Chapter #5: Allies
Prescot, Arizona
October 17th, 2044-CE
Iliana cooked a simple breakfast as Mara yawned, sitting at the kitchen table reading news on her cellphone, “Looks like the android market is starting to pick up. There are apparently some advanced androids coming out now that perfectly emulate humans down to scent and sweat now.” She glanced up at Iliana as she cooked bacon in the frying pan, “Models with it started coming out this year. ELLCORP seems to have the advanced features of their androids nailed down. I wonder how far the AGI has come these last few years.”
“Wasn’t the first production android created by them in 2032?” Iliana’s eyebrow raised as they talked.
“I think it was 2034 but they had prototypes, and test unites back in 2032,” Mara nodded, “Way more advanced than the other androids that were coming out at the time.”
“What were they doing before that?” Iliana questioned in response, “I remember hearing their name before, but I can’t put together what they did.”
“Medical Tech,” Mara mentioned as she typed in the question on her phone, “They were the people that made the retrovirus that could remake your eye color and hair color. Was a fad in the thirties before people realized they didn’t like dazzling eye colors and flamboyant hair if it was permanent.”
“Some people still do it,” Iliana mentioned, “Heck, that is one of the ways that Luna can walk out in public and get away with her ears, hair, and eyes. We should be thanking them for that work. They could have done so much more with that kind of technology.”
“They are still in the medical tech field. They make the equipment to grow organs, and they also have medical implant devices as well. That is where their android research really interacts with their old core business,” Mara mentioned in response, “If they were doing this say ten years earlier, I might have worked for them as an engineer.”
“I don’t see you working for someone that makes a lot of medical equipment,” Iliana shrugged.
“The android division would have been cool and right up my alley though,” Mara mentioned in response, “I would have made sure you couldn’t turn a lot of the androids into overgrown walking videogame machines.”
“Or maybe you would have,” Iliana laughed, “Hard to know what you would have done if you were given the opportunity.”
A groan coming from the distant hallway alerted Mara and Iliana that someone new was awake. With tired mismatched yes and disheveled chestnut hair, Kyra walked out in little more than an oversized gray shirt and panties covering all the necessary bits, “Never has the sound of bacon being cooked sounded so loud and distinctive.” The intersex hunter complained as they made their way into the far end of the kitchen, “Coffee?” She glanced around.
“You look like hell!” Mara whistled, “Yeah, coffee is fresh.”
“Cool,” Kyra nodded tiredly then opened the cupboard door above the coffee machine and retrieved a gray stoneware mug, “These look like restaurant mugs, why not get something more ornate or personalized.”
“Bang-bang-bang goes the cannon!” Iliana exclaimed purposefully loudly.
Kyra grimaced and jumped, “Please! Not right now!” They hissed as they filled their mug with hot black coffee. They crossed to the sugar before opening the fridge.
“Oh, I’m just echoing what’s on your mind right now,” Iliana chuckled.
“The fact that it sounds like a war in your frying pan now,” Kyra grumbled as they added some milk to the coffee before stirring the dark brown mixture with a spoon, “Because, yeah, I thought I got that when I wandered out here.”
Luna walked in behind them, in a similar outfit consisting of an oversized black shirt and black panties. Her hair was combed, and her eyes showed more signs of life than her partner. She smacked Kyra’s but causing a squeak from the hunter and a chuckle from Luna, “Morning, sunshine.”
“Who’s the sunshine in this relationship?” Kyra grumbled as they slid the milk over to Luna.
Luna smiled and took the milk as she grabbed her own coffee cup, “Yeah but I know who’s not wearing the pants in this relationship right now.”
“Nothing they haven’t seen before,” Kyra rolled their eyes as they walked over to sit at the kitchen table next to Mara, “They are lucky I came out with underwear on.”
“Ah if only they weren’t considered,” Luna flirted and kissed Kyra on the cheek as she sat down.
“I’d rather not have bare ass on my chairs,” Iliana mentioned as she scooped up the bacon into four individual plates that were already topped with eggs and toast. She walked with two plates in her hand, placing one in front of Kyra and one by Luna. She walked back and returned a moment later with the last two plates and sat one in front of Mara as well as her own spot which she sat down at right after, “I am sure you can understand.”
“We shall see how I do tonight,” Kyra lamented then chomped down on a piece of bacon, “Oh, I will need a ride back to the bar so I can get my car.”
Mara smiled, “I have no problems with giving you a ride back.”
“I was hoping we could use the car this time,” Kyra mentioned, “Feeling of freedom aside, I’m not in the mood to be free birding it.”
“Could have convinced me otherwise,” Luna chuckled and smacked their bare thigh with their hand.
Kyra sat up straight, “I’m not even sure how I ended up in this?” They said as the grasped the front of the shir and pulled it up enough to look at it, “Japanese writing, must be yours, Luna.”
“Yeah, you didn’t make it back to bed without an accident. I had to take your clothes off,” Luna smirked and started cutting up her eggs.
“You said that with way too much gusto to not have enjoyed it,” Kyra rolled their mismatched eyes as they finished their first strip, “So, how about it, can we take the car?”
“I don’t feel like driving today,” Iliana shook her head as she dabbed a corner of her toast in her egg, “Mara doesn’t mind, and the bike is hers.”
“Three wheeled monstrosity with no seatbelts,” Kyra grumbled, “Can she take me in the car?”
“I’m not on her insurance,” Mara shook her head in response, “I am on my bike, though.”
“It’s a Trike!” Kyra exclaimed while managing not to raise their voice.
“Right, 3 wheels, that extra wheel kept us from flipping on that first botched turn,” Mara mentioned, “I would rather be on that, free AC as long as we are on the road before three in the afternoon.”
“No heat at night,” Kyra lamented.
“What, planning on getting a few more drinks there?” Mara questioned in response, “Afraid that you will have to be pressed up to my back again?”
“You aren’t afraid of me being pressed up against your back?” Kyra cocked their head as they munched on their bacon.
Mara shook her head, “Definitely not while drunk.”
“Oh, so I have to be tipsy in order to ride Mara,” Kyra noted as they grabbed a fork to dig into their eggs.
“The trike!” Luna sneered promoting laughter from everyone else at the table.
“Ay! My head!” Kyra grumbled which sounded hallow since they were also chuckling.
“But seriously, I thought you two were married and something like that wouldn’t matter,” Kyra shrugged as the noise died down at the dining room table. They got confused looks from Mara and Iliana, “You are married, right?”
“Legally?” Mara shook her head in response, “The only thing that marriage really covers are survivor rights.”
“I’d figured that you’d probably want to take advantage of that sometime,” Kyra mentioned as they blinked in confusion.
Mara shook her head, “Chains that bind, even to someone you love, chains you to a choice.”
“Are you sure you can’t borrow the car?” Kyra stated in a whining tone.
Iliana and Mara shook their heads, “I got the bike. Did I do something wrong last night?”
“It wasn’t until I was riding that I realized there was nothing protecting me from the pavement. If I drop, it’s all over,” Kyra mentioned, “It could be the alcohol.”
“Probably,” Mara nodded, “I am sure you will have a different feeling about it today.”
“Yeah, now that I am hungover, you get the greatest hits of reactions you won’t want from a monkey on your back,” Kyra nodded then grabbed her head in pain.
“Coffee and water,” Mara gently pat Kyra’s shoulder as she ate, “When you feel better and the bar opens, we will head to Phoenix for you to pick up your car.”
* * *
The sun hung heavy in the sky as Mara and Kyra pulled up in the bar’s parking lot again. Kyra didn’t need to look at the subtle scratching along the door frame to know that this was a hunter’s den. It was run by a hunter and hunters got their jobs from their guilds there, most of the time in printouts from books, allowing hunters to accept jobs within their league. Kyra had spent the last year earning the right to take class S jobs. The toughest jobs in the guilds.
Kyra hopped off the bike, and quickly undid the chin strap holding the helmet on, pulled it off and tossed it to Mara, “I have to admit, I still don’t like the bike.” Kyra mentioned as Mara nodded, catching the helmet and jumping off the bike, “But I’m not afraid of it like I was earlier. Think about what I said with the Heads-Up Display.”
Mara nodded as she jumped off the bike and Kyra ran past Jack. They saw him approach and turned around, “I behaved yesterday, I don’t expect any—”
“I don’t like the people in there,” Watch yourself. Jack warned as Mara opened the under-seat storage and stowed the helmet in it. His words made her pop her chin strap and take off her helmet as Kyra ran inside.
“Does she need backup?” Mara questioned as she locked her helmet to the front of her bike.
“There aren’t a lot of people in there, if she—”
“They,” Mara interrupted, “Please go on.”
“If they have a problem, they might be able to take care of it,” Jack finished, “I take it you know they are they for a particular reason.”
“Same reason I have, only difference is I had a surgery to fix it,” Mara nodded, “Because in my case I feel like a female,” She added, “Should I hang around for a minute to make sure they are okay?”
“It couldn’t hurt but I am sure sh—” He paused and backtracked, “They can handle it if a problem should come up.” He mentioned.
Mara glanced down and Jake studied her technicolored eyes and their dazzling shifts from blue to green as she thought about it for a moment, “I think I will wait here. If our friend has anything in common its attracting trouble.”
“With a body like that,” He whistled, “I’m not surprised.”
Mara smirked and leaned against the front left wheel of her bike, “Definitely something to behold when pressed against my back.”
“Oh, so you took the bike on purpose today,” He chuckled more, “Just like half of the guys that go here, you like the feel of—”
“Except it’s my only mode of transportation,” Mara mentioned in response, “I am sure if Kai was flat as a board—”
“Wait, You called them Kai,” Jake cocked his head in confusion, “How do they spell their name?”
“K-Y-R-A,” Mara answered. She looked towards the door, “Maybe I should go in there just so they know that they have backup.”
“You don’t have any weapons,” Jake crossed his arms in confusion, “I know you are a hunter, but most bring their weapons on them.”
“Well having two katanas strapped to my back doesn’t make for a comfortable ride at my back,” Mara shrugged and placed her hands in her pockets, a moment later she pulled out two folded large pocketknives out of her pockets. One of them had a white quartz handle with the inclusions polished and clear. The other one had a handle of amethyst. Even while closed, a person could see the tiny blue grains running through the blade, “But I don’t come unarmed. I have these.” She held up the white one, “This is Vayne,” She held up the amethyst knife, “And this is Violet.” She flicked the blade out on violet, instantly the blue grains shone bright white, “They are twinned Meridian Metal Blades.”
Jake’s dark eyes nearly jumped out of his head as he gazed at the knife and the illuminated blades, “Wow. I had seen Kyra’s bowie knife, I thought that was a one-of-a-kind relic.”
“They aren’t common, and they aren’t cheap to produce. Kyra, Iliana, and I all had to earn them by taking out a coterie of vampires outside the village of the man who crafted these,” Mara mentioned in response. She offered the closed blade, Vayne, to Jake, “You can check it out if you want. But be careful, the blades are sharper than anything you ever handled before.”
He cocked his head, hand half paused between them, “How sharp are we walking about?” He asked.
Mara took Violet and held it pointing to the ground. A moment later she dropped the blade, instead of it clanking against the ground, the blade sunk into the faded black asphalt to the halfway point of the blade. Jake whistled, “I see, that sharp!” He chuckled as he grasped the blade, “I think I see how you and Kyra can defeat a lot of vampires with blades like this. Too bad they aren’t silver.”
“Open the blade and find out,” Mara smirked.
Jake opened the blade, and both watched as the dark cobalt gray started to shine a brilliant cerulean in color, “Once you tune to it, the grains will light up white.” Mara mentioned as she retrieved Violet from the ground. Holding it up to him he could see the cobalt grains shine a brilliant white, “This is what happens when the blade is tuned to you. After that, the more your energy synchronizes with the blade, the more powers you get from them.”
“Like Kyra and her flaming bowie knife,” Jake nodded.
Mara smiled and nodded. She held violet up as he carefully folded Vayne with both hands, making sure not to get near the blade. As she held violet up, he could see a black electrical flame start to form around the handle, “What’s with the monochrome fire?” He asked.
“The default element of this blade is fire,” Mara mentioned, “At least with other people it would be normal fire.” She paused as she thought about how to explain her shamanic powers without revealing the fact she was a shaman to the hunter door guard, “With me, it seems to take on the characteristics of something different hence the black flame.”
“Just the kind of girl you are then,” He nodded and handed Vayne back to Mara.
Mara nodded as she took back Vayne. She felt ominous feelings of apprehension at that moment, something that she had felt many times before. Deciding to risk it, her shaman seal appeared below her before she raced through, the doors hanging open as she was moving far faster than normal, leaving Jake at the door confused by what happened, “What the heck?” He cocked his head in confusion and glanced back to the closing doors and the chaos within.
* * *
While Mara was out putting the spare helmet away and locking her primary helmet to the front of her vehicle, Kyra walked in and sat down in front of a familiar old face, “How’s it going?” They asked, grabbing his attention. There were several people in the back playing at the pool tables. Kyra didn’t know if they were hunters, they didn’t bug the hunter, so they didn’t care.
The man turned around and smirked, “You are early. I was expecting a different group of people here by the time you normally darken my door.”
Kyra glanced over their shoulders and noticed the six individuals still playing pool, though now they were glancing at Kyra’s back. They glanced back to the man with salt and pepper hair and said, “Should I worry about them?”
The man gruffly shook his head as he grabbed a glass, “I wouldn’t talk to them. They are one of those ultra conservative types and wouldn’t like your unique construction.”
“Good to know,” Kyra mentioned as they dropped a twenty, “That should cover a couple of shots, right?”
He nodded and pulled out another shot glass, “Who is the other one for?” He questioned as he filled the two small glasses with an amber liquid.
“You,” Kyra mentioned as he slid the glasses to them and they slid one back, “Could be a long night but I hope to be out of here quick. Got any class A or S jobs that might have just come in?” They took a sip out of the glass, “Doesn’t matter the house, just a decent one.”
“Why don’t you take a break,” He asked as he took a sip of the liquid in his glass, “Go home for a week. Before you came, I thought we would never have enough hunters to handle the problems in this city. You changed that.”
“Cool, then you will get me another job, right?” Kyra questioned in response.
The man quickly chugged the rest of the shot Kyra had bought for him. He sat the empty glass down and nodded, “I will re check the books and make sure they are up to date. Be back in a few minutes.” He mentioned then walked to the back.
Kyra nodded and listened to the TV newscast coming from the TV’s surrounding the bar. It was quiet to Mara and considering there was only the group minding themselves in the back, they saw no point to stir the pot more. It wasn’t until the sound of a chair being scooted aside did Kyra realize it was too quiet.
As the man came out from the back office with a hot set of books freshly printed, two people grabbed Kyra’s forearms and pulled them back, “Hey!” The man called out, “leave her alone!” The man growled.
Someone stepped out from behind Kyra as they rushed the struggling hunter back towards a wooden pillar in the center of the bar. They pulled out a gun and pointed it at the bartender, “Stay out of this!” He growled before he pointed it at the struggling hunter now pinned against the pillar, “Now on to you.” He said as he leveled the gun at Kyra.
“Hey, I have been minding my own business,” Kyra growled as they struggled against the two strong men which had captured their arms and pulled them back against the wooden beam. A fourth man walked over and pulled out Kyra’s knife, “What’s this about?” Kyra asked as the man struggled to get their custom pistol out of the pressure held holster.
“Boss man,” The man complained, “I can’t get the gun out.” He mentioned.
“No matter,” The first man with the gun leveled at Kyra said as the fourth man brought him Kyra’s dagger. He marveled at the grains in the blade, cobalt grains that showed no sign of life. He sat the knife down o the table, “That was the real danger.”
“Says the brave man with a gun pointed at someone who is pinned down,” Kyra sneered, “What’s wrong, not a big brave man without the great equalizer on your side?”
“Oh you, the lady-boy that uses magic to move so fast,” The man sneered. Behind him Kyra could see the old man sit down the binders he retrieved and duck behind the bar. A moment later he came up with a shot gun in his hand, fuck, don’t do it, old man, I got this! Kyra wanted to say but maintained their attention on the man with the gun pointed at them, “You can’t dodge a bullet when pinned,” The man continued, unaware that anything strange was happening, “We are going to find out what exactly is under your pants.”
“Oh, if you wanted something that juvenile,” Kyra hissed making sure the anger was all focused on them and that everyone forgot the man behind the bar counter, “All you had to do was ask me to the bathroom.”
“You think you are funny, lady-boy,” The man sneered, “Dave, pull down his pants!” He said, everyone in the bar totally oblivious of the whirlwind rushing towards them
Suddenly the man’s gun was split in two as Mara appeared with both glowing knives in her hands. Instantly, she put the back of the blade up to the man’s neck, “Dave, you will walk out of this bar right now and you will leave their pants on.” Mara glanced over her shoulder. She pointed Violet towards the two still hanging around in the back, “Anyone who thinks I’m unarmed can think again!” Mara said as the black digital looking fire appeared on Violet followed by a small ball of the caustic fire being spat from the main flame. The ball of time fire hit an empty table in front of Mara, reducing the table to nothing more than charred cinders and melted metal barely a second after touching it, “To the two hooligans pinning my friend to that post, you are going to wan to let her go.”
The rack of a shotgun got everyone’s attention except for Mara, “I second what the miss said. Let Kyra go!” He growled as he took aim at the man holding Kyra’s left arm.
The man sat up straight, “You won’t fire, from that distance you will spray the lady-man with pellets to.”
The man behind the bar chuckled, “Young man, when I hunted vampires, I only put silver plated lead slugs in the gun, do you think that changed since I ran the bar.”
Jake and another man strolled in. The man’s green eyes scanned the place and saw the standoff taking place before he reached into his pocket and called out with a booming voice, “Tyler Swanson of the Council Inquisitor Corps! Anyone who doesn’t want to lose their license please leave!”
The two men holding Kyra let go of their arms and quickly walked out of the bar. The man across from them dropped the remains of his gun and grabbed Kyra’s knife as Mara lowered her blades. Tyler was quick and shook his head, “Leave the knife of the table, it doesn’t belong to you.” He mentioned. The man hissed and stabbed the knife into the table before walking out. Tyler still wasn’t finished, “To the two in the back, it might be a good time to leave!” The two men nodded and sat their pool cues down and walked to the bar. Tyler turned to the brawny dark skinned door man behind him, “Jake, lock up the front after they leave.” He spoke.
The man put the shotgun back in its hiding spot, “Just a second, I don’t want the bar closed.”
“Won’t be closed for long sir,” Tyler mentioned as Kyra retrieved their knife and slid it into the holster at the small of their back, “Just need to check a few things.”
“Well, the bartender tried to intervene to save me,” Kyra mentioned, “Not such a bad guy after all.”
“I told you those men were bad news,” The bartender said as Tyler, Kyra, and Mara all sat down on bar stools.
Jake came back and pointed to the ashes of the table as Mara folded up her large pocketknives, “That fire burned fast, that’s what that purple knife does?”
Mara blinked and glanced back before fishing Violet out of her pocket and flicked the blade out. as the digital black fire appeared again, she pointed the knife to the remains of the table she had torched earlier and twisted the knife in the air. The ashes reformed and transformed back into the table from before and a small black dot raced back to the knife before the black blocky fire retreated into the knife and the grains shone a cool blue, “There. That’s why I used Violet.” She said as she folded the blade and put it back in her pocket.
“Is that another one of those blades made of that special metal?” The bartender asked in response.”
“Yeah, just not a picky metal,” Kyra nodded, “It’s Meridian metal if you can ever find it and find someone to craft you something.” They glanced back at Mara, “Do you think they made anything else out of Meridian metal?”
“Back in days lost?” Mara shrugged, “They could.”
“Well, unburning a table is a cool trick,” The bartender said as he grabbed out four small glasses and a bottle of whiskey, “Do you mind if I see that knife?” He asked.
Mara nodded and handed him the folded amethyst handled knife. The man unfolded the knife and watched as the grains transitioned from cool dark cobalt to the bright cerulean in it, “I saw the grains on this light up white when you used it to chop the barrel of the man’s gun off.” He said as he folded the knife closed and handed it back to Mara.
Tyler leaned forward with his phone out studying the feed from the cameras in the place and said, “Okay, I don’t like how they just snuck up on you.”
“I was distracted by the news,” Kyra shrugged and took one of the small shot glasses he had poured.
“I will take a soda,” Mara mentioned and pushed the shot glass away.
Jake reached over, “Well I will take a shot.” He said and grabbed the glass as the bartender filled up a regular sized glass with black bubbly soda and slid it to Mara.
“Go for it, my man,” Kyra mentioned and leaned over.
“Why do the grains light up?” The bartender asked.
“What is your name,” Kyra asked in response, “I just realized I never got your name.”
“Dixon,” The man replied, “Dixon Wilcox.”
“Dixon?” Kyra chuckled, “What do your friends call you? Dix? Tricky di—”
“Kai!” Mara rolled her eyes and cut off the hunter in mid cut down.
“Most call me Dix,” The bartender sighed heavily, “Don’t you think for one moment I haven’t been called Tricky Dicky in my lifetime.” He blinked in response, “But no one has called me that this century. It was more like something they called me when I was a kid.”
“You look a little young to be in your seventies, dude,” Kyra mentioned as they took a shot then glanced over to Tyler, “What are you working on, chief?”
“Running their faces through the guild computers to get their Guild Licenses,” Tyler mentioned, “They can’t think they can just do this for free in front of an Inquisitor.”
“What brought you here, anyway?” Kyra asked.
“Well, I came here because of this business with four heads in a duffel bag,” Tyler mentioned, “Before then I was away to Massachusetts for a couple of months to steak out some Arcane Mage jobs. Things have been good enough here that they started reassigning Inquisitors to other regions.” He smirked and glanced at Kyra, “Like someone came out of the woodwork and took care most of the major problems with supernaturals in the city.”
“Yeah, well Dix here told me I had to bring in physical proof after the job before last. Four heads in a duffel bag seemed like the thing to do at the time,” Kyra smirked in response.
Tyler nodded, “Well I will have to say you should go back to normal pictures.” He glanced up at Dixon, “Also, dude, you know if you don’t trust the results of a job you should have the CIC follow up on it.”
“Like what happened the last four times I complained?” Dixon hissed in response, “I know for a fact you were the Inquisitor on at least two of them.”
“I haven’t been here for the last two months,” Tyler shook his head, “I only recall one job complaint where I had to follow up.” His brows furrowed in frustration, “There is no audio on this feed, what did they want with you?”
“From what the guy with the gun told me, they wanted to sneak a peak at my naughty bits,” Kyra mentioned, “Almost like someone tipped them off to me being Intersex.”
“It’s not like you keep that secret,” Jake mentioned, “But that is a bad group. Hey, CIC boy, how long can you suspend them for?”
“Why?” Mara asked in response.
“Because they are asshats,” Jake responded and sipped what was left in his shot glass, “If they will do this to someone like Kyra, how long will it be until we have a cis female in here that they will harass.”
“Good point,” Tyler nodded in response, “Probably could expel them from the Corvis Consortium for attempted sexual assault.” He sighed heavily and put the phone down, something was bugging him especially with how fast Mara had moved on the video, “The only other thing you can do is file a police report to see if you can get them sent to jail for it.”
“Why bother,” Kyra glowered as they took a sip of their whiskey, “They would only be out after trial with time served and in the intervening time I would have to be subjected to a bunch of shit by the prosecutors and lawyers alike. Better that they suffer the swift axe of Inquisitor justice and be done with it.”
“Okay, I will send it in to the Guild,” Tyler mentioned and glanced back to Jake, “Make sure you turn them away from here the next time you see them.”
“Gladly,” Jake’s raspy voice replied as he walked towards the door, “I wonder why they wanted to see what’s in your pants?”
“See what I don’t have and laugh at it probably,” Kyra mentioned, “They act like I have a swinging cod in my pants, not a small earthworm.”
The five of them chuckled before Mara glanced at Jake in the door, “Hey dude, when you go out there, unzip the left saddle bag and knock on the metal next to it twice then three times.” Mara said as she knocked on the table in a sequence of two knocks followed by three.
“Okay, why?” He cocked his head in confusion.
“Because it will be fun,” Mara shrugged. Jake shrugged and walked out of the bar.
Kyra cocked her head and remembered the sequence from the night before, “Luna?” Mara said nothing but smiled and smirked.
“Too bad Iliana isn’t here,” Tyler mentioned as he fumbled through the Guild application on his phone.
“Why?” Mara questioned in response.
A woman walked through the door; her fluorite green hair pulled back making her pointed ears even more apparent than before. Dixon leaned against the bar and groaned heavily, “She must be OSL, you all stand out, you know.” He said as he pulled the book aside, “When you all get through your powwow let me know and I will give Kyra the job they want.” He said and walked away.
Luna walked forward and grasped Kyra’s shoulders, “Everyone here is tense, what happened?”
“I will explain later,” Kyra mentioned, “Too bad Dix left, I would like to get Luna something to drink.”
Mara slid her soda over to Kyra, “Here, I need to get back to the house.”
“Got a hot date?” Kyra glanced at Mara as she stood.
“Something like that,” Mara nodded and walked towards the door, “Have fun, you all.” She said as she approached the door and waved.
Kyra blinked in surprise, “She aint taking you along?” The hunter asked.
“Nope, I’m hanging out with you tonight,” Luna stated and kissed Kyra’s forehead.
“Oh, I don’t think so, babe,” Kyra shook their head, “I am planning on going on a hunt.”
“Take me with you,” Luna suggested, “We can swing by, and I will pick up my wakizashi. Then go out on a hunt. Besides, if you’re going after vampires, it’s still too early in the day, we can swing back, get all our weapons, and be back in the city before nightfall.”
“But—”
“But what? It’s not like I can’t hold my own with you,” Luna interrupted, “You forget I also have a guild License.”
Tyler nodded as he finished what he was doing. He glanced around and saw Mara had departed, “Crap, I wanted to ask her some questions.”
“If you leave now, you might be able to get her before she makes it too far,” Kyra suggested.
“I will see if I can get there before I interrupt anything,” Tyler mentioned, “But I also wanted to talk to you about something.” He mentioned. He had a look on his face that made the Hunter pause as Luna sat next to them. He was an Ally, they didn’t understand why they felt apprehension right now.
