During intermission, Kirielle came to join Lucian and Claire at the bar where they had watched the first half of the show from. Though she was not alone. With her was a gaunt young woman with long flame red hair pulled back into a long pony tail.

Claire looked curiously at the young woman, trying to recall where she had seen her before. Though Kirielle’s words interrupted her attempted recollection.

“I was hoping Sean would be here tonight,” Kirielle began, casting a dark look at where Lucian rolled his eyes slightly at the comment, “but I suppose two nights out would be a bit much, especially after last night.” Her voice dropped guiltily on the latter part of the statement.

“He’s fine, Kirielle,” Claire assured her again.

“No I mean, I know that, but I wanted to apologize anyway,” she told Claire softly, almost as though afraid to even raise her voice in conversation again. It was hard enough for her to not back out of the show tonight for fear of her beautiful voice causing anymore calamities.

“You’ve already apologized, multiple times,” Claire smiled back at the young woman, gently placing a hand on her arm, though Claire couldn’t help her eyes returning to the still silent redhead, trying to place her.

“I mean, a better apology,” Kirielle continued. “But since he’s not here, I guess I can still apologize to you.”

“Apology accepted, again, Kirielle,” Claire smiled, her spirits still high from at least the second half of the previous night.

Kirielle managed a smile back, “This is what I mean.” She gestured to the shy redhead who also appeared to be in her twenties. “This is Lyka. She was the star of last night’s ballet,” Kirielle smiled again.

“I just had the lead role in that particular show, that’s all,” Lyka responded, a blush creeping easily to her cheeks, as it tended to do with most natural redheads.

“That’s what a star is,” Kirielle teased her playfully before smiling back at Claire.

“That’s where I know you from!” Claire smiled brightly. “You were amazing. I mean, truly a talent.”

“Thank you,” Lyka said softly as she looked down, the blush only deepening.

“After... everything,” Kirielle settled on, “I decided to go backstage and try to meet her. I was going to try and simply get an autograph or something silly like that. But we got along really well, and she’s so sweet,” she looked back at Lyka, who continued to blush as she kept her eyes to the floor. “So, I thought you should meet her too.”

“A pleasure,” Claire stated as she extended her hand to Lyka, who took it shakily.

“Also,” Kirielle added, “I think we may be able to help her with something.”

“What would that be?” Claire asked interestedly.

Seeing as Lyka was struggling a bit to give an answer, Kirielle supplied it instead, “Could you possibly find a place for her in the show?” Of course, that question just caused Lyka to look down again, almost embarrassed.

“The show?” Claire gave a questioning look, “This show?” she asked, gesturing to the stage.

“You’ve seen her dance, she’s incredible,” Kirielle reasoned on the shy young woman’s behalf.

“Which is why I’m wondering why she’d ever leave the ballet for the Cabaret,” Claire stated as she looked at the girl curiously. “Seems an odd career choice.”

“It’s fine. I should go,” Lyka stammered as she began to walk away.

“Lyka stop,” Kirielle exclaimed as she reached for Lyka’s wrist. “You may not know Claire all that well yet, but believe me when I say you can trust her. She’s got me through some pretty... bad... things myself,” Kirielle assured, swallowing slightly, which caused Lucian and Claire to look down knowingly as well.

“You want to leave the ballet company for a very good reason, I assume?” Claire asked her gently.

Lyka seemed literally pained to have to give an answer but she forced one at last. “It’s just, the man who runs the company... He’s...” she took a shaky breath, “not a very good boss,” she forced the words out, though in a raspy whisper.

Seeing Lyka’s very demeanor, immediately hit Claire with waves of déja vu as she thought back on another terrified young redhead she had found in the hold of one of Haven’s ships so long ago. Her name was Deborah, and Haven had cared for her deeply, before she was hurt so very badly and then taken away from them all nonetheless.

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Without even needing to invade Lyka’s thoughts to confirm her fears about whatever had resulted in this girl’s behavior, Claire spoke, “We’d love to have you join the show here, Lyka. I’ll count last night as your audition even. It brought literal tears to my eyes, after all.” Claire accented her words with a soft, sympathetic smile. Her answer also produced a grateful grin from Kirielle and even a tight hug from the tiny blonde. While Lucian just glanced curiously at the new arrival, but offered a small smile as well before returning to his drink.

Once Kirielle excitedly led Lyka backstage to introduce her to all her new co-workers before the next act began, Claire reached for her drink as well. As she turned back to the bar to do so, Lucian’s impossibly dark eyes were on her.

“Yes?” she offered a slight smile as she caught his gaze.

“That was awfully generous of you,” he observed with another small smile.

“Well, you weren’t there last night. That girl really is an amazing dancer,” she assured as she took a sip.

“I don’t doubt it. Just surprised you were so eager to offer her the job within five minutes of meeting her even. You’re usually quite cautious about anyone or anything new suddenly entering your life unexpectedly,” he pointed out as his eyes moved over her again.

“Well, I have good reason to be. Prophecies of doom? Wife of a very important man? All that,” she reasoned.

“Exactly my point,” he agreed.

Claire sighed softly as she looked back at him. “You’re a doctor, Lucian. Surely you can recognize an extremely damaged girl when you see them. Aside from the fact that we can literally see her emotions,” she added more quietly.

“Read her mind, did you?” Lucian asked, dropping his volume to meet hers.

“No,” Claire denied without pause, “but I’ve seen that kind of pain and fear before. There’s no way I was going to send her back to any man who had caused that,” she stated firmly.

Lucian was a bit taken by the emotion in Claire’s voice then. That deep, deep feeling for a mere mortal who she had only just met that night. “You really are a saint, aren’t you?” Lucian asked her with a forced smile, though, right then there seemed to be some kind of intense regret in his voice, despite the words he spoke.

Lucian actually left Raven’s Loft shortly after his conversation with Claire that night. He usually waited until the doors closed and gave Claire and Kirielle a ride home, so it was an odd choice for him.

When he did get back home he slammed the door shut behind him and tossed his keys onto the nearby table. Then he spoke loudly, seemingly to no one. “Show yourself, you evil bitch! I know you’re watching! You always are!” he stated angrily.

Only a moment later, Awsha’s astral form shimmered into view there before him. She was wearing that same rage inducing smirk as always, even in this maddeningly incorporeal form she favored so much in recent years.

“Lucian, darling, what are you doing home early? Without your pretty little women, even. I was so looking forward to watching you spend the night fucking Claire again. Hate her as much as I do, you must admit, the girl is gorgeous.” She then added thoughtfully, “Come to think of it, that is one of the reasons I hate her so much,” she chuckled derisively.

“You can’t make me keep doing this, Awsha,” he bit back at her. “I’ve done all you wanted, and you’re still just dragging this out. Keeping her from me. Doing who knows what to her that you’ve been doing for nearly a fucking century, you sadistic whore!”

“Well that’s not very nice. The last person who called me that was Claire’s little girl. She was a tad upset after I spent only about a decade fucking with her head,” she said with an almost amused pride. “Now, what were you saying about me not being able to make you keep doing this?”

Trying as hard as he could to force down his fury, as well as his fear for his own daughter, he continued, “She’s been with me, in my bed, for nearly a decade. I’ve done what you wanted. She’s fallen for me. Now give me back my daughter!” he shouted.

“That was only step one dear. Step two is the big one. That requires planning, the right time, the right place, all the necessary pieces in position,” she explained as though talking to a child. “Besides, she may not have fallen for you as much as you think. You could still have a bit of work to do there. After all, she’ll need to trust you completely when the time comes. And I honestly just don’t think she’s there yet.”

Rage building behind his eyes even more, Lucian forced his voice onward, “She’s shared my bed for nearly every night of the last ten years. How much more ‘there’ do you think she needs to be?”

“Nearly,” was all she said pointedly.

“There’s no one else, not the mage, not those two filmmaker friends of hers. She’s with me. And I’ve played this game long enough, Awsha.”

“Are you really forgetting the most important one. The one who was my original reason for hating Claire?” Awsha reminded.

“Sean?” he scoffed. “They’ve barely even been together since you originally made me,” he denied.

“Oh I beg to differ. She was with him just last night, as a matter of fact,” Awsha took a certain pleasure in passing on that information.

“Please, they went to a ballet together because I couldn’t go along. And that fact is of course thanks to you always being here inside my head! So that one’s on you darling,” he told her angrily.

“She never came to you after the ballet though, did she? Guess she was distracted,” Awsha returned pointedly. “Which, I guess means you’re still a failure who hasn’t completely won her heart; only the less important parts of her,” she added with a smirk.

“I am so done with this,” Lucian told her, his anger boiling over at this point. “I am not going to help you hurt Claire. Assuming you ever get around to even making whatever moves you think you can make, someday. Just give me Lenore back! I am so done,” he repeated again, more firmly.

“How about a counter-offer?” Awsha asked a moment later.

Lucian just scoffed, “There is nothing you could ever offer, aside from my damn daughter!” he returned, his voice raising to a near shout again.

Undeterred, she continued, “How about this? You actually make her trust you with every fiber of her being, and then wait, like a good little boy, for me to let you know when the plan is happening,” she began, to which Lucian only scoffed in disbelief. “And, in return, I won’t let all my other ghouls have their way with your pretty little daughter.” And with that, she shimmered out of sight once again.