“You’re the ones that wanted to meet me, right?” This goldilocks defeated a Fusion with just sandals, a wrap dress, and a tank top. To showcase such might and not lose an ounce of stamina fills Nikolay with awe. “Are you okay? You look rough?”

Nikolay looks down at Shen who is slowly hoisting himself into Nikolay’s arms before looking at his own one realizing it’s perfectly reattached. “We’re fine!” he yells overjoyed. “We’re fine,” he says more composed to appear a lot calmer and collected.

Looking around, he struggles to spot the stranger that had come in to have fun massacring demons. He comes to realize that they stand out like sore thumbs at the end of the platform. They’re lucky only a handful of travellers are around. A strong gust of wind has him shutting his eyes along with the people waiting for their train. Upon opening them, Railgun had changed into proper winter gear fully dressed from head to toe.

“That woman you were with ran. Did you know her?”

“She ran?” Nikolay asks. “Not knocked out?”

“Nah. She was probably acting as if she was unconscious the moment she sensed me entering that domain,” Railgun claims. “It’s honestly not a bad idea. Hunting outside your territory gets you in all sorts of trouble anyway. Running while she had the chance was probably for the best even at her level.”

‘Even at her level’… even that statement undermines the gap between Railgun and that stranger. Knowing that Dream Catchers get territorial to begin with has Nikolay wondering whether or not there may be actual turf wars every once in a while.

“I’m not like that!” she clarifies. Railgun took notice of Nikolay’s worry. “I lead troublemakers away because they’re such a bother! Constantly going on and on about how I don’t own the land and then going as far as to threaten me! Can you believe it!”

“Huh?”

“That’s what I always say too! Then they’re quick to call me ‘just another kid’ and ‘some cursed mistake’. I’m sorry, what? I can decapitate you before taking a single fucking step!” It seems she’s quite worked up over something. To be met with constant opposition likely leaves its mark on people.

“Shouldn’t we be helping them. His friend is barely responsive,” says the Z atop Railgun’s shoulder. “They’re not capable of being a threat no matter how much they carry with them. Shen may be a wildcard but that won’t matter.” It is so monotone and matter of fact that not an ounce of warmth or empathy can radiate from its words.

“There’s no need for such hostility Prometheia. You can drop the act. You’re safe with me.” They seem to be on friendly terms. After coming to hear of Karen’s view of Zs, Nikolay believed them to be these unfeeling machines with goals beyond anyone’s comprehension. “I’m Elena. I don’t believe in that whole superior/inferior stuff so just ask away or address me as you please but maybe we should head somewhere a little more quiet?”

Her apartment isn’t too far away from here. Making it seem like she lived at the opposite end of town was to keep herself safe. Her infamy has likely gotten her into a fair share of trouble. To be reffered to as ‘Cursed Child’ likely poses a great amount of danger to her well-being. Now that she’s part of the Bavarian Council, she likely bears far more responsibility without the necessary respect to execute them.

The moment they arrive, she hands them all sorts of snacks, prepares tea, and even offers them dinner. “It’s least I can do after you went out of your way to meet me.” Her house looks tidy and well-kept. Despite her notoriety, she has a nice home to take care of. Though it looks quite neat, you can tell that’s her home. Her personality is sprinkled throughout all the decorations and designs. A sunflower lighting fixture hangs above them illuminating the living room.

Five flower pots are hanging from her ceiling somehow thriving despite their differences. The first of the five black flower pots has a yellow sword with streaks of what they believed to be lights engraved in it. The snapdragons hanging out of the pot are perfectly still as if in a trance. Purple hyacinths are nested within the second flower pot. A lone blue rifle marks their pot. The third pot is occupied by white lillies. With no marks of its own, a few green almost luminescent threads are hanging out of the pot. Pot number four is inhabited by gladiolus flowers with two blades forming a cross. Their vitality is likely the best among the five flowers. The last pot is engraved with a broken spear. The orchids could be a little healthier, but are far from dying.

The sunflower light is shining down on Elena’s coffee table highlighting a basket of yarn, a few fashion magazines, and a little diary with a ribbon for a lock. There’s still enough for a few people to dine on with a teepot, several plates of snacks, and their own plates. With attachments and extandable parts it can turn from a teeny tiny coffee table to a nice dining space. The white little rug looks like a risky piece of furniture waiting to be stained but it’s small enough to fit into the washer.

Her TV and commode isn’t anything special. It still fits to the neat and clean atmosphere yet isn’t anything worth talking about. Next to the TV are the remains of a broken lance that likely once were within the hands of a capable fighter. A green ribbon and a red one are above the glass showcase. To the other side is a broken menorah.

Her living space is filled with a heavy smog of regrets. The items within her living room are likely dedicated to fallen comrades she’d love to meet again. To bear that weight while navigating a hostile world which refuses to respect her is far too cruel.

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“Strange living room, right?” she says. “You know, since I’m offering you whatever I can, I believe it’s fair of me to vent my frustrations to the two of you.”

Shen is lying atop Nikolay’s lap still recovering from their battle. He’s healthy but fatigued. In just a few days, just in time to buy fireworks, he’ll be back to 100%. For now, he’ll quitely listen to Elena’s story. Prometheia is lying atop her lap as a tiny red-eyed pomeranian letting herself be treating to massages and lots of petting.

“My life as a normal girl ended five-and-a-half years ago. Shortly before I turned 13, I was just an only child with her loving parents on their way overseas to visit family. Right before we could land, someone on our flight turned into a demon. I know most people wouldn’t choose to become one but I can’t help but hate them. It feels wrong but also kind of right! They should have died at birth!”

Short sighs and shaky breaths…

“Shortly thereafter I met Marcella. She vowed to become my mentor and guide me as a newborn Dream Catchers. With mentors of her own she knew just how I should learn and grow and she’s still a guiding light. I snuffed out her potential to rise as high as a Sovereign reducing her to just another number due to my own weakness and incompetence.”

Shen wants to disagree but he has no right to speak on a stranger’s troubling history.

“Her mentors couldn’t face me any longer and had sent me away on a bus to Canada so that some other Dream Catchers could deal with me and my fuckups. I ran off of course not wanting to get anyone hurt likely hurting even more people in the process. Some canadian agent shipped me off to Vancouver Island with a few more orphans. Of course these kids were far more talented than I was. The only thing I was good at was taking punches so that’s what I did.

We grew to care for each other in that harsh environment and a few geniuses managed to devise an escape plan. They kinda turned into their own family of five. I ran off with my own crew. One of us was too disabled to get away so we lost him. Me and four others made do with living on the streets or camping out in the wild fighting all kinds of beings. Of course, tragedy struck again and they were dealt with death. I alone got to escape cause of my cowardice.”

‘Fighting all kinds of beings’? Found family of five? Vancouver Island?

“I lucked out again and made it all the way back to Germany. It turns out there are a lot of Dream Catchers trying to escape their circumstances. Many died on their journey to a fulfilling life. The few that survived… I have never met them again. I was taken in by another one of the Council. She treated me like her younger sister but of course I fucked up again and got someone killed. Now I’m here, alone, only being accompanied by Prometheia.”

There are lots of questions they wish to have answered. Being met with her life story has halted all momentum they’ve built up these past few months. Her nicknames speaking of misfortune bordering on superstition now seem to make a lot more sense. To be met with tragedy wherever you go has to be hard. How can one live when every choice or opportunity seems to turn into another nightmare?

“We’ve met three of those five kids,” Nikolay replies. He feels obligated to instill some hope.

“You did?” Elena is almost expecting some sort of answer proving her wrong. She herself likely believes that misfortune descends on those that stick with her. “But only three of them…”

“Adrian, Tristan, and Kenny! They’re alive and well!” Shen is almost yelling. “Their oldest sister is still on her way to find them and their younger sister is still trapped somewhere but they’re fine!”

Elena gently laughs at the two of them. “I do believe that I bring misfortune and that I’m not good enough to make up for the pain I’ve caused, but things are actually turning out fine right now. I think life may actually be worth living! But I appreciate the thought.”

“Thank god! I thought we overstepped!” Shen is relieved to know Elena is relatively well. Even if there are much better mindsets out there, at least she considers living an option. Dealing with harmful attitudes and forms of self-care can come at a later time.

“I know now’s kinda bad… But what about Vancouver Island?” Nikolay’s curiosity seems to extend past his empathy. At least he seems uncomfortable shifting around in his chair. “And those beings? What was that?”

She seems to spend some time contemplating. The cliff notes of her life story weren’t necessarily things that no other Dream Catcher had experienced. That alone wouldn’t put her at risk. But there’s some sort of fear lying behind sharing details about her histories.

“Can’t share?” Nikolay asks looking concerned. “Don’t worry. We won’t-”

“Have you heard of divine keys?” She appears flustered trying to keep her eyes facing downwards. “I know very little of them but we were on Vancouver Island to test something. I wish I knew what they were testing but it has something to do with that. There’s not much else I can tell you. You probably know of demons and their link to Dream Catchers. You also have a superior Vambrance. There isn’t much I can teach you.”

“So leave. You got what you asked for,” Prometheia orders shaping herself into a furry snake that looks more like a shadow. “Your presence is repulsive! Don’t poison Hellfire with your words as he is none the wiser when it comes to demons.”

A taxi ride is offering them a bit of time to consider their options. The cold silence has Nikolay wondering why they would keep that secret from Hellfire. Sure, he’s just a child but wouldn’t it be best to have that conversation before he can watch a comrade turn into a monster?

Shen however is wondering what he’s doing meeting so many broken people. Lately they’ve only heard saddening stories that could turn into something good, but don’t possess enough hope to truly invoke a feeling of everything turning out fine. For now, at least the next few days, he wants to spend his time with Nikolay as a happy couple unbothered by.

“Hey, let’s not ask around too much.”

“Why? Isn’t that what we came here for?” Nikolay is perplexed. To come this far without asking for answers to questions that have been burdening them these past few months.

“We’re not getting too much out of asking questions anyway. We’re still dating, you know? Or are you just with me because of your research?”

“Of course not!” Nikolay vehemently denies these claims. Though Shen is just playfully suggesting things, Nikolay is seriously panicking over being viewed as anything other than a loving boyfriend.

“I’m just joking,” he chuckles. “Let’s just have more fun, okay?”