Chương 95: Act 2, Chapter 48: Setting priorities

Day in the story: 17th December (Wednesday) After I finished painting Victor's place I landed in my Domain's outer grounds to check the glove. I chose the outer wall of my little one-story tower and walked toward it, while Lio spiralled around me like a serpent on crack, which basically meant he was trying to hit mach speed for no good reason. I let him be and sank into a sea of thoughts. If I wanted Victor out, I'd have to deal with Edge of Tomorrow somehow. Either face them directly or use some subterfuge.

Hopefully the latter. First I needed to scout and make a plan, and both of those things demanded time and effort, two things I did not have spare. Maybe that made me a bitch, but Joan had never given me a timeframe, and Victor was needed for something, which meant, if they were going to hurt him they still needed him alive. That was reason enough to focus on myself for once. For the first time in a long, long while. I reached the artifact after a few minutes.

It lay on the ground looking perfectly harmless, almost like a normal glove someone had dropped. Hopefully it wasn't about to declare a duel with me. But it too had to wait when I've gained a little more fucks to give.

"Come on, Lio, I'm going to my other home right now to blow off some steam," I said, just as the only card left in Jason's apartment with my Authority still inside flared to life with movement and sound. Jason was back and moving toward the window to look at the city below. Just in time.

"You know what, man?" I started, tracing his silhouette across my personal sky.

"Stay here a bit longer. I'll have a few words with Joan and come back for you." The world bent to my will with a totally silent groan. You couldn't really hear it, but I felt it. Like the place was tired of me breaking its rules. Guess what, world? I didn't care. I appeared behind them and moved to the window to look down on the street with Joan. They turned to me, still wearing Jason's face, and spoke in that unnerving dual voice, feminine layered on top of masculine.

"We didn't know you could sense us here. You're full of surprises, Alexa."

"Yeah, I am. Listen, I need a little me-time, so I'll be brief. I know what happened to your Victor. He had a surprise visit from Edge of Tomorrow, which is—""We know them."

"Well, that makes it easier. They forced him to come with them, probably toward Van Cortlandt Park or somewhere nearby. I'll check it out soon, but his life doesn't seem in immediate danger. Jason has a few more days in his… stasis, so I'm going to move slowly."

"We understand. Victor is hard to kill, so we won't press you. We'll conduct our own investigation."

"No, hell you won't," I said.

"I made the discoveries. You tasked me. If you blow this up because you're impatient, I won't take anything else. Just give me time." Joan looked surprised, but they composed themselves quickly.

"That's acceptable. If it takes longer than we feel necessary, we will intervene."

"Okay, okay. How was the meeting with the FBI?"

"They accepted our story and will investigate the location we pointed them to where they should find the man responsible for Jason's kidnapping. We believe you're off the hook and Peter is being released as we speak."

"They man responsible? What do you mean?"

"We've arranged an actor to play Jason's kidnapper. He'll do it long enough to give you and Peter your freedom."

"That's unexpected. Thank you." I said, then refocused on the evening New York outside the window.

"Word of advice: be careful about Jason's mom. She's very specific."

"We know." They said, and then I was at Old Oak and after a minute back in my Domain, pulling a classic Batman move and disappearing mid-conversation. I watched them make a surprised face, laugh, and turn back to the window. Pretty good sports, really. I'll try to return the favor next time. But tonight called for Sophie.

"Liora! Come!" I shouted, and he darted through the black sky full of stars. At night, with the filaments lit to the edges, this place didn't feel so empty. Darkness could be beautiful. My little cloud serpent was by my side within moments, his color-shifting eyes brimming with curiosity. They begged for a reason, while his body twitched with the urge to shoot off again.

"I want to go back to Earth, to my apartment to meet a friend. I wanted to take you, but if you'd rather have more freedom I can send you to the Domain of Water. Turn red for my home and green for the Domain." He hovered in front of me, literally stood in the air, his disregard for gravity making me chuckle. Seconds passed and then he turned yellow.

"You want something else?" Green. [He wants to stay here,] Anansi chimed in, and Lóng flashed green again.

"You can translate for him, girl?" [Just needs and emotions, so far.]"Okay then, stay here Liora if that's what you want. See you later." With that said, I forced the world to bend to my will and drop me into my room. Upon landing, I sent my entire costume, belt, and all battle-related things into the Ideworld, infusing them with my authority on the go to make calling them again possible. That was a move that deserved a proper name, almost like a spell of its own.

Getting dressed that way was basically a magical girl transformation, but getting undressed needed a better name. Reverse transformation? Kind of lame. Getting naked? True, but definitely not cool enough. Usagear farewell? Nah. But I liked the sound of Usagear, so I should go with that. Goodbye? Get away? Sendoff? Sendoff! Usagear Sendoff. That's the name I could settle for. As these thoughts about the move's name rolled through my head, I was already digging through my closet and pulling out actual clothes.

Comfy, stretchy sweatpants. A long-sleeved white t-shirt. A pair of warm, colorful socks. Slippers with fluffy bunny ears, just the kind that felt right. When everything was on me, I paused. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd dressed like a normal person. This couldn't stand. My life was calling for balance, a healthy life-work split with priorities set straight. If I kept living like I had for the past few days, I'd grind myself into dust.

I sat down by my window, looking out at the snow falling on the street. It didn't stay—not yet—but it tried its best to cover everything. A perfect metaphor for what I'd been doing. What were my goals? Did I even have any? I was an artist in my soul, but lately almost everything I'd created had been tied to my Domain and my survival needs. That had to change. I wanted to create for the sake of creating. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

And on top of that, I wanted to finish my studies, just for the sake of having a real, earned degree, one I paid for myself. There was also the need to build and maintain real connections with actual people, talk with them, do things normal people did. That had always been one of my most important goals, because of the darker side of life I kept getting thrown into. But I'd dismissed it for too long. This needed the biggest shift in my mindset. People first. Most important.

Then there was that shadier side of my life, changed from thievery to magical exploration of my powers and the Ideworld. Those two were interconnected. I had to get stronger to explore safely, without fighting for my life at every turn. Progression and exploration would go hand in hand. They'd come second now. That left art and studies at third place. Still on the podium, but with less time for themselves. Could I live with that kind of time division? Hell yeah. Seemed about right.

But I'd have to start planning ahead. My day could be much longer than most people's, with my need for only half an hour of sleep and the ability to transmit myself or things across vast distances. Nights seemed like a good time slot for my Ideworld escapades—say, around 11 p. m. or later depending on my social needs—and I'd finish around 7 a. m. to come back and prepare for studies. Uni would take me until at most 3 p. m. That left afternoons and evenings for people, projects, and art. Sleep between 10 and 11 p.

m. Weekends would stretch any part of my life that needed it. Yeah. That sounded like a good plan. I've reached for a pen and written down the actual things I had to do soon: – Find and get Victor out of EoT. – Meet with Zoe (social needs, plus Alicia's laptop). – Show myself at uni with a good cover story. – Check on Akira. – Paint a big-ass mural somewhere in the city. – Contact the Guild. I liked that list. It wasn't extensive, but it felt manageable if I stuck to the rules I'd set for myself.

And if things went at least partially smooth, I could finally find time to explore the Ideworld by myself too. I sent the list into my Domain. Better not to leave such things lying around where they could be found. Eveline had taught me that, if nothing else. I looked at my phone—way too many messages to get through in one sitting—but I only wanted the hour. 18: 09. Perfect time for some one-on-one with Sophie. I moved to our common room. A place I liked so much.

Two big couches set near each other with a short table in front, the one we girls used to dump whatever we carried, and Peter used for his feet when he watched TV. On the other side of the table, under the TV, was a cabinet stuffed with his gaming stations and all the other things that let us use streaming services. What? Don't ask me how it all worked. Peter was the one who handled that magic. We had plants everywhere in here, even on the walls, because Sophie insisted they'd make everything look fresh.

And she was right. She'd been caring for them without pause ever since we moved in. The kitchen was more my territory, a space connected to the main room but divided by a small cabinet island. Sophie loved to perch there on the high stools, drinking her coffee. I always preferred tea, but the occasional cup of black liquid gold wasn't anything to scoff at. The kitchen itself was mostly obsidian black with orange accents. Orange because apparently it made you hungrier. The whole design of the place? Sophie's work.

Everyone always assumed I had dipped my fingers into it, but honestly interior design was never my field of interest. Sophie, though, had been more than happy to make it her personal project, and she'd turned it into a perfect harmony of fashion, comfort, and modern trends. I moved to the door of her room and knocked a few times. From inside I heard her hurry over in a wild rush, and when she opened up she was wearing a long red dress with a grey pullover on top, looking like she'd just finished some photo session.

She looked me over from bottom to top, as if making sure I was really there. Then her lips curled upward, and she launched herself at me. Arms and legs wrapping around me in one motion. I was moved by the sudden gesture. I'd kind of expected to be physically challenged by it, but apparently I was already strong enough; I held my ground without any issue. Her slender frame was easy to hold, and I wrapped one arm around her back and the other under her bum to support her—obviously.

She was warm against me, her breath quickened, and I let myself sink into the feeling of that deep connection.

"Sophie?" I whispered.

"We saw each other recently, didn't we?"

"Yes, but not like this. You are wearing sweatpants for God's sake." She answered as she jumped back on the ground.

"Only now it feels like I got you back."

"That's more true than you realize," I said, looking into her deep grey eyes. Her whole face was smiling now.

"I've been rethinking my approach to life, to scheduling things, even the things that keep happening without my consent."

"What do you mean?" We both moved toward the couch after I'd made the first move. I planted myself firmly there, knees tucked to my chest. She tugged her dress up a little, freeing her legs the way she had when she'd jumped on me, then sat cross‑legged.

"I've let my life be overrun," I said, "by so much stuff that I've had no time to just sit down like this. And sure, some of it was urgent like going after Jason, but honestly I was doing it even before that. Training, escapades into the other world, whatever Penrose had for me…"

"You're making a change?"

"Yes. I want to focus on you and my other friends first, and come back to uni. Keep the other stuff mostly at night."

"So you're not resigning from all that?"

"No. Just reprioritizing. I don't need much sleep, Sophie; I can do it while you're all asleep."

"If you need anything, my offer still stands. I'll do everything in my power to get it done."

"I know you will. But right now, I just want to spend time with you. Catch up."

"Sure. But I need to know what's going on with Jason and Peter, and this FBI thing."

"Okay," I said.

"But bear with me, it's kind of messed up." Her brows shot up. I recounted everything: Solitary Twin, my dealings with Joan, their intervention as Jason, his ongoing transformation. She listened with her mouth slightly open the whole time.

"…and that's pretty much where I stand right now," I finished.

"You think they really delivered on their word?"

"You know I'm not the most trusting person in the world. But so far everything Joan has said has turned out to be true. So yes—I do." Even as I said it, I felt my own unease with the Shattered. So far they hadn't disappointed me at all, which meant either they were genuinely good or very skilled manipulators.

"Will they come to uni as Jason?"

"I honestly don't know. I guess they probably will."

"That's bound to get messy. A lot of people know him."

"Yeah. We'll see. Do you think they remember much from the day he was taken?"

"Nah. Your god had it covered for you. No one I've talked to remembers a thing about you running full speed through campus. They assume the three of you just skipped a few days."

"Didn't the FBI make an investigation out of it?"

"That's the thing, Lex. If they did, the uni part was done very quietly. Once again, no one knows a thing and I know how to check rumors."

"That's good news. Got any more of those?" I smiled at her.

"Elena and Tyler are pretty much a thing, and they're hosting a movie night this Friday evening. I'm sure you got a text about it." I reached for my phone, scrolled, and—yep—there it was.

"I'll come with Nick," she added, eyes steady but lips tight. She was probing me for something.

"You want to hear about him from me?"

"You spent some time together in there. Anything worth sharing?" Oh damn. I knew that tone.

"So… first of all, he was the guardian I wish everyone had in their life, Sophie. You scored on that front—""I know that. He's very protective."

"Yeah. He also saw me naked and lost an arm because of me." There. Said it. Hopefully the backlash wouldn't be severe.

"He also what? Saw you naked?"

"I was hoping you'd focus on the lost arm." She didn't. Her brows knit tighter, the universal signal for spill now.

"I got badly burned at one point, hence the suit repairs I needed. I lost consciousness. Peter had to repair my body under the shower to draw help from the water. They peeled off my suit, dressed me in whatever they found, and I basically lay there for over two days while they kept watch over me." As I spoke, her expression softened. The intensity faded, replaced by a slow-rising "oh my god" look—mouth open, hands covering it, eyes as wide as they could go.

"I didn't know it was that bad," she said softly.

"Was he gentle with you? No foul play?"

"I don't think that lies in his nature, Soph. And Peter was there." Not to mention Malik, but she didn't need to hear everything.

"You need a hug?"

"No," I laughed, remembering all the hugs I'd already gotten.

"I'm good at this point. I still feel a bit down that it all happened because of me, like you mentioned earlier, but I can deal with it."

"You know what I meant. I was scared. I don't hold any grudges."

"Yeah… and somehow that makes it harder, not easier. But it's okay, Soph." She nodded, the tension easing from her body.

"You've got to tell me about the arm though. I assume that's the same fault you're talking about, like in my case?"

"Yeah. Me being the center of everything bad again." I sighed.

"He was attacked during our chase and got it cut off. He was a champ about it though. Really fucking brave, Soph. He kept going, kept fighting, like some kind of Viking berserker out of legend. Now that I think about it, he even has the look."

"But… he's got the arm back. Peter healed him too?"

"He could have, but he didn't. Do you know anything about how Nick's magic works?" She tilted her head.

"Not really. I didn't ask. I wanted him to come forth by himself."

"Let's just say he can use food to change his body and heal himself, get faster, stronger. Things like that."

"Change his body?" She leaned closer to me.

"How?"

"Oh, girl. My imagination just ran ahead of my decency when you asked." I grinned.

"Let him show you, and I bet you two can figure out how to use it best." Her eyes went wide.

"That too?"

"I don't know for sure, Soph," I said with a smirk.

"But magically speaking, I don't see any reason it shouldn't work." She laughed, and I joined her. We were still cracking up when we heard the key turn in the lock of our front door.