In a grandiose meeting room near the top of the Night Tower. Joe and Mike’s unconscious, beaten bodies were being lunged over the shoulder of two grunts. They carried them outside the room, while the third lackey made a bowing motion towards Yin and Kyle before following behind the others that left.
Yin, Kyle, and the bear mutant known as Grizz were left alone in the meeting room.
Kyle was still by the bar, sipping on a glass full of ice and whiskey that looked like it was from an extremely expensive bottle. The doberman mutant then got up, taking the bottle and glass with him, and walked over towards Yin as she sat and casually sat right beside her. He then put his elbow on the table and rested his head against his hand while spinning around the ice in his glass. He looked dejected.
Kyle let out a long sigh.
Kyle: “Why does everyone think I’m a pushover?”
Yin: “I don't believe people think you're a pushover.”
Kyle: “Yet, I get little shits like Cory thinking they can fuck with me and lie to my face.”
Yin: “Well, you do have that reputation of not killing people. It makes others think they can talk their way out of it with you. Which never actually works.”
Kyle: “I literally just killed Cory less than an hour ago.”
Yin: “That was the exception, not the rule. You don’t have a reputation like Samson when it comes to this kind of stuff.”
Kyle: “No one has a reputation like Samson,” he let out a deep sigh.”Does that mean I have to become a murderous freak like him? I don’t want to kill people if I don’t have to.”
Yin: “And that is perfectly fine. That's what I like about you. There are plenty of brutal people out there and even within the Nighthounds that could be my right-hand man, but I prefer to have you standing by my side. I don’t need someone who thinks every problem is a nail that can be fixed with a hammer.“
Kyle: “If you say so…” he said, not entirely believing what Yin was saying
Yin: “Oh, don’t be like that. You're still very intimidating, but not so much that people won’t talk to you. You are the perfect negotiator. There is no one else in the Nighthounds that could fill your role.”
Kyle: “Yeah…You’re right. Thanks, Yin,” he said, as it seemed like his mood was starting to brighten, and he started to smile.
Yin: “Aww. Glad I could help out my big puppy and make him feel better,” she said as she reached out and started to pet the fur on top of Kyle's head.
The smile Kyle had quickly turned into a frown, and he looked very annoyed that Yin was petting him.
Kyle: “Please stop that.”
Yin: “Nope. I’m the only person in this entire world who you'll let pet you. You’d punch anyone else who tried this. And, I’m going to take full advantage of that. He he he,” she chuckled.
Kyle immediately sat up and pulled away from Yin, trying to prevent her from reaching his head. He then turned toward the bear mutant, who was still standing beside Yin.
Kyle: “Grizz, you were the one that went to talk to John. So, is it true? Was he really annoyed?”
Grizz: “Yes. He said that the cop, Joe, annoyed him.”
Kyle: “And… he just let him walk away?"
Grizz: “Correct. John even suggested to me that we shouldn’t harm them and ‘steer clear’ for now. Which I assume he means we shouldn’t get involved.”
Kyle: “Really? Why did he let him go? I hear people go missing around him all the time.”
Yin: “Bah, that's just rumors. My John is merciful. He wouldn’t go around whisking people away without reason. You would know that if you ever met him,” she said, while still trying to reach towards the doberman mutant's head to pet him.
Kyle knew next to nothing about John and never met him. And, it was all purposeful. He was trying to maintain as much ignorance of the strange man on Eld Street as possible. The few second-hand reports from some of the frightened Nighthounds members, who had been assigned to keep an eye on John, told him all he needed to know. Those members were so scared that they had begged Kyle not to put them on Eld Street duty.
The doberman mutant was wise enough to realize that ignorance can be a blessing. He had the authority and Yin’s blessing to learn more about John if he wanted to. But, he chose not to.
Kyle: “Yeah, not going to happen. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I’m not going anywhere near that guy. I don’t want to lose my mind,” he said, while constantly moving his head around to avoid being petted by Yin.
One of the few things Kyle knew about John was that most mutants should keep their distance from him. For whatever reason, mutants with animalistic features become agitated and more apt to hallucinate when around him. The doberman mutant thought it might have to do with the fact that certain mutants have heightened senses, picking up on things that most ordinary people don’t.
Grizz and Yin were the only two mutants he knew that were not affected by John’s strange aura. Kyle suspected there might be more mutants in the Nighthounds that could interact with John normally, but he wasn't going to try and learn about them.
Yin: “You wouldn't lose your mind. There is nothing to be scared about John. As long as you treat him with respect,” she said while still trying to reach out to Kyle's head and failing, as the doberman mutant blocked her attempts.
Grizz: “I also concur with Mistress Yin. For someone who has as much power as John, he can be quite amenable. And, would not purposely harm others.”
Kyle: “Try telling that to my guys guarding Eld Street. I got them shitting themselves scared when someone gets the bright idea of trying to talk to him.”
Grizz: “But no physical harm ever came to any of them.”
Kyle let out another deep sigh.
Kyle: “Whatever. I’m not going to argue with you two. Just keep me out of this weird business you have going on. Or at least keep me in the dark about it as much as you can,” he said as he gently pushed Yin away, who was still trying to reach up and pet Kyle’s head.
Yin was gently pushed back into her seat by Kyle. The fox woman playfully puffed out her cheeks in disappointment at Kyle for not letting her pet him. Her playful expression turned a little more serious as she started to address Kyle again.
Yin: “You know I trust you, and you can trust me. There is no problem with you knowing what I’m doing or about John and some of the others I work with."
Kyle: “Yin, I will do anything for you. Even follow you into the burning abyss. But, I don’t need to understand why you’re doing the things you do. You picked me up when I had nowhere to go. You are family to me. I know I can trust you. But, I also know that some of the stuff you're involved with sounds nightmare-inducing. I like sleeping soundly at night and want to keep it that way.”
Yin: “Fine. I will continue to respect your wishes,” she said with a soft smile.
Kyle: “Thank you.”
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Grizz: “Speaking of people you work with, Miss Scarlett has sent you a missive,” he said, directed at Yin.
The smile Yin had quickly turned into a scowl.
Yin: “What does that bitch want?”
Kyle: “Should I leave? This sounds like this is part of that weird business I don’t want to know about.”
Grizz: “I’ll keep it brief and vague for you, Kyle. Miss Scarlett is requesting another meeting soon.”
Yin: “For what?”
Grizz: “The missive didn’t say.”
Yin let out a long, annoyed sigh.
Yin: “Ok… when does she want this meeting?”
Grizz: “That also wasn't specifically communicated.”
Yin: “For fuck’s sake. Why is that wrinkly crone ass bitch asking for a meeting, but won’t say for what or when? I fucking hate her so much! How am I supposed to arrange a meeting if I don’t have a date?”
Grizz: “She did state she wanted one soon.”
Yin: “Does she want it in a couple of days, a couple of weeks, or a couple of months? ‘Soon’ is relative. I know what the fuck she's doing. She is forcing me to go to the trouble of setting up a meeting with everyone else and then changing her mind at the last minute. Making me go through the hassle of setting up a new meeting time just to get on my nerves.”
Grizz: “I don’t think she is going to do that. Especially when the others are involved.”
Yin: “You don’t know her like I do!”
Grizz and Kyle both rolled their eyes. They have seen this hundreds of times now. The fighting that went on between Yin and Scarlett was intense and pointless. Every time Scarlett's name was mentioned in front of Yin, she would throw herself into a frenzy and start calling the former archmage every insult under the sun.
Even Kyle believed that if he had full knowledge of the relationship between Yin and Scarlett, the constant animosity between them wouldn’t make sense.
Kyle knew about Scarlett; it was hard not to. She is such an infamous black mage that she is a common name you would hear in the underworld of society. Beyond knowing a few of her claims to infamy, any research Kyle did into Scarlett immediately stopped when he discovered that she was working with Yin and John. The Scarlet Witch was part of that nightmare business he didn’t want to know about.
Kyle: “OK, I think I'm going to go do something else now,” he said as he stood up from his chair and prepared to leave.
Grizz: “Wait, you need to know when we’re going to set this meeting up. Yin will be unavailable during that day, and you’ll have to manage—” was all he managed to say before being cut off by Yin.
Yin: “I’m not setting any meetings up! Send a missive back to that hag and tell her to give me a date and reason, or fuck off!”
Kyle quietly walked off somewhere while Grizz tried to calm down the now-mad Nightqueen.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
On the west end of the city, not too far from the Cathedral of Light in Graheel, stood a picturesque row of houses. One of these houses belongs to Crowley.
image [https://i.imgur.com/z1OpGwO.jpeg]
Inside, Crowley sat in his study on the first floor of his home. It was early morning and he had just finished his morning cup of tea. The ex-Hand of Light was enjoying retirement since he had declared his resignation from the church a little over a week ago.
The transition to his departure was quick and simple. Crowley had been preparing this since he was confronted by Beck. All he needed was the courage to go ahead with his plan, which he finally built up, and was no longer officially a priest.
He was sitting in a comfy chair by a window. The warm morning sun shone through the window and onto the old former priest. He leaned back and enjoyed the warmth the sun provided while giving a silent prayer of gratitude towards the Light.
Crowley began to drift into a semi-conscious state. It was one of his morning rituals. He would close his eyes and attempt to clear most of his mind. It was a basic form of meditation that he had picked up early in his career to help manage stress. He would have continued doing this, but a loud noise interrupted him.
A loud, crashing sound could be heard from somewhere outside. Crowley immediately got up and looked out his window to see what the commotion was.
There was a group of men who looked like they were moving heavy pieces of furniture into the house across from him. They appeared to have knocked over a large wooden crate. The crate shattered, and pieces that looked to be parts of a table spilled out. Crowley saw his neighbor shout at the men who had knocked over the crate.
Seeing that it was nothing he needed to concern himself with, he decided to go back to meditating. As he went to do that, something outside caught his eye. A woman off in the distance was walking slowly down the street toward Crowley's home. She was wearing frilly black clothing that looked like a funeral garb. She had a wide-brim hat with a veil hanging from it, obscuring her face.
“She doesn't look like any of my neighbors, but I feel like I've seen her before. But, where? Wait, was it at Sheridan's funeral?” Crowley pondered.
The doorbell to his home suddenly rang. He turned to look at the entrance of his study briefly before turning back to look at the mysterious woman, but she was gone. She was nowhere on the street to be seen.
The former priest didn’t have time to ponder the peculiarities of the individual he just saw before the doorbell rang again.
Crowley: “Coming!” he called out
Crowley made his way out of his study and downstairs, towards the front door. He opened the door. Standing in front of his house was a plain, middle-aged woman with brown hair. She had no notable features that made her stand out from the crowd.
Women: “Please, Father Crowley. I know it is early in the morning, but I really need someone to talk to about my husband.”
“Ah, it’s this situation again.” He thought to himself.
Even though Crowley had lost his position as a priest of the Church of Light, people would still come to him as though he were one. His lost status as a priest did not seem to matter to people, and they would come to him for their spiritual needs or to convince him to come back to the church.
Crowley: “Of course, come in,” he said while opening the door wider and gesturing to follow him.
Crowley, being the way he was, couldn’t refuse people who asked for his help. This aspect of him resulted in him being in this weird position where he was still basically a priest in everything but name. While freed from his duties as head priest, it had been replaced by constantly counseling people. Similar to what he did before, but on a larger scale. He was now talking to over a dozen people a day since announcing his retirement. Never truly fully enjoying any sense of his retirement.
The former Hand of Light guided the plain-looking women to his living room, where they both took a seat.
Crowley: “So what seems to be troubling you, Ms....” he paused, expecting the woman to state her name.
Stacy: “It’s Stacy. We just talked a month ago. Did you already forget about me and everyone else in the church already?”
Crowley: “Ah, yes. Sorry. It must have slipped my mind. As you know, a lot has been going on with me lately. Otherwise, I would have never forgotten your name.”
The reality was that there were a lot of people in his former congregation. There were so many that it was impossible for Crowley to realistically remember everyone. When people visited him while he was the Hand of Light, he had assistants who would remind him who was visiting him and why. Now that he was on his own, he didn’t have that luxury, and the limits of his knowledge of everyone in the congregation were showing.
Stacy: “I suppose... Are you sure you won’t return to the church? I know you said you had to leave, but you are sorely missed.”
Crowley: “Let’s not talk about that. You said you were having some sort of relationship problem with your husband?” he said, trying to deflect from being asked to return to the church.
Marriage problems were a common issue for many of his congregants, and judging by the women's comments at the front door, that appeared to be the situation on the surface.
Stacy: “Oh, no. It's not that.”
Crowley: “Oh, I thought you said you were having troubles with your husband at the door.”
Stacy: “I am, but not really? Um…” she said, unsure of how to explain her problem.
Crowley: “Take your time.”
Twenty seconds went by as Stacy thought on how to articulate her problem to Crowley.
Stacy: “Um, something is wrong with my husband, Larrs.”
Crowley: “How so?”
Stacy: “I don’t exactly know. You see, he’s been acting strange. It's like he’s become more paranoid recently and has been acting jumpy lately. There is clearly something wrong, but he won’t confide in me anything.”
Crowley: “With all due respect, if you don’t know what is making him behave like this, I’m not sure there is much I could do to help with this problem.”
Stacy: “I know. I just… was wondering if you had some sort of insight into what was happening and how to make my husband open up more.”
Crowley: “It still comes back to the same problem. If you don’t know what’s wrong, I have no idea what to tell you. Have you tried asking him about his strange behavior?”
Stacy: “Yes, but he just says everything is fine, even though it's obviously not. He’s hiding something and won’t tell me anything.”
"This sounds like maybe an obsessive relationship. Someone who wants to know every detail of their partner and control them. Or maybe it’s infidelity. I’ve had a lot of success talking through couples with both issues, but infidelity is especially ugly, so I hope this isn’t about that,” Crowley thought.
Crowley: “Are you suspecting him of being unfaithful?”
Stacy: “Um, I'm not sure. I don’t think so. He just seems like he’s scared about something.”
Crowley: “Hmm, this seems like the kind of problem where both parties are needed. So, I would suggest arranging a meeting with one of the priests at the church. They should be able to help you two through whatever this problem is. Barring that, it’s always good for couples to work on communication with each other. You should read Corta 10:31 and onward. It talks about the proper manner in which couples should behave and says that communication is very important.”
Stacy: “I will. Um, I was wondering if you would talk to him?”
Crowley: “How about you try going to church and reading what I suggested first. If it doesn't feel like there is any improvement, then I can try talking to him. OK?”
Stacy nodded.
For the rest of the retired priest's morning, he made idle chit-chat with Stacy.