A Casual Collection: Season 2

Ep11: Broken Tables and Bonds

"So, what book are we reading today?" Issia asked, popping out of the pond. She had spotted him on his walk towards his class, reading something in his hands. "Book two in the saga," he responds, holding out his hands for the first book.

"Oh come on, I have only finished this one once..."

"That is alright, but I'm not giving you this one until you give me that one." He cups his hand a few times for emphasis. Issia disappeared under the water, popping back up with the first book protected by a bubble. "You're so mean," she jokingly said, tossing the bubble and its cargo to him. Lao tucked the wet book into his blue coat, pulling down his hoodie and going to the water edge to sit with her. "Is this the face of my dealer?" she asked. "Or another mask like those really weird bounty hunters?"

"Real face. Let's hurry through this one, I have something to attend to..."

Lao squeezed out the ends of his clothing on his way. I had gotten too close to the edge, he thought to himself, getting the last drops he could twist out before giving up and letting the day take care of the rest. He was the first one to get to the group's established clearing; not even Valhalla was diligent enough to be here yet (not that he had told her the time he comes). He dug around the bushes before finding an ax that he had stashed here, using the time to himself to chop down a few trees. To him, there was nothing like watching the morning dew shakedown while he buried a blade into a trunk. It was fine for stress, and

"A lovely way to make more space for exercises. Superior to even the coffee in the castle," a sultry voice said in front of him. "That is what you're thinking right?"

His hand on his gun, he peeked around the tree bark, seeing a dark blue being dotted with flecks of light. Her skin literally twinkled like the night sky, and her hair and dress flowed gracefully and as slow as molasses. "Next you will ask, what are you?"

"Actually the word 'Jojo' comes to mind, but you are a lilim aren't you?"

"Oh....just getting to the point are we?" She stepped out from behind the tree, sitting on nothing but thin air. "Maybe I should end this season early since you want to be so smart, just take you to Virto and-"

"Wait, Virto!?"

"Woops, I triggered your memories." She tapped his head, a brief flash showing up on his head. He blinked twice then shakes head, suddenly getting a headache. "Wait...why is a Lilim in front of me? You took my memory didn't you!?"

"Yes, yes I did." Under her alluring exterior, she blew a loud sigh glad she had saved the story. "I have a pet see? One that I love to the ends of the universe...it seems she has taken a toy of her own. One of the students if I recall her words...but more importantly, she told me about you, dear."

Lao put his hand on his revolver, getting a weird case of deja vu. "No need to shoot me yet Lao, I haven't even gotten to the juuuuicy part~" The strange-looking lilim started circling him like a lion that had cornered a zebra. "I know someone that knows you, and I know that you could be looking for him. Doesn't a silhouette come to mind occasionally? Perhaps, in your sleep?"

"No, why would..." He thought back to the first time it had happened, back when he was just an orderite fighting off a dark elf.

"You trailed off. I hit a nail, didn't I? Aren't you curious to see what you are thinking about?"

"No, not from you." The last thing he wanted to do was to make a deal with her, as mysterious as she was being. "I can't trust you at all."

"Oh, but you can. Anyone trusts me after a while. Besides, my terms are very....simple~. You let me toy with you for a bit, and I will let you see your mystery person. No word spin, no hidden terms. Everything I say, even the last sentence will be binding." She holds her hand out, a blue flame surrounding it.