The Heart Of Asariel

7 || Faith

"What do you know?" Lilith murmured, her eyebrows enlarged as they drew in enough to sink below the rim of her glasses. "Magic is just science after all."

It was a poor attempt at playing it cool. The buoyed nature of her mouth betrayed her excitement, enthralled relief twinkling in her eyes as they darted up to meet Micah's. Behind her, Kasper let out a cheer, practically leaping into the air. The light-infested box in his hands bleeped in indignation.

Perhaps Micah would have shared their joy if Lilith wasn't currently poking him in the chest with a suspiciously metal implement. It didn't particularly resemble a pistol nor a rifle -- its shape was more oblong, the only detail reminiscent of a trigger the tiny switches and dials that patterned its surface -- yet he couldn't help but feel a little on edge as she jabbed it in further, his tunic creasing beneath it. The jagged red line the thing's screen displayed leapt in a sharp spike, and a high-pitched whine cut through the air. He winced.

"Or, well, sort of." A delighted giggle slipped from her lips as she yanked the metal thing back, swaying the cord that tethered it to Kasper's box. Eager not to be prodded again, Micah dodged aside, slumping back into the chair.

Maybe he was just bitter about being woken so soon. Kasper had shaken him awake, yanked him upright, and then demanded he stay still as Lilith pressed various flashing devices into the spot over his heart. Couldn't they have just done that while he was asleep? He brought his knees up under his chin, tucking himself tighter to shield his torso.

"Radiation," Lilith added, waving the device in Kasper's direction. "Not enough to be dangerous, but it sure is interesting."

"So you can find the Heart?" Corinne said. She'd skulked out the far corner and now leaned into it, arms folded, eyes darkened by the shadows draping her form. At least she looked no happier about all this than he felt.

Lilith gave a slow nod, turning the device over in her hand. "We might need to make a few altercations to allow us to more easily sense this particular strain, but yes. If his heart emits those waves, it's likely this other one will as well. I'm hoping in greater amounts, if you're right and Asariel is way more magical." She laughed again, faintly, to herself. "Magic radiation, huh? They always did call me a mad scientist."

"Hear that?" Kasper cut in, leaning over the chair's arm to whisper loudly in Micah's ear. He'd given the floor custody of his box. "You're radioactive."

Despite himself, a loose kind of grin flickered to Micah's lips. "That does sound cool, actually."

"So you'll be able to pinpoint an exact location?" Corinne pressed.

"Well..." Lilith tipped her hand from side to side. "So-so. Once I get a signal, it should be easy enough. We'll just have to hope this Heart didn't yeet too far away."

Micah squinted at her, unsure if he'd heard correctly. "Yeet?"

"Yeah, yeet. You know." She flicked the device over and threw it in a high arc in Kasper's direction, leaving him to yelp and rush to catch it. "Yeet."

"Oh." Frowning, Micah considered it for a moment. He couldn't make sense of it, and yet he still tested the word, mouthing it silently to himself. It had a nice ring to it.

"It's really not worth taxing yourself over," Corinne said, striding over to join them. Her gaze slid from Micah to Lilith. "How soon can you be ready to go?"

With a light laugh, Lilith gave her shoulder a careless pat, ignoring the glare she received for it. "Patience, dearest Corinne. You need to relax."

Corinne's eyes remained sharp. "The snake-biters are after this thing too. We don't have time to relax."