White Daffodils

Chapter 1: Astie

"Hey, new kid! Three cappuccinos, two BLTs, and an order of Steak and Fries! On the double!"

The diner was filled with the sound of a busy workday; every seat and booth in the whole eatery was packed with a different sort of individual. Some held their mugs with tentacles, others with however many digits they had on whatever limb they chose to hold it with. One table was filled with a rowdy lot of insect-like creatures that were complaining about their workload at Hellsalem's Lot's most prestigious call center. Another table sat two regular young human adults, trying to finish their bacon and scrambled eggs while ignoring the smell in the air that was the inevitable result of having more than fifteen different species of sentient beings occupy the given space around you.

In the thick of it all was one young blonde boy who wasn't fazed in the least by what he was hearing and doing. If anything, the only thing on his mind was the orders that had just been yelled into his ears by the diners' capable, reliable head: Vivian.

"Yes, ma'am!" The boy replied, quickly disappearing into the kitchen with a stack of dirty plates in one hand and an impressive pyramid of glassware delicately perched on his other one. He emerged a few seconds later, looking none the worse for wear save for a few questionable stains on his apron that didn't seem like they had come from the food.

"Hey, lady! I want two orders of the house special, on the double! Do it quick or you're not getting your tip!" A loud, rowdy gruff arose amongst the throng of voices from the seats lined up in front of the counter. On the second-to-the-last stool was a large, muscular figure with four arms that were about as swollen as a number of water balloons filled to the max and then tied together.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Vivian didn't bother to pay her noisy customer any substantial attention and just stared at her latest, greatest employee while frying a burger as he delivered order after order with the most enthusiasm she's seen since meeting one of her most frequent regulars. A faint smile beset her lips as she saw his face, and then winced slightly when she saw him narrowly evade a stray piece of saliva from a customer that sizzled when it struck the ground instead.

It's a shame that he's in such a bad financial situation. He seems like a nice kid. She thought to herself in pity before returning to flipping the burger in front of her.

Just then, the bell at the front door chimed.

"Hey, Miss Vivian!" A familiar voice called out, one that sounded far more human than the rest of the customers currently at the diner.

Vivian smiled, her eyes on one of her favorite regulars entering through the front door. "Oh, Leo!" She replied. "I was wondering where you were! You're late for lunch! And I told you to just call me Vivian! Drop the Miss, it makes me feel old!"

Leo laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Well, sorry. I would have gotten here sooner but Zapp-"

Cut off by a sudden impact that sent his head into the tiles, Leo could do nothing but let out a squeal of pain. The sound of his forehead smashing into the floor was louder than him, leading to a micro-squeal that could be mistaken for the kind of sound a mouse would make if it were lightly punched in the stomach repeatedly.

"Huh?! Are you saying that it was my fault we're late?! You're even lucky I decided to take you along on my scooter, pube-head!" Zapp clicked his tongue, an irked expression on his face. "I wasted around twenty bucks' worth of cash just to take you here, so be grateful. You're lucky I didn't just leave you on the sidewalk earlier!"

Leo sprung up back to life, the blood that was slowly but surely trickling down from somewhere on his scalp seemingly not a concern in his eyes. "We would have gotten here sooner if you'd just stopped trying to hit on that girl in the car! You didn't even get her number, so don't take your anger and self-disappointment out on me!"

"What was that?! You wanna go?!"

"Oh, you wanna go?! Is that it?!"

Vivian just sighed, scratching her hair. "You'll break up my diner again if you start a fight now, and that's the last thing I need. Can you just take your seat, Leo? I'll have your lunch ready for you in a moment."

Without pause, Leo snapped away from his in-each-other's-face confrontation with Zapp and replied courteously, "Ah, thank you, Miss Vivian!" He glanced back at Zapp and sighed. "Come on, sit down. At least have lunch before we go back. You don't wanna start a fight with Chain on an empty stomach."

"You sure know how to run your mouth." Zapp stuck his tongue out and sat down on one of the empty bar chairs in a huff, taking a cigarette and bringing his lighter to the end.

His cigarette suddenly floated out of his mouth and into the air like it was suspended by a string, and Zapp took several seconds to register that something wasn't right. He stared at the floating cigarette for three whole seconds before realizing that it wasn't in his mouth anymore. Unfortunately, he had lit the cigarette lighter one second before that realization.

The cigarette slowly floated into the blonde boy's hand, who took it into his fist and put it into his apron pocket. "No smoking in here. You should know that by now, Zapp." He said, muttering and ignoring Zapp's cries of pain as he smothered his burnt lower lip with his ice-cold glass of water.

"Ah, Black!" Leo waved a hand when he recognized his friend. "Good morning!"

"As polite as ever, aren't you, Leo?" Black grinned, waving his hand up and approaching Leo. The two shared a casual high-five. "How've you been? You seem fine, considering everything you do."

Leo scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Nah, it's just the usual. Everyone's still doing their thing, so I always manage to escape danger by the skin of my teeth." His expression then became one of mixed concern. "What about you, Black? You're living on your own, right? How're your finances? Are you meeting your rent?"

Black's smile became a forced one, and it was obvious. "Well…let's just say that-"

"He's living in the back." Vivian interrupted, placing three plates down in front of Leo. One of them was occupied by a giant steak with mashed potatoes, the second with cheese-and-bacon crinkle-cut French fries, and the last one with a quarter-pounder with lots of cheese. "He's got nowhere to go and he's not gonna pay rent on the pay I give him, so he's living in the diner for now." Vivian left briefly, only to return with a few cans of Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke. She placed those cans down next to Leo.

"You should've told me, Black! I could just clean my place and we could share my dorm for now!" Leo said in a worried tone. "I don't mind footing the rent for a while until you work out your income, you know?"

Black just gave Leo an iffy look. "I knew you were going to say that. Leo, I don't really feel comfortable doing that to my friend when he's already got rent that he hasn't paid in two months. I'm pretty sure that your landlady would have kicked you out by now if you weren't doing her favors."

"Don't remind me." Leo pouted, and then glanced at the plates. Belatedly realizing what was in front of him, he let out a cry of exhilaration and stood up. "Wait, what is this?! Miss Vivian, this isn't my usual-!"

"It's on the house," Vivian replied, winking. "Black told me all about what you did for him and his sister, and the line of work you do. You're way more amazing than I first expected you to be, Leo! At the very least, you don't deserve to go hungry! Just come on down when you feel like grabbing some grub! This papa's girl's gonna serve you her finest!"

"Well, uh…" Leo sat down on the bar stool, looking embarrassed. "…I don't really know if I deserve any of this. I mean, Klaus, Chain, Zapp, and the others really did most of the-"

Black just sighed, cut a forkful of the steak in an instant and shoved it into Leo's mouth before he could continue. "And again with that, Leo. It's about time you stopped being so modest. You saved my life and you've been contributing to your workplace more than you realize. Without your help, Klaus wouldn't be able to seal away Blood Breeds the way he does. And besides," Black dusted off his apron and placed his hands on his waist. "I don't want to hear that from the man who saved my sister! Just say thanks for the food and eat up!"

Leo, at a loss for words, took a few seconds before he simply smiled. "…well, then I guess I should. Thanks, Black. Thanks, Miss Vivian. It really means a lot to me."

"Yeah, no problem. Sheesh, I wish all of my guests were as nice and polite as you, Leo." Vivian replied, grinning. "If they were, my job would be so much easier. Oh, and I'm sorry about your girlfriend, Leo. She seemed like a nice girl, according to her brother here."

"Sh-sh-sh-she wasn't my girlfriend!"

Zapp, cutting in from out of nowhere, immediately grabbed a handful of Leo's fries and threw them into his mouth with a sour look. "If you bozos are just going to ignore me after that kid burned my lower lip, then the least I'm gonna do is take your fries!"

Leo protested immediately, shifting the plates far away from Zapp and blocking Zapp's arms from reaching past him. "No way! This is Miss Vivian's gift to me! I'm not gonna let you take this one, Zapp! Not on your life!"

"Zapp!" Vivan called out from her spot near the register, counting bills and not looking at either of them. "If I see you eating his food one more time, I'm gonna put it all on your tab and put wanted posters out on the front of my diner."

Black just sighed, smiled and walked behind the counter. "Miss Vivian, I'm gonna go on break for a bit," he called out. Without waiting for a reply, Black removed his apron and walked into the kitchen where the crew was busily cooking the orders that were coming in left and right.

The kitchen was surprisingly small despite the hustle and bustle that the cooks had to deal with during the lunch rush. Ovens, stoves, and fryers were lined up with men and women of varying ages attending to them with different levels of prowess. Some were old men and seasoned cooks, friends of Vivan's father. Others were of the same age as Vivian, with eyebags that were clearly the result of trying to stay alive in Hellsalem's Lot. One young lady had bandages wrapped around her left forearm and her forehead, reminiscent of the way Leo usually looked whenever he finished a mission with Libra. Another young man had a painful-looking black eye that he couldn't see out of, which led to the various accidents involved with the kitchen knives and meat tenderizer earlier this morning that were the cause for his bandaged fingers.

"Ah, Black!" One of them, a sprightly middle-aged man with a mostly-black mustache specked with grey and white hairs, said whilst frying some bacon. "You on break already? Good, you've been working until three in the afternoon too often lately! You should leave it to us more often, kid!"

Black simply nodded in acknowledgment of his colleague before disappearing into the other rooms. He made a beeline straight for the comfort room and slammed the bathroom door shut, enough to make a few cooks glance in the direction of the bathroom. The clearly distinguishable click of the door's locks being turned sounded off. A few seconds of silence ensued, to which the cooks just shrugged and went back to their business.

"…uh, is he okay, Marie?" The middle-aged man asked, glancing at one of the waiters that had just come back from the floor through the double doors. "He doesn't look that good. Maybe he's been overdoing it too much."

"Who knows, Jack? This place is stressful. Maybe he just needs to take a crap." The young woman replied, scowling and pointing a finger back at her conversation partner. "Never mind that! Where's the order for Table 7?! They followed it up and if we don't bring it to their table in five minutes flat, they're gonna start wrecking the place!"

"S-sorry! I'll get right on it!"

It was my fault.

Black stared at himself in the mirror.

The blonde was standing in front of the bathroom sink, his fingers gripping the slippery white porcelain-like he was dangling off a cliff. His eyes were dead set on his eyes in the mirror, his lips contorted into a mix of a frown and a grimace. His eyebrows knit and he clicked his tongue.

It was my fault that White's gone. I can't change that. I can't erase that. It's a fact.

Black felt his lips tighten, his mind's eye bringing back the image of Leo's bashful face from moments earlier. The sight of it only made Black's chest tighten with guilt.

It was my fault.

I know, Leo.

I know that you probably liked my sister.

I know you liked White.

You're not the type to talk about it.

I know you well enough by now. You're just the type to keep it inside and never say it. You'd never show it. You'd just care about her and protect her and be there for her…but you'd never say it.

Maybe you're not even aware of your own feelings for White, but I am.

Black resisted the urge to punch the glass. He wanted to punch the glass, he wanted to punch the image of himself that he was staring eye-to-eye with. Even if he knew he shouldn't, even if he knew that things weren't really his fault, even if he knew that there was no changing the fact that his sister was gone, he wanted to.

He really wanted to.

I know.

When the King of Despair and I shared bodies, I could still hear you. I could still hear the things you said. When I held White in my arms for the last time and let the remainder of her life force flow into me before becoming one with the barrier that holds Hellsalem's Lot together, I could see her life flash before my eyes.

Not mine. Hers.

Images of White's memories came flashing back to Black again, and he bit his lip out of self-loathing as he unintentionally sifted through those images with a mix of love and pain. Quite a number of them were pictures of the books that she had been reading in the hospital. A few more were pictures of the hospital room she called home, the view of the city outside her personal window, and the graveyard that no one save for her usually visited.

But the majority of the pictures in his mind were none of those. The ones that surfaced to the forefront of White's memories were of a single theme.

Leo.

Leo's camera. Sonic, the monkey that Leo always brought around.

Leo's pictures. Some landscapes, some portraits. Some of them together.

Leo's face as he would tell her stories of Libra; about the friends and colleagues he was always around, about the dangerous things that he had to do, about the various times that he had been mugged. An image of him showing the secret pockets in his shoes, jacket, and undershirt that he had devised so that he wouldn't lose the money that he was saving to send back to his little sister, Michella.

Leo's warmth as she embraced him from behind while they snuck out of the hospital on Leo's scooter to watch a movie.

Leo.

If it could be put into numbers, about 90% of the images that existed from White's memories weren't her childhood, her time with Black, the time that William and The King of Despair had become one body, the time that Black had accidentally destroyed the mud ball that she had made when they were kids, or even her parents.

That 90% belonged to Leo and Leo alone.

White loved to take pictures. She'd take pictures of everything. But I've never seen so many pictures of one person before.

Black's thoughts swirled around him as a tornado of guilt. Within the eye of the storm was Black's newfound resolve.

Leo.

I'm pretty sure White liked you too.

And that's why I'm here in Hellsalem's Lot, the place where miracles could happen.

Black stared at the mirror dead-on and bumped his fist against it, the cool touch of the glass against his knuckles. His expression was determined and grim. "…I swear, Leo. Whatever the cost, I'll do right by you. My sister deserves to be with her knight, even if it's just for a moment. There were so many things that you didn't get to say or do with White that you deserved to do together. I swear that I'll bring her back, no matter what it takes."

"Hey, Black! You done with the bathroom yet?! I need to take a leak and you've been in there for ages! You're not doing anything else in there, are you?!" The voice's tone grew more suggestive and teasing, but still carrying impatience and irritation. "If you are, then clean up and get out!"

"I'm not doing anything of the sort!"

"Klaus."

A tall, muscular man with scarlet-brown turned his attention to the well-dressed, aged man that was standing off to his side. The only thing that offset the older fellow's otherwise formal attire was the array of bandages that wrapped around his face. The butler of Libra took a step further into the light, as his entire body was robed in the shadows of the window blinds.

"What is it, Gilbert?" Klaus replied, gesturing to the still piping hot cup of tea that was sitting on the desk next to some stacks of paperwork. "Don't worry, your tea today is as fine as it always is. I'm just a little preoccupied with some paperwork. We have to arrange for the next delivery of supplies, and soon. Otherwise, Libra will be caught at a disadvantage when we have to mobilize again."

"And that is exactly the issue, sir," Gilbert replied, bowing slightly with a slightly crinkled brow. "According to some information that I have just gleaned from Sir Abrams, we have an unknown entity on the move. Most likely a Blood Breed."

Klaus, now more alarmed, rose to his feet. "I see. We need to dispatch our usual vampire hunters. I will go and call K.K at once, and then-"

Gilbert took a step towards Klaus and shook his head. "Sir Klaus, I'm afraid I would have to advise against a course of action geared towards violence for now. You see, sir, the entity that is currently on our radar is reportedly far more dangerous than we make her out to be. She's powerful enough that she doesn't feel the need to conceal herself within Hellsalem's Lot. That's why Abrams was able to tell that she was dangerous even without the assistance of special help such as Sir Leonardo's All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods."

"Walking around in broad daylight, you say?" Klaus furrowed his brows, doubtful. "What could she possibly have to gain from doing nothing?"

"Abrams has already called in Chain to perform reconnaissance and monitoring on the Elder Blood Breed. According to the information that I'm being streamed from the pair, she is currently partaking in lunch at a diner downtown." Gilbert took a step back and returned to his original position nearer the curtains. "She seems to want to cause no harm. Apparently, she's sightseeing."

Klaus remained standing, still unconvinced. "Hmm…if she's as dangerous as you say, then we need to ensure that we have eyes on her at all times. Where are K.K and Steven?"

"Miss K.K and Sir Steven are currently en route to the scene to gather more information on the subject. If this Elder Blood Breed is truly as dangerous as the information indicates, then I'm sure that those two would be able to provide some substantial information and shed light on this mysterious being's identity."

"Mm." Klaus nodded in agreement. He reached into his pocket and, quickly dialing in a number on the cell phone he had pulled out, placed it into his ear. "…Zapp? Can you hear me?"

A slightly muffled response came out from the other end of the line. "Yeah, boss?"

"There's an Elder Blood Breed on the move. We need all of our personnel to report to the office so that we can assess the matter. Please hurry from where you are. We cannot afford to waste any time."

"Sure thing, boss," was the only thing before the call was ended.

Klaus then turned to Gilbert. "Please alert Zapp of the current situation. Also, call Patrick and Neyka to the office immediately. I need to brief them and discuss our current supplies. We may not be ready to deal with a foe of this magnitude."

"As you wish, Sir."

"Thanks again, Miss Vivian!" Leo sighed gratefully, patting his distended belly. "I haven't eaten like that since coming to Hellsalem's Lot!"

Vivian just grinned and slid a cup of coffee over to Leo from the opposite end of the counter; Leo managed to catch it before it slid off of the edge. "No problem, hero!" she replied, flashing a thumbs-up towards the young man. "I also fed your monkey, so be sure to take him with you when you go. He's still hungry, though. See? He's swiping food from that nice lady over there."

"Sonic?"

Leo turned in the direction that Vivian was pointing and saw that his constant companion was happily nibbling on the remains of a hamburger that was being held out to him. The person that was holding it was a young woman with a gentle smile that was crouching and patting the Sonic Speed Monkey. The young woman looked completely human and had elegant, long raven-black hair that descended to her waist. She was wearing a one-piece white dress with what appeared to be a black necklace.

I've never seen her here before. Is she a new customer? Maybe she's new to Hellsalem's Lot. Leo thought as he walked over to the lady.

Upon his approach, the woman noticed him and stood up to meet his eye level. Her gentle smile did not waver, and Leo noticed her amber-brown eyes. "Is this your pet?"

Wow, she's pretty. Leo couldn't help but think that, so struck he was with her appearance. He nearly gulped down saliva as the lady drew back a few stray hairs that were dangling from her ears and sticking to her cheeks. "N-not really. H-he's my f-friend, you could say…um…"

The girl's only response was to giggle, and she cupped her lips with her hands. She looked at Leo, tilting her head slightly as if curious. Her smile grew a few centimeters, now more playful instead of gentle. "You don't really talk to girls, do you?"

Leo, unsure of how to reply, just laughed nervously. "W-well…no, not really."

She giggled again and stretched a hand out as a gesture of a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Leonardo Watch. My name's too long, so you can just call me Astie."

Leo smiled and reached out, and he shook her hand gently. "Hi, Astie. It's nice to meet you."

"Leo! Stop flirting and get over here!" Zapp shouted from the door, kicking it open and very nearly sending it into the face of a passerby. "The boss is calling! We gotta get back!"

"Seems your colleague's calling," Astie replied, glancing at Zapp. She took a step to the side for Leo to pass. "See you around, Leonardo Watch."

"See ya! Come on, Sonic!" Leo ran towards the door, Sonic zipping onto his shoulder in a record time that would make Usain Bolt cry. The door closed unceremoniously after that, the sound of the bell ringing faintly amongst the sound of the boisterous chitchat of the diner's clientele.

Astie walked over to the chair where Leo was sitting and sat down on it. Leaning her chin on her left hand, she raised her right hand up. "Is this how you do it…?" She muttered to herself, self-examining her arm as if wondering if she was doing the gesture wrong. "Excuse me! I would like to order!"

Vivian, noticing the lady, walked over to her and pulled out a notepad and pen from her breast pocket. "Gotcha, whaddaya want? We have a new item courtesy of yours truly: The Limited-Time Vivian Special Triple-Layer Burger! Wanna give that a try?!"

Astie's eyes lit up with curiosity and joy. "That sounds interesting! Very well then! I shall have one of those!"

"Alright! Oh, Black! Just in time!" The blonde boy, upon hearing his name being called as he was exiting the kitchen's double doors, turned to see Vivian tossing a notepad in his direction. Flinching, he raised his hand and managed to pluck it out of the air. "Bring that into the back. I wrote special instructions for Jack to follow when he starts on it. I'm gonna go in there after ten minutes. When I do, I need you to take control of the floor for me until I'm done. Got it?"

At a loss for words at the sudden onslaught of instructions, Black couldn't even get two words out before Vivian went back to cooking the rest of the orders. With a sigh, he started to turn back around to go through the doors when his gaze met Astie's.

Their eyes met and Black froze in place.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" Astie asked, placing a hand on her cheek.

"Oh, uh…no, I'm sorry," Black replied, mystified at why he felt nervous.

What's going on? Black thought to himself, his mind racing back and forth. What's this feeling I'm getting? What is this? I was fine a few seconds ago, so why am I suddenly sweating?

Black felt his feet anchored in place like someone had shackled them to the floor with heavy iron chains. He couldn't move, and his heart was trying to leap out of his throat. His hands felt heavy and his body felt numb.

Wh-why is this feeling…familiar?

Forcing his eyes to tear from Astie, Black took a deep breath. Closing his eyes and exhaling through his nose, he turned around wordlessly and entered the kitchen.

Astie, who was watching this all take place, just stared after Black.

…Black, huh? She thought to herself.

She smiled.

Bingo.

Wordlessly, she stood up from her chair and proceeded to walk towards the kitchen's double doors. Without pause, she opened them and proceeded to walk into the kitchen. Black, who had just entered, turned around when he heard the doors open. His expression changed to one of surprise when he realized that a customer had entered the back. Most especially the one that had incited the unusual feeling in him earlier.

"E-excuse me, Miss." He began, trying to control his mouth. He took a reproachful step towards the girl. "Th-this area is off limits to-"

"To think that the King of Despair chose you to be his host…how amusing."

The words stopped in his throat immediately, and Black's eyes fixed onto the girl in front of her like bolts being riveted to a bunker. His legs were once again paralyzed and good for nothing apart from keeping him standing. They felt like they were going to buckle at any moment, however.

"Don't look so petrified, William. Or do you prefer that I call you Black?" She smiled, but her previously gentle smile seemed nothing but menacing now to Black. "I think I like Black more. Besides, it's easier to say. One syllable."

Black couldn't do anything. He couldn't say anything. He remained frozen in place, the feeling that he had been assaulted with a few moments ago now bearing down on him with exponential magnitude. His mouth moved to say words, but no sound left his lips.

"I have business with you, Black. Come, follow me." Astie said, taking a step forward and taking Black by the wrist, who could do nothing but allow himself to be taken along, his feet like lead. He nearly dragged them on the floor as he was walking behind Astie, so unable to move was Black. The two of them walked straight for the back door, which led to a rather spacious alley where the delivery trucks for the diner's supplies were parked.

The two continued walking until they were standing in the space between two of the delivery trucks. Astie released Black's arm and then turned around to face him. "There we go. Now we can talk." She said, her smile from earlier not having left her face.

Astie closed her eyes. Keeping them closed for a few moments, she slowly began to raise her eyelids.

One eye was amber brown and reflected the light like a gemstone would.

The other was a sinister crimson, reminiscent of freshly spilled blood.

Th-this feeling…this is the same as… Black's thoughts were sprinting across the track field that was his brain, all his senses on high alert. Earlier, he was getting an intensifying feeling of wrongness coming from this girl and now it felt like the world was screaming for him to run and escape from there somehow. This sense of dread, this wrongness, this malice that was palpable in the air and as thick as smog was the same as a feeling he had experienced only once before in his lifetime.

"Y-you…" Black managed to utter a single word, though the rest of his sentence had been clogged in his windpipe. He wanted more than anything to get out of there, to escape. To live.

If he stayed, he would most definitely die. That was the feeling bearing down on his soul, pounding on his blood and harrowing away at his brain.

"You certainly seem to be dealing with it well. I guess meeting The King of Despair got you acclimated to the fear associated with dealing with us face-to-face." Astie remarked, seemingly genuinely impressed. She shrugged and took a step closer. "Well, that's all the better. The average person would pass out from fear and shock."

"…you're like him," was all Black could say.

At that, Astie chuckled and shook her head. "That's your mistake, Black. To assume that will spell death for you. The King of Despair was definitely one of the Thirteen Kings like me, but I am in a completely different league." She raised a finger and poked his chest. "Well, at least he can't hear me."

Black looked down at his body, his gaze at the junction between his body and Astie's finger. "…h-he's still in there?"

"Yeah. He never left, you know. He just made a mistake or two when he lost control of your consciousness. He's out cold right now. His aura is so faint that I'm having difficulty just sensing him, but at this distance, I can just barely sense it." She clicked her tongue and then flicked Black's forehead with her finger. "Wait, stop talking. You're changing the subject. You'll make me forget why I brought you here."

At that, Black decided to just do as she says. His mouth clamped shut, he just nodded and stood still.

"Now, where was I…?" Astie trailed off, her finger on her chin. She began tapping it, her foot tapping the floor simultaneously. "Hmm…" Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and her expression changed from a difficult one to that of delight. "Ah, yes! I remember now! It's about your friend, Leonardo Watch!"

"L-Leo?"

Astie nodded and took a step back. "See, just like that bozo you've got locked up in your body somewhere, I've been around since the first Great Collapse. And I've been watching the events unfold for a while now. That sequence with you and your friend and all that fighting was quite a sight to behold, you know. Quite the entertainment."

"…" Black did not reply. He continued to stare wordlessly.

Astie, not paying his silence any mind, continued. "It's just a shame that it all ended with my brother being sealed away inside you. I was looking forward to his second Great Collapse idea. I didn't think the odds of it working were all that great, but I would've liked to see a comeback. Especially with such high stakes."

This time, Black didn't just let it go by silently. "W-wait. The King of Despair is your brother?"

"Yep! I'm not like the other Kings, though. I prefer to just enjoy the show and let the others do their thing." Astie replied. "So, with that said, I need to ask you for a favor."

Black said nothing but nodded, sure that the opposite answer would result in his carcass slathered on the side of the trucks on either side of him.

"I kinda want my brother back. So, you know, if you're willing to let me use you for a procedure to extract him from your body, that'd be great." Astie said, taking a few steps and leaning in closer to Black. She closed the distance until their noses were barely touching. "I know that you think that you have no choice in this regard, but you actually do. Just not the ones that you're thinking about."

She took a step back and got out of Black's face. "See, this whole thing has Magic and Blood Arts written over it. There's a ton of complicated stuff to do, and one of the things that's involved is voluntary participation. I'll jump past the complicated nomenclature and get to the point: if you agree to it, that makes both of our lives easier. It'll turn a seven-hundred-hour procedure into a seven-hour one. You can go back to work after I'm done, I get my brother back, and we're both happy. Capiche?"

"…and if I say no?"

What the hell are you doing, asking her that question?! Black screamed to himself inside his mind. It was a reflexive question that left his mouth, and he braced himself for Astie to get pissed.

Contrary to his expectations, however, Astie simply shrugged. "If you don't agree, then I knock you out and drag you back home. Then I'll spend several hundred hours dissecting your soul so that I can safely and easily take my brother out. Think of it like this: imagine there's a soccer ball stuck in a fence and no matter what you do, you can't get it out. So instead of trying to get the ball out, you just cut the fence up until the ball's free. Easy, right?"

This girl's insane. Black thought to himself.

"No, I'm not insane. How rude." Astie suddenly said, walking back to Black and pinching his nose.

"C-can you read my mind?!"

Astie just shrugged. "Among other things. I'm an expert when it comes to matters regarding the Soul and the Mind, so reading it is about as easy for me as reading a book is easy for your glasses-supplemented eyes. So?" She released his nostrils and gave Black an expectant look. "What's the decision? Hundred-hour torture from which you will definitely not survive? Or the other one that will have you feeling rather refreshed and ready for your daytime shift tomorrow morning? Keep in mind that I'm okay with either option."

"Wait." Black, for the first time, found the courage to speak. "W-what's Leo got to do with this? You said this was about him."

"Ah~!" As if having been struck by an epiphany, Astie snapped her finger. "Thanks for reminding me! I was supposed to use this as a bargaining chip." Despite not a single millimeter of her features changing in the slightest, Astie's smile seemed to change yet again. But now it was gentler.

"…you miss your sister, don't you?"

Black felt his teeth grit without his say-so. "…don't talk about my sister."

"I'm saying this because I'm a sister who wants her brother back, William," Astie replied, her smile fading. "I understand what it's like to love a sibling. And the idea of losing one is pretty shitty if you ask me."

"I get it. So? What about Mary? Why are you bringing her up?"

Astie's tone dropped pitch faster than a New Year's Eve celebration ball. From playful and cheerful to threatening in a half-second, the girl frowned. "Hey, champ. Drop the trucks. You're gonna cause a scene."

The chill that went down his spine made Black realize that the trucks that were on either side of them were now hovering in the air, outlined by yellow energy. When he did notice, he began to feel the drain on his body that he remembered was the price of using his psychic powers. Willing the powers away, the two trucks dropped to the ground with a relatively loud thud. The sound of wooden cargo boxes getting jumbled around could be heard from within the trucks.

"So, you get pissed when your friends and family get involved. Noted." Astie whistled, impressed. "Okay, so here's the deal."

Astie approached Black and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you let me take out my brother from your soul, I can bring your sister back as good as new."

"…you can do that?"

"Yes, I can." Astie pointed a finger at Black's chest. "I can read your mind and your soul. I know you hate yourself form not being strong enough to contain my brother and restrict his actions. I know you feel guilty towards Leo for your sister's death. I know you want to make it up to him. So, I'm offering you the chance to give Leo the opportunity that he never got. Heck, I could read your thoughts from the bathroom earlier."

"You could read those?"

"Easy-peasy! So?" Astie held her hand out, the universally recognized cue for a shake of hands. "Do we have a deal?"

"By the way, Leo, who was that chick?!" Zapp yelled as they zipped through traffic on their motorcycle. "Is she your new thing?!"

"No, I just met her! Her name is Astie!" Leo cried out, trying to be heard over the roar of the wind in his ears.

"Got it. Did you get her number?!"

"No! I didn't even get to tell her my name because you were rushing me!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me just because the boss said we had something to do! Besides, I heard her call you Leonardo Watch, so don't go lying to me!"

"What did you say?!"

"Stop screaming, pube-head!"

"Don't call me that!"