ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

υ.

"What?" Aza questioned, looking around - she didn't quite understand what was going on, nor who the voice was or what it meant. Jason frowned at her and asked, "Is everything okay, Az?"

The girl in question nodded slowly, but her face crunched into a frown. Jason instantly appeared in front of her, raising a hand to gently caress her cheek, tilting her head to look at him. "Are you sure, Az? You look worried."

"Aza-Everett Malin, guide them on the right path. Should you fail, you will lose everything. The clock is ticking." The disembodied voice said once more.

And then, Aza was awake. Jason's body had shifted and woken her up - during her sleep, Aza had accidentally leaned on him. Her head rested partially on his neck and partially on his chest; her nose was buried in the divot between his collarbones. Aza's long, dark hair had splayed all across his back, neck, chest and somehow some was stuck in his mouth and across the bridge of his nose. Jason's arm was wrapped supportively around her waist, making sure she didn't fall at all whilst she rested.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Aza rushed. Images of her dream flashed through her mind: Jason picking her up and cradling her; Jason kissing her cheek as he took the plates she was carrying from her grasp, giving her a cheeky grin when she gave an exhale of protest; Jason caressing her cheek and gently forcing her to make eye contact with him.

A blush spread its way across Aza's cheeks like wildfire, and she forced herself to look anywhere except for his sky-blue eyes. Jason gave a small chuckle, and she could practically feel the warmth that radiated from the smile she was sure began to form on his face. "Don't worry about it, Az."

Real Jason using the nickname her dream Jason did certainly didn't help her embarrassment. Aza could feel her blush burn hotter, beginning to creep down her neck until she started to feel feverish. A blush spread across Jason's cheeks as well when he realized the nickname had slipped past his lips without his full consciousness. She pulled away from him, awkwardly stumbling and pushing away his hands when he moved to stabilize her.

"I- I'm fine, don't worry," she rushed, still avoiding his gaze. She didn't think she could handle looking into his eyes, not after everything that had just happened. "We should break camp; we are on a deadline."

"The clock is ticking," Aza repeated under her breath, sighing lightly. She was almost sure she recognized the voice from her dream; it was so achingly familiar. She knew she'd kick herself once she remembered who it belonged to.

Working in a rush to avoid her embarrassment, Aza managed to break camp before Leo and Piper were even awake, and the group quickly headed down the tunnel. She didn't expect it to end as soon as it did; they had only been walking for some twenty minutes when suddenly they rounded a turn and found themselves in front of polished steel elevator doors. They were engraved with a cursive letter 'M', and next to the letter was a directory - like for a department store.

"M for Macy's?" Piper guessed. "I think they have one in downtown Chicago."

"Or Monocle Motors still," Leo said. "Guys, read the directory. It's messed up."

Aza stepped closer, glaring at the directory as she tried to decipher it. The letters were all jumbled before her, and she began slowly trying to decipher them like a word scramble. "You guys can read this?"

"Woah, Aza, can you not read?" Leo questioned, rounding on her with wide eyes, like he had just seen a ghost. She could tell the boy was holding back a laugh, almost like he was trying not to tease her.

"Dyslexia, Leo. You'd gotta give me a few minutes to unscramble all this."

Leo rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, "Parking, Kennels, Main Entrance: Sewer Level," he announced like a carnival barker. "Furnishings and Cade M: 1. Women's Fashion and Magical Appliances: 2. Men's Wear and Weaponry: 3. Cosmetics, Potions, Poisons & Sundries: 4."