*Quin*

"It's cannon," Hecate was singing softly besides me. "The ships have sailed, the flags are raised, the sea's are calm. It's canon."

While I didn't have the slightest idea of what anything had to do with ships, I think she was talking about the noticable movement in Jacin and Hatch- sorry, Michael's ralationship. They'd gone from whatever the hell they had going on before to this...smoochy kissy canon thing, as Hecate told me it was called.

"How much further until Ne-"

"I'm hungry!" Hecate yelled, making me jump. "Let's stop for food. I got da money so food."

"Aren't you just extra annoying today," Heather mumbled from the front. "Fine. But don't think I'm doing this for you. I'm hungry too. What do you-"

"Panda! Let's get Panda!"

"Panda it is."

---

"Do you ever stop?" Michael said, looking at Hecate from the backseat. "I mean, did you use magic or something to make a black hole in your stomach?"

She looked up, chow mien hanging form her lips. Her eyes were huge with realization. "You think I can do that? I mean, without dying? Maybe if I put up a magic film on the wall of my stomach then maybe? Wait a second, no, I don't think any magic is strong enough to fight a black hole. Black holes eat everything, right? Think they eat magic too?" She glanced at Michael who had an eyebrow raised. "Look, buddy, I'm healing here, okay?"

"It's a possibility," Jacin said, playing along with her game. If it really was a game. I was scared Hecate might actually have the audacity to try it.

"I need to test that someday. Jacin! Let's recruit and astronaut to fly me into a black hole!"

"I think that's more of a team job, Majesty."

"You're right...let's find a team of astronauts!"

Jesus she was cute. Everything about her was either outstanding or terrifyingly strange in the most perfect way possible.

A part of me envied Jacin and Michael, the rest of me was still getting used to the couple.

"Alright, Hecate," Heather said, pulling to a stop. "We're here...I think. It all looks like desert and death to me."

Hecate dropped the box she was holding and crawled out of the car. I followed, keeping my hand on the gun that was strapped around my waist. Precautionary measures. We were, after all, pretty close to the Black Hand capital.

I watched he kick the ground for the secret code she'd yet to give away. She backed away, waited a second, then hopped back in the van.

The ground started to open in front of us.

"Onward!" She yelled, pointing her finger so close to Heather's face, I thought Heather might bite it. "You do remember how to get to the Black Hat, right?"

"Aren't you supposed to be in horrible pain or something?" Heather but back.

Hecate shrugged, a smile playing at her lips as per usual. "What can I say. I'm happy today. And rhyme-y, apparently."

---

*Niquie*

Wynnie came running through the door, electric blue hair flowing behind her. "They got her van pulling in. What're we supposed to tell her, Bae?"

"The truth."

Stay calm and collected, that was my job. Keep them calm.

Which was extraordinarily hard when I thought I'd die of a heart attack at any moment. What the hell? Why?

"She's gonna freak. She's gonna fuckin' freak the fuckin' hell out. Oh god. I've never seen her mad. You think she's gonna be mad? I think she's gonna be mad. What happens when the queen of magic gets mad? Off with our heads! Off with her head! Off with New York's head, Bae! We're screwed. So fuckin' screwed. Oh god, I'm sweating like a whore in church. What're we gonna do?"

I walked around the bar, calmly taking her in my arms and tucking her head under my chin.

"We're her friends, Wynnie. We tell her the truth and we deal with the aftermath."

Her hands gripped my back.

"But I'm too sad to make her feel better."

"I know, sweetheart, I know. But we need to be there for her."

---

*Hecate*

I skipped into the Black Hat and saw Niquie hugging Wynnie.

I knew something was wrong.

Niquie wasn't usually the type to openly show affection. I mean, maybe a kiss here or a hug there, but this was a serious hug.

"Hecate," she said, turning to me. "Welcome home."

Wynnie didn't let go of her, but looked at me anyways.

"What's up?"

Niquie walked around the bar. "Sit. I'll make you a sunrise."

I glared at her, but sat down anyways. "Alright, I'll play your game."

When she turned around again, she set the beautiful drink in front of me.

"Wasn't it a sunset last time?" Quinn asked.

I shrugged. "Sunrise, sunset, both look the same. Not important right now. Niquie and Wynnie think they can be secrety with me." Haha! Secrety makes a comeback! I turned to them. "So, you gonna tell me what's up or are we gonna play secrety secret all day?"

The two of them shared a look before Niquie nodded. "I think it's best if you come with us. Uh, alone."

I stood up, taking my drink with me, before I was stopped by Quin. "If she goes, I go."

"No, really. It'd be better if we-"

"If I go, he goes."

---

*Quin*

Normally, I'd probably be a bit more excited that Hecate was standing up for me, but right now, I was a little preoccupied.

From what I've seen, magicians were normally pretty happy. Right now, no one was smiling or laughing or doing something that seemed stupid and pointless but turned out to be the cure for something outrageous like cancer.

Niquie and Wynnie were holding hands while walking in front of us. Hecate was right besides me.

We were walking down the sky blue halls behind the Black Hat, the some hall that had our rooms, when we stopped.

"Why're we here?" Hecate asked, sounding...frightened almost.

I might've been alarmed if we hadn't stopped at a plain wall. The only out of place thing was the chip in the wall.

I'd almost forgot Wynnie was a magician until she, while holding Niquie's hand, pulled the two of them through the wall.

I felt Hecate's hand take mine, and then we were through the wall.

I was almost horrified by what was on the other side. It seemed like...a prison.

Cells lined the walls, most of which were empty. The ones that weren't had people sleeping; either on the ground or a provided cot.

Some of them were even wearing silencers.

"I didn't realize..." I started, "that New York kept prisoners."

Hecate nodded, her hand, which was still in mine, tightened for a second. I didn't know if it was pain from the burn or the prison. "Where ever people want to start peace, people want to start war. A few magicians are with the Black Hands, those stereotypical psychopaths. The ones who think magicians are better than people without magic. They want control. Fortunately, those magicians, we keep locked up."

"You don't agree with them?" I asked. "You don't think magicians were better?"

She shook her head. "No matter the differences between my people and yours, fundamentally, we're both still human. I breath, you breath, I eat, you eat. These people want to start a war with themselves."

"A war you'd win in months, weeks maybe."

She nodded.

"You're afraid to start a war because you know you'll win."

"I'm afraid to start a war because I know there'll be losers."

"Who do you consider to be the loosers?"

"The people who died... And the people who became killers."

"The heroes during times of war are nothing but mass murderers during times of peace."

She tipped her head back a second before smiling. "Did you just quote Fullmetal Alchemist?"

I smiled.

It wasn't much, but it was the best I could do. I didn't like seeing her sad.

Her hand suddenly squeezed mine. Electricity ran up and down my arm. Her glass drink shattered.

Her mouth hung open in...I don't even know what it was.

I turned to see what she was looking at, and chocked on my words.

When I turned back to Hecate, I felt like my heart was going to explode.

Her free hand covered her mouth as she sucked in deep, shuttering breaths.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.