We were running. Desperately trying to get to a musician before anyone else. As we ran, I saw dozens of others scattering in all directions. Not everyone. Some of these people either weren't here to enter the Glade or didn't care enough to try being early, because they just watched everyone else barrel around with smirks on their faces. Zeke wasn't leading, exactly, he'd just gotten us started running, Nat, however WAS pulling ahead to show us the way to the nearest person who could open us a slide.

We turned off into an alley and bolted into a small run down shop with a door hidden under an overhang, and Nat slammed the door behind us, barricading it before she informed Celine we would be contracting the old man behind the counter as our ride and to get us a decent rate. She shoved a bag of chits into her hand, probably because we were in a time crunch, and the elf girl sighed and got to work negotiating.

Callie pulled me aside, activating her Stealth Skill as we stepped into a dark corner. "You know." I said with a grin. "If you wanted to pull me away for some alone time your timing could be better. Honestly I think Stealth will make our absence MORE noticeable, not less."

She gave me a wan smile. "Sadly not where my mind was at. Shane...we need to talk." I blinked at her. That sounded...bad. I'd never had someone tell me that and mean anything good by it. I could feel discomfort, uncertainty, and fear through the bond, and I had a sinking suspicion I knew what this was about.

"Right." I said slowly. "Talk about what? Did something happen? Is this about the whole Vampire thing?" I wracked my brain for what she might want to talk about. We'd been pretty solid up to this point, and I hadn't felt and unhappiness through the bond. "Like if I did something wrong, we can talk it out right?" My stomach was in knots. Was that what this was? Was she breaking up with me?

Staring at me uncomprehendingly, she seemed to notice my creeping dread through the bond. Her own unhappy feelings evaporated like snow on a summer day as she finally realized what I meant and...burst out laughing. She was doubled over cackling at me, and my own fear was mitigated somewhat by annoyance. It wasn't MY fault she'd been so damned vague. "I'm sorry," She wheezed. "But I just realized what that probably sounded like. No, sweetie I'm not breaking up with you."

I threw my hands in the air. "Well, hell Callie, maybe don't lead the conversation so ambiguously next time. The bond was sending me tons of signals. If you aren't breaking up with me what the hell is this about? If it helps, just know that whatever it is will pale in comparison to what you just put me through, so thanks for setting the stage."

She had to try to staunch her giggles. "Right. Sorry, love. No, I wanted to talk about the group. Specifically, I wanted to talk to you about leading it. I think you should take over as leader."

Blinking in surprise, I cocked my head. "But...why? You're amazing at leading. You always have a plan, plus you have way more experience. Your years as an Ascendant-"

She cut me off. "Mean nothing anymore. I was a G-ranker in a tiny city on a tiny backwater planet. Sure, I spent some time learning how things worked, but my experience is so far behind where we are now that you couldn't spot it with a telescope. It's apples and Elephants, Shane. This isn't my world anymore. Literally. It is yours though. And you'll be expected to do more as we go on. To make your own faction. To lead."

"But." I floundered. I hadn't expected this. "I'm not...leadership material. I'm a thug. I just hit shit. I don't know politics and backroom deals and tactics. That's you. You're amazing at that stuff, it's one of the MANY things I love about you. Everyone is safer with you in charge."

Flicking my forehead through the mask with a dull thunk, she glared up at me. "You are not an idiot. You are not an animal. You are a smart, capable man with admittedly SOME impulse control issues. You CAN make good decisions. And I'll still be here to help and handle things if you can't. We're partners remember? But the things we're going to be involved in going forward are going to be all on you. Your family, your enemies. You need to learn to lead."

It was hard to argue that. But I just...didn't want to. I didn't want to be in charge, didn't want all that pressure. I wasn't just a thug because of my reputation, I was a thug because it was FUN. Turning off my brain and hitting shit until it left me alone was EASY. It also let me ignore what I'd known for a long time. I needed to make a goddamn decision about where my life was going.

Putting it off for so long had been convenient because of the messes we'd been in, but I needed a direction. I wanted to become the Wishmaster, but that was almost TOO big of a goal. It was easy to write it off as an overarching path and just ignore the trees for the forest. I needed a direction. We were doing this to get stronger, then strengthening our souls, but for what? Just to keep trying to prove ourselves to the family?

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"And if I take over the group." I said quietly. "You'll be with me, whatever I decide we should do? No matter what?" I needed to know she'd be by my side, because I was pretty sure my new direction was going to be a bit more dangerous than the current one, at least in the short term.

She snorted. "Baby, if you don't know I have your back by now I don't know what to tell you. Barring you going insane from recursion and taking up a career punching babies, I'm with you no matter what."

I grinned, triggering the 'eating' function of my mask as I leaned down to pull her into a deep kiss. She grinned back against my lips, until we finally finished and I pulled back, panting slightly. She gave me a wink and I laughed. "Alright." i said breathlessly. "I'll take over. And I know what to do. It's not going to be a short term goal mind you, we have to finish this mess and then get through the trials at the Ruined Soul Temple but...I want to find my mom."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Really? I never got the impression you were too curious about her. She left even before your dad right?"

"She did." I agreed grimly. "But she might have had to. Zeke implied dad forced her, and even if he didn't...I need to know. I've spent a ton of time brooding about the parent I know, but I want to meet the one I don't. I barely remember my mom, and I want to see her again. It's probably going to be a big deal tracking her down. Somehow I doubt I can just roll up to the Church's back yard and ask to see her."

My girlfriend shook her head emphatically. "You can't. First off, A-rankers are the pillars of the main factions. Their locations are closely guarded secrets, and they change constantly. At least when they aren't locked up in the central stronghold of their factions. But there's no way we reach your mom in the Holy Dominion. I've been reading up on this stuff since we found out we were leaving, and I can tell you that for sure. Luckily your mom is a combat caste A-ranker, and they aren't known for cushy desk jobs. She's PROBABLY out and about."

I nodded, smiling at the news. "That's awesome. So we just need to find her. I even know who to ask. We can talk to that Brightlaw guy. He's a Crusader for the Church right? I bet he knows a ton about the combat caste. We can talk to him during our trip through the Glade."

"We can." She said cautiously. "But don't expect finding him to be easy. The Glade is a dungeon, one big enough to support local factions. F-ranker factions too, but most of the big names will have ingested Moonglow Dew. We're going to have our hands full." Seeming to notice her error she put her hands up. "Not that I'm saying to give up. Finding your mom is a good idea. If Brightlaw doesn't know, I bet someone at the Ruined Soul Temple will. The elites of the factions will be there for the trial, she might even show up."

I grinned at the thought. She was right. I had a direction to go in now. Somehow, having a plan, a short term plan that MATTERED to me, made this seem...less daunting. I could do this. I'd track down that Crusader and ask him what he knew, and if it was nothing I'd KEEP looking until we found my mother and I could finally ask her what had happened. I could finally get an answer from at least ONE of my parents.

Smiling sweetly, Callie leaned up to kiss my cheek and pulled away, letting the Stealth drop as she walked over to where Celine was negotiating with the musician. "Well." She asked loudly. "How are negotiations going?"

Celine turned to glare at her, or at least give her a mildly disapproving frown, which was the Celine version of screaming and falling on her like a ravenous chimpanzee. "Poorly. This...person." The way she said that made it clear she wanted to say a much less neutral word but wasn't willing to sully herself with such vulgarity. "Is insisting on overcharging us. He thinks he has leverage and refuses to compromise."

The old man grinned, exposing several missing teeth (though the rest of them were perfectly straight and white, so I suspected they'd been knocked out in a fight when he was younger or something). "S'right." He said smugly. "I want thirty F-rank chits for the lot of you. Three apiece."

Callie grimaced, turning to me. "Well boss man? First decision as group leader. What should we do? Are we going to eat the cost?" I could tell from the bond she didn't think we should, and I didn't either. If he was overcharging us I'd rather go look for someone else.

"Two." I said flatly. He opened his mouth and I held up a hand. "Nope. This isn't a negotiation. I'm not bartering, I don't have that Skill. You'll take two or we'll take our leave. I'm sure you can find someone else who wants to head down there. Of course, the chances are good that you'll run into someone a bit less...civilized than I am, and that their guardian might be less circumspect. You might end up getting threatened into taking nothing."

His mouth snapped shut. He glared at me, but I just stared him down. I didn't know if two F-rank chits per person was a good rate, but it was a better one, and close enough to the full amount that it wasn't TOO onerous to accept. Finally he sneered and nodded, and Celine smugly counted out the chits.

Callie gave me a proud smile and leaned up to kiss my masked cheek. I grinned, then turned to the old man, who had taken a pan flute out of his pocket. He played a note, and the window blew open, then he began to really cut loose. The speed and complexity of the song were astonishing, and with each new note a moonbeam streamed through the window twisting in on itself. I watched in stunned amazement as the moonbeams wove themselves into a bridge, or rather, a slide. "Okay." I said aloud as I stared. "That was pretty cool."