..

—That's two hundred and fifty crowns. —The hum of the cash register sounded synonymous with money, something that shook Maria's insides.

—I have discount coupons. —She pulled out of her purse a mountain of worn strips of paper in faded ink. The cashier barely glanced at them, only to culminate in an icy expression.

—Those are from Trisary and some operating in eastern Lazarus, most of them already expired.

—Let's see. —He pulled out a purse in the shape of a pig's head, from which the rattle of coins sounded. When he opened the maw, he discovered all the coins in a crown, bringing a cold sweat to the clerk's face as she imagined she had to count them all—. I don't think I have the amount, do you have enough for credit?

Mary bit her lower lip, knowing that she would be going further into debt, much to the relief of the woman in the store. At the request she held up a small device with a connection, in the other hand she carried a bag of candied nuts, the Voice of the People newspaper and a wide black cap. The purchase of the garment assaulted her on impulse. In the suitcase she kept a pair of purple and black striped stockings, with a long skirt that would suit her.

—Sure... —She took the device and connected it to a gun-like device with a keypad in the center. Enter your password.

—With this contract I recover. —She prayed a comforting mantra, stifling a pout. With this contract I recover.

She pressed the digits in trembling fingers and the device's screen showed a sign of approval in the shape of a dove; that effect came in a combination of a punch in the gut and a caress on Maria's cheek.

The clerk was putting away the goods in paper bags, which allowed Maria to discover a sign in the Templar recruiting tent, bringing her back to what happened in the booth regarding the crusader's words.

—Excuse me, ma'am. —He showed the medallion, "My name is Maria Cruz and I am part of the guardians of Trisary. I was sent here to solve a case, would you be so kind as to tell me what you know about what is happening in this city?

—Oh.... The woman of an advanced age, held her breath as she was aware that she was in front of an altered woman. Baron Gideon Blackthorne's daughter has suffered a possession. How or why is totally unknown to me or any civilian outside of pure speculation. What I can say... is that whatever has taken that poor woman... is powerful, far too powerful to be a common imp.

—Be detailed, please. —She encouraged him to continue.

—She was contained in the apartment complex she managed, and everyone who entered or ever entered disappeared. The staff, animals, guests... did not manage to leave their homes, they were convinced that the woman was going through a case of dementia. Evil tongues say... first there were voices in the walls, followed by knocks and moving objects. There were tremors or dark visions that appeared out of the corner of her eye and disappeared when she turned around. —Looked to the sides, making sure no one was nearby—, it seemed like a taboo subject in town. All kinds of militia, shepherds and mercenaries who entered the building never came out again... that cursed place swallowed them up.

—Earlier you said insanity. —Taking out a little notebook and a pencil, Maria attached some notes. She had learned it from Priscila. What symptoms did she show?

—In the first instance... he lost all social interaction, he distanced himself from his family, including his daughter. He would confine himself to his bedroom and not come out at all. He begged for food from his servants, and I understand he had his own bathroom... so he lacked nothing.

» At first we thought that, when the rebellion exploded, it brought back memories of the loss of her husband, who died in a similar attack. The worst thing was that in the early mornings she would start dancing and singing, completely naked and covered in dirt and excrement. Her house, like her appearance, became a disaster. The girl went to warn the baron about what was happening and when he sent men to subdue her... the building became a nightmarish fortress, which seems to spread its plague in a contagious way.

—Contagious? —Maria didn't understand what he meant.

—I-I already said too much. —The employee refused to continue, and in desperation, looking for an excuse, she looked at the clock on the wall. My shift change is coming up, I must get ready to leave. An apology.

He returned to the armored car where Tonatiuh was waiting for him, with the engine running right next to the tent. Once on board, they continued the tour based on a map that would guide them in the city.

—With the money from the contract... I plan to get some tattoos. —Tonatiuh lightly taped himself on the chest. Maybe some tribals here... or some flames on my arms. They would look amazing on me.

—Lance let you have relatives legally, and that's where you get tattoos, sweetie.

—Lance had one and they didn't burn him as a witch. —It happened as I feared, Maria would be insistent about studying since she had a glimmer of hope. Please don't push me.

—That was a homunculus, they are different. It's one thing to create a spawn in a test tube and another to make a pact. Still... Lance by being registered as an esper was allowed the former. All right, I won't pursue the matter any further.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

—Or... I can get a tattoo of your name on my butt, wait! How about your face? —He fiddled with the steering wheel, again that huge grin of his was making its presence felt. It would be a nice sight for you in bed.

—Tonatiuh! Obviously, you don't need me to dial you to make it clear that you're mine. —Blushing, she stuck her tongue out at him like a naughty little girl, an alarm blared on the hand-watch. It's time for tea! Find a place, please.

And so, they did. They turned off the road and stopped the vehicle near the semi-rusted metal guardrail, from where they could see a large part of Alegre Vida.

Setting up everything for an improvised picnic, Maria watched the landscape sipping a cup of vanilla tea, her twin braids and cloak stirred by the cool wind of autumn's dusk and winter's dawn. Tonatiuh did not resist and prepared an improvised vegetable broth creating a campfire in the open; faithful to the rule of avoiding in possible anything that is not prepared by him, and everyone who has provoked his cooking, will agree.

—The barracks kitchen must be lonely in your absence. —Mary joked in a harmonious voice, overwhelmed by the aroma of the pot.

—And at first, they didn't want to give me that task, it was enough for them to taste my dad and onion soup to give them a new culinary perspective. After that they didn't want to take me out of the kitchen.

» I swear to you, Bradock was so excited that he didn't want me to go out and make contracts. I hope we meet for the arrival of the traveler, the rest of the Einharts have not lived without tasting my orange-roasted tenderloin.

In the guardian's hand she held the newspaper. It recounted news of recent events. Tonatiuh told her about the story in the drive-thru. The writings had mentioned disappearances not only in the house, but also in the surroundings of the house.

—This case is getting complicated and we haven't even started it. —Maria shook her head. The call alarm went off in the cube, she instinctively took it out of the bag and when she turned on the hologram with the contact, it was enough to break all thoughts dedicated to the contract—. Priscilla. —He read the name and pressed the answer button.

—Maria, my dear, how was your trip? —The female voice coming from the device sounded raspy, at a high volume close to shouting and commanded respect and authority. I don't have much time, I wanted to listen to your voice for a while. Soon I will have to teach a class on covenants. Those brats wouldn't know a catalyst, even if I put it in their face.

Priscila's appearance hasn't changed much over the years; a style divided into elegance and appropriateness in the field. The round eyeglasses, the two pigtails combed like drills resting on the shoulders, divided in black and white. The classic hat tilted back at the tip, adorned with gold ornaments adorned with purple jewels, and a silver crystal attached to the choker, just above the neckline.

Like Mary, the gemstones served as spell amplifiers, and manifested protection in a protective aura around the body, doubling physical strength and durability. She wore a low-cut, long-necked white dress, with a shawl of orange detailing that went in a zigzag system at the ends, and the skirt opened in three draperies that showed off the thick freckled thighs until ending at the mechanical implants in the legs.

Mary's heart was filled with warmth from the near reunion, separated by a long distance and communicating through the holograms. She looked almost as she did the day they met, being picked up from the police station. It seemed that they were not too far apart in age, and the difference in Priscilla's height surpassed her in stature. The only thing that had changed was that she had mechanical implants replacing her arms up to her shoulders, bringing her closer to a cyborg.

—I'm fine, and you? —Her face lit up at hearing from her mentor and friend again. He had thought of her as a big sister. I am in the eastern Lazarus fief of Lord Gideon Blackthorne. I will be entering into a contract here with said family, it involves an exorcism. I sent you the specs.

—You survived an armed conflict in the western fief, you've come a long way, my girl. I haven't had time to take a look at it, I'll give you some tips as soon as I can. —The hologram of the sorceress spotted Tonatiuh. The joviality faded into a cold repulsion—. For the love of... Is Valkyrie near?

—I sent her to rest... there are merely Tonatiuh and me. —The speech sounded shaky and halting. They will not be facing each other, and the abrupt change turned everything into a heavy tension.

—Hello, sister-in-law, or should I say sister-in-law? —In sheer annoyance, Tonatiuh came out from behind Maria's back and hugged her around the waist—. How have you been?

—I feel like throwing up, don't call me that way and much less in that tone, and don't even say a word to me. —Priscila moved away from the camera; she raised her face looking down on them from above.

—Priscilla, please, not now.

Maria wanted to stop her and was tempted to hang up, but her hand trembled near the button. She did not know the reason, quite the contrary, to Priscila, who let out a tidal wave of venom turned into words in a fluency worthy of essays.

—You and I are nothing, I merely tolerate you because my Maria saw something in you that to this day I cannot understand. She's a lot of women for a low-class gangster. You're all the disappointments I had in mind, all flesh and blood.

—That was unnecessary, Priscila. —The vein was marked on Maria's forehead; she would not tolerate such behavior from whomever it came from. Please stop, Tonatiuh is my boyfriend and you have to respect him.

—Mother-in-law, calm down.... if you get too angry you could generate more gray hair. —A cheerful and calm man, he did not refrain from harboring hatred—. You should not hold a grudge for my kind, not because of what happened in High Paradise he has to burn us all... I mean Nemea. They changed her name, didn't they? the old one was quite nice.

—I swear by all the old and new gods that the day I see you again I'm going to strangle you, monkey! —Priscilla's steely hands trembled dangerously close to coming out of the hologram and grabbing the man by the neck.

—Okay, that's enough! Priscila. —Maria lifted the cube away from Tonatiuh as best she could, despite their size difference—. We'll talk later, okay?

—It was fun... Well, I'm sorry. —Tonatiuh scratched the back of his neck in laughter, he wasn't sorry for anything.

—Whatever. —He massaged his temples with both fingers—. Don't let them break your staff again, and neither will you, Maria. I love you very much and as for you Tonatiuh... where you are going to let them hurt her, I will burn my license just to finish turning you into an animal.

—I will die first before anyone touches her. —Tonatiuh coldly agreed with Priscila, drawing a gasp from Maria in disbelief.

—Goodbye, Priscilla.... I love you. —She closed the call and leaned against the railings; her head pointed to the sky letting her jaw hang; overwhelmed by what just happened.

—You look like you need a drink. —He tried to be funny, only to be fulminated by his lover's hostile gaze—. Would a little soup be better?

—I could use that... maybe both. —Maria rested her gloved hand on her forehead, letting Tonatiuh place the blanket with the dishes «All these years and they couldn't get along».