Raising Wonders

Chapter 17: The end for now. (Part Final)

As Chloe slept, tired from the ups and downs of the day, Mask and his Handler sat at their usual table. Their words kept silent from the sleeping girl.

The Handler lifted her cup and sipped the amber liquid, "Oh that hits the spot."

"Cheers to a job well done," Mask held his own cup towards her and the two met in between them.

The Handler leaned back, untying her hair and letting it flow behind her chair, she breathed relaxed, "So I know you were trying to keep up appearances before so I said nothing but how are your injuries?"

"Painful," Mask admitted with a laugh. "I managed to heal the most of it before you and Chloe came by but I'll be nursing a sore body for a few days."

"You cut it close, too close," she frowned. "For a moment even I thought you died."

"But I didn't."

"And you can thank the Paladin's overconfidence for that. He charged straight into your trap. If he hadn't...."

"We had our backup plans."

"Yeah and one of them was for if you really did die. Do you really think I could look after Chloe as well as you could? She'd be an alcoholic by the end of the year."

"You're not that bad," Mask chuckled. "I know that you'd do the right thing by her."

"Haa," the Handler shook her head. "You trust me too much."

"Anyway, I'm not dead so we can end that conversation." He paused and sipped his drink, "About the Ascendency, what did you find?"

The grip on the Handler's cup tightened, "I was pushed back."

Mask didn't hide his surprise, "A Manager dared to push you back?"

"Well they didn't really push me back, but they told me to wait. Information is limited and the powers that be need to sort out what can be said and can't."

"That's ominous. We really might be butting heads more often then."

"Seems like it." The Handler drained the rest of the cup, "Thing is it looks like they're confident and they know about us. Not many organisations would have the strength or even the gall to come at us."

"Which means they have friends in high places...." He paused in thought, "Do we have a traitor?"

"Possibly," the Handler shrugged. "It's my job to handle that stuff. You just do what you do best."

"And that would be?" Mask asked curiously.

"Saving the people who need it."

"Ha," he laughed spitefully. "If only it could always be that easy."

The Handler paused, her expression becoming softer, "There is another thing. With what Chloe said today, about how the Ascendency may be responsible for her kidnapping. It gave me a clue and I looked into it."

Mask remained silent, unsure if he wanted to hear the words that came next.

"I know you want to hear it from her but there are some things you should know. Chloe was meant to be sent to the Church. Most likely they know what her eyes can do. She'd be their Saint. Someone however caught word of it and intercepted her transport. It wasn't a small incident Arten. Her guard was big. Rector and the Dark Guild were just one of many diversions. The events that came after her kidnapping were twisted to the point I don't even believe anyone really knows where the real target is. We just happened to stumble across her. Then there's the timeframe to add on top as well...."