Jack gingerly leans back in his seat, a sweatshirt folded up behind him as a cushion for his back, and asks "Something up?" Fiore's been quiet ever since she put the Biofreeze on his back, and it's getting him worried. It's a bad enough sign when it's a human going all quiet, but with someone as strong as Fiore?!
It's ringing every alarm bell, sending up every red flag in his head.
Fiore frowns, then asks "How's your back? Still hurt?"
Jack shakes his head, saying "No, it's fi- you're avoiding my question."
Fiore purses her lips, then says "Fae powers don't just start up suddenly, from what the little research I could do indicated. They can grow in strength as a Fae matures and gains control of them, but they don't just suddenly appear like mine did. And Succubi don't come into their powers until they come of age." Yet, she has access to some Succubi powers, and some Fae powers...it doesn't add up unless there's something missing.
Jack asks "...and? I'm not following."
Fiore nods, saying "It's just an idea I had, but...Dakkar has this pair of magical twins. A Witch and a Warlock pair. Extremely powerful, to the point that they don't even look particularly human anymore. I saw them once, when I was much younger, and there was something about them that scared me."
Jack looks over, asking "And? What's this got to do with your powers?"
"My very first memory is being brought to Dakkar. I woke up on a stone table, and two of his servants came in and led me to him. That's when I met Antonino, to. I didn't have any of the powers I have now back then - none of the Fae ones, anyway. I have no idea if my Allure was active back then, Vampires aren't affected by it...and Dakkar prefers to keep his servants enthralled, so it wouldn't have affected any of them either." And she wasn't allowed anywhere for a few years, at which time her Allure had long-since made itself known.
Jack frowns, then asks "You think this Witch and Warlock pair, whatever that is, they did something to you?"
Fiore let's a breath out, and says "I'm starting to. You said your back was feeling tingly when I was finished with the Biofreeze, remember?"
At Jack's nod, she says "Well, my hands all the way up to my elbows were feeling the same way. Being able to generate lightning didn't start until a few months after I started being able to do the same with light. And the pocket-dimension creation only started a few weeks ago. It's like...the more I use my Fae powers, the more I can access. Like they're breaking through a block on them."
Jack frowns, then asks "And you think these two could do something like that? Block your powers?"
Fiore nods, saying "Yes. A Witch or Warlock makes a pact with a demon, tying themselves to it in exchange for power. Like a contract, but signed in blood and spirit. Depending on which demon it is they bound themselves to, Dakkar's personal magic-users could absolutely somehow bind someone's powers and memories."
Jack takes all that in for a moment, then says "Damn. Magic is a lot darker than the books write about."
Fiore shrugs, and says "Some, yes. There is a counterpart, however. A Sorcerer or Sorceress draws on energy inside themselves, from their surroundings, or from other dimensions - willpower and concentration, rather than a demonic benefactor."
Jack runs a hand down his face, trying to absorb what she's saying rather than shut down due to information-overload - but the entire day after getting out of Walmart has basically been spent with Fiore upending everything he thought he knew about this world.
And most of the stories about what he thought wasn't in it.
Dragons are real and can apparently pass as human unless they're outed. Fairies are real, but human-sized and can shoot lightning and light from their palms. Vampires are real, most things that supposedly kill them are just annoying to them, and one runs a nightclub and another is the head of a Mafia. Elves are very real, use equally-real magic, but prefer not to interact with humans who only live a short fraction of their lifespans.
Gods, Jack thinks to himself, when exactly did the world get this weird?! Right, it was always this weird…
After a moment, he pinches the bridge of his nose and says "My head's going to explode."
Fiore hums, then says "There's a town coming up in about ten miles. Let's stop there, get something to drink, and make or buy some food. You want to drive for a bit afterwards?"
Jack nods, then says "Please. I need something to do other than think right now. How are we doing on fuel? Wait, electric car, how's the battery?"
Fiore smirks, and says "Full. I've been keeping it charged."
Jack blinks, then asks "Didn't you say, the more you use your powers…"
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Fiore nods before a look of realization crosses her face, and Jack bursts out laughing, ending up clutching at his sides as tears run down his face. Once he manages to take a breath in, he gasps out "That's…that is hilarious, and brilliant, and absolutely amazing. You know that?"
Fiore shrugs, and says "I was thinking I'd be able to keep the car charged, that's why I picked an electric one…" She has to admit, it is a welcome development. And a little funny, in retrospect.
----------------------------------------
The town Fiore mentioned comes up soon enough, and they see a Firehouse with a drive-through. Fiore breathes out a sigh of relief at the sight, and says "Lets switch when we get the food. What do you want?"
"I'm getting at least one Italian - actually, two please - but the Hook and Ladder is really good, to, if you want to try one." Taylor raves about them, gets one every time she's at Firehouse - and they're good, he readily admits, but not quite filling enough for him.
Fiore nods, then her hair turns dirty-blonde and her skin gets a washed-out color with a bunch of freckles as they pull up to the window.
A voice crackles out of the speaker, saying "Welcome to Firehouse, what'll your order be?"
Fiore calls over "I'll take two Italians, both with double meat, a Hook and Ladder with extra cheese and no onions…what size drink do you want? And what kind, because I see at least twenty?"
Jack says "Gatorade, please. Lemon lime, if they have it. Large."
Fiore nods, then leans her head out again and says "And two large drinks, a lemonade and a lemon-lime Gatorade!"
"That'll be fifty-seventy, your order will be ready in five minutes."
They quickly pay, with Fiore telling the cashier to just keep the thirty cents in change, and they park and switch seats before someone comes out to give them their food.
Jack grins as he unwraps one of the Italians, and says "I should probably warn you, Firehouse's subs get a little drippy."
Fiore shrugs, and says "As long as we keep it in the containers, it'll be fine." Even if they don't, they've got bigger things to worry about than some sauce or condiment dripping onto the leather seats.
Jack immediately realizes this is Fiore's first sub from Firehouse when she takes a bite, as her eyes pop open at once. She quickly chews and swallows, and asks "Where has this been for the past thirteen years?!"
Jack shrugs, saying "I mean, they've been spreading out for a while…"
"Human food is amazing…"
Jack watches in no small amount of shock as Fiore devours half her Sub, wrapping the other one up and setting it to the side before draining her lemonade down. Popping the cap off, she asks "This is…a lemonade?" She picked it because it was the least-confusing drink on the menu, but she didn't know it was so delicious!
Jack nods, and says "Yeah. We can get more, if you want-"
Fiore quickly shoves the cup at him, saying "Please!"
Jack quickly runs inside with their drinks, holding back a laugh at the way Fiore's done a complete one-eighty in less than a day - everything is new to her, and it's bringing out an almost childish side to her.
Not that he'll ever say that to her face, of course.
Still, when he sees her now, he can't really imagine her electrocuting two Werewolves or blasting a Vampire into a wall. And her original defensiveness is all but gone now, as she's gotten used to the idea that he's not affected by her like most people are. He quickly refills the drinks at the machine, and hands them to Fiore before hopping into the car and driving off.
Fiore switches the radio on when they hit the open road, switching channels until she finds one with music playing, and Jack asks "Gotten into music, huh?" Music other than what was played in Mythos, anyway.
Fiore shrugs as she listens, and says "Something like that…" She's not going to admit she wants to try everything she can now that she's able to do so - if freedom were a drug, she'd be high on it.
Jack just shrugs, trying his hardest not to grin, and turns the volume up a bit while saying "Well, sing away. Better than playing 'I Spy' and there's no other cars out here to play License-Poker with."
Fiore gets a curious look on her face, and asks "License-Poker? What's that?"
Jack thinks for a moment, then says "It's a made-up version of poker, but with the license plates of other cars or trucks on the road. You try to make a poker hand based on the numbers on a license plate."
"Ah, okay…"
Jack glances over, then asks "You don't know how to play poker?" At her look, he quickly says "Neither do I, honestly. So, License-Poker is out anyway." It shouldn't be surprising, at this point - there's a lot of things he doesn't know, and Fiore was allowed access to only what Antonino or Dakkar wanted her to know and nothing else.
They end up singing 'Victoria's Secret' to the radio, extremely off-key and fighting not to burst into laughter at the lyrics every few moments. Once the song finishes, Fiore's the first to break, sputtering out one laugh before completely breaking down in hysterics, laughing until she's clutching at her sides. "'She's an old man who lives in Ohio, making money off of girls like me' - seriously?! Pfft!"
Jack snorts, and says "The funniest part is, it's based off the detail that a guy owns the brand."
"Wait, there's actually a brand called Victoria?!"
"Victoria's Secret. I've seen ads online, but never been."
Fiore laughs once more, and asks "What, does it only sell lingerie and perfume or something?"
Jack shrugs, saying "Don't know, but it's geared more for women than men. Hence, the song." Jack shakes his head, then adjusts the mirror a bit…and frowns when he sees something in it.
A dark cloud, too low in the sky to be natural.
"Uh…Fiore? What's that?!" The only thing he's sure about anymore is that it isn't a Vampire since the sun is still out for another six hours.
When she looks where he's pointing, she gasps and says "Floor it, Jack!"
Jack doesn't argue, just does as much at once. "Fiore, do you know what that is?"
"It's a Witch or Warlock, maybe multiple. That's how they prefer to travel, in a swarm of crows or demon-birds. And, if they've found us already…"
"Dakkar was more pissed than you expected?"
"Or Antonino had some visitors I didn't know about."
"How do we lose them?! Can we lose them?"
Fiore looks around quickly, then says "No, there's no forests or anything to hide in!" And, even then, it's not a guarantee that they'd manage it.
"Can we fight them?!"
"Depends on who it is…" But, the chances are slim at best. If Antonino sent them, maybe, and that's optimistic at best. If Dakkar sent them, whoever they are, they're absolutely screwed.
----------------------------------------
Sagami smiles to herself as the SUV carrying Fiore Rhian suddenly veers off the road and out into the open desert - cute, they think that they'll be able to fight her if they're off the road?
It won't matter where they fight, they'll lose anyway. Makuroth, her and her brother's sworn demon, made them both too powerful to be defeated, separately or together. Salazar may be off tracking down the boy's attachments, but she's more than capable of handling a sealed Fae-Succubus Hybrid with no useful powers to speak of and a random human.