Waking up was hard the next morning. Laurianna's bones felt denser than usual, and her head had a constant throb to it. She slowly sat up, a groan escaping her lips.

Small slits of light filtered through the cracks between the quilts on the walls, letting Laurianna know the sun was in the sky. She looked around the cluttered room but didn't see either host. For all she knew, they were buried somewhere in their piles of junk.

Tentatively setting her feet onto the ground, Laurianna hefted herself off the bed. Her legs felt like jello, but soon enough they solidified beneath her. Looking around to try and find a path through the room, her eyes seemed to glow in the dim light. Soft voices in the distance grabbed Laurianna's attention and she set off to find them.

Eventually finding a door amidst the maze-like house, Laurianna stepped outside into a backyard where Eustace and Agatha sat sipping tea. The backyard was very well kept despite the hoard inside the home.

A small set of chairs sat around a glass table on a brick patio, surrounded by an assortment of colorful flowers and twisting vines climbing up trees and the wooden fence. It was a small space, but every square inch of it had been used.

"Ah, come sit, child," Agatha beckoned Laurianna over to sit, a smile plastered on her wrinkly face. She looked much older outside with the sun highlighting her silver hair and her wrinkles casting small shadows across her face.

"Good morning," Laurianna started, taking a seat.

"Good afternoon," Eustace commented. Looking up at the sun, Laurianna saw that it was indeed, noon. "Figured we'd let you sleep in for a while."

Laurianna nodded, watching the old man comb his fingers through his long, scraggly beard for just a moment before turning to look back at Agatha. "Where are my cards?"

"Well," Agatha cleared her throat, leaning forward a little in her seat, "they're in a safe place. I want you to rest another day before taking off."

"I just want the cards- I didn't say anything about sneaking off."

"We can see it on your face," Eustace interjected, "as soon as we give you those back, you're outta' here."

Although he was right, Laurianna couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at how easily they had figured her out. She didn't say anything for a moment, instead, fiddling with her jagged fingernails. "Fine," she finally sighed.

It was silent for a moment, save for the soft buzz of the hummingbirds flitting across the garden. There was a soft breeze that day, ruffling Laurianna's already frizzy hair. The sound of a clearing throat caught both women's attention.

"I sure hope you haven't been using your magic out on the streets," Eustace didn't look at her, but Laurianna knew who his question was directed at. "I know you don't got a license."

She thought before answering, not wanting to get herself into trouble with these people. "I do what's necessary."

"Practicing in private is one thing, the city can't do anything about that, but practicing out in public without a license is a crime punishable by death, child," Agatha grumbled, a sour look on her face. "It would be wise of you to accept the Head Mistress's offer. She can offer you protection until you get a license."

It was true, those who were caught using magic without a license were given the death penalty. Legalized magic use had only been a concept for almost a hundred years. Before that, mages were massacred for thousands of years by people who feared them. Laurianna took a huge risk in using her magic out in the open. If she were ever caught...

"I don't plan on staying in Kuumythia. I was going to leave the city a few days ago until I got burned. Set me back a ways."

"Where did you get burned?" Agatha gave Laurianna a once over, seeing if she could catch a glimpse of the wound. Eustace leaned closer, also curious about the burn.

A little surprised they asked about it, she hesitated in rolling up her pant leg. It revealed the bottom of the burn, snuggly wrapped in now-old bandages. "It's been treated by some lady at GHOST's Headquarters already."

Agatha nodded before shakily standing up. "Follow me, I'll get you a new roll of bandages for you to change." She hobbled back to the door, not waiting to see if Laurianna was following or not.

Back inside, the short old woman seemed to glide through her clutter home. Laurianna struggled to keep up, nearly tripping and falling over everything. A few times, her hair got caught in one of the skeletons hanging from the rafters, or an assortment of fishing hooks that looked as if they've never been used before.

Agatha pulled Laurianna into a small bathroom towards the other end of the house and began rummaging through a medicine cabinet. Laurianna stood patiently behind the woman, unsure of what she should be doing with herself.

Another few seconds passed before Agatha pulled out a rolled of bandages with a small, "Aha!" and handed them to Laurianna. "Patch yourself up, I'll be waiting outside."

"Ok"

Laurianna waited until Agatha left before looking to the roll in her handed and letting out a breath through her nose. She looked around the small bathroom curiously, taking in its decor. Its walls were split, with the bottom half a deep blue tiling while the rest was a pretty coral color. A small lighthouse with some shells decorated the countertop by the sink, and a large ship painting hung on the wall. Piles of books and trinkets were also in this room, making it feel smaller than it actually was.

Looking back at the roll, Laurianna took off her pants and the old bandage and looked at her burn. Most of the redness had left, but the center of the burn was beginning to get bad again. That Robyn chick wasn't very good. She poked the inflamed skin but felt nothing at all. Laurianna frowned, but not surprised. "I guess she was right about the nerve damage. Hope it's not permanent."

Huffing, Laurianna re-wrapped her leg before pulling her pants back up and leaving the bathroom where she met up with Agatha. "Ready to go back out?" the old woman smiled.

"Yeah." Laurianna started following Agatha back outside, looking at the trinkets around her with mild curiosity.

Before making it to the back door, Laurianna's foot hit a box, causing the stuff on top of it to fall to the ground. Laurianna went down hard and heard Agatha gasp in front of her.

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"You alright?" Agatha crouched down, showing some of the junk away effortlessly, pausing to grab a metal gauntlet.

"Yeah," Laurianna said, getting on her knees. She looked at what the old woman had in her hands while holding her throbbing head. "What's that?"

Agatha gave the girl a once over, not entirely believing her, before sighing and looking back to the gauntlet in her hand and saying, "Something I haven't used in a long time," she smiled softly, a nostalgic look in her eyes.

Laurianna didn't say anything, instead, waiting for the old woman to continue. She stood up and dusted off her pants as she watched Agatha.

Agatha stood after, still looking at the gauntlet. It was made of polished metal, Laurianna guessed it was some sort of titanium or steel. "Its an enhancer," Agatha started, looking back up to the girl watching her, "They were used to enhance my magic, and also to protect the bones in my hands as I got older."

"What kind of magic do you use?" Laurianna asked after a moment.

"I think people call it Destruction Magic now, it used to go by a different name when I was young, Kreliker, after the first mage who had it."

"Doesn't sound like he was from here," Laurianna stated. Agatha shrugged and turned around, beginning their walk back outside after setting the gauntlet down.

"He wasn't, but many called Destruction Magic Kreliker, or Kreliker's Touch for a few decades." Agatha slowed her pace slightly, touching her possessions softly as she walked by, each item seeming to touch her soul. "He died young, from his own magic."

"Oh?"

As they reached the back door, Agatha paused to look back at Laurianna, one hand on the doorknob, the other pointing at Laurianna as a serious look crossed Agatha's face. "He, like many others, got too cocky about what his magic could do. Magic is to be respected, it's not a toy to mess around with." Agatha opened the door, momentarily pausing her speech. "Many have died by their own carelessness."

"Oh."

Outside, Eustace looked at them curiously, standing by a small tree. Agatha waved to him before seating herself back at the table, Laurianna following her lead. "You're young, I don't want you being stupid with your cards."

Laurianna didn't say anything, a little peeved at being lectured by an old woman who didn't even know her. She held her tongue, instead, looking at the approaching Eustace, his brows furrowed in curiosity.

"Did I miss something?" He asked.

"I was just telling her of Kreliker."

"Ah, that buffoon," Eustace paused to sit down to sip from his teacup but stopped when he noticed something in it and poured the liquid out onto the ground. This earned him a glare from Agatha. "What? There was a bug in it."

Agatha just huffed at him, checking her cup on the table briefly. "Old oaf."

"I heard that, anyways. Why Kreliker?"

"Laurianna had found one of my gauntlets, which lead to Kreliker," Agatha stated matter-of-factly.

"Ah, that would do it."

Laurianna turned towards Eustace after a moment and asked, "What about you, do you use magic?"

Eustace grunted, looking around at the garden. "Telekinetic, but I never worked at GHOST."

"But a license is worthless if you don't work in one of their branches, right?" Laurianna was baffled. Yes, you needed a license to practice magic legally, but you also had to be a member of a magic-centered organization. The only one currently in Kuumythia was GHOST.

"I didn't have a license."

"But-"

Eustace interrupted Laurianna quickly saying, "I never used my magic. Can't break the law if you aren't using magic in the first place."

Having no answer to that, Laurianna sat in silence. He had a point, you couldn't be arrested for a crime you didn't commit.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with small talk and lunch. While Laurianna never fully relaxes, she felt comfortable enough around the older couple. They were kind enough, allowing her to stay until she was well, and willing to feed her. Most folks weren't that kind to a stranger. Laurianna was even more grateful they wouldn't share her identity with anyone else.

By evening, they were all seated at a table made of black iron with grapevines carved into the legs, and a dark granite top eating dinner. The space was lit up with a bundle of candles on the tabletop and several lanterns on the piles of junk surrounding the. Above, hung a single jar of fireflies.

Laurianna watched the fireflies as she ate the roast Agatha had made, wondering how long they had been in the jar. Feeling someone's gaze on her, Laurianna looked over to see Eustace watching her.

"You like that jar?"

"I was wondering how long they've been in there...," Laurianna trailed off.

Eustace smiled, looking over briefly to his wife. "They're not real lightning bugs," he watched Laurianna's face contort into confusion. "A gift from a friend, it's her magic. Or at least, something her magic can do."

A small smile spread of Laurianna's face, marveling at a magic so beautiful. "I've never met anyone with magic that could do this."

Agatha stifled a giggle as she watched the two gaze at the jar above. "It's not very-" A loud banging at the door cut the old woman off.

Agatha stood, a frown on her face, while Eustace was quicker to leave the table and open the door. Laurianna tried to peek over the mountain of clutter around the table and see who it was at the door. She could hear a frantic voice along with Eustace's.

After a moment, Eustace came back, emerging from the hoard with an unpleasant look on his face and a smaller man standing off behind him. "Agatha," Eustace looked at his wife and briefly looked over at Laurianna, who was doing her best to stay out of sight from the guest. "You're needed."

"Clean up?" Agatha was already moving away from the table as she asked.

"Maybe."

Agatha disappeared with the man, while Eustace stayed behind. "What was that? Is something wrong?" Laurianna leaned forward, trying to see Eustace's face.

"No," he paused to sit back down. "A younger lad just needed some help from Agatha."

"With what?"

"Eustace looked at Laurianna, debating whether he should tell her or not. His silent battle went on for nearly a minute until he finally sighed, slouching in his chair. "Two Abominations a few streets down. The group that was sent out to deal with them was under the impression that there would only be one beast. Agatha was the closest help they could get."

"Oh." Laurianna sat back, still worried for the old woman. "Are they from GHOST?"

Eustace nodded. "They're younger members, in a little over their head. They got someone going back to HQ for backup, but the lad who came by said they needed someone right then. GHOST will take a while to get the reinforcements in."

Laurianna nodded, looking down at her plate. Suddenly, she had lost her appetite. "It's really that bad?"

Eustace seemed to understand what she meant as he readjusted himself in his seat. "The one you encountered was younger- weaker. It helps you come from a very strong family of Demons. You got real lucky you didn't run into a stronger one."

"There seem to be a lot more of those bastards here than when I first came to the city."

With a little laugh, Eustace answered, "Yeah, well, there's been an increase recently. Nobody knows where they're coming from, but I've noticed some troubling things about them."

"Like what?" Laurianna's interest was piqued. Sitting up straighter, she looked expectantly at Eustace, her worry for Agatha completely gone.

"Bloodshot eyes, foaming of the mouth," he started slowly, giving an odd look to Laurianna as he continued, "seizures, muscle failure... sound familiar?"

Confused, Laurianna tried to think of what he could be talking about. "A lot of things can cause that... are they sick or something? Can they even get sick?"

Eustace shook his head, sighing. "No, Laurianna. Mind control. I'm talking about your father."

Bile rose in Laurianna's face as she scowled, "He's no father of mine," she snapped, more to herself before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "You think he's controlling them?"

"It sure looks like that. If that's true, he's gotten a lot stronger. GHOST is starting to get a little overwhelmed."

Nothing else was said. Instead, the two sat in silence for the rest of dinner. It was when they were wrapping up when Agatha finally returned home, her face looking tired. She said nothing as she entered and went off into another corner of the house. Eustace grumbled and went off after her, leaving Laurianna to herself.

That night, Laurianna slept fitfully as she dreamed of masses of tangled limbs and boils, with gaping mouths waiting to tear her flesh from her bones.