It had been nearly an hour since James had made her way down the alleyways. She was pressed into a corner between two buildings down one of the alleyways. Off to her right side was a dumpster with a very unpleasant smell that caused her to wrinkle her nose.

She wasn't entirely sure how her illusions worked. Still, she noticed that if she moved, people seemed to glance in her direction even though they seemed to fail to actually see her when she was using her ability.

So she just sat here and waited for things to die down. A few close calls occurred when one of the Bushido Frogs marched by. She wasn't sure why they kept searching the same area and was worried they could detect she was there, even if they couldn't find her.

She had begun to get weary of using her illusions. Her eyes had grown heavy, and her thoughts became sluggish as she kept them active for a long time. So she dispelled them, only to reactivate them when she heard a noise or noticed something unusual.

She wasn't even confident they were looking for her as she was now and not something else entirely or just someone in general in the area. But it had been some time since they had passed by her location, so she decided that now was as good a time as any to relocate.

James slowly got up off the pavement and wiped the dirt and grime from her pants with a look of disgust on her face. They had gotten a little bit wet from where she had been sitting, but she really didn't have many options at the time.

She would have to take another shower to get the nasty trash juice out of the fur of her tail, which was still shoved down into one of her pant legs. That assumed she stayed like this for any period anyway, which wasn't part of her plans.

She checked that the slate was well placed in one of the generous pants pockets and moved a few cards into place for easy use. Then, after she had made sure her hat was in place, she slowly crept out of her hiding place.

Looking around to ensure that there were no observers, she mentally dispelled her illusion. As she did so, a weight lifted off her mind, and she felt sharper.

She broke into a run as she bounded towards a corner of the alleyway. It led out onto a main road, and she could feel freedom only a few steps away. That was until, of course, a familiar figure walked around the corner, looking somewhat disgruntled.

She tried to slow at the last moment but ended up slamming her entire body into the man as she was unable to stop herself in time. Of course, it was the rider, his helmet long since discarded, who, rather than being bowled over, managed to catch her instead.

James was already starting to freak out as the man released her, and she looked for an exit. Her mind whirled in panic. This was really bad. How did he know she was going to leave this way?

"Ah, are you okay?" He asked, looking confused before he focused on her features. "Who are you?"

"I'm ah, uhm..." James sputtered, her brain trying to grasp the new situation. She hadn't been expecting him to not attack her. She stood there a bit longer than was strictly reasonable, but her mind finally supplied an answer even as she moved to push past him. "I'm in a hurry."

He seemed to accept this. But a moment later, his hand caught James' shoulder as she went to escape, causing her to tense up. Her hand went to her pocket, readying the cards hidden there.

"You're a monster?" He said, sounding a bit uncertain.

"I'm not a monster!" James said defensively, turning back to him, her hackles rising, but instantly regretted it. Damn it. Fuck. She was a moron.

"I didn't mean it like that," the man said as he moved over to her and looked at her face again. "I meant... you're not from this world, are you?"

She slowly backed away from him. How did he know she was a monster? Were the eyes enough? Was this a ploy? If so, why hadn't he attacked her? Did he not realize that the girl in front of him was the person he had been chasing? Why wasn't she running?

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said as he noticed James' consternation and released her shoulder.

"What do you want?" James asked, uncertain how to continue. She just wanted to leave but was afraid he would just attack her then. "Just leave me alone," she said with a frown.

"Sorry, it's just part of Py... my goals to connect our worlds," the man said. "I didn't realize it had already happened."

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"Look, I don't know anything about that," James sighed. "Nothing about portals, other worlds, or whatever agreements."

"You don't?" he asked, looking confused.

"Now, if you excuse me, I really have to go," she said, turning away from the man. Her sharp fingernails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists, only just restraining herself from taking a swipe at the man.

"Wait," the man said. "I'm Elias. What's your name?"

"J-" James started but froze. There was no way she could give him her name. That would just be asking for trouble. "It doesn't matter."

She began to walk off as Elias followed behind her.

"Please don't follow me," James said.

"I'm sorry. But I have so many questions," Elias replied as he kept pace.

"I don't have any answers," James said, picking up her pace again. She really didn't like where this was going. Her nerves were boiling over, and she was having difficulty keeping her temper under wraps. "I probably have more questions than you do."

"I can answer them," Elias said, causing her to stop. He stopped beside her. "Just talk to me."

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" James asked. The situation was awkward, and the earlier sense of panic had been replaced with annoyance. Had this been the same person who had dogged her from the hotel? This was the scary badass that had almost killed her several times? What the hell? Was she his type or something?

"Fuck!" James shouted. "Why can't you just go away? What did I ever do to you? Why are you chasing me?"

"Uhm..." Elias said, looking a bit dumbfounded at her anger. "Ah... sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Just, well."

"Fine... Fine, fine, fine. We can meet later. Just leave me alone," James said through gritted teeth.

Elias's face brightened, and he took a pen and a card out of his pocket. He hastily wrote on the back before handing it to James: "Here's my card, with a time and place on the back."

James took it. The word "Shogun" was written on the front over a triangle. On the back was a date two days from now over the words "C. Park."

"Great," James said, putting the card into her pocket. She had no intention of attending, but she wasn't dumb enough to toss it right in front of him. "Now, don't follow me."

"Yeah," Elias sighed as James turned away from him. "Pretty sure my job here is bust anyway." Elias turned around and walked back towards where they had come.

She broke into a jog, wanting to get as far away from the man as soon as possible. What the hell was that? Her whole body shook even as she ran away from Elias. That had been close, too close. She should be dead. She needed a game plan, and only one option came to mind.

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James walked past the entry to Paul's apartment building for the third time, unsure how to broach the topic with him. She needed help and didn't know anyone else in the area.

She could have changed back, but showing up to his door bloody with a twisted leg didn't seem wise. He would likely call the emergency number regardless of anything she said. She couldn't go to the hospital, not with Elias sniffing around. He would probably be watching them, much like he had been watching the hotel. That felt a little paranoid, but it wasn't paranoia if people were actually out to get you.

No, she needed to ease him into that. Maybe she could use a card to heal up, but it would be best not to experiment alone. The last time she did that, she gained a tail. No, she knew that she needed help now.

She should have contacted him sooner. He had a lot of cards and was a bit of a giant nerd about the game, even more so than James was. But she was nervous. She really wasn't sure how she was going to explain all this.

James sighed in resignation as she stopped walking and turned back towards the front door of Paul's apartment building. Gathering her courage, she ascended the stairs and before long she was knocking on the door to his apartment.

She heard a muffled shout from inside, indiscernible to her covered ears, and only a minute later, a somewhat bedraggled Paul pulled open the door.

"Huh?" he said, his eyes not really focusing on her. He looked like he had just crawled out of bed.

"Uhm, hey," James started, her brain having forgotten every approach she had thought of. "It's uhm... It's me. I kind of need some help."

"You?" He said with a yawn before looking at her again. "You're... the girl from the bus? What's going on?"

"No," James said, shaking her head before stopping herself. "Well, yes. But no. It's me, James."

"James?" Paul said, staring at the short, black-haired girl at his door. He began to close the door. "Well, good luck with whatever scam this is."

"Wait!" James shouted, trying to convince him. "You wet your bed until you were twelve! I know where your cat Loki is buried! I never gave back your Sky Shatter card."

The door paused at a crack. "What? Sky Shatter?"

"Uhm... Ah... sorry," James said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She had actually taken the card without telling him, and it had been a while ago.

"What's my favorite color?" Paul asked as he opened the door a fraction.

"You never told me. Said you didn't want to choose sides," James said, remembering that argument. Everyone had a favorite color. The idiot.

"Is this a prank?" Paul said, looking James up and down again before looking around the street outside.

"Can I come in? I can explain." James tried.

"Fine," Paul shrugged as he pushed open the door. He stood back and waved her in, giving her a final glance. "Are you his girlfriend or something?"

James just sighed as she ducked into his tidy apartment.