Working With The Herschel Sisters

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 29, Post Number 714

-Hargeon Town, Outside the Herschel Residence, 11:30 A.M.-

Wearing her typical outfit of a purple t-shirt with black skirt and white thigh-high stockings plus black tennis shoes, Diana also carried her backpack of supplies that included extra clothing and carried Saint Sinner Valentine slung over her right shoulder. Dressed and equipped for an adventure, after a lengthy but uneventful walk to Hargeon Town Diana stood outside the Herschel house and took a moment to find the doorbell. Her old acquaintance Stella Herschel had sent a message to her last night requesting help with a job she had taken this morning. What that job was had not been revealed to Diana because Stella wanted to discuss it in person. Diana had no problem with that.

She had not seen Stella Herschel in several months... in fact she could not even remember their last meeting. Diana had been busy with other pursuits such as meeting up with neighbors and acquaintances in Capital Crocus and getting her house in order both literally and metaphorically. It had taken a lot more time and a lot more money than anticipated, but her townhouse in Capital Crocus was now a home.

Speaking of homes, Diana looked at the door to the Herschel residence and finally spotted a glowing green button located on the right side of the doorframe. She pressed it and a gentle ringing sounded. Her arrival must have been expected because within moments of pressing the doorbell the door opened. On the other side was Stella herself.

"Oh hey Diana! I didn't expect you here this early!" Stella greeted Diana warmly. The starry-eyed blonde was dressed in her usual outfit of a brown leather jacket over a white t-shirt, blue jeans, white tennis shoes, and sunglasses over her eyes. On her back was a brown leather backpack that almost perfectly matched her jacket.

"I had trouble sleeping past 8:00 A.M., so I woke up and came here as soon as I got dressed and grabbed my gear. The walk was long but uneventful." Diana explained how and why she had traveled to Hargeon Town so early. Stella looked like she was about to question that response but thought better of it and smiled.

"Well, now that you're here, we can talk about that job I took. Just give me a moment to let my parents know that you've arrived and that I'm leaving for our destination!" Stella said. Diana copied a frequently used gesture of her android companion Ami and gave a thumbs-up with her right hand. Stella disappeared inside her house briefly while Diana waited outside for her acquaintance and partner to return so that they could begin their trip to wherever it was they were going.

Within moments Stella reappeared in the doorway. She gave a thumbs-up with her right hand to the green-eyed blonde.

"OK, we're going to be going to Magnolia Town to meet with a man named Simon Wright. He's a paranormal researcher. He's hired me for a job that involves going to Haunted Castle and returning a stolen silver plate taken from the castle's dining room." Stella told Diana what exactly the job was. The moment she heard the name "Haunted Castle" Diana realized why Stella had asked for her to come along on this job. Haunted Castle was not a place for inexperienced mages to travel to without magic that could harm the supernatural, a weapon that could harm the supernatural, or a partner with either of those assets. Diana happened to have both magic and a weapon that could harm the supernatural, making her quite the asset for Stella to bring along.

"All right then. Take me to Simon Wright's house when you are ready, Stella." Diana replied. Stella stepped down from the doorway and shut the door to her house behind her.

"OK, Diana! Follow me! It's gonna be a bit of a walk, so I hope you're ready to do some walking!" Stella informed Diana. Diana was not daunted by the prospect of walking from Hargeon Town to Magnolia Town. Stella must have realized the questionable wisdom of what she had said because she gave a small laugh moments after finishing her statement.

"Who am I kidding? You've been a mage a lot longer than I have! A walk like this is probably nothing to you!" Stella quickly added. Diana kept a neutral face.

"I have traveled extensively across Fiore, Stella." Diana said in understatement. She was not going to bore Stella with all the details because describing her travels would take awhile and she highly doubted they had that much time to spare. Simon Wright was waiting on them to arrive and take the silver plate back to whence it came.

"I can tell, Diana. Now let's get going to Magnolia Town. Mr. Wright's waiting on us!" Stella suggested to Diana. With that the starry-eyed blonde started walking and Diana began walking beside Stella on the latter's right side. The two were going to Magnolia Town to pick up the silver plate they were supposed to take back to Haunted Castle on behalf of their client as well as get any additional instructions or other information they would need to know before setting out for Haunted Castle.

[Post Word Count: 874]
[Total Word Count: 874/11,000]

-Magnolia Town, inside Simon Wright's residence, 1:55 P.M.-

After a brisk and fairly lengthy but uneventful walk from Hargeon Town to Magnolia Town the blonde duo located Simon Wright's house and knocked on the front door. They were granted entry by Simon Wright himself and now the pair were standing in what might have been a living room. It was hard to tell exactly what room they were standing in because the walls were coated with assorted maps of Fiore and pictures and posters of paranormal entities that were rumored to have been spotted in various areas of the country. The couch was home to numerous books on the paranormal sitting on the cushions and the coffee table in front of the couch was loaded down with magazines on the paranormal.

"Hello, ladies." Simon greeted the two blondes.

"Hi Mr. Wright!" Stella greeted the client. Mr. Wright was a tall blond man wearing black-rimmed glasses and a face full of stubble that made him look like he had not shaved in weeks, which may or may not be true. He wore a white t-shirt with the words "GHOST HUNTER" in black print on the front plus khaki cargo pants and sandals.

Diana simply raised a hand in greeting.

"Hi there. Just call me Simon, um... Stella, is it?" Mr. Wright asked Stella. The starry-eyed blonde nodded. He then turned to Diana.

"And you're Diana. Diana Winchester, right?" He asked Diana.

"Yes." Diana replied laconically. He raised an eyebrow.

"I've hired a Lucia Winchester a few times in the past. Is she related to you?" Simon asked Diana.

"Yes. Lucia is my older sister." Diana answered and specified the nature of their relationship. The man seemed to be surprised by that for a moment or two, perhaps because of how different their temperaments were. Or maybe he just did not know that Lucia even had a sister.

"Excellent. Your sister's done great work for me in the past and I'm sure that you'll keep the tradition going, Diana. That's why I agreed to hire you as well." Simon told Diana why she had been allowed to tag along with Stella on the job the starry-eyed blonde had been hired for. Diana did not say anything in response to that. Instead she would let her performance on the job speak for her.

Simon turned around, walked out of the living room, and went into another room that was a short distance behind him and to his left. In a few seconds he returned with a nondescript silver plate in his hands and presented it to the pair. The two blondes looked at it and did not see anything out of the ordinary about it. Other than where it had come from, what was so special about it?

"You two are looking at a dinner plate made out of genuine silver. What's more, it comes straight from Haunted Castle." Simon told them. Diana had learned that much from what Stella had told her before the pair had arrived. She hoped that the client could tell them more about it and what made it so special.

"How did you get it, Mr. Wright?" Stella asked the client.

"You see, Stella, someone took it from Haunted Castle as a souvenir. But after a few days they couldn't stand to look at it. They thought that they saw a pair of eyes peering at them whenever they looked at it, so they took it to me. I won't name who brought it to me because they swore me to secrecy." He explained what made the plate special. Stella was visibly intrigued by that and Diana showed interest as well. Simon wordlessly flipped the plate upright to where it was facing them so that they could look at it.

The plate gleamed in the light and Diana felt a sinister vibe fill the room. Within seconds the pair saw a pair of black eyes in the center of the plate looking back at them. Stella screamed and jumped back while Diana raised her right hand and began to prepare a spell in case the entity decided to try and come through the plate like it was some kind of portal. Simon, seeing the reactions of the two mages, quickly spun the plate to where it was facing the ceiling again.

"You saw the eyes too, huh? The person who took the plate reported seeing eyes. At first I thought that they were just seeing things, but once I saw it for myself I knew that they weren't just being paranoid." He commented on the plate. Once there was no longer the possibility of a threat Diana lowered her right hand and Stella recovered her composure.

"Yeah, we saw it. Diana was more composed than I was, which makes me glad she's coming with me." Stella said to Simon. Judging from what the plate showed them, Diana was glad that she had been hired for this job too. She could handle anything they came across in their quest to return the plate back to where it belonged.

"Is there anything else we need to know before we set out for Haunted Castle?" Diana asked the client.

"There is one thing you two need to know. The plate came from the dining room on the third floor of the castle. Return it to its proper place and get out of there as quickly as you can." Simon told them where the pair needed to take the plate.

"That's great and all, but we're going to a place called Haunted Castle. What can we expect to face in the castle?" Stella asked Simon what was perhaps the most important question they could ask him.

[Post Word Count: 954]
[Total Word Count: 1,828/11,000]

Simon thought about the question put to him by Stella for a moment. He had a solemn look on hi face for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders.

"Who knows?" Simon asked rhetorically. Stella crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's not what I wanted to hear, Simon." Stella said what Diana was thinking. Then again, Diana had more knowledge of Haunted Castle than her partner did. The huntress had more to go on than Stella, who had never been to Haunted Castle before.

"I'm sorry, Stella. I wish I could give you a better answer, but I honestly don't know. I don't have anything solid to tell you, just rumors." Simon apologized for being unable to give a solid answer to the question.

"Then tell me what you've got." Stella said with a frown.

"OK, so there are rumors of Haunted Castle being home to anything from ghosts to zombies to werewolves, even vampires. I wouldn't know because I've never been to that place before. I'm not a mage, so I wouldn't last very long there unless I had a special weapon with me." Simon told the starry-eyed blonde all the rumors he knew about Haunted Castle. Stella sighed.

"Eh, it'll be OK. I've got Diana with me." Stella said in resignation. Diana remained silent. She did not mind being the one to take on whatever lurked in the castle because she was getting paid for it. Getting paid tended to make a lot of tough assignments more bearable.

"Is there anything else that you'd like to know before you set out?" Simon asked Stella. The blonde shook her head.

"There's nothing else, Simon." Stella replied. She was probably banking on Diana being able to fill in the gaps with what she knew about Haunted Castle. With that the two blondes prepared to go to Haunted Castle to return the silver plate to where it belonged. Diana took the plate and held it in her right hand while Stella walked to the front door, forcing Diana to walk briskly to catch up with her partner.

"Good luck, you two!" Simon bade them before the pair left his home. They waved goodbye to their client and started the long trip to Haunted Castle.

-Outside Haunted Castle, nine hours later-

After a long but uneventful walk to Haunted Castle the blonde duo were now standing outside of it and looking at the front. It was as imposing as ever and Stella seemed to be at least a little intimidated by it. Diana, on the other hand, was as calm as ever. She had been here before and the place held no special terror for her.

"Look at that place! It's so big!" Stella said in awe. Diana remained quiet as Stella marveled at the architecture for a moment. Once her partner was finished admiring the exterior she faced Diana.

"Hey Diana, I don't have any magic that can hurt ghosts. Are you cool with doing most of the fighting in the castle?" Stella asked Diana. Diana nodded.

"Also, are you OK with carrying that creepy plate? Or do you want me to carry it?" Stella asked Diana. Diana wordlessly handed the plate over to Stella, who accepted it.

"I would like for you to carry it for a little bit, Stella. I will need both hands for some of my more powerful spells." Diana replied. Stella held it in both hands.

"I'll hang onto it for awhile, Diana. You carried it for the past nine hours or so, so it's the least I can do." Stella accepted the burden of carrying the plate for awhile. With her hands free, Diana could cast her most powerful spells, including In Nomine Luna. That was her most powerful crowd control spell and it could wipe out large groups of supernatural targets in one use.

"We will enter Haunted Castle whenever you are ready to do so, Stella." Diana said to her partner. The huntress would wait until Stella gave the green light before walking towards the castle's double doors. It did not take long for her partner to give that permission, but first the starry-eyed blonde took a deep breath.

"OK, Diana. I'm ready now." Stella said. With that Diana began slowly walking towards the door, walking slowly so that she did not leave Stella behind. Stella caught up with ease and Diana opened the left front door for them. Stella walked in first and Diana followed close behind.

-Inside Haunted Castle, the first floor-

Diana shut the door behind them and the pair stood inside a decorated foyer with everything as Diana had remembered it. Stella was visibly amazed by the brass chandeliers hanging overhead, the red carpet beneath their feet, and the beautiful artwork on the walls. Diana had to struggle not to look at the artwork because it was so beautiful.

"Wow. I've never seen anything like this before!" Stella said to Diana while marveling at everything around them. Diana remained quiet and kept an eye out for trouble while her partner was busy admiring their surroundings.

[Post Word Count: 846]
[Total Word Count: 2,674/11,000]

Diana watched their surroundings for trouble as her partner marveled at the splendor of the foyer. Diana was somewhat impressed by it despite having grown up in a wealthy household. The huntress wanted to get a move on and return the plate to its proper place, but Stella was mesmerized by the brass chandeliers and the paintings on the walls. The starry-eyed blonde's gaze was currently fixed on a painting of an old-fashioned log cabin surrounded by trees. The details of the log cabin and the trees were painted in exquisite detail... they were so good that Diana felt like she was standing in front of the structure.

"We should get going, Stella." Diana suggested to her partner. Stella mumbled something and remained where she was. The green-eyed blonde said nothing and waited a minute or two more before repeating her suggestion.

"Stella, we should get going and return the plate to the dining room." Diana suggested to Stella a second time. Stella mumbled again and did not move. This time Diana frowned a little. Even though she was a powerful mage who wielded two magic types that could harm the supernatural she did not want to stay here any longer than she had to. The huntress tried a different approach to get her partner moving.

"If you do not move now, I am going to take the plate from you and return it myself." Diana threatened in a calm voice. That was enough to galvanize Stella to move on.

"Don't leave me here, Diana!" Stella pleaded. Diana faced forward and waited for Stella to join her before moving on. Once the starry-eyed blonde was beside her Diana started walking down the hallway while doing her best to ignore the beautiful oil paintings of rustic scenery hanging on both sides of the hallway. All of the paintings were so detailed that Diana had to use every bit of her willpower to resist the urge to stop and view them for awhile.

After a few minutes of walking past numerous beautiful paintings of rustic scenery they reached the staircase that led to the second floor.

"OK, who's gonna go up the stairs first? You or me?" Stella asked Diana. That was a good question, one that was good enough to give the huntress pause.

If Diana went up first, she would be able to defend them against anything that could be waiting for them on the next floor.

If she went last, she could protect them from anything trying to sneak up on them as they went up the stairs.

Diana thought about it in silence before voicing her decision.

"I will go first, Stella." Diana announced. She immediately approached the stairs and began walking up them. Stella followed close behind, keeping pace with the huntress to avoid lingering too long on the first floor by herself.

-On the second floor-

Diana arrived on the second floor without incident and stepped off to the right to give Stella space to get out of the stairwell. Once Stella had arrived Diana looked around them for enemies but did not find any. She knew from previous experience that they needed to go straight down the hall to get to the stairs that would take them to the third floor. In the absence of enemies the only serious obstacle was more of those beautiful oil paintings on the walls.

Diana looked around a little more and noticed that the brass chandeliers had been replaced with Lacrima lanterns spaced at twenty-five meter intervals much like the Lacrima lanterns she had seen in Silent Cemetery. Diana noted that coincidence and waited for Stella to talk to her before moving forward.

"OK Diana, which way do we go?" Stella asked her partner. Diana stepped left and pointed down the hallway straight ahead of them with her right index finger.

"We go straight ahead." Diana replied succinctly.

"All right then, straight ahead it is!" Stella replied.

Diana began walking straight ahead at a slow pace so that she did not move faster than Stella, whose eyes were drawn to the artwork hanging on the walls around them. The paintings on this floor appeared to have a hunting theme and were just as detailed as the paintings on the first floor. Diana struggled mightily to avoid looking at a painting of a green-clad hunter aiming a bow and arrow at a stag that was running towards some underbrush in an effort to escape the hunter.

Stella followed close behind without trouble, presumably because she was not interested in the hunting theme of the paintings. That was fine with Diana. She wanted to complete this job and get out of here as quickly as possible so that they minimized the chances of encountering any of the castle's residents. She doubted that they would be very accommodating towards visitors, especially visitors who possessed one of the silver plates that came from the dining room.

[Post Word Count: 824]
[Total Word Count: 3,498/11,000]

-Haunted Castle, the third floor-

Diana and Stella had made it to the third floor without incident and were now standing in a large dining hall with numerous large tapestries on the left wall, golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and a large, rectangular wooden table that sat near the back of the dining hall. At each place at the table was a chair carved out of the same wood the table was made of. A short distance behind the chair at the far end of the table sat a pair of double doors that presumably led to a kitchen, but Diana was not going to open the doors to see what was behind them. Their job was to go into Haunted Castle, return the plate, and get out.

"Looks like we found the table where the plate goes. Now let's put it back and get outta here!" Stella advised Diana.

"I agree." Diana said laconically. She did not want to spend any more time in this place than she had to.

"OK Diana, I'll take the left side. You go up the right side." Stella suggested that they each pick a side of the table to walk on to search for the place the plate went in.

"OK." Diana replied laconically. The pair then split off and walked alongside their chosen side of the table.

As Diana walked alongside the right side of the table she looked at the plates on the table and noticed that they resembled the one she was holding in her hands. They too were made of genuine silver and gleamed in the light coming down from the chandeliers hanging overhead. Stella walked on the left side of the table and stopped more than once to marvel at the solid wooden table and the silver plates sitting in front of each chair. Diana, on the other hand, kept walking and looking for a place with a missing plate.

Diana reached the end of the table without finding it and wondered whether she was on the wrong side, but she need not have worried. At the head of the table sat a wooden chair with an empty place... that had to be it. Diana quickly set the plate in its place and turned to face Stella, who was just now making her way towards the huntress after spending the past minute or so admiring the dining table.

"Hey Diana, you're not holding the plate anymore. Did you find the right place for it?" Stella asked Diana. The green-eyed blonde nodded.

"Yes." Diana replied with an economy of words. They had accomplished their goal... now it was time to get out of here while the going was good.

"Great! Let's go!" Stella suggested. She did not need to tell Diana twice.

"Agreed. I will lead the way." Diana said. She turned for the stairs and began walking and Stella hustled around the table to follow her partner. Diana and Stella met at the far end of the table and started walking towards the stairs together when Stella stopped and turned to face the wall full of tapestries.

"Hey Diana, look at that one!" Stella said, pointing towards a tapestry in the center of the wall. Diana looked at the tapestry in question and saw the familiar black shield with red swords crossed diagonally downwards and a scroll set just below the shield. She looked at the motto on the scroll that Amanda Smith's uncle Larry had helpfully provided a translation for several months ago when Diana had rescued him from here.

NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT

"What does that sentence mean?" Stella asked Diana, pointing towards the scroll.

"No one attacks me with impunity." Diana recited the translation. Stella looked towards the huntress.

"Something tells me that the person who adopted the motto wasn't the forgiving type." Stella remarked dryly. Diana had a feeling that it was more relevant than either of them realized. The prominent placement of the tapestry with that motto made Diana wonder if it was a warning to thieves. However, she questioned how useful the warning would be for anyone who could not read Latin or who lacked a means of translating Latin.

"I do not want to stay here and find out. We should leave this place as quickly as possible." Diana suggested to her partner.

"You said it. Lead the way!" Stella said. Diana faced the stairs and resumed walking towards them while Stella followed close behind her. Diana would go first so that if they encountered any opposition she could take care of it. Since Stella's magic was unable to harm supernatural entities, Diana would be the one to fight anything that got in their path as they made their way out of Haunted Castle.

[Post Word Count: 794]
[Total Word Count: 4,292/11,000]

-Haunted Castle, the second floor-

After leaving the dining hall and going down the stairs the two blonde mages were now on the second floor. They immediately faced left and began retracing their steps towards the staircase that would take them towards the first floor. Stella looked at Diana and smiled a little.

"Well, that was easy. The toughest part of this job was getting here." Stella commented on the job to Diana.

"Yes, Stella. It was an easy task once we got here." Diana replied to her partner's comment as they walked down the hall of paintings with Diana leading the way. So far they had not encountered any of the castle's residents, but that was fine with Diana. She was looking to get in and get out without any trouble.

"I'm glad we're rid of that creepy plate. I don't know what kind of face was on that plate and I don't care if I never find out." Stella commented on the odd face that had appeared on the plate when they had first received it.

"Perhaps it was the plate's owner sending us a message to return it or suffer the consequences." Diana mused as they reached the halfway mark of the hallway.

"But why would they come after us? We didn't steal it!" Stella argued.

"Remember the motto that we read in the dining hall?" Diana asked Stella a question to remind her of the motto on the tapestry and what it meant. Stella frowned.

"Yeah, I remember. No one attacks me with impunity. But I still don't get why the owner would take it out on us." Stella replied and continued to argue her point. Diana understood where her partner was coming from, but some people just did not have any sense of restraint.

"I believe that the owner would harm us anyway just to send a message to would-be thieves. They would not care that we were not the ones who stole it. Just possessing it would be cause enough for them to come after us." Diana hypothesized. Stella continued to frown as she looked at Diana, but the former made no further comment. Instead the pair reached the stairs and prepared to go down them.

"I will go first, Stella. Watch our backs and let me know if you see anything at all." Diana requested of Stella.

"OK, Diana. I'll watch our backs." Stella agreed to the request. With that Diana went down the stairs first, ready to react to any threats that might be lurking in the stairwell. A few seconds later Stella followed Diana down the stairs.

-On the first floor-

The two blondes had made it through the second floor without incident. They had went down the stairs that led to the first floor without incident as well. Diana faced left and spotted the double doors they had used to enter the castle. She pointed them out to Stella, who was nervously looking all around like she was expecting something to appear at any moment.

"There are the doors, Stella. As soon as we walk through those our work here will be finished." Diana tried to encourage her partner. Stella did not seem to be encouraged by the exit being pointed out.

"Yeah, great. Let's just get going already." Stella said impatiently, walking towards the doors at a brisk pace. Diana began walking at a brisk pace herself and soon caught up with the starry-eyed blonde, who was still looking all around her. Diana walked to Stella's left as the pair walked towards the doors.

"Are you OK, Stella?" Diana asked her partner. Stella stopped looking around long enough to make eye contact.

"I know you told me to tell you the moment I saw something, but I wasn't sure if I saw what I thought I saw. I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye just as I started going down the stairs. Well, not so much something as someone." Stella informed Diana. Diana maintained eye contact and Stella took that as her cue to speak.

"I saw a guy in a black tuxedo standing just inches from the doorway, to our right. He was just standing there smiling at me and it was really creepy." Stella quickly explained what she meant by her last statement. Diana looked forward for a moment and saw that the path to the door was clear. She then looked back at Stella, who was looking behind her as she walked.

"I think I saw him again! At the foot of the stairs!" Stella said as she quickened her pace. Diana looked behind them and saw that Stella was not just seeing things. The huntress spotted a man in a black tuxedo standing at the foot of the stairs and waving at them.

"I saw him too." Diana replied succinctly and hurried to keep pace with Stella. Stella was now running for the door as fast as she could go. Diana did not want to get separated from Stella, so the former broke into a run to keep up with her partner.

[Post Word Count: 852]
[Total Word Count: 5,144/11,000]

-Haunted Castle, the first floor-

Stella reached the door ahead of Diana, who was still several steps behind her partner. Diana reached the door a few seconds behind Stella, who had already grabbed the door handle and was frantically trying to open the door. The huntress hurried to Stella's side and then turned around to see if that mysterious figure was watching them.

"Is that person still there?" Stella asked Diana while the former tried to get the door open. Diana could hear the door handle rattling in her partner's hands. Stella wanted to get out of here and she wanted to get out of here now. Diana looked behind them again and paid close attention to the hallway behind them, which was where she last spotted the mysterious figure.

Diana cycled through all of her vision modes in case the person could conceal themselves using magic of some kind, but she did not see anything out of the ordinary. All she saw was an empty hallway with artwork on the walls and red carpet with golden borders on the floor. Diana turned back to Stella and shook her head.

"No, Stella. I did not see anyone standing in the hallway." Diana reported to her partner. Stella did not respond and continued to try and open the door. Diana looked at Stella's hands and noticed that they were shaking badly as they fumbled with the door handle. That explained the rattling noise Diana had heard moments ago.

"Well, keep looking. This door won't open for whatever reason and I don't want him sneaking up on us!" Stella said to Diana without facing the green-eyed blonde. Diana wordlessly turned around and continued looking for the man she and Stella had seen in the hallway just minutes before. Diana was not sure where the mystery person could be right now... earlier she had cycled through all of her vision modes in an effort to find him and she had not picked up any trace of him.

Diana cycled through all of her vision modes a second time in an effort to make sure that he did not sneak up on them. She cycled through night vision, then infrared vision, and finally spectral vision. All three vision modes did not detect anything in the hallway they had just went down. Where could he possibly be?

Diana looked around them in case he had already sneaked by them and was about to give them an unpleasant surprise. She cycled through her vision modes a third time and did not see him in the immediate area, so she switched back to normal vision and faced Stella. The other blonde had managed to steady her hands long enough to work the handle and open the door. Stella pushed the door open and turned to face Diana with a wide smile.

"I've got it! C'mon, Diana, let's get outta here!" Stella said. Stella hurried through the open door first and Diana waited until her partner was outside before going through the open door herself. Once she was through the door Diana closed it behind them and hurried to join Stella, who was running away from Haunted Castle as fast as she could go.

-Outside Haunted Castle, ten meters away-

Diana hurried to join Stella and eventually caught up with her partner roughly ten meters from Haunted Castle. Stella must have thought she was being pursued by the mysterious figure because she started running even faster, but when she turned around and saw that Diana was the one "chasing" her she slowed down to let the other blonde catch up. Diana soon caught up with Stella, who turned to face her partner.

"I'm glad that it was you, Diana! For a second I thought that man was chasing me!" Stella explained why she had started running faster a short time ago. Diana let the remark pass without comment in favor of suggesting that they keep going instead of stopping and standing around to talk.

"We should keep going, Stella. We are not in the clear yet." Diana suggested to Stella that they keep moving towards safety. Diana did not need to repeat herself because the starry-eyed blonde took the hint.

"Yeah, good idea. Let's keep going until we get back to Magnolia Town!" Stella said. She then faced forward again and began walking briskly while Diana turned and looked behind them to make sure that they were not being pursued. Diana did not see anything, so she faced forward and kept pace with her partner. It was going to be a long trip to Magnolia Town and she did not want to be left behind by Stella, who was walking as fast as she could go without regard for whether the huntress could keep up or not.

[Post Word Count: 800]
[Total Word Count: 5,944/11,000]

-Magnolia Town, inside Simon Wright's house, nine hours later-

After a long but uneventful walk back to Magnolia Town Diana and Stella were standing in what passed for Simon Wright's living room. He was standing in the doorway to his kitchen with a blue porcelain mug of coffee in his right hand. The two blondes were here to report their success to the paranormal investigator so that they could wrap up this job and call it a day... or night. Whatever time of day it was.

"I see that you two returned safe and sound. How was your trip to Haunted Castle?" Simon asked them. Stella took a step forward.

"It was kinda creepy, but nothing bad happened until we returned the plate to its place on the table in the dining hall." Stella reported. Simon made eye contact with her and Stella continued to describe what she saw.

"Once Diana and I returned the plate to its place everything was fine when we left the dining hall. But when we left the second floor I saw a strange guy standing to the right of the stairs as we went down them. Diana didn't see him because she went first, but I saw him." Stella told Simon about the mysterious man she had seen on the second floor.

"Go on." Simon bade the starry-eyed blonde and took a sip from his mug.

"Well, I saw him standing to the right of the stairs as I started to go down them. He was close enough that he could have reached out and touched me if he wanted, but he didn't lay a hand on me. All he did was look at me and smile." Stella described the distance between her and the stranger and what he did when she saw him.

"And what did this stranger look like? Did you get a good look at him?" Simon asked Stella.

"He was a bald guy wearing a black tuxedo. He was about your height and kinda skinny." Stella described the man to their client. Before Simon could say anything Stella continued.

"When we got to the first floor I didn't see him again until we were halfway to the door. Then he appeared at the stairs we had descended. He just stood there while smiling and waving at us. Diana saw him too." Stella added. Simon took a sip from his mug, then lowered the mug and made eye contact with Stella again.

"Did he try to chase you two out of Haunted Castle?" Simon asked Stella. Stella shook her head.

"No. He vanished some time after we made it to the door and after that last appearance we didn't see him again. Diana can support that claim." Stella told Simon. Simon turned his gaze to Diana.

"Everything transpired as Stella described it." Diana supported her partner's claim. Simon took another sip from his mug, then lowered it.

"You say you didn't see him again at any point after he appeared at the foot of the stairs on the first floor. Did you see him again once you two got outside Haunted Castle?" Simon asked Diana. Diana shook her head.

"Not at all, Simon. I looked back towards the entrance to Haunted Castle and did not see him." Diana replied. Simon shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know what you guys saw in Haunted Castle. I just don't know." Simon told them. Stella appeared to be concerned about not being told what she had seen while Diana did not show any emotion at all. Diana had seen a lot of unexplained things during her career as a mage, so she was not bothered by very much anymore. Her encounter with Mordecai the gunslinger in Fat Monsterland was one of the few things in her career that had elicited any sort of emotional response from her and that was because he had inflicted quite a few injuries on her during their fight.

"Well, at least you guys got back safely. You returned the plate and you're back without any sort of injury. That's the best outcome for this sort of thing." Simon said to Stella and Diana. Stella shrugged her shoulders while Diana remained still.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, Simon. That was the best outcome for this kind of job. While I kinda wanted to know what we saw, I don't plan on going back to Haunted Castle any time soon. Not without Diana, anyway." Stella said to the client. Diana remained silent. After a few moments Simon finally broke the silence.

"Anyway, I'm glad that you two returned the plate to its rightful place and got back safely. You did my client a big service." Simon said to the two blondes. Stella smiled while Diana's face betrayed no emotion of any sort.

"Well, if there's nothing else you need us to do for you, then we'll be going back to Hargeon Town. My parents are worried about me and I need to let them know I'm OK." Stella said to Simon. Simon shook his head.

"I don't have any more jobs for you ladies today... er, tonight. Whatever it is." Simon told them.

"All right then. See you later, Simon!" Stella said and waved goodbye to the paranormal investigator. Diana followed suit as he waved goodbye to them with his free hand. The pair then walked towards the front door and Stella opened it. Stella exited the house followed by Diana and Diana shut the door behind her. The pair were on their way back to Hargeon Town.

[Post Word Count: 926]
[Total Word Count: 6,870/11,000]

-Hargeon Town, inside the Herschel home, three hours later-

After taking their leave of Simon Wright in Magnolia Town the blonde duo had made the return trip to Hargeon Town. They were now standing in the living room of Stella's home. The living room was about the size of an average living room and it had most of the accoutrements that went in a living room. The standout features were a brown cloth couch sitting against the left wall and a black flat-screen television on a stand carefully positioned against the center wall.

"Hey everyone, I'm home!" Stella announced to anyone within earshot. Within seconds a young blonde woman wearing a pink t-shirt and blue jeans with no shoes walked into the room from the back of the house. Her hair was up in a ponytail that was held in place by a rainbow-colored scrunchie.

"Hey Stella!" The young woman cheerfully greeted Stella. The other blonde turned her attention to Diana and panicked when she saw Saint Sinner Valentine slung on Diana's right shoulder.

"Are we about to get robbed?" The other blonde asked Stella in a nervous voice. Stella laughed and shook her head.

"No, Aurora. She's my friend, Diana Winchester. You might have heard Dad talking about her." Stella told the young woman, who was named Aurora. Diana made eye contact with the ponytailed blonde and noticed that one of her eyes was blue and the other was green. The young woman had heterochromia and blue and green were two common colors in auroras, which might have been one reason she was named Aurora.

"Oh, OK! Come to think of it, I've heard that name once or twice before!" Aurora told Stella. After being told who Diana was the ponytailed blonde visibly relaxed. Stella laughed while Diana maintained a neutral facial expression.

"Yeah. Diana's the reason I got out of several jams alive. Hours ago she went with me to Haunted Castle and got me out alive." Stella told Aurora. Stella then turned to face Diana.

"Diana, meet my younger sister Aurora." Stella formally introduced Diana to Aurora. Aurora smiled and waved at Diana.

"Hi there, Diana! As you were just told by my sister, my name's Aurora!" Aurora introduced herself to Diana. Diana waved back at the blonde with heterochromia.

"It is nice to meet you, Aurora." Diana said to Stella's sister as a pleasantry. Within moments of exchanging that pleasantry a middle-aged man with short blond hair wearing a blue sweater vest with brown dress pants and black loafers entered the room.

"Hi there, Stella. I see you made it back from your trip to Haunted Castle safely!" The man greeted Stella. Stella and Aurora both turned to face him.

"Hi Dad! You know about Diana, right?" Stella asked her father. He turned to face Diana.

"So you're Diana Winchester! Stella's told me quite a bit about you, but this is the first time that I've ever seen you in person!" He informed the huntress.

"I do not believe we have met, Mr. Herschel. It is a pleasure to meet you." Diana said to him. He smiled at her.

"You've helped Stella several times in the past. I can't thank you enough for keeping her safe." Mr. Herschel thanked Diana for protecting Stella during the jobs the two had taken together in the past.

"It is no problem, Mr. Herschel. Stella is a great help to me." Diana praised Stella in front of him. The starry-eyed blonde was not the strongest mage Diana had ever worked with, but Stella was a good partner who contributed more to their jobs than just being another pair of hands to carry things. Stella's chief contribution was being a reliable source of support to the huntress.

"You said that you and Diana went to Haunted Castle. How was it?" Aurora asked Stella. Stella turned to face her sister.

"It's a really scary place, Aurora. Even without anything threatening me I didn't feel safe. I only go there when Diana's with me." Stella told her sister in a serious tone of voice. Aurora winced.

"Oh." She said laconically. Aurora sounded sort of deflated by Stella's admission. Perhaps the ponytailed blonde had had plans of going there herself.

"I know that you're a mage too and that you're tired of staying at home all the time, but Haunted Castle is too dangerous for a beginner. I'm going to start letting you travel with your sister, but don't go to any place really dangerous without Diana and Stella with you. Right now you're still a novice mage." Mr. Herschel said to Aurora. Aurora seemed a little upset by that reminder and put her hands on her hips while frowning a little.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll tag along with Stella until I'm strong enough to start working on my own. And I don't plan on going anywhere really dangerous for the time being. I just want to start traveling outside of Hargeon Town." Aurora told her father. Stella chose that moment to intervene.

"I might be able to find a job in Hargeon Town that the three of us can take together. Just give me a few hours to rest from my trip and I'll try to find us something." Stella said to her sister. Aurora's face brightened.

"OK, Stella!" Aurora said cheerfully. Without further ado she went back to the back of her house, leaving Stella, Diana, and Mr. Herschel still standing in the living room Mr. Herschel faced the two blonde mages and spoke to them.

"Would you two like anything to eat?" He asked them.

[Post Word Count: 934]
[Total Word Count: 7,804/11,000]

-Outside Hargeon Town, three hours later-

"We're going to Magnolia Town!" Aurora exclaimed, raising her right fist into the air while holding a book in her left arm. It was a large book with a green cover and the title Paranormal Creatures of Fiore printed in gold letters.

"Yeah, Aurora. We're going to Magnolia Town. That book goes to a guy we know named Simon Wright." Stella said. Diana remained silent while the Herschel sisters chatted with each other. It seemed that Aurora was excited to be going anywhere outside of Hargeon Town.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't get us something a little more exciting for your first job, Aurora." Stella apologized to her sister. The Herschel sisters were taking a book to Magnolia Town as their first job together and Stella was apologizing that she could not land a slightly more important job for them.

"Eh, don't worry about it, Stella. I'm just glad to be traveling outside Hargeon Town!" Aurora assured Stella that she was fine with the job they had managed to get. Again Diana remained silent as the trio kept walking out of Hargeon Town and towards Magnolia Town. Compared to the long walk from Magnolia Town to Haunted Castle she and Stella had undertaken hours ago, the trip from Hargeon Town to Magnolia Town would be a walk in the park, so to speak.

"So Stella, who's this Simon Wright guy we're supposed to deliver this book to?" Aurora asked Stella and Diana.

"He's a paranormal researcher who lives in Magnolia Town. He's the one who hired Diana and me to go to Haunted Castle and return a silver plate that was taken from there." Stella answered the question before Diana could speak... not that the huntress minded. She was not much for conversation since she did not know Aurora like she knew Stella.

"A silver plate from Haunted Castle? Like a plate made out of real silver?" Aurora asked her sister. Stella nodded.

"Yeah, real silver." Stella answered plainly. Her sister was amazed.

"Real silver, huh? I wonder how much it woulda been worth if you sold it?" Aurora asked her sister. Stella briefly showed an unhappy look on her face before returning to the present and giving an answer.

"You wouldn't have wanted that plate. Believe me." Stella replied without elaborating. Diana knew exactly what the starry-eyed blonde was talking about and did not say a word.

"Man, I wanna find a silver plate one day so that I can sell it and get a car or something!" Aurora said to her sister. Stella showed amusement.

"You'll find a silver plate or something even better one day, Aurora. Just give it time." Stella said to her sister. Aurora frowned.

"We'll have to take it slow for the first few jobs because you're not very strong yet. If I were you I'd suggest sticking to the cities and not striking out into the wilderness. The wilderness can be dangerous even without bandits or wild animals." Stella advised her sister to take a few easy jobs that kept her in the cities before she even considered taking more adventurous jobs that took her into the wilderness.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Dad feeds me that line all the time." Aurora replied with impatience. Stella frowned a little and Diana could feel the tension between the two siblings rising. This was not her fight, so she was going to stay out of it.

"He's right, though. You've gotta walk before you can run." Stella said. She then pointed towards Diana with the index finger of her right hand. Diana felt that she was about to get involved in this conversation whether she wanted to or not.

"Diana wasn't born with her power. She had to work for it and I don't think that she started out by running off into the wilderness the first chance she got." Stella offered Diana as an example since the green-eyed blonde was far and away the most powerful mage in the trio. Using Diana as an example got Aurora to listen.

"You don't earn that kind of power overnight, Aurora. You have to really work for it and that means starting out small. I'll be the first to admit that the small jobs aren't very exciting and don't pay very much. I complained to Dad when all he would let me do was make mail deliveries or be a courier within the confines of Hargeon Town. It was boring and I wanted to go explore the world." Stella stated that she knew where her sister was coming from when Aurora chafed over having to take small and boring jobs for awhile. Aurora had dropped the impatient attitude and was making eye contact with Stella before the former spoke.

"I know I should be grateful Dad's even letting me do this job with you and Diana. You had to do a lot of negotiating just for me to be able to leave Hargeon Town and I'm sure that if Diana wasn't here I wouldn't have gotten to leave home even with you by my side." Aurora started off.

"Dad's been stringing me along for years now, Stella. Every time I'd ask to start working with you he'd pull some new excuse for why I couldn't travel with you out of his ass and I'd have to sit at home another year. He'd promise me that next year I could start traveling with you and I'd believe him. Then I realized that no matter how much time passed "next year" never seemed to come." Aurora continued talking with noticeable bitterness towards her father over a perceived betrayal of trust. Diana kept quiet and so did Stella. They would let Aurora talk without interruption.

[Post Word Count: 960]
[Total Word Count: 8,764/11,000]

-Outside Hargeon Town, two minutes later-

"It gets so frustrating to be constantly held back, Stella. I know that you went through the same thing until Diana came along. Now Dad's letting you run here, there, and everywhere with few limits." Aurora told the pair in a calmer voice that was not quite as filled with bitterness as it had been minutes ago. Stella nodded.

"I went through the same thing, Aurora. It was all I could do to talk Dad into letting me run courier jobs in Hargeon Town. But for some reason he rescinded almost all of the restrictions when Diana came along. I won't complain, though." Stella conceded that she had indeed endured a period where she had to stay in Hargeon Town and only run courier jobs. Diana wondered why she was the catalyst for the Herschel siblings to get to expand the types of jobs they could take.

"It also helped that Diana's older sister Lucia helped me out on that job to Haunted Guild a while back. When Dad saw that I had powerful partners who'd help me on the tough jobs I guess he knew that he could let me go without having to worry too much." Stella said to her sister. Aurora folded her arms across her chest.

"Well, if that's what I need to do to get some freedom, I wanna work with you guys all the time!" Aurora said half-jokingly. By analyzing Aurora's body language Diana could tell that the blonde with heterochromia was telling the truth.

"I'm going to be working with you, so Dad should let up a little. And if Diana or Lucia work with us the sky's the limit." Stella said in a hopeful tone. Aurora lightened up a little.

"I guess so. But we've wasted enough time talking. We've gotta get to Magnolia Town!" Aurora said to the pair. Stella nodded while Diana continued to remain silent.

"All right then, Aurora. Let's go!" Stella said and took the lead. Aurora followed close behind her sister while Diana brought up the rear. The three blondes were finally on their way to Magnolia Town.

-Magnolia Town, Simon Wright's house, three hours and five minutes later-

The blonde trio had reached Magnolia Town without incident and now they were standing inside the house of Simon Wright, the paranormal expert Stella and Diana had worked for hours ago. Aurora was standing inside the living room and was looking at all the books and posters she could see while they waited for their client to make an appearance.

"Man, Magnolia Town's amazing!" Aurora said to Stella and Diana while still clutching the book meant for Simon Wright. The blonde had been excited about getting to travel to Magnolia Town and doubly so since she had gotten to travel there on foot. While the trio walked through town on the way to Simon Wright's house Aurora looked at everything with a clear sense of wonder. Stella smiled at her sister.

"There's a lot of interesting places in the world, Aurora. There's a lot of interesting places, but there's also a lot of danger. You have to be careful." Stella informed her sister of what awaited her in the world. Aurora crossed her arms over her chest.

"OK, Dad!" Aurora replied in a joking manner. The worst of her problems with her father seemed to be behind her now that she was actually getting to travel instead of having to hear tales of her sister's deeds. Diana refrained from commenting and let the sisters talk until someone entered the room.

"Hi Stella. Hi Diana." Simon's voice greeted them. Diana turned to see Simon holding a cup of coffee and wearing the same outfit from hours ago. The blond man faced Aurora, who was holding the book meant for him.

"I see that you guys brought the book I ordered all the way from Hargeon Town. Who's that young lady holding it?" Simon asked the older blonde mages. Aurora stepped forward.

"I'm Aurora Herschel, Stella's younger sister! This is my first job!" Aurora introduced herself with a smile. Simon smiled back.

"Stella or Diana might have told you already, but if they haven't already told you who I am, I'm Simon Wright. I'm a paranormal investigator. Please forgive the mess in my living room. There's so much stuff everywhere that it's not much of a living room." Simon said to Aurora. Aurora continued to smile.

"I don't mind, Simon. I think you have an interesting place." Aurora replied. She then walked over to Simon and held out the green book with both hands.

"Here's your book!" Aurora said. Simon smiled a little as he took the book into his free hand.

"Thanks, guys. I've been waiting for this one for awhile. I had to pay quite a bit to get this book. It's the latest edition of Paranormal Creatures of Fiore." Simon informed the three mages of the significance of the book they had delivered. They had gathered that the book had to do with the paranormal from its title, but they did not know that it was the latest edition.

"We're glad to help, Simon." Stella said to the man. Simon held onto the book as he turned and went back into his kitchen, then returned without the cup of coffee.

"I should tell you and Diana that about three hours ago I got word from my client that they've had no further difficulties since you two returned the plate to Haunted Castle." Simon informed Stella and Diana that their earlier work had paid off. Diana was glad to hear that Simon's client was enjoying a peaceful life without the stolen plate. Hopefully that would teach them not to steal anything else from Haunted Castle.

"So that's what you were referring to when you talked about the silver plate earlier and why I wouldn't want it." Aurora said to Stella.

"Exactly. There was some seriously bad mojo around that plate, the kind of bad mojo that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. It felt really bad and really heavy, like something wanted the plate back and wouldn't hesitate to kill both of us to get it back. Diana and I saw two black eyes looking at us through it." Stella confirmed that the plate they had talked about earlier was the same one she and Diana had returned to Haunted Castle hours ago on behalf of Simon.

"Oh. I see what you mean when you were talking about bad mojo." Aurora said simply.

[Post Word Count: 1,092]
[Total Word Count: 9,856/11,000]

"Yeah. It was really that bad." Stella summed up their experience with the silver plate that she and Diana had returned to Haunted Castle. Diana continued to remain silent while the siblings talked. There was nothing that she could meaningfully add to the conversation, so she simply stayed out of it.

"OK then. We'll just move on to another topic." Aurora said to her sister. The ponytailed blonde turned to Simon, who was watching the proceedings in silence while taking the occasional sip from his mug of coffee.

"Is there anything else you need us to do for you, Simon?" Aurora asked him. The blond man shook his head.

"No, Aurora. You've done what I needed you to do by bringing the book I ordered to me." Simon informed her. Aurora seemed to be momentarily unhappy with that news but then quickly bounced back from the disappointment.

"OK then!" Aurora said cheerfully. Stella turned to Simon.

"If there's nothing else for us to do here we'll be going back to Hargeon Town now." Stella said to the client. Simon nodded.

"There's nothing else for you three to do here. I appreciate you going to the trouble of bringing me the book." Simon told them. Upon hearing that Stella waved goodbye to the paranormal investigator.

"All right then, Simon. We'll see you later!" Stella said. She turned towards the door and began walking while Aurora hung back to speak to Simon.

"See you later, Simon! Thanks for hiring us for the job!" Aurora bade him farewell, then turned to follow her sister. Diana hung back for a moment to say her goodbyes.

"Thank you for the job opportunities." Diana thanked Simon for hiring her for the job to return the silver plate to Haunted Castle and the job to bring him the book.

"You're welcome, Diana. Take care!" Simon bade her farewell. Diana waved goodbye and she turned to join Stella and Aurora, who were waiting at the door for her. Together the trio left Simon's house and shut the door behind them, then set out for Hargeon Town.

-Hargeon Town, outside the Herschel house, three hours and twenty minutes later-

The blonde trio had made the trip from Magnolia Town to Hargeon Town without incident and they were now standing outside the Herschel house. Stella and Aurora stood just outside the door while Diana stood further back.

"Are you sure that you want to go home instead of rest here a while, Diana?" Stella asked the green-eyed blonde. Diana nodded.

"I am certain that I would like to go home, Stella. I need to go look for my next job as soon as possible." Diana informed Stella why she was going to head home as soon as her business here was finished.

"Fair enough." Stella replied laconically and turned to face the door. Aurora looked at Diana.

"I hate to see you go, Diana. It was nice hanging around with you." Aurora said to Diana with sincerity. Diana did not know what she had done to be considered such good company. Maybe it was the fact that her presence allowed Aurora to finally travel beyond Hargeon Town.

"I am glad that I could be of service, Aurora." Diana said to the blonde with heterochromia. Even though Diana had not done all that much for Aurora the other blonde was still grateful for her company. Diana would take that small victory.

Stella rang the doorbell. Within moments the door opened and Mr. Herschel stood in the doorway. That was Diana's cue to set out for Capital Crocus. Diana started to walk away from the Herschel house when she heard two voices calling out from behind her.

"Later Diana!" Stella called out.

"Later, Diana!" Aurora followed suit. Dian turned around and waved at the pair for a moment, then turned around and resumed walking towards the outskirts of Hargeon Town. Her work here was done, so it was time to head home.

-Capital Crocus, Diana's Townhouse, six hours later-

Diana had arrived home and was now inside her townhouse kitchen, where she was rummaging through the refrigerator for something to drink. She spotted a can of Cherry Charge soda lurking in the back of the refrigerator and grabbed it with her right hand, then pulled it out of the cold recesses of the appliance and pulled herself out of the deep refrigerator, then shut the door. She turned back towards the entrance to the mini-kitchen and opened the canned drink.

Diana took a sip of the soda and looked at the doorframe. While it had been exciting and eventful, she was glad that her work was over for the day. Now it was time to take the rest of the day off and try to relax a little before she had to go to sleep and wake up to look for a job tomorrow. Maybe she could find an interesting job to take in the morning.

[Post Word Count: 824]
[Total Word Count: 10,680/11,000]

-The next morning, Diana's Townhouse-

Diana woke up the next morning and was not sure what she was going to do with today. She really needed to get out and find a job so that she could keep her momentum going and keep earning money. But right now Diana was just not feeling like doing that.

Diana was standing in the mini-kitchen sipping from a can of Cherry Charge soda while trying to figure out what kind of job she could take to bring in some more money. She was not sure if Mister Burke needed her to do anything for him or not. Then she realized that if he had need of her services he would send for her.

That option was out.

Diana took another sip of Cherry Charge, then set the can down on the counter and walked out of the mini-kitchen to go into the living room. She soon walked into the living room and stared at the blank wall where a television ordinarily went. That made her realize something.

She really needed to go buy a television.

Diana had been putting off that chore for quite some time, but seeing the empty wall made her realize that she needed to complete that task sooner or later. Maybe she should talk to her good acquaintance Catherine Corvinus about what kind of television she needed to purchase. Catherine was knowledgeable about electronics and would be able to tell the blonde the best television for her needs.

Diana stood and stared at the empty wall for a few moments more, then turned around and walked back into the kitchen to finish her drink. She gave serious thought to her plan to go talk to Catherine Corvinus about a television. Part of Diana wanted to do it, but the other part of Diana did not feel like going anywhere today. Diana picked up her can of soda and took another drink from it, then thought about another problem.

If she managed to find a suitable television and buy it, how was she going to carry it home?

She did not have a car or other form of motorized transport, so it was not like she could carry it in the trunk or in the back seat.

Diana took yet another sip of Cherry Charge soda. Trying to work out what television to buy and how to get it home was becoming quite the conundrum. Diana thought about it a bit more before she gave up on the task for the time being and decided to do something else with her time. She finished the can of soda and tossed it into her trash can, then prepared to go to her room and put on some better clothes than a purple t-shirt and blue jean short shorts.

Diana was about to go up the stairs to the second floor when she heard a knock at the door. The blonde walked through the living room and approached the door, then unlocked it. She opened it to find Catherine Corvinus waiting for her. Catherine was dressed in a blue t-shirt, black gym shorts, and white tennis shoes.

"Hi Diana! I know it's weird to see me outside during the day, but here I am!" Catherine said to Diana. Diana gave a small smile upon seeing the black-haired young woman. She was just the person the blonde wanted to see.

"Welcome, Catherine. Please, do come in." Diana bade her guest. Catherine walked inside and Diana shut the door behind her. The pair walked through the living room and to the mini-kitchen.

"Hey Diana, do you have any soda?" Catherine asked her hostess. Diana wordlessly walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door.

"Will Cherry Charge suffice?" Diana inquired.

"You bet!" Catherine replied. The black-haired young woman looked into the refrigerator and reached inside, pulling out a can of soda.

"Thanks, Diana." Catherine thanked her hostess for the drink. Diana gave a small smile.

"It is no problem, Catherine." Diana replied. Figuring that now was as good a time as any to ask the question, Diana made her move.

"Do you have any recommendations for a good television for my living room?" Diana asked Catherine. Catherine lowered the can of soda from her lips and smiled.

"Yeah, I have several recommendations. Wanna hear them?" She asked Diana.

"Certainly." Diana replied. She did not have anything important to do today, so she had all the time in the world to listen to Catherine. If those recommendations led to Diana purchasing a good television that would be one less domestic chore Diana would have to deal with.

[Post Word Count: 772]
[Total Word Count: 11,452/11,000]