2 months later

Felicia walked forward, brushing her hand across the old wooden dresser which sat at the opposite side of the room. Light poured from the windows and the trees outside swayed in the breeze. The little house they were situated in creaked, wavering from years of unuse. They really weren’t supposed to take up residence, but she convinced Raynauld that a week stay would be fine. Unbuttoning her shirt, she let the simple but relatively clean and unripped fabric fall to the ground as she focused on her ether.

The wings unfurled from her shoulders as she rose herself from the ground, holding her hands out and closing her eyes as the feathers started to pull off and regrow. It was becoming more comfortable, more natural to control the hundreds of little shards. Last time she had tried moving them in a helical pattern rather than a circle, and today she was trying to do both at the same time. Her ether brimming, she kept it down, still suppressing herself; the more control the better. Feeling her surroundings, the dark jagged feathers carefully maneuvered around the objects in the room, cleanly slicing through the air. She started to form larger chunks out of little pieces, moving them in tandem in a variety of forms. It was fun in a way, being able to train herself.

Raynaulds signature started to near the building as she pulled the crystals away from the doorway, preparing for him to enter. She carefully flared the wings outwards, pushing her chest forward, and lifting her chin as the crystals picked up momentum. They moved like arrows, delicately yet viciously spiralling around her. The door clicked as it creaked inwards and Felicia opened her eyes, waving her crystal arm outwards. The spikes froze in place, glistening in the light. Turning to Raynauld, she gave a small smile as he walked in, taking off his cloak and putting it on a hook. She pulled the crystals back, reattaching them to her wings. “How was it?”

“It was alright, nothing new.” He turned to her, walking forward. “Working on the ether manipulation?”

“Yeah, I’m not really sure what to do, but I think that it’s working.”

He tilted his head. “Well, anything that uses ether usually helps.”

Nodding, she smiled as her feet met the ground again. He smirked and looked down to meet her eyes. “How’s levitating feel?”

“I’m starting to get used to it.” Running a hand along the wings, she laughed a little. “I don’t really need the wings per say, I just need crystals to pull on.”

He moved his hand to the wings as well, grazing his fingers over the dark crystals. “Does it work the same as the arm?”

“Sort of, same thing with sensing the ether.”

Staring at the wings again, she shifted the feathers and made a few of them fly upwards. As Raynauld looked at them, she shook her head and dissipated the crystals with the exemption of her arm. The room stayed silent as she brushed her hair out of her face, smiling at Raynauld as he picked up her shirt and handed it to her. Slipping her arms through the sleeves, she looked out the window. “We’re leaving soon?”

“Yeah, we should go into town and find some supplies before we move.”

Before she could give a nod, a sudden surge of ether came from outside the house. She snapped her eyes over to where she sensed it, but saw nothing outside the window. Raynauld glanced over as well. “Monster?”

“No, people. But they’re not normal.”

Raynauld nodded and moved to pick up his cloak. “I’ll go see what it is.”

Before he walked out, she grabbed his hand, looking him in the eyes. “Be careful, alright? I’m going to come out if there’s trouble.”

He paused for a second and nodded, gripping her hand back and then heading out the door. As the entrance shut behind him, she dematerialized her arm, looking out the window, ready to go out. Moving in full view, she spotted who she was sensing. There were four people, all armed and armoured, their weapons still sheathed. They wore a blue and white garb with an insignia on the right side of their clothing, but she couldn’t tell what it was from a distance. The leader of the group was a woman who rested her arm on the hilt of a longsword, her dark hair softly blowing in the wind. Raynauld walked up to her, standing firm.

Felicia quickly shook her head and opened the door, walking outside as well. No armed person with the amount of ether she was sensing would come out to where they were without looking for trouble. She heard their conversation and intently listened as she strode closer. Raynauld’s tone was formal but still guarded. “Has anything gone wrong?”

“Not much. That’s not why we’re here though, you know that. We heard reports that you were spotted around here.” The woman glanced over to Felicia, her eyes narrowing. The rest of the people also looked over to her with differing amounts of recognition. She could see their features more clearly, one was a tall bearded man who had eyes like ice and held a spear, one a young woman with short hair and a scar on her right cheek with an axe in hand, and the last was a relatively young looking man who looked more confused than anything as he fiddled with his shield and sword. Felicia glanced over to Raynauld who looked back to her with a hint of worry as the woman spoke to her. “You’re…” she trailed off and returned her gaze to Raynauld, speaking sternly. “You’ve kept Illumnianoire’s daughter with you this whole time?”

Felicia stepped forward, shaking her head. “I chose to stay, who are you people?”

The woman stared at her and then shifted her eyes down to her single arm. After watching for an uncomfortable moment, she turned back to Raynauld, a hint of pity in her voice. “What happened?”

“... Everyone else is dead, targets included.”

Putting her hands onto her hips, the woman looked to the ground, tapping her foot. “... You know why we’re here.”

He grimaced and looked away as well before she continued. “Why didn’t you report back?”

“We didn’t get the chance.”

“In two months?”

Still looking away, he didn’t answer. The woman placed her arm back down on the sword. “You’ve been deemed as a deserter, and I’m going to have to ask you both to come with us.”

Felicia quickly stepped forward, speaking up. “Why don’t I get a say in this?”

The woman spoke again, barely giving her a glance. “If there’s any equipment you have, lead us to it.”

Felicia pushed in front, moving into the woman’s vision. “Hey!”

The woman’s eyes finally flicked to her. “Please oblige, it’ll make things better for everyone.”

“Why do we have to listen to what you say? What has he done?”

The woman was visibly taken aback before she looked back up to Raynauld. “What the hell happened to her?”

“I-”

“She lost her memories.” Raynauld moved forward and gripped his hands into fists. The woman shook her head. “And you never told her anything?”

Felicia looked between the two, becoming frustrated. “What’s going on here?”

The woman let out a long sigh and cocked her head to the side. “Raynauld, this will look even worse on you.”

Felicia stepped close to the woman, putting space between the two. “No, I chose this, if anything I pushed him into it. Anyways, I still haven’t agreed to listen to you.”

Grumbling, the woman crossed her arms. “You’re the daughter of a high priest in the city. You’ve gone missing and we assumed you were dead.”

“That’s-” She gave a nod. “Even if you’re right, I don’t see a reason why I would let you do this.”

“Excuse me?”

Felicia stood firm and carefully chose her words. “Tell me, what’s the punishment for desertion?”

“A trial is held-”

“But what’s the punishment?” Felicia maintained eye contact, staring at the woman as she opened her mouth to respond, but closed it. Raynauld moved from behind, speaking quietly. “Felicia, it’s alright-”

“No, it’s not.” She felt her heart beat faster as she realized that the soldiers weren’t backing down. “This isn’t right.”

The woman growled and started to move forward. “Stand aside. By the order of the city, both of you are coming back with us.”

Felicia stayed in place, narrowing her eyes. “I will protect myself if I need to. But there doesn’t need to be any violence.”

The woman grunted and firmly pressed a hand to Felicia’s shoulder, trying to push her aside. Felicia resisted for a moment, but started to lose footing as the woman moved. Raynauld moved towards Felicia, his hands up. “Hey, both of you, stop.”

The woman scowled at them. “Either you reason with her or we have to use force.”

Felicia shook her head, placing a hand to the woman’s stomach. “Stay back.” A strand of ether pulsed in her hand as she sent a blast outwards. The woman was blown off her feet, tumbling a few meters away. Felicia stood back up straight, growling. “I warned you. Now walk away.”

The woman pushed herself to her feet, her eyes narrowed. “You don’t want to do this.”

“You’re right, I don’t, so please. Walk. Away.”

Raynauld quickly ran to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Felicia, stop-”

“Raynauld, please, stay back.”

He shook his head, hastily whispering to her. “These are soldiers from the city.”

“I know, but they’re going to kill you, they’re going to kill both of us at this point.”

“No, not you, so please-”

“No.” She gently pushed him back, staring him in the eyes. “I won’t let you get hurt when you’ve done nothing wrong.”

Felicia started to walk towards the woman, staring her down. “I’m giving you a choice of peace or violence, it’s up for you to decide.”

“You’re disobeying a direct order from the city.”

“Yes, I am. But this is still your choice.”

The woman slowly gripped on her sword, pulling it out of the sheathe. Felicia gave a look to Raynauld, hoping he would stay back. Thankfully, he did as the woman fully pulled the sword out. The blade glinted under the sunlight as it was pointed directly at Felicia. “You don’t have to die.”

“And I don’t have to kill you either, but-” Felicia grabbed the blade and stepped forward, impaling the blade into her stomach. The woman let out an audible gasp of surprise as Felicia grunted, holding onto the sword. There was a long moment of silence before the woman spoke again. “Why… why did you?...”

Instead of responding, Felicia stepped backwards, letting the sword slide out of her abdomen. While it was extremely painful and uncomfortable, she was able to bear through it with a straight face. Lifting up her cut shirt, she showed the wound which was already healing, halfway closed. “I’ll ask you, can you do that?”

The woman stared, bewildered. Felicia continued, displaying the healing wound. “Because I can, over and over. I’m not afraid of this fight, but I would be afraid for you. So please, I’ll ask once again. Walk away.”

As the wound finished healing, she stepped back and the woman whispered under her breath. “What are you?”

“I’m Felicia, daughter of a high priest according to you, and currently a deserter of the city.”

The woman stepped back, still gripping onto her sword. “Regardless, I still need you to come with me.”

“Even after what I showed you?”

“Yes.”

“Even though I’ve told you I’ll protect the two of us?”

The woman glared and held her sword up by her cheek as the other soldiers also drew their weapons. Felicia looked between them all with saddened eyes. “You’re all going to fight?”

Receiving no response, she nodded with disappointment. Raynauld yelled out, but she didn’t hear what he said as the woman dashed forward with her sword. Ducking, Felicia formed her arm, deflecting the blade away with the crystals. The woman’s eyes widened as she caught sight of the arm, her face a mix of anger and horror. Preparing a new stance, she flicked her eyes around. “... Raynauld, protecting her is worse than desertion, it’s treason.”

He stepped forward, growling. “I know.”

Felicia looked back, keeping her voice calm. “You’re unarmed, I can handle this.”

A swish of metal moved towards her to which she materialized a wing to block. Looking up to the woman, Felicia gauged her reaction. It was one of deep fear and anger, and the woman’s ether burned hot, flickering and wavering. The man with a spear thrust towards her, missing the first blow but following up with another flurry of stabs which were blocked by her second wing. Detaching a feather, she sent it upwards and into his throat. The man didn’t react in time, surprise fading from his eyes as the spike pierced his spine. The woman roared, slamming the sword down. “NO!”

Suddenly, Raynauld came into view, tackling the woman, forcing her to let go of her weapon. Felicia switched her attention to the other two. An axe slash came down in front of her which she jumped back from, letting it miss. The axe wielding woman swung again, anguished fury in her eyes. Felicia quickly took more feathers from her wings, breaking them off and sending them forward. The woman shuddered in pain as the spikes slammed into her flesh. With a flick of her hand, she sent another into her attacker’s skull. They fell as dead weight, slumping to the floor. Sensing movement on her left, she flung a crystal feather. The projectile hit it’s target, embedding into the last man’s back.

Turning to Raynauld, she saw him struggling with the woman who now had a knife in hand, attempting to sink it into his chest. Flaring her wings, she broke off another spike and sent it into the woman’s arm. Raynauld kicked her off and picked up the knife while standing up. The woman tried to stand as well, but Felicia hurtled the spikes towards her.

The crystals froze midair, hovering inches from the woman’s throat. She stayed on her knees, sitting completely still. Felicia walked forward, her wings still spread outwards. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want this to happen.”

The woman glared. “Don’t lie to me. How long were you waiting to kill me for?”

“I wasn’t, I truly didn’t want to hurt you, but you’ve forced my hand.”

“Red eyes, crystal wings. You’re an abbadon.”

“Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean I’m not sorry for this.” She kneeled down to meet the woman’s eyes. “I’m sorry that you’re more than what I’ve seen, and I know there’s people who care about you, and for that, I’m also sorry. You haven’t given me any other choice.”

“Fuck you.”

“You’d try to kill us again if I let you go, and I can’t have that happen.” With a flick of her fingers, a feather slashed through the woman’s throat, causing a spout of blood to pour from her neck. With a whimpering gurgle, the woman feebly reached her hands up before falling to the ground, lifeless. Felicia turned to Raynauld, her wings folding behind her back. “You’re unharmed?”

Raynauld watched the woman twitch on the floor before nodding. “... Yeah.”

Felicia shook her head, looking down to the bodies. “I’m sorry.”

“... Are you okay?”

“I’m not hurt-” She realized what he meant and lowered her head. “... I… I did what I thought was necessary.”

“... I see.”

She turned to him, almost pleading. “Raynauld, I didn’t want to do that, I really didn’t, I tried to reason with them, but they- they…”

“It’s okay Felicia, I know.”

She looked down to the man who had a spike in his back, his face in the ground. It took her a second to figure out that he was trying to run away. She looked down to her hands and whispered under her breath. “Is this what monsters do?”

“You’re not a monster.”

“Am I really? How do you know what the distinction is?”

“Because I know you, and I know you hated doing that.”

Felicia brushed her fingers over her bloodied clothing. “... But I don’t regret it.” Her voice remained quiet as she stared at her crystalized hand. “I did what was needed to protect us, and I don’t regret that. Of course I wish there was another way, but…”

Raynauld’s arms wrapped around her as he quietly spoke. “It’s okay Felicia, I understand.”

Giving a small nod, she turned to him and dissipated her wings before hugging him back. She wanted to ignore the truth, that she had just taken four people’s lives, that she had murdered them without a second thought, but the corpses around them didn’t let her. Releasing and looking into his eyes, she saw the red reflection of her own. He moved a hand up to her cheek, maintaining eye contact. “It’s okay.”

She grabbed her arm and gazed upon the bodies, turning away. “I’ll move these to the forest.”

“I’ll help.”

“It’s okay-”

“It’s safer if we go together anyway.” He slowly picked up the woman’s body. “Rest, Alina.” Felicia heard him whisper, more regret and guilt seeping in. Picking up one of the men she had killed, she brushed her fingers over his eyes, closing them. The body felt so light in her arms, despite the armour and extra weight. She walked next to Raynauld silently, wondering who these people were, what they were like out of combat, who knew them. None of that mattered, but she still wanted to know. She wanted to know a lot of things. As they moved away from the house and to the nearby forest, Felicia looked over. “Do you want to bury them?”

“Yeah.” He placed the body he was holding on the floor and started to walk back. “I’ll get a shovel.”

She nodded and went alongside him, looking down at her arms which now had blood seeping into the clothing. The shirt she was wearing was ruined beyond what she could feasibly repair herself, and she wouldn’t be able to explain it easily to the tailor in town, no matter how nice a man he was. Hoisting another body up, she started to go back to the little enclosure where the other corpses were. By the time she was picking up the last one, Raynauld had come out of the house, a shovel in hand and a grim look on his face. Felicia lowered her head with a long sigh and gently placed the last man down, hoping his death was painless. Raynauld quietly took the woman’s sword sheath out and handed it to Felicia. “Would you mind picking up the sword and spear? I think we could use those.”

“What about the axe?”

“Hide it somewhere, anywhere in the house would be fine.”

She gave a nod and started to walk back, giving him some space. Returning to the house, she opened the door and stepped inside. She moved into the room and sat on the bed, letting out a long sigh. It was so easy, all of it. Those were soldiers, and they obviously knew what they were doing, but not against her. It was scary how effortless sending the spikes into them was, how quickly they fell. Taking off the shirt, she moved to the bathroom, washing the blood off her stomach. She looked up to the mirror, seeing her eyes reflecting a light blue grey. Focusing for a moment, she let the ether flow. Red started to swirl in her irises, and after a second, the bright red lights pierced through the dim room. Shaking her head and returning to the bedroom, she put on a new shirt and sat down. Physically, she felt perfectly fine, like she had gone for a small jog.

The arm dissipated and she laid back on the bed, looking up to the roof above. They would have to run, the soldiers had already tracked them down. Raynauld had told her before that they would be on the run if they were caught, but she didn’t expect it all to start by her killing people. However, she was prepared for more if that’s what it took to keep them safe.

Raynauld came back after a little while, and Felicia barely looked over to him as he entered. He walked into the bathroom, washing the dirt and blood off his hands. Letting out a long sigh, Felicia sat up and rubbed her face. Raynauld came back into the room and sat beside her, putting a hand on her back. “Are you alright?”

“I’m okay, you?”

“Yeah.” He looked away for a second and then shook his head. “We’re going to be hunted now.”

“We weren’t already?”

“We were, but now they’re going to be sending more people at us.”

She nodded and looked down to the bed. “We’re going to leave now?”

“Yes, we’ll have to go into town quickly.”

With a sigh, she held onto his hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s okay.”

She lowered her head and clutched onto his hand. “Look, I… I just want you to be okay.”

“And I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“But where do we go for that to happen?”

“I don’t know, we’ll figure it out. Together.”

Moving in, she wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight hug. He returned it as she whispered in his ear. “I love you Raynauld.”

“I love you too Felicia.”

~

Lianne hit the dirt hard and arched her back in pain. “F-fucking hell.”

A sigh came from her right as a hand reached out and grabbed her arm. “Come on, get up. That was sloppy of you.” Sirius pulled her to her feet and pointed to her left arm. “You overextended the punch and left yourself off balance-”

“Oh, shut up, I don’t need a lecture.”

“Hey, you’re the one who asked for this-”

“No, I asked to fight you, not hear you speak.”

He shook his head with a smirk on his face. “Fine, fine, I’ll beat you up again.”

“Shut it.”

“If you were more careful you might get a round-”

“I said shut it, let’s go.” Regaining a stance, she threw a punch at Sirius which he ducked away from. Continuing forward, she threw a few more punches in his direction, trying to get a reaction out of him. Sirius remained calm, stepping out of the way and parrying her blows. With a quick dash, she shifted to her right and kicked at his side. He moved faster than she could react and grabbed onto her leg, tucking it under his arm and moving towards her with his palm. His hand landed on her chest and shoved her back, forcing her to hop on one leg as he raised her other, sending her to the floor once again. Groaning from the impact, she stared up at the cloudy sky above for a second. “... Shit.”

“Again?”

“... What did I do wrong there?”

Sirius glanced at her as he reached out his hand. “I thought you didn’t want me to say anything.”

“Just tell me.”

Scratching his head, he looked at her. “Well, to start off, I know you, so when you started throwing those punches I knew that you were going to try something big soon enough. Secondly, you were already prepping your back leg for a kick, so I expected it.”

Raising her eyebrows, she grumbled. “Anything else?”

“I’m also good at fighting.”

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and walked away, ignoring his insinuation. He ran up to her side with a small chuckle. “So, do you have any plans?”

“No, you?”

“I’m thinking we should head out of town, find one with more bounties.”

“Probably.”

“We got a lot from the last one.”

“It was a pain in the ass though.”

“Are any of them nice to deal with?”

“No, but some of them are easy.”

Sirius tilted his head and shrugged. “True.”

Lianne put a hand on her hip and turned to look at him. “Want to get something to eat?”

“Hm? Sure.”

She nodded and walked forward, moving out of the secluded courtyard they were in. The town in front of them was filled with murmurs of people bartering for goods. She looked back and forth, making sure they weren’t being watched. Running a hand through her hair, she strolled forward, moving to a stand. Before she could ask what Sirius wanted to get, her head started to pulse with pain.

Her hand moved to her temple as she stumbled back with a grunt. Sirius caught her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

She shoved him off and looked around, covering her right eye. She was too preoccupied with the pain to respond, and she started to move towards it. A torrent of thoughts poured through her head, creating a completely disorganized mess as she moved forward. She felt people staring at her as she stumbled forward. Sirius’s hand supported her as she moved and he said something she couldn’t discern. The crowds started to become denser as she moved into the town square, and the pain started to worsen. She murmured under her breath, trying to see through the haze. “Where are you. Where the fuck are you.”

Looking up, she saw a wisp of silver hair through the crowd. Her eyes widened and she moved forward. They were in a cloak, the same height as before, the same posture. Lianne reached her hand out, grabbing onto their arm. They quickly turned with a startled gasp and with the same surprised misty grey eyes. After staring for a moment, Lianne blinked a few times. The hair wasn’t as silver as she first saw, and the eyes were more blue. Her senses coming back to her, she remembered that Avaria wasn’t in their world anymore. The woman in front of her whose name she couldn’t remember took her hood off and touched a hand to Lianne’s temple. The pain started to disappear, and the woman spoke. “You’re Lianne, right?”

“... Yeah.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that… I… you know.”

Lianne stood up straight as the girl looked past her and stared. “... Do I know you?”

Sirius moved closer, at a loss for words. “Felicia, you’re…”

“You do then. I’m sorry, I don’t remember much from before.”

Before Sirius could move closer, a cloaked man quickly stepped forward, his hand moving to a sword. Lianne jumped back, drawing her knife. Felicia swiftly raised a hand to the man, shaking her head. “Raynauld, stop, they aren’t going to hurt us.”

Lianne looked over to Raynauld, vaguely recognizing him. He spoke to Sirius, his voice low and quiet. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m just taking jobs, nothing more.”

They stared at each other for a second before Felicia stepped in between, trying to push them apart but only raising one hand. It took Lianne a moment to realize that she only had one. Felicia’s voice was firm but still unthreatening. “Please, you’re making a scene.”

Raynauld sighed and stepped back, taking a hand off his sword. Sirius looked from Felicia to him, slowly nodding his head. “You’re not with the city anymore.”

Raynauld grimaced and looked away. “... No.”

Lianne crossed her arms and looked at Felicia again, trying to discern how much she was holding back. It was like staring into a sheet of ice over an ocean, the surface breaking and repairing over and over. Her head still hurt, but not nearly as much as before. Felicia glanced over and then looked at the crowd around them. “... Lianne, could I speak to you? Just for a moment?”

“... Sure.”

Felicia gave Raynauld a look of assurance before moving away from him. Lianne followed while flicking her eyes back to the two men, making sure they didn’t kill each other. As the sounds of others talking started to dim, Felicia turned a street corner and into a dingy alley. With a long breath, she turned around. “... I know this is abrupt, but do you mind if I ask about my mother?”

Lianne crossed her arms, sighing. “Yeah, I expected as much. What about her?”

“Just… who she was. I don’t remember anything, and she sacrificed so much for me, so… I owe it to her to at least know who she was.”

She looked down to the ground and shook her head. “The woman I knew didn’t know you existed.”

“But what was she like?”

“She…” Lianne took a deep breath and took a moment. “... She was always putting others before herself, even if it killed her. Happened a few times actually. I never knew she could come back from the dead, but I’m pretty sure she did a lot when I didn’t see.”

“O-oh.”

Lianne grumbled to herself and waved her hand. “Look, I’m sorry. The things that I remember her for aren’t nice.”

“... I understand. Thank you for agreeing to talk.” Felicia started to walk back with small and apologetic steps. Lianne slowly nodded to herself. “... She was a lot like you.”

“Sorry?”

“She never stopped saying sorry. No matter what.”

Felicia nodded and continued to walk back, her single arm holding the cloak around herself. Lianne couldn’t help but pity the girl in some sort of messed up way; the way she talked was so innocent, but she would never have whatever innocence she used to have. It was the same old story. As they got back to the town square, Lianne looked over to see Sirius and Raynauld talking to one another, their faces still stern but their hands not on their weapons. Felicia came to Raynauld’s side and she looked over to Lianne once again. “I’m sorry for the eye.”

Lianne nodded as Felicia held onto Raynauld’s arm. “We have to go now. I wish you two the best.”

“You too.”

Raynauld gave Sirius a nod before he turned around and left with Felicia. Lianne looked over, trying to hide her curiosity. “You two try to kill each other?”

“No, but the city’s chasing both of us. Him more than me.”

“Oh.” Lianne sighed, crossing her arms. “... You going to chase after them?”

“... No. They need some time alone.”

She raised an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, whatever you say.”

He scratched the back of his head, looking back at her. “Want to get another bounty?”

“How about food?”

“Oh, right.”

She chuckled a little and shrugged her shoulders. “We can go find a new job afterwards, if there’s any.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Lianne brushed her hand through her hair, feeling the hair clip’s embroidered surface. It was a bit dirty, stained and tarnished. She would have to clean it later, make sure it was bright and untouched. Although, she knew that wasn’t possible, to wipe off the years of grime and dirt embedded into the metal. Even so, she wanted to at least try. Looking over to Sirius as he moved up to a stand, she let herself smile. Killing monsters still wasn’t the most pleasant job, but it was better than it was before.