The girl — Solana — smiled at her. It was a smile that promised her best interests at heart. Tanya had seen such a smile before.

On her grandfather’s face. He had worn it while he watched her getting tortured as she begged for mercy..

“You and I share a long history,” Solana purred. “I wish to tell you about that which you don’t know.”

“I’ve never met you before,” Tanya shot back. “I don’t know what the hell you are, or what Lukas,” she scowled, disdain flashing across her features, “is doing with you; and I just want to get out of here.”

The girl smiled.

“Everfrost.”

…

The reaction was instantaneous.

One moment, they were all standing there. The next moment, Tanya had practically teleported in front of Solana, with a wind-blade pointed between Solana’s eyes before she could so much as blink, while several dozen blades aiming for her vitals materialized around her. Another dozen blades guarded the distance between Tanya and Maude, out of precaution if nothing else.

There wasn’t a single blade between herself and Lukas, though.

Her face burned as the realization hit her, but she hit it well in her ferocity as she regarded the black-haired girl.

“How do you know that name?” she growled. A part of her whispered furiously that she had her blades aimed at the wrong person, but she suppressed it ruthlessly. She had told Lukas about her deepest, darkest secret, but that didn’t mean that he was the one that betrayed her. It was too direct, too simple, and Lukas could play games that were way more complex than this.

Besides, hadn’t Maude admitted to watching her employ frost against Lukas? Maybe she was the one that had reported it? But even then, how did they know about its name?

“I’ve known of Everfrost long before you were even conceived, child,” said Solana, completely nonchalant about her position. Tanya wasn’t sure exactly what the girl, whatever she was — was capable of, but her posture suggested complete indifference. Like there was nothing Tanya could do that could bring her harm.

“How?”

That smile surfaced again. “I know of Everfrost and its secrets. I know of its past wielders and its origin in our world. I know more about your powers than you can even imagine.”

The blade edged closer.

“Tell me.”

The smile turned sharp. Like a knife’s edge. “You will never value information if it comes to you that easily, child.”

She pressed the wind dagger deeper. Just a little more and the blade would draw blood.

“You can either tell me, or die.”

The girl, or whatever she was, continued to smile. “Is that what you think will happen?”

“Tanya,” Lukas replied tersely. “I… really think you should listen to what she has to say.”

Tanya gritted her teeth and took a step back, ready to strike at the slightest hostile movement. She did not truly believe that Lukas would strike her, so it was more out of instinct than intention. The black-haired girl just stood there, utterly nonchalant about Tanya’s reaction, as if she was utterly inconsequential before her. Tanya glanced at Lukas, and found lines forming on his face, though it wasn’t the kind she had seen before.

He wasn’t expecting a physical confrontation. Or, to be more specific, wasn’t expecting any of them to be attacked. Just how deep did his association run with the yokai?

After a few seconds of tense inactivity, Tanya exhaled and dispelled her blades, despite her paranoia screaming otherwise. She took a step back and regarded Lukas.

‘Guess you’re her bitch now.”

“One wishes,” said Solana with an over-exaggerated sigh, as she gave her an amused eye-smile. “The Outsider is too independently minded for that.”

Tanya ignored her and glared at Lukas, daring him to prove her wrong.

Lukas frowned. “I work for myself. I thought you knew that.”

“I also ’knew’ you had nothing to do with yokai. Yet, here we are.”

Lukas sighed. “ I might have skipped a few key details.”

“You LIED to me!”

“I did not lie to you,” Lukas emphasized. “I’m not working for her.”

“And yet you brought me here!”

“Will you please let me finish?”

Her glare intensified, but she didn’t retort any further.

“I didn’t lie to you, alright?” said Lukas. “And no, I didn’t intend to come here. I only… It just happened, alright? You know as well as I do what happened when I tried opening it before.”

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Tanya tilted her head ever so slightly. She had noted how both Solana and Maude were watching him closely. That he had so closely alluded to his anomaly status without talking about it directly spoke of a well-maintained secret, just like he had done with her and Zuken before this.

“What’s your relationship with her?” she demanded.

“Relationship? What makes you think there is one?” Lukas shot back. At her glare, he exhaled. “Fine. She’s… kind of frenemy, I suppose.”

“What is a frenemy?” Maude asked.

“A massive pain in the ass, but someone you can’t do without.” Lukas replied. “The devil, you know. I’d say she’s worse than a credit card company, but you wouldn’t catch my drift.”

“We’ve treated you like a guest.”

“Guests get invited,” Lukas shot back, “I’m the unfortunate window-shopper that got called in for a free ride and now being forced into a car-loan.”

Tanya stared at him. As did the others. Then they started talking all at once.

“What’s a window-shopper?” asked Solana, wondering.

“What is a car-loan?” asked Maude, in interest.

“Why are you being forced into one?” asked Tanya in alarm.

Lukas just looked at them with varying degrees of helplessness before he sighed. “Ignore it..” He met Tanya’s eyes. “Long story short, these fellas captured me when I was traipsing through the anomaly. The next thing I know, one of them tried to possess me, but when that failed, they satisfied their curiosity by stripping me naked.”

Me too, Tanya almost said out loud. But instincts honed over the years helped her stay in control. Embarrassing incident or not, it’d have stayed in the past. The matter would’ve ended there, should have ended there, had her former mission-partner turned enemy Maude not opened her mouth.

“It wasn’t personal,” The Oni grinned contagiously. “Tanya here went through the same treatment.”

…Damnit!

Lukas blinked before looking her up and down. Tanya hoped he wasn’t trying to picture her naked. Honestly, this was not the way she had expected things to turn out. They were in the middle of a yokai territory for the goddess’s sake. This… this felt like a shrine reunion among old friends.

“Yeah, they have a fetish for that,” Lukas said, oblivious to her inner turmoil. “Anyway, they forced me to fight Quonnan, who was creepily obsessed with my body.”

A sudden desire to hit him again rose in her. And she had no idea why.

“I mean, she wanted my body for herself. I told her it wouldn’t work out between us, so she got angry, self-immolated herself and tried to possess me and make me into her psychotic boy toy.”

“And you got her powers,” Solana concluded, watching them with a half-amused expression.

Tanya snapped her head at her. “You know of his powers?”

“Some,” said Solana, “he is rather shy about showing them off.”

“And I’d like to keep it that way,” Lukas stressed.

“I have told you before, Outsider,” Solana said, unblinking, “this isn’t about you any longer. It is about her. You are free to leave, no strings attached.”

“And I told you I’m not leaving her with you,” Lukas said stubbornly.

Solana folded her hands as she regarded Lukas, oblivious to Tanya’s growing confusion. “Right. You care about her a great deal.”

“Who, me?” Tanya asked, alarmed.

“Yes,” said Lukas, “she’s creepily obsessed with you.” he finished, before glaring at Solana. “I told you. She’s my friend.”

“Allow me to rephrase that observation. You care for her to an irrational degree,” Solana tilted her head, as if studying him. “I’m not sure I understand why.”

A rush of unexplained glee shot through Tanya’s body at Solana’s words as she regarded Lukas, who was doing his best not to look in her direction.

“I told you,” Lukas repeated, slower but firmer than before. “She’s my friend.”

“I understand your words. But they mean nothing.”

“They do,” said Lukas, his tone growing firmer by the second. “To normal people. Not six-century old skinwalkers.”

“S… skinwalkers?” Tanya stammered. She had heard tales of skinwalkers, or yosuzume, in the old tongue, as a young child at her father’s lap. Tales of vicious wraiths coming to haunt young kids that didn’t sleep after the day ended, creatures that swam in the mists, grabbing Asukans and stealing their souls. Ghastly monstrosities that wore and changed bremetan bodies like one changed apparel. And if she was six centuries old, then she must have changed dozens, if not hundreds of bodies over the years.

That she was trading barbs with a walking, talking corpse made her want to throw up.

That the walking, talking corpse was deeply interested in her made it even worse.

Was that why she was so uncaring of her hostility? Because even if she butchered her body into a thousand pieces, she could always jump into another? The growing apprehension and curiosity was getting too much for her.

Solana’s expression had become distant. “You should not be too sure of that, Outsider. I too had friends. Family.”

And why was she looking at her while she said that?

Her stomach did a nasty flip.

“Tell me what you know about Everfrost.”

“I cannot, child. For it destroys the balance,” said Solana. “I am all about balance. Never offer something without accepting something else in return. Never give a favor without collecting another of its kind.”

Tanya wanted to get mad at her. But it was useless. This girl — woman? Crone? She’d be older than any bremetan frame of reference she could use to describe her. She could choose to attack her, but doing so would yield nothing. And Solana was right. Lukas was indeed one of the most stubborn people Tanya had ever encountered, so if he wanted her to play ball, there had to be some reason behind it. This skinwalker — she was not bremetan, and by the looks of it, a being of power, trickery and deceit. And she was old. Six centuries old.

There was no sense drawing this out. She had to play the game.

“Fine.” she gave Solana a tired, whimsical smile. “What do you want in return?”

The creature nodded back, business-like. “I will not share this knowledge with you, but with your other self. The frost.”

Tanya’s eyes instantly shot towards Lukas, meeting his intense gaze. If Solana got her information from Maude, it was outdated. Lukas, or his Goddess — had sealed the Frost from truly taking over, like it did every other time it manifested. Even when she called upon the full power of the frost in the borderland, she had been in control. More uninhibited perhaps, but still in control. And sane.

She knew that.

But Solana didn’t.

Lukas gave her a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.

That crazy sonofabitch! He knew what she was thinking. And he agreed. He knew what Solana was asking, and he knew Tanya would stay in control.

The urge to smile was overwhelming.

“... The frost,” said Tanya, slowly, as if weighing every word. “Is not exactly stable. I’m not sure I can even hold back if it, if she attacks you guys.”

“Agreed,’ said Solana, without a hitch. “Come with me.”