Alexander grimaced, “Really, did you go through my entire school portfolio? That’s really creepy.” He locked gazes with Erik, “It’s not like it’s acceptable to be curious about witches either. You can’t just go around telling people you want to be a witch researcher—people might get the wrong idea, they might think you want to be a witch, they might hunt you down and kill everyone you know and love, just for being curious.” Alexander had a sour taste in his mouth. He briefly caught Sonia’s eye and looked away from her too. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get upset…” he mumbled.

Sonia scoffed, “The kid’s done his research, maybe you should have him fill in, Ghost.”

“So you can drag him into your crazy theories?” Erik mused teasingly.

“Wasn’t it my crazy theories that had you hire me in the first place?” Sonia pointed out, now moving to draw a new band on Alexander’s wrist. Each one she drew was a little further out than the previous. When Sonia caught him looking on in dismay, she explained, “I can’t draw it over a spot that already has the curse on it. It would be ineffective at holding it off.”

“Are you sure it’s even working?” Alexander asked.

Sonia nodded once. “You’d be dead if it weren’t. The last guy too get cursed went to the hospital. They did everything they could for him, but he burned up in under an hour. There was nothing left but ash and bones fifteen hours later—twenty-four; even the bones were ashes.”

Alexander turned a sickly shade of grey. “H-how long do you think I have at this rate?” he asked.

“Some time,” Sonia shrugged, “I’d hazard a guess that you have until around Halloween—but we should have him taken care of long before then.”

“How long have you been hunting him?”

Erik crossed his arms, thinking, “Probably about three weeks now. The media in Iropa is pretty good about keeping this stuff quiet, which is why you hadn’t heard about it until now,” he explained. “The only reason it got attention outside of Iropa is because he killed someone. It doesn’t help that he seems to be getting more brazen too.”

“So…” Alexander began, “What’s the plan for getting him? If you’ve already been after him for three weeks, who’s to say that it won’t take another three or four?”

“Hrm... Well, we know what he looks like now. That makes things a lot easier. Tech’s been trying to track his movements using facial recognition through the city’s CCTV networks. It’s only a matter of time before we close in on him.”

“With firepower like that, won’t he just flambe you before you get a shot off?”

Erik smirked, “If he sees us coming, yes. And we have the autumnal advantage here.”

“A-autumnal advantage?” Alexander asked.

“Rainy season,” Erik answered. “Great for dealing with fire witches, not great for keeping your socks dry.”

Alexander let out a half-hearted smile, “You’re awfully casual about this.”

“I’ve been hunting witches for a long time now. It becomes routine after a while,” he said, that little smirk still having not disappeared. He reached up, scratching his five-o-clock shadow as he studied Alexander. “It might not be a bad idea to take on a junior rookie,” he said after a moment.

Sonia made a face like she’d bitten into something surprisingly bitter and looked up from her penning, “Are you serious about that?”

“Weren’t you just telling me to recruit him a moment ago?” Erik pointed out.

“I was half joking,” she muttered, returning her focus to her work.

“So you’re half serious,” Erik nodded smartly. “I’m also half serious.” He caught Alexander’s quizzical look and smiled, “You’re curious about what we do, no? And you do seem to have a genuine interest in witches—and for the right reasons, I might add.”

“Is there such a thing as ‘the right reasons’ when it comes to witches?” Alexander asked.

“Each branch commander makes their own decisions on how their branch is run,” Erik supplied. “My branch is small, close-knit, and deeply capable. Probably one of the best groups in the world. However, I don’t take on people who have opposing opinions to mine. So yes, there are ‘right reasons,’” he said, now tucking his hands into his jacket pockets.

Sonia finished re-wrapping Alexander’s bandage and quickly packed her things with a yawn. “I’ll have to come and take a look at it every few days,” she said, tucking the chair back under the desk. “Commander,” she nodded to Erik, “I’ll be in the hall. Don’t take too long,” she warned, an edge to her voice. With that, she patted Alexander’s shoulder just once before leaving, closing the dorm door behind her quietly.

Alexander looked down at his arm, confused. “It feels cooler than normal,” he muttered.

“Dose is good at what she does,” Erik said. “As for you, I’ll take some time to consider your application as a junior hunter. Don’t expect a response right away. We’re rather busy as you know,” he scoffed a bitter laugh. “Also, if you see us in public, do not acknowledge us or approach us. If you see the witch, run. The school grounds or a police station are your best bets—I would familiarize yourself with a map of North Covehunt if I were you.” He stopped for a moment, letting Alexander ask any questions he might have. “Additionally, tell no one of us having contact, or your application. You never know if a witch might be listening. They’ll gladly kill a young hunter if they can.” His phone beeped in his pocket, but he ignored it. “Do you have any questions?”

Alexander puzzled over what Erik had said. “Is there a way I can contact you directly if I see the witch?” he asked.

“No. The emergency line should be enough. Local dispatch is trained in witch response. We have our own dedicated system in place for that. Do you know Iropa’s nine-one-one?”

Alexander nodded, “Yes sir, one-one-nine,” he replied. “Evan made sure to drill that one into me before I left.”

“Because you get into so much trouble?” Erik mused.

Alexander pouted, “It’s not like I go looking for it you know.”

His dorm door opened again and Sonia poked her head in from the hall, “Ghost, Dawson is looking for you again,” she informed, holding up her phone briefly.

Erik rolled his eyes, “Bloody snoop,” he muttered. He then sighed heavily and turned to Alexander, “I have to go now. Some unwelcome guest from out of town is being a pain in my ass.” Erik ruffled Alexander’s hair and was surprised when the other flinched and scrambled away, backing up against the wall fearfully. “Er... Stay out of trouble—and for god’s sake, get some sheets,” he teased, leaving Alexander to sputter something incoherent about his hair and Van.

Erik pulled Alexander’s door shut and looked to Sonia, “Do you think it’ll hold?” he asked quietly.

The doctor merely shrugged and headed for the fire exit across the hall, “It should. At this point I have no reason to believe it won’t.” Erik followed her into the stairwell, coming into stride beside her. “Where you’ve been hiding that all these years is beyond me,” she added.

Erik gave her a brief chuckle, “We all have our secrets.”

Sonia replied with a dismissive hum. They made their way out through the fire exit and skirted the edge of the grounds to Erik’s waiting car. Leon was sitting in the back seat with a tablet, tapping away. “Are you really planning to take the kid on, Ghost?” Sonia asked finally, as they both got in the car.

“Why not?” Erik prompted, buckling up. “Tech, you can drop the anti-security,” he added over his shoulder.

“You got it, boss,” Leon replied, switching from a game to another screen that was running some sort of program—a blueprint of the dorm in 3D running in the corner. He tapped a couple more times and red lines indicating the building’s security system switched from red to green. He closed his tablet then stretched and yawned. “I’m guessing the brat wants to be a witch hunter?” he inferred.

Erik started the car and pulled a quick u-turn on the empty road, heading back for downtown. “Researcher, actually.”

“But you’re seriously going to take on a kid?” Leon inquired. His tone was casually dismissive, but his expression was conflicted somehow.

Erik gave a non-committal hum. “I think it would be best. We could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Get Dawson out of town by filling that position, and keep Evans close by to monitor him. I’m still not sure if he’s a witch or not, but what we saw at the station has me wondering.”

“I hope you’re not planning to shove him off on me, you know how I am with kids,” Sonia growled, her elbow was up against the window, her face resting in her hand. She’d had her eyes closed the entire time. “Just because he wants to do research, doesn’t mean we get along.”

At that, Erik laughed, “Really? You don’t get along? Could’ve fooled me.”

“I’m going to kick your ass if you keep that up, Commander,” Sonia muttered, her cheeks tinging pink.