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[idornasequel]

Chapter Forty-Three: Beatrice, Mel and Calix

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Beatrice hissed under her breath as she landed outside the Observatory. The sun beat down upon her back, the oppressive rays bringing a sweat out of her warm, tan skin. “RANGI!” she shouted, jogging around the exterior of her house, frantically searching for her troublemaking uncle. Sprinting up the metal staircase wrapped around the building, she burst in through the door of the observatory, looking around with wild eyes.

Where the hell is he?

Inside her chest, her heart beat rapidly and off rhythm, like a broken clock trying to make up lost time. Her jaw hung agape, her tongue cracking like a stiff piece of clay, sticking to the roof her mouth as she barrelled down the staircase towards the main floor through the library and into the living room.

Beatrice saw Mel walking past in the hall and nearly dove across the room towards her, leaning against the doorway for support as she tried to catch her breath, a long tuft of curly black hair landing in her face. “You haven’t….seen anybody…around here… have you?” she wheezed, taking in large gasps of air in between words.

Mel blinked, stumbling a bit when Beatrice appeared in front of her. She tightened her grip around her glass of juice, a drop splashing on her shorts.

“I, um, no,” she said, giving her head a quick shake. Instinct had her fingers twitching, ready to ‘accio’ her wand to her side in the possibility of an intruder. “Are you okay, Bea?”

“My uncle is in town,” Beatrice explained as she slowly stood up, wincing as she felt a cramp in her leg. “I forgot he has a key, and he has a tendency to be a little…umm…eccentric and unpredictable,” she added, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Mel’s body slumped, relieved that the situation wasn’t dire. Her lips pulled into a smile and she punched Beatrice lightly in the shoulder.

“Is that all? You gave me a heart attack. I can handle eccentric.” She took a sip from her juice and leaned against the wall. “Will he question us all being here?”

“Ummmm…” Beatrice paused and looked in the living room, wondering if she heard the familiar crack of disapparation or if she was just imagining things, “I don’t know to be honest with you,” she said, setting her hands on her hips.

“It’s similar to when a hurricane comes through, you want to batten down all the hatches, and be prepared for just about anything. Last time Rangi was in town, I remember we started the evening playing Monopoly on his sailboat and somehow I ended up asleep floating on an inflatable mattress curled up with a lemur in the pool downstairs while Uncle Rangi and my sister played battleship with fireworks and literal ships,” Beatrice said, whipping around when she heard a clatter in the kitchen, making her heart skip a beat.

“You make that sound like a bad thing,” said Mel with a smirk. “It sounds like I’d like to meet this Rangi.”

The door from the kitchen in the living room swung open, revealing a middle aged skinny man with graying hair in a pineapple button down shirt, holding a sandwich in one hand. “It’s a shame I’m not a genie,” he said with a small frown, slinging an arm around Beatrice’s shoulders. “I’m way too good at granting wishes, aren’t I, Trixie?”

Beatrice rolled her eyes and sighed, reluctantly smiling up at the man. “Mel, I’d like you to meet my uncle, Rangi. Rangi, this is my friend, Mel,” she said, gesturing between them.

Mel reached out a hand, batting her eyelashes and turning up the charm. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. That shirt is impeccable.”

He glanced down at the bright polyester fabric and beamed proudly, puffing his chest out a bit. “Why thank you,” he said, letting go of his niece to shake her friend’s hand. “So, can I ask you what’s going on? Ladies weekend off of work or moving back home?” he asked, glancing between the two of them.

“Ladies weekend,” Mel agreed quickly, placing a hand on her chest. “I’m a musician. Bea thought it would be fun to visit her while I’m between tours.”

Rangi nodded slowly and narrowed his eyes, taking a comically large bite out of his sandwich, chewing thoughtfully while he mulled over the information, Beatrice looking up at him in nervous wait. “So I suspect that Mr. Man isn’t around?” he asked when his mouth was finally empty.

Beatrice crossed her arms over her chest, her thick brows furrowed in confusion. “Who?”

“What’s his face? The One? The uhhh…the Dude, y’know?” he asked, glancing over at Mel for assistance.

“Calix,” Mel supplied helpfully, smiling serenely at him. She wasn’t sure how much else Beatrice wanted her to say, so she sent her a slightly pleading look.

Beatrice mouthed a quiet thank you and nodded. “He’s at work, Rangi, so you won’t be seeing him around for a while I don’t think,” she said with a small grin of triumph when she saw Calix walk in through the doors, a stack of paperwork in tow.

“Is that so?” Rangi asked, his dark brown eyes alight with mischief as he left his sandwich levitating in midair to go help the mediwizard with his homework.

Mel gave Beatrice a tight-lipped smile, shrugging her shoulders. “Speak of the devil! How was work, Cal?”

With hopes of taking a relaxing swim before tackling his unlikely company, Calix walking into to the hall of the Observatory to the sound of familiar voices. Well, mostly familiar. He thought he heard a man’s voice too - though it didn’t sound like Enzo.

Balancing the stack of casefiles in his arms, Calix poked his head to the side when Mel called out to him.

“All good…” he started, abruptly swallowing his words when he saw a wiry man in a kaleidoscopic shirt coming towards him. “Eh… hello.”

“I never envied Lannie’s workload, that’s for damn sure,” Rangi said as he unloaded Calix’s arms, a cheeky grin on his face.

Beatrice wrung her hands together, her knuckles giving way to loud, crackly pops, an apologetic smile on her face. “Cal. This is my Uncle Rangi. He’s my mother’s brother,” she explained slowly.

For a split second Calix stared at the colourful man until his surprise and confusion shattered like glass. Beatrice’s uncle inherited some of the family resemblance, but Calix never would have guessed from just looking.

“Oh, right,” he said quickly, throwing a quizzical glance at the two girls before adopting a more gentlemanly look. “It’s nice to meet you, Rangi. My name is Calix.”

He stretched out his hand, offering the smaller man a cordial greeting.

Rangi shook his head and stepped forward, wrapping his long, lanky arms tightly around the dapper Irishman, his sandwich slowly levitating back towards him. “Nice to meet you, Cal,” he said finally releasing him. “Well, I think that settles it. To hell with family dinner! The four of us should stay in tonight, make pizza, and do shots,” he said.

Calix’s breath was forced out of his lungs by the sudden embrace. A small smile started to play beneath his stubble. Rangi reminded him of Mahana more than the rest of Beatrice’s maternal - and possibly paternal - family. He certainly seemed to be more playful and expressive - although Calix was pushing the thought of ‘shots’ out of his mind immediately.

He had enough experience with alcohol in recent days to last a lifetime.

“What’s this about a family dinner?” Calix asked, looking to Beatrice as her uncle pulled away to eat his sandwich.

“I’m more worried about the shots,” Mel muttered, a shudder rippling through her body. Any other time she’d be game, but after recent events…

“Oh, well, Rangi’s here so rarely that when he does, it’s a bit of an occasion,” Beatrice explained, rubbing the back of her neck. “I don’t want to steal you away from my mom, though. You know she’d go ballistic if you didn’t join her tonight for dinner,” she said, giving her uncle a knowing look, hoping to spare her friends from his wild antics.

The man nodded solemnly and wriggled his nose in thought, a medley of crumbs falling from his whiskers onto the floor with a whisper-like clamor.

“Well, why don’t you come meet me at my sailboat for dessert?” he asked, looking around the group of adolescent adults. “I have my mom’s recipe for Piña Colada Upside Down Cake,” he added, winking at Beatrice, whose stomach audibly started rumbling.

“We’ll see how the night unfolds,” Calix said pleasantly, attempting to avoid any more encounters with of liquor. He could see the apprehension creeping onto the girls’ faces at the sound of another boozy night, and Calix didn’t think an evening on a sailboat would tickle anyone’s fancy.

Mel’s face lit up at the mention of a sailboat. A wave of homesickness hit her and she looked expectantly at the others.

“My father is a sailor!” she said excitedly. “I basically grew up on a sailboat.” Though she suspected that Rangi’s would probably be far from her father’s modest fishing boat.

“Then it’s settled! Come down to the pier after dinner for a low key evening of cake and games,” he said, dusting his hands of bread crumbs before stepping towards Beatrice, wrapping her in a tight hug. “Good to see you, Trixie, and great to meet all of you.” Rangi waved at Calix and Mel before disapparating away with a loud pop.

Mel smiled sheepishly, noticing how tense Beatrice looked. “Sorry if I just roped you into that.”

Beatrice shrugged and let out a slow sigh, sitting down on the arm of one of the couches. “It’s okay. He’s good at doing that.”

“So, we’re all going to a dinner and a party?” Calix queried as he opened the top bottom of his shirt. “I was kinda hoping we could all sit down and talk.”

Mel quirked an eyebrow at him. “About?”

Calix smiled softly: “About beating a pair of twins at their own game. We’re hardly going to let them get away with it?”

“How do you suggest we do that?” Beatrice asked, crossing her legs at the knee, hands resting peacefully in her lap.

“That’s why we need to talk,” he answered vaguely, scratching the back of his neck. He didn’t know what their next move would or should be, but he knew his company wouldn’t sit idly by as the Karras twins drugged and stalked customers.

“You know, we’re a pretty good team when we work together,” Calix said, looking between Mel and Beatrice.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Mel said, donning a triumphant smile as she slurped back the rest of her juice. “We really got shit done last year. I’m sure if we really thought about it we could come up with some kind of solution.”

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not going back there,” Beatrice said, pursing her lips tightly. “They have the home field advantage at the club. We need to catch them off guard.”

“You’re right,” said Mel. The glass in her hand suddenly reminded her too much of being there, and she had to set it on a nearby table. “We’ve got to figure out a way to lure them out of there.”

“You can see why I wanted to get everyone talking,” Calix said, casting a curious eye around the hall and into some of the rooms. “Which begs the question - where are Enzo and Natasha?”

Beatrice wrinkled her nose as she thought. “Bet Enzo’s off brooding somewhere. No idea where ‘Tasha is,” she said.

“Enzo told me they were popping back to his apartment to check on Gilly,” Mel replied with a shrug. “His house elf. They probably won’t be back until tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow’s our reckoning day, then,” said Calix, stretching his arms above his head. He walked across to Beatrice, placing a tender kiss to her forehead. “Tonight’s all about some dinner. Do you want me to go with you, love?”

“You’re both welcome to come if you’d like,” Beatrice said, smiling kindly at Mel. “My family would love to have you over for dinner.”

“Not going to lie, the prospect of being on a boat on that beautiful ocean has me all kinds of excited,” Mel replied, beaming. “I would love to come!”

Beatrice grinned and took hold of Calix’s hand, lacing their fingers together as she looked up at him, brown eyes shining like caramel. “Care to accompany two beautiful young ladies to dinner tonight?” she asked, batting her eyelashes coyly.

“Who could say no to an offer like that?” Calix smiled, bringing their interlocked hands to his lips. He softly kissed Beatrice’s knuckles. “Every respectable lady needs a gentleman on their arm, and it looks like I’m the only one you have for the evening.”

“Great! Meet here in a few hours at six?” Beatrice asked, glancing between both her friends.

“Deal,” Calix said, glancing at the mountain of paperwork that needed to be filled in. A few hours didn’t give him much time to get the cases finished and get ready for a formal occasion. His scruffy stubble and bushy hair would cut very little ice with Beatrice’s mother.

“I’ll see you both then!” Mel agreed, heading back to her room to start getting ready.

[idornasequel]

Chapter Forty-Two: Natasha and Akari

Natasha wrapped her jacket a little tighter around her body, glad she’d thought to bring it before apparating to New York. After talking with Enzo, she knew she had to make sure Akari was on board, hence why she was now in the States. Her initial plan had just been to send a Patronus to the Auror, but if she required any kind of convincing of their plan, Natasha would rather do it face to face, even if it was hard to look anyone else in the eye still.

The German walked down the street, thankfully remembering where Akari lived. She reached the familiar building and climbed up the stairs, knocking on the front door. Hopefully Akari was home, otherwise the trip would have been pointless. Although she could always try the Oasis as well, if the other woman wasn’t there.

Akari was on her couch when she heard the knocking from her front door. She had been mindlessly watching some cooking show while both Evangelos and Juno’s photos were laid on the table in front of her. She hadn’t heard back from anyone since they last met, and she decided that she would have to deal with it herself if no news came in the coming days.

She removed her wand from where it was trapped between her teeth, adding new indents to it, before standing up, keeping it behind her back as she moved to her front door. She didn’t know who to expect, but when she peered through the eye-hole, a curious grin played at her lips, along with a shrouded feeling of worry.

Nevertheless, she swung the door open, looking into the familiar dark-blue eyes of Natasha.

“Long time, no see,” she said, leaning against the doorframe, feeling the cold draft whisk in. “Oh, shit. Come in,” she quickly blurted, moving aside so the younger woman could step into the warmth of her apartment.

“Thank you,” Natasha said with a faint smile. She stepped inside, relieved that Akari was home. It would be easier to speak to the woman here than at the Oasis, particularly since she assumed they had more guaranteed privacy here.

“Enzo and I are going back to the club tonight,” she told Akari once the door was shut. She didn’t feel like wasting any time, particularly not when just looking at the shorter woman had her remembering vivid details. “Just the two of us, and you, if you want to come. We need to figure out what’s going on.”

Akari smiled, nodding her head as she moved into her kitchen, starting a pot of tea as Natasha continued. She turned back around, leaning against the counter, trying to shoo away any thoughts of Natasha’s naked body that tried to force their way into her mind. She clicked her tongue loudly from the roof of her mouth once before she spoke again.

“Any master plan? Or are we just winging it?”

Natasha shook her head, sighing softly. “There isn’t a lot to plan. We just have to be more careful than last time, and try to figure out what kind of magic they have in there.” And of course, avoid the drinks, but she assumed she didn’t need to say that.

“Can do,” Akari said, pouring herself a cup of tea. “You want one? It’s cold out.”

Natasha knew she should go; in fact, part of her wanted to leave very badly, not wanting to have to be around Akari any longer than she needed to be. But something kept her in place, a curiosity about the other woman.

“Sure. Thank you,” she said with a faint smile. “Have you made any progress?” she asked, remembering how insistent Akari was on solving this case herself.

Akari waved her free hand towards a second mug, filling it with the tea and sending it towards Natasha while taking a sip from her own. Although she was uncomfortable - to say the least - around any of the five students, she was glad to have company. She took a few days off work after the Veil to regain her normal state once more. However, she had to admit that it was lonely. She hadn’t even been back to the Oasis yet.

“Not much, really,” Akari replied, motioning towards her couch, flopping down on the far side, socked feet curled up underneath her. “They’re careful, Evangelos and Juno. They are hardly seen outside their little fantasy. Smart, too. Juno would be slammed by paps if she did. Big Quidditch star who retired without warning? Raises eyebrows. What about your little team?”  

“Hardly a team at the moment,” Natasha sighed, walking into the living room after Akari and taking a seat on the other side of the couch. “We’re barely talking to each other, which makes it hard to get any work done. Besides, I think at least a couple people might be on the verge of giving up on this.” She hoped that that wasn’t the case, since they all worked best as a group, but if it was, they would figure out how to do it without them.

Akari nodded, taking another drink to avoid speaking for a moment while she collected her thoughts. “I get that it’s not safe to bring everyone back to the Veil, but… keep your friends close, Natasha.” She kept her eyes trained on hers. “People like us - Idorna students and graduates - we have a hard time out in the real world after keeping a seven-year secret. You won’t feel it until you really get out there for yourself. But keeping others like you around softens the blow. It’s why I started the Nouveau.”

Akari thought back to a little over two years ago. She was on a job in Washington where a wizard dropped dead in a cafe for seemingly no reason. No one had an explanation, but Akari knew it well. When they examined the body, there were signs of an Unbreakable Vow along with a tattoo between his shoulder blades: Icelandic script that read ‘Exceed the Unexpected’. The worst part of it all was leaving the man’s file in the ‘unexplained’ section of her portfolio when she knew damn well what had happened.  

Not all of us are so lucky.

Natasha took a sip of her tea as she listened to Akari, knowing the other woman had a point. Before, during summers, she would barely talk to people, so it was easy to keep anything about Idorna to herself, but she couldn’t imagine not having anyone else to talk about it with for the rest of her life. And they had been through a lot together; they needed each other, even if they couldn’t look each other in the eyes at the moment.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she nodded. “Right now, though, I’m more concerned about dealing with the people that took away our control over ourselves.”

“And we will, kid,” Akari said, feeling a sense of determination she had lost over the past couple of days. “We just need to be careful.”

When her mug was ¾ empty, she flicked her wrist, levitating it towards the sink to wash.

“Kid?” Natasha asked, raising an eyebrow. She knew she was considerably younger than Akari, but it wasn’t that much. “And we will be. It will be easier to keep our heads down with just the three of us, and we know what to avoid this time.”

Akari couldn’t help but laugh at Natasha’s defense. “Don’t feel special. I call everyone that.”

She looked at the clock across the room, watching it read 12pm. She tilted her head back, groaning dramatically before running her hands down her face and standing up. “So, listen. I gotta be at work in an hour. You and Enzo meet me outside Veil around midnight. Sound good?”

Natasha nodded, setting her empty mug on the coffee table in front of her before standing up. “Yes. Thank you for the tea,” she said, smiling faintly before walking to the door. “See you at midnight.” With that, she left, heading back to Samoa to find Enzo and tell him their plan.

[idornasequel]

Chapter Forty-One: Enzo and Natasha

Enzo sat on the edge of the veranda that overlooked the ocean, the calm breeze drifting through the curls that sat just above his ears now. The sun sat high overhead, beaming brightly towards him; Enzo had to ask Melanie for an umbrella Charm, which now sat just above him, giving him enough shade so he didn’t have to squint. With his legs dangling off, he brought the glass of pineapple juice up to his lips, taking a long drink before slowly closing his eyes and leaning against one of the planks beside him.

Since his conversation with Calix, Enzo had seen all of the others in passing. Other than Melanie, he didn’t really converse with them, but offered subtle nods of his head and morning greetings. He didn’t really know how to initiate small talk with Beatrice or Calix these days anyway, and now that they had all had sex, conversation would be kept to a minimum. However, they would all need to talk again, and soon.  

Natasha knocked lightly on the glass doors leading out to the veranda as she pushed one of them open, stepping out into the humid Samoan air. She’d seen Enzo sitting out there by himself, shaded by a charm, and she figured now was as good a time as any to talk. They hadn’t had a real conversation since the night at the Veil, and even if they didn’t address what had happened, she wanted to one, figure out where they were at, and two, find out if the other still wanted to go after the Karras twins.

“Hi,” she said quietly as she approached the Frenchman. “Mind if I join you?”

Enzo turned his head when he heard the knock and watched Natasha step out. He was glad it was her, if anyone. Still, looking at her face after what transpired was… not easy.

Nevertheless, he patted the spot beside him in answer.

Natasha smiled faintly at his gesture, walking over and taking a seat beside him. This wasn’t easy for her, either, but they needed to talk at some point.

“How are you holding up?” she asked after a few moments of silence, only glancing at him for a moment before looking out at the beach.

He shrugged. “We’ve been through worse. I’ll be fine. You?”

“About the same,” she nodded, sighing a little. “Trying to focus on what we need to do next, more than anything.”

Enzo nodded, glad that she was on the same page. They often were. He finished off his juice, setting the glass behind him her licking his lips.

“Any ideas?” he asked, letting his legs swing lazily.

“I think we need to go back to the Veil,” Natasha admitted, looking at Enzo again for his reaction. Just saying the name nearly made her shudder, but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like what they needed to do.

Enzo pressed his tongue into his cheek, placing his palms flat against the wood on either side of him to ensure they didn’t start sweating. The mention of the nightclub send a strange haze through his mind; he never wanted to return to that place. However, he knew that Natasha wasn’t wrong. It was their only real lead, and they needed to figure out what happened to them and who exactly was behind it, although he had a good hunch.

“Yeah, I think so too.”

Natasha blinked in surprise; admittedly, she had expected it to take more convincing to get him on board, although she was glad it didn’t. With at least one other person on her side, it would be easier to convince the others, if they were reluctant.

“Good. We’ll have to be more careful, try to figure out what sort of magic is inside beforehand, though.” That was the mistake they made last time, letting their guard down, and they couldn’t let that happen again.

He nodded along, wondering if she was thinking exactly what he was. He turned his head, making sure no one was outside or in the living room beyond the glass doors.

When he was sure they were alone. He turned back to her, lowering his voice. “We can’t all go this time,” he muttered. “Too many of us was a problem.”

Natasha wondered why he was looking around for any of the others when he turned, but then he spoke and it became more clear. “I agree,” she said, her voice lower too. “But how many of us can go without drawing too much attention?”

“I’m not asking Melanie again,” he stated, knowing how much even coming here in the first place took a toll on her. “Calix is… dangerous - or the exact opposite, I suppose. He can’t do much to defend himself if something goes wrong. And Beatrice…”

“So, the two of us and Akari,” Natasha said. She didn’t disagree, just wanted to be sure they were on the same page. “She was a lot more focused on solving this after that night. She’ll want to be there.”

Enzo sighed, unsure about Akari. He knew she liked to let loose… but she was also an Auror who knew, most likely better than all of them combined, how to utilize attack magic. Besides, if they went off without her, she would most likely just track them down.

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

He stood slowly, placing his hands on the railing. “When?”

“Tonight? There doesn’t seem to be much point in waiting.” Natasha stood as well, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Unless you want longer.”

“No, you’re right,” Enzo said. “Does Akari know?”

Natasha shook her head, sighing. “I haven’t talked to her since that morning. I’ll send her a Patronus, though, make sure she’s on board.”

“Good,” he said, thinking about the others. “What do we tell them? We need an excuse that wouldn’t involve them.”

Natasha glanced back into the Observatory, thinking about what they could say to the others. “We’re going back to Lille to check on Gilly?” she suggested, the first thing that came to mind.

“That works,” Enzo replied, tapping his fingers against the wooden railing. “Tonight then.”

Natasha nodded. “Tonight.” She smiled faintly at Enzo, then turned to head back inside. She still had to contact Akari, and it was a miracle that the conversation had gone as well as it did, considering what was at the forefront of both of their minds. She didn’t want to push her luck.

[idornasequel]

Chapter Forty: Beatrice

"Yes, I heard you loud and clear, Mira,” Beatrice said into her cell phone, rolling her eyes as she left the shaded hammock in the backyard, lazily heading back into the house. “I’ll see you next week for the dress fitting then. Okay, bye!”

She huffed dramatically and threw her phone on the table in front of her, plopping down into one of the dining chairs where a stack of banana pancakes was waiting for her, a warming charm having kept them fluffy and fresh. Picking up a fork and knife, she dug into the stack eagerly with a great deal of malice.

Keise came in and raised an eyebrow at her, chuckling quietly as she poured herself a glass of iced tea, sitting down across from her older sister quietly. “What’s wrong, Trixie?”

Beatrice glared at her sister. “Nobody gets to call me that for the next twenty-four hours,” she mumbled through a mouthful, a gooey drop of honey holding a large crumb hostage in the corner of her mouth.

“Why? What’s up, girl?”

“My dad is now a sugar daddy for some bottle blonde bimbo.”

“What else is new?” Keise asked, tucking her legs beneath her body on the chair.

Beatrice slouched in her seat and licked her lips slowly, staring at her half-empty plate. “She’s like only a few years older than me, and I swear to Merlin she’s the most obnoxious person on God’s green earth.”

Keise nodded slowly and picked up her sister’s touchphone, attempting to unlock it.

“What’re you doing?” Beatrice asked, quickly snatching it away from her sister, not sure if she’d retch when she saw some rather suggestive pictures with Calix or use them as blackmail.

“Well! What am I supposed to do? You’re not telling me anything and you’ve been weird this whole week and I don’t know what to do about it, Trix,” she said with a huff, crossing her arms over her yellow and white striped tank top.

Beatrice sighed and stood up, going to put the rest of her breakfast in a plastic tupperwear box to eat later. “She’s just a lot to handle is all. And since Mom told Garreth that I had left work and moved back in the Observatory, he decided to pass the news along to Mira, which means that I delightfully get to part take in all the fanfare leading up to the wedding,” she snapped, turning the faucet on to wash the vacated plate, water spraying off its sticky surface onto her shirt.

Keise chuckled and simply took another sip of her tea. “Is Calix coming with you to family dinner tonight?” she asked after a few minutes of silence.

The older witch shrugged and blotted her damp white t-shirt with a green dish towel, her brow furrowed in frustration. 

It’ll dry out eventually. Don’t sweat it. 

She leaned against the counter and looked out the window at the ocean lazily lolling against the beach, shady fronds swaying in the light breeze. “I don’t know. We have a couple friends staying with us right now, and I think we might all have dinner up at the Observatory tonight.”

“But mom says Uncle Rangi’s back on the island,” Keise said with a pout, taking a kiwi out of the fruit bowl on the table, biting into it happily.

“Rangi’s back?” Beatrice asked, perking up a bit until a thought dawned on her. “Shit. Doesn’t he still have a key to the Observatory?”

Her sister nodded slowly an wiped a rivulet of juice from her chin. “I think so. Why?”

Beatrice threw the towel on the counter and dashed out the back door, shoving her feet into her favorite pair of Toms. “You really think Calix can handle him all on his own? I’ll see you tonight, Kiki!” she shouted over her shoulder, quickly apparating back to the Observatory, not wanting to waste another second when her wild uncle could have turned her whole house upside down.

[idornasequel]

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Mel

It had been a few days since the...incident. That was what Mel was referring to it as, when she thought about it at all. She certainly didn’t talk about it, not even with Enzo.

Not that she had much chance to. Initially, everyone was kind of keeping to themselves. Mel wasn’t entirely sure if she was avoiding them or the other way around. One thing was for certain - underneath the obvious shame and embarrassment that everyone felt, there was an underlying sense of anger.

It was wrong, what had been done to them. Mel felt completely violated. She could only imagine how the others felt.

The air in the Observatory was heavy, a touch stifling. Mel had taken to spending her afternoons on the beach, lazing in the sand and trying to let the sunbeams and the salt air wash away any prior guilt she felt about the incident.

It wasn’t my fault. It was theirs.

She propped herself up on her elbows, squinting out at the crystalline ocean. She knew that soon enough, they would all have to get over themselves and group up to think of a plan.

It irked her. She’d agreed to this whole ordeal under the premise that it wouldn’t be dangerous. They would just get their information and then get back to Idorna. But already it seemed that they were being pulled deeper into the thick of things than could be helped. And it wasn’t like she was going to let her friends face danger without her.

She wondered if this was Helena’s plan all along. Her fingers brushed the raised scar at the back of her head and she frowned. They were already away from Idorna. It would be so easy to march up to that Observatory and use it to return home to her father. What did she need Idorna for? The glory it promised was never something she wanted - was never the kind she was looking for. Why was risking her life for some child who was the reason for every bad thing that had happened last year?

She shook her head, dropping back down into the sand. It was a selfish thought. She had already decided to protect her friends, and that was the long and short of it. She took all of her negative thoughts - Helena, her fear, the incident - and bottled them up, stuffing a cork in the top and tossing it out to sea. She listened to the waves crash against the shore, letting the sound rock her into a light slumber.

[idornasequel]

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Calix

The mountain of paperwork stood proudly on the edge of the metal desk. Calix straightened the report on top, aligning the edges of the paper with the sheets beneath it, waiting for his supervisor to finish his emails with a somewhat proud smile on his face.

After spending time with Enzo, Calix had thrown himself back into his work. They had played Wizario Kart for an hour or two, playing competitively like all guys do, once Enzo had mastered some of the basic controls. Much to his surprise, Calix actually enjoyed the time he spent with the Frenchman. He laughed for most of the games. He didn’t want to presume anything, but he felt like Enzo enjoyed the races too - especially when he won.

Poxy beginner’s luck.

With his spirits lifted, Calix sailed through the rest of the case files. He annotated each of the documents, adding notes and explanations to the medical histories contained within, until the plethora of work disappeared.

Putting the pages away, Calix had returned to his bed just before the sun began to poke its head above the horizon. He knew he wouldn’t get much sleep. However, he understand a few hours snuggled next to Beatrice would be better than nothing.

“They’re all done?” Ku, Calix’s skeleton-gaunt and gangly supervisor, finally asked. He barely gave the pile a single glance. His were eyes focused intensely on Calix.

“All done,” Calix said with a small nod. “That was the last part of the archive from ninety-three.”

Ku offered no acknowledge. He simply leaned to the side and pointed his pen at a spot behind Calix’s left shoulder.

“Then you can start on the patient files from ninety-four,” he said. “Take them home with you. I don’t need you today. I must certainly don’t need an intern who is sicker than the patients.”

Ku returned his attention to his computer, dismissively waving his hand in the air. “Go home and get some rest. I expect you back to full health tomorrow.”

Calix sighed softly. He was used to Ku’s antics after the summer months, but the supervisor’s temperament still managed to get under Calix’s skin.

A little praise would hardly go astray.

Calix turned on his heels, running his fingers through his bushy hair. He looked around the room for his next mountainous task, spotting the papery peak on the far side of the office.

‘Fuck me,’ Calix spat under his breath. He was very careful that Ku didn’t hear, but the sheer volume of work that sat solemnly in the corner was daunting.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, so,” Calix said over his shoulder, picking up the pile of papers. “If you need me, just give me a call.”

There was no reply. Just the sound of the mouse being clicked.

Calix took it as a sign to leave.

Carrying the pile, he walked down the winding corridors of the hospital and out into the Samoan sunshine. He squinted his eyes, blinking a few times to when the glare caught him off guard, before taking off down the beach with the pile of papers obscuring his line of sight.

The walk back to the Observatory gave Calix some time to think about everything. He had been - and still was - thinking hard about the Karras twins and the drug or curse that lurker inside their nightclubs. Whatever fiendish spell they had gotten their hands on was definitely the reason their clubs were so popular. Customers would pay huge money to feel as blissfully unaware of the world around them as Calix did - and all he had to drink was a sip of firewhiskey.

He was beginning to understand how an Auror and a quidditch player could change their direction in life without a care in the world.

The cards were stacked in their favour and the money kept rolling in.

Calix hated it. The twists were still turning his stomach inside out, and, although the memories were less intrusive, he still felt put off by his company’s uncontrollable actions.

On the steps of the Observatory, Calix, with tremendous difficulty, checked the time. It was very early in the morning. He had time for a swim in the pool before he tried to get everyone together.

It was time they decided on their next move.

[idornasequel]

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Natasha

Her room was beginning to feel too small. Natasha had spent too much time between its red walls, sitting in silence as she isolated herself from the others. She had no idea how many of them had talked to each other, addressed what had happened. Admittedly, her small talk with Beatrice had helped, and she dreaded seeing the Samoan less than the others, but that didn’t make her less concerned about trying to do the same with everyone else. There was too much potential for things to go wrong, to even possibly get worse, so instead, she kept to herself and tried to focus on other things.

Namely, the Karras twins. It was unlikely that they had moved, even after realizing there were people after them. While it was fortunate that they still knew where to find them, it likely meant returning to the Veil, and if the others were feeling anything like Natasha, they were loathe to go there again any time soon.

If we just don’t drink, nothing like that will happen again. So it should be easy.

Except she knew that it was about more than the fear of it happening again. They had all been drugged with something, something that made them lose control of themselves. It was a horrible feeling, knowing that someone else could make them do things like that without a choice on their part, even make them think they wanted it, at least in the moment. None of them wanted to be reminded of that, and that’s what returning to the Veil would do.

They didn’t really have a choice, though. At least, Natasha didn’t. The thoughts of what happened never left her head, memories that she likely wouldn’t be able to forget, and while she was shaken by them, more than anything else, she was angry. It made her blood boil as she thought of Evangelos and Juno watching them, probably laughing as the young witches and wizards lost themselves at the bottoms of their fruity drinks. Which was the exact reason why she was committed now, more than ever, to making sure they stopped whatever was going on.

The German finally stood up from where she’d been seated on the bed, heading towards the living room to see if anyone else was around. Her tarot cards had been ready in front of her, but she wasn’t able to draw the focus to do a reading. And now, she didn’t want to.

I don’t care what the cards say. I’m figuring this out, with or without the others.

[idornasequel]

Chapter Thirty-Six: Akari

Akari stepped out of the shower, placing one towel around her body and one around her hair after brushing her teeth. She made sure to avoid the mirror, not yet able to look at herself properly.

After getting dressed, she calmly moved into kitchen, thinking it best to do something mundane - routine. She made herself a cup of green tea and nuked a plate of leftover vegetables. She downed ¾ of the tea before the timer on the microwave even went off, and she spent the next five-or-so minutes pacing around her couch while forking soggy carrots, turnips, and potatoes into her mouth.

Anything else. Anything else. Anything else.

“Fuck,” she spat angrily, throwing her plate across the room. She only barely caught it with magic, setting it in the sink before it could shatter against the counter.

She let out a shaky sigh, knotting her thin fingers into her still-damp hair. She slowly tilted her head back, clenching her eyes shut as she tried her best to force out thoughts of what had transpired last night.

Keep your head, Kari. Don’t let them win.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she moved over to her couch, sitting down and turning the TV on to keep her attention on something else, but she couldn’t help the feeling of bile rising into her throat. She did everything she could to keep her mind at ease - rubbing her wrists together so hard she thought their dainty bones might break skin, braiding her hair, even singing softly to herself - something she had not done in a long while.

Eventually, it all became too much, and she hunched over on the couch, cross-legged, placing her face into her shaking hands as tears fell over her eyelids.

She hated everything those bastards made her do. She had dealt with sick people in her line of work, sure, but none of the dirty deeds had been unfolded onto her. It was always her cleaning up a mess spilled onto someone else. She even once witnessed the murder of a young child by her father’s hand, but that didn’t even shake her like this did. This was personal - something she was commonly clear of as an Auror in a country far from her family.

It was Saturday, which meant that her mother would most likely be home from Idorna. Akari thought about apparating back to China - back home - but she knew she would crack even more than she was now if she looked into her mother’s eyes.

I’m fine here. I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine.

Her body slowly tilted to the side, and she laid down, grabbing a pillow and hugging it tightly to her chest. She did what she so often did in times of distress and loneliness: she pretended that the pillow was another body - a body filled with warmth and affection. She didn’t have a face for it, or even a gender. The body was just there to soothe her temporary wounds.

She closed her eyes, letting two more teardrops fall onto the cushions before letting herself fall away from reality.   

[idornasequel]

Chapter Thirty-Five: Enzo and Calix

Enzo sighed heavily as his feet touched the floor, eyes blinking slowly as he was woken up from another strange dream. It was the third one that night, each one worse than the last. Two involved his mother. One involved the Veil.

He had planned to sleep with Melanie, but after last night, he wanted nothing more than to have a bed to himself - a clean one, at that. However, after spending most of that day cooped up in the bar downstairs, drinking and avoiding, his attempt at sleep was futile.

He reached to his bedside table, grabbing the watch Melanie had gifted him. It was just past two in the morning now. The others must be asleep. Good. He rubbed his eyes before slowly getting to his feet, the fleeting sensation of an almost-hangover tickling the back of his head, but it was manageable. He slipped on a pair of black sweatpants and a grey hoodie before heading out of his room.

The lights in the corridor were off, and he carefully made his way towards the kitchen. He didn’t see anyone awake, thankfully, but when he cut through the living room to get to the kitchen, he stopped in his tracks.

On the couch, hunched over a plethora of documents illuminated but a ‘Lumos’ charm was Calix. There was no way he had not seen Enzo enter the room, because his eyes rose from the files to meet his.

Enzo hadn’t spoken to anyone but Melanie the entire day, sure that no one was in the common area of the Observatory before he left his room. When he returned from the bar, he didn’t even remember if anyone saw him, which was ideal.     

Calix’s stormy eyes darted upward from the sprawl of papers when he heard quiet footsteps. It was the creaking of the floorboards that ensnared his attention. He slowly lifted his wand, the pale glow shining across the room and lighting up the Frenchman’s face.

“Hey,” Calix muttered. His voice caught fast in his throat, held back by a guilty twist in his gut. He hadn’t seen Enzo since the night before and he didn’t know how the other wizard would react when they crossed paths again. Work, and Enzo’s disposition, had saved him for as long as they could.  

Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime, he found his words: “Trouble sleeping?”

Enzo grinded his teeth together so hard that he feared they were in danger of shattering, but he couldn’t help the act. He kept his hands in his pockets, lips tight as he spoke.

“Yeah. Just needed some water,” he said, heading towards the kitchen, only now hating the fact that it didn’t have a door to seperate he and Calix.

He kept his head down as he reached for a glass, setting it on the counter as he opened the fridge, grabbing the jug of iced water.

Calix nodded his head. He didn’t feel like sleeping much either, having slipped away from his warm bed and his Beatrice when the midnight hour rang. He needed something to take his mind off things. And judging by the way Enzo’s stoicism hadn’t budged, Calix guessed he too wasn’t able to drive the memories of the past evening from his head, with sleep or booze.

Turning back towards his files, he peered over the cases of two gouty patients and left Enzo to his own devices in the kitchen.

Enzo poured himself the water and brought it to his lips, downing the glass in a couple seconds before filling it again, putting the jug away.

He grabbed the glass and began to head back into his bedroom, head down and cheeks burning red.

As Enzo passed by, Calix looked at him through the corner of his eye. In the charm-light, he could see the way Enzo’s shoulders hunched over. He didn’t blame him for trying to disappear again. However, it was the feeling of unease, an awkwardness bleeding into the surrounding air, that forced Calix’s hand.

“Enzo?” he called quietly.

Enzo stopped dead in his tracks, feeling a strange pang in the back of his neck as Calix said his name. He wanted nothing more than to get back to his room and lay down, even if sleep did not arrive… but that wasn’t happening.

Of course it isn’t.

He slowly turned back to Calix, trying to keep his expression neutral. “Hm?”

“Look,” Calix muttered, putting his wand down on the table as he stretched his arms above his head. “About last night. What do you remember?”

Enzo sighed, pressing his tongue into his cheek briefly. “Too much. Why?”

Calix clucked his tongue as his arms dropped back down to his sides. “Just asking. I don’t want you hiding yourself away because of it. Or us.”

Shrugging, Enzo almost laughed. “I didn’t see anyone else calling a group meeting to discuss our next plan. I don’t think anyone wants to see… anyone.”

“Of course not,” Calix said. “Everyone’s shook. It’s not easy accepting what happened; it’s harder knowing we were all drugged.”

Enzo nodded, glad that Calix was aware that they were drugged, at least. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if there was another reason as to why he ended up in bed with four more people than he ever wanted to.

He leaned against the arch way, a bit of the tension in his shoulders vanishing. “Any idea as to what our next move should be? Do we report back to Helena?”

“You mean, do you report back to Helena?” Calix chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. He wondered if Enzo had forgotten, or even bothered, to consider that Calix would not be returning to Idorna after the mission. He probably didn’t even miss him around the castle. Perhaps he preferred the silence.

Even after the summer, the Headmistress’ name still bristled with Calix like a thorn he couldn’t pluck from his skin. Akari, for all her mischief, had a good point about her - she should have gotten her untrustworthy hands dirty, if she wanted credit. But, she’d rather sit in her ivory tower.

“Though, I’m sure she’d love to know all about the Karras twins little funhouse,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “I think you should do a bit more digging before you go back. We haven’t got much.”

Enzo almost chuckled at Calix’s comment about returning to Idorna, and he couldn’t help but let the question slip. “Why didn’t you come back?”

The air in Calix’s lungs froze, his mouth hanging open for a moment. He hadn’t expected Enzo to ask, and, though he knew exactly why he didn’t return to Idorna, he found himself struggling to explain.

“I… I guess it lost its charm,” Calix stammered, leaning forward slightly. “To be honest, I felt like I’d be going back to a graveyard. A graveyard Helena built, brick by brick.”

Enzo kissed his teeth, nodding along. Although he understood where Calix and the hundreds of other students were coming from, he couldn’t imagine having the opportunity to attend Idorna and passing it up, even in the wake of such devastation.

“It’s a pretty quiet place now,” he replied dimly. “Feels wrong to admit it to anyone else, but… it’s boring.”

He tried, for so long, to not admit that even to himself. However, seeing as Calix didn’t attend any longer, it felt easier to say to him.    

A clear laugh echoed from Calix. He could tell that Enzo didn’t want to admit that their haven, the den they had all chosen to escape the world to, had lost its wonderment. He also knew how hard it must be to return, knowing that hundreds of students hadn’t registered for the next year.

He nodded his head slowly, reaching out to take his wand in his hand. He spun the wand in a wide arch, the completed files moving from the table onto the floor.

“I guess after last year,” Calix said absentmindedly, “Everything would feel a little lacklustre. But, I’ll tell you what I do miss though.”

Enzo raised an eyebrow. “Hm?”

“My friends,” Calix said plainly, not meeting Enzo’s gaze. “All the people I spent the last few years with. I miss the security that came with the rep too, I suppose. But, mostly my friends.”

Enzo snorted softly, taking a swig of his water. “Yeah… I suppose that would be hard.”

“Yeah,” Calix agreed. He glanced towards Enzo, sighing heavily. Despite their differences, Calix still valued him as a friend - they were still friends, no matter what.

Whatever happens, we’re friends through thick and thin.

“Am I keeping you up?” Calix blurted, rubbing the bridge of his nose as long forgotten thoughts came back to him. “I’m just gonna play a game or two of Wizario Kart and finish these files…”

“Wiz… what?” Enzo asked, knitting his eyebrows together.

“Wizario Kart,” Calix repeated. He paused, pointing his wand at the bewildered Frenchman by the arch. “You have heard of it, right?”

Enzo’s lips remained parted in confusion. “Uhh… no. Is that one of those Muggle games or something?”

It was Calix’s turn to knit his eyebrows together, a befuddled sound escaping his lips.

“It’s a wizarding video game,” he explained. “Have you seriously never played it? Fuck buddy, what did you play as a child?”

“I used to play hide and seek with our House Elf from time to time,” he replied, taking another drink.

“Not good enough,” Calix said briskly, leaning over the edge of the couch and pulling two remote controls from the small cupboard under the window.

Sitting back up, Calix shuffled to find a comfortable position, before placing the one of the remotes down beside him. He gave Enzo a look, a playful smirk, as he loaded the game with a brief flick of his wand.

“Oh,” Enzo said, noting the second device Calix pulled out. “Am I supposed to play? Wait… can two people play at once?”

The innocence of it all was surprisingly pleasing. Wizario Kart was one of the biggest games in the wizarding world - Enzo must have spent his days under rocks not to hear about it. There were other potential reasons too, obvious answers, but Calix refused to give them much heed.

He patted the seat beside him as the spectral track flared to life, the roads and ramps and speed bumps circling the room.

“Yeah, that’s the whole point,” Calix said, “Come on, I’ll teach you how to play.”

Enzo perked his eyebrows up. “Sure, yeah.” He knew he was only going to spend his time laying in bed, staring at the dark ceiling above him while he combated shameful thoughts of Beatrice, Akari, Natasha and… Calix.

He shook his head, heading over to the couch, sure to keep a few feet of distance between him and the other man. He grabbed the device, observing it. He knew what video games were - he wasn’t an idiot - but he had never touched one in his life.

“So… do we… fight in this game?” he asked, watching the screen in front of them come to life, pinching his eyes in the dark room.

Calix shook his head from side to side. The guy beside him was clueless, utterly clueless. He was cradling the controller in his hands like a alien artifact, the device completely unfamiliar to him.

“There’s no fighting. It’s a racing game,” Calix said, reaching across the gap between them to twist the controller the right way around. He could still sense the awkwardness in the air, the emotional turmoil that left Enzo on edge. Maybe a bit of late night gaming would do them both the world of good. If nothing else, it might mellow the Frenchman.

“Just chill, dude,” Calix said, sitting back comfortably, “First things first, you gotta pick your character.”

[idornasequel]

Chapter Thirty-Four: Beatrice and Natasha

Beatrice stumbled out of her room heading out to the kitchen in search of some Calix’s blood pudding and dry toast for her raging headache, wet hair drizzling a localized rain onto the shoulders of her pastel pink t-shirt, her baggy sweatpants hanging loosely off her hips.

“I swear if anybody’s touched the last of my sausage I’m gonna throw a fit,” she said as she walked into the kitchen, her eyes going wide when she saw Natasha sitting at the island, a bright blush staining her cheeks a brilliant cherry color. “Oh. Sorry, ‘Tasha,” she mumbled quietly, shuffling over towards the refrigerator. Natasha was picking at a piece of toast when a familiar voice filled the kitchen, announcing Beatrice’s arrival moments before she appeared in the small room. Her stomach was in knots, making it impossible to eat as she tried to figure out how they were going to salvage their small group, after everything, and seeing Beatrice didn’t help the situation. She shook her head a little at the Samoan’s apology, her own cheeks pink as she refused to meet her eyes.

“It’s fine,” she muttered, tapping her fingernails nervously on the counter in front of her.

I should say something. But...what?

It wasn’t like there was anything good to say after something like...that happened with your friends. So Natasha stayed silent, wishing they could undo the night before.

Beatrice swallowed tightly and set a plate of sausage wrapped in cling film on the counter, waving her wand and charming the kettle to fill and turn itself on. She rubbed her neck awkwardly and popped the sausage into the microwave to warm, barely able to look at her friend, let alone talk to her. “Ummm...so....wild night, huh?” she asked, feebly attempting to make conversation.

Natasha couldn’t help the dry laugh that escaped her. It wasn’t really all that funny, and she knew Beatrice was just trying to ease the tension, but honestly, of all the things she could have said, that was quite the choice.

“Yeah, it...it was something,” she agreed, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear.

Beatrice smiled uneasily and let out a sigh of relief, glad to see know she wasn’t the only one who was throttled by the whole thing. “I don’t suppose there’s anyway we can really ever forget about it, can we?” she asked with a small giggle.

“It would be hard,” Natasha nodded. She finally looked up at Beatrice, although she didn’t quite meet her gaze. “We do have to figure out how to work past it, though, because we still have to figure out what’s going on here.”

“We didn’t even see the Karras twins last night, did we?” Beatrice asked, tucking a damp curl behind her ear as she leaned against the countertop, watching the kettle carefully so it didn’t boil over.

Natasha shook her head, breathing out a heavy sigh. “I certainly didn’t. But I doubt it was an accident that we were given those drinks.”

“Yeah! What the hell was in those?” Beatrice asked, pulling her plate of sausages from the microwave, foregoing the fork and knife in favor of just using her fingers. “We couldn’t have all been roofied, could we?”

“I’m guessing it was some sort of potion,” Natasha told her, playing with the ends of her hair to keep her hands occupied. “I don’t know what would cause that sort of thing, though. Enzo might.”

Beatrice nodded and waved her wand again, muttering a charm under her breath, watching as the steaming hot water poured itself over bags of black tea in two mugs. She looked up frantically, her jaw dropping slowly. “Oh, fuck. I forgot all about Enzo,” she mumbled, pressing a hand to her forehead. “God, I hope Mel can forgive me.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Natasha said, admittedly trying to comfort herself a little as well. “None of us were in our right minds, and I doubt Mel can hold any grudge against you considering she was just as out of it.”

Beatrice nodded and smiled at her friend, chewing quietly on her breakfast. “You wouldn’t hold it against me if I said that I never wanted to do that again, would you?” she asked, wiping some of the grease from her bottom lip.

Natasha let out another soft laugh and shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t,” she assured her. “You’re a good friend, Beatrice, but not really my type.”

The Samoan witch laughed heartily and smiled thankfully at the woman opposite her. “Thanks, ‘Tasha,” she said, setting one of the mugs of tea in front of her before returning to her own meal.

[idornasequel]

Chapter Thirty-Three: Beatrice and Calix

Don’t open your eyes. You can pretend you’re still sleeping and that last night never happened.

Beatrice buried her face in her pillow, stifling a groan, though as she inhaled, the stale smell of sweat soaked into the feather down made her stomach turn. She rolled over and pursed her cracked lips, the warm afternoon light pouring in through the open window spilling over her bare, tan skin as the stained sheets pulled away from her petite body. She winced and ground her teeth together, feeling like the world around her was moving, though upon opening her eyes, she was relieved to see it was just Calix’s chest rising and falling with each breath.

Beatrice reluctantly pushed herself up, resting on her side with her head resting against the solid wood headboard. “At least I’m waking up with you,” she mumbled, brushing the matted hair off his forehead, tenderly tugging the tangles apart.

The gentle touch woke Calix from his plagued slumber. He twisted slightly in the bed, the sheets, rancid with sweat and salt, clinging to his skin. He struggled to open his eyes, chimeric wraiths, some recognisable from the night before, scurrying around inside his head.

Heart clattering against his rib cage, he forced one eye open. The tainted sunlight burnt his vision and he blinked repeatedly to clear the glare and, hopefully, his troubled mind. He slowly gazed up at dismayed Beatrice when the light stopped hurting, offering her a half-hearted smile.

“Who else would you be waking beside?” he whispered.

She chuckled and shook her head, beaming down at him. “I don’t know. I certainly didn’t want to wake up next to anybody else though,” she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek as she slid outta bed. An uneasy groan spilled from her lips again as she set her feet on the cold, hard floor.

“Ughhh...do you remember what happened last night? It’s all kind of a blur after we got home.”

Calix groaned, rubbing his face with his rough hands. The nightmarish phantoms transfigured into familiar faces and familiar voices. Memories turned to ash, a sinking feeling of guilt and bitterness blossoming in the pit of his stomach.

“I… I do,” he admitted, scraping his fingers through his hair. Leaning forward, he pushed himself into a seated position with his head bowed low.

“I remember everything.”

Beatrice quickly shuffled over to their own private bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror, the smeared makeup all over her face reminding her of the banshees her grandmother used to warn her about. “Would you mind filling me in then, pele?” she asked, turning the faucet on, scrubbing her face clean with a warm washcloth.

Calix’s eyebrows furrowed. He watched Beatrice from the bed for a moment, pondering how best to relay what had happened to her. He didn’t have to tell her much, or he shouldn’t have to. She had been there.

“How much do you remember, love?” he asked, throwing the blanket aside and stepping naked onto the cold floor. Stretching his arms high above his head, his stomach tightened into a thick knot as a mortifying fire flared beneath his cheeks.

Carding her fingers through her poofy mess of curls, Beatrice swallowed tightly and walked over to the shower, turning it on its hottest setting so it could warm up. “Uhhh...I remember everybody kinda being with everybody,” she said with a small shrug. “I don’t remember the specifics though. Like I’m pretty sure I had sex with you, but I don’t know who else, though I know there was somebody else.”

Huffing dramatically, she shook her head and grabbed her brush, angrily trying to get the snarled knots out of her hair. “What happened last night, Cal?”

Calix made his way into the bathroom, placing his hands on Beatrice’s tense shoulders and turning her around. He took the brush from her hands and delicately swept it through her mane of black curls, untangled the messy locks with a tender touch.

He stayed silent as he combed her hair. It was easier that way, listening to the cascade of water. The warmth of her skin was almost proustian, however, and the ghosts offered up the gritty details with exquisite clarity.

“It was a long night,” Calix muttered, putting the brush down on the countertop. “It was a long, long night.”

Beatrice nodded quietly and sniffled, wiping a tear from the corner of her bloodshot eyes. “Like I said,” she murmured, forcing a small smile for Calix. “At least I got to wake up with you.”

Calix rested his chin on his girlfriend’s shoulder, kissing her soft skin tenderly.  

“I’d never let anything else happen,” he whispered, guiding her slowly into his embrace and the cleansing downpour.

[idornasequel]

Chapter Thirty-Two: Natasha and Akari

The first thing Natasha processed as she woke up was that she wasn’t wearing any clothes. She frowned a little at that realization, propping herself up a little and noting that there was signs of someone being in the bed with her during the night. Did she sleep with someone?

She shook her head, rubbing her eyes and sitting up fully. She wondered how much she’d had to drink the night before, especially since she barely remembered spending the night with anyone.  

What were we even doing last night?

Only bits and pieces were coming back to Natasha. They had gone to the Veil, that nightclub in Miami, to investigate the Karras twins. She remembered drinking something fruity and sour, unlike anything else she’d ever tasted. Clearly it was strong, as the only thing she remembered after drinking it was the feeling of lips against hers, her skin touching someone else’s. Akari. She definitely remembered making out with Akari. At first, she assumed that that was all, that she’d spent the night with the older woman and that was it, but more and more of it started to flood back to her, and she realized that it definitely wasn’t just Akari.

Oh, mein Gott.

The Cucurrion stood up from the bed, pacing back and forth as she ran her hands through her dark, tousled hair. She tried to reason with herself, not wanting it to be true.

Maybe it was just a dream. You had to be incredibly drunk to do anything like that, and you’re not hungover. So clearly, it couldn’t have happened.

Except it was far too vivid to just be a dream. The more she thought about it, the more she could remember every touch, every kiss, just...everything. And there was no way she had managed to imagine all of that.

Her heart pounded in her ears, the normally cool and collected Cucurrion stressed as she tried to process this. She had no idea what they were going to do, moving forward; she didn’t want to face the others, and if they were feeling anything like her, they wouldn’t want to, either. How were they supposed to even look at each other, much less talk and work together, after all of this?

But she knew that the longer they put it off, the harder it would be. Plus, she desperately wanted a shower. So she threw on a pair of pants and a top, quietly leaving her room and making her way towards the bathroom. Her plan was to just ignore anyone else that might be up already, but as she passed the living room, she saw Akari standing and staring out the window, down towards the beach. She was hesitant to speak to the other woman, but her memory of the night before was fractured, and it would help to have the whole story.

Natasha cleared her throat as she walked into the living room, running a hand anxiously through her messy hair. “Morning,” she mumbled, not really sure what else to say.

Akari’s eyes had glazed over as she stared out the window. She had no idea how long she had been there, but it was a while, because the bottom of her feet began to tingle. The warm sun shone through the large glass pane, resting against her pale face.

“God, I forgot places like this existed,” she said when she heard the familiar German accent from behind her.

It took her a while after waking up on the floor beside the couch, but Akari remembered everything. Everything. She had no idea how to feel. Clearly it was the alcohol, but she hated herself for letting her guard down. She should have known better.

I do know better. God, I’m such a fucking idiot.

Natasha nodded a little, even though Akari hadn’t turned to face her yet. She was uncomfortable with Akari - how was it going to be trying to face everyone else, the people she actually knew and liked?

“It belongs to Beatrice,” she said finally, the Samoan’s name a bit of a struggle for her to get out, because all she could picture was what they did last night. “We’ve been using it as a sort of base.”

Akari nodded. “Damn.”

Slowly, she turned with a soft sigh, staring into the same blue eyes she remembered from last night. She had prepared herself for this moment all morning, but now that she was in it, she wished she was anywhere else.

“Pretty fucked up,” she said, hugging her waist. “What they made us do, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Natasha agreed, ducking her head down and staring at the floor instead of at Akari.

It was just the alcohol, or whatever it was that they gave us.

She tried to comfort herself with that thought, but no matter the cause, it didn’t change what had happened. And it wasn’t like they could just undo it, or forget about it.

“Have...have you seen anyone else yet?” she asked finally. She wondered how they were coping with it, or how much they remembered.

“I may or may not have seen Enzo’s naked body creeping down the hall about a half-hour ago,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. “God, I don’t know how I brought myself to be into that last night.”

Natasha shook her head, not even trying to smile, even though she knew Akari was just trying to lighten the mood. Enzo had, inexplicably, become one of her best friends after the summer, and she wasn't even sure they could look each other in the eyes again.

"This is a mess," she mumbled. "How the hell are we going to fix this?"

“We don’t let them win,” Akari said firmly, realizing her attempt on Natasha was futile. “What they did to us is unforgivable, so we fight back.”

She took a few steps towards Natasha, hating that she had to look upwards to meet her eyes. She placed her hands on the other girl’s arms, almost muscle memory after last night’s events.

“I don’t know how much of a pull you have with the others,” she muttered, keeping her voice low, “but try and keep them from going back to school. Once Helena gets word of this, she’ll forbid me from going after them, and I am not letting anyone else take this from me.”

Natasha stared down at Akari, hearing how urgent the woman's words were. She had a point, but Natasha wasn't sure how much the others would listen to her anymore.

"I'll try," she sighed finally, pushing Akari's hands off of her. She didn't want to touch anyone else for a while.

Akari nodded, trapping her tongue in between her teeth. “Good. I need to get back home, though - regroup with myself for a bit. I’ll apparate back… here. Wait, where is this exactly? Hawaii?”

"Samoa," Natasha corrected. "And we can take you back. This place has a lot of magic in it."

Akari waved a hand in front of her face. “Getting home is the easy part. Getting back… Nevermind. I’ll find some fancy landmark outside and use it as a reference.”

Natasha nodded a little and sighed, dragging her hand through her hair once more. . “Well, it’s Ogatai Observatory, when you start looking.” There wasn’t really anything else to say; she just had to figure out how to deal with the others.

“Got it,” Akari said, feeling more than ready to head home. “I’ll be back… sometime. Bye.”

And without another word, Akari bowed her head, heading towards the front door.

Natasha silently watched as Akari left before turning towards her room. If Enzo was awake, the others would be soon, as well, and she didn’t want to see them before she’d figured out what to say.

[idornasequel]

Chapter Thirty-One: Enzo and Mel

Sweet dreams of pink flowers and soft skin faded in and out of Enzo’s mind in the dim moments before he woke up. When his eyes met the ceiling, he quickly realized that he was not in his room. He looked around, noting the blue wallpaper and several Muggle books stacked on the desk on the opposite end of the room.

He blinked, preparing for the worst… but there was no hangover. Nothing. He felt perfectly fine.

Trying to recount the night felt impossible. He remembered going to the Veil and searching around, but everything after that was a blur… sort of. He looked down to his palm, noticing the telephone number scrawled on his skin. The strange man’s face twisted in Enzo’s memory, and he pushed it aside, not wanting to think about that right now.

He pushed himself up onto his elbows, quickly realizing that he was completely naked. Through the small slivers of light peering through the blinds, he was able to make out Melanie’s form beside him, her hair in tangles.

At least I ended up here.

With a hearty sigh, he leaned over, closing his eyes as he pressed a soft kiss to her exposed shoulder, wondering if the act would rouse her.

A tickle at her shoulder shook Mel from her blissful dreamworld. A sweet aroma lingered in the air and she smiled, turning and stretching and burying her face in Enzo’s chest.

“Morning,” she mumbled sleepily. She breathed him in, the scent on his skin unfamiliar to him but familiar from...somewhere. Someone she knew. Everything from the night before felt like a haze. All she could think of right now was how good it felt to be in his arms.

Enzo leaned his head back against his pillows, licking his dry lips. “So… what happened?” He didn’t want to ask, but the longer he waited, the crazier he would become.

A giggle bubbled in her throat. “Sexy times. S’all I know.” She pressed herself closer to him, snaking her arms around his waist. “Good. Real good.” Her words were barely coherent, sleep already trying to call her back.

He chuckled, shaking his head… but the happiness didn’t last long. “Wait…” He remembered a flash of something else then. At first, he thought he was just remembering Melanie’s body against his in this bed, but he quickly remembered that there were more.

“Wait, wait, wait,” he muttered quickly, slipping out from under her and sitting up. “‘Sexy times’?” he repeated, his brow furrowing. “Melanie… what did we do?”

Mel sat up abruptly, looking at Enzo with alarm. She ran a hand through her hair, squinting as she tried to make sense of what he was saying. Warm air filtered through the window, brushing her bare skin.

“It’s called sex, Enzo,” she said, but the sarcasm in her tone didn’t even last until the end of her sentence. She swung her legs off the bed, her feet hitting the floor. She met Enzo’s eyes, pressing her lips into a tight line. She continued, firmly, as though trying to convince the both of them. “We had sex. You and I had sex. Just us.”

She knew it was a lie then, because flashes of memory came back to her. Lips on too many parts of her body to be from one person. Soft skin under her hands.

“Mon Dieu,” Enzo muttered, placing his face into his hands, his cheeks burning. He let out a shaky breath, biting down on the inside of his cheek so hard that he could almost taste copper.

He looked back to Melanie finally, his eyes searching her confused expression as if it had the right answers. “The club. It had to be. Something… inside. Something… anything. We wouldn’t do that.”  

Mel wasn’t sure how Enzo expected or wanted her to react, but it probably didn’t help the situation that nervous laughter burst from her mouth. She slapped a hand over her lips, shaking her head.

“Holy shit,” she breathed. “So we, uh...we really did that, huh?”

The memories were flooding back to her now, every explicit detail. Her eyes flitted away from Enzo, knowing that this bed wasn’t the first they’d ended up in the night before. Her eyes lingered on the closed door, dreading facing the people on the other side.

Enzo vividly remembered skin against his body. Hands, fingers, lips… And he didn’t push them away. He replied with the same motions.

“It was the club,” he repeated, firm in his stance. He reached out, grabbing each side of Melanie’s face. “The club. It’s magic. It did this. Understood?”

She pursed her lips, searching his face. “The club. R-Right.” She knew it was true, but shame flooded through her because whatever had pushed them to do that, it hadn’t made it feel any less…

She shook her head, willing the thought away. “The club.”

Enzo stood then, letting the sheets fall from his body as he remembered a particular set of lips… ones that belonged to a man. He shook his head.

“Shower,” he said in a haste. “Now.”

Despite the situation, she smirked, standing and pressing her skin against his. She placed a soft kiss against his cheek.

“Good idea. Let’s cleanse ourselves of...whatever happened last night.”

[idornasequel]

Chapter Thirty: The Unlikely Company

Beatrice inhaled sharply as she, Akari, and the rest of the Unlikely Company stepped into the hottest club in Miami, the tile floor pulsing with the beat thrumming through the hot, sweaty crowd that pressed in against them from all sides. Her hair felt heavy, weighing her head down in the oppressively busy room, her ears ringing from all the noise. Overhead a well-choreographed ballet of flashing lights danced around the room, an array of colors bouncing off the mirrors hanging from the walls and the jewel-bedecked partygoers moving in time with the obnoxiously loud music.

Swallowing her basic instinct to run back outside where, even though it was as humid as a sauna, it was undoubtedly cooler than the swarm surrounding the Samoan. Beatrice turned around and looked at the group, forcing a nervous smile. “I’m gonna go scope out the bar. How about we meet up in an hour to try getting into the VIP area up on the third floor?” she shouted over the bass drop, feeling her tulle skirt already start to cling to her freshly shaved legs.

Enzo nodded, having to take a few moments to fully process what she said over the pounding beat. He didn’t remember much from the club in the Oasis, but it was child’s play compared to this. He didn’t even know if he could see the other end of the dancefloor through the flood of bodies.

That is when his eyes went upwards, spotting the two upper floors where it looked much calmer. “I’ll be up there,” he said, pointing to the second floor before he took off towards the staircase, feeling as if he may pass out from all of the moving bodies surrounding him.  

“I’ll check around down here,” Calix shouted, sweeping his hands in a wide arch and trying to avoid the crowds of people dancing much too close for comfort.

Splitting up seemed like a good idea, but it wasn’t long before Calix realized how quickly they could lose each other.

The Veil was the busiest and most obnoxious club Calix had ever seen. There were bodies everywhere. Nowhere was spacious. Everywhere he stepped, he collided with someone.

He made his way briskly to the edge of the dance floor, where the mindless throngs were thinner and meandered cautiously among the frolicks.

Natasha scanned the crowd as the two boys quickly disappeared, knowing it was best to split up. “I’ll talk to a few people, see what I can find out about the Karras twins and the club,” she said, slipping away from the group and into the large crowds. She didn’t like being around this many people, but in a crowd like this, at least she felt anonymous.

Akari stretched her arms over her head, exhaling as the others left she and the other girl alone near the entrance. What the hell is her name again?

“I might recognize an Auror or two,” she said to the blonde. “Do try and enjoy yourself while you hunt.” And with a playful wink, she took off into the crowd.

Mel watched her go, unsure of whether she felt annoyed or thankful to have someone with a similar attitude around. She decided on the latter as she scanned the crowd, looking for a target.

Guess I’ll chat up some waiters.

Mel headed across the crowd, her first mission finding something to drink, with hopefully some information on the side.

Beatrice stood at the bar, scanning the crowd while she patiently waited for the bartender to bring her a scotch on the rocks. She shifted from foot to foot, casually swaying along with the Spanish influenced music flowing through the atmosphere, when she heard a cough come from behind her. Throwing on a dazzling smile, she twirled and came face to face with the server, handing her a glass filled with amber liquid, quickly handing him a ten dollar bill to cover her tab.

Leaning against the stainless steel countertop, the cool metal leeching the heat from her glistening tan skin, Beatrice sipped lightly on her drink and turned around to continue searching the crowd for the twins. The lights twinkling overhead started to bleed into one another, the absurdly loud music softening to a mellower tempo, making the room feel a lot quieter. Blinking rapidly, she wondered if she had something in her eye, though a giddy gleeful feeling bubbling up in the back of her mind convinced her otherwise. Akari can handle this. You deserve to party.

A sigh spilled from her lips, her dark brown eyes settling on Calix dancing on the fringe of the crowd not too far away, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of the uncomfortable Irishman.

You should go cheer him up. Beatrice quickly downed the rest of her drink and haphazardly set the glass down on the counter, her hips swinging dramatically from side to side as she made her way over to her man, bottom lip pushed out in a sensual pout.

The crowd waxed and waned near the edges, people tripping over each other as they danced chaotically to the thunderous sound of the music. It was a mess, nothing more than a melting pot of drunken wizards, witches, and muggles.  

Calix felt tremendously awkward, even at the periphery of the club. He smiled and nodded at some girls as they passed by, followed by two lustful brutes. The girls stretched their hands out and pulled at the tails of his shirt, making low noises that Calix could barely hear before the two ‘gorillas’ hauled them off.

He softly stepped away, quickly uttering a few charms under his breath. Red mist, hidden beneath his clothing, swarmed around his skin, and Calix began to relax somewhat as his protective spells took hold.

He didn’t like the Veil - he didn’t like it at all. The nightclub was a nightmare come to life, a hellscape where the Karras twins - and their mysterious doings, whatever they were up to - were hidden in plain sight.

Glancing into the center of the dance floor, Calix spotted a familiar face moving towards him. He stepped a little closer to the crowds and waited for Beatrice to join him, happy of her company.

“Hey, baby!” she shouted over the music, her wide smile almost stretching from ear to ear, her pupils the size of saucers in the darkness. Beatrice eagerly grabbed his hands and put them around her waist. “You’ve gotta try the drinks here. They’re so good, Cal!”

Beatrice’s grip took Calix by surprise, but he slipped his hands around her slim waist and held her close to his chest. Her eyes looked huge in the dim light, her chocolate-colored irises gazing up at him. Calix put it down to the alcohol.

“Maybe later, love,” he whispered in her ear, swaying from side to side.

She frowned, stamping her foot on the ground like an insolent child. “Don’t be a party pooper. C’mon! Just one drink, please?” she asked, batting her thick eyelashes at him, pressing her chest flush against his. “For me?”

Calix held Beatrice tight in his arms, wondering how much drink she had taken. They were barely in the door and she was already throwing a mild tantrum on the dance floor, stomping her feet on the tiles.

“I might have one, but I’m really okay for now,” he said, looking around him. “Did you see either of Karras twins?”

Staring up at the ceiling high above their heads she giggled and shook her head, her frizzy curls floating in the sweat filled air, feeling like she was flying away too. “I think...ummm…” she paused and stood up on her tiptoes, pressing her plump lips against his clammy earlobe. “Why don’t you come help me look? It’s kinda dark over by the bar and I could be mistaken, but I’m pretty sure I saw Evan-whatever over there,” she said, leading him back towards the far wall of the club where drinks were being served. “And like Kari said, she can handle this. So let’s just have a good time, okay baby?”

Calix eyed Beatrice with suspicion. Something was amiss, but he nevertheless took the smallest glass he could find. He would take a sip to placate Beatrice, although he really didn’t want to get drunk - not when so much was on the line.

Enzo walked around the second floor, glad that the action was a little more contained up higher; however, not by much. He still had to move around bodies and stop in his tracks when a few drunk partiers paraded in front of him.

He pressed his hands against the railing, looking down to the dancefloor. He squinted his eyes, looking for any sign of his friends or the twins, but there were too many bodies, too many lights, and the bombastic music was clouding his focus.

He was just about to turn back around and keep searching when he felt a pair of hands slip around his waist from behind, resting on his abdomen, and next to his right ear, he could hear a male voice:

“Well, well, well, what’s a pretty boy like you doing all alone in here?”

Enzo spun on his heels, using his hands to pry the foreign ones away from his abdomen. When he looked to where the voice sounded from, he saw a man standing less than a foot from him, looking rather pleased with himself. His dark hair was quiffed, and his open-buttoned shirt spelled ‘cocky’.

His fists clenched at his sides and he set his jaw. “Waiting for my girlfriend, thank you,” he said, the hint of a threat lacing his words.

“Oh, now, there’s no reason for you to lie to me. We’re all friends here, and I’m sure your girlfriend wouldn’t mind me keeping your company for a little while,” he said with a suggestive wink.

“I think she would mind,” Enzo replied, his teeth grinding against each other. “And so do I. So, please, go away.”

The man rolled his eyes dramatically and shook his head, backing away from his prey with a flirtatious swagger in his step. “When you’re ready to come out of that closet you’re trapped in, give me a call,” he said, his gaze lingering at Enzo’s palm where his phone number magically appeared, as the wizard escaped without another word.

The room had melted into a sea of colour, and Mel couldn’t be happier.

Whatever mission that had been screwed securely into her brain had been knocked loose and instead she was dancing, spinning around in a circle and twirling arms with some faceless girl in a red dress.

Her mind suddenly flitted to Enzo, and the only memory that clearly pierced through her haze was that he had ventured upstairs. She left her dance partner and climbed the stairs, where she found Enzo leaning against the railing and surveying the crowd. A giddy smile breaking across her face, she sauntered over to him and pressed her lips to his cheek.

“Hey baby,” she purred.

Enzo perked his eyebrows up in surprise as he felt Melanie’s warm lips against the scruff of his cheek. He turned, giving her a smile as the memory of the strange man washed away, and kissed her lips, tasting something strange against them.

“Been drinking?” he asked, mock-judgment lacing his tone.

She gave him a lazy smile, mischief glinting in her eyes. “Who, me?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle lightly, shaking his head and he grabbed her by the waist. They had only been in the club for approximately twenty-or-so minutes. Melanie had a high alcohol tolerance; this was unlike her.

He looked into her eyes, trying to conjure a more serious tone now. “Are you alright? You know we’re here for a reason.”  

She rolled her eyes, sliding her arms around his waist. “I’m fine, babe. I only had one drink! I’m keeping an eye out.”

Her fingers danced across the small of his back. Even as she tried to assure him he was fine, her words trailed into a mumble as her gaze caught this lips in fierce concentration.

He pressed his tongue into his cheek, nodding. He knew that she didn’t want to chase down what could possibly be a dangerous foe. She had her danger back at Idorna.

“I’m sorry,” he said, exhaling loudly, his chest deflating from where the pent-up oxygen was being held. “Just a… strange night.”

She cocked her head to the side, brushing her lips against his. “Hm? How so? Do you need me to take your mind off it?”

“Do I look like I’m g-” He cut himself off, shaking his head. Of course, I don’t. Stupid. He knocked the thought loose, looking back into her eyes. “Nevermind. I think I’d like a bit of whatever you’re having.”

She grinned then, grabbing his hand to lead him down the stairs and back into the chaos.

Akari walked through the dancefloor, nodding her head along to the beat, briefly taking a look at both Calix and Beatrice who were deep in some sort of conversation before her eyes landed on a head of blonde curls. She grinned, walking up behind the woman before placing her finger on her bare shoulder-blades that moved to the rhythm.

“You have the right to remain silent,” she purred, leaning in so her lips nearly touched her neck.

The woman laughed, turning around to showcase those sharp, green eyes of hers. “Of course she’s here. Why wouldn’t she be?”

Akari giggled, wrapping her arms around Amanda. It had been months since they had seen each other. Amanda was stationed in Alabama, but she often frequented missions in Miami. When Akari was stationed here almost a year ago for a few weeks, Amanda was her partner.

Amongst other things.

“How have you been?” Akari asked, placing her hands around Amanda’s neck as they moved their bodies to the rhythm.

Amanda shrugged. “Ain’t complainin’,” she said, her accent strong. “You?”

A chuckle escaped Akari. “Babysitting five kids.”

“For the Congress? What, trainees?”

Akari tilted her head back and forth, looking over her shoulder to where Beatrice and Calix were… But they were gone. Hopefully to dig up more information.

“Something like that,” Akari replied, looking back to the other Auror. “Hey, so, the Karras twins. You ever see -”

But there was a spike in the beat, the music pounding louder and louder as roars of excitement sounded from the crowd.

“Come again?!” Amanda hollered, laughing.

“The Karras twins!” Akari hollered. “Ever see them around here?”

“Once or twice,” Amanda replied when the music dialed down a notch or two. “But I’ve never really talked to ‘em.”

“Mhmm,” Akari hummed.

“Crazy, though, eh?” Amanda continued. “I mean, I know - or rather knew - Evangelos. I worked with the man for a time.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Real nice ‘fella… Weird that he quit for… all’a this.” She motioned around her. “I mean, good on ‘em, but I just never pegged him for a clubber. At least the drinks are cheap.”

“Hmm,” Akari mumbled, absorbing the little information given to her.  “Well, listen. I gotta get back.”

“To the kids?” Amanda asked with a wink. “To the kids,” Akari replied.

She tilted her head up, pressing a gentle kiss against the other woman’s cheek. Even in heels, she was shorter than most. She turned after giving Amanda a wave and headed towards the bar, curious about those cheap drinks.

Natasha worked her way easily through the crowd, all moving to the pounding music. It was difficult to see clearly, as the lights were almost as erratic as the music, but her eyes eventually landed on a man dancing with a few friends; he was only an inch or two taller than her with sandy brown hair and based on his gleeful expression, and the mostly-empty drink in his hand, he was in the perfect zone between buzzed and drunk.

Without hesitation, Natasha strode over, taking the glass from his hand before he could take another drink. He looked at her in surprise, but before he could speak, she’d set the glass aside and dragged him away from his friends to dance with her. She guided his hands to her hips, then wrapped her own around his neck, holding him close as their bodies moved together.

“Uh, do I know you?” the man asked, although he didn’t seem to be complaining much as he danced against her.

Natasha laughed softly, the action forced, although anyone who heard it wouldn’t be able to tell. “No, but I’d like to get to know you,” she purred, having to lean in close to his ear to be heard over the music.

A grin lit up his face, clearly thinking he knew what she was insinuating. “I’m Blake,” he said, pulling her hips a little closer to him.

“Natasha,” she responded, letting her eyes drag down his body. “Have you been here before? To this club?”

Blake nodded. “Yeah, my friends and I come here almost every weekend.”

“Yeah? It’s my first time,” she said, smiling brightly in his direction and trying not to think about how obnoxious the expression was.

“It’s a great place,” Blake told her, hands starting to drift a little on her body. “Cheap drinks, good music.”

Natasha hummed a little in response, bottom lip caught between her teeth as she pretended to be distracted by his body for a moment. “What about the owners?” she asked, finally meeting Blake’s gaze again. “Do you know anything about them?” He was clearly intoxicated, and a Muggle. She didn’t feel the need to be subtle.

“Uh...I think it’s Emilio and Juno...something,” he said, laughing softly. “I don’t know. They’re foreign. Anyway, they’ll come out sometimes and do stuff, but no one sees them a lot. I think they spend a lot of time in the VIP section upstairs.” He pulled Natasha close, hands now more on her ass than on her back. “They aren’t important, though. I’d much rather talk about you and I.”

Natasha returned his smirk, fingers threading through his hair. “I’ll tell you what,” she murmured, her dark eyes looking into his blue ones. “Give me five minutes to go find my friend and tell her I’m leaving, and then I’ll meet you outside and we can go find somewhere a little more...private.”

Blake’s expression lit up, and he nodded eagerly. Natasha smiled at him, leaning in and pressing a soft, chaste kiss on his lips before breaking away from his grasp, walking away to seem as though she was looking for a friend. She made a face of disgust as soon as her back was to him, straightening her top as she made her way through the crowd. She had no intention of meeting him, instead of looking for either Akari, another member of her unlikely company, or someone else to try to get information from, as Blake was not very helpful.

Natasha sat on a couch on the second floor now, appreciating the calmer atmosphere to the mob of a dance floor down below. For the time being, she was by herself, just observing things, particularly the people going to and from the third floor. There didn’t seem to be anything about them that particularly stood out, but it was still early in the evening.

She had yet to see Akari or any of her friends since they all split up. She wondered how many of them had actually managed to stay away from alcohol since arriving; she’d been tempted to drink, but kept reminding herself that she had to stay focused and that staying sober was a lot more important now than it was at the Oasis.

“Hey, you,” Akari said once she noticed the dark-haired girl. She sat down beside her, her eyes glossing over as she took in her sharp features. “What’s your name again?”

Natasha looked up when she heard a familiar voice, her eyes landing on Akari.

Of course.

“Natasha,” she informed the other woman, making no effort to look welcoming. “Any luck so far?”

Akari leaned her head against the back of the couch, smiling towards Natasha. She sighed, batting her eyelashes a few times. “Lots.”

“Really?” Natasha asked, not bothering to cover her surprise. “What have you managed to find out?”

Akari swished the full drink in her hand, the ice clattering against the glass as she did so. “That these bad boys are only five bucks.”

Natasha nearly groaned, realizing just how intoxicated Akari must be. It didn’t take all that long, but it was about what she was expecting.

“Great,” she muttered, looking at the other woman. “How much have you had to drink?”

Laughing, Akari shrugged. “Dunno. They’re sooo good, though, Nat.” She held it out to her. “Try some. Fruity and, like… sour, kinda.”

“No, thank you,” Natasha said shortly, pushing the glass away. “Some of us want to be able to focus on the reason we came here.”

“Evangelos is most likely in the VIP area with his sister,” Akari said, brushing off anything Natasha said.

The older girl, moved closer to Natasha so that their arms were almost brushing against each other. Akari hadn’t taken much notice before, but Natasha had a strange charm about her… Whatever it was, it was compelling her to share her drink.

“If we want to get in with them,” Akari said, scooting closer now so that their skin touched, “we have to be having fun.”  

Even if she was wrong about everything else, Natasha realized that Akari was right about that last part. They weren’t getting into any VIP sections by sitting and waiting. Plus, she would much rather just shut Akari up by taking a few sips of the drink than continuing to sit here and argue with her.

“Okay, fine,” she said, reaching over and taking the glass from the former Aquilen. She took a sip, nose scrunching slightly at the strange taste. It wasn’t bad, per say, just...different.

Akari smiled, a chuckle forming in her throat. She licked her lips before swinging one leg over Natasha, straddling her lap. She placed one of her hands on the back of the couch beside Natasha’s head, the other hand covering Natasha’s on the glass. She brought the drink back up to her lips.

“If we want to blend in,” she purred, her voice heady, eyes narrowing in on the other girl’s, “we need to be having… fun.”

Natasha stared at Akari as the older woman suddenly moved onto her lap, the movement catching her off guard. Normally, particularly with someone that managed to annoy her as much as Akari did, she would have pushed the woman away, probably taken away her drink as well. But something, probably the fuzzy, excited feeling that seemed to be building up inside of her, stopped her from doing that. Instead, she placed her free hand on Akari’s black-clad thigh, eyes locked on the other woman’s.

“I think I can manage that,” she murmured, barely loud enough to be heard over the pounding music.

Beatrice bopped her head in time with the music playing overhead, polishing off her second glass of scotch while Calix still nursed his first, fidgeting with the waistband of her skirt which had grown increasingly itchy against her smooth legs. 

You should find someplace to take it off.

Looking up at Calix, her eyes gleaming, heart pounding, she beamed brightly and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You wanna know somethin’ just awesome?” she slurred drunkenly, carding her fingers through his thick hair.

Calix pinched his eyes, trying to ignore the noises around him. It was substantially easier with Beatrice around. She always had a way of capturing his attention. When she smiled or touched his skin the rest of world seemed to melt away into nothingness.

However, he was anxious about her. And himself. He had started to feel a minute pain in the back of his skull, like the drumbeat pounding on his brain. It couldn’t have been the alcohol? He had only taken a sip from the glass; barely more than a thimble full of bronze liquor.

How fucking strong is this shit?

He put the glass down on the countertop, clicking his tongue against the roof of his palette in disgust. The red mist crawled apprehensively along his body as he linked his arms around Beatrice’s waist, though Calix paid it little heed. He was more concerned with the knock-out effect whatever Beatrice’s drink of choice had on her, sensing a drastic change in her chemistry.

“What’s awesome, love?” he whispered in her ear, placing a tender kiss to her curve of her neck.

“You’re all mine,” she said grinning proudly as she leaned up, pressing a teasing kiss to his lips before standing down and starting to pull away. “And I’m all yours. Like you could easily have anybody in this whole place, but I’m the one you wanna be with. And tha’s just so awesome,” Beatrice said, walking back towards the staircase upstairs.

Did that make any sense? Do you care if it did?

“I’m all yours, and only yours,” he repeated, a summer warmth of love rising in his chest. Of all the people in the room, Beatrice was the one to watch - she was always the most beautiful person wherever they were. And watch, the bumbling bodies did. They peered and whistled as she passed by.

He was the lucky one; she could have had anyone in the world.

As Beatrice moved away, Calix followed her footsteps. She was much drunker than he’d ever seen her before, which didn’t stand to reason, and his protectiveness grew wild.

‘I’m all yours,’ he thought, ‘I always will be.’

“I wonder where e’erbody else has gone to,” she shouted behind her. Blindly grabbing out for him, she took hold of his hand and drunkenly dragged him up the stairs, her smile growing even wider when she saw Mel and Enzo not far away from them at the top of the staircase. An excited squeal escaped from her soft pink lips, offending the eardrums of some clubbers passing them by. “Cal, look it’s our friends!”

Calix loyally kept to Beatrice’s side, allowing himself to be dragged up the stairs as the dull drum inside his skull intensified. He spotted his friends halfway up the steps and smiled brightly at them.  

Maybe they’re having better luck than we are.

“Enzo! Wassup man?” Beatrice slurred, stepping towards the Frenchman, her arms wide open for a hug. “You know you’re like one of the luckiest men alive? You get to date this gorgeous lil’ lady right here,” she said, winking playfully at Mel nearby.

Enzo smiled, a soft laugh escaping him as he hugged Beatrice tightly, swaying slightly as the alcohol began to take effect. Small, pink flowers dotted his vision, and they smelled, unlike anything he had ever encountered before… and he wanted more.  

“I know I am,” he said as he released Beatrice, putting an arm around Melanie’s waist with pride.

Calix pinched the bridge of his nose again, trying to forget the clear din vibrating in his ears. He turned to check on his drunk girlfriend. When he looked he was overcome with a sense of unexplainable desire prompting him to how fair she was.

It was a bizarre sensation, one that drove him to wrap his arms around the small of her back and pull her tightly to his chest.

“Has anyone one seen Nat?” he said, his voice muffled by Beatrice’s neck, a semblance of composure restored to his chaotic mind.

Mel shook her head, reaching up to run her fingers through Enzo’s hair. She was struck then by how good he always smelled, leaning up to bury her nose in his curls.

“I wish she was here,” Mel sighed, resting her chin on Enzo’s shoulder. “Nat is just the best, isn’t she?”

“She is,” Calix murmured with a grin. “I wonder where she is? And Akari too!”

Enzo tilted his head back, the beat surrounding him making him sway. “I think we should get shots…”

“We might find the other two on the way,” Calix agreed, pulling Beatrice by the hand back down the stairs.

“Wait, no! They’re over there,” Beatrice said, tugging her boyfriend back up the stairs. She grinned and waved exuberantly at Natasha who sat beneath a very affectionate Akari straddling her lap. “‘TASHA!’ Hey! It’s us, your friends!” she shouted over the music, swaying back and forth like a tourist on a cruise who hadn’t gotten their sea legs yet.

It took a moment for Natasha to realize there was someone shouting at her, and another moment for her to finally break herself away from Akari. The older woman's lips were soft and inviting, and they seemed to be giving Natasha a euphoric rush that only made her want more. But then her dark eyes landed on the person calling her name: Beatrice, who was surrounded by their rest of their unlikely company. Natasha's usually-stony visage lit up, and she looked at Akari again.

"Those are my friends," she told her, voice still low but now tinted with excitement. "My friends. We should go say hello." Although she liked having Akari on her lap like this and didn't want to move her.

“Mmm,” Akari groaned softly as she pulled away, winking. “Buzzkill.” Akari flicked her eyes away from her current conquest, blinking lazily over to where the other four students who were sent to her stood, gawking at them. She couldn’t help but giggle uncontrollably at the sight. She turned back to Natasha once more, placing a kiss on her jaw before pushing away from the couch, walking over to the group.  

She threw her arms around Calix’s neck, giving him a tight hug. “And how are my favourites?” she asked, leaning into the man.

Enzo leaned into Melanie, sighing softly as Akari made her way to them. Something itched at the back of his head, but he couldn’t quite form a proper image. “Were we not… here… for some-”

“Shots?”

He was pulled from his haze as a woman approached, her sweet voice surrounding them. She was wearing very little, just enough to be considered legal to wear in public. She was carrying a tray, and on it were six shot glasses, each filled with a bubbling pink liquid that seemed to be topped with blue flames.

“They’re on the house,” she said with a bright smile.  

“My favourite kind,” said Mel, grabbing a shot and knocking it back. The warm feeling in her chest continued to blossom.

Akari didn’t even speak before she grabbed the shot, tilting it back over her lips, the blue flame vanishing into her mouth along with any sobriety she may have still possessed.

Enzo followed Melanie’s lead, taking a shot for himself, the fruity liquid strong… but good. He still wanted more.  

Natasha followed Akari over to the others, downing the last dregs of their shared drink before setting the glass aside on a nearby table. She smiled at the others as she reached them, picking up one of the shot glasses and quickly swallowing the sweet liquid.

"It tastes so amazing," she praised, wrapping an arm around Enzo and leaning into his side. Everything felt so warm and nice, and she wanted her friends to feel as good as she did.

Beatrice gasped and dropped the sturdy shot glass on the floor, bouncing up and down, nearly breaking one of her heels in the process. “I have the best idea ever!” she said, wetting her lips. “We should go snoop out the VIP area upstairs, right?”

Mel’s lips pulled into a wide grin. She stumbled forward and wrapped her arms around Beatrice’s neck, pressing her forehead to hers.

“Bea, you are a fucking genius.”

“Let’s go, then!” Akari said excitedly, having to hold onto Calix for fear of falling over in her heels. “I bet there are more driiiinks.”

“Yeah, let go,” Beatrice said, narrowing her eyes at Akari as she pulled Calix away from the overly flirtatious older woman.

Why does it matter if he’s only yours tonight?

She smiled and headed towards the staircase where two very large bodyguards stood glaring at everybody who passed by, occasionally letting an inebriated individual come out, nodding skeptically at those who headed up to the third floor where the VIP area sat.

Enzo kissed his teeth when they neared the staircase, not knowing how to get up at all. He looked at the others, unable to mask the stupid grin on his face. “Plan?”

Natasha let out a laugh, shaking her head. She pressed a friendly kiss to Enzo’s cheek before following after the others. “We walk in!” she shouted back at Enzo, quickly catching up to Akari and snaking an arm around the woman’s waist.

Calix followed after Beatrice, half-dragging Akari along beside him until his fingers lost their clumsy grip on her wrist. He beamed at his unlikely company, feeling lighthearted and carefree as he approached the third floor.

That drop of whatever-it-was was marvelous!

Calix linked his arms with Beatrice and Akari, and pulled the girls, including Natasha, along with him.

“We just walk in,” he repeated, stepping up to the bouncers with his friends in tow, “We’re VIPs! Let’s go!”

Mel skipped to the front of the group, winking at the bouncers as she sauntered past. She waited just beyond their reach for her friends to follow suit. Just like that, they were in.

Watching the way Mel’s hair bounced delightfully as she skipped, Calix dragged the other girls alongside him. He looked briefly over his shoulder, calling out: “Come on, Enzo!”

Enzo padded into the VIP area of the Veil, blinking as he observed the room around him. While the rest of the club was mundane enough, the VIP area was clearly reserved for magical-blood only. There were witches and wizards all over the place, waving their wands to create light shows above the couches they sat on.

“This is incredible,” Akari mused, tilting her head back as she watched in awe while a purple elephant swooped just above her. “God, can we live here?”

“Whoa,” Natasha breathed, staring up at all of the beautiful lights. She turned her head to follow a bright orange bird as it flew past her head, the motion causing the inebriated girl to lose her balance and fall backward into Enzo. She grabbed onto his shirt to steady herself, giggling all the while.

Calix stopped, watching with abandon as luminous creatures danced in front of him. He followed their majestic movements, fixating on a royal blue dragon that glided behind all the griffins and the hippogriffs in the distance.

“I love this place,” he whispered, releasing his grip on the girls and staring at the displays of colour.

Beatrice kept walking forward, her eyes alight with wonder at the shimmering menagerie surrounding her, and let out a sharp squeak as she collided with an empty couch, toppling forwards into a giggly heap on the plush purple leather. “I think I’m gonna just stay right here for like...ever,” she wheezed, propping herself up on her elbows as she looked up at all of her friends. “Join me!”

Enzo avoided a mirage of a tiger before flopping down on the couch not far from Beatrice, leaning his head back as the shot he took mere minutes ago began to take its toll, sending shivers down his spine that reached around to his ribs and hips. It was unlike anything he ever felt.

“Then let’s never leave,” he said to Beatrice, eyeing her with a chuckle.

The thought of spending the rest of his days at the Veil filled Calix with joy. It would be so easy, he’d simply never leave. Deep down, however, there was a nagging rumble in the back of his mind. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on; it kept getting brushed aside by the music and the lights.

Mel joined her friends on the couch, flopping onto her belly and sprawling across Enzo’s lap. Her hands reached forward and found Beatrice’s. She sighed contentedly as she trailed her fingers along the other girl’s.

“I seem to recall being promised more drinks,” she said, sending Akari a playful look.

Akari rolled her eyes softly as the blonde woman spoke to her. “I’m on it,” she said with a snap of her fingers before heading towards the small bar on the other side of the room.

She returned a few moments later, messily levitating a tray of six orange-red drinks that the bartender claimed were to ‘die for’, setting it down on the small table in front of the others. “Drink up, kids.”

Natasha picked up one of the drinks and dropped down into an empty space on the couch, an ear-to-ear grin spread across her face as she looked at the others.

These are my friends. They’re all so amazing and perfect.

She took a long drink from her glass, exclaiming happily when she tasted it. “Guy, guys,” she said, leaning forward and grabbing onto Akari’s hand to get her attention. “You have to try this.”

Enzo laughed, trying to rub a blurry film from his eyes, but it was futile. Nevertheless, he obeyed Natasha’s instructions and grabbed one of the drinks, hardly able to bring it to his lips before taking a long drink from the slim glass. He smacked his lips a few times, letting the tropical taste washing over every inch of his tongue.

“Wow,” was all he could muster.

“Wow is right,” Akari said after taking her own drink, overwhelmed by how delicious the stuff was. She sat down beside Natasha again, downing the rest of the drink before she rested her head on the other girl’s shoulder.

Beatrice clumsily ran her fingers through her curly black hair, her head feeling like lead dropping onto one of the numerous pillows scattered around the couch, a senseless giddy smile curling her lips into a smile. She ran her tongue over her pearly white teeth, the delicate fruity taste making her mouth tingle. “I wish I could feel like that all the time,” she said, absentmindedly caressing Calix’s thigh with her hand, her fingers trailing along the inner seam of his trousers.

Natasha toyed with Akari’s dark hair as she finished off the rest of her drink in just a few swallows. “I know, it feels so good. I wish we could feel even better, though.”

“Hmm,” Mel mumbled in agreement, turning her back to stare up at her boyfriend’s face in a state of dreamy bliss. She brushed the hair from his face, tilting his chin to force his eyeline to meet with hers.

Enzo stared into Melanie’s eyes, each a different planet that seemed to have the same magnetic field. Without much hesitation, he leaned down, pressing his lips against hers, one hand behind her head and the other resting on her stomach.

Having made his way to the couches after the dragon exploded into a blue starscape above his head, Calix sat down next to Beatrice. He looked up towards the ceiling, taking several deep breaths of air laden with tropical notes.

Calix’s hand graced Beatrice’s thigh, his fingertips slowly tracing the same path her fingers took. When he reached the hem of her skirt, he glanced down at her and smiled, admiring the muzzy smile on her plump lips.

“I think I know how we can feel better real fast,” Beatrice mumbled, her dark eyes gleaming in the shimmering lights. Leaning up quickly, Beatrice captured Calix’s lips in hers and moaned shamelessly into his mouth, one of her toned arms snaking clumsily around his waist. She reached out with her free hand and laced her fingers with Mel’s, tenderly raking her nails over her friend’s soft pale skin.

Natasha watched Bea and Mel both kiss their boyfriends, giggling slightly as she did. “That’s no fair,” she said, a playful pout resting on her lips. “You both have boyfriends to make you feel good.”

“Boyfriends are overrated,” Akari mused to Natasha, grabbing her by the waist before laying back on the couch, hauling her weight on top of her body, raking her hands through the other girl’s dark locks. “This is better.”  

A grin broke out over Natasha’s face as she looked down at Akari. “You’re right,” she hummed, before leaning down and capturing the other woman’s lips in a passionate kiss.

Calix kissed Beatrice, his tongue slipping into her mouth, gentle but demanding. Once, twice, until he tasted sweet cinnamon and boozy liquor, and realised he hadn’t had enough. He kissed her more. His hand started to run higher up Beatrice’s leg as they moaned with an urgent fervour they had never felt before.

A shiver went through Mel’s body when she felt Beatrice’s hand on hers. It propelled her forward, her free hand running through Enzo’s hair as she kissed him more desperately than before.

Enzo’s fingers curled, forming a fist, gripping Melanie’s hair as she kissed him harder, and he returned it. The hand that rested on her stomach slipped around, resting on the small of her back before slowly sliding downwards as he moved his lips down her jaw, neck, and slowly trailing towards her collarbone. He moved his hand from her hair, reaching forward to get a better grip on something. His fingers found flesh. He had no idea who it belonged to, and he didn’t care; everything felt right.

Fingers brushed across Calix’s shoulder. He took a sudden, deep breath, lips caught between his teeth and the dense air, filled with raw passion, slipping through the corners of his mouth. His hands explored further, one snaking around Beatrice’s waist to lift her into his lap, as his heart thundered rhythmically with the violent music.

A moan escaped Beatrice’s lips, her legs trembling with excitement as she straddled Calix’s lap, sloppily peppering a trail of tiny kisses across his flushed cheek, nibbling on his earlobe. The room spun around her, the iridescent lights above fading into one another, beckoning her to do the same. Outside the club, everything was annoyingly hard, easy everyday tasks were wrought with rules and limitations, but there surrounded by her friends, it seemed as though there was nothing they couldn’t do. Reaching out towards a blurry mess of dark hair, Beatrice lightly tapped on what she hoped was somebody’s shoulder.

Natasha breathed heavily as she broke her lips away from Akari's; she reached up and laced her fingers with the hand that tapped on her shoulder, caught up in the whirlwind of the alcohol, the music, and the sounds of her friends making each other so happy. She pressed a few light kisses to Beatrice's tanned skin before looking at the other woman fully.

Beatrice grinned and slid her hand along her friend’s smooth, pale shoulder to her neck, her glittering nails getting caught in Natasha’s long chestnut hair. Her lips parted, dark brown eyes wide as she unconsciously leaned forward until suddenly Beatrice realized she was kissing Natasha.

Maybe you shouldn’t keep going… Pulling back a bit, Beatrice set her forehead against Natasha’s, her thumb slowly tracing the outline of her dewy, bare collarbone until it came to a halt at the hem of her blue shirt.

But why stop now?

Natasha returned the kiss that Beatrice gave her, hand moving to rest on the Samoan’s waist as they broke away. She took only a moment to catch her breath before capturing Beatrice’s lips once more, this time allowing her fingers to tangle with the other woman’s dark curls.

Akari laughed, reaching up behind each of the girls’ heads, grabbing fistfuls of their hair. She moved her body so that she was between them, her lips moving back and forth between their necks as they kissed each other.

Mel broke away from Enzo, her lips still brushing his cheek as she watched the show before them. She stroked Beatrice’s hair, a smile playing on her lips.

“I feel left out,” she murmured in Enzo’s ear. Her hand moved to Calix’s chin, tilting his face towards them. “Calix looks lonely, doesn’t he? Cheer him up, babe.” She brought Enzo’s earlobe between her teeth.

Calix watched Mel bite the Frenchman, his body drawn towards them by the witch’s magnetic touch. A shiver ran down his spine, the blood-music taking complete control.

Untangling his arms from Beatrice’s waist, he reached out to take Enzo’s chin in his grip, spurred to place an exigent and insistent kiss on his lips.

Enzo’s eyes widened, first at Melanie’s words, then at Calix’s sudden movements… but he quickly forgot why he was shocked, and his cheeks lost their heat as he let his lips move against the other man’s, melting into him as he felt his girlfriend smile against his ear. He felt the hem of his shirt creep up his torso - with no idea who was performing the act - and fell against Calix, pinning him down against the couch.

Beatrice pulled back to catch her breath and glanced over her shoulder, her heart skipping a beat as she saw Enzo and Calix’s passionate kiss, starring spellbound by the embrace, her bruised lips curled up in a smile. Gently guiding Mel towards Natasha and Akari, she crawled towards the two men, panting heavily in eager anticipation. Sidling up to Calix she grinned and slid her hand around his waist, pulling his belt off slowly, helping the duo along.

Calix knitted his fingers into Enzo’s hair, tightened his grip on the wiry roots as the kiss took. It was a strong embrace, one Calix felt Enzo dissolve into, hurried along by a stranger’s rummaging hands at his belt and trousers. Calix didn’t care. He should’ve - but, he couldn’t stop himself or his pleasure.

So, he bit down on Enzo’s bottom lip while he searched for the flesh of whoever had joined their entanglement.

Mel kept her eyes locked on the sight, even as Beatrice moved to take her place. She fell back, her head falling into the lap of one of the other girls. She wasn’t sure who. She blindly reached for the face above her and brought it down to her own, running her tongue along the lips that found her.

Natasha smiled when Mel's blonde head landed in her lap, moving down easily to kiss her. Her hand found the Gestona's thigh and pushed up the hem of her black dress, gently caressing her soft skin. After a few passionate moments, she pulled back and guided Mel towards Akari.

Mel allowed herself to be passed along towards Akari. The music blared in her ears, the colours bleeding through the air around her. Her lips found Akari’s, and she pressed her body fully against the other girl’s. Her hands roamed down Akari’s body, and she was heavily aware of Natasha’s presence close behind her, pressing her further forward.

Everything swelled - the music, the colours, and all sense of where they vanished. Mel gasped as she felt Natasha’s lips on her neck. Part of her slipped away, the only conscious part there still was, and she gave herself over completely to the sea of contact writhing around her.

Evangelos smirked and caught his bottom lip between his teeth, eyes glinting darkly as he watched the group of witches and wizards lose their grip on reality, embracing one another freely with wild abandon. He took a pull from his leather covered flask, nodding somberly at the bartender before heading towards his sister’s office overlooking the club from the fourth floor. They had a little breathing room for now.

[idornasequel]

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Unlikely Company and Akari

Enzo waited in the Observatory, standing beside Natasha as he waited for the others to enter. He leaned up against the wall, playing how wrong this night could go over and over in his head. They didn’t know what they were dealing with. It was strange, knowing that one of the strangers they were pursuing who Helena deemed ‘born of sin’ was someone he admired when he was learned Quidditch in Beauxbatons.

He had been to Greece once, during his seventh year of school, to watch the Greek Goddesses take on the German Frost. He mostly paid attention to the Seekers the whole time, but he knew of Juno Karras. She was known for her aggression, which made this situation all the more tense.  

“Excited?” he asked with a slight grin, looking over to Natasha. They hadn’t had the chance to speak much since they left Idorna, but he missed their small, late-night conversations in Lille.

Natasha tapped her silver-tipped fingernails against the table she leaned against, waiting for the others to arrive so that they could head to Miami and meet Akari. She looked up when Enzo spoke, scoffing slightly.

“Very,” she responded, a teasing sarcasm tingeing her voice. “I’m just hoping Akari doesn’t get too distracted by the alcohol and dancing again.”

Enzo nodded in agreement. “If so, we’ll just push on without her. Deal?”

“Deal,” the German agreed, smiling softly at Enzo.

Calix was rolling the sleeves of his checkered shirt up when he stepped into the Observatory, catching the last few words of Enzo and Natasha’s conversation.

“Evening, guys,” he said with a smile, “Are we ready to party? Again?”

Enzo snorted, shaking his head. “So long as alcohol isn’t involved.”

“We’ll need our wits about us,” Calix agreed, looking down at the star chart stretch across the table. “Especially if we’re going after two photo-bombing sinners.”

“They’ll be easy to find,” Natasha said, her expression more solemn once Calix joined them. “It’s getting information that will be difficult.”

“It’s a good thing we’ve got such an all-star team then,” Mel said as she entered, striding across the room to plop herself atop a wooden desk. “I wouldn’t feel safer with anyone else.”

Mel’s unwavering optimism forced a small chuckle past Calix’s lips. He shrugged his shoulders, silently agreeing with a simple nod of his head.

He trusted his friends, for better or worse. He knew that if the time came, his ‘all-star team’ would be in his corner.

Together they had a good shot at dragging some information from the Karras twins.

“Has anyone seen Beatrice?” Natasha asked, glancing at the clock on the wall before looking at Calix, assuming he would have been the last to see her. They didn’t have long before they were supposed to be there.

“I haven’t seen her since we got back from New York,” Calix said, placing the palm of his over the face of his watch. The bronze frame pulsed rhythmically, tapping against his skin with harmonic movements.

“She shouldn’t be long,” he muttered, counting how quickly Beatrice’s heart was beating.

“I’m here! I’m here. Sorry, everybody,” Beatrice shouted as she came bounding up the stairs, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand. “So as I’m pretty sure most of you are unfamiliar with Samoan, I wrote down the spell so that you can come and go as you please,” she explained, setting it down on the table where the star chart of New York was laid out. “Of course it’s still gonna take some practice to get the hang of it, but overall, it’s not too tricky, I’d say.”

Natasha glanced at the paper, but she wasn’t too concerned with being able to get anywhere besides Miami, at the moment. “We should go,” she said, looking at Beatrice. “Do you have the chart for Miami?”

“No,” Beatrice admitted, her back turned to the group as she recited the spell and headed over to the door. “But we can easily apparate from New York.”

“Assuming people have apparated to Miami before?” Calix murmured, following Beatrice to the door. He quickly checked that his wand was securely tucked into the waistband of his dress pants, not wanting to leave it behind. He didn’t know what they were facing into at Veil.

“I definitely haven’t,” said Mel, picking absently at the hem of her dress. “But I mean, how hard could it be?”

“Neither have I,” Calix said, raising his eyebrows. “Any of you guys?”

Enzo simply shook his head, kind of wishing they had met with Akari beforehand.

Natasha gripped the edge of the table, trying not to think about what happened the last time she apparated that far. You’re used to your wand now, and you’ll focus more. Nothing will happen.

“I have, but not from that far,” she told the others, taking a deep breath. “I’m sure it won’t be that much harder, though.”

Beatrice nodded and opened the door, stepping out onto the busy sidewalk in New York. “Well then we can side along apparate together,” she said, tucking her house key in the collar of her shirt.

Enzo stepped out into street, keeping his arms folded over his chest as the cold air bit at his skin. He turned, waiting for Natasha to suggest a point to apparate to.

Gooseflesh rose on Calix’s arms as he paced the pavement, waiting for the others to step through the portal. His breath hung in the air like crystals. He clamped his hands under his arms, and looked around the street.

They needed a quiet place to disappear; and a prayer that they all would re-apparate in one piece.

“C’mon, I think there’s an alley over there we can use,” Beatrice said, grabbing Calix’s hand and leading him across the street, knowing the others would follow closely behind them.

Enzo kept close to Melanie as he followed Beatrice and Calix across the street and into an alleyway where the break in the wind was a little more forgiving. He looked back to Natasha once they were hidden. “You sure you can get us there intact?”

Natasha’s dark lips twisted into a small smirk, trying to cover the anxiety building up inside her. “Like Melanie said, how hard can it be?” She reached out to grab onto the others, focusing on the part of Miami she wanted to apparate to.

Calix held Beatrice’s hand tightly, reaching out to offer Natasha his other hand as they stepped into the alley. Between the tall buildings, there was very little to be seen.

But, he felt a nervous energy begin to swell when he touched Natasha’s hand. Her calmness seemed to ebb away, which was very unlike her. He squeezed her hand gently, not able to offer much more in the darkness other than a simple gesture and an obscured glance.

Natasha’s gaze snapped to Calix when she felt his warm hand squeezing her own. She nearly pulled her hand back before she realized it was a gesture of comfort, that he could likely sense her nervousness and was offering what he could. She gave him a slight nod of thanks, not knowing if he could even see it in the darkness.

Once she had a firm grasp on both Calix and Melanie, and made sure they were each holding on to their partners, the German turned on the spot. The group disappeared from the chilly New York alley, and reappeared in a warm, empty parking lot, illuminated by aged yellow lights. The only sound Natasha could hear, besides her companions, was a nearby beach, indicating that they had, in fact, reached Miami.

Within the blink of an eye, they were in Miami. Enzo was used to apparating by now, but he had to admit that he was nervous about letting Natasha perform the act for him. He knew her, and he trusted that she knew what she was doing, but it felt like he was betting his life all the same. However, when he looked around at the group, it didn’t look like anyone had been splinched in the process.

Miami was just as Enzo had expected it: warm and relaxed. Even with the sun hidden and the full moon on display, he could feel the warmth in the breeze that drifted by, threatening to break a few strands of Melanie’s hair loose from its bun.

There were very few people out in the streets from the alleyway they stood in, and they seemed much more at ease than the residents of New York. It was similar to the difference between the rush of Paris and the laid-back nature of Lille.

“Veil,” he said. “That’s the name. Anyone good with location spells?”

Calix’s stomach spun slightly when his feet touched the greying asphalt. He felt like he’d just been on a rollercoaster, one with a tremendous, sudden drop. Apparating on his own was something Calix was quite comfortable with, but being dragged along by Natasha seemed to upset his stomach.

He shook his head lightly, taking a deep breath of warm and sea-fresh air into his lungs. He quickly looked around his group, checking for any signs of splinching. Everyone - thankfully, and rightly -  seemed fine.

“I can give it a bash,” Calix said, breathing in more of the delightful air, “But, Mel’s probably the best at it.”

“True,” said Mel, removing her wand from the bust of her dress and giving it a twirl. Her stomach still felt a little queasy from apparating, but there was a pleasant smell in the air that put her at ease. “Leave it to me.”

Mel murmured the incantation to the charm, watching as a translucent blue light spilled from the tip of her wand and snaked down the road and around the corner.

“Is Akari already there?” she asked, beginning to follow the trail her wand created.

“I think so,” Beatrice said with a grin, her fingers interlaced with Calix’s. The warm air surrounded her like a blanket, settling the unease that had taken hold of her heart. What kind of trouble were these siblings trying to stir up and could it really be that bad? “Didn’t she say she’d meet us there?”

“She did,” Calix said, swinging Beatrice’s arm gently as they followed Mel’s footsteps. “But, she’s a bit airy, isn’t she? Hopefully she’ll actually be waiting for us.”

“That’ll be her problem if she decides to dive in headfirst,” Mel said flippantly. She continued to follow the trail, around the corner until the group reached a lit up strip, nightclubs seeming to line both sides as far as the eye could see. The spell came to a halt in front of a tall building lined with neon blue lights. “This must be it.”

Akari’s eyes flickered upwards once she noticed the party of five come around the corner. She smiled, pushing herself away from the wall she had been leaning against for the past ten or so minutes.

“Hey, kids,” she said after a few drunken college boys pushed past her, one wolf-whistling her way.

She eyed the group, glad they all seemed to know how to dress for the occasion - some opting for more colorful looks than others. Akari herself went for a pair of skin-tight, black leather pants that came to a halt just above her ankles. Her burgundy blouse was cut low so what little cleavage she had was on display. She conjured herself a pair of classic, red stilettos and twisted her hair into a messy braid that ran down her back.

“Didn’t think you were gonna show for a second,” she said, her voice just a notch louder than the base emitting from the club.

Enzo looked up to the rather tall roof of the club, the several windows showcasing gyrating bodies within. He had never really been to what most would consider to be a club. The only places he had been where the purpose was to be intoxicated were Rodrick’s and La Sorcière Farcie.

“So, what’s our game plan?” Beatrice asked, glancing around the group with a nervous smile. “We’re here to work, but I think it’d look pretty odd if we didn’t at least order something to drink. But like, what do we do when we see the Karras twins?”

“Find me,” was Akari’s short answer. “I’ll deal with them - Evangelos would be my number-one choice. If that is not possible at the moment, don’t make anything obvious. Walk away if you have to.”

“So, we’re here to do… what, exactly?” Enzo said, folding his arms over his chest.

“Backup,” she said, giving her fellow Aquilen’s arm a playful tap. “Nothing more. Nothing less.”

“We’re playing second fiddle?” Calix snorted under his breath. He looked around his company, wondering how each of them felt about backing up an Auror who either didn’t want their help or didn’t consider them to be a hindrance to her efforts.

“Got it,” said Mel with a single nod. She wasn’t about to argue with Akari, especially when the other girl seemed so resolute. She cracked her knuckles, offering her a playful smile. “Let us know if things get too dicey for you.”

Natasha eyed Akari, not entire sure she trusted the older woman to do this on her own. Yes, she was a trained Auror, but this was something none of them had faced before, and none of them knew exactly what they were up against. The others seemed to be prepared to go along with it, though, so she just shook her head a little, already brushing past Akari to get into the line to get into the club.

How long will it take for this to go wrong?

[idornasequel]

Evangelos Karras

Birth Name: Evangelos Karras

Age: 35

Birthplace: Megalochori, Greece

Primary School: Ilvermorny

Profession: Former Auror for the Magical Congress of the United States of America; Co-owner of Veil Nightclubs

[idornasequel]

Juno Karras

Birth Name: Juno Karras

Age: 35

Birthplace: Megalochori, Greece

Primary School: Ilvermorny

Profession: Former Chaser for the Greek Goddesses, Co-Owner of Veil Nightclubs