It had been an issue getting Fife to stay in his cat carrier. Maybe she shouldn't have called it that within earshot, but he was already too big and plump to fit in boxes made for other mice. "Well maybe ye should not be stuffin yer gob so much?"
A series of squeaks piped up out of the carrier. "Eh?! Me' weight's not the problem 'ere!"
huffing as she walked up to the counter. "First flight to uh, . . "
checking a piece of paper she'd written it down on earlier. "Rome, please!"
The quizzical attendant looked her up and down, eyes lingering on the carrier at her side, then looking to the patchwork clothes this girl seemed to deem fitting for wearing in public. Gytha merely smiled her wide smile.




"Ble~ech!
" Gytha retched into the bag as the plane seemingly tossed her about uncontrollably, like a ragdoll in a rollercoaster. Not only had she never flown before, but the turbulence was something else entirely. Supposedly, this wasn't particularly bad turbulence, but given a chance to speak, Gytha would strongly disagree. She had long since shifted to the colors of her forest, a soft shade of green painted across her face as she heaved a non existent lunch into the now second bag provided her. Had she even eaten carrots? She could only hope that Fife was having a better time of it, but there was little she could focus on other than her current predicament. Two and a half hours of this?! How could people survive travelling the world like this?! The pilots were probably the true Claimants here if they could withstand this as their day job. No, scrap that, they were as powerful as the Ancients themselves. She held back another retch as the plane shifted violently up and down with a shudder, her stomach lurching every time it moved unexpectedly.





Gytha sobbed as she reunited with the carrier holding Fife, crumpling down on top of it with her backpack at her side. Passers by watched incredulously as this girl blubbered at her pet cat (?) in the customs line, whispering or giggling as they moved past. Surprisingly, Fife had considered it like an extended, if scary joy-ride. Perhaps travelling in her backpack or car these past few years had toughened him up to the constant jostling, and though Gytha felt a tinge of annoyance at how much easier he'd had it, she was just happy to be on solid, unmoving ground again. The customs agents barely spoke to her when she finally came up to them, a snotty disheveled mess. Some people were just bad flyers.
Gytha was glad for the reasonably cheap motel room, her wallet was in a rather sad state and she hadn't dared check her bank account since last week. Enough cash for a few days expenses maybe. There was probably still enough money in her account . . Right? She'd settled in to the small cubicle of a shower for nearly an hour now, running piping hot water over herself in an attempt to wash out the smell of vomit. She'd have to change outfits too. Luckily she'd brought a spare set, who knew you'd need so many outfits when traveling? Her mother had passed on the news of the Coliseum event, but she wasn't really sure what that was. A big roman building where people fought. Would she have to fight someone to get in? She drew her lips to a line as she considered. On her best day she couldn't fight her way out of a wet paper bag, but she could certainly run fast. Maybe she'd be the first to get there, and could still this textbook or whatever before anyone else got there? Now that was a bright idea!

Gytha panted as she ran through the streets, her small backpack rocking back and forth, bouncing around with each step as she scrambled through the crowds. How were there so many people here? What on earth did they all do in this place? And the way they spoke, a kind of rhythm to their words felt so, well, foreign. The world really was a big place. But she had to keep her eyes on the prize here, and no matter how delicious this Pasticiotti filled with cream was, she'd never be distracted by - she looked down realizing her mistake, already having been drawn in by the hawkers and vendors. No! She'd never be stopped by such simple trickery! The little shortcake muffin things were barely delicious enough to - She fled with all the will she could muster, bolstered by a fear for her wallet. It was some time before she made it to the coliseum, sweating and puffing. She'd managed to only buy a few more snacks and knick knacks. "Sa~afe."
she wheezed, walking towards what looked to be a gated entrance. This place was big, like, four houses tall big, but wider. She gulped as she thought about how much effort it would take to move all that rock. In her stupor, she idly walked up to the gate before a voice called out to her from the side. Something about not being allowed here? Was that right? Did the Roman Queen live here or something? It was pretty beaten up for a palace. She waved at the man then wandered away nodding, a devious smile across her lips. "Fife, I'll need yer help on this one!"


A loud high pitched scream filled the courtyard as the near cat-sized mouse scrambled up to the man, followed by curses and shouts, shooing it away. It was too quick for the man, quickly running up his leg before leaping off and fleeing, the shocked security guard wiping himself down in a dance of the heebie-jeebies before walking towards where Fife had run off, cautiously peering around for the mouse. Gytha, the little sneak that she was, had used this precious time to jump the gate, landing with a thud and scurrying to cover. She was in. What now? There was a textbook or something in here Florita wanted. As she skulked slowly down the halls she eventually came to a strange set of ruins, covered in moss and framed with grassy paths. Is this where she needed to be? She jumped as something crawled up her leg, realizing only after a moment that it was Fife. She tried not to let on that he'd gotten her back now.

Nammay POV


“You ought to be more careful.”


The male Ancient swirled the spoon in his cup, as much as he was a fan of metal for some reason he preferred to use plastic cutlery when he was home alone; a fan of the mortal realm, he often traversed between his realm and the mortal one. The plastic cutlery didn’t clink against the cup and that was one reason he liked it - he also just had to dispose of the spoon or rinse it and be done with it.

As he picked the cup up, inhaling the strong scent of coffee he shut his eyes and listening to the cadence of her voice; she was tired. “Hey, it’s late. You need rest. We can talk tomorrow.”
there was a hushed sigh on the other side and he placed the cup down; she wanted to argue and he bit his tongue as she continued to speak “Look, a little bit of sleep, even if it’s on the way there will do you good. For you and the babies.”
he made sure to switch to Ancient tongue with that last part.

She responded back with a soft attack and he laughed; before she laughed too “Look I’ll keep an eye out, get some sleep. Call me when you arrive or after whatever it is you have to do there”
she agreed before he heard the line drop and disconnect. Placing the phone down he stepped away with his cup and moved towards the window.

He felt an itching in his throat and he inhaled there was someone trying to contact him, he sipped his coffee enjoying the sensation of the bitter liquid slightly burning the roof of his tongue before going down; once the cup was done he shut his eyes and allowed himself to fall backwards until he was back in the realm he had created the moment of his inception.

He hadn’t expected to see his younger relative standing in the room when he emerged; how long had she been waiting; the air was charged with electricity and he cleared his throat “Chaemai. What can I do for you?”
the younger female Ancient reached for his arm and he pulled back; unsure of her intention she shook her head before opening the palm of her hand to reveal a small scroll “What’s this?”
“A message from the Citadel.”


Opening the scroll - it’s wax seal already discarded, he presumed that this was Chaemai’s copy of the scroll and that his own copy would be on his desk “I think one of your Claimants attempted to enter the realm just a moment ago but failed to do so.”
“Nier.”
he breathed out; his younger relative nodding and he read the scroll.

Drip Drop. Drip Drop. The first book arrived. Flitter, flatter my spell has begun. The webs grow thinner and thicker; traps are set and the quest is set. Seek the drops as the moon wanes and rises and begin the hunt; my spell will last until the cords are cut.


“What is any of this meant to mean?”
“Your guess is good a mine, but before I lost contact with my Claimants they told me two of three had been found, we’re running out of time. What do we do Nam?”
“We warn them in the only way we can.”




As she brushed herself off, she looked up at the male who had now approached her, he was spewing words almost too fast for her to comprehend; granted she was very much intoxicated she gave him a half smile before laughing like a hyena. She ignored his hand and instead with her bottle in tow, moved past the bent over figure and straight into the bathroom; where she proceeded to vomit up copious amounts of alcohol - of which tasted like ass coming up. Once she was sure most of the alcohol in her system was gone she cleaned the bathroom as best she could before rinsing her face with icy cold water; flinching a little. "Nice to meet you."
now that she was clear of most of the liquid poison in her system she smelt the overbearing scent of Iron. "What did you say your name was?"
she bit her lip as she emerged from the bathroom with a slightly damp face.

Should have landed in another room. This was a mistake landing in this one.
she cleared her throat before offering the male her hand, which was damp with water, she wiped it on her singlet before cracking a proper smile “Nice to meet you. I’m Vivi. A kiddo of Air.”
part of her pondered which of the two in the room smelt worse, his iron or her weed. “Guessing you’re here cause that lady came down in white light and uhh told us to all come and you know find it.”
she was definitely still drunk. “So when are you headed over?”
she still hadn’t answered any of what he had proposed or offered - she was just going to pretend he had said nothing.

She decided perhaps it was not worth the time trying to listen to him or whatever he had to repeat, she smiled again before turning and returning in the direction of the place she had come; reaching into her pocket she grabbed the small rolled up cigarette and lit it with her lighter, taking a whiff of it before disposing and snuffing it out with her foot; she climbed atop the balcony ledge, turned to face the male she had so rudely intruded on; did a mock salute before jumping-falling off the ledge and flying to where she needed to be.

As she flew she noticed a girl… no a woman; two of them were on opposites of the streets; the scent of vinegar came from one of them and Vivi had to cover her mouth and pray she didn’t throw up again. The other had a less severe scent and smelt of something floral. It didn’t matter they couldn’t; fly that was her advantage. She willed herself higher with the wind, using a current she had just notice above her to drift up and over into the Colosseum walls before landing on one of the higher rows; she couldn’t see or tell if anyone else had arrived. She shrugged and rampaged in her pockets again this time for a packet of CBD oil infused rice krispies and immediately started to snack as she walked throughout the abandoned rows. “Anyone here?”
she called out, stupid question but oh well.





“WE’RE HERE. OH WE’RE HERE! COME ON. COME ON. NO TIME TO WASTE!!!”
she could hear him from within the separate car that he insisted on travelling in, she winced her ears ringing from his voice but she made no protest as she opened the door of his car and he stepped out, swords in tow. “Is that an entirely good idea?”
she looked at the swords, mostly out of concern but also out of fear - she didn’t let him know that though. “We’ll be fine, fine, fine. Come on. Come on. Gotta get there first. First.”
the crazed man scurried off into the colosseum and Adaline sighed.

She reached into her pocket, the screen turning on revealing a message that made her smile she texted back, before shutting her phone off again and stretching her joints and particularly her back and feet were swollen these days. The other assistants that Professor Pickering surrounded himself were following after the man, a sense of urgency filled her and she found herself waiting by the vehicles, something told her it was a bad idea to follow them; Phillip would understand, she was sure. Beside as she opened her car door again and unlocked the briefcase, the drones would capture anything he’d miss… she didn’t need to be there.

As she played with the settings for a moment; a slight tingling shot through her system and she looked over her shoulder as two females, - they seemed to be trying to avoid each other. “I’m sorry. But the colosseum is closed. You’ll need to return to which you came. It’s closed for maintenance.”
the darker skinned female ignored her and continued on her way, but the other female with long hair approached her; a soft smile. Adaline gave her a look of confusion.

An overwhelming sense of calm washed over her as the female who stood in front of her whispered words, Adaline found herself leaning against her car door trying to remain conscious as the female spoke in droves… she smelt like saffron… as she lowered herself onto the floor. The woman who had been speaking moments ago was thrown into the air; and Adaline found herself snapping out of it as her husband of all people appeared.

“Adaline.”
he turned towards her; a look of concern crossed his face as he lowered himself; she nuzzled into his hand. “Did she do anything, I’ll kill her, fuck it if she’s a kid of fire.”
Adaline shook her head. “I think she was trying to put me to sleep… but the swords… they are inside with him. You need to leave.”
her husband laughed before helping her from her position and wrapping her into an almost bone crushing hug.

The sky above them, she had noticed now looked stormy, were they stormy moments ago? She breathed in Nammay’s scent and shut her eyes. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning gave Adaline the impression that Chaemai was here too. “What are you both doing here?”
“We’ve come to warn the children. This. all of this. The fuss about… the book. It’s a trap.”

Nammay POV


“You ought to be more careful.”


The male Ancient swirled the spoon in his cup, as much as he was a fan of metal for some reason he preferred to use plastic cutlery when he was home alone; a fan of the mortal realm, he often traversed between his realm and the mortal one. The plastic cutlery didn’t clink against the cup and that was one reason he liked it - he also just had to dispose of the spoon or rinse it and be done with it.

As he picked the cup up, inhaling the strong scent of coffee he shut his eyes and listening to the cadence of her voice; she was tired. “Hey, it’s late. You need rest. We can talk tomorrow.”
there was a hushed sigh on the other side and he placed the cup down; she wanted to argue and he bit his tongue as she continued to speak “Look, a little bit of sleep, even if it’s on the way there will do you good. For you and the babies.”
he made sure to switch to Ancient tongue with that last part.

She responded back with a soft attack and he laughed; before she laughed too “Look I’ll keep an eye out, get some sleep. Call me when you arrive or after whatever it is you have to do there”
she agreed before he heard the line drop and disconnect. Placing the phone down he stepped away with his cup and moved towards the window.

He felt an itching in his throat and he inhaled there was someone trying to contact him, he sipped his coffee enjoying the sensation of the bitter liquid slightly burning the roof of his tongue before going down; once the cup was done he shut his eyes and allowed himself to fall backwards until he was back in the realm he had created the moment of his inception.

He hadn’t expected to see his younger relative standing in the room when he emerged; how long had she been waiting; the air was charged with electricity and he cleared his throat “Chaemai. What can I do for you?”
the younger female Ancient reached for his arm and he pulled back; unsure of her intention she shook her head before opening the palm of her hand to reveal a small scroll “What’s this?”
“A message from the Citadel.”


Opening the scroll - it’s wax seal already discarded, he presumed that this was Chaemai’s copy of the scroll and that his own copy would be on his desk “I think one of your Claimants attempted to enter the realm just a moment ago but failed to do so.”
“Nier.”
he breathed out; his younger relative nodding and he read the scroll.

Drip Drop. Drip Drop. The first book arrived. Flitter, flatter my spell has begun. The webs grow thinner and thicker; traps are set and the quest is set. Seek the drops as the moon wanes and rises and begin the hunt; my spell will last until the cords are cut.


“What is any of this meant to mean?”
“Your guess is good a mine, but before I lost contact with my Claimants they told me two of three had been found, we’re running out of time. What do we do Nam?”
“We warn them in the only way we can.”




As she brushed herself off, she looked up at the male who had now approached her, he was spewing words almost too fast for her to comprehend; granted she was very much intoxicated she gave him a half smile before laughing like a hyena. She ignored his hand and instead with her bottle in tow, moved past the bent over figure and straight into the bathroom; where she proceeded to vomit up copious amounts of alcohol - of which tasted like ass coming up. Once she was sure most of the alcohol in her system was gone she cleaned the bathroom as best she could before rinsing her face with icy cold water; flinching a little. "Nice to meet you."
now that she was clear of most of the liquid poison in her system she smelt the overbearing scent of Iron. "What did you say your name was?"
she bit her lip as she emerged from the bathroom with a slightly damp face.

Should have landed in another room. This was a mistake landing in this one.
she cleared her throat before offering the male her hand, which was damp with water, she wiped it on her singlet before cracking a proper smile “Nice to meet you. I’m Vivi. A kiddo of Air.”
part of her pondered which of the two in the room smelt worse, his iron or her weed. “Guessing you’re here cause that lady came down in white light and uhh told us to all come and you know find it.”
she was definitely still drunk. “So when are you headed over?”
she still hadn’t answered any of what he had proposed or offered - she was just going to pretend he had said nothing.

She decided perhaps it was not worth the time trying to listen to him or whatever he had to repeat, she smiled again before turning and returning in the direction of the place she had come; reaching into her pocket she grabbed the small rolled up cigarette and lit it with her lighter, taking a whiff of it before disposing and snuffing it out with her foot; she climbed atop the balcony ledge, turned to face the male she had so rudely intruded on; did a mock salute before jumping-falling off the ledge and flying to where she needed to be.

As she flew she noticed a girl… no a woman; two of them were on opposites of the streets; the scent of vinegar came from one of them and Vivi had to cover her mouth and pray she didn’t throw up again. The other had a less severe scent and smelt of something floral. It didn’t matter they couldn’t; fly that was her advantage. She willed herself higher with the wind, using a current she had just notice above her to drift up and over into the Colosseum walls before landing on one of the higher rows; she couldn’t see or tell if anyone else had arrived. She shrugged and rampaged in her pockets again this time for a packet of CBD oil infused rice krispies and immediately started to snack as she walked throughout the abandoned rows. “Anyone here?”
she called out, stupid question but oh well.





“WE’RE HERE. OH WE’RE HERE! COME ON. COME ON. NO TIME TO WASTE!!!”
she could hear him from within the separate car that he insisted on travelling in, she winced her ears ringing from his voice but she made no protest as she opened the door of his car and he stepped out, swords in tow. “Is that an entirely good idea?”
she looked at the swords, mostly out of concern but also out of fear - she didn’t let him know that though. “We’ll be fine, fine, fine. Come on. Come on. Gotta get there first. First.”
the crazed man scurried off into the colosseum and Adaline sighed.

She reached into her pocket, the screen turning on revealing a message that made her smile she texted back, before shutting her phone off again and stretching her joints and particularly her back and feet were swollen these days. The other assistants that Professor Pickering surrounded himself were following after the man, a sense of urgency filled her and she found herself waiting by the vehicles, something told her it was a bad idea to follow them; Phillip would understand, she was sure. Beside as she opened her car door again and unlocked the briefcase, the drones would capture anything he’d miss… she didn’t need to be there.

As she played with the settings for a moment; a slight tingling shot through her system and she looked over her shoulder as two females, - they seemed to be trying to avoid each other. “I’m sorry. But the colosseum is closed. You’ll need to return to which you came. It’s closed for maintenance.”
the darker skinned female ignored her and continued on her way, but the other female with long hair approached her; a soft smile. Adaline gave her a look of confusion.

An overwhelming sense of calm washed over her as the female who stood in front of her whispered words, Adaline found herself leaning against her car door trying to remain conscious as the female spoke in droves… she smelt like saffron… as she lowered herself onto the floor. The woman who had been speaking moments ago was thrown into the air; and Adaline found herself snapping out of it as her husband of all people appeared.

“Adaline.”
he turned towards her; a look of concern crossed his face as he lowered himself; she nuzzled into his hand. “Did she do anything, I’ll kill her, fuck it if she’s a kid of fire.”
Adaline shook her head. “I think she was trying to put me to sleep… but the swords… they are inside with him. You need to leave.”
her husband laughed before helping her from her position and wrapping her into an almost bone crushing hug.

The sky above them, she had noticed now looked stormy, were they stormy moments ago? She breathed in Nammay’s scent and shut her eyes. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning gave Adaline the impression that Chaemai was here too. “What are you both doing here?”
“We’ve come to warn the children. This. all of this. The fuss about… the book. It’s a trap.”

Nammay POV


“You ought to be more careful.”


The male Ancient swirled the spoon in his cup, as much as he was a fan of metal for some reason he preferred to use plastic cutlery when he was home alone; a fan of the mortal realm, he often traversed between his realm and the mortal one. The plastic cutlery didn’t clink against the cup and that was one reason he liked it - he also just had to dispose of the spoon or rinse it and be done with it.

As he picked the cup up, inhaling the strong scent of coffee he shut his eyes and listening to the cadence of her voice; she was tired. “Hey, it’s late. You need rest. We can talk tomorrow.”
there was a hushed sigh on the other side and he placed the cup down; she wanted to argue and he bit his tongue as she continued to speak “Look, a little bit of sleep, even if it’s on the way there will do you good. For you and the babies.”
he made sure to switch to Ancient tongue with that last part.

She responded back with a soft attack and he laughed; before she laughed too “Look I’ll keep an eye out, get some sleep. Call me when you arrive or after whatever it is you have to do there”
she agreed before he heard the line drop and disconnect. Placing the phone down he stepped away with his cup and moved towards the window.

He felt an itching in his throat and he inhaled there was someone trying to contact him, he sipped his coffee enjoying the sensation of the bitter liquid slightly burning the roof of his tongue before going down; once the cup was done he shut his eyes and allowed himself to fall backwards until he was back in the realm he had created the moment of his inception.

He hadn’t expected to see his younger relative standing in the room when he emerged; how long had she been waiting; the air was charged with electricity and he cleared his throat “Chaemai. What can I do for you?”
the younger female Ancient reached for his arm and he pulled back; unsure of her intention she shook her head before opening the palm of her hand to reveal a small scroll “What’s this?”
“A message from the Citadel.”


Opening the scroll - it’s wax seal already discarded, he presumed that this was Chaemai’s copy of the scroll and that his own copy would be on his desk “I think one of your Claimants attempted to enter the realm just a moment ago but failed to do so.”
“Nier.”
he breathed out; his younger relative nodding and he read the scroll.

Drip Drop. Drip Drop. The first book arrived. Flitter, flatter my spell has begun. The webs grow thinner and thicker; traps are set and the quest is set. Seek the drops as the moon wanes and rises and begin the hunt; my spell will last until the cords are cut.


“What is any of this meant to mean?”
“Your guess is good a mine, but before I lost contact with my Claimants they told me two of three had been found, we’re running out of time. What do we do Nam?”
“We warn them in the only way we can.”




As she brushed herself off, she looked up at the male who had now approached her, he was spewing words almost too fast for her to comprehend; granted she was very much intoxicated she gave him a half smile before laughing like a hyena. She ignored his hand and instead with her bottle in tow, moved past the bent over figure and straight into the bathroom; where she proceeded to vomit up copious amounts of alcohol - of which tasted like ass coming up. Once she was sure most of the alcohol in her system was gone she cleaned the bathroom as best she could before rinsing her face with icy cold water; flinching a little. "Nice to meet you."
now that she was clear of most of the liquid poison in her system she smelt the overbearing scent of Iron. "What did you say your name was?"
she bit her lip as she emerged from the bathroom with a slightly damp face.

Should have landed in another room. This was a mistake landing in this one.
she cleared her throat before offering the male her hand, which was damp with water, she wiped it on her singlet before cracking a proper smile “Nice to meet you. I’m Vivi. A kiddo of Air.”
part of her pondered which of the two in the room smelt worse, his iron or her weed. “Guessing you’re here cause that lady came down in white light and uhh told us to all come and you know find it.”
she was definitely still drunk. “So when are you headed over?”
she still hadn’t answered any of what he had proposed or offered - she was just going to pretend he had said nothing.

She decided perhaps it was not worth the time trying to listen to him or whatever he had to repeat, she smiled again before turning and returning in the direction of the place she had come; reaching into her pocket she grabbed the small rolled up cigarette and lit it with her lighter, taking a whiff of it before disposing and snuffing it out with her foot; she climbed atop the balcony ledge, turned to face the male she had so rudely intruded on; did a mock salute before jumping-falling off the ledge and flying to where she needed to be.

As she flew she noticed a girl… no a woman; two of them were on opposites of the streets; the scent of vinegar came from one of them and Vivi had to cover her mouth and pray she didn’t throw up again. The other had a less severe scent and smelt of something floral. It didn’t matter they couldn’t; fly that was her advantage. She willed herself higher with the wind, using a current she had just notice above her to drift up and over into the Colosseum walls before landing on one of the higher rows; she couldn’t see or tell if anyone else had arrived. She shrugged and rampaged in her pockets again this time for a packet of CBD oil infused rice krispies and immediately started to snack as she walked throughout the abandoned rows. “Anyone here?”
she called out, stupid question but oh well.





“WE’RE HERE. OH WE’RE HERE! COME ON. COME ON. NO TIME TO WASTE!!!”
she could hear him from within the separate car that he insisted on travelling in, she winced her ears ringing from his voice but she made no protest as she opened the door of his car and he stepped out, swords in tow. “Is that an entirely good idea?”
she looked at the swords, mostly out of concern but also out of fear - she didn’t let him know that though. “We’ll be fine, fine, fine. Come on. Come on. Gotta get there first. First.”
the crazed man scurried off into the colosseum and Adaline sighed.

She reached into her pocket, the screen turning on revealing a message that made her smile she texted back, before shutting her phone off again and stretching her joints and particularly her back and feet were swollen these days. The other assistants that Professor Pickering surrounded himself were following after the man, a sense of urgency filled her and she found herself waiting by the vehicles, something told her it was a bad idea to follow them; Phillip would understand, she was sure. Beside as she opened her car door again and unlocked the briefcase, the drones would capture anything he’d miss… she didn’t need to be there.

As she played with the settings for a moment; a slight tingling shot through her system and she looked over her shoulder as two females, - they seemed to be trying to avoid each other. “I’m sorry. But the colosseum is closed. You’ll need to return to which you came. It’s closed for maintenance.”
the darker skinned female ignored her and continued on her way, but the other female with long hair approached her; a soft smile. Adaline gave her a look of confusion.

An overwhelming sense of calm washed over her as the female who stood in front of her whispered words, Adaline found herself leaning against her car door trying to remain conscious as the female spoke in droves… she smelt like saffron… as she lowered herself onto the floor. The woman who had been speaking moments ago was thrown into the air; and Adaline found herself snapping out of it as her husband of all people appeared.

“Adaline.”
he turned towards her; a look of concern crossed his face as he lowered himself; she nuzzled into his hand. “Did she do anything, I’ll kill her, fuck it if she’s a kid of fire.”
Adaline shook her head. “I think she was trying to put me to sleep… but the swords… they are inside with him. You need to leave.”
her husband laughed before helping her from her position and wrapping her into an almost bone crushing hug.

The sky above them, she had noticed now looked stormy, were they stormy moments ago? She breathed in Nammay’s scent and shut her eyes. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning gave Adaline the impression that Chaemai was here too. “What are you both doing here?”
“We’ve come to warn the children. This. all of this. The fuss about… the book. It’s a trap.”

Nammay POV


“You ought to be more careful.”


The male Ancient swirled the spoon in his cup, as much as he was a fan of metal for some reason he preferred to use plastic cutlery when he was home alone; a fan of the mortal realm, he often traversed between his realm and the mortal one. The plastic cutlery didn’t clink against the cup and that was one reason he liked it - he also just had to dispose of the spoon or rinse it and be done with it.

As he picked the cup up, inhaling the strong scent of coffee he shut his eyes and listening to the cadence of her voice; she was tired. “Hey, it’s late. You need rest. We can talk tomorrow.”
there was a hushed sigh on the other side and he placed the cup down; she wanted to argue and he bit his tongue as she continued to speak “Look, a little bit of sleep, even if it’s on the way there will do you good. For you and the babies.”
he made sure to switch to Ancient tongue with that last part.

She responded back with a soft attack and he laughed; before she laughed too “Look I’ll keep an eye out, get some sleep. Call me when you arrive or after whatever it is you have to do there”
she agreed before he heard the line drop and disconnect. Placing the phone down he stepped away with his cup and moved towards the window.

He felt an itching in his throat and he inhaled there was someone trying to contact him, he sipped his coffee enjoying the sensation of the bitter liquid slightly burning the roof of his tongue before going down; once the cup was done he shut his eyes and allowed himself to fall backwards until he was back in the realm he had created the moment of his inception.

He hadn’t expected to see his younger relative standing in the room when he emerged; how long had she been waiting; the air was charged with electricity and he cleared his throat “Chaemai. What can I do for you?”
the younger female Ancient reached for his arm and he pulled back; unsure of her intention she shook her head before opening the palm of her hand to reveal a small scroll “What’s this?”
“A message from the Citadel.”


Opening the scroll - it’s wax seal already discarded, he presumed that this was Chaemai’s copy of the scroll and that his own copy would be on his desk “I think one of your Claimants attempted to enter the realm just a moment ago but failed to do so.”
“Nier.”
he breathed out; his younger relative nodding and he read the scroll.

Drip Drop. Drip Drop. The first book arrived. Flitter, flatter my spell has begun. The webs grow thinner and thicker; traps are set and the quest is set. Seek the drops as the moon wanes and rises and begin the hunt; my spell will last until the cords are cut.


“What is any of this meant to mean?”
“Your guess is good a mine, but before I lost contact with my Claimants they told me two of three had been found, we’re running out of time. What do we do Nam?”
“We warn them in the only way we can.”




As she brushed herself off, she looked up at the male who had now approached her, he was spewing words almost too fast for her to comprehend; granted she was very much intoxicated she gave him a half smile before laughing like a hyena. She ignored his hand and instead with her bottle in tow, moved past the bent over figure and straight into the bathroom; where she proceeded to vomit up copious amounts of alcohol - of which tasted like ass coming up. Once she was sure most of the alcohol in her system was gone she cleaned the bathroom as best she could before rinsing her face with icy cold water; flinching a little. "Nice to meet you."
now that she was clear of most of the liquid poison in her system she smelt the overbearing scent of Iron. "What did you say your name was?"
she bit her lip as she emerged from the bathroom with a slightly damp face.

Should have landed in another room. This was a mistake landing in this one.
she cleared her throat before offering the male her hand, which was damp with water, she wiped it on her singlet before cracking a proper smile “Nice to meet you. I’m Vivi. A kiddo of Air.”
part of her pondered which of the two in the room smelt worse, his iron or her weed. “Guessing you’re here cause that lady came down in white light and uhh told us to all come and you know find it.”
she was definitely still drunk. “So when are you headed over?”
she still hadn’t answered any of what he had proposed or offered - she was just going to pretend he had said nothing.

She decided perhaps it was not worth the time trying to listen to him or whatever he had to repeat, she smiled again before turning and returning in the direction of the place she had come; reaching into her pocket she grabbed the small rolled up cigarette and lit it with her lighter, taking a whiff of it before disposing and snuffing it out with her foot; she climbed atop the balcony ledge, turned to face the male she had so rudely intruded on; did a mock salute before jumping-falling off the ledge and flying to where she needed to be.

As she flew she noticed a girl… no a woman; two of them were on opposites of the streets; the scent of vinegar came from one of them and Vivi had to cover her mouth and pray she didn’t throw up again. The other had a less severe scent and smelt of something floral. It didn’t matter they couldn’t; fly that was her advantage. She willed herself higher with the wind, using a current she had just notice above her to drift up and over into the Colosseum walls before landing on one of the higher rows; she couldn’t see or tell if anyone else had arrived. She shrugged and rampaged in her pockets again this time for a packet of CBD oil infused rice krispies and immediately started to snack as she walked throughout the abandoned rows. “Anyone here?”
she called out, stupid question but oh well.





“WE’RE HERE. OH WE’RE HERE! COME ON. COME ON. NO TIME TO WASTE!!!”
she could hear him from within the separate car that he insisted on travelling in, she winced her ears ringing from his voice but she made no protest as she opened the door of his car and he stepped out, swords in tow. “Is that an entirely good idea?”
she looked at the swords, mostly out of concern but also out of fear - she didn’t let him know that though. “We’ll be fine, fine, fine. Come on. Come on. Gotta get there first. First.”
the crazed man scurried off into the colosseum and Adaline sighed.

She reached into her pocket, the screen turning on revealing a message that made her smile she texted back, before shutting her phone off again and stretching her joints and particularly her back and feet were swollen these days. The other assistants that Professor Pickering surrounded himself were following after the man, a sense of urgency filled her and she found herself waiting by the vehicles, something told her it was a bad idea to follow them; Phillip would understand, she was sure. Beside as she opened her car door again and unlocked the briefcase, the drones would capture anything he’d miss… she didn’t need to be there.

As she played with the settings for a moment; a slight tingling shot through her system and she looked over her shoulder as two females, - they seemed to be trying to avoid each other. “I’m sorry. But the colosseum is closed. You’ll need to return to which you came. It’s closed for maintenance.”
the darker skinned female ignored her and continued on her way, but the other female with long hair approached her; a soft smile. Adaline gave her a look of confusion.

An overwhelming sense of calm washed over her as the female who stood in front of her whispered words, Adaline found herself leaning against her car door trying to remain conscious as the female spoke in droves… she smelt like saffron… as she lowered herself onto the floor. The woman who had been speaking moments ago was thrown into the air; and Adaline found herself snapping out of it as her husband of all people appeared.

“Adaline.”
he turned towards her; a look of concern crossed his face as he lowered himself; she nuzzled into his hand. “Did she do anything, I’ll kill her, fuck it if she’s a kid of fire.”
Adaline shook her head. “I think she was trying to put me to sleep… but the swords… they are inside with him. You need to leave.”
her husband laughed before helping her from her position and wrapping her into an almost bone crushing hug.

The sky above them, she had noticed now looked stormy, were they stormy moments ago? She breathed in Nammay’s scent and shut her eyes. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning gave Adaline the impression that Chaemai was here too. “What are you both doing here?”
“We’ve come to warn the children. This. all of this. The fuss about… the book. It’s a trap.”

Nammay POV


“You ought to be more careful.”


The male Ancient swirled the spoon in his cup, as much as he was a fan of metal for some reason he preferred to use plastic cutlery when he was home alone; a fan of the mortal realm, he often traversed between his realm and the mortal one. The plastic cutlery didn’t clink against the cup and that was one reason he liked it - he also just had to dispose of the spoon or rinse it and be done with it.

As he picked the cup up, inhaling the strong scent of coffee he shut his eyes and listening to the cadence of her voice; she was tired. “Hey, it’s late. You need rest. We can talk tomorrow.”
there was a hushed sigh on the other side and he placed the cup down; she wanted to argue and he bit his tongue as she continued to speak “Look, a little bit of sleep, even if it’s on the way there will do you good. For you and the babies.”
he made sure to switch to Ancient tongue with that last part.

She responded back with a soft attack and he laughed; before she laughed too “Look I’ll keep an eye out, get some sleep. Call me when you arrive or after whatever it is you have to do there”
she agreed before he heard the line drop and disconnect. Placing the phone down he stepped away with his cup and moved towards the window.

He felt an itching in his throat and he inhaled there was someone trying to contact him, he sipped his coffee enjoying the sensation of the bitter liquid slightly burning the roof of his tongue before going down; once the cup was done he shut his eyes and allowed himself to fall backwards until he was back in the realm he had created the moment of his inception.

He hadn’t expected to see his younger relative standing in the room when he emerged; how long had she been waiting; the air was charged with electricity and he cleared his throat “Chaemai. What can I do for you?”
the younger female Ancient reached for his arm and he pulled back; unsure of her intention she shook her head before opening the palm of her hand to reveal a small scroll “What’s this?”
“A message from the Citadel.”


Opening the scroll - it’s wax seal already discarded, he presumed that this was Chaemai’s copy of the scroll and that his own copy would be on his desk “I think one of your Claimants attempted to enter the realm just a moment ago but failed to do so.”
“Nier.”
he breathed out; his younger relative nodding and he read the scroll.

Drip Drop. Drip Drop. The first book arrived. Flitter, flatter my spell has begun. The webs grow thinner and thicker; traps are set and the quest is set. Seek the drops as the moon wanes and rises and begin the hunt; my spell will last until the cords are cut.


“What is any of this meant to mean?”
“Your guess is good a mine, but before I lost contact with my Claimants they told me two of three had been found, we’re running out of time. What do we do Nam?”
“We warn them in the only way we can.”




As she brushed herself off, she looked up at the male who had now approached her, he was spewing words almost too fast for her to comprehend; granted she was very much intoxicated she gave him a half smile before laughing like a hyena. She ignored his hand and instead with her bottle in tow, moved past the bent over figure and straight into the bathroom; where she proceeded to vomit up copious amounts of alcohol - of which tasted like ass coming up. Once she was sure most of the alcohol in her system was gone she cleaned the bathroom as best she could before rinsing her face with icy cold water; flinching a little. "Nice to meet you."
now that she was clear of most of the liquid poison in her system she smelt the overbearing scent of Iron. "What did you say your name was?"
she bit her lip as she emerged from the bathroom with a slightly damp face.

Should have landed in another room. This was a mistake landing in this one.
she cleared her throat before offering the male her hand, which was damp with water, she wiped it on her singlet before cracking a proper smile “Nice to meet you. I’m Vivi. A kiddo of Air.”
part of her pondered which of the two in the room smelt worse, his iron or her weed. “Guessing you’re here cause that lady came down in white light and uhh told us to all come and you know find it.”
she was definitely still drunk. “So when are you headed over?”
she still hadn’t answered any of what he had proposed or offered - she was just going to pretend he had said nothing.

She decided perhaps it was not worth the time trying to listen to him or whatever he had to repeat, she smiled again before turning and returning in the direction of the place she had come; reaching into her pocket she grabbed the small rolled up cigarette and lit it with her lighter, taking a whiff of it before disposing and snuffing it out with her foot; she climbed atop the balcony ledge, turned to face the male she had so rudely intruded on; did a mock salute before jumping-falling off the ledge and flying to where she needed to be.

As she flew she noticed a girl… no a woman; two of them were on opposites of the streets; the scent of vinegar came from one of them and Vivi had to cover her mouth and pray she didn’t throw up again. The other had a less severe scent and smelt of something floral. It didn’t matter they couldn’t; fly that was her advantage. She willed herself higher with the wind, using a current she had just notice above her to drift up and over into the Colosseum walls before landing on one of the higher rows; she couldn’t see or tell if anyone else had arrived. She shrugged and rampaged in her pockets again this time for a packet of CBD oil infused rice krispies and immediately started to snack as she walked throughout the abandoned rows. “Anyone here?”
she called out, stupid question but oh well.





“WE’RE HERE. OH WE’RE HERE! COME ON. COME ON. NO TIME TO WASTE!!!”
she could hear him from within the separate car that he insisted on travelling in, she winced her ears ringing from his voice but she made no protest as she opened the door of his car and he stepped out, swords in tow. “Is that an entirely good idea?”
she looked at the swords, mostly out of concern but also out of fear - she didn’t let him know that though. “We’ll be fine, fine, fine. Come on. Come on. Gotta get there first. First.”
the crazed man scurried off into the colosseum and Adaline sighed.

She reached into her pocket, the screen turning on revealing a message that made her smile she texted back, before shutting her phone off again and stretching her joints and particularly her back and feet were swollen these days. The other assistants that Professor Pickering surrounded himself were following after the man, a sense of urgency filled her and she found herself waiting by the vehicles, something told her it was a bad idea to follow them; Phillip would understand, she was sure. Beside as she opened her car door again and unlocked the briefcase, the drones would capture anything he’d miss… she didn’t need to be there.

As she played with the settings for a moment; a slight tingling shot through her system and she looked over her shoulder as two females, - they seemed to be trying to avoid each other. “I’m sorry. But the colosseum is closed. You’ll need to return to which you came. It’s closed for maintenance.”
the darker skinned female ignored her and continued on her way, but the other female with long hair approached her; a soft smile. Adaline gave her a look of confusion.

An overwhelming sense of calm washed over her as the female who stood in front of her whispered words, Adaline found herself leaning against her car door trying to remain conscious as the female spoke in droves… she smelt like saffron… as she lowered herself onto the floor. The woman who had been speaking moments ago was thrown into the air; and Adaline found herself snapping out of it as her husband of all people appeared.

“Adaline.”
he turned towards her; a look of concern crossed his face as he lowered himself; she nuzzled into his hand. “Did she do anything, I’ll kill her, fuck it if she’s a kid of fire.”
Adaline shook her head. “I think she was trying to put me to sleep… but the swords… they are inside with him. You need to leave.”
her husband laughed before helping her from her position and wrapping her into an almost bone crushing hug.

The sky above them, she had noticed now looked stormy, were they stormy moments ago? She breathed in Nammay’s scent and shut her eyes. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning gave Adaline the impression that Chaemai was here too. “What are you both doing here?”
“We’ve come to warn the children. This. all of this. The fuss about… the book. It’s a trap.”

Nammay POV


“You ought to be more careful.”


The male Ancient swirled the spoon in his cup, as much as he was a fan of metal for some reason he preferred to use plastic cutlery when he was home alone; a fan of the mortal realm, he often traversed between his realm and the mortal one. The plastic cutlery didn’t clink against the cup and that was one reason he liked it - he also just had to dispose of the spoon or rinse it and be done with it.

As he picked the cup up, inhaling the strong scent of coffee he shut his eyes and listening to the cadence of her voice; she was tired. “Hey, it’s late. You need rest. We can talk tomorrow.”
there was a hushed sigh on the other side and he placed the cup down; she wanted to argue and he bit his tongue as she continued to speak “Look, a little bit of sleep, even if it’s on the way there will do you good. For you and the babies.”
he made sure to switch to Ancient tongue with that last part.

She responded back with a soft attack and he laughed; before she laughed too “Look I’ll keep an eye out, get some sleep. Call me when you arrive or after whatever it is you have to do there”
she agreed before he heard the line drop and disconnect. Placing the phone down he stepped away with his cup and moved towards the window.

He felt an itching in his throat and he inhaled there was someone trying to contact him, he sipped his coffee enjoying the sensation of the bitter liquid slightly burning the roof of his tongue before going down; once the cup was done he shut his eyes and allowed himself to fall backwards until he was back in the realm he had created the moment of his inception.

He hadn’t expected to see his younger relative standing in the room when he emerged; how long had she been waiting; the air was charged with electricity and he cleared his throat “Chaemai. What can I do for you?”
the younger female Ancient reached for his arm and he pulled back; unsure of her intention she shook her head before opening the palm of her hand to reveal a small scroll “What’s this?”
“A message from the Citadel.”


Opening the scroll - it’s wax seal already discarded, he presumed that this was Chaemai’s copy of the scroll and that his own copy would be on his desk “I think one of your Claimants attempted to enter the realm just a moment ago but failed to do so.”
“Nier.”
he breathed out; his younger relative nodding and he read the scroll.

Drip Drop. Drip Drop. The first book arrived. Flitter, flatter my spell has begun. The webs grow thinner and thicker; traps are set and the quest is set. Seek the drops as the moon wanes and rises and begin the hunt; my spell will last until the cords are cut.


“What is any of this meant to mean?”
“Your guess is good a mine, but before I lost contact with my Claimants they told me two of three had been found, we’re running out of time. What do we do Nam?”
“We warn them in the only way we can.”




As she brushed herself off, she looked up at the male who had now approached her, he was spewing words almost too fast for her to comprehend; granted she was very much intoxicated she gave him a half smile before laughing like a hyena. She ignored his hand and instead with her bottle in tow, moved past the bent over figure and straight into the bathroom; where she proceeded to vomit up copious amounts of alcohol - of which tasted like ass coming up. Once she was sure most of the alcohol in her system was gone she cleaned the bathroom as best she could before rinsing her face with icy cold water; flinching a little. "Nice to meet you."
now that she was clear of most of the liquid poison in her system she smelt the overbearing scent of Iron. "What did you say your name was?"
she bit her lip as she emerged from the bathroom with a slightly damp face.

Should have landed in another room. This was a mistake landing in this one.
she cleared her throat before offering the male her hand, which was damp with water, she wiped it on her singlet before cracking a proper smile “Nice to meet you. I’m Vivi. A kiddo of Air.”
part of her pondered which of the two in the room smelt worse, his iron or her weed. “Guessing you’re here cause that lady came down in white light and uhh told us to all come and you know find it.”
she was definitely still drunk. “So when are you headed over?”
she still hadn’t answered any of what he had proposed or offered - she was just going to pretend he had said nothing.

She decided perhaps it was not worth the time trying to listen to him or whatever he had to repeat, she smiled again before turning and returning in the direction of the place she had come; reaching into her pocket she grabbed the small rolled up cigarette and lit it with her lighter, taking a whiff of it before disposing and snuffing it out with her foot; she climbed atop the balcony ledge, turned to face the male she had so rudely intruded on; did a mock salute before jumping-falling off the ledge and flying to where she needed to be.

As she flew she noticed a girl… no a woman; two of them were on opposites of the streets; the scent of vinegar came from one of them and Vivi had to cover her mouth and pray she didn’t throw up again. The other had a less severe scent and smelt of something floral. It didn’t matter they couldn’t; fly that was her advantage. She willed herself higher with the wind, using a current she had just notice above her to drift up and over into the Colosseum walls before landing on one of the higher rows; she couldn’t see or tell if anyone else had arrived. She shrugged and rampaged in her pockets again this time for a packet of CBD oil infused rice krispies and immediately started to snack as she walked throughout the abandoned rows. “Anyone here?”
she called out, stupid question but oh well.





“WE’RE HERE. OH WE’RE HERE! COME ON. COME ON. NO TIME TO WASTE!!!”
she could hear him from within the separate car that he insisted on travelling in, she winced her ears ringing from his voice but she made no protest as she opened the door of his car and he stepped out, swords in tow. “Is that an entirely good idea?”
she looked at the swords, mostly out of concern but also out of fear - she didn’t let him know that though. “We’ll be fine, fine, fine. Come on. Come on. Gotta get there first. First.”
the crazed man scurried off into the colosseum and Adaline sighed.

She reached into her pocket, the screen turning on revealing a message that made her smile she texted back, before shutting her phone off again and stretching her joints and particularly her back and feet were swollen these days. The other assistants that Professor Pickering surrounded himself were following after the man, a sense of urgency filled her and she found herself waiting by the vehicles, something told her it was a bad idea to follow them; Phillip would understand, she was sure. Beside as she opened her car door again and unlocked the briefcase, the drones would capture anything he’d miss… she didn’t need to be there.

As she played with the settings for a moment; a slight tingling shot through her system and she looked over her shoulder as two females, - they seemed to be trying to avoid each other. “I’m sorry. But the colosseum is closed. You’ll need to return to which you came. It’s closed for maintenance.”
the darker skinned female ignored her and continued on her way, but the other female with long hair approached her; a soft smile. Adaline gave her a look of confusion.

An overwhelming sense of calm washed over her as the female who stood in front of her whispered words, Adaline found herself leaning against her car door trying to remain conscious as the female spoke in droves… she smelt like saffron… as she lowered herself onto the floor. The woman who had been speaking moments ago was thrown into the air; and Adaline found herself snapping out of it as her husband of all people appeared.

“Adaline.”
he turned towards her; a look of concern crossed his face as he lowered himself; she nuzzled into his hand. “Did she do anything, I’ll kill her, fuck it if she’s a kid of fire.”
Adaline shook her head. “I think she was trying to put me to sleep… but the swords… they are inside with him. You need to leave.”
her husband laughed before helping her from her position and wrapping her into an almost bone crushing hug.

The sky above them, she had noticed now looked stormy, were they stormy moments ago? She breathed in Nammay’s scent and shut her eyes. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning gave Adaline the impression that Chaemai was here too. “What are you both doing here?”
“We’ve come to warn the children. This. all of this. The fuss about… the book. It’s a trap.”

Nammay POV


“You ought to be more careful.”


The male Ancient swirled the spoon in his cup, as much as he was a fan of metal for some reason he preferred to use plastic cutlery when he was home alone; a fan of the mortal realm, he often traversed between his realm and the mortal one. The plastic cutlery didn’t clink against the cup and that was one reason he liked it - he also just had to dispose of the spoon or rinse it and be done with it.

As he picked the cup up, inhaling the strong scent of coffee he shut his eyes and listening to the cadence of her voice; she was tired. “Hey, it’s late. You need rest. We can talk tomorrow.”
there was a hushed sigh on the other side and he placed the cup down; she wanted to argue and he bit his tongue as she continued to speak “Look, a little bit of sleep, even if it’s on the way there will do you good. For you and the babies.”
he made sure to switch to Ancient tongue with that last part.

She responded back with a soft attack and he laughed; before she laughed too “Look I’ll keep an eye out, get some sleep. Call me when you arrive or after whatever it is you have to do there”
she agreed before he heard the line drop and disconnect. Placing the phone down he stepped away with his cup and moved towards the window.

He felt an itching in his throat and he inhaled there was someone trying to contact him, he sipped his coffee enjoying the sensation of the bitter liquid slightly burning the roof of his tongue before going down; once the cup was done he shut his eyes and allowed himself to fall backwards until he was back in the realm he had created the moment of his inception.

He hadn’t expected to see his younger relative standing in the room when he emerged; how long had she been waiting; the air was charged with electricity and he cleared his throat “Chaemai. What can I do for you?”
the younger female Ancient reached for his arm and he pulled back; unsure of her intention she shook her head before opening the palm of her hand to reveal a small scroll “What’s this?”
“A message from the Citadel.”


Opening the scroll - it’s wax seal already discarded, he presumed that this was Chaemai’s copy of the scroll and that his own copy would be on his desk “I think one of your Claimants attempted to enter the realm just a moment ago but failed to do so.”
“Nier.”
he breathed out; his younger relative nodding and he read the scroll.

Drip Drop. Drip Drop. The first book arrived. Flitter, flatter my spell has begun. The webs grow thinner and thicker; traps are set and the quest is set. Seek the drops as the moon wanes and rises and begin the hunt; my spell will last until the cords are cut.


“What is any of this meant to mean?”
“Your guess is good a mine, but before I lost contact with my Claimants they told me two of three had been found, we’re running out of time. What do we do Nam?”
“We warn them in the only way we can.”




As she brushed herself off, she looked up at the male who had now approached her, he was spewing words almost too fast for her to comprehend; granted she was very much intoxicated she gave him a half smile before laughing like a hyena. She ignored his hand and instead with her bottle in tow, moved past the bent over figure and straight into the bathroom; where she proceeded to vomit up copious amounts of alcohol - of which tasted like ass coming up. Once she was sure most of the alcohol in her system was gone she cleaned the bathroom as best she could before rinsing her face with icy cold water; flinching a little. "Nice to meet you."
now that she was clear of most of the liquid poison in her system she smelt the overbearing scent of Iron. "What did you say your name was?"
she bit her lip as she emerged from the bathroom with a slightly damp face.

Should have landed in another room. This was a mistake landing in this one.
she cleared her throat before offering the male her hand, which was damp with water, she wiped it on her singlet before cracking a proper smile “Nice to meet you. I’m Vivi. A kiddo of Air.”
part of her pondered which of the two in the room smelt worse, his iron or her weed. “Guessing you’re here cause that lady came down in white light and uhh told us to all come and you know find it.”
she was definitely still drunk. “So when are you headed over?”
she still hadn’t answered any of what he had proposed or offered - she was just going to pretend he had said nothing.

She decided perhaps it was not worth the time trying to listen to him or whatever he had to repeat, she smiled again before turning and returning in the direction of the place she had come; reaching into her pocket she grabbed the small rolled up cigarette and lit it with her lighter, taking a whiff of it before disposing and snuffing it out with her foot; she climbed atop the balcony ledge, turned to face the male she had so rudely intruded on; did a mock salute before jumping-falling off the ledge and flying to where she needed to be.

As she flew she noticed a girl… no a woman; two of them were on opposites of the streets; the scent of vinegar came from one of them and Vivi had to cover her mouth and pray she didn’t throw up again. The other had a less severe scent and smelt of something floral. It didn’t matter they couldn’t; fly that was her advantage. She willed herself higher with the wind, using a current she had just notice above her to drift up and over into the Colosseum walls before landing on one of the higher rows; she couldn’t see or tell if anyone else had arrived. She shrugged and rampaged in her pockets again this time for a packet of CBD oil infused rice krispies and immediately started to snack as she walked throughout the abandoned rows. “Anyone here?”
she called out, stupid question but oh well.





“WE’RE HERE. OH WE’RE HERE! COME ON. COME ON. NO TIME TO WASTE!!!”
she could hear him from within the separate car that he insisted on travelling in, she winced her ears ringing from his voice but she made no protest as she opened the door of his car and he stepped out, swords in tow. “Is that an entirely good idea?”
she looked at the swords, mostly out of concern but also out of fear - she didn’t let him know that though. “We’ll be fine, fine, fine. Come on. Come on. Gotta get there first. First.”
the crazed man scurried off into the colosseum and Adaline sighed.

She reached into her pocket, the screen turning on revealing a message that made her smile she texted back, before shutting her phone off again and stretching her joints and particularly her back and feet were swollen these days. The other assistants that Professor Pickering surrounded himself were following after the man, a sense of urgency filled her and she found herself waiting by the vehicles, something told her it was a bad idea to follow them; Phillip would understand, she was sure. Beside as she opened her car door again and unlocked the briefcase, the drones would capture anything he’d miss… she didn’t need to be there.

As she played with the settings for a moment; a slight tingling shot through her system and she looked over her shoulder as two females, - they seemed to be trying to avoid each other. “I’m sorry. But the colosseum is closed. You’ll need to return to which you came. It’s closed for maintenance.”
the darker skinned female ignored her and continued on her way, but the other female with long hair approached her; a soft smile. Adaline gave her a look of confusion.

An overwhelming sense of calm washed over her as the female who stood in front of her whispered words, Adaline found herself leaning against her car door trying to remain conscious as the female spoke in droves… she smelt like saffron… as she lowered herself onto the floor. The woman who had been speaking moments ago was thrown into the air; and Adaline found herself snapping out of it as her husband of all people appeared.

“Adaline.”
he turned towards her; a look of concern crossed his face as he lowered himself; she nuzzled into his hand. “Did she do anything, I’ll kill her, fuck it if she’s a kid of fire.”
Adaline shook her head. “I think she was trying to put me to sleep… but the swords… they are inside with him. You need to leave.”
her husband laughed before helping her from her position and wrapping her into an almost bone crushing hug.

The sky above them, she had noticed now looked stormy, were they stormy moments ago? She breathed in Nammay’s scent and shut her eyes. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning gave Adaline the impression that Chaemai was here too. “What are you both doing here?”
“We’ve come to warn the children. This. all of this. The fuss about… the book. It’s a trap.”

Nammay POV


“You ought to be more careful.”


The male Ancient swirled the spoon in his cup, as much as he was a fan of metal for some reason he preferred to use plastic cutlery when he was home alone; a fan of the mortal realm, he often traversed between his realm and the mortal one. The plastic cutlery didn’t clink against the cup and that was one reason he liked it - he also just had to dispose of the spoon or rinse it and be done with it.

As he picked the cup up, inhaling the strong scent of coffee he shut his eyes and listening to the cadence of her voice; she was tired. “Hey, it’s late. You need rest. We can talk tomorrow.”
there was a hushed sigh on the other side and he placed the cup down; she wanted to argue and he bit his tongue as she continued to speak “Look, a little bit of sleep, even if it’s on the way there will do you good. For you and the babies.”
he made sure to switch to Ancient tongue with that last part.

She responded back with a soft attack and he laughed; before she laughed too “Look I’ll keep an eye out, get some sleep. Call me when you arrive or after whatever it is you have to do there”
she agreed before he heard the line drop and disconnect. Placing the phone down he stepped away with his cup and moved towards the window.

He felt an itching in his throat and he inhaled there was someone trying to contact him, he sipped his coffee enjoying the sensation of the bitter liquid slightly burning the roof of his tongue before going down; once the cup was done he shut his eyes and allowed himself to fall backwards until he was back in the realm he had created the moment of his inception.

He hadn’t expected to see his younger relative standing in the room when he emerged; how long had she been waiting; the air was charged with electricity and he cleared his throat “Chaemai. What can I do for you?”
the younger female Ancient reached for his arm and he pulled back; unsure of her intention she shook her head before opening the palm of her hand to reveal a small scroll “What’s this?”
“A message from the Citadel.”


Opening the scroll - it’s wax seal already discarded, he presumed that this was Chaemai’s copy of the scroll and that his own copy would be on his desk “I think one of your Claimants attempted to enter the realm just a moment ago but failed to do so.”
“Nier.”
he breathed out; his younger relative nodding and he read the scroll.

Drip Drop. Drip Drop. The first book arrived. Flitter, flatter my spell has begun. The webs grow thinner and thicker; traps are set and the quest is set. Seek the drops as the moon wanes and rises and begin the hunt; my spell will last until the cords are cut.


“What is any of this meant to mean?”
“Your guess is good a mine, but before I lost contact with my Claimants they told me two of three had been found, we’re running out of time. What do we do Nam?”
“We warn them in the only way we can.”




As she brushed herself off, she looked up at the male who had now approached her, he was spewing words almost too fast for her to comprehend; granted she was very much intoxicated she gave him a half smile before laughing like a hyena. She ignored his hand and instead with her bottle in tow, moved past the bent over figure and straight into the bathroom; where she proceeded to vomit up copious amounts of alcohol - of which tasted like ass coming up. Once she was sure most of the alcohol in her system was gone she cleaned the bathroom as best she could before rinsing her face with icy cold water; flinching a little. "Nice to meet you."
now that she was clear of most of the liquid poison in her system she smelt the overbearing scent of Iron. "What did you say your name was?"
she bit her lip as she emerged from the bathroom with a slightly damp face.

Should have landed in another room. This was a mistake landing in this one.
she cleared her throat before offering the male her hand, which was damp with water, she wiped it on her singlet before cracking a proper smile “Nice to meet you. I’m Vivi. A kiddo of Air.”
part of her pondered which of the two in the room smelt worse, his iron or her weed. “Guessing you’re here cause that lady came down in white light and uhh told us to all come and you know find it.”
she was definitely still drunk. “So when are you headed over?”
she still hadn’t answered any of what he had proposed or offered - she was just going to pretend he had said nothing.

She decided perhaps it was not worth the time trying to listen to him or whatever he had to repeat, she smiled again before turning and returning in the direction of the place she had come; reaching into her pocket she grabbed the small rolled up cigarette and lit it with her lighter, taking a whiff of it before disposing and snuffing it out with her foot; she climbed atop the balcony ledge, turned to face the male she had so rudely intruded on; did a mock salute before jumping-falling off the ledge and flying to where she needed to be.

As she flew she noticed a girl… no a woman; two of them were on opposites of the streets; the scent of vinegar came from one of them and Vivi had to cover her mouth and pray she didn’t throw up again. The other had a less severe scent and smelt of something floral. It didn’t matter they couldn’t; fly that was her advantage. She willed herself higher with the wind, using a current she had just notice above her to drift up and over into the Colosseum walls before landing on one of the higher rows; she couldn’t see or tell if anyone else had arrived. She shrugged and rampaged in her pockets again this time for a packet of CBD oil infused rice krispies and immediately started to snack as she walked throughout the abandoned rows. “Anyone here?”
she called out, stupid question but oh well.





“WE’RE HERE. OH WE’RE HERE! COME ON. COME ON. NO TIME TO WASTE!!!”
she could hear him from within the separate car that he insisted on travelling in, she winced her ears ringing from his voice but she made no protest as she opened the door of his car and he stepped out, swords in tow. “Is that an entirely good idea?”
she looked at the swords, mostly out of concern but also out of fear - she didn’t let him know that though. “We’ll be fine, fine, fine. Come on. Come on. Gotta get there first. First.”
the crazed man scurried off into the colosseum and Adaline sighed.

She reached into her pocket, the screen turning on revealing a message that made her smile she texted back, before shutting her phone off again and stretching her joints and particularly her back and feet were swollen these days. The other assistants that Professor Pickering surrounded himself were following after the man, a sense of urgency filled her and she found herself waiting by the vehicles, something told her it was a bad idea to follow them; Phillip would understand, she was sure. Beside as she opened her car door again and unlocked the briefcase, the drones would capture anything he’d miss… she didn’t need to be there.

As she played with the settings for a moment; a slight tingling shot through her system and she looked over her shoulder as two females, - they seemed to be trying to avoid each other. “I’m sorry. But the colosseum is closed. You’ll need to return to which you came. It’s closed for maintenance.”
the darker skinned female ignored her and continued on her way, but the other female with long hair approached her; a soft smile. Adaline gave her a look of confusion.

An overwhelming sense of calm washed over her as the female who stood in front of her whispered words, Adaline found herself leaning against her car door trying to remain conscious as the female spoke in droves… she smelt like saffron… as she lowered herself onto the floor. The woman who had been speaking moments ago was thrown into the air; and Adaline found herself snapping out of it as her husband of all people appeared.

“Adaline.”
he turned towards her; a look of concern crossed his face as he lowered himself; she nuzzled into his hand. “Did she do anything, I’ll kill her, fuck it if she’s a kid of fire.”
Adaline shook her head. “I think she was trying to put me to sleep… but the swords… they are inside with him. You need to leave.”
her husband laughed before helping her from her position and wrapping her into an almost bone crushing hug.

The sky above them, she had noticed now looked stormy, were they stormy moments ago? She breathed in Nammay’s scent and shut her eyes. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning gave Adaline the impression that Chaemai was here too. “What are you both doing here?”
“We’ve come to warn the children. This. all of this. The fuss about… the book. It’s a trap.”

Nammay POV


“You ought to be more careful.”


The male Ancient swirled the spoon in his cup, as much as he was a fan of metal for some reason he preferred to use plastic cutlery when he was home alone; a fan of the mortal realm, he often traversed between his realm and the mortal one. The plastic cutlery didn’t clink against the cup and that was one reason he liked it - he also just had to dispose of the spoon or rinse it and be done with it.

As he picked the cup up, inhaling the strong scent of coffee he shut his eyes and listening to the cadence of her voice; she was tired. “Hey, it’s late. You need rest. We can talk tomorrow.”
there was a hushed sigh on the other side and he placed the cup down; she wanted to argue and he bit his tongue as she continued to speak “Look, a little bit of sleep, even if it’s on the way there will do you good. For you and the babies.”
he made sure to switch to Ancient tongue with that last part.

She responded back with a soft attack and he laughed; before she laughed too “Look I’ll keep an eye out, get some sleep. Call me when you arrive or after whatever it is you have to do there”
she agreed before he heard the line drop and disconnect. Placing the phone down he stepped away with his cup and moved towards the window.

He felt an itching in his throat and he inhaled there was someone trying to contact him, he sipped his coffee enjoying the sensation of the bitter liquid slightly burning the roof of his tongue before going down; once the cup was done he shut his eyes and allowed himself to fall backwards until he was back in the realm he had created the moment of his inception.

He hadn’t expected to see his younger relative standing in the room when he emerged; how long had she been waiting; the air was charged with electricity and he cleared his throat “Chaemai. What can I do for you?”
the younger female Ancient reached for his arm and he pulled back; unsure of her intention she shook her head before opening the palm of her hand to reveal a small scroll “What’s this?”
“A message from the Citadel.”


Opening the scroll - it’s wax seal already discarded, he presumed that this was Chaemai’s copy of the scroll and that his own copy would be on his desk “I think one of your Claimants attempted to enter the realm just a moment ago but failed to do so.”
“Nier.”
he breathed out; his younger relative nodding and he read the scroll.

Drip Drop. Drip Drop. The first book arrived. Flitter, flatter my spell has begun. The webs grow thinner and thicker; traps are set and the quest is set. Seek the drops as the moon wanes and rises and begin the hunt; my spell will last until the cords are cut.


“What is any of this meant to mean?”
“Your guess is good a mine, but before I lost contact with my Claimants they told me two of three had been found, we’re running out of time. What do we do Nam?”
“We warn them in the only way we can.”




As she brushed herself off, she looked up at the male who had now approached her, he was spewing words almost too fast for her to comprehend; granted she was very much intoxicated she gave him a half smile before laughing like a hyena. She ignored his hand and instead with her bottle in tow, moved past the bent over figure and straight into the bathroom; where she proceeded to vomit up copious amounts of alcohol - of which tasted like ass coming up. Once she was sure most of the alcohol in her system was gone she cleaned the bathroom as best she could before rinsing her face with icy cold water; flinching a little. "Nice to meet you."
now that she was clear of most of the liquid poison in her system she smelt the overbearing scent of Iron. "What did you say your name was?"
she bit her lip as she emerged from the bathroom with a slightly damp face.

Should have landed in another room. This was a mistake landing in this one.
she cleared her throat before offering the male her hand, which was damp with water, she wiped it on her singlet before cracking a proper smile “Nice to meet you. I’m Vivi. A kiddo of Air.”
part of her pondered which of the two in the room smelt worse, his iron or her weed. “Guessing you’re here cause that lady came down in white light and uhh told us to all come and you know find it.”
she was definitely still drunk. “So when are you headed over?”
she still hadn’t answered any of what he had proposed or offered - she was just going to pretend he had said nothing.

She decided perhaps it was not worth the time trying to listen to him or whatever he had to repeat, she smiled again before turning and returning in the direction of the place she had come; reaching into her pocket she grabbed the small rolled up cigarette and lit it with her lighter, taking a whiff of it before disposing and snuffing it out with her foot; she climbed atop the balcony ledge, turned to face the male she had so rudely intruded on; did a mock salute before jumping-falling off the ledge and flying to where she needed to be.

As she flew she noticed a girl… no a woman; two of them were on opposites of the streets; the scent of vinegar came from one of them and Vivi had to cover her mouth and pray she didn’t throw up again. The other had a less severe scent and smelt of something floral. It didn’t matter they couldn’t; fly that was her advantage. She willed herself higher with the wind, using a current she had just notice above her to drift up and over into the Colosseum walls before landing on one of the higher rows; she couldn’t see or tell if anyone else had arrived. She shrugged and rampaged in her pockets again this time for a packet of CBD oil infused rice krispies and immediately started to snack as she walked throughout the abandoned rows. “Anyone here?”
she called out, stupid question but oh well.





“WE’RE HERE. OH WE’RE HERE! COME ON. COME ON. NO TIME TO WASTE!!!”
she could hear him from within the separate car that he insisted on travelling in, she winced her ears ringing from his voice but she made no protest as she opened the door of his car and he stepped out, swords in tow. “Is that an entirely good idea?”
she looked at the swords, mostly out of concern but also out of fear - she didn’t let him know that though. “We’ll be fine, fine, fine. Come on. Come on. Gotta get there first. First.”
the crazed man scurried off into the colosseum and Adaline sighed.

She reached into her pocket, the screen turning on revealing a message that made her smile she texted back, before shutting her phone off again and stretching her joints and particularly her back and feet were swollen these days. The other assistants that Professor Pickering surrounded himself were following after the man, a sense of urgency filled her and she found herself waiting by the vehicles, something told her it was a bad idea to follow them; Phillip would understand, she was sure. Beside as she opened her car door again and unlocked the briefcase, the drones would capture anything he’d miss… she didn’t need to be there.

As she played with the settings for a moment; a slight tingling shot through her system and she looked over her shoulder as two females, - they seemed to be trying to avoid each other. “I’m sorry. But the colosseum is closed. You’ll need to return to which you came. It’s closed for maintenance.”
the darker skinned female ignored her and continued on her way, but the other female with long hair approached her; a soft smile. Adaline gave her a look of confusion.

An overwhelming sense of calm washed over her as the female who stood in front of her whispered words, Adaline found herself leaning against her car door trying to remain conscious as the female spoke in droves… she smelt like saffron… as she lowered herself onto the floor. The woman who had been speaking moments ago was thrown into the air; and Adaline found herself snapping out of it as her husband of all people appeared.

“Adaline.”
he turned towards her; a look of concern crossed his face as he lowered himself; she nuzzled into his hand. “Did she do anything, I’ll kill her, fuck it if she’s a kid of fire.”
Adaline shook her head. “I think she was trying to put me to sleep… but the swords… they are inside with him. You need to leave.”
her husband laughed before helping her from her position and wrapping her into an almost bone crushing hug.

The sky above them, she had noticed now looked stormy, were they stormy moments ago? She breathed in Nammay’s scent and shut her eyes. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning gave Adaline the impression that Chaemai was here too. “What are you both doing here?”
“We’ve come to warn the children. This. all of this. The fuss about… the book. It’s a trap.”