Elizabeth was relatively unscathed compared to her friends as dark magic potions tend to be divided in two: barely dark and the darkest of the dark. The boil concoction was the prior. As a result, all she got was a relatively weak seed of darkness that was quickly exorcised by her bright and kind personality that openly expressed anger, fear, and guilt. The only thing that could have stopped that was her previous repression, but that problem was already solved by the purification ritual the group had already luckily performed.

Elizabeth had spent the past few weeks obsessing over the results of her potion. She grew horrified when she realized that the boils were communicable. This realization came about as she noticed that Chris’s “itch” was spreading.

First it was Madison, one of the cheerleaders, then it was Johnathan, one of Chris’ teammates on the football team. It spread from there to the entire football and cheerleading teams. Candace on the debate team was also caught itch, happened late enough that Elizabeth was unsure who it came from.

Seems like the disease was getting around a frankly expansive web and that boils weren’t always a dealbreaker in teenage sex. The first was particularly horrifying to Elizabeth. As her actions had led to an epidemic and because she had slept with one of them.

This came to a head the night of the big game. Elizabeth came to the game because she wanted to support her friend despite their recent estrangement due to her distraction caused by obsessing about what she had done. However, she couldn’t stop watching the cheerleaders and football team in the crowd. They were all wiggling in their seats, rubbing the boils, basically trying everything they could to relieve their pain.

This came to a head at the same moment of Cassandra’s assault, perhaps as a part of some larger grand plan. She completely missed that event though as she saw one of the football players suddenly start furiously scratching his privates. This continued until a pool of red started spreading from his groin and immediately his face turned bone white. Elizabeth’s face soon followed when she realized what happened.

She rushed from the stands at the same time that Cassandra was rushing off the field. After she got out on the street, she took out my business card that I assume she kept on herself just in case I was right about them needing help.

I told her to meet me and gave her the location.

While it may seem coincidental or convenient that all their situations came to a head at the same moment, I knew better than that. I got the impression that fate was a storyteller and that having all three girls realizing the depth of their mistakes at the same time would lead to a neater story and a highly entertaining moment. Also, without my help to resolve it they all would be in situations that would require further dark magic to resolve and thus continuing what would have been quite the vicious cycle.

Luckily for them though, someone not bound by fate was there to help them.

The three just so happened to meet in front of the diner. This actually was coincidence as fate was no longer the author of this script the second I came up on stage.

“What are you two doing here?” Sapphire asked her friends clearly confused.

“You didn’t see what happened at the game?!?!” Cassandra shouted clearly baffled by her friends’ ignorance as she was sure that everyone in the area knew what happened at the game by now.

“What happened?!?! Are you alright?!?!” Both of her surrogate sisters asked in unison, horrified at their ignorance of the situation their friend was in. They were both realizing how wrapped up in their own endeavors they had been.

“Nothing much, just pretty much threw my entire future away.” Cassandra stated monotonously before tearing up.

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“Cassie, tell me what’s wrong.” Sapphire demanded before hugging her friend with Elizabeth following right after. While both had situations of their own, they were both luckily contained and relatively free of personal consequences.

“I almost beat a girl to death.” Cassandra got out between sobs.

“There. There. Everything’s going to be alright.” Sapphire told her friend while rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her.

“No, it’s not. Even if I’m lucky enough to not be thrown in juvie or God forbid prison, I am never getting into a good college!” Cassandra cried out, feeling defeated.

“We’ll get through this together just like we always do. And don’t feel too bad I beat up my dad tonight.” Sapphire comforting her friend.

“Troy is in the hospital with his penis gushing blood right now.” Elizabeth admitted.

With a small humorless chuckle, “See Cassie, we all made mistakes. And hopefully this agent wasn’t talking out of his a**.” Sapphire told her pseudo-sister, before leading the group towards me as they must have remembered my appearance from our brief encounter several weeks back. My stolen badge hanging off of my hip and the distinctive cane leaning against my seat probably helped though.

“Girls, it’s nice to see that you all have finally decided to come and receive some help.” I told the assembled group. I decided to act like I was not keeping an eye on them as I needed them to trust me.

“We should probably talk somewhere more private.” Sapphire said before looking around at the other diner patrons.

“That’s a hard no to three prepubescent girls following me to a remote location without witnesses or God forbid back to my apartment. In addition…” I started before being cut off.

“We’re sixteen” the group of girls interjected.

“Firstly, please do not interrupt me again, it is a sign of disrespect. Secondly, I’m twenty-five, sixteen might as well be twelve to me.” I told the group.

I then continued my previous thoughts “Getting back on topic, I’m sure you must have realized that the black smoke that you must have started seeing recently is noticeably thicker around us, it is to hide us from interruption or eavesdropping. Here will be just fine for our discussion.” I told the assembled group.

“You’re like us?!?!” The group was shocked by my revelation as they thought I was a paranormal detective and those tend to not have powers of their own. Blame TV for that misconception. Anyone with half a brain would tell you that you don’t bring a knife to a gunfight or a mortal to a magic one.

“In the way that a gecko and silverback are the same. Technically correct, but fundamentally incorrect. While we’re both animals, we are of a different breed and power.” I said without any sign of arrogance, exaggeration, or deception.

“You’re not an FBI agent, are you?” Cassandra asked based on a feeling she was getting from this man with statuesque pale skin.

“I mean I fulfill the job requirements of a member of a certain branch of the FBI, I collect a paycheck from them, and I am keyed into their wards for this city. However, you are correct in the fact that I am not an FBI agent, but I do want to help you girls.” I admitted.

“Why do you want to help us?” Sapphire asked suddenly suspicious of this mysterious man. Which if we’re being honest should have been her viewpoint from the jump.

“Well to cut a long story short, I want some good karma, and I like helping good people in bad situations.” I explained.

“That’s it?!” Elizabeth asked in disbelief.

“Karma does in fact exist in a certain manner of speaking and it has a certain use to me.” I said expanding upon my previous statement.

“So where do we go from here?” Sapphire asked.

Current Equipment:

Head:

[The Black Wasp Jackal’s Face]

Earrings:

[]

Necklace:

[The Energy Baron’s Stomach]

Clothes:

[]

Rings:

[The Mentalism Ring]

[Succubus’ Kiss]

[Mena’s Book]

Bracelets:

[]

Shoes:

[Cement Shoes]

Armaments:

[Weaver’s First Armament]

[Sense Cane]

[Holy Straight Razor]

Storage:

[Various Essences]

[Chi Organ]

[Spirit Shards]

[Various Murder Weapons]

[Green Thumb]

[Glass Eye]