." Lorelei thanked them for their patience.

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-Fifteen minutes after Lorelei's arrival-

The trio were sitting at the table with their coffees of choice and drinking in amiable silence when an iLac ringtone sounded. Emily reached for her pocket and pulled out her iLac. She motioned that she was going outside to take the call and both blondes nodded. While she walked outside to take the call Lorelei faced Diana.

"Diana, remember when I said in the message that I had something important to tell you?" Lorelei asked Diana. The huntress nodded.

"Yes. What is it?" Diana asked. Lorelei hesitated for a few moments.

"It's about... it's about your sister." Lorelei said hesitantly. Diana felt a jolt of adrenaline flow through her body. She also felt a surge of emotions just like she had back in Bellum a few weeks ago.

"My sister?" Diana asked, dropping the cool and calm demeanor she normally had. She was too emotional to wear a mask right now. Lorelei seemed surprised that Diana was acting that way.

"Yeah, I met her here a few weeks ago." Lorelei said. Diana was stunned into silence. She was feeling so many emotions at once that it was hard to properly sort them all out. The dominant one was hope.

"Really? What did my sister look like?" Diana asked Lorelei. If her older sister really had come back from the dead and Lorelei was not making a sick joke, then the bespectacled blonde would know what Diana's sister looked like.

"She had long blonde hair that reached down to her waist, blue eyes that could also pass for gray, and she wore a black long-sleeved shirt with a long white skirt and black dress shoes plus a black shoulder bag." Lorelei told Diana what her sister looked like. Diana pushed the chair back a bit and accidentally scraped the floor when she did so. That was exactly how Lucia looked and dressed!

"What was her name?" Diana asked Lorelei as a formality. There was only one Winchester sister who had matched Lucia's description, but Diana wanted to be sure that this was not a prank before she dared to believe that her older sister had come back from the dead.

"Lucia Winchester." Lorelei said. Diana's face went pale. That confirmed it.

"Diana, are you OK?" Lorelei asked Diana.

"I am fine, Lorelei. I just... I... I need to go outside." Diana said to the bespectacled blonde and walked out of the coffee shop as calmly as she could before Lorelei could react. The huntress was feeling a mix of emotions so strong that she did not know how to deal with them. Right now Diana was too emotional to be polite but distant or otherwise deceive the world with a mask of calm that disguised how she really felt about things.

-Outside Capital Coffee-

Diana walked out of Capital Coffee and felt the cool night air hit her in the face. She stopped a short distance to the left of the door and finally took a deep breath. Diana had analyzed Lorelei's body language during the conversation and learned that Lorelei had been telling the truth. So it was true. What Diana had hoped for was true.

Lucia Winchester was back from the dead.

Diana could hardly believe it. Lorelei was not lying to the huntress when she had claimed that she had met Lucia Winchester at Capital Coffee a few weeks ago. Diana did not even notice Emily when the latter had approached her and was standing right in front of her.

"...Hello? Diana, are you OK?" Emily asked Diana.

"I am fine." Diana replied out of force of habit. She was anything but "fine" right now. She was not used to experiencing the emotions she was feeling right now.

"You don't look fine, Diana. You look like you've seen a ghost." Emily said. Diana laughed a little.

"I was informed that my older sister Lucia had been here a few weeks ago. I have not seen my older sister in over four years." Diana replied in a half-truth. It was true that she had not seen Lucia in over four years, but it was not because the oldest Winchester sibling was neglectful. She had been dead the past four years and Diana was not sure how to explain that to either Emily or Lorelei, so she would not.

"Really?" Emily asked Diana.

"Really." Diana dryly repeated her answer without elaboration.

"Oh, OK. It's none of my business. Listen, I have to go home because something's come up. I'll catch up with you and Lorelei later, OK?" Emily said to Diana before taking off before Diana could even wave goodbye. The huntress took another deep breath to steady herself and she saw Lorelei walk out of the door. Lorelei turned left and spotted Diana.

"Oh hey, there you are! I was wondering if you had left here or not!" Lorelei greeted Diana again. Diana gave a small wave in greeting but did not really put any warmth into it. It was hard to really focus on being sociable when she was having to deal with the news that she was currently dealing with. Something that Diana had hoped for had happened and now she did not know what to think or how to feel about it.

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Diana had hoped that Lucia was alive and now that she had been confronted with rather strong evidence short of seeing Lucia herself she had no idea how to feel about it. Diana should have been ecstatic about her older sister returning, but happiness was not what the youngest Winchester daughter was feeling right now. She was feeling conflicted.

On one hand, Lucia was alive again. Diana could see her older sister and the only one who defended her from their mother and thank her for looking after her all those years. That was something that Diana had wanted to do for a very long time.

On the other hand, Lucia was alive again. Diana was concerned about facing her older sister again after so much time had passed. Diana also felt like she had no right to talk to Lucia after everything she had done in the shadows.

"Diana, are you OK?" Lorelei asked Diana, shaking the huntress from her thoughts. Diana nodded weakly.

"I am fine." Diana answered. Lorelei did not seem convinced of that in the slightest.

"I don't think you're fine, but if you say so." Lorelei said. She obviously was not buying Diana's weak response, but whether out of respect or pity she chose to take what the huntress had said at face value.

"I am not sure what to think, Lorelei. I have not seen Lucia in over four years." Diana explained to Lorelei. Lorelei smiled a little.

"Lucia said almost exactly the same thing, Diana. She said that she hadn't seen you in over four years because she had been away for awhile." Lorelei commented. Diana found that the best way to explain the elder Winchester's absence, so she would not contradict that statement. It was best to let the matter drop now that it had been established that Lucia had been away for awhile.

"What did you two talk about?" Diana asked, recovering a small portion of her ability to be genuinely social instead of just playing the social game to keep her cover or to be polite. Lorelei blushed.

"I told her that we had met at Singles Night some time ago. I told her that nothing sexual had went on between us and that I just wanted a friend. I also mentioned our date, but I told Lucia that it was a coffee date and nothing else." Lorelei told Diana. Again Diana analyzed her body language and saw that Lorelei was telling the truth with her statement.

"And how did Lucia react to what you said?" Diana asked Lorelei.

"Lucia said that she didn't mind how we met. She was just glad to hear that you were doing OK." Lorelei replied. For the third time she was telling the truth. Diana visibly and momentarily faltered when she heard that. Then she recovered and gave a small smile.

That sounded exactly like something Lucia would say.

"Lucia also told me to tell you that she was interested in meeting up with you at Capital Coffee. However, she didn't say when she wanted the meeting to take place. She also didn't leave me a note or a Lacrima Identification Code for me to give you so that you could coordinate with her." Lorelei added. The huntress saw that Lorelei was being truthful when she made that claim. Diana took a deep breath and pulled out her iLac.

"Should you happen to meet her again at any point, I would like for you to give Lucia my Lacrima Identification Code." Diana requested of the bespectacled blonde. Years ago the huntress would not even have considered doing this because of her need for secrecy. Years ago she would not have had an iLac either. Lorelei nodded.

"I'd be glad to give it to her if we happen to meet again." Lorelei said. Diana went through the menus and gave Lorelei her Lacrima Identification Number to give to Lucia should the two somehow cross paths again. Diana was doubtful that circumstances would line up just the way she needed them too, but on the off chance it did happen there would be someone to give Lucia her younger sister's code.

"OK, I've got it. I might call you for job offers from time to time, but I won't abuse this privilege. I promise." Lorelei vowed not to abuse the trust Diana had placed in her by entrusting her Lacrima Identification Code to the former. Diana was not too concerned. As far as the world knew she was a legitimate freelance mage and she had done a lot to keep up that image. They would find nothing to indicate otherwise on Lorelei.

"Um, I know that this is sudden, but would you like to go to the mall with me for a quick trip to The Music Vault? After we're finished would you also walk home with me?" Lorelei asked Diana while blushing. Diana gave a small smile.

"I do not mind at all, Lorelei." Diana replied in the affirmative. The huntress welcomed a change of scenery. She also welcomed any distraction from the emotions she was feeling right now. Their intensity had gone down a little since earlier, but she was still feeling very strong emotions from learning that Lucia was alive again and she wanted a distraction to help her push them back into their box.

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-Capital Crocus Mall, inside The Music Vault, thirty minutes later-

Diana and Lorelei had went into the mall for a quick trip to The Music Vault in order for Lorelei to browse at what music lacrimas were offered and possibly find something new. Diana stood beside Lorelei as the bespectacled blonde browsed at the pop music offerings. The huntress welcomed the change of atmosphere from standing outside a coffee shop. Inside The Music Vault she could distract herself with the music playing over the speakers in the ceiling and browse at all the music albums even though she had no intention of buying them.

Diana listened to the music playing overhead and heard a generic pop song that sounded a lot like it was from the "mall pop" genre. She wondered if Lucia liked "mall pop" or not. Then Diana frowned.

Lucia.

Diana wanted to forget about her for awhile but right now her older sister was all she could think about.

Diana wondered if Lucia was doing OK. The oldest Winchester daughter had to be going through a lot of culture shock right about now. Not only had Lucia been dead for over four years, but she had also somehow made the journey from Bellum to Fiore. Those two countries were radically different in terms of language, culture, and technological level. Lucia had to be having considerable difficulty adapting to a world that had moved on without her.

Diana barely recalled moving to Fiore over two years ago. She should have had serious culture shock just like Lucia was going through, but she did not recall having any problems whatsoever. Perhaps it was because Diana was so fed up with her parents that she could not wait to wash her hands of Bellum and never return. That was very good motivation to adapt to a new culture as quickly as possible.

However, Diana had returned to Bellum. She had returned to find out how and why the Winchester family crypt had been opened. When she had entered the crypt alongside Madeleine Necargie Diana had learned that all the sarcophagi except Lucia's had been undisturbed. For all this time Diana thought that it was someone's sick idea of a joke, but Lorelei had confirmed that Lucia Winchester was now among the living again.

Now that she knew what she did Diana could not just stuff her emotions back into a box like she had done so many times in the past. There was little way that Diana could go back to her old self. Diana was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she did not even hear Lorelei talking to her.

"...Iana? Diana! Di-annnna! Can you hear me?" Lorelei asked the huntress, waving her free hand in front of the latter's face. Diana blinked. When she finally focused on what was in front of her she saw Lorelei holding a music lacrima in her other hand, a music lacrima produced by some pop band she could not read the name of because Lorelei's fingers were placed over the name. Diana did not recognize the group and was not really interested in finding out who they were.

"Oh. Hi there, Lorelei." Diana finally greeted the bespectacled blonde. Lorelei blinked and showed concern for the huntress.

"Are you sure you're OK? You don't act like it. I think you're in another ozone layer." Lorelei commented on her companion's behavior. That appraisal was so accurate that Diana did not even bother to try coming up with a convincing rebuttal for it. She decided to just save her time and her breath and admit it.

"I am in another ozone layer, Lorelei." Diana replied softly. She was in no mood to pretend to be the cool, distant person she used to portray herself as. What Lorelei was seeing part of the real Diana... a confused bundle of emotions wearing human skin.

"Is it about your sister?" Lorelei asked. Diana nodded.

"Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up." Lorelei mused. Diana's eyes narrowed and that caught Lorelei off guard.

"No. I wanted to hear what you had to say. I needed to hear it. It is not your fault that I was unprepared for it." Diana answered with some of her previous calm. Lorelei had done nothing to send Diana into emotional turmoil except tell her what she wanted and needed to know, that Lucia was alive. It was not Lorelei's fault that Diana was unprepared to handle the truth.

Lorelei put the music lacrima she had in her hand back and looked at Diana.

"Tell ya what, Diana. Let's just forget about the music tonight and go home. This store isn't going anywhere." Lorelei suggested.

"If that is what you want to do." Diana replied. She felt somewhat bad to be the reason the bespectacled blonde was abandoning her brief shopping trip, but if Lorelei wanted to leave here and return home, Diana would not stop her.

"Let's just go, Diana. We'll return another day when we're both feeling up to it." Lorelei responded. Diana could tell from the tone of the other blonde's voice that Lorelei felt a measure of guilt for indirectly sending the huntress into emotional turmoil. Lorelei walked out of the music store and Diana wordlessly followed at her side.

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-Outside Lorelei's house, thirty-five minutes later-

After they had left The Music Vault and Capital Crocus Mall Diana and Lorelei had made their way to the latter's house, which was situated in a nice middle-class neighborhood. Diana ahd been so out of it that she had failed to pay attention to the name, but it was a safe neighborhood and the two blondes had reached the house without incident. Once outside the brown wooden door Lorelei faced Diana and spoke.

"Well, Diana. It was a long walk, but we made it. This is my house." Lorelei said to Diana, showing her the brown wooden door with a brass doorknob. Diana nodded. She was still not in the best mental condition, but she was starting to do a little better now that she had had some time to come to terms with the news about her sister Lucia being alive. Thanks to Lorelei the huntress was starting to come out of the emotional turmoil.

"I know that you're a busy mage and that you should be getting home, so now's probably not the best time to invite you to meet my family. We should do it another time, after things have settled down for you." Lorelei added. Diana smiled a little.

"Maybe you can introduce me to your family one day, when things have settled down for me." Diana said calmly. She was not really keen on doing that, but since the bespectacled blonde had done her a great service in passing along Lucia's message to her, Diana decided to humor Lorelei and possibly accept the invitation when the time came. However, Diana's work came first. If Mister Burke or another client called for her services, Diana would answer their call before she accepted invitations to meet someone's family. Lorelei walked up to her front door and unlocked it, then turned around and spoke to the huntress one last time.

"Well, I'll see you later, Diana. I hope you meet your sister one day." Lorelei bade Diana farewell and hoped that the huntress would manage to reunite with her older sister. Diana smiled a little wider.

"I will see you later, Lorelei." Diana bade Lorelei farewell. Lorelei waved goodbye and shut the door behind her. Diana was now on her own again. She should head straight home, but the huntress was not quite ready to call it a night. She wanted a little more coffee first.

With that in mind Diana decided to head back to Capital Coffee to get another cup of coffee and relax a little before she went home for the night.

-Capital Coffee, forty-five minutes later-

Diana re-entered the coffee shop and found that it was still bustling even at this late hour; all the tables were occupied by university students and so were all the pod chairs facing the mall. Instead of hanging around and waiting for a pod chair to open up Diana decided to just get her coffee to go and take a leisurely walk home. She calmly walked over to the line of young people and took her place as the tenth customer, then calmly stood in place and listened to the music. It was an upbeat saxophone piece with a jazzy sound that was soothing.

Diana waited about twenty minutes in line before it was her turn to order. She ordered an espresso to go and waited off to the side for it to be prepared by one of the baristas. After a five-minute wait Diana was handed a sturdy white styrofoam cup that was an espresso to go. She thanked the barista and took her drink and a few napkins that were handed to her and calmly walked out of the coffee shop as more university students filed in to get their caffeine fix.

-In the streets of Capital Crocus-

With her cup of coffee in hand Diana began to take a leisurely stroll through the streets of Capital Crocus, which were still busy but not bustling like they were in the day. Diana's company consisted of university students, businessmen and businesswomen, housewives hauling bags of groceries, and people from all walks of life. She calmly walked on the sidewalk and sipped from her espresso whenever a safe opportunity to do so presented itself.

Diana was doing a lot better now that she had had some more coffee and some time to come to terms with Lucia's return. Her mental state was a lot better now and she was so calm that no one around her knew that hours ago she was not in a very good place. She would still need to come to terms with her sister's return, but now she was calmer and able to think clearly again.

Diana continued down the street at a leisurely pace and blended in perfectly with the crowd she was a part of without really trying. No one paid any attention to the blonde as she continued to walk towards home with her coffee in hand and something approaching happiness in her heart. Diana now knew that Lucia was alive and that was the best news Diana had received about anything in a long time. Diana could not wait to reunite with her older sister one day, but she would just have to be patient and keep working until that day finally arrived. For the first time in a very long time Diana looked forward to the future.

With that in mind the blonde picked up her pace and carefully worked her way through the crowd, doing her best not to bump into anyone while holding a half-full cup of coffee. Soon she would be home and would go to sleep before getting up to find another job. Maybe one day after everything was said and done Diana and Lucia could take a vacation to Crescent Island together.

Diana could not wait for that day.

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