Azarius spinoff

4

Azarius has been gone over a month now, and I'm nervous. I don't know what he's going to do. I don't even know for certain if he's alive. Bee and Dad made it sound like he is, but I don't know.

Ravana enters the room quietly. "Jamie's sleeping."

I nod.

"You're worried about him," he says.

It feels like an accusation. Obviously I shouldn't be worried about the man who killed our fiance, who killed Jamie's mother. It's stupid that I am.

"You can't help it," Ravana says, "You're just a worrier."

He sits down beside me on the bed.

"I'm not supposed to worry about people I hate."

Ravana sighs. "Well, you don't hate him. You're a really forgiving person."

I rub my head, it's starting to hurt. "But I should hate him. What he did shouldn't be forgivable."

"You're a good person," he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

I don't know if I can agree with that.

-

"I'm going to visit Bee," I tell Ravana, "Can you take care of Jamie while I'm gone?"

"Of course."

I nod, and leave the house.

Bee has her car down the street. I climb in the passenger seat.

"You have got your license, right?"

She smiles. "Yes, dad. Now buckle up, chucklefuck."

I buckle my seatbelt, and she starts driving recklessly towards Red City.

"Christ, how did you even get a license?"

"Rachel made me one!"

That makes a lot of sense.

"And how many times have you gotten pulled over?"

"Pfft, never. I'm too fast."

I'm going to die.

Somehow, we make it to the Hall of Mages alive. I head inside.

"Hello, I'm hoping to speak to Mage Ruby, if she isn't busy."

"You'll need an appointment."

I sigh. "She knows me quite well, can you just tell her Lief Smith is here to see her? I can wait as long as she needs."

The attendant sighs, and starts typing quite aggressively. Bee gives me a thumbs up from behind the magazine she's holding to look unsuspicious.

Not twenty minutes later, Mage Ruby steps out of the elevator. Her heels click. I remember the first time we met she wore sneakers with holes in them. Now she looks incredibly mature.

"Lief! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

She embraces me in a quick hug. Her perfume is rich. She pulls back a little ways and holds my shoulders.

"But we only talk when something's wrong, don't we? What is it?"

"Can we go to your office?"

"Of course."

"Can my cousin Bee come?"

She glances over at Bee. "Of course."

We step into the elevator, and god I still hate elevators. We sit down in her carefully curated office. Bee choses to sit on the floor.