Abigail's New Family

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 13, Post Number 311

-Oak Town, the ruins of Abigail's house, 12:47 P.M.-

Dressed in a green t-shirt and black skirt with white tennis shoes, Victoria stood beside her longtime friend Abigail Windstrider, who was wearing a blue t-shirt and blue jean short shorts with white tennis shoes that had been bought for her by Victoria's sister Lorelei. Victoria's DH-40 Centaur was parked and waiting a short distance behind them. They were standing outside the space Abigail's house once occupied, which had been cleared of debris and was now sitting empty. Victoria had brought her friend here at the latter's request because she wanted to see where her home used to be one last time.

"I can't believe it's gone. That was the place I lived for my entire life. I lived there with my parents and I lived there after they were killed." Abigail said to Victoria, her voice showing the emotion that was not showing on her face.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Abigail." Victoria told her friend with total sincerity.

"Don't be, Victoria. You weren't the one who torched the place, so you have nothing to apologize for." Abigail assured her friend that the latter was not responsible for the tragedy. Victoria noticed the use of the full version of her name and knew that the blonde was serious. The brunette would use the full version of the blonde's name in return.

"I know that this won't bring back your house, but I killed forty or so of those cultists who sent the guy who did the deed. I don't think they'll be paying us a visit in Capital Crocus any time soon. If they're dumb enough to target my place after the beating I gave them I've got Larry and my uncle watching for them." Victoria told Abigail what she had done to make sure the blonde's new home did not suffer the fate of her original one. The blonde mage looked towards her with a look of concern.

"I'm grateful that you went to such lengths to get revenge for what happened to my home, but I don't want you to get yourself into trouble, Victoria. Based on what you told me about that cult they're bad news. They're probably gonna come after you with everything they've got for you being such a thorn in their side." Abigail expressed her concern that Victoria might have only angered her enemies instead of deterring them like she believed she did. The brunette took a moment to think before she replied to her friend, gazing at the empty plot of land as she did so.

"I've already been marked for death, so I'm not too worried about me. I'm more worried about you, my uncle, and my sisters." Victoria confessed that the conflict with the cult had long ago passed the point she was worried about getting on their bad side. They had tried to kill her during the first encounter long ago and the Sabertooth mage had been trying to kill them ever since. Abigail's concern did not let up.

"I don't want you to get killed because of me." Abigail told her. Victoria looked towards her friend.

"I'll be fine, Abigail. I'm fighting those guys not only for you, but for everyone in Earthland. They have plans for this world that aren't good and they need to be stopped before it's too late." Victoria told Abigail her purpose for fighting a demon-worshiping cult despite the risks. The blonde gave a smile.

"You've changed a lot since we first met, Vic." Abigail said, using the brunette's nickname. Victoria simply grinned.

"Yeah. And you're the reason, Abby." Victoria replied. The blonde looked surprised to hear that.

"When we took that job to Lycan Woods a few years ago and we got into an argument about my only being in the mage business for money you told me that there were better things to fight for than money and an adrenaline rush. You were right." Victoria got straight to the point. Upon hearing that the blonde soon recovered from her surprise and smiled at her.

"I remember us meeting in Sakuramori Forest long ago back when you were still in your short and boyish form. When we first met I didn't think we'd end up being friends. When we started working together I thought we'd end up killing each other." The blonde reminded the brunette of how they had first met and alluded to the clashes they had had before finally becoming friends. Victoria laughed.

"Yeah, our relationship definitely got off to a rough start. I didn't think we'd become friends either." The brunette remarked while thinking about the arguments they had gotten into.

"But here we are. Several years and several adventures later we're close friends. We're such close friends that I'm living in your house now." Abigail remarked on how time had changed their relationship.

"And you'll always have a place in my house, Abby." Victoria replied with an assurance. The blonde had no words... instead she smiled. A minute or two passed as the blonde took one last look at the vacant land in front of her. Once she had looked to her heart's content she faced Victoria.

"There's nothing here for me in Oak Town now except for the gravestones of my family. Speaking of that, do you mind taking me to the cemetery for a few minutes before we go back to Capital Crocus?" Abigail asked another favor of Victoria. The brunette smiled.

"Yeah, sure thing." Victoria agreed to grant the favor.

"Thanks, Vic. You're a real friend." Abigail told the Sabertooth mage. The pair then turned around and headed for the Centaur. Victoria climbed on first and put the key in the ignition once Abigail was seated behind her. Once the blonde was securely on board Victoria cranked up the Centaur and headed for Oak Town's cemetery.

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-The Sheridan Estate, the living room, 5:32 P.M.-

After completing the long drive from Oak Town to Capital Crocus Victoria and Abigail had just arrived at the Sheridan Estate after parking the Centaur a short distance away from the garage and had taken off their footwear. They were standing in the living room, which was empty. The television was also off, which was unusual because it usually stayed on around the clock and was frequently tuned to a channel that was devoted to showing old Western movies.

"This place is so empty. Where is everyone, Vic?" Abigail asked the brunette. Victoria turned her head and was about to speak when the double doors to the dining room opened and in walked Laura.

"Good afternoon, Miss Sheridan and Miss Windstrider. Mr. Sheridan and the others are currently away on an errand. They left here around 1:00 P.M. and will be away for quite some time." Laura informed them of the whereabouts of the rest of Victoria's family.

"Thanks, Laura." Victoria thanked the silver-haired maid for telling her where the other Sheridans were. Laura seemed to have an uncanny ability to arrive when she was needed the most and that was a trait that was both helpful and alarming. It seemed like she appeared out of nowhere whenever she or someone else needed help and Victoria wondered how the silver-haired young woman had acquired that talent.

"If you two would like something to eat there is a fair quantity of Caesar Salad left over from lunch." Laura informed them that food was available before walking away and towards the stairs to the second floor. Victoria looked at Abigail.

"I'd like something to eat, Vic." Abigail told Victoria that she would take the maid up on the offer.

"OK, Abby. I want something to eat too, so I'll join you." Victoria replied. With that the two mages walked towards the dining room to prepare a meal of leftover salad.

-Victoria's Room, 7:00 P.M.-

The blonde and the brunette had taken their time eating because there was not much going on at the Sheridan Estate. Lawrence and the others had finally gotten back from their errand just as they had finished eating around twenty minutes ago. They were eating in the dining room while Victoria was in her room checking her iLac for any text messages or missed calls from clients. The brunette had not been contacted by Ms. Ashford or anyone else, so she had put her iLac back on the nightstand next to her bed and looked at the blank screen of her television.

She did not feel up to playing Malevolent Tenant tonight, so she would find something else to do. Maybe she would go to the basement and make a Screwdriver or two and have a drink. Maybe she would just go for a ride around the city on her Centaur. Or maybe she would go talk with Larry and see if he had spotted anything out of the ordinary while standing guard over the estate's backyard.

Victoria walked out of her room to go speak to her uncle and sisters. Maybe they would tell her what they had went to Capital Crocus for.

-The Dining Room, 7:05 P.M.-

Victoria entered the dining room to find Lawrence, Lorelei, Amy, and Laura seated at the table eating romaine salad with a side of breadsticks. The burly man noticed his niece's presence and lowered his fork to make eye contact with the brunette.

"Hey Vic." Lawrence greeted her in his usual laconic style.

"Hey Uncle." Victoria returned the greeting.

"Florence and I have a date in a few days and she wanted tickets to a retro movie night that's happening at the movie theater. Lorelei and Amy helped me get tickets for the retro movie night and helped me shop for some clothes that are a little more fancy than what I'm used to wearing." He told Victoria the errand he and the other Sheridan sisters had went to the city on. Victoria smiled at the news of him having a date with her mentor.

"How did the shopping trip go?" Victoria asked him. Lorelei lowered her fork and faced her sister.

"It was a bit tough since Uncle's a big, muscular guy and it's hard to find shirts that fit someone like him, but we managed to find him a nice blue long-sleeved turtleneck to wear and some khaki dress pants. We also found him a pair of black dress shoes to wear." Lorelei chimed in on the results of the shopping trip. Victoria was pleased to hear that.

"He deserves some nice clothes to wear. He also deserves to date someone like Florence." Victoria made her happiness with the upcoming date clear to everyone in the room.

"I think they're a good couple too, Vic. They seem to like each other a lot and definitely have chemistry." The oldest Sheridan sister opined. Lawrence looked down at his plate for a few moments before facing Victoria again.

"I feel like I'm way outta my league with her." Lawrence told Victoria directly and everyone else indirectly. His nieces all faced him and waited for their uncle to explain what he meant by his remark as Laura got up from the table and excused herself to go see if Abigail wanted or needed anything. When the silver-haired maid had left the room Lawrence looked at the three brunettes and appeared to be uncomfortable... he looked like he was struggling to find the words to explain what he had meant.

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"For one thing I don't know the first thing about how to date a woman. I've spent a good chunk of my life fighting and don't have very good social skills even in the best of times. Second, my face looks like a road map and I scare a lot of people just by looking at them." Lawrence lamented two aspects about himself that he wished he could change. Victoria found it a bit distressing that her uncle had such a low view of himself because it reminded her of the time he admitted that he was starting to feel his age and was not quite as strong as he had been when he was younger.

"Don't say that about yourself, Uncle!" Amy spoke up in an effort to dissuade him from speaking so negatively about himself.

"I think Miss Manderley is a perfect match for you." Lorelei chimed in.

"You should totally date Florence. I mean, you two have a lot of chemistry and it's obvious that you like one another. You should go for it, Uncle." Victoria seconded Lorelei's opinion. She could tell that Lawrence and Florence really liked one another and felt that her uncle should give it a shot. The blond man made eye contact with the youngest Sheridan.

"To be honest I like Florence. We've been friends for quite awhile... at least sixteen years, if not longer than that. I can't remember exactly how long we've been friends, but I bet she could tell us." Lawrence confessed that he had feelings for the blonde woman. Victoria analyzed his body language and saw that he was telling the truth, so she would say something else on the matter.

"I say you should go for it, Uncle. If you're into Florence and Florence is into you then don't let the chance pass you by!" Victoria repeated her point.

"I'm going to, Victoria. It's not like I have other women walking up to me and asking for a date." Lawrence replied with a statement that sounded like he did not believe that he had any potential partners other than Florence. Victoria did not quite know what to say to that, so she kept quiet. It did not take long for Amy to speak up.

"Is there anyone else you'd rather date?" Amy asked candidly. The blond man was taken aback by that unexpected question and was struggling for words.

"AMY!" Lorelei scolded her sister as if the older brunette were the mother figure of the family. Amy did not back down.

"I think it's a fair question to ask, Lorelei." Amy flatly defended herself. Lorelei frowned at Amy and the two sisters locked eyes and the atmosphere grew tense.

"I don't think it's fair to put Uncle on the spot like that." Lorelei explained why she had reacted so strongly in a tone of voice softer than the one she had used to deliver the one-word admonition. Amy frowned at the heterochromatic brunette for a moment before opening her mouth.

"My point is that I don't think there's anyone else he's interested in besides Florence." Amy stated plainly, making it clear that she was not about to back down.

"How do you know that? Can you read minds?" Lorelei asked pointedly. The blue-eyed brunette frowned again but did not say anything. Amy then took a quiet breath.

"Regardless of how I feel it's Uncle's choice as to whether he dates Florence or not. I think he should date her, but that's just me." Amy replied. It sounded like she was not swayed by Lorelei but was trying to avoid a fight with the older Sheridan sibling by toning down her previous statement. The other Sheridan was not convinced but did not go for Amy's throat like Victoria was expecting her to do.

"I don't think you should have put Uncle on the spot, Amy. I also don't think it was fair to make it sound like no one else wanted to date him. That's not what he needs to hear right now." The older sister told Amy in a gentle tone.

"OK, maybe I could have phrased my question better." Amy begrudgingly admitted. At this point Lawrence spoke up.

"Look, everyone, it's all right. There's no need to get into an argument. I feel like Florence and I have got something going. She's beautiful, she's smarter than I am, and she's not repelled by my face. Those are definitely things that attract me to her." Lawrence ended his silence in his usual candid fashion. Amy and Lorelei looked at their uncle.

"Date her only if you want to, Uncle. Don't feel obligated to just because we said something." Amy told him.

"Date Miss Manderley if you think it'll make you happy. Don't get into a relationship if you don't feel you're ready for one." Lorelei counseled.

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"As much as I want to be out there and be in the middle of the action like Victoria is, I just can't do it anymore. I'm getting too old for that sort of lifestyle. Being a mage is a young person's game and I'm in my late forties. I'm not ready to be buried, but over two decades of fighting when I was younger has taken its toll on me." Lawrence confessed to everyone. Victoria felt a twinge of sadness at her uncle reiterating what he had told her a year or two ago about his age beginning to catch up to him. When he had rescued her from slavers when she was ten the burly blond man looked like an invincible hero who could keep going forever, but she could see the truth in his words thanks to her ability to discern the truth from someone's body language.

"What are you going to do about making a living, Uncle?" Amy asked him. Lawrence shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do about a job, but I want to have some peace for awhile. I want to just stay at home and live like normal people do. I want to have a life with my family and have a relationship with Florence, but only if she wants to have one with me." Lawrence replied truthfully. Victoria felt a second twinge of sadness to hear her uncle talk like that.

"I know that all of you are young women who are old enough to not need a parent any more, but I swore to my brother that I'd take care of my nieces if he died. Me and my brother had our differences... I thought that he was an alcoholic skirt-chaser who was more interested in having a good time than being a responsible man and he thought I was a serious square who needed to find a girlfriend. But I'm going to keep my promise to him because once he met Octavia he changed his ways for the better... minus the alcohol, but I'm not one to judge him on that since I drink vodka from time to time." Lawrence told them. Victoria chuckled about the part involving her uncle's fondness for vodka since that was her favorite drink too. She was also interested in his description of her father as a skirt-chaser.

"What do you mean by our father being a skirt-chaser?" Lorelei asked before Victoria could. Lawrence made eye contact with the heterochromatic Sheridan sister before speaking.

"When he was your age your father Phillip was a young man who was interested in any pretty woman he saw and wasn't shy about chasing them. He didn't care if they had a boyfriend or not... if they caught his eye Phil would go after them. I can't recall how many times I had to save him from getting his face punched in by some woman's angry boyfriend." He replied with a bit of information on her father that was new to Victoria. She had always thought he only had eyes for her mother Octavia, but apparently that was not the case.

"He was also quick to commit to a woman only to forget that commitment when another one caught his eye. That was until he met a young woman named Octavia. When Phil met her he changed for the better, probably because she slapped him whenever his eye started to wander." He gave the Sheridan sisters more information on their father. Lorelei looked mortified to hear about her father's past while Amy and Victoria grinned in amusement at what their mother did to set him straight whenever it looked like he was about to wander off. Abigail looked lost and unsure what to say or feel about what she was hearing. Laura remained silent with a serious expression on her face.

"Anyway, when your mother met your father he made a serious lifestyle change. He gave up his skirt-chasing ways and committed to her and her alone. He settled down and became a somewhat responsible man who was still a drinker but stayed faithful to her. Octavia didn't mind the drinking because she was fond of wine, as you guys have probably learned by now." He added. The doorbell rang and interrupted him before he could give the Sheridan sisters any more information on their mother and father.

"I will answer it." Laura announced and moved towards the front door before anyone else could react. She opened the door and in stepped Florence, who was dressed in a modest white long-sleeved shirt and knee-length black skirt with white sandals. She had a medium-sized black suitcase in her left hand.

"Florence? What brings you here?" Lawrence asked the blonde woman with undisguised curiosity.

"Forgive me for arriving without notice, but I was told yesterday that I had some vacation time I had to use or lose, so I'm using it. I decided to come here and spend some time with you... if that's OK with you, Lawrence." Florence told him. The burly man blushed.

"O-of course it's OK with me, Florence. You're always welcome here." He replied with uncharacteristic meekness. The blonde woman looked around at the Sheridan sisters, Abigail, and Laura before she focused on Lawrence again.

"Was I interrupting something important?" She asked him without sarcasm. He shook his head.

"Not at all, Florence. I was just telling my nieces a few things about my younger brother, who was their father." He answered. Florence smiled.

"It must have been a long trip from Sakuramori. Do you want anything to eat, Florence?" Her host offered. She shook her head.

"Not yet, Lawrence. There's something I'd like to talk to you about, though." She made a statement that drew the undivided attention of everyone present.

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-Victoria's Room, 8:07 P.M.-

Once Florence had arrived and she and Lawrence started talking about whatever it was they wanted to discuss Abigail and the Sheridan sisters left the two to talk in the dining room. All of them had went their separate ways to do their own thing and Victoria had went to her room to check her iLac for any missed job offers or any other important messages she might have missed while downstairs. She had not missed any yet, but she kept her iLac within easy reach on her bed in case she received a call or text during the night.

Victoria was lying on her bed staring at the blank television screen. She had done some channel surfing about ten minutes ago but had not found anything worth watching, so she had turned it off and had been staring at it ever since. The brunette wondered what her uncle and her mentor were talking about... maybe they were discussing the status of their relationship and the possibility of going beyond just friends and becoming something more. Victoria hoped that her uncle would find happiness in Florence's company, but that was up to him and her.

The brunette picked up her iLac again and tapped the Power button, then flipped through her text messages and missed calls. Both of those menus had nothing new for her, so Victoria quietly set the device aside and got out of bed. She was getting more than a little bored and was going to the backyard to see how Larry was doing.

-The backyard, 8:10 P.M.-

Victoria entered the backyard to see the glowing light of Larry's camera eye as he walked around the area. The recently installed back lights were on, but they covered only half the yard... everything beyond their coverage was covered in shadow. Victoria did not have the ability to see in the darkness without special tools like a flashlight or night vision goggles, so she was relying on Larry to make sure that no cultists or other people who had a grudge against the Sabertooth mage got into the Sheridan Estate.

Ignoring the unsettling look of half of her backyard being blanketed in shadow, she approached the knee-high robot and looked down at it.

"Nothing to report." Larry said in his robotic monotone, answering the question before it could even be asked. Victoria was glad to hear that because she had a feeling she did not kill all of the cultists in the base she had raided and was concerned about reprisals. Maybe killing forty or so of them would send the cult a clear message to stay away from Victoria and her home unless they wanted her to track them down and give every cultist she came across a terminal case of lead poisoning. She doubted it, though; if those people were stupid enough to voluntarily worship and summon demons they were stupid enough to keep going after a mage who was far more powerful than them and who had no reservations about killing her enemies if she had to.

"Hey Vic!" Abigail's voice greeted Victoria from behind. Victoria turned around and spotted her friend standing under the lights.

"I looked all over the place for you, but I didn't find you anywhere, not even in the basement. Then Amy suggested I check the backyard." Abigail told the brunette.

"I was in my room until I decided to come out here to see if Larry saw anything out of the ordinary." Victoria replied. The blonde did not respond to that right away but looked at Larry, who had resumed walking around the backyard with his anti-vehicle beam cannon ready to use at a moment's notice.

"You're concerned about the cult coming here to burn your home down, aren't you?" Abigail inquired. Victoria took a quiet breath and exhaled.

"Yeah." Victoria replied laconically. There was no point in lying about it. If she were certain she did not need to fear any sort of retaliation she would not be standing out here and asking Larry about what he might have seen.

"I don't live in utter terror of them, but the cult's filled with dangerous people who will do anything to get revenge on anyone who challenges them. We learned that the hard way." Victoria added a clarification on what gave her reason for concern and threw in a reference to what happened to her friend's house to make a point. The blonde frowned when she got the brunette's meaning.

"Yeah. I was lucky to escape with my life and what belongings I could grab at a moment's notice." Abigail grimly remarked. Victoria frowned too, but her frown was one of anger at the cult for hurting her friend.

"They'll pay for that." The Sabertooth mage asserted. That was no idle threat. Victoria would make sure that the cult would come to regret its decision to go after Abigail and burn down her home.

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"I'm sure they will, Vic. You don't do anything in half measures, especially when it comes to dealing with your enemies." Abigail responded to the brunette' assertion. Victoria was trying to think of a response when they heard a voice call to them from the back door.

"Hey Vic! Hey Abigail! It's getting late! Are you two OK?" Lorelei asked them. Both mages turned to face the oldest Sheridan sister.

"Yeah, we're fine." Victoria replied.

"Everything's OK, Lorelei." Abigail chimed in. The blonde turned to face the brunette.

"I'm ready to go in, Vic. Are you ready to go?" Abigail asked the Sabertooth mage. Victoria turned around and looked at Larry, then turned around to look at her friend.

"Sure." Victoria answered. Since Larry was patrolling the backyard and the lights were on there was little need for her to be out here too, so she would call it a night and go to her room. Maybe tomorrow would be more exciting... in a good way.

-The next day, Victoria's room, 11:01 A.M.-

Rolling over onto her left side, Victoria woke up the next morning and reached over to her nightstand to grab her iLac and check it for missed calls or text messages. The fingers of her left hand fumbled for the device until they got enough of a grip on it for her to pull it in. When it was within range she grabbed the iLac and rolled onto her back while holding it tightly to keep from dropping it onto her stomach, chest, or face. She reached out with her right hand to secure her grip before checking for anything she might have received while she was asleep.

After double-checking everything Victoria had not gotten anything from any of her clients, so she set the device down on the bed and rolled over to the left, then sat up on the edge of the bed. She put her feet on the carpet and stood up, then brushed her hair out of her face. Victoria had let her hair down last night, so it was hanging freely and some of it had gotten in her eyes when she stood up. Victoria was about to address that problem when her room door opened and someone spoke to her.

"Hey Vic! You look kind of odd with your hair down!" Lorelei greeted her younger sister using her nickname and noted the condition of her hair in a tone of amusement. Through her hair Victoria could see specks of purple and white, which hinted that her sister was wearing a purple shirt and something like white pants. When the Sabertooth mage moved the offending strands out of her eyes she saw that Lorelei was wearing a purple long-sleeved shirt and a knee-length white skirt.

"It's not too often someone sees me like this. Normally it'd be up in its usual ponytail by now, but you arrived before I could put it up." Victoria replied. She usually kept her hair in a ponytail even when she slept, but last night she opted to change things up a bit by letting her hair hang freely. Lorelei had caught Victoria before she could put it in a ponytail, and the sight of her sister's long chestnut brown hair covering her eyes apparently amused the older Sheridan.

"Anyway, I came to tell you that Amy, Abigail, and Miss Manderley are going to the mall. Miss Manderley wants to go shopping for a new outfit because she and Uncle are going on a date tomorrow night. Would you like to go with them?" Lorelei asked.

"I'd be glad to go with them. Lemme get dressed first. I don't think they'd want to be seen with me when I look like this." Victoria accepted the offer and stated that she needed to dress up in something a little better than her current outfit. She was dressed in her green Steel Matron t-shirt and a pair of black gym shorts, which was fine in her own home but not so acceptable for wear in public. Lorelei smiled and grabbed the doorknob, then pulled it closed without another word, leaving Victoria to pick an outfit in peace.

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-Capital Crocus Mall, the first floor, 2:03 P.M.-

Victoria was at the mall with Florence, Amy, and Abigail, who had all went to different parts of the building. Amy and Florence had went to a store on the third floor named La Belle Epoque to find the blonde woman a dress for the date while Abigail was visiting Earthland Eagle to do some shopping of her own. The Sabertooth mage did not have anywhere in particular she wanted to go and was just along for the ride... she had visited the food court and bought a large Cherry Charge soda to drink while she meandered about the first floor and waited on her friend to finish her shopping.

The brunette was dressed in a plain green t-shirt and black skirt with white tennis shoes. It was not her best outfit, but she was at the mall and that was not an occasion that demanded a higher standard of dress. At least the t-shirt was not one of her Steel Matron t-shirts. The only reason she was not wearing one of them was because they were all currently in the dirty laundry that Laura was washing.

Sipping on her Cherry Charge soda through a straw as she walked, the brunette was doing a casual loop around the first floor with no particular destination. She was slowly approaching the store on the far end named The Fashionable Lady, a location she had no desire to visit since she did not have a boyfriend or girlfriend and did not have to use perfume, makeup, or lipstick. On second thought, it would be more accurate to say that she did not have an official girlfriend... some time ago she had learned that Francesca Corlone, her old enemy from her Black Rose days, had a hidden crush on her that was not-so-hidden thanks to the Sabertooth mage's ability to detect the truth by observing someone's body language. Learning that had caused the brunette no small amount of discomfort.

Why would the same young woman who tried to kill her all of a sudden be attracted to her?

Victoria did not know and she did not really care. She detested the blonde and wanted nothing to do with her, but it seemed that fate did not care what the brunette wanted because she spotted Francesca coming out of The Fashionable Lady with a shopping bag that was bulging from all of the purchases she had made. The blonde was wearing an open black leather jacket over a white tube top that barely contained her large chest and a black skirt that was best described as "dangerously short" along with black boots. Victoria wanted to abruptly turn the other way and hide somewhere, but the moment Francesca's violet eyes met hers she knew that it was too late to run.

Francesca picked up the pace and walked briskly towards Victoria, who found herself wishing that she was anywhere else. She calmly sipped on her drink as the blonde approached and tried to prepare herself for whatever her old enemy was going to say or do next. Since the blonde seemed to thrive on conflict it was likely that she would do something like insult the brunette or try to slap the drink out of her hand.

"What are you doing here, Biker Bitch?" Francesca asked with her usual tact. Victoria took one last sip from her cup before lowering it and addressing the obnoxious blonde.

"What are you doing here, Francesca?" Victoria asked in a calm tone while turning the question back on the blonde. As usual Francesca got angry at the perceived "disrespect" she had been given.

"You should show me a little more respect, you rude bimbo! I've got more money and friends than you'll ever have!" Francesca shot back. The brunette was unimpressed by that claim even though an analysis of her enemy's body language showed that she was not lying. Maybe Francesca had bought some friends with her considerable wealth... Victoria did not know and she did not care. It was a shame that the blonde could not get some class or a better personality while she was busy purchasing friends, but there were some things that money could not buy.

"Really?" Victoria asked calmly. The blonde's mood did not improve when she heard that question.

"Yeah, you dumb bimbo! If you'd open your ears and LISTEN when people talk to you you might learn something!" The blonde retorted. Victoria did not say a single word. Instead she took a sip from her drink while making eye contact to show the other young woman how little she cared about what the latter had to say. Francesca did not take kindly to that action and balled her hands into fists but did not say or do anything right away. Instead she maintained eye contact and gave the Sabertooth mage an angry glare while waiting for the latter to respond to the "advice" she had been given.

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"I didn't know that you were a life coach, Francesca." Victoria said calmly but in a tone that indicated her ability to care about the conversation was fading fast.

"I don't know why I'm even talking to you. You're just a rude bitch with no manners and no respect for anyone!" Francesca fumed as her fists began to shake at her sides. It seemed like she was about to go off on the brunette at any time. Victoria was not intimidated by her enemy's growing anger because Francesca threw a tantrum any time she felt like she was not being respected or any time she did not get what she wanted.

"You chose to start this conversation, Francesca. I would have let you pass without speaking, but you took it upon yourself to meet me and talk to me." Victoria calmly reminded the blonde who had initiated the encounter, taking care to keep the indifference out of her voice this time. Francesca glared violet daggers at the Sabertooth mage.

"Y-yeah, well... THAT DOESN'T MATTER! You're still rude to me!" Francesca shot back with a weak retort that relied more on the volume of its delivery than on logic to carry the point. Unimpressed by her enemy's verbal riposte, Victoria took yet another sip of her beverage before replying.

"You're not exactly Miss Manners yourself, Francesca. You address me as "Biker Bitch" every time we meet. That's not very nice of you." The Sabertooth mage gave a calm and logical rebuttal to the blonde's feeble attempt to insult her. Francesca clenched her teeth and her face turned red as she continued to glare at her brown-haired nemesis.

"B-but you are a biker bitch! Every time I see you on the street you're riding that motorcycle! Every time we meet you treat me like I ran over your dog!" The blonde protested weakly. Victoria knew that her enemy was on the ropes and struggling for good points to make. She could smell blood in the water, but she was not going to verbally tear into the violet-eyed blonde. Instead Victoria was going to kill Francesca with kindness... in her own way that might or might not include deliberate trolling by taking advantage of the blonde's hidden crush on her.

"You're right, Francesca. How I've behaved towards you in the past was pretty rude. I'm sorry for how I treated you." Victoria apologized for her past behavior. The blonde blushed.

"I d-d-dont believe- believe that. There's no way that y-y-you'd be this nice to me all of a sudden! Nobody's THAT nice!" Francesca expressed disbelief in Victoria's about-face. The brunette calmly walked over to her and the blonde took a big step back. Sensing that getting any closer to the blonde was not a good idea, Victoria stopped two arm's lengths away from Francesca and kept that distance.

"I'm trying not to be rude to you, Francesca. I know that we've had our differences in the past, but I want to hear what's on your mind. What do you have against me? Why are you always so aggressive towards me?" Victoria asked with sincerity. Francesca was disarmed by the brunette's continued kindness and was visibly at a loss for words.

"I-I-I don't- I don't-" Francesca stammered out. Victoria could take advantage of that weakness to close in with the blonde and act flirtatious to get a rise out of her, but that would be a low blow and as much as she disliked Francesca that kind of dirty trick was something the brunette wanted to do, so she continued to act with kindness towards her enemy to see what she could learn. Francesca looked at the brunette with a softer facial expression and tried to speak.

"I don't know! I JUST don't know why I act like that towards you!" She finally declared. Victoria stayed where she was and stayed calm.

"Do you want to go somewhere and talk about it?" Victoria asked with total sincerity. She expected a loud rebuttal with profanity or questions about whether or not she was impaired by excessive alcohol consumption, but the blonde covered her face with her free hand.

"No! I don't want to talk!" She said and abruptly walked away, leaving Victoria standing there with visible confusion on her face. There was no way the brunette could have predicted that conclusion to their conversation. At least she had resolved their conflict in a non-violent fashion, so she did not have to worry about getting into legal trouble.

"Hey Vic, who was that blonde who stormed past me just now?" Abigail asked Victoria. The brunette turned to face her friend, who was wearing a blue t-shirt with the words "Earthland Eagle" printed on the front in white letters and blue jean short shorts with brown boots. In her right hand was a shopping bag with a few items in it.

"Just an acquaintance of mine from way back when." Victoria answered without going into detail. Abigail did not seem liked she cared enough to ask for more information, so she chose to let the matter drop.

"Oh, OK. Anyway, have you spoken to Florence or Amy lately?" Abigail inquired. Victoria shook her head.

"Not at all, Abby. I haven't talked to them since we got to the mall." The brunette replied in the negative.

"It's been awhile. Do you think we should go look for them?" Abigail asked another question.

[Post Word Count: 910]
[Total Word Count: 6,944/11,000]

"If you have your iLac with you I'd try contacting them that way first." Victoria suggested to Abigail before taking another drink of her Cherry Charge soda.

"Good idea, Vic. I've got my iLac with me, so we can do that. I'll just send a text message or something." Abigail replied before handing Victoria her shopping bag. The brunette took it into her left hand and watched as the blonde fished her iLac out of her pocket and tapped a button, then began to swipe the screen with her finger before finding what she wanted. She tapped the screen and began typing out a message with her thumbs with a level of speed and dexterity the brunette was impressed by. Almost thirty seconds later Abigail tapped another button and a TING could be heard.

"OK, I sent a text message to Amy. There's no telling how long we'll have to wait for a response, though." Abigail informed Victoria. The brunette was in no real hurry, so she could live with that.

"I can carry your bag so that you can respond to her when she sends a message... if you want me to, that is." Victoria offered.

"That'd be great, thanks." Abigail accepted the offer. After that the pair began to slowly walk towards the stairwell close to the food court so that they would not impede the flow of foot traffic on the first floor by standing around. They were deliberately going slow so that Amy had time to send a reply to Abigail and neither of them had anywhere else in the mall that they had to get to this instant, so they were not going to hurry unless there was an emergency. They reached the stairwell and began to climb the stairs, climbing just ahead of a wave of shoppers looking to reach the next floor.

-Capital Crocus Mall, the second floor, 2:12 P.M.-

Abigail and Victoria had set foot on the second floor a minute ago and were making a leisurely loop around it while shoppers who were in a hurry walked briskly past the pair, sometimes making snide remarks about their speed as they passed. Both mages ignored the cheap shots because it was not their fault that the other shoppers felt a need to run around like they had chugged their body weight in energy drinks before going to the mall. Continuing to move at their current speed, the pair were rewarded with the sound of a robotic female voice saying "Delivery!"

"Amy sent a text." Abigail remarked laconically, opening the message and reading its contents as they walked. Victoria looked at her friend as the latter read what was sent to her and a few seconds later Abigail looked up and faced the brunette.

"Amy and Florence have finished their shopping in La Belle Epoque and are heading for the entrance hall on the first floor now. They say that they're ready to go back home." Abigail relayed to Victoria the contents of the message.

"OK. Is there anywhere you wanna go before we leave, Abby?" Victoria asked her friend. Abigail shook her head.

"I'm good, Vic. I've bought what I wanted and I don't need to spend any more money today. I need to quit while I'm ahead." The blonde declared herself satisfied for the time being.

"OK then. We'll go back to the first floor as soon as we can." Victoria said. She and Abigail continued their loop until they found a place where they could merge with the crowd heading for the stairwell, which was in front of a shop named The Casual Woman. They merged with the back of a crowd and followed it to the stairs, then went down them when they got a chance to do so.

-The Sheridan Estate, Victoria's Room, 4:37 P.M.-

After getting back from the mall Victoria had changed out of her green t-shirt and black skirt into a blue t-shirt and another pair of black gym shorts. Roughly twelve minutes ago she had checked her iLac for any job offers sent via text message or left on her voicemail, but she did not have any, so she had placed it on her bed. The Sabertooth mage supposed that she was going to be in for another dull night when she heard her iLac give a text message alert. She grabbed the device and checked the message to find that it was from Anna Ashford, Ms. Ashford's niece... the young woman had gotten Victoria's contact info from her aunt and was contacting the brunette directly with a request to meet at her home in Capital Crocus.

Victoria replied that she would be glad to meet her there and changed into a pair of khaki cargo shorts before hurriedly putting on a clean pair of socks and her tennis shoes. She grabbed her iLac and Centaur key and stuffed them both into her pockets before walking briskly out of her room to go to the garage where her Centaur was kept. She would let her family know where she was going before she set out for Anna Ashford's home.

[Post Word Count: 856]
[Total Word Count: 7,800/11,000]

-Capital Crocus, Anna Ashford's home, 6:57 P.M.-

By the time Victoria got to Anna Ashford's home and parked in the driveway night was not too far away because the sky was beginning to darken and her surroundings were dimming just enough to let the brunette know that the sun was beginning to set. The vehicular traffic in the city was as dense as it always was, so Victoria did not get to her destination until over two hours after setting out on her Centaur. Now she was sitting in her client's driveway and waiting for the young woman to come out and greet her. The brunette did not sit for too long before the front door opened and out walked Anna, who was wearing a denim jacket over a red tank top and blue jean short shorts along with brown sandals instead of her usual red dress and black dress shoes. She was also carrying a black overnight bag, an accessory that likely hinted at what she wanted.

"Hello Miss Sheridan! It's so good to see you again!" Anna greeted the brunette.

"Hi Anna. What did you need?" Victoria asked the green-eyed blonde as the latter turned around and locked the door to her home.

"I'd like you to take me to my aunt's home in Sakuramori. I'd like to visit her for a few days." Anna replied.

"Sure thing, Anna. Get on and I'll take us there." Victoria accepted the job. Anna walked over, carefully climbed onto the back of the Centaur, and slung the bag onto her right shoulder before gently grabbing onto the brunette's waist while Victoria cranked up the hovercycle and put it into reverse. She slowly backed out of the driveway and got onto the street, then put the Centaur into drive and slowly accelerated forward so that she did not run the risk of throwing Anna off with its acceleration.

-Sakuramori, outside Ms. Ashford's home, 11:58 P.M.-

Victoria had driven as fast as she could go and still make decent time, but it was almost midnight before she had finally reached her destination in Sakuramori. She gently came to a stop and put the Centaur into park, then climbed off of the hovercycle. Anna followed suit and stretched her legs, then faced the Sabertooth mage.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Miss Sheridan. I know that you'll be getting home late, but I appreciate you doing this for me." Anna thanked Victoria for her efforts and faced the door to her aunt's house. Victoria felt the chilly night on her bare arms and crossed them over her chest for warmth. Maybe she should have worn a jacket like Anna did.

"It's no problem, Anna." Victoria replied before Anna walked over to the front door and reached out with her right hand to knock on it. She did not need to do that because she was greeted by the older Ashford, who was wearing an orange sweater with khaki pants and white sandals. Aunt and niece exchanged greetings and hugged one another while the brunette watched the family reunion play out. Once Anna went inside Octavia faced the waiting brunette.

"Thank you for making sure that my niece got here safely, Victoria. That means a lot to me since she's my only remaining family." The older brunette thanked the Sabertooth mage for driving safely instead of flooring it and zooming towards Sakuramori at dangerous speeds.

"It's no problem at all." Victoria calmly stated. Compared to some of the other jobs she had taken in the past ferrying Anna from Capital Crocus to Sakuramori was easy and a nice change of pace. The older brunette smiled and waved at Victoria.

"Well, I won't hold you up, Victoria. I know that you have your own family to get back to and I know that you have a long ride ahead of you, so I'll let you get going. Be careful out there." Ms. Ashford bade Victoria farewell before going inside and closing the front door, leaving the Sabertooth mage in the chilly darkness. The brunette climbed back onto the waiting Centaur, cranked it up, and gently put it in reverse until she was safely away from Ms. Ashford's home before turning and aligning herself with the road that would take her out of town. She then put the Centaur into drive and carefully began the long trip back to Capital Crocus.

-Capital Crocus, the Sheridan Estate, 5:05 A.M.-

Upon making it home Victoria had left the Centaur parked in the garage and Laura had shut the garage door for her. The brunette thanked the silver-haired maid and walked through the living room, then trudged up the stairs to go to her room. She was going to sleep for awhile because the drive had been long and tedious and she was not feeling like doing anything else right now.

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[Total Word Count: 8,612/10,000]

-Victoria's Room, 5:09 A.M.-

Having changed into a green t-shirt and black gym shorts, Victoria had also taken her hair out of her usual ponytail and let it hang freely on her shoulders and down her back. She had placed her iLac on the nightstand so that should it ring at any point and she was awake enough to hear it the device would be within easy reach. Now that the preparations had been finished the brunette crawled onto the left side of her bed, got under the sheets, and rolled over to face her iLac, then closed her eyes so that she might be able to sleep for a few hours.

-Victoria's Room, 12:07 P.M.-

The brunette had spent several hours sleeping before waking up of her own accord around noon and lying around in a state of semi-consciousness. She was alert enough to know what was going on in her room but not alert enough to interact with anything. She gently took the sheets off of her and started to try and sit up before deciding to let herself slide back down onto the bed and lie around awhile.

She could get up later.

Victoria had just decided on being lazy when her room door opened and in stepped someone she could not get a good look at. The drowsy brunette sat up a little and glanced at the visitor before sliding back down to the comfort of her mattress again. It was Abigail and the blonde was wearing a short-sleeved white t-shirt with pale blue horizontal stripes and blue jean short shorts.

"Oh hi Abby." Victoria casually greeted her friend while staring at the ceiling. Soft footsteps could barely be heard on the carpet.

"You sure sound cheerful." Abigail greeted her friend with a light touch of sarcasm.

"I'm OK, Abby Just feeling a bit tired." Victoria said before the blonde could ask about her condition.

"I can imagine. Riding for long distances on the Centaur can be pretty tiring, especially with the hours you keep." Abigail remarked. She waited a few seconds before resuming the conversation.

"Hey Vic, can I talk to you about something?" The blonde inquired. Deciding to give that sort of conversation the seriousness it was owed, Victoria got out of bed and walked over to her friend, then stopped an arm's length away.

"What did you want to talk about?" Victoria asked, giving her friend her undivided attention.

"I just want to say that I appreciate how hospitable your family is. When I came here I didn't know what to expect from them. I thought they'd want me to leave after a few days, but they're treating me like I was always part of the Sheridan family." Abigail expressed her gratitude for being accepted by the other Sheridans without any reservations.

"I thought they'd think the story of my house burning down was just a sob story meant to get my foot in the door, but your sisters have been so kind to me. They've helped me restock my wardrobe and they're helping me get back on my feet. One day soon I'm going to start looking for work again so that I can pay my way instead of being a freeloader." Abigail continued. Victoria frowned when she heard her friend refer to herself a freeloader but her frown was returned by Abigail, who had her arms crossed. That was a sure sign that the blonde was not going to change her mind, so the brunette did not bother trying to. Instead she tried to give a gentle reminder of how things worked.

"You know that you don't owe me anything, Abby." Victoria assured her that payment was not a requirement to live at the Sheridan Estate.

"I'm gonna pay you anyway, Vic. Your sisters had to spend their money to buy me new clothes and I'm eating food that your family's paid for. I can't continue to do that without offering something in return." Abigail insisted. Seeing that she was getting nowhere and not seeing any point in continuing to press the issue, the brunette decided to let the matter drop for the sake of their friendship. Sometimes it was best to just quit while one was ahead and this was one of those times.

"Hey guys!" Amy's voice cheerfully greeted the pair. They turned to look at the older Sheridan, who was wearing a blue tank top and blue jean short shorts. Victoria moved a few strands of hair out of her face with her hands and greeted her sister.

"Hey Amy. What's going on?" Victoria calmly asked the older brunette.

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[Total Word Count: 9,384/10,000]

"Uncle and Miss Manderley are going on a date tonight." Amy informed the two mages about what had brought her to Victoria's room.

"That's great!" Victoria said with obvious approval. She was glad that her father figure had finally found someone who could look past his muscular physique and prominent facial scars and see that Lawrence was a good man. She wished that he and Florence had gotten together sooner, but she had learned from experience that life did not always go the way one wanted it to.

"Go for it, Mr. Sheridan!" Abigail chimed in with the same level of enthusiasm as Victoria.

"Um, I mean... go for it, Lawrence!" Abigail amended her statement to account for the fact that the father figure of the Sheridan family did not want to be called "Mr. Sheridan." The Sheridan sisters found that amusing and grinned in response. Speaking of Sheridans, the oldest sister Lorelei walked into the room to grace everyone with her presence. Lorelei was wearing a long-sleeved purple t-shirt and a knee-length black skirt with no shoes.

"Hey everyone! I take it Amy already told you two the good news about Uncle and Miss Manderley?" Lorelei asked Victoria and Abigail. Hearing that news for the second time prompted Victoria to ask a question of her own.

"Hey Lori, weren't Uncle and Florence supposed to go on a date last night?" Victoria inquired. The older Sheridan nodded.

"Well, they were supposed to, but they couldn't get tickets to the movie they wanted to see last night. I went to the theater early this morning and helped them get a pair for tonight, so this time they won't face that particular problem." Lorelei explained why the date had not happened last night. The Sabertooth mage was momentarily surprised by the news but soon recovered from it. At least Lawrence and Florence would not need to worry about securing tickets for this evening thanks to Lorelei.

"They wanted to see some really old movie from way before our time, but apparently a lot of other people got the same idea because the tickets were selling out fast. I was lucky enough to get two of the last tickets for tonight's showing, but it was a very close call. If I had been delayed in getting to the theater by even a minute I wouldn't have gotten them." The Sheridan with heterochromia explained to everyone.

"It must be really popular if tickets for it sell out as fast as you claim. Would you happen to know the title of the movie?" Amy asked Lorelei. The other brunette turned to face Amy before speaking.

"It's called On The Western Trail. It's some really old Western with romance and that's all I can tell you about it." Lorelei answered the question to the best of her ability. Amy seemed to accept that answer because she did not press the matter any further.

"I hope they like it." Amy expressed her wish that the dating couple would find the movie worth watching. The quartet stood in amiable silence until it was interrupted by Laura, who addressed them from the hallway.

"Please forgive the interruption, but I have something to tell Victoria. There is a young woman named Francesca Corlone in the driveway and she wishes to speak with her." Laura informed them. Abigail, Amy, and Lorelei blinked in confusion, but Victoria felt her blood pressure suddenly rise and her teeth clench together. Florence peered into the room from the doorway and spotted the angry Sabertooth mage.

"Would you happen to know this Francesca, Miss Sheridan?" The silver-haired maid asked the brunette. Victoria calmed down just enough to speak coherently without using foul language.

"I know her. We're not exactly friends." Victoria answered in clipped sentences that did nothing to conceal her displeasure at the news of her old enemy not only being in her neighborhood but also being in her driveway.

"Please forgive me, Miss Sheridan." Laura implored Victoria for forgiveness. The brunette lightened up a little because her enemy's unexpected arrival was not the maid's fault. Victoria was not going to figuratively or literally shoot the messenger... her anger was reserved for the blonde who had been her enemy since her days as a member of Black Rose.

"I'm not mad at you, Laura. I'm mad at Francesca for thinking she can just drop in for a visit." Victoria assured the faithful maid that she was not in trouble for relaying the news. After saying that she noticed that everyone was looking at her as if expecting an explanation for the bad blood between herself and the blonde. They would get their wish as soon as she could calm down enough to speak in sentences of normal length.

[Post Word Count: 794]
[Total Word Count: 10,178/10,000]