As the party progressed, I began to see the Senator's master plan unfolding as he pushed me through groups like a show pony. The violent and terrifying opening act had just been to announce my presence to the party--the dregs had come out of the woodwork to lap at me, and those fragile-egos were the most likely to immediately run off and brag about their latest, greatest achievement to all who would listen.

That handful of obnoxious idiots had now informed everyone at the party I was here, and interest in me was high. Idris had unveiled me as a valuable everyone wanted to sample and he restricted the flow heavily, lavishing me on business contacts and influential men like a party favor, while those who apparently held less use for him were kept waiting indeterminately.

It took me a surprisingly long time to notice this; he kept me busy shaking new hands and smiling at new faces and explaining the Exhuman life in digestible terms, and it was only when we were passing some people over but not others that I began to realize.

The fact that he was smiling so earnestly and greeting everyone he met like they were the most important person in the room, and then once they were out of earshot confided in me some amusing flaw of theirs or apologizing for forcing me to meet them was confusing too, until I figured out he was doing it to keep me placated.

It took me a while, but if I had any doubts about the man's true nature from the first time I met him, they were slowly peeled away now. Another contractor, we'd meet, he'd introduce me, the guest would show some interest, I'd give a little performance of some kind at Idris' insistence, the guest would be pleased beyond any reasonable standard, Idris would talk shop for a few minutes, making sure to bring up the extravagance of the party and how much the guest was enjoying it, secure some kind of sympathy or verbal agreement to some issue, and then we'd move on to the next group.

The people in the front room might have been the worst of the lot, but the people I was meeting now weren't exactly any better by my standards. If anything, they seemed to move from being insecure about their wealth and power and needing to flaunt it to being too comfortable with it, and seemingly having no reservations or shame. They spoke openly about what were probably illegal deals or mismanagement of government funds at best, and it just seemed par for the course. Nobody cared, nobody batted an eye.

I was hungry, and there were mountains of food sitting just half a room away, but Idris' grip on me was iron, and I really didn't want to physically throw him off me at his own party, but at this rate, I was just going to spend the next eight hours meeting everyone in D.C. who was remotely useful to a senator.

I was just thinking about how much I was missing the other party I could have been at when something slammed into me, knocking me flat on my ass out of Idris' grip. As though an afterthought, I saw someone in a uniform throw a glass of something in my face, and slip into the crowd.

There we go. A little Exhuman hate. That's what I'd been missing.

Idris blustered and made a big show of pulling me to my feet and scanning the crowd, looking for the culprit. He saw someone and signaled them over while I wiped the drink out of my eyes. Grape cider of all things.

"Terribly sorry, my boy, someone probably had too much to drink. Eryn, there you are, fetch a towel would you?" he said to the servant he'd beckoned over. "My goodness, son, you reek of grape. Eryn, could you take him to get washed off? Bring him back as soon as you're finished, if you please."

"Of course, sir," she said with a familiar curtsey. She took me by the arm and steered me through the crowd as surely as Idris had. We went through two and then three rooms without a bathroom apparently, and then down a hallway, down some stairs, and finally I had to ask her where we were going.

"To the garage, sir," she said with a smile.

"To get cleaned off? Are you going to hit me with a hose?"

"I beg your pardon if I'm mistaken Master, but I wasn't of the impression that cleaning off and getting back was a real priority of yours?"

I got grape-scented hair out of my eyes and took a look at the girl leading me along. I recognized her as the same one who'd directed me towards Karu's chambers before. In the hand she wasn't using to drag me along, she had a small crystal glass like I'd seen so many of in this party, and something clicked.

"Did you run into me?"

"Always a possibility, master."

"Did you throw grape juice at my face?"

"No, it was sparkling grape cider."

"Why?"

She opened the garage door and the lights turned on over half a dozen cars in banks. She took me to a little side room, which looked like maybe a guard post? It was connected to the garage, but had windows looking over the driveway. She gave me a little shove and I stumbled up two stairs into the small room.

"Stay here and you'll find out," she said with the same cheshire grin as before, and left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Was I in trouble? Was she some kind of instigator? She'd clearly taken pains to separate me and hide me from Idris, but while the man was a bastard of the highest caliber, I was still an Exhuman, and therefore, always in some kind of danger. Idris wouldn't want me hurt, but whoever this servant was, she clearly had her own agenda.

Her agenda became clear in the next minute when Karu walked in the door, wearing her elegant dress, black choker, mismatching black gloves, and upon seeing me, a broad smile.

"Ashton!" she said, delighted. "How ever did you manage to esca--oh goodness, you reek of grape. Here, there are clean rags for the cars, please dry yourself."

"Thanks. One of your servants did this to me."

Her eyes narrowed. "Who? I shall see to it that they are brought to justice."

In a normal context, with Karu speaking, I think those words usually meant death, and I hoped they didn't apply here. Then again, the fact that for me, a 'normal context' involved killing people was a pretty messed up place to begin with.

"No, she did it to get me away from Idris. A girl, about your age, much shorter than you, dark hair, dark eyes, short ponytail?"

Karu sighed. "Eryn."

"Yeah, that was it."

"And where is she now?"

"I don't know. She dumped me in here and told me to wait."

"I suspect she manipulated the other servants to get me in here as well. It is as secluded a meeting spot as any, but--"

Karu lapsed into silence as lights flooded into the room from outside the window. A car pulled up the driveway and pulled to a stop outside. The driver's door opened, and the same girl, Eryn, stepped out and gave us a curtsey through the glass.

"Eryn, you beautiful creature," Karu sighed, and then took my arm and dragged me through the garage out another door which led us outside where Eryn waited with the car. Karu released me so she could embrace the girl instead, and then the two of them got in, and I followed Karu, not sure what to make of the situation.

"Won't your dad be mad?" I asked, perhaps stupidly.

"I imagine Father will be absolutely livid. Wouldn't you agree, Eryn?"

"Oh undoubtedly, Miss K. He'll spend all night tearing through the whole party hunting for you, Master."

Somehow this seemed to please the two of them an inordinate amount, which I thought wasn't really the right attitude for either a daughter or a servant to have, but hell, I wasn't going to complain. I just sat in the back seat with Karu while Eryn shot us occasional glances in the mirror through the open partition.

"Where to, then, Miss K? Fancy restaurant?...Fancy hotel?...Sleazy hotel?"

"Eryn!"

"Kindly don't be makin' a mess on the seats, they're leather, Miss."

"You are infuriating beyond all reason. Ashton, do you see why I have such an insular lifestyle? These are the individuals with whom I grew up."

"Actually, there is a hotel," I said. "The Four-in-Hand. Do you know where that is?"

"Ashton! You also?" Karu wailed. I noticed that when she yelled at Eryn, she had embarrassed outrage on her face, but at me, only embarrassment.

"Yes I do master, heading there now. I hope you two have a delightful evening."

"Well, despite my outbursts, if we do wind up doing so, it will be entirely through fault of yours, as it were, Eryn. For this, you have my deepest gratitude."

"Maybe talk to your father about my Christmas bonus, Miss K?"

"I will be happy to throw a fat chit at you of my own finances gladly, Eryn."

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"I beg your pardon Miss K., but the money just don't taste as sweet if I'm not taking it from your father, though I appreciate the offer."

I found myself smiling at the two of them. "So you guys both really hate Idris, eh?"

"Hate is such a strong word, Master."

"You have met the man for yourself, and after tonight, I hope you still cling to no illusions of his nature. Would you hate him, given my position, or Eryn's?"

"I dunno. I'm not really in the business of hating people. Usually if I have an issue with someone, I try to resolve it."

"If you'd prefer, master, I can turn the car around so that you can resolve your issues with Master Irenside?"

"Uh, yeah, maybe not."

Karu beamed back at me. "Then perhaps do not make sweeping but useless proclamations. Only speak words if you mean them."

"Okay, well, moving past that, I don't think I hate him. He's just an asshole. That's the kind of person you just shrug and say, 'guess this guy exists' and move on with your life. You'll never get anywhere if you stop to hate every asshole you meet."

"Again, your words have issue, Ashton. The question posed to you was given my position or Eryn's. Do you propose both of us simply ignore him, as his daughter and servant?"

I scratched my head. "Uh. No." And then I froze, sensing something outside. "Stop the car. Stop it now. NOW!" I yelled through the divider, pulling off my seatbelt.

Eryn to her credit didn't ask any questions, just tried to pull over as fast as she could, but not fast enough. Before the car had even stopped, I had thrown open the door and run onto the street, Karu stumbling behind me in heels.

"Ashton, wait!" she shouted, and Eryn helped her to her feet and out of the car, but I was leaving them behind. I knew what I'd seen, or sensed, or felt, and I had to chase it down. I'd regret it forever if I let this slip past.

I tore into the night at random, playing a game of hot and cold as I slipped in and out of the strange feeling, trying to triangulate the position of the source, and having issues as it kept moving away from me. But once I had a general bearing, I started sprinting full-out in the direction I knew it was coming from and it stopped fading out.

I ran down alleys and streets at random, heading closer to the center the whole time. I was getting closer, I could feel it. A hundred percent of my focus was in my mind, focused on the sensation, completely ignoring my body and the world around me. A couple times I just ran straight into traffic, hardly noticing, and having to bolt with an extra burst of speed to avoid getting hit.

I banged into a wall pretty hard, scraped my leg on a fence I was jumping, none of it mattered. My body was only there to move my brain closer and closer to the source. I had to catch it. Nothing else in this night mattered.

My mobile rang. I didn't even glance at who it was, just answered it and put it on speaker.

"Ashton? Where are you? I apologize for our teasing, I hadn't realized the conversation had so quite gotten under your skin, as it were."

It took me a second to place the voice. "Karu?"

"Yes. Who else could it be?" she sounded confused. I guess that made sense.

"Look, sorry, gotta save my breath for running. I'll explain later, okay?"

"...okay. Return to us safely, Ashton."

"Yeah." I hung up and ran down a street, swearing and wishing there were a way to get to my left from here without going through this impenetrable wall of houses. I was so close now. Another block or two maybe.

My mark had tried to run as soon as I'd noticed, but I'd closed the distance rapidly. If they were going to do anything stupid and desperate, now as the time. I willed my thoughts into prayers that nothing like that would happen, and focused on that thought and that thought only.

Don't run. Don't do anything stupid. I'm almost there.

I turned left down a street finally and swung past a bewildered couple on the sidewalk. Right here. It should be right here.

Behind the houses I couldn't pass, there was an alley full of bins and dumpsters. Down this alley. I moved forward at a fast walk now, trying not to miss anything, looking up and down the street as I went. I just needed one clue where it was coming from, just a tiny hint.

I walked past a dumpster and a couple bins and paused. I could sense someone hiding back there, and when I looked carefully, there was a gap between the dumpster and bins too small for a normal person to fit through, but big enough for her purposes.

"Hey Saga," I said to the dumpster.

She didn't respond, but I felt the sensation in my mind change to one of defeat immediately.

"You want to come out of there, or have you been hiding behind dumpsters this whole time?"

There was some faint shuffling sounds and finally a lanky foot emerged, followed by the rest of Saga, who was glaring at me like it was my fault she'd been thrown into the trash.

"Hi, Athan. Merry Christmas, I guess."

"Hi. You look good. Have you put on weight?"

"A little steadier on my feet now. Would have sucked if I was stumbling the whole way here instead of walking." She might have been stronger, but her voice was still weak as a ghost's. Guess she hadn't talked much the whole time.

"You walked here?"

"Yeah."

"You walked two states over, in the snow? Barefoot?"

"Yeah."

"Weren't you cold?"

"Yeah."

I hesitated. She looked and felt miserable. I could only get surface readings off of her, but even from that, I could tell just these few weeks had changed her. She'd had bad experiences with humans, she'd worked hard and suffered long just to get here, and now, the one person she wanted to see least in the world had found her.

"Are you cold now?"

"I'm always cold, Athan. It doesn't matter. I can't get sick or die, remember?"

I reached up to my collar and pulled down the zipper, diagonally across my body while she just looked at me with almost-astonishment. I undid the ornamental buttons and slipped the cufflinks into my pocket, and then pulled the black XPCA coat off, feeling the cold air against me instantly through my thin collared shirt. While it was still warm, I put the coat on her.

"Athan, don't. You'll get cold, and you're not immortal."

"I can be cold for a little while," I said, and bent slightly to pick her up. She was ever so slightly heavier than I remembered, maybe she had put on some muscle, but was still impossibly light for her size.

"Hey, put me down! Athan, what are you doing?"

"Your feet are freezing and red and angry. It's below freezing out and you're walking around in ice and snow. I've got boots on."

"This is so stupid. I don't need rescuing, Athan. Put me down."

I didn't. Instead, I talked as I walked us back to the car.

"I understand you had an important reason to leave. Mage or something, I get that. But couldn't you have at least said goodbye?"

"I did say goodbye. I fixed what I did to your mind and left you a note."

"Well, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, I thought you were just gone forever."

"That was the plan."

"Well, I hate that plan. If you need to leave, so be it. But fucking give me the chance to say bye. Get a damn mobile so I know if you're dead or not. Tell us where you're going. Is that so much to ask?"

She avoided looking at my face, and I felt a vortex of emotions churning inside her. Guilt. Pain. Sadness. Anger. But in the eye of the storm, determination.

"I didn't want to make it any more painful than it had to be," she said.

"You think just vanishing was less painful for me?"

"I meant, for me. I couldn't let you talk me down from this one, Athan. It's too big for me to let my own feelings get in the way."

"Maybe if you told me that instead of just leaving, I wouldn't have even tried to talk you down."

"Maybe. But you know," she said, looking at me with an icy stare "you're kind of a guy who makes up his mind about something and then goes for it without really caring or worrying what other people think."

"I care a lot what other people think!"

"Oh yeah? Then put me down."

"..."

"Yeah, thought so, smartass."

"But if it was something important, I'd listen and think it through with you."

"Something important like you breaking into my prison cell when I was mentally blasting you, and you still wouldn't leave?"

I guess I walked right into that one too.

"I just do what's right when I can, okay?"

"Yeah. I know. The problem is, if your definition of right and mine don't agree. And I'm not talking about killing people or anything, I know as well as you do that is technically wrong. I just don't care. But if we disagreed on this Mage thing? You'd just stop me, and then I'd probably let myself be stopped."

She gave a sigh which was heavier than she was. "I really am a softie," she said, and tightened her grip on me.

We had a 1.5-way conversation in silence the rest of the way back to the car. All I wanted to ask about was why and how she could leave me like that, and she didn't want to tell me about Mage or leaving. As I thought it over, she read my thoughts, and some of her feelings on the issue, I was able to pick up. It was a weird way to have a talk, but not really an unpleasant one, I guess.

Finally back at the highway, I found Karu pacing anxiously with Eryn reclining in the driver's seat with her eyes closed. Upon seeing me, Karu took two excited steps towards me before recognising what I was carrying.

"She...how...Ashton, did she…" I saw a handful of thoughts tumble over Karu's face.

"She's fine. I'm fine too. I'm sorry for running off like that, I just...we drove past her and I picked up on her mind and had to find her."

"Yeah, what even are you doing in this part of the city? You had no reason to ever come out here," Saga accused.

"Just dumb luck. We were headed to Lia's hotel directly from Karu's dad's place, and you were in between."

Saga sighed again, and then put a small smile and wriggled out of my grasp, stepping lightly on the ground. "Well, it's not like I believe in fate or anything, but it does seem like a pretty chance meeting."

I guess Saga was trying to regain some composure in front of Karu, but if that worked, I didn't see it. The three of us stood for a few moments out in the cold without anyone speaking, somehow entirely different from the silence Saga and I had shared.

"Ashton, when last we met, she attempted to murder me, without remorse," Karu said at last.

"Aw, poor baby, can't take a little attempted murder?"

"Were that I had my equipment on me, I would show you just how willing I am to attempt murder."

"Enough, ladies," I stepped in, before one of the two decided to step it up. "Saga...like I said, I understand you have a thing you need to do, but can I convince you to spend tonight with us to smooth things over with everyone and say some goodbyes? I mean, it's Christmas."

"Athan, do I look like a practicing Christian to you? If God existed, he might have considered responding to my prayers when I was locked in the dark alone for a hundred years."

"Or perhaps he did, in the form of Ashton, once you'd served an adequate punishment for your sins."

"In that case, shouldn't you cut me a little more slack, little zealot? After all, God himself let me out."

Karu's eyes narrowed. "If God had wanted you to live in peace and happiness, he would not have created me."

"Okay, enough." Somehow I'd just gotten them arguing about religion instead. What the hell. "Christmas or not, Saga, would you? And Karu, can you bury the hatchet for a night?"

"I am always fully capable of restraint and virtue."

"Oh that's a fucking laugh--"

"Saga," I cut in.

"Fine, fine. One night, Athan. And then you let me go forever. I don't want you begging me in the morning to stay around, got it?"

And that was how we arrived at the suite site of the party. Stepping out of the private elevator, AEGIS called out to me in happiness and surprise, and then paused and hesitated when she saw Karu, and then paused and hesitated twice again on seeing Saga.

I grinned apologetically. "Uh, merry Christmas?" I said.

AEGIS sighed and smiled too. "Merry Christmas, you guys."