Chapter 68 – Professor

It was finally Friday. The week had been… rough, but the last couple days were surprisingly peaceful. That peace just made me more anxious, ‘course. It was like a blade was pressed into my neck, and I was just waiting for it to be dragged across.

It was fine, though. The weekend was in sight. As long as I just got through today without anything absolutely terrible happening, everything would be perfect. Tomorrow we would finally go to the circus and relax. Even just thinking about it made my tail wag around happily.

’Course, it was only natural that something would happen just when I was at my happiest. A text from an unknown number came in right after school started. And there was the blade.

“Yo, Reyna.” Quinn pounded on my door. Water leaked through the lock, and it popped open a minute later. “What are you doing locking yourself up in here?”

I slowly closed my laptop. I was still hiding from that maniac White Rabbit. Tokan had come by my office a few times since we last chatted, and I pretended I wasn’t in everytime. “Didn’t anyone teach you to knock?”

”I did?” My Guardian pounded the door once more, and rolled her eyes. “I thought your ears were better than that.”

”Using your ability to pick locks is crazy, by the way.” She must’ve practicing that technique. It was the first time I saw her pull it off successfully. 

“Yeah, well, can’t always rely on you to break and enter, can I?” Quinn shrugged. She leaned against the wall, and flicked her finger up. Water flowed up into a cute wolf. “School’s over, by the way.”

My ear flicked in annoyance. I really, really didn’t want to leave. I’d have to soon, though. I didn’t have a choice. “I know. I heard the bell.”

”Then what are you doing still sitting there?” The water wolf sprinted into the air, and vanished. “C’mon, it’s Friday! Let’s go to a bar or something.”

”Quinn…”

”Ugh. I know, I know.” Quinn slipped into my office fully and flopped into a chair across from my desk. Her arm dramatically flopped over her eyes. “Rey-Rey, why’s being sober so hard?”

”’Cause you spent so long being a drunk?” She’d been drinking since we were idiotic kids. I pushed off the desk, and rolled away. My hand shot forward, and pulled Vigil into my lap. “I am proud of you, though. ”

She peeked out from under her arm. Her eyes were bloodshot, though I didn’t catch a whiff of alcohol off her. “Sylvie was the one that finally made me give it up, you know?”

“Really?” They’d been like cats and dogs ever since I got back. It was hard to imagine Sylvie helping Quinn with anything ‘cept annoyance. 

Still, it sounded just like my sister. She made my life worth living, so ‘course she’d be able to help someone else too. I was so proud of her. She wasn’t even a Guardian yet, and she was already helping people. Despite the serious conversation, the tip of my tail twitched around erratically.

“Yeah… we were up on the wall waiting for you to get back.” Quinn smiled softly like it was a fond memory. The distant look in her eyes suggested the truth. “Decided right then and there that I’d never touch a bottle again.”

”And you haven’t, right?” I asked. I hadn’t caught the scent off her recently. Sometimes it was still faintly baked into her clothes, but it was growing fainter and fainter with each passing day.

”Well, I’ve touched a bottle since then, but no. Been sticking to water.” She waved her hand, and a blob of the stuff condensed out of the air. “Much more convenient this way.”

“I bet…” I stared at the blob of water blankly.

”Speaking of,” she paused, and pulled her wallet out of her back pocket. She hesitated for a moment, and then let out a sharp breath. Her words came out in a rush. “Will you hold onto this over the weekend?”

“Do you need me to?” She looked like she’d been hanging in there alright. If she wasn’t though… I should’ve been watching over her more. If she was struggling, I needed to help her. Just—just not tonight. 

“Probably not. I just need to be strong, right?” Quinn shook her head and laughed at herself like she was an idiot. Her wallet slowly dipped until it rested on her knee.

I stood up and moved around the desk to her. I crouched down just in front of her, and grabbed her hand. “It’s okay to be weak, Quinn.”

“Reyna…” Quinn just eyed me for several long seconds. The serious expression cracked into a broken smile. “We both know that isn’t true.”

“Yeah, well… can’t blame me for trying.” I shrugged and let go of her hand. Although the topic had shifted to something negative, it seemed her mood had improved slightly. “And seeking support isn’t being weak. It’s a smart sobriety strategy.”

“So they say…” She sighed and rubbed her eyes. After a moment, she pulled out her ID and handed me the leather wallet. “Here.”

“I’ll leave it right here.” I stuffed it into my desk, and locked the drawer. It didn’t really matter, to be honest. If she wanted to go buy something, she’d easily be able to. 

Still, it looked like a weight was lifted off her shoulder. She slowly nodded her head, and dropped her hands into her lap. “So… whatcha doing tonight?” 

”I…” My voice choked in my throat as I tried and failed to come up with a good lie. My eyes dropped to Vigil who was staring up at me with his glowing red eyes. “I’ve got some stuff tonight.”

”Ah, that’s a bummer.” She shrugged and stood up. Her arms moved over her head, and she stretched out. “Right, well, thanks for the talk.”

“Any time.” Though she kinda forced me to talk considering she broke into my office. Not that I cared much. I popped my laptop back open. “I’ve got some more work to finish, if that’s alright.” 

”Yeah, yeah, I’ll take Sylvie home. Don’t work too late, Reyna. I’ll see you Monday, ‘kay?” She waved and left my office behind. I watched her go before slowly leaning back in my chair to stare at the ceiling.

“Operator, why don’t you just tell her?” Vigil spoke up. I set him down on my desk, and leaned on my fist. “She could provide help.”

”I can’t,” I muttered sourly, and avoided his prying eyes. “You know I can’t.”

”Nothing will change if you don’t try.” He said it like it was so, so simple. Like I was the idiot wallowing in my own misery instead of trying to fix things. Things that couldn’t be fixed no matter how much I wished they could.

”I… I know.” I closed my eyes, and rubbed at my temples. “I am trying, okay? That’s the whole reason I went out into the Mire and got you.”

“This unit’s analysis suggests outside help may be needed in the current situation.” His robotic voice droned on in my ears.

“I’ll handle it just as I always have.” I just needed to get a ton of Vitae. Maybe throw myself into another Overlap if I could find one. Or I could head out at night to the eastern districts to go Calamity hunting. That actually wasn’t that bad of an idea. Just not tonight. I had a feeling I’d be kept busy.

Vigil just couldn’t let sleeping dogs lie, though. “You could handle it better with help. Guardian Tidebreak would definitely provide help if asked.” 

“I know that. Fuck! Don’t you think I, of all people, should know that?” Of course she’d try to help me. That was what I was scared of. “Just drop it, Vigil.”

“Affirmative, Operator.” His robotic voice smoothly rang out into the office. He shifted the subject to the thing that’d been weighing on me all morning. “You are going to be late.”

”Heh, right.” I picked him up, and shut my laptop. I received the message just a few hours after school started—Hades needed me once more. Something told me this was a meeting I didn’t want to be late to.

— — —

I hesitantly walked through the back halls of the Ghostfire Club. This place… there was nothing but bad memories here. I shook my head, and adjusted the metal armor wrapped around my body. I was back in full Barghest gear. Even without doing anything, the people spread throughout the back halls of the club kept their distance like I was some plague-ridden monstrosity.

I knocked on the door of a private booth. A light on the door blinked green, and the door slid open. A familiar voice, one I was hoping I wouldn’t ever have to hear again, called from inside. “You’re late.”

Heh, some things never changed. I slipped into the room three minutes early. I ended up speeding across the entire city on Redline to make it here on time, and I was still late? “Sorry, sir.”

”How many times have I said it? If you were sorry, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Again. And again.” Cerberus shot me that familiar look like I couldn’t do anything right. Like everything I touched was eventually ruined in one way or another.

Cerberus sat in the private room’s booth. He looked a little worse for wear, to be honest. It was hard to believe it’d been a little under two months since I last saw him. I wasn’t sure what the Overseer did to him other than get most of his people killed, but he’d been keeping his head down recently. I almost wished the Overseer would come back.

Across from Cerberus sat a faintly familiar man. I couldn’t quite place him, but he looked like a high-society member. His hair was roughly combed over, though it didn’t hide the greasy mess. A steaming cup of coffee was cupped in his hands. The man was totally out of it, and muttered near-silently to himself.

“You missed me since you rolled over for the Overseer?” There was something disgustingly rancid deep in the Executor’s eyes. “I definitely missed you, Barghest. Oh! Right! It’s lieutenant now, isn’t it?”

“I-I thought you died.” Or I hoped so, anyway. It seemed like Overseer Haman intended to get rid of him. Over half the people on the expedition were Cerberus’s people, and were killed off intentionally from what I understood. That, combined with everyone talking about him like he was gone… wishful thinking. Stupid, ignorant wishful thinking.

“Ah, someone taught you how to joke!” Despite his cheerful tone, his expression was full of bitterness. “They house-break you too? Or did you still—“

”Is this the one?” The other man finally seemed to realize I was in the room, and immediately shot to his feet. The coffee cup he’d been clutching clattered to the ground and shattered. “The tracker?”

”Professor, please sit.” Cerberus flicked his head to me with a scowl sharp enough to cut glass. He waved one of his bulky arms to a set of chairs off to the side of the private booth. “Barghest, draw up a seat.”

”Ah! Please, sit, sit.” The man totally ignored Cerberus’s little mind game, and patted the booth just next to himself. “You must find my son. Please! Find my son.”

I hesitated at the edge of the booth, and looked back toward the Executor. He was trying to keep up a professional mask, but I could see the annoyance welling off of him. His familiar smoldering eyes gave him away. 

“Well? What are you waiting on? Take a seat, Barghest.” Cerberus grinned broadly at my apparent hesitation. “Sorry, Professor. Our Barghest needs very explicit instructions.”

My tail curled low around my leg, though I obediently took a seat across from him. A bolt of disgust made my stomach churn. I was a proper lieutenant of the Hades Syndicate now, though. He couldn’t just send me back there at a word… could he? A tremble went through my hands. I couldn’t quite tell if it was thanks to anger or fear.

“Are you still having trouble following simple instructions? I thought we fixed that.” He spoke casually, but the threat in his words made my ears flatten. “You aren’t going to need a refresher course, are you?”

”I… I—no, sir. Sorry.” My hands clenched into fists, and my head dipped. Heh, right. What was I thinking? Just a little promotion and that would be enough? I was beginning to think that the only way we’d ever get along was if he was dead.

“I permitted you some time off as a reward for the expedition. Don’t make me regret that decision.” He said as if me falling into a coma was somehow a reward. As if having two more months of my life stolen was somehow generous.

The worst part? Every moment I had without him pressing down on my head did feel generous. “I won’t.”

“Again, I must apologize, Professor Arnest.” Cerberus looked legitimately pained by my behavior. “I assure you, though, Barghest here is the best tracker available at the moment.”

”That’s all that matters then.” Arnest seemed to have a moment of lucidity for the first time since I entered the room. The frantic anxiety disappeared, and he spoke with a polished tone. 

“Professor Arnest here is the preeminent painter of Silverport. I’m sure you’ve heard of him.” Cerberus broke into a short introduction for the man. “He also happens to be one of the best enchanters, and on the council of Silverport’s Arcanist Guild.”

The professor’s lucidity shattered, and he tightly grabbed my hand. It took all I had not to rip it out of his grasp. “Please! My only son has been kidnapped. You must save him!”

My disgust with the professor melted. His son was kidnapped? For once, maybe Hades was giving me a job I wouldn’t mind taking. “Do you have a recent image of him?”

”Yes!” Professor Arnest pulled out his phone, and shakily swiped to an image of a young Black Bear Apex. The fuzzy bowl-shaped ears on his head gave him away. “T-this was taken by one of my security cams this afternoon. He disappeared shortly after.”

”Are you sure he was kidnapped?” I grabbed the phone from the professor, and quickly scanned the guy over. He looked like… maybe 17? Not quite an adult, but old enough to go out on his own.

”I… I had trackers put on him after my wife—“ Arnest shook his head roughly. His watery eyes dropped down to the image of his son. “They’d only be disabled i-if he was kidnapped.”

“Was there a ransom notice?” That was always the first place to start in this kind of situation. 

“No, n-not yet.” The professor melted into soul-crushing anxiety once more. “Please! You must find Jayce before something happens!”

“I will,” I promised the man. If it was taken today… I glanced across the kid, and my eyes dropped onto a worn-out ring on his finger. A moment passed, and Seek formed a connection with something in the city. “Can you send this picture to me?”

”Fine.” Cerberus snatched the phone from me. “Professor Arnest is an incredibly important asset Hades can’t afford to lose.”

”I’ll find him.” Not because Hades ordered me to, though. I’d do it because a father’s son was kidnapped, and I happened to be in the perfect situation to help.

I asked a few more questions, and then left the private booth behind to get to work. I sent a quick text to Sylvie on my way out. It looked like I wouldn’t be getting home at a decent time tonight after all.