When I eventually got accustomed to kneeling for eternity on end, surrounded by nothing but empty walls of infinite black and white, hearing nothing but breathing, both Ria's and mine… I never thought I'd ever be leaving the claustrophobic quiet until I've either silenced her breathing by fading her completely, or silenced mine...

Probably killed to death, dragged out in a body bag, from extreme lack of competence or something. This point, either prospect is a probable fifty-fifty.

But now I've already left the room twice. Once with plastic wrappings in tow, and now again, following the clacking footsteps of hard leather heels from the lady detective who just keeps mystifying me more and more about what the hell is really going on inside her head.

"So, how are you faring?" She quite so suddenly asked, her tone a confusing mixture of the bossy and the casual.

Didn't see any point in underselling or overselling anything, so I just gave an answer as blunt as they come.

"It's a lot harder than I was expecting it to be… a lot longer too, but I think I'll be just fine with a few more tries."

Her heels continued to click-clack ever onwards, but she herself didn't say anymore… and it's like, where the hell are we even going? We've stopped walking on even planes, now we're traversing through the vertical one step at a time all the way down to the third floor.

Seriously, this is the most I've walked since we left for the park… just what does she want from me?

I hissed in a breath. "Irene, what're - ?"

"You must be hungry."

She spun around to face me, stopping just short in front of a doorway that led to another empty room.

Oh God, is this… is this really? Are we doing this right now? Am I seriously about to get combo-set B of sliced ham sandwich and bottled water for the third time tonight? Pinch me now, cause that just sounds too good to be true.

"Too bad you can't eat anything," She promptly continued, turning right away round and marched on into the doorway. "Ham sandwich's actually surprisingly good."

Oh really? Gee, guess I wouldn't know, shame… cough, cough, wink, wink.

I followed along after her, sighing away my dashed hopes. "Alright… did you call me all the way down here just to tease me with food?"

As soon as I took one step into the room, as soon as I caught sight of her, I got my answer.

No, she didn't.

From the way that she was averting her eyes from mine, how she stood there in the middle of the room with her legs shifting restlessly about… her hands squirming, writhing. The only thing that'll complete the set now was if her face became turning to a shade of the brightest red.

This again…

I took another precarious step inwards. "Is this another… talk?"

"No, no talk," She muttered, her lips barely moving, then to my complete and utter surprise, starting taking quick, large strides towards me. "No time."

What was the correct response to that? Hell, if I know. But I know for a definite fact that backing yourself all the way up against a wall was surely not the wisest.

So why the hell did I still do it?

Even Irene stopped her advances for a brief moment just to comment on it. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I just shook my head as she slowly crept closer. "It's not the hurting part I'm concerned of."

"Trust me, I'm not liking this any more than you are," She whispered, now only mere inches away. "I'm not doing this cause I want to, I have to."

I held my breath, careful to take not even the slightest whiff. "And just what are you doing?"

Irene batted her eyes, her pupils so close that I could see the brown in them, the tenderness too. "It's four in the morning now, and not once did I ever catch a glimpse of Ria appearing… you got two and a half hours until sunrise comes up, you remember your deadline, right?"

"Like I said," I replied, trying to focus on anything else but her. "Just a few more tries."

She shook her head. "You don't have a few more tries."

What.

"Incantation's gone?"

"You only have one more try before I have to dispel it," She said, her every word like a heavy mallet striking my eardrums. "Otherwise that room becomes a no-magic zone, and we can't have that."

I knew sooner or later my safety net would soon rip at seams, I just hoped that it would have happened later, much later than this, because I really did feel I just needed a few more tries until I get it right.

Now I only have one. If I fail that… then the next time I try, and the next time I fail… the blood that would dribble and flow from every slice won't just up and disappear no more.

This was it.

If I've heard this before Amanda, before Ash… I mean, I still would have gone through with it, but I think any semblance of my confidence would have dissipated right there and then.

Because of those two, 'cause of what they did… I was still confident, I still think I could do it.

So be it.

"Do you understand?" Irene asked.

I nodded at once. "Yeah…"

"Good. That's good."

And then that's where the discussion ended. Happily ever after, what needed to be said was said, what needed to be asked was asked - all well than ends well. So Irene you can stop pinning up against the wall now.

Please, a man needs to breathe.

"Okay, now that's settled... what is -" I gestured broadly to the scene before my very eyes - the sleek, slender face of a succubus, close enough to feel her every breath on my lips. "What is this?"

Didn't think it was possible, but she got even closer. Now she's done it, she just broke past the event horizon of personal space, there's no going back now.

"I have a feeling you're frustrated."

Not really.

"You try and hide it, but I know you are."

No, really… not really.

"No one checked up on you, no one you could talk to… you just sat there trying over and over again, failing over and over again… starving, aching, cramping. I know what it's like, I've been there before."

I gulped, and I definitely heard myself swallow. Just hope she didn't. "Right… so what are you suggesting I do to fix that?"

"I'd say eat a meal and wait an hour, easy way to clear your head," I saw her lips slightly twitch. "But since you're not allowed to..."

"And hypothetically if I say I'm actually doing just fine?"

"You're not," She simply said. "I can tell."

Mmm-hmm… pretty sure there are some plastic wrappings hidden amongst some rubble in a room somewhere that'll have a thing or two to say about that.

I definitely wasn't going to say anything.

Already I could feel her pheromones seeping in, try as I might, can't hold your breath forever… and she knows that, and she still wasn't pulling away from me.

That could only mean one thing.

"If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting…"

"I am."

No hesitation whatsoever.

"Just to be sure," I asked. "Are you still you, Irene?"

Once again, no hesitation. "I am."

"It's not exactly the right setting here."

"We're not going to go all the way," She said, nervously brushing a loose strand of hair from her eyes. "Just a kiss. You know what a kiss does."

"Oh, don't I?" I let out a breath. "Last time we did, you - "

"This won't be like last time!" Her voice raised up a few decibels. "I'm still me… and this is strictly for your benefit only. We kiss… you won't be frustrated, your head will be free, and - "

"You get a free kiss."

"This isn't for me!" She clicked her tongue, her cheeks lightly flushed. "Take this seriously, please. I just… I don't want to see you fail, after all this effort - your effort, I - I just don't wanna see that."

The sincereness in her tone. The way she looked at me. Those two combined, it was unfair… there was no way I could refuse her now. She really wanted to help me… just like those two.

How could I ever say no?

"You really think this would help me?" I asked.

Irene shrugged. "Worth a try."

I knew it was unnecessary, but I wanted to ask anyway, "Do the others know?"

"I'm the one that said no distracting you no matter what, it'd be pretty hypocritical of me if I told them what I'm doing now. Why do you think I brought you here? There's no eyes here."

Despite the situation, couldn't help but feel my lips curl slightly. "So what'd you tell them?"

"I went down for seconds."

Of course you did.

Alright, enough wasting time, I suppose…

"Ready when you are," I told her.

"Oh," I heard her gulp. "O-okay…"

There was a small moment of awkwardness. I didn't know whether to lean in, or if she was gonna take the lead on it, and clearly neither did she, as a result, none of us moved a muscle.

"Could you… mmm," She paused, probably trying to snuff the timidness from her voice just then. "Could you close your eyes?"

Okay there it was, her cheeks were basically aflame with red… wanted so bad to tease her about it, but I held my tongue and complied with her request.

Slowly, my eyelids fell… and her flustered expression was but a fleeting afterimage imprinted in my imagination.

"Y'know," I softly muttered. "I didn't have to close my eyes last time."

Didn't really expect her to answer, so imagine my surprise when I felt her lips brushing up against mine, feeling the warmth of her breath shaping her every word.

"This isn't like last time."

And she was right. It wasn't.

When she leaned in, when I felt her do so - it was light, it was gentle… I wasn't smothered, her lips pressing against mine - she wasn't overwhelming me, in fact, it felt more like she was restraining herself.

Then when I kissed back, I heard her take a sharp breath… but she continued, we continued.

Briefly, I felt her hand in mine… I don't think she even realized what she was doing… with my eyes firmly shut tight, she was free to do as she wished.

Maybe it was intentional, maybe it wasn't… either way, she wasn't letting go.

It's funny… I remembered my first kiss being in this very same building as well, and even back then, when Ria leaned down on me, that kiss was done solely for my benefit.

Not because either of us wanted to.

Hopefully, one day there will come a time where I'd fall into a kiss, and the only reason why I did was because I wanted to be kissed.

One day… but for now...

This shall suffice.