Never Be Forgotten

Mercury knew his death would not be pretty, of course. Few deaths were. She wanted to insist that she could handle it, for his sake, and he was appreciative of the care that went with her desire to go with him. But he still insisted it was better that no one else join him. The Xocili didn’t like it, but she understood it was his choice and the least she could do was honor that, as much as it hurt.

It took incredible force of will on her part, but she did manage to push herself forward to embrace him, speaking the only words she could manage to voice. Her heart felt like it was in a vice, the rest of the world completely shut out. It was just the two of them, holding one another for the last time, with simple but powerful assurances of how much they cared for one another. He hugged her for several long minutes, her crying not getting any easier during that time, with the Terran finding some tears of his own as well. She continued to shake with tears and snot dripping down her face. He must have known he would have to be the one to pull away, because Mercury simply didn’t have the strength. He hesitated only long enough to give her a lingering kiss on her forehead. Everything within her told her to give him one last kiss on his lips, but… she knew she couldn’t. That wouldn’t be fair to either of them, and it would only make it harder for them both. Just because her heart was breaking and she was in pain didn’t give her the right to be selfish.

The knowledge didn’t stop her from feeling cold once they were fully separated. Mercury wrapped her arms around her body, which continued to quiver as she watched him step back toward the center of the hall. The only thing that momentarily abated her crying, or at least calmed it down somewhat, was the sheer surprise of their surroundings changing. Somehow, they were all suddenly standing in a field that would look familiar only to Serilda and Mythal. Mercury looked around in confusion, as did many others, only to find that there was another figure standing among them; one that Mercury and Cillian could both easily identify.

“Halcyon…” Mercury breathed quietly, her voice still shaky. Even Cillian stood a little straighter, a deep smile pulling on his lips at the sight of the other Terran, who apparently had Lux and Quentin to thank for the opportunity to see the gathered group with his own eyes. He explained that he’d been able to get to know them a bit via Blade’s memories, touched by all the time and care they had afforded his brother, and thanking them for taking Raeran in and giving him a family in place of the one they had both lost. Despite everything, Mercury managed a smile, though it trembled violently from her continued sorrow that still mixed in with everything else. It was one thing to know that they had been able to save the Terran people in a fashion, turning them into Teras, but it was another to see the third and eldest brother in his own form and his own spirit.

Halcyon spared a further comment only toward Cillian, teasing that perhaps one day the necromancer would manage to be able to summon him more successfully in the future, though he appreciated the prior effort. Cillian laughed lightly. “Might be asking a little much,” he teased back. “I doubt any of us ever actually have all of our wits about us. I sure don’t.” He was happy to leave it at that. There was no point explaining that he could speak to them without having to raise their bodies or reanimate their spirits in any form. Getting into the semantics of all that, well… it would only ruin the beautiful and emotional moment that was happening.

With a final wave he was gone, as was the field, and they found themselves once more in Mythal and Serilda’s home, where a portal awaited to take Raeran to his final destination. He gave them a farewell in the tongue of his people before offering its translation and his hope that he would see them all again some day – just, not too soon. Then, with one more parting wish to their health and assurance of how much he would miss them, he was gone.

Mercury had to force herself to stay where she was, every inclination in her body demanding that she run through the portal after him. As the doorway shrank and shut, her grief consumed her once more. “B-Blade…” she whimpered. Her head started to swim, the world around her spinning. She fell to the ground on her ass hard, collapsing completely as she lost herself to her tears. Her already erratic breathing became worse and after only a few moments she started to hyperventilate, the panic attack hitting her in full. The only thought she had, the only thing that lingered in her head and repeated itself over and over again, was the understanding that she would never see him again, that she had managed to save his people but lost him in the process, her guilt over being partially responsible for his fate reaching up and slapping her in the face after so long of denying the part of her that did feel responsible for it.

In the end, Vandrad would have to carry her out to a more private area of the home where he could sit with her without the eyes of everyone else watching her in her sorrow. Already several people that had managed to keep themselves composed for the most part were shedding a few tears of their own, Agatha having to turn against her own husband for comfort as she finally began to openly weep, albeit not as loudly and desperately as Mercury had.

As promised, Serilda and Mythal kept their home open for everyone to stick around and find companionship and comfort in one another for as long as everyone wanted to stay, including Cillian. They all gathered in the great room where there was plenty of space for everyone, sharing drinks, swapping stories, and simply enjoying each other’s company. There were certainly more tears from time to time, but there was laughter and peace as well. At some point Serilda was of the mind to have some snacks put together, knowing that grief consumed a lot of energy and that her guests would need to eat. She was both surprised and a bit off put when Cillian offered to put something together for them, the necromancer assuring them that he made a living as a cook and informing them about the restaurant he owned in Crocus. It was… well, more than a little disconcerting to think of allowing a dark mage to cook for her own household, but even she couldn’t deny that her reservations with Cillian only went so far. Dela clearly loved him and trusted him, and Blade had spoken highly of him, insisting that Cillian was a good person at heart, no matter his magical abilities and status with the council.

Ultimately, she agreed and gave the man full rein of the kitchen, and it was somehow one of the best decisions she’d ever made. Cillian was a flabbergastingly good chef, and he was able to put together quite the array of comfort foods from their stores of ingredients. At some point while the necromancer was cooking, Vandrad and Mercury did eventually rejoin with everyone else. The Xocili’s eyes were swollen and puffy from crying, and she still didn’t have a whole lot of energy. Her gaze often drifted in and out like she wasn’t fully paying attention to everyone around her, and every once in a while quiet tears found her face again, but she didn’t dissolve into another panic attack. As difficult as it was to focus at times, she did allow herself to be comforted by any that put themselves in a position to do so, which did include Serilda, Agatha, Zemenar, and even both Saffron and Khelben.

It would be a long time before Mercury would feel like herself again, if she ever fully did, but having everyone there to share in her grief at the very least helped her feel less alone. She was sure she would heal in time, even if she didn’t know how long that would take… but she would never, ever forget her friend.

---

A week had passed since Blade’s departure, and life had settled back into some semblance of normalcy. For most of them, at least. Mercury was still more quiet than usual and still prone to moments of sorrow and grief, but that was understandable. As far as Saffron understood it, the Xocili had never lost anyone before, as she’d never had the luxury of learning to care for people at all until coming to Earthland, so she was having to navigate her first exposure to grief, both for Blade and for Genesis. And anyone who had ever been through it before understood that it took a great deal of time to process and come to terms with, some people needing more of it than others.

For Saffron, however, she had bounced back from everything rather quickly. Things had more or less gone back to the way things were, though the emotional connection between her and Trevor was a bit super charged, now. The Confidence International guildmaster had scarcely let Saffron out of his sight since her return, and frankly the blonde couldn’t blame him. They still had not made anything official between them, as Saffron understood that she would need a little more time to come down from the trauma of almost dying before she was ready to finalize any commitments, but the pair were all but a couple by that point. It had been a long, long time since she’d felt good about someone holding that kind of special place in her life, and while she still teased and bullied the man as much as ever, there was no mistaking the looks of admiration in her eyes from time to time when she glanced his way.

She still felt a bit awkward, of course. Her feelings for Cedric hadn’t exactly simmered down, and while they refrained from anything physical, they still couldn’t help but relentlessly flirt with one another. The former Dread Master had made it very clear that he was going to be respectful and encouraging toward her relationship with Trevor, but neither did he plan on putting any distance between them. They still talked pretty much daily, and while they hadn’t gotten to see much of one another since Blade left – mostly because Trevor was, understandably, hogging her time for a bit – they were still making plans to see each other again soon to catch up on their shows and just chill.

Part of the reason she hadn’t really seen Cedric, too, was because Delinquent Ward had a concert coming up, so they had lots of rehearsals to make sure their setlist was finalized and their skills sharpened and ready to go. When the day of the concert arrived, they found themselves in the capital city of Crocus, rocking out for a few hours in front of a huge and raucous crowd. There were earnestly so many people present that it was impossible to single out any faces, particularly from where she was further back on the stage, set up behind her massive fifteen piece drum kit that she’d purchased from Dimitri a number of months ago. The band poured their heart into the performance, as they always did, caving into three encores before they finally insisted on calling it a night and bidding their fans farewell.

After making a small pit stop in one of the hallways to sign a few impromptu autographs for a few fans that had lingered in hopes of getting their signatures, the four of them finally retired into the large dressing room they’d been provided. After downing a bottle of water, Saffron slipped behind one of the many changing screens and doffed her sweat soaked clothing, swapping it out for a loose fitting fair of cargo pants and a slightly oversized black crop top, as well as a baseball cap. With a sigh, she plopped her ass down into a couch as she waited for the others to finish getting changed. “That was a great crowd,” the blonde remarked, twisting the cap off a fresh bottle of water and giving it another sip. “I’m surprised I could even hear any of you guys, they were so loud.”

After a couple minutes there was a knock at the door and one of their stage managers, Rodney,  popped his head in. “Wonderful performances all around, guys! I think that was one of the best performances you’ve put on yet. You really should be proud. The stadium was all but sold out, and I’m told that a solid eighty percent of the merchandise we brought along was sold. As usual it will probably take a day or two to get the final figures, but I’ll send everything over to Trevor once I get the paperwork from the stadium.” That seemed to be the end of it, as it usually was; Rodney was usually the one to greet them after the shows to give them an update on the numbers, and from there the band was typically left to their own engagements for the rest of the night, which usually meant that Emma dragged the rest of them off to get drinks.

Saffron was surprised, then, when Rodney turned to her. “Also, it seems you have a few friends hoping to see you. Normally I wouldn’t bother entertaining them – people will say anything for a chance to meet someone they idolize. But, it’s not every day that someone the likes of Missus de la Cavalleria requests a backstage pass…”

Her brows shot up and a grin split her face. “Aw shit, Agatha’s here?”

“Yes, along with two men that I didn’t recognize.”

“No worries. If they’re friends with Agatha, I’m sure they’re trustworthy and I probably know them. You guys cool with that?” She posed the question to her bandmates, though she highly doubted any of them were going to have complaints about Agatha joining them, though perhaps a few questions about how the hell Saffron even knew her. Presuming the three of them gave the thumbs up, she give Rodney a nod. “Send them in, Rod. Thanks, buddy!”

He ran off to go collect them and just a couple minutes later the door knocked again, revealing two familiar faces. The first was Agatha. The redhead led the way through the door, dressed in a red midriff shirt with puffy sleeves that came down to her elbows with white sheer fabric draped down her forearm. The shirt itself was mostly modest, although her abundance of cleavage was difficult to miss. She wore a high waisted set of black slacks and hand a fair bit of gold jewelry on. The Lusty Titans guild master practically bounced on her toes, a wide smile across her face as she giddily hurried her way over to Saffron, who was already standing to greet her. “Saff..!”

The blonde grunted as Agatha very nearly tackled her into a hug, Saffron grinning and returning the gesture. “Hey, girl! What a surprise! You could have told me you were coming.”

“Well it was kind of a last minute thing, or else we might have. You were fantastic! I knew you were a musician, but I had no idea you were so incredibly talented! All of you are!” She separated from Saffron and turned to the others. “Hi! Sorry to drop in without warning. I’m Agatha de la Cavalleria, and I was blown away by your show. Seriously!” She went around to start shaking everyone else’s hands.

In the meantime, Saffron finally got a chance to see who had come with her. She didn’t recognize the incredibly short man, but her purple eyes lit up when they fell on the other man. “Cedric..!” She made her way over to the former Dread Master and gave him a tight hug as well. When they finally parted, she smirked up at him and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. “So how long were you planning this, jackass?”

Saffron snickered in amusement as Nik earned himself a knock on the back of his head from Emma, the woman insisting that only women were allowed to make remarks about each other’s boobs and asses, or lack thereof. Which was true. “You’re more than welcome to go shopping with me sometime,” she told the other woman with a grin. “I’ll show you all my stops and we can find you some sick drip, make that booty pop.”

Rodney’s update was fairly straightforward and well received, but the surprise of Agatha had all but caused the report to be forgotten. She could feel Nik and Emma staring at her, and when Saffron gauged them to see if they were cool with Agatha and her other friends joining them in the dressing room. Emma sought clarification of if she was thinking of the right person, and the smirk she received from Saffron was a bit mischievous. “The one and only.” Her bandmate practically demanded that Rodney go get the celebrity, and once he was gone she was frantically making sure she looked presentable, insisting that she was about to abandon her heterosexuality.

Nik attempted, poorly, to be unimpressed, causing Saffron to snort. “That was convincing.”

A few moments later there were several more bodies in the room. Agatha, always a touchy one, immediately wrapped Saffron up in a hug, despite the fact that they really had only interacted a few times before this. Not that the Fairy Tail mage had any complaints. Then the Hand was off to be her usual bubbly and social self, veering off to introduce herself to the others in the band. Emma quite literally sprang to her feet to shake the woman’s hand before word vomiting all over Agatha in a nervous excitement.

Despite the somewhat embarrassing way that the guitarist talked over herself, Agatha only continued to smile and give her all of her direct attention, seemingly unaware of Emma’s tied tongue. As Emma finally rounded up by admitting how much she loved Agatha and her music, the redhead’s hand went up to her heart and a sincere smile of appreciation pulled on her lips. “Oh goodness, that’s so sweet of you! Thank you so much! You were absolutely incredible out there, and your voice is just divine. I could seriously listen to it all day.”

Trevor spoke up then, pulling Agatha’s attention toward him as he playfully apologized for Emma’s excitement. “No excuse needed,” she insisted kindly, giving Emma another smile. “I can be a bit excitable myself.” Then, she turned to face Trevor fully as he introduced himself, also offering a few compliments to her talents as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. The smile she gave him was perhaps a bit more focused, the woman clearly pleased and interested in his charm. “Thank you very much, Trevor. Saffron told me that you’re also the guildmaster for Confidence International. Is that correct?”

Presuming he confirmed it, her smile would renew itself. “I just think it’s absolutely wonderful, the community that you built. If I weren’t a co-master of my own guild, I’d have joined yours in a heartbeat. It’s so moving to see how you have helped inspire and unionize the industry. Finding solid and reliable representation as an artist can be so difficult, but I’ve been watching your guild’s progress since you were formed, and it’s incredible to see the difference you’re making. A couple of friends of mine already make regular donations to you, but I think I’d very much like to make one of my own, as well.”

Agatha was aware that Serilda and Mythal had elected to send a respectable sum of money every few weeks to the guild, after learning about Trevor’s aims after his New Year’s date with Aeron. Serilda in particular had felt strongly about the community, knowing that many artists found it difficult to make a true living off of their work in an industry where producers were corrupt and greedy, and consumers were stingy and entitled. It was a field where oftentimes one needed to spend money to make money, which wasn’t always feasible and sometimes led people into desperate lifestyles. So, out of a desire to foster a better environment, and out of thanks for the friendship he had managed to coax out of the anxious Aeron, the couple had started sending money regularly to the guild with the intent that it be put toward helping artists get a leg up in their careers, though the donations had always been sent anonymously.

On the other side of the room, Saffron was already giving Cedric shit, even as she side eyed his surprisingly trendy outfit. The former Dread Master insisted that the scheme had been all Agatha’s, and that he simply had been unable to say no to her. She snorted. “Yeah, even I can’t fault you for that one.” Her purple gaze drifted down to Faren and another familiar smirk tugged on her lips. She rolled her eyes as he talked about her radiance and beauty, continuing to be equally amused and unmoved by his flowery words. “Oh good, you’re here, too,” was her only dry and seemingly unenthused response, though as always there was a playfulness to her tone and expression that betrayed she wasn’t truly annoyed by his presence.

She reached out and offered the shorter man a fist bump, even as Cedric and Fared exchanged a quick exchange about whether or not the bard had been practicing the greeting through the concert. Before Saffron could get another quip in, Nik had practically barreled his way into the conversation, causing the blonde’s eyes to go wide in shock at how animated he was being. She listened to Nik blubber out his admission of being a fan, nearly having an out of body experience at the sight before Faren elected to hook an arm through Nik’s and escort him away for a one on one chat.

This meant that Saffron was momentarily alone with Cedric. Shaking her head in astonishment with a final snort in Nik’s direction, she glanced up at Cedric and then toward the direction of his nod: Trevor. It hadn’t even occurred to her the implications of the two men now being in the same room, though that understanding was now at the forefront of her mind. “Oh no,” she groaned in realization, reaching up and rubbing her forehead, already exhausted. Saffron knew exactly where this was about to go. It had already been a long night, and it was only about to get longer. Not because there would be drama, no; but because she knew that Trevor and Cedric were likely going to be fast friends. Saffron was going to have her work cut out for her if she was going to stay ahead of them in the battle of wits she often had with them both.

“I mean yeah, but everyone ladles charm on Agatha. Hell, I did my best to charm her up the first time we met. At least he’s keeping his cool, unlike Emma.” Saffron snickered; her bandmate being flustered to the point of almost being unable to speak was a memory she was going to cherish for some time, and probably tease the hell out of Emma over many times in the future. But, at Cedric’s suggestion, she supposed it was time to finally introduce the men. Saffron sighed. “Yeah alright, let’s get this over with. And try not to enjoy it too much, or I swear to gods I will finish what Seberg started.”

She led him further into the room, toward where Trevor and Emma were still talking with Agatha. “Hey, stop drooling over Agatha for a second, would ya? I know her tits are fantastic and all – trust me, I’ve played with them myself–”

“It’s true. I’ve played with hers too, and they are just unimaginably ravishing.”

“--but apparently the universe hates me, and there’s nothing I can do about it except suck it up and cope.” With one more deep, somewhat dramatic sigh in resignation, she nodded toward the former Dread Master. “Fuck, I already regret this. Trevor, this is Cedric. Cedric, Trevor.”

“Oh, we’d absolutely love that!” Agatha clapped her hands a little in excitement when Trevor suggested that perhaps he’d see about sending some people over to her own guild at some time for a performance. “We’re the Lusty Titans, based in Hosenka. I’ll talk to my husband about what we want to contribute and then we’ll check with Serilda and Mythal to find out where they send theirs.” They didn’t need to discuss any of the particulars right then and there. After all, Agatha was her for pleasure, not business – though admittedly, she did often mix the two. “And maybe afterward some of our members can do some entertaining for yours as well, if the people you send aren’t opposed to some adult content. Our Mouvement Sensual troupe really is a treat, but if that’s too graphic for anyone, we have quite an array of other talents that are a bit more modest.”

Meanwhile, Saffron had resigned herself to what was surely about to be the theme for the rest of her evening. Cedric made no effort to hide how much he was looking forward to being a pain in her ass, and damnit if that didn’t make him all the more attractive. Unfortunately, it was only going to feed into Trevor doing the exact same thing. It was going to be a rough night for her. But to her credit, Saffron didn’t hesitate to swallow the bullet, unafraid to walk into a situation where she would be at the disadvantage, and after a quick tease to her bandmates about proverbially slobbering on Agatha, she begrudgingly got the introduction out of the way.

The men exchanged a handshake, with Trevor only pausing long enough to question Saffron’s comment about her and Agatha playing with each other’s bosoms. Cedric confirmed the event, along with his surprise part in it, drawing a playful giggle from Agatha and a shit-eating grin from Saffron. “Gods, Mercury was so fucking pissed.” He went on to talk about the experience of being criticized like an object with a gusto that outweighed even Saffron’s first meeting with him. “Bro, you handed me a fucking business card.” She jabbed her thumb at Trevor. “He didn’t even give me a business card, and he actually owns a business.”

Trevor complimented Cedric’s appearance, which was probably the first time Saffron had ever heard him even comment on finding a man attractive, only to assure Cedric that he’d been at the receiving end of Saffron’s spice when they first met two. “You were wearing an entire zoo’s worth of feathers and no shirt,” she retorted with a wry smirk, picking on him nearly as quickly as she had on Cedric. “You’re lucky I agreed to ever talk to you again at all.” As far as she was concerned, both men had more than earned her criticisms on their first meetings, no matter how she felt about them now.

They carried on with Cedric pouring his own compliments toward Trevor. When the darker skinned man nodded to her and remarked about how much she was likely hating this, Saffron just groaned and rolled her eyes, a light smirk on her lips as she shook her head. “If you two could just get a room already and leave me out of it, that’d be great, thanks.”

“I’ll take her spot if she doesn’t want it,” Agatha teased.

Cedric then turned to introduce himself to Emma with a quick apology for overlooking her. Emma had, at some point, managed to forget her embarrassment and anxiety over being in the same room as Agatha to openly check Cedric out, demanding to know where Saffron had been keeping him. “Apparently not far enough away to save myself a headache.” In his usual way, Cedric poured his charm upon the other woman, kissing the back of her hand when she accepted his hand shake. Saffron snorted hard nearly the same time Trevor did when Emma announced that she was single. Unlike Trevor, however, Saffron elected to comment on it. “Only cause Faren over there stole your boyfriend,” she retorted with a wicked smirk.

Cedric grinned down at her, asking if his meeting Trevor was everything she figured it would be. She shot him a bored, if playful, look. “Please, the two of you together aren’t even remotely a threat to me. Besides, it would be a nice change of pace for either of you to be able to offer me any kind of real challenge.”

“Anyway, it’s getting a little crowded in here now, and I’ll bet Emma’s chomping at the bit for some drinks. And I’m fucking famished. Why don’t we go find a bar or something?”

Agatha’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Isn’t Cillian’s restaurant around here somewhere? I think it’s just over in the Old Towne Square. We could go there!”

“Oh shit, yeah I think you’re right. Dude, I’d kill for some of his food again. Those little crispy egg roll things he made at Blade’s wake were better than any sex I’ve ever had in my entire life. Even if him and his insufferably perfect eight pack infuriates me.” She gave Cedric another grin. “What do you say? Wanna go see your other boyfriend again?”

As the group prepared to leave, however, there was another knock on the door and Rodney once again popped his head in. “So sorry to interrupt. I have another visitor; this one has an actual backstage pass. Shall I?”

Presuming he got the go ahead from the rest of the band, he ducked back out of sight. “Sorry, give us a minute,” Saffron told Agatha and Cedric, putting a slight pause on their plans to head out for drinks. But as the door opened once more to reveal the new visitor, Saffron’s eyes went wide with recognition

Standing in the doorway was a young woman in her early twenties, perhaps only a year or so younger than Saffron. Her hair was a bit lighter than the Fairy Tail mage’s, more on the platinum side, but no less full bodied and thick. She had vivid blue eyes that took in the room and it’s occupants with a muted, if focused, attention, as if she was doing more academic studying of her surroundings rather than being excited to get an exclusive moment with the band. Her hands were resting inside the pockets of an olive green sweater that was zipped down in the front with a plain white tee shirt beneath it and a set of sunglasses hanging from her collar. Her jeans were tucked into a calf high set of boots, and while she wasn’t nearly as animated as Saffron was, a small and sincere smile still clawed its way to her lips when her gaze finally set on her older sister.

Saffron’s eyes turned to a rare yellow that was nearly as bright as her own hair.  “Senna!!!” She practically rocketed across the room to snare the younger woman in a tight hug, pulling her off her feet briefly. “You made it!”

Senna chuckled, returning Saffron’s hug with a bit more composure once she was back on her feet. “Well, dad was rather insistent that I go, and I did finish my exams early. You went through all the effort to mail this thing to me.” She tapped on the laminated pass that was hanging around her neck. “I figured I should probably not let it go to waste.”

Practically beaming, Saffron turned around to the rest of the room, wrapping her synthetic arm around the younger woman’s shoulder and holding her tightly enough that smaller Remington grunted from the effort. “Everyone meet my little sister, Senna!”

“Greetings.”

“Ah, ha!” Saffron gave a little victory cry when Emma tripped up while trying to defend herself, only to admit in the process to having been sleeping around with Nik. She shot a shit eating grin at Trevor after he lamented his loss in jewel. “Fuckin’ told you so.”

Cedric made a quip about Saffron being entirely too defensive about how much she wasn’t bothered by him and Trevor being fast friends, rolling her eyes again but otherwise saying nothing. If she was going to stay ahead in this team up of theirs against her, she was simply going to have to pick and choose her battles. So instead she changed the subject, suggesting they all make their way to a bar for some food and drinks. Agatha suggested Cillian’s restaurant, which honestly made the most sense now that it was out there. At this point everyone in the present group knew Cillian except for probably Faren. Cedric expressed his openness to seeing the necromancer again, remarking at how Cillian was a bit of an idiot but an entertaining one.

The matter seemed settled up until they were informed of another visitor, one that Saffron was all too happy to see. She hadn’t had time to visit her sister or her dad since moving to Fiore, so it had been close to two years since the last time the sisters had seen one another. The elder sister seemed far more excited about it at a first glance, but in truth it was just that she was more animated than Senna was. Saffron turned around and broadly introduced her to the group.

There was little surprise that Faren was the first to approach, greeting her by name with a bow and yet more flowery compliments. Senna’s expression settled into something that was a mixture of disinterest and blank scrutiny. If any of the men in the room had ever thought Saffron was a brick wall, they’d soon find that her sister was even more unmoved by charm, eying him more like she was analyzing his behavior and drawing detached calculations about him.

Before he could get very far, Emma straight up interrupted the bard, chastising him for hitting on Saffron’s sister. Saffron herself was snickering very much like she knew some kind of inside joke or secret that made Faren’s behavior more amusing to her than anything else. Senna’s blue gaze peeled away from Faren to look instead toward Emma as the other woman walked toward her and introduced herself as the only sane person in the room. In the same breath she suggested that they work on introductions while on their way out so as not to waste any time getting to a place with drinks. “Sounds like a plan to me. C’mon, Sen. Hope you’re hungry.”

“I suppose I could go for a bite.”

Vera Jayne’s Bistro was only a short walk from where the performance had been. It was a corner property in the historic area of Crocus, with lots of stucco and brick on the outside. An entry foyer sported several doorways. Directly ahead were the double glass doors that lead to the restaurant itself, while to one side a neon sign pointed down a set of stairs to Estelle’s tattoo shop in the basement, where a hidden safe house for Confidence International members was also located. On the other side was a door that led to a private elevator and stairwell leading up to the flats above the commercial space.

Despite the late hour, the restaurant itself was bustling. The place was absolutely packed with people. The word about the quality of food at the Bistro had spread like wildfire once the place had been officially opened, and it hadn’t settled down since. “Oh my goodness, look at this place,” Agatha breathed, glancing around in awe at the interior design.

“Yeah dude, this is hella impressive.” Given what little exposure she had to the necromancer, Saffron hadn’t expected to find something this respectable looking.

A host approached the front counter with a smile, setting down a box of freshly cleaned silverware that was wrapped up in cloth napkins. “Welcome to Vera Jayne’s Bistro! How many in your part– Oh, Master Winters!” The employee, who also happened to be a member of Confidence, immediately recognized the guild’s leader, as well as Nik and Emma. “What a pleasant surprise! We’ve got a little bit of a wait, I’m afraid. If you don’t mind heading over to the bar for a few minutes, I’ll let Cillian know you’re here.”

The group filed over to the bar and a few minutes later after they all had drinks in hand, Cillian emerged from the kitchen. He was actually dressed for once, in a pair of dark green blacks and a green and gray striped button up shirt with a camel colored vest. An apron covered the front of the outfit to protect it from having food splattered on the nice clothing. His gaze fell on Trevor first, almost glazing past everyone else in search for the specific face he was looking for. “Heya, boss! How’s it going? Oh hey, guys!” He caught sight of Nik and Emma as well, giving them a small wave as he approached.

“Hi Cillian!”

The lanky chef glanced over to Agatha and paused, peering at her as though trying to figure out who she was and where he knew her from. It took him a beat, his eyes also catching sight of Saffron and then Cedric before he finally put it all together. “Oh shit, you guys are here, too?” The necromancer offered up a renewed grin.

Agatha gestured at the space around them. “Cillian, this place is gorgeous. Seriously, I’m so impressed!”

“Well, thank you very much!” He wandered over to Cedric, giving the other man an extra wide smile and giving him a fist bump. “Good to see ya, bud. Man, I didn’t even know all of you knew each other. Welcome to the Bistro! What can I get for you guys?”

“I literally don’t care, I will probably eat anything you put in front of me as long as you make it,” Saffron informed him with a grin, pointing at him with her beer bottle.

Cillian chuckled, wiping some kitchen grease off his hands onto the towel that was over his shoulder as he glanced around at the tables. “Well, there ain’t a whole lot of extra seats at the moment. Busiest night of the week. But, I think I can work something out for you guys.” Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a set of keys and removed a smaller keychain from the bundle that had a single key attached to it, tossing it to Trevor. “Put your orders in and then take the elevator up to my place on the top floor. I’ll have your food brought up; it’s on the house. Feel free to raid the alcohol up there. I’m clocking out in a few minutes, so I’ll be up in a bit.”

He went back into the kitchen and let the bartender take their order. Once everyone was settled, they all made their way upstairs to Cillian’s apartment. It was a town home penthouse that sported a mostly open concept first floor with a living room that opened up to a kitchen. There was plenty of seating and it was a nice private space where the group could relax without the din of the restaurant and the watchful eye of the public.

Saffron whistled as she looked around. “Bro, is this guy loaded?” Even Senna seemed impressed, though she continued to observe her surroundings from a place of study more than emotion. With a shrug, Saffron picked a spot on the couch and plopped down, Senna taking a seat beside her.

Taking a swig of her beer, she glanced over at Nik with a grin. “Eyo, Nik. When were you gonna tell us you were into all those smutty romance novels?” she teased. Then, she nodded to Faren. “Did he tell you the main character of his Warrior Prince series is based on my mentor?” Vandrad had come up a couple of times in conversation not just with Trevor, and by this point Emma and Nik were also at least aware of the man that trained her and had heard a couple of stories. Poking fun at Vandrad’s expense when the future king wasn’t there to defend himself was certainly fun, but mostly she just figured Nik would appreciate knowing he was two degrees of separation away from the real person the lead character was based on.

“Wait, he just stumbled into your meeting to found Confidence completely on accident?” Saffron snorted. “That’s so on brand for him, I can’t even be mad about it.”

Cedric questioned Trevor’s reservations, or lack thereof, toward Cillian being a dark mage. The guild master gave a proverbial shrug, more or less stating that he didn’t care about the personal history or less reputable lives of his members as long as they kept those things separated from the guild and its affairs. More to the point, Cillian was hardly an active threat. “Oh, there is a darkness in him, make no mistake,” Agatha offered while Trevor downed the rest of his beer, but the comment was more observational than anything else, lacking any judgment. “I think it’s just very heavily buried deep inside of him, and probably only comes out if pushed into it. Not unlike our dear Mercury, though I think she’s a little quicker to reach that point than Cillian is.”

Trevor’s comment about life being no fun if you didn’t cause some trouble all the time was well received by Cedric, as well as by Agatha and Saffron, both of whom raised their own bottles at the men with grins. From there, Saffron elected to turn her attention to Nik, teasing him about his reading habits. The man shrugged and explained that he had a wide array of preferences, but Faren just happened to be one of his favorites, not because of the smut but rather because the depth of his characters and story telling was enough that he could look over anything else that wouldn’t be to his usual tastes.

Saffron’s reveal about Vandrad being the origin of the lead character was met with surprise from Nik but outright shock from Cedric, who immediately chimed in to question it. Faren looked about as pleased as Saffron felt regarding the topic, though he took a minute to explain the particulars about how the story and character had evolved on its own over the years. Saffron snickered. “Either way, it’s bloody brilliant and Vandrad absolutely hates that Mercury found out about it. She references it all the time, now.”

Faren moved the topic along, however. Since they had gathered enough people to consider it a party, he suggested that they play a few rounds of poker while they waited for their food, reaching into his jacket to pull out a deck of cards. Cedric seemed flabbergasted that the bard seemed to just keep a deck of cards at the ready, earning him an incredulous look from Saffron. “Do you not?” she asked, lifting up her prosthetic arm. A compartment opened up and a deck of her own popped out. Faren insisted that he had learned to always have a number of things on hand, including jewel, excuses, and cards. “Don’t forget dice!” Saffron added, a set of those rolling into her palm from another hidden spot on her robotic limb.

Senna, who had been content to consume her mix drink at her own pace and quietly watch as everyone interacted, cocked her head at Saffron with a thoughtful frown. “I wasn’t aware you had picked up a gambling habit.”

“Who said anything about gambling? I always hid cards and dice on me in the military; you know how easily bored I get.” Her sister considered the response briefly before giving a small hum of acknowledgement, seemingly accepting the answer.

Emma informed Faren that he’d have gotten a lot further with her if he’d just cut out the romantic drivel and behave as he currently was. Then, the bassist upped the stakes by volunteering both herself and Nik for strip poker, much to the latter’s bewilderment. The suggestion was quickly swept up by all the other men in the room, however, including both Cedric and Trevor, before Emma demanded they get on with it so she could have a chance to see Agatha’ tits.

The accidental outburst drew a slew of laughter from pretty much everyone as Emma nursed her sore pride in her drink. “Oh, you guys are so mean!” Agatha teased, though she was grinning, too. She slipped an arm under Emma’s, giving it a squeeze. “I would have been more than happy to share my tits with you if you had asked, beautiful... But now I guess you’ll just have to earn them.” The redhead shot Emma a flirty wink.

“You guys do remember that my little sister is here, too, right?” Saffron was heavily amused but that didn’t change the fact that playing strip poker was a little more awkward with relatives involved.

It was Senna that ultimately shrugged. “It’s not the most conventional game to play with family, but it’s not like neither of us have seen one another naked before.”

“Well yeah, but that’s us. I don’t need these thirsty jackasses lusting over my sister. Lookin’ specifically at you, Faren.”

“I wouldn’t be so worried about it, Saff. After all, in order to get me stripped down to that point they’ll have to actually beat me.” There was a subtle playfulness, almost a challenge, in the younger sibling’s tone though her expression was as muted and even as ever.

Saffron narrowed her gaze at her sister, but an amused, almost proud smirk dug into her cheeks. “Alright then, fuck it. Let’s do it.”

They all gathered around the sizable dining table, dragging up extra chairs as needed. A quick search around the livingroom revealed an unopened set of poker chips and, after a group agreement that Cillian probably wouldn’t care that they opened it, they tore the wrapping off the box and Faren got everyone set up.

By the time Cillian came up with their food, they had played through several rounds to varying results. Neither Saffron nor Agatha were fully undressed, though both had lost a couple articles of clothing. They still wore their pants and underwear, but their jewelry, shoes, socks, and other smaller items were gone, as were their shirts, leaving their tops with just their bras. Senna, however, hadn’t lost almost any clothing at all. Based on the rules they were playing, one was only at risk of having to strip a piece of clothing off if they made through the final bet of the round; folding early did not result in having to strip, if only because that would cause the game to be over far too quickly. It only took a few rounds for people to understand that Senna was almost intimidatingly good at the game, if only because her ability to read people and find their tells – while having next to none of her own – was downright uncanny.

The necromancer opened the door and pushed in a small cart that had all of their meals under cloches that had been enchanted to keep the food warm. He greeted everyone in his usual cheery manner, pulling up into the dining area and getting everything organized. It took him a solid minute before his gaze finally seemed to focus on them and he realized most of the room was half naked. “Oh. Well, I guess you guys are having a good time, aren’t you?”

“Having a great time watching my sister give Faren a run for his fucking money,” Saffron replied with a grin, taking a swig from her beer. She didn’t appear to be very upset over the fact that she had lost a fair number of rounds, far more entertained by how flustered a few of the others were at how good the quiet, unassuming Senna was.

Agatha, who was already out for the current round, stood up to help Cillian pass out silverware while the chef started divvying out the dishes themselves. “Are you off for the night?” she asked him.

“Sure am!”

“Oh good! Should we deal you in, then?”

He chuckled. “Not really sure I remember how to play, if I’m being honest. I know I have before, but it’s been a very long time. Dela would prooooobably kill me if she found out, though,” he admitted with a sheepish grin. If nothing else had ever gotten into his pea sized brain, it was that his woman was very possessive and did not like to share.

“Eh, no one here’s gonna try and jump you or anything. Well, Cedric might. But most of us have already seen what you’re packing, anyway; and your girlfriend was the one who invited that.”

Agatha shot Trevor, Emma, and Nik an impish smirk. “Cillian may or may not have also been dragged into the show-and-tell we had at the girl’s night we had a while back,” she explained.

The necromancer giggled, the sound almost a bit sheepish. “Fair enough, I suppose. Honestly I think she’d mostly just be mad that she wasn’t here to play, but she’s on duty tonight or else she’d already be here.” He shrugged. “Alright, deal me in.”

“Yes, the challenge he presents is adequate,” Senna agreed, her expression as impassive as ever as Faren remarked on the poker rivalry the two of them were building up.

Saffron shook her head with a grin. “And you were giving me shit about gambling. I leave for two years and you become a straight up hustler.”

The younger sister shrugged. “College has ways of exposing you to new experiences you wouldn’t normally seek out on your own. Many of those experiences I chose to explore if only because doing so gave me some exposure to things which fell within my field of study.”

“Oh, what’s your major?”

“I duel majored in Psychology and Communications, with an emphasis on journalism, for my bachelors. Currently, I am two thirds of the way through grad school to get a masters in both, with plans to get into reporting.”

Agatha blinked openly at Senna. “Wow! You’re so young, but you double majored and you’re nearly finished with graduate school?” She looked astonished, and impressed.

“Yeah, Sen’s a bit of a nerd. While most kids spent their summers getting out and actually enjoying their time off from school, she took on extra classes through high school to have more elective credits to transfer. By the time she graduated and went to college, she was already halfway done with her bachelors degrees, and only had to spend two years in undergrad.” Despite the way she teased her sister, it was clear that Saffron was insanely proud of the younger woman. The two of them really couldn’t have been more polar opposite of one another, but that didn’t stop them from being close, or from getting along without the drama that often came from having siblings.

By then Agatha had folded her hand and joined Cillian to help him get everyone situated with food, inquiring as to if he was fully clocked out for the night and if he wanted to join them. Saffron teased that Cedric might try to jump him, and the former Dread Master immediately rebuffed the idea, if only because he’d seen the intensity with which Dela was hooked on the man, not interested in testing fate. Cillian giggled. “Yep, that’s my Dela, alright.”

After Agatha gave a brief explanation to fill in the gaps for those who hadn’t been present at Lusty Titans that night, Trevor gave a laugh and remarked about the fun time they clearly had. Meanwhile, Emma and Nik were both off in their own worlds, one inebriated enough that he wasn’t as reserved as usual, and the other with her eyes caught between Agatha and Cedric’s chests. Agatha’s wasn’t fully bare just yet like Cedric’s was, but she did have on a delicate and lacy push up bra that was doing everything for her bosom. Nik agreed that Agatha could “join” them, which Emma didn’t really seem to hear, despite her acknowledgement of it, and the redhead only offered them both a pointed, and perhaps somewhat seductive, smile. “Well, if you two are serious, I certainly would not say no to spending the evening with both of you. I’d just have to let my husband know I won’t be home tonight so he and our wife know not to wait up for me. That is, unless you want to come over to our place.”

Cedric took a moment to assure his buddy that most people, like Emma, would be more interested in staring at Agatha, though Trevor took a moment to remark that his would still be elsewhere, giving the elder blonde a wink. Saffron rolled her eyes, but was fighting back a pleased smirk regardless. She elected to change the subject. “Hey Emma, remember when you weren’t bisexual?” Saffron teased, folding her current hand if only so she could start digging into her food. “Good luck with that. You ask me, more than one partner at a time is far too much. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.”

Though her expression remained stoic as she continued her current bout with Faren, Senna loosed a snort.

Saffron peered at her as she chewed her meal. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, just an ironic comment from a woman with two boyfriends.” The Fairy Tail mage fully choked on her mouthful, her eyes going wide and a full shade of dark pink. She had to pound on her chest a couple of times with her synthetic arm to dislodge the food from her throat so she could breathe again. Senna used the opportunity while her sister was recovering to continue her thoughts almost idly, without even really looking away from the poker game. “Listen, if you’re going to have two partners, it’s your life. It’s not really my taste, but I’m not going to judge you over it, though dad might have some questions that I wish you luck in answering.”

“I do not have two boyfriends,” Saffron insisted, finally finding her voice. Before he could even think about bringing up any comments regarding a thruple again, she pre-emptively whirled her gaze on Cedric with a pointed finger. “You have no lines in this play.” The elder sister was taking the moment in stride, easily finding the humor in it along with the others that were laughing outright, but her cheeks were as rosy as her eyes.

“You don’t have to protest so hard. At most, I’m just surprised and mildly disappointed that neither of them is a woman. You spent the entirety of high school chasing after girls and flat out ignoring most of the boys, so this is really a little anticlimactic after all that.”

“Oh my gods, Senna, you can stop any day now.” Despite being the butt of the current line of jokes, Saffron was shaking her head and laughing along with the others. Even Senna was smirking and looking more than a little pleased with herself. “Besides, it’s not my fault I can’t find any decent ladies, not when Mercury keeps narrowing the fuck out of my dating pool.”

“Mercury?”

“Vandrad’s fiance. She’s amazing and I love her to death, but she’s slept with pretty much every breathing person she’s met. At this point I avoid all her sexual conquests just on principle. Which sucks, cause that means I’ll never, ever get to sleep with Agatha or her absurdly attractive husband.”

Agatha gave Saffron an apologetic smile. “A real shame, because Ruzatz and I would just love to pamper you for a night.”

“Ugh, Agatha. Babe. Don’t fucking tease me. You are quite literally the only exception I’d ever consider, and I don’t need that kind of temptation in my life. I have to have standards somewhere, and unfortunately that line happens to be anyone who’s slept with Mercury. Or with Vandrad for that matter. To my sincere disappointment and eternal regret, that crosses you twice off the list.”

Agatha patted Saffron on the arm sympathetically. “Well… we’ll always have girls’ night.”

“We most certainly will..!”

The teasing and commentary continued on as they played and ate dinner, dealing Cillian in as well. Cillian was quite literally so bad at the game that he was fully naked within a few short rounds, despite his late start. Cedric, however, elected to bow out when he got down to his underwear. “Booooo! Coward..!” Saffron jeered playfully as he got up to help Cillian with the dishes.

The others continued to play and drink as the two men cleaned up. Cedric complimented Cillian’s apartment,expressing his desire to find a place of his own, something he’d never had before. Faren questioned why Cedric didn’t just shack up on New Rhaegar, seeing as how at this point it was highly unlikely that Themmy would deny him a place of his own. Cedric admitted he’d considered it, but ultimately felt that it would take away from the experience of truly finding his own independence and having an honest go at the world in a way he’d never been able to experience before; a sentiment that Trevor was in agreement with.

“Well, my handsome friend, you may be in luck. I actually still have a vacant flat a couple floors down, if you don’t mind having a sweet and sassy older woman living across from you. I was getting ready to list it soon, but I’m happy to let you steal it first. We can go take a look at it real quick, if you’d like.”

Presuming he was interested, the men would finish up the dishes and Cillian would throw on a pair of pants before grabbing his keys and making his way down the elevator two floors below his own. The door would open to a small hallway with two doors on either side. Pointing at one, Cillian told him, “Laverne lives here. She’s great. Took me in when I didn’t have a place of my own, and the only rent she charged me was to help her with her daily living. Only reason I was able to save up so much money to buy this place.” Heading to the other door, he unlocked it and swung it open, gesturing for Cedric to lead the way in. “After you!”