No. Rumors aren't always exaggerated ~ Spencer

It was a simple task, and still, she felt like her limbs wanted to rip off and run away without her. Each step closer to the place made her feel increasingly sick - almost on the brink of throwing up once more. She had not been there for a week… For seven full days had she been hiding in the flat, wishing herself to be gone from the world. Her wishes never seemed to come true, to her great dismay. Wearing baggy sweatpants, she had stolen from Bienvido’s closet and a long-sleeved t-shirt, high-top converse-shoes, a massive scarf to hide her face in and a pair of sunglasses, she entered the weathered down building. The Technique-mafia’s headquarters was the last place on this god-forsaken planet that she wanted to be at right now.
The moment she entered, she felt dizzy. She heard the snickering on the corners; eyes facing her direction and a few men nodding at her in a daring attitude. The strong and powerful woman she had been - being their leader’s breeding-bitch - granted her no safety now. She was a scorn woman that no one dared to face. Rumors had been spread about what she had done to Jerry and Jasper. Their former leader’s scream as she broke his testicles. The sound was etched to her eardrum. She sighed, as she walked past a couple of the men, one howling at her like a wolf, making her stop for a moment and look at him. She lowered the shades from the bridge of her nose, only to reveal her eyes changing from their dark brown shade to a golden-red hue. The man silenced quickly, looking down at his feet. If it had not been because of her eyes changing, it might had been because of the black eye surrounding it. She was beaten, broken and bruised - most of her body covered in large marks and her insides still torn from the rape her former boss had performed.
‘’Miss!’’ one man said - a young fellow with the same dark eyes as herself. ‘’Over here, miss!’’ he said, waving her closer. ‘’Here’s what you asked for… Passport, identification, money… But… Miss, are you alright?’’ the young fellow asked as Cassandra approached him. Normally, Cassandra would be wearing her tight top, jeans and her belt with her gun in it. Seeing her all tucked away under so many layers of clothes was unlike her. ‘’I’m fine Percy…’’ she said, making the young fellow look confused at her. ‘’You’re never ‘fine’, miss…’’ he poked at her, making her look straight at him while removing her shades. ‘’No, I’m never fine, Percy. Stop asking questions you know the answers to, you bloody idiot!’’ she snarled, making the fellow look down at the bag before handing it to her. ‘’Oh… And Miss… Here’s the pills you forget last time you were here…’’ he then said, handing her a pill-container with Oxycotin and one with some anti-depressants. She rushed them down in the bag to the money and passport. ‘’Bye, Percy,’’ she said, turning around to leave. The moment she turned around, she felt something in her way, making her stumble backwards a bit. ‘’Shite!’’ she snarled, as she dropped her bag, making the money, passport and pills scatter around her. In a frustrated effort to calm herself, she squatted down to begin picking up her stuff, mumbling something inaudible to herself.

Spencer had not been around these people long. For now, he was just hanging around, doing what he was told. He so far had a good impression of Tidus, but the rest was still warming up to him as he was to them. He was not the most social person, that much was clear. He was just hanging out in the corner, waiting for something to happen. He was supposed to get some drugs to sell from some guy whose name he had forgotten. He also had no idea how the person looked. For now, he just stayed here. Hopefully he would be contacted by someone or see someone he recognized he could ask where to go.
He looked around when some snickering and indistinct talking occurred around the place. He saw the woman who walked in. Where they talking about her? Was she the woman everyone around was always talking about - or lying about? What they said truly seemed to extreme and brutal to be true. He just expected it was the classic thing - a story that turned bigger and bigger for each mouth it exited. Something had happened though. He could see it in the way she moved, how she hid behind glasses. Kenna had showed up like that too many times. Yet it must be different for this woman. Everyone seemed to know and gossip about it. Something like that was supposed to be private. She should have to chose who to tell it to. He for one was happy he could chose who he wanted to tell his story too.

He looked away when she began conversing with someone. Someone approached him and told him where to go. He thanked the man and started walking in that direction. He was focusing so much on not staring at her. He thought she didn’t need another pair of eyes on her, so he focused his on the floor. It was a bad idea, when he collided with someone. ”Fuck,” he exclaimed, falling backwards. He looked up to watch at her through the sunglasses. ”Sorry about that. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” He chuckled light heartedly, trying too hard to make her comfortable. ”Let me help you,” he bent over and picked up some of the pills. ”Oxycotin huh?” He said studying the pill between his fingers. ”I tried those ones, brought up a lot of shit from my past. You’re can keep these for yourself,” he told her with a gentle smile, reaching his palm forward so she could take the pills. ”I’m Spencer by the way. I’m new around here.”

It had been a hard week. Or month… Or year. Well - it had been a hard life. But somehow, things just kept getting worse and worse for her. She killed her mate, her best friend got murdered and now she was a laughingstock for anyone that knew how much she had given up protecting Tidus. No one respected her one bit in that hellhole. That was why they needed to reform the mafia - a thing she had agreed with Tidus and Bienvido back before all of this. But, yet again, she had been a fool. There was not going to be a reform. Tidus had hired a new kid to deal with the drugs, despite their agreement… Or, the agreement that she thought they had. Therefore, she wasn’t going to stay at the headquarters for longer than utmost necessary.
The collision with this young man made her even more uncomfortable. Not only was he new - he was polite as well. And there she stood, looking like something a cat had thrown up, trying not to have yet another mental breakdown over dropping her shit on the floor. ‘’It’s alright,’’ she just said, while her voice tried to remain indifferent to this newcomer. She wouldn’t be around for long anyway - there was no need to get to know him. ‘’I don’t-‘’ she started, but she silenced as he picked up the pills. She clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth. ‘’They’re better than some over-the-counter painkiller,’’ she admitted, slightly embarrassed about it. He then introduced himself as he handed her the pills. Slowly, she looked at him, only to reveal her beaten face. She removed the sunglasses, showing the black eye and the red eye. It was clear that the eye socket had been victim to a few major punches as well. ‘’You’re talking to me. Of course, you’re new.’’ She then said, no smile on her lips. ‘’I’m Cassandra. Or, the witch-bitch, baby-doll or what the hell these hooligans has decided to name me while I was gone…’’ she said, sighing slightly frustrated as she returned to a standing position. She hunched over slightly, hiding a small whimper as her ribs still ached whenever she moved too fast. ‘’My apology..’’ she then said, looking straight at him. ‘’I’m usually more polite when it comes to strangers.
‘’Yeah you are!’’ it sounded behind them. A man - mid-forties - approached them with a superior grin on his face. ‘’Cass, dear!’’ he said, opening his arms whilst stepping closer to them. Cass immediately took a step backwards. The man seemed pleased with that, very much so. He looked at Spencer shortly, before returning his gaze to the witch. ‘’I thought you had left us for good after what you did to our dearest boss-‘’ he said, making Cassandra stare at him with pure disgust in her eyes. ‘’Your former leader. You better remember that!’’ she answered him, making the man chuckle. ‘’Come on now! Don’t tell me that you think that you can come back here and be the boss! You’re a freaking bitch that even I wouldn’t fuck anymore!’’ he laughed loudly, making the other men that snickered about her before join him in laughter. Cassandra - a haemomancy-witch - grinded her teeth. Her hand draw a small symbol on her thigh, and as it came together it started to glow. The man looked at her, and shortly fear spread in his eyes, before he whimpered as he fell to his knees. ‘’Good,’’ Cassandra said while stepping closer to him. ‘’I wouldn’t fuck you even if you paid me, you cheap little turd!’’ she snarled at him - a hint of her dragon-genetics shining through in the way her voice shifted from human to beastlike. The man whimpered in pain as she erased the symbol on her thigh, removing the spell.
‘’Where were we… Oh yeah! I’m more polite usually. Things have been quite hectic… As you might have heard.’’ She then said, looking at Spencer shortly. ‘’I’m not the boss. I’ll never be. I’m just the chick that men get a kick out of harassing around here, okay?’’ she said, trying to make it sound somewhat normal. In reality, she hated every second of it. She was ready to leave the mafia behind for good - hence the passport and the money. She needed to get away for a while.

Spencer was not one to feel sorry for himself. He knew life sucked, but he tried to make the best of it. That included being here, with all these new people he had no idea how to act around. Especially not because this Cassandra had become a topic of gossip. He didn’t want to become like that himself. He was trying to fly under the radar as much as possible. He didn’t know how well that would go in the long haul, but he was doing his best.
If there was anything Spencer knew, it was broken people. She was broken, even though she did her best to hide her. She did a remarkable job at it. Much better than Spencer had ever been able to. He could see how the pills made her feel uncomfortable. ”You got me there,” he said with a smile that was supposed to be comforting. He looked away when she revealed her beaten up face. He was doing out of respect for her, but also because he didn’t like seeing people like that, especially not women. Somehow it was worse when it was women who didn’t deserve it. ”I’ll just go with Cassandra,” he said, not speaking of the name calling he had heard from some of the others. He shrugged when she apologized. ”I’m not that into politeness, rudeness is my language. Don’t worry about it,”
His head moved to the direction of a man coming ins their direction. He really didn’t seem to have Cassandra’s best interest at heart, which made Spencer tense up. He wanted so bad to just tell of these ignorant idiots off, but he was still finding his place here, he was not going to make enemies just yet. His jaw tightened by the way this disgusting man spoke to her. When he spoke about not wanting to fuck her, Spencer took a step forward, about to start a fight. Cassandra was faster and did… Something. He wasn’t sure what happened, but the man fell on his knees, clearly in pain. He liked her. She was a badass. ”Fucking awesome,” he whispered to himself. He looked back at Cassandra when she spoke again. ”I don’t listen to rumors. I like to make up my own mind.” He furrowed his brows and looked back at the man she had just done whatever that was too. ”You might not be the boss, but you’re still a boss.” He looked at her with a small smile. ”It’s a shame you’re leaving,” he said. He had just assumed she was, after seeing the passport. ”But I get it,” he looked around the people around them. Everyone seemed very interested in them - or probably her more than him. ”I’m just on my way out, would like to go for a coffee or something?” He had to sell the drugs, but he wouldn’t mind spending an hour or two with her before doing so.

//Lidt kort, sorry.

’’You’re one of the few that does so, then,’’ she said as he stated that he would use her name rather than some slur about her. Already there, she figured that he might not be suited for the life with the mafia. He was too gentle and kind to fit into this mess. ‘’Rudeness might be your tongue, but it’s not your nature,’’ she then said - she didn’t ask. It was clear that he at the least had some decency in him, since he had looked away from her as she revealed the beaten-up face.
The whole confrontation made her even more uncomfortable. She hated to use her powers, especially since she had killed a man with it recently. She felt out of control, and it scared her.
The pills weren’t drugs for her. She rarely took them, if she could avoid it. Her body was so severely beaten and broken that everything still ached even a week after the assault. As a witch, she healed faster than humans, so aching a week after only assured her in the fact that she could very well had died during those hours.

She had not expected the newcomer to stand up for her. She brushed it off as him being new, and therefore not sure on who to pick a fight with. For his own sake, she wasn’t going to let the things escalate. She took over, forcing the man on his knees with a simple spell, before confronting him.
The man stood up from his knees as she removed the spell - only to look at her in utter disgust and return to his group of hooligans. The continued to snicker, still looking at Cassandra from time to time.
She heard his remark, even as it was a little whisper, which made her smile to herself. Yeah, it was awesome - and bloody dangerous. If she started making enemies once again, she wouldn’t be able to return. She would under any circumstance not return to lead the mafia by Tidus’ side. She loved the guy to bits, to since he wasn’t going to reform the mafia any time soon, she couldn’t keep on pretending to fit it. He was born into this; she had only joined to find a place to belong. She was the puzzle-piece no one could figure out how got there. She didn’t fit anywhere, and every time she was forced to fit, a part of her broke off. ‘’I’m only leaving for a shorter period of time… The new boss needs to figure out what to do with this mess, and I don’t want to be yet another chess-piece for him to fiddle with.’’ She said. It was a lie. She needed to leave because she couldn’t heal while surrounded by all of these memories. She would never heal if she didn’t leave.

‘’Let’s grab a coffee,’’ he agreed, before looking back at Percy with a strict glance. Percy looked like he was ready to shit his pants. ‘’Tell Tidus about this, and you’ll have me to deal with,’’ she said, making the poor fellow nod rapidly. That sentence made the man she had forced to his knees moments ago laugh. ‘’Dealing with you is a piece of cake. You just need a sock in your mouth and a dick in your arse!’’. The guys laughed hysterically, as Cassandra rolled her eyes. ‘’You want your balls crushed too?’’ she asked, her voice a tiny bit scorn. The man now looked at her with a grin, while answering; ‘’Tidus wouldn’t let you. We all know you’re his bitch now! Like father, like so-‘’. He got cut off. Cassandra had moved almost like a shadow, as she had approached him, grabbing him by the throat. The man was almost twice the size of her, and though her body ached, she stretched her arm; leaving the man dangling inches from the floor while gasping for air. ‘’I would be careful if I were you,’’ she said, calm but with a furious tone in her voice. ‘’I might answer to Tidus, but you answer to me. Have you forgotten that? Don’t think that just because my pride is torn, that I won’t make your life a living hell if you ever disrespect me or my family ever again!’’ she said, her voice in a slight whisper, only making it more menacing. One of the guys stood up, ready to take her on. She smiled slightly, as she turned to look at him. ‘’Do you really want to give it a go? Molly’s at home with your kid, isn’t she? Would be a shame if something were to happen to them because you decided to play stupid.’’ She warned him, making him sit down and look away. Cassandra could be mean; she could be a devil. She had fought too hard to be respected, and no one did. She was done playing nice. She released the man, making him cough as he used the table they sat at as a support to prevent himself from collapsing.

‘’Percy’s in charge. I want this place spotless by the time I get back - and clean up yourself! You all stink like rotten meat!’’ she said, before looking back at Spencer. ‘’Still fancying a coffee?‘’ she asked, before she grabbed the bag with her stuff. Without waiting for his reply, she moved toward the exit. If he wanted to join her, he would have to follow suit.

Spencer did feel like he should treat people with respect and kindness as long they did the same to him. He had not been raised in a very posh or rich family, but he had been taught common manners. He didn’t quite as much as his mother would want, but she had made it clear he was not important enough to her. ”Fuck ‘em,” he bluntly told her. There was no reason to focus on people treating you like crap. He knew that, but he also knew how it was like seeking others approval. ”You are very intuitive, aren’t you?” The corner of his mouth rose enough to count as a smile. He was ready to tell that son-of-a-bitch off, but he was still finding his place around here, proving his worth. He was not planning on getting on anybody’s bad side if he could avoid it. Nevertheless he knew he would never enjoy the company of that bastard. He didn’t exactly offer the best first impression, Cassandra did, however.
Spencer was not shy for picking fights, he did it regularly if he felt the need to. But now, here, it just seemed to stupid for him, even if he could be very stupid at times. He stood back, watching Cassandra do her work. He was ready to jump in if need be. It didn’t seem like it. She had more balls than any of the others she had met. He admired that. He understood how it felt not fitting in. He was too good for the bad side and too bad for the good side. He was in a constant state of flux, moving back and forth trying to be the person he was expected to be. Here he had to be strong and cold. With other people, with his friends and family, he had to be the opposite. He was in a way living a double life, even if he wasn’t keeping it hidden. He was not putting on a wig so he could have the best of both worlds. He was just trying to keep himself afloat, which had caused him to end up here. But maybe he was able to find a place of belonging here. He was just afraid what the cost of that would be. ”I can see why.” He looked towards the man he had worked on. ”Some has to be pawns, some queens and kings. And some needs to be a wizard doing their own shit. I think of you as a wizard.” There was no question he was a pawn.

”Coffee it is,” he declared, following her gaze to the young boy she had been speaking with earlier. He looked terrified. Spencer might not belong here yet, but what that boy was doing here was a mystery to him. He definitely didn’t seem cut out for this world. Maybe it was a family thing. Wow this dude needed a serious lesson in class. Spencer thought he didn’t have any, but this fucker was reaching a whole new level. Spencer was just about fed of with this man. He was close to just giving him a piece of his mind, with his hands, fisted. In what seemed to be a blink of the eye, Cassandra was by him, lifting him up by his throat like he was nothing. She continued to impress him. He watched the scene, before Cassandra showed mercy and walked away, declaring that Percy, that nervous boy, was in charge. ”For sure. I’ll be right there.”

He looked around the people in the room. ”I thought I was joining the mafia, not a parade for pussies. You’re all acting like you’re in fucking middle school, speaking of people behind their backs like some fucking teenagers.” He walked towards Percy. ”You need to keep these fuckers in check,” he told him. Spencer looked him up and down. He couldn’t possibly do so by force, neither physical nor mental. ”You got a phone?” Percy nodded and gave Spencer it. ”If they won’t do as you say, use this,” he sent him a sound clip of him screaming. It wouldn’t be as powerful as if he was there in person, but it might be enough to make them do as he commanded. ”Give ‘em hell,” he said before moving away from him. ”Better get in the shower before the warm water is all used up,” he said a little too cheeky. It wouldn’t definitely come back to bite him in the ass later. He didn’t give a shit right now, it felt good to tell them off. He walked to the man who had his drugs, grabbing it and putting it into his inner pocket. He walked to Cassandra. ”I like you, wanna be friends?” If everyone was acting like teenagers, he could to - and he still was one, technically.

‘’Intuitive? No sir, I’m just not as blind as those pricks..’’ She said, shaking her head. He understood far more about her than she wanted him to; she could tell. And yet, somehow, it felt okay. It felt nice, not to explain. Had he dealt with abuse before?...
‘’You think wrong then…’’ She said, as he explained how he saw her as a wizard rather than a pawn, queen or king. Shortly, she looked at him with her beautiful dark brown eyes, before they briefly shifted to a golden red. Almost as blood had mixed with liquid gold in her eyes. The returned to normal, only moments before things went south once more. She had dealt enough with those bastards for one day. As soon as she had given her orders, she left - urging Spencer to join her if he dared to. With a ‘’be right there’’-remark, she decided to wait outside on the parking lot for the kid to join her. It wasn’t fair to think of him as a kid, to be honest. She had been through so much, and he seemed just about as done with life as she was. Maybe he wasn’t even younger than her. She couldn’t tell anymore.

Inside, Percy was about to pass out when Spencer approached him. Percy, a clearly decent guy, shouldn’t be working with the mafia. He was a kid Cassandra had taken care off when he had been in too deep in debt and drugs. Now, he was clean, but shaky as a chihuahua. He was a two-for-one-deal - one part of him was human, scared and utterly useless. The other part a demon so powerful that none of the men dared to touch him in the fear of being turned to a rubix’ cube. ‘’Yes, sir.’’ Percy said, as the banshee ordered him to give them hell if they didn’t comply.
The men muttered something at Spencer, but they didn’t do anything. Like most men with an ego-problem, they needed to tell some woman she was worthless or something, like measuring their cocks. It wasn’t new - but it would be quite different if Cassandra was ever to return to be a part of the leaders of the mafia. She wouldn’t tolerate that kind of behavior.

Outside, Cassandra had popped an oxy, just as Spencer joined her. The pain had been bearable for a while now, but using her body and powers combined did make everything worse. ‘’You like me?’’ she asked, in disbelief. ‘’Well, you sure have a weird taste in friends then!’’ she admitted with a crooked smile. ‘’How about we grab that coffee, and then you can decide of if you want to be friends or not? I might be utterly terrifying, you know. Like, putting sugar in your coffee!’’ she joked, winking at him.
‘’Hey man…’’ She then said, putting her hands in her pockets, biting her lip for a moment. ‘’I don’t like being like that. It’s just, the former leader was a prick and he.. Well, he wasn’t keen on women having anything to say. They don’t know better, you know? They need their arse kicked, that’s it.’’ She said, clearly used to being treated like garbage by them. It would take time for everyone to look at her like something else than the former boss’ plaything.

”No, I’ll have to agree with you.” Spencer was maybe not the smartest person, but he wasn’t ignorant like them. He was not so shortsighted and unable to accept changes, whether that was domestically, at the work place or in the society. Spencer however loved how things could evolve. Sometimes it was for the worse, other time it was for the better. ”I think that’s a matter of opinion.” He leaned forward slightly when he eye color changed. It looked so cool. How come people around here had so awesome powers, and he was left with this horrible one? ”So not a wizard, more like a dragon or firebird or something?” He suggested instead. Spencer was not that great at telling age. Of course Cassandra looked like she was in her mid-twenties, but she could very well had lived for much longer than that. He sometimes had a sense of it. It was something about the way people acted, how they talked. Cassandra was strong and not taking any bullshit. That could be a result of a long lifetime or just a lifetime of taking shit and growing tired of it. Or the third and less popular option; she had been in pain for most her life.

”No man, call me Spencer.” He gave Percy an accouraging pat on the back. He looked around at the others, knowing they were probably talking about him now. He couldn’t care less. If they needed something or someone to gossip about, he didn’t mind taking that away from Cassandra for a while. He also wasn’t going to listen to people talking shit about her anymore. If he heard someone even mention her name in a negative way, he would tell them off. She had obviously been through something, and these assholes were to sexist to look past anything but the way she looked. Sure, she was pretty - he was not blind to that - but she was so much more. Even in their brief interaction, he knew this. How those morons hadn’t realized by now was a mystery. Not one he was planning or solving though.

Spencer chuckled by her reaction to his words. ”Weird is the new awesome,” he declared. None of his friends were normal. Kenna might seem normal, but she had some weird tendencies few know about -  Spencer did. ”Oh fuck. That sounds like something from a horror movie. I’m surprised it hasn’t been made yet.” He smiled cheekily at her. He looked away a moment, before she regained his attention. ”I know the type. It won’t define how I think about you. Your coffee order might,” he said jokingly. ”I just don’t understand how people can be so behind. Like… It’s 2019 not the fucking 50’s. They need to get their head out of their asses and read up on the women’s right movement. Maybe I should give them a book.” He looked wondering for he a while. ”Assuming they can read are probably a stretch.” He shook his head deciding against it. ”Let’s get out of here,” he suggested.

’’Agreeing with me could either be a safe bet or a stupid decision. I guess only time will have the answer to that question,’’ she said, before she looked down at the floor for a moment. ‘’Please, don’t mention dragons and fire. You’re going to make me homesick,’’ she said, before she disappeared outside. Percy, however, was left with Spencer for a moment, and since he was used to calling everyone sir and miss, using someone’s name was rather new to him. ‘’Yes sir Spencer,’’ he then said, only to look slightly flustered by the fact that he messed up. ‘’Pardon me,’’ he then said, before he scurried off to the back of the room.
After Spencer had decided to join her and joke about being friends, Cassandra had to admit that the kid had some charm. Nothing like the creeps she was used to working with - Spencer seemed to have quite the bit of manners in his possession. ‘’Well, I’ve been asked to do some films myself, but never in the horror-business. Unless you call my body a horror show,’’ she said, with a slight shrug on one shoulder. The cheeky smile he had sent her reflected of her lips, right back at him.
‘’The former leader was a human. From what I’ve heard, the love of his life ruined his heart, making him a horrible person. I would surround myself with likeminded, if I were him.’’ She said, shaking her head. ‘’Of course, the only thing I ever got out of the boss were threats and the occasional appraise for doing something without his command preceding it…’’ she said, biting her lip slightly. She wasn’t really ready to talk to a somewhat stranger about the fact that she also got the beatings and forced intercourse fairly often.
‘’I would rather give them condoms… You know, to make sure whatever stupidity they suffered from didn’t spread.’’ She chuckled at his remark. ‘’Maybe a comic book would suffice? Less words, more pictures?’’. She smiled a crooked smile, still not showing teeth. She was really conscious about that.
‘’Yeah.. let’s get going.. My future coffee is getting colder by the minute!’’ she sighed, longing for the coffee. She oxy started to kick in slowly, making it easier for her to breath without aching in her chest.
‘’So.. Spencer,’’ she said, as they walked towards the nearest café. ‘’I hope I didn’t scare your balls right up your arse with what I did to Timothy in there?’’ she asked, just to make sure he didn’t acted like her friend only to mess with her. Maybe Timothy had planned for Spencer to join her? Paranoia was a part of the package at the moment, unfortunately.

Spencer noted that dragons and fire was off topic. He wouldn’t want to make her uncomfortable. He shook his head slightly, when Percy didn’t seem to get his point. He didn’t correct him, he didn’t have the heart. He also disappeared before he had a chance to.
Spencer checked out her body when she spoke of it as a possible horror show. ”Nah,” he told her. She had a great body. It might not be in tip top shape now, but it was still nice. He saw some familiarity in her smile. It was like he looked himself, when he was trying to fake a smile in the mirror. It was apparently not so bad, if hers was similar. ”I guess that makes sense. But then there’s people like you, Percy and Tidus to break the mold.” Neither of them seem as heartless and cold as the others he had just met. He looked at her when she seemed uncomfortable, biting her lip. ”Hey,” he said, gently putting a hand on her arm. He was trying to not make her even more uncomfortable. ”You don’t have to talk about it. I don’t need to know what happened. But if you do want to talk, I can be a great listener.” He could be okay with either or. It was up to her. He removed his hand.

”Do you think they know how to use them?” He continued chuckling. It was clear the man inside especially, didn’t have many brain cells to work with. He snapped his fingers by her suggestion. ”There’s an idea,” he said with a smile. He walked with her, longing for some coffee as well. ”No way. You earned my respect more than anything.” He was not scared of her. Of course that might be different if he was ever on the receiving end of whatever it was she did. ”If you didn’t do it, I would have. Or not exactly that, but you definitely saved my fist some pain. So thanks for that.” Spencer knew all to well what it was like to be paranoid. He tried to not let it hinder him so much, but it was not always easy. Especially not around strangers whose motives you had no way of knowing.

//So short, sorry.

It wasn’t really that dragons and fire was something she considered off topic, but as long as she didn’t feel any connection to her heritage as a draconian, she didn’t really want to be reminded of the fact that she wasn’t just a witch, but a hybrid of something far more dangerous.
‘’Good. I would be offended if you thought of me as a horror.’’ She said, smiling from the corner of her lips. ‘’Don’t get too lulled into the thought of any of us being ‘good’ guys. Tidus doesn’t mind the killing, and Percy is downright dreadful when he gets off.’’ She said, shaking her slightly. She remembered far to vividly all the times she had killed, tortured or in other ways tormented someone when she was under Jasper’s command. She felt the hand on her arm, making her pull away like a beaten dog. She looked at him with pure fright in her eyes for a tiny moment before she realized that what she did was completely unnecessary. ‘’Everyone back there already knows what happened. I’m sure you’ve been told already.’’ She said, avoiding eye contact as he withdrew his hand and the continued to walk.
They returned to their chuckle, yet Cassandra tried to remain somewhat ‘normal’ in her behavior. Her heart was racing like a horse through the field, while she controlled her breathing with an iron fist. ‘’I’m sure those hooligans doesn’t even know they exist.’’ She said, her chuckle being slightly forced. She didn’t want to be this pathetic! She wanted to be happy, laughing and enjoying making a new friend. Instead, she felt like he only joined her to show that he felt sorry for her.
‘’They think they can talk to me like Jasper did.’’ She said, looking shortly at Spencer. ‘’After a series of unfortunate events, I ended up seeking shelter with the mafia. Jasper figured out pretty quickly that the easiest way to make me do what he ordered was to threat Tidus. Most of the times, I did what I had agreed to. I was hired to kill and dispose of bodies… Later, Jasper decided that I should be his son’s guardian; forcing Tidus to be under my command… We hated every second of it. Tidus is rebellious… That often lead to Jasper punishing me, and if I didn’t take the punishment without resisting, he would threat to hurt Tidus.’’ She explained. No details, as those seemed too private and too soon to explain as well.
‘’Tidus is the only family I have. My mother died a year ago, and even though my father is alive, he was never a part of my life until I moved here.’’ She sighed. She looked across the road, noticing the café getting closer; you could almost smell the coffee! ‘’So… Enough about me! What about you? You’re not from England, I can tell. The States?’’ she guessed, looking at him, while she pondered on why she had decided to share whatever had happened to her with him, without explaining the thing that was most obvious; the recent assault on her.

Spencer chuckled quietly by her comment. Of course, she would have. Nothing good had come from his family, but he had learned how to not treat people. That was probably the only good thing coming from his childhood. ”What you do or how you were born has nothing to do with being good. It’s how you are, why you do what you do. Everything can be good, if the motivation for it is good.” He shrugged by his own words. ”That’s what I think anyway,” he told her. When she pulled away, he saw something he had seen in Kenna before, something afraid of something as simple as a touch. ”Sorry,” he said pulling his hand back. ”I didn’t think.” He should’ve thought about what being touched would be like. He knew what it was like. ”Doesn’t matter what I’ve heard.” He continued to walk beside her, trying to not overstep.

”Probably not.” He picked up on the forced chuckle. ”Don’t force joy, doesn’t work like that.” He knew how she must feel - it was probably like he had. He just wanted to belong, so he acted like everything was fine, like he didn’t dread going home from school every day. It was exhausting. She didn’t have to pretend with him. He listened with full attention when she spoke of how she ended up there and other things she had experienced during her time. ”What an asshole,” he simply said. Spencer had experienced something similar with his stepdad. If Spencer ever went out of line, his mother would be threatened. Even if he resented her for staying with a person like that and keeping his father’s identity a secret, he would never want her to go through what he had. He took the beating for her every time.

”I got what that’s like.” He had left his own family to come here. He didn’t regret it one second. His true family was here now. He didn’t have anything back in the states. He nodded when she turned the subject to him. ”Born and raised. Bastard son of an Alpha’s Luna and everything. I was very loved,” he said, clearly sarcastic. ”My family isn’t dead, just a bunch of assholes,” he simply put it. He walked to the café, shortly looking at the menu outside. ”Probably shouldn’t drink too much caffeine. I hear it’s bad for you.” He was trying to be funny. Caffeine was not the worst shit he put in his body.

‘’What a naïve way of viewing the world.’’ She stated, as he explained how he thought that the motivation alone would do something good. ‘’In this time and age, everything needs to be considered in a social construct. Hundreds of years ago, women had no rights. Forcing yourself upon them was socially acceptable, and not considered wrong or cruel. Today, we call it rape. We, as the social construct that accepted to change something from being acceptable to wrong. Since he owned me, and we’re allowed to do with out property as it pleases us, would it be considered wrong or cruel to harm me? Or - since Tidus now leads the mafia, is it not considered wrong that he hires someone barely legal to sell drugs, when he himself wouldn’t dare touching the shit?’’ she asked, looking straight at Spencer. Could he tell that she disliked the mafia?
‘’And, it does matter what you’ve heard. Tell someone something once too many times and it’ll become the truth. Social constructivism.’’ She then said, before she looked down at her feet for a moment. ‘’My apologies. It’s not that often that I get to speak my mind about such matters anymore,’’ she then sighed, rubbing her forehead slightly, revealing the torn nails that had started to grow out, almost shredded at the tips as they had been so brutally torn off a few days ago. It was a miracle that she even decided to leave the flat, considering just how little time had passed.
‘’I know nothing of werewolves’ hierarchy… A Luna is what? A beta?’’ she asked, slightly confused, as she tilted her head, almost like a puppy, trying to listen to an unknown noise. As he had explained that they weren’t dead, but it was just the same, she shook her head. ‘’I hated my mother. Even now, after all that’s happened, I only think of her when I’m scared of being like her…’’ she admitted, looking at the menu as he did. ‘’Caffeine? Too much? Oh, sweetie, I was breastfeed with that stuff!’’ she chuckled - a genuine chuckle. ‘’Come on, let’s get our caffeine! My treat,’’ she said - the last part wasn’t up for discussion. The oxy had kicked in fully, making everything a little better for a while. She could almost move normally again, except for when she turned a specific way with her torso; then her body would ache like crazy and a shooting pain would jolt through her spine.

Spencer didn’t think he was naïve. He just had to believe the right motivation could make a person good - otherwise what was he? He listened to her as she spoke like a social studies teacher. He looked thoughtfully into the thin air. ”I don’t know… You can’t make rules for right or wrong, socially speaking. Wrong for you might be okay for me.” He made a slight shrug. ”And isn’t it better he hired somebody like me to be around drugs? I know this shit, Tidus might not, not in the same way. He can’t know how much he needs to avoid people OD’ing, how much different races can take. I do. It’s not wrong, it’s smart.” Spencer had enough experience to know what affects you could expect from different type of drugs or how much you could do without having a overdose. He had seen friends die because the doses weren’t right. He would try to avoid that. Of course he would sell as much as people wanted, but he was also going to warn them.

”You lost me,” he said. What was social constructivism even? He shrugged when she apologized. ”It’s fine. I’ll just pretend like I understood it,” he said with a smile. He quickly saw the torn nails but didn’t look too long or comment on it. He understood why she might not understand the werewolves’ hierarchy. He only did because of his parents and brother. ”Not exactly. An alpha is born to be it. It’s given from the parent to, mostly, the first-born child. When the parent can no longer lead the pack, the child takes over. A beta is supposed to assist the alpha, lead when he can’t. Most alphas are male. My brother is going to be an alpha someday. The Luna is simply the partner of an alpha. It can be every other race, but some packs prefer it to be another werewolf. My mom is a born werewolf, chosen by her packs alpha to become his. They had my brother together, but my mom had an affair and then I came into being. My father wasn’t happy when he realized I was not a werewolf.” He knew more about werewolves than he did banshees. It was not easy when he had no other banshees to seek information from. ”It’s hard to not be.” He took in a deep breath, being happy he had been able to break the pattern and not become like the only male role model he had in his live. ”That’s a weird imagine,” he said wrinkling his nose slightly. ”Okay, okay, I’m convinced,” he said with a short chuckle. He walked into the café, making sure Cassandra could catch the door before it closed. He looked at what they had for a moment. ”An americano sounds nice,” he said, tilting his head slightly. He bit into the nail on his thumb, splintering it. His nails were broken, but he didn’t care enough to do anything about it.

’’And yet, that is exactly what we have done, isn’t it? Made rules on what we are allowed to do or not. What’s right or wrong… Anyway - I think I might just be a severe pessimist,’’ she said, eluding to the fact that she had pointed him out to be naïve - which wasn’t the case, but her way of putting into words that she didn’t share such a wondrous idea of the social construct.
‘’You’re right. It is better to hire one that knows his way around this stuff.’’ She said, closing the matter. She didn’t want to speak any more of the role such a young kid played in a mafia.
‘’Social constructivism is where the norm is determined by social standards. Like laws, fashion, cliques in school and so on. Everything is based on a portion of people making it socially acceptable or massively known to be as such.’’ She said, with a warm smile, finally revealing that the teeth had been through a hard time to.
‘’Oh - so werewolves are just as confusing as the rest of the world,’’ she joked, with a crooked smile. it was clear that she didn’t care much for hierarchy in all of the ways that system could mess with people. Power was just as addictive as the drugs they were selling.
She looked at the banshee as he entered the café, before she followed suit moments later. She of course hid her face slightly and placed the sunglasses back on the bridge of her nose, as Spencer decided on what to get. She nodded, before she moved to the counter, and ordered two americanos and two rather large oat-cookies with Nutella in them. She grabbed the plates with the cookies and looked back at Spencer. ‘’Please, don’t tell me that you don’t have a sweet tooth!’’ she said, before nodding in the direction of a sitting-area with a coffee table, two large recliners and a couch. She placed the cookies on the coffee table and sat down in one of the recliners, waiting for the coffee to be ready.
‘’So, Spencer. I feel like it would be better if I was the one telling you what happened, before any of the hooligans back there tries to tell you otherwise. Are you up for a thrilling tale of rivalry, heartbreak and magic?’’ she asked, winking at him. Cassandra was still scarred from the experience, but talking about it definitely made it easier.

”I guess. But those rules are different depending who you spend your time, aren’t they? My point is just those social rules and guidelines are not the same for everything.” Spencer had no way of keeping up with Cassandra’s intelligence. Not in this topic, at least. He had his opinions but voicing them was not as easy. ”I like to think there is a difference between being a pessimist and haven lost faith in the world.”

He didn’t react to her agreeing. There was nothing more to say. He listened carefully when she explained what social constructivism was. ”So social rules and guidelines? I feel like a fucking genius right now,” he joked. Truth was, he knew quite a lot about society and how it worked. He just didn’t know what the different things were called. He shortly looked at her teeth. They didn’t seem in the best shape. He was not going to comment on anything that could be result of her assault - not if he could avoid it.

He chuckled at her comment about werewolves. ”Pretty much, yeah.”
He followed her to the table, eyeing those cookies she had bought. ”People don’t call me sugar because I’m sweet,” he joked. People didn’t actually call him that, but like always he was cracking a joke whenever he could. He sat down with her, shortly looking towards the counter. His leg was jumping up and down restlessly. He looked to her when she spoke again. He wasn’t sure he was ready to hear the story, the real one. It would just confirm that people were scum. It was easier to not listen when it didn’t come from the source themselves. Details had a way of getting forgotten or changed when spoken from mouth to mouth. ”I mean… If you want to.” He knew from himself, it was not easy to talk about. If she was prepared to tell a stranger, she was much braver than he.

As they sat down around the table, she smiled cautiously at him. He was a stranger, no doubt, but he was to be integrated into the organization she was working for, and rumors could be a nasty thing. It was better to admit the truth, than to be thought ill off because of lies.

‘’You’ve surely already met Tidus. If not, you will soon enough.’’ She said, looking shortly in the direction of the barista who was making their coffee. ‘’Once, I was engaged to his significant other’s brother - my mate. For a brief moment in time, we all seemed rather happy with our little lives, until some unfortunate circumstances left my fiancé in a coma. His brother - Tidus’ partner - couldn’t deal with the sorrow. I left, as I tried to let Tidus comfort those left behind, but… That didn’t really work out. I ended up in the mafia that Tidus’ father was the Don of. I was mostly just fetching overdue payments or limbs, but Jasper found my services better used in the privacy of his office. For the first half a year, or so, he used my now dead fiancé against me, forcing me to do rather unpleasant things…’’ she explained, before she stood up seconds before her name was called as the coffee was ready. ‘’I’ll be right back,’’ she said, looking at him with a crooked smile, before fetching their order.
When she returned, she placed one cup in front of him, with sugar and cream in small packages on the side, before she placed her own by her seat. She sat down once more, before eagerly having a sip of her scolding hot coffee - a heat that she didn’t seem affected by at all. She drew a breath, before looking at him once more. ‘’Once Tidus figured out that I was in the mafia, his father found it suiting that I became his nanny. Every odd-job Tidus was given, I was to follow only to make sure that he was doing as ordered. Of course, he never did - resulting in the Don deciding on a punishment. Every time Tidus didn’t comply to the orders, Jasper would punish me. Usually, it would be taking me with force. Threats about what he would do to Tidus if I didn’t follow suit made me more… malleable.’’ She said, before taking yet another sip of her scolding coffee. She sighed, as the background now was covered - making it easier to understand what happened next, if one cared to understand such cruel matters.

‘’Jasper stabbed Tidus, leaving him for dead. I found him, by dumb sheer luck, and brought him home to the flat I’d been living in with Bienvido - a werewolf you’ll meet sooner or later, working with us. Anyway, Tidus bled to death on our couch, and ended up in some coma or something. He wasn’t alive, but he wasn’t dead either, I believe. Well, I stayed for a while, at the hospital with him. Didn’t sleep, eat - you know, pure heartbreak,’’ she said, shrugging it off as if it was nothing. The truth was that she loved Tidus more than anything in the world, and loosing him had been the most painful thing she had ever gone through - the assault included.

She sighed, breaking off a piece of her cookie as she tried to figure how to explain what happened next. ‘’I’m a witch - as you might have guessed by now. I was raised to use blood-magic, or haemomancy, as it’s called where I’m from. I had not used it since my miscarriage some years ago, though,’’ she said, waving her hand to show that she didn’t want to talk about the loss of her unborn child. That part was more private.

‘’I decided to figure out who had assassinated Tidus, and through an old ritual I’ve learned in my younger years, I gained access to the memory. As I figured, it was his own father. Hell hath no fury as a woman scorn, as a poet once wrote. I cursed Jasper moments after I realized what he had done. A curse I soon came to regret,’’ she admitted, before eating the piece of the cookie she had broken off. She took another sip of her coffee, to wash the far to sweet cookie down with. ‘’One of Jasper’s hooligans sought us out after Tidus had woken up. He threatened both me and Bienvido, and in pure rage I ended up attacking the poor fool. I’m not pleased about using magic like that, but… Damn it felt so good hearing his screams,’’ she sighed, looking at the poor banshee in front of her. ‘’I’m not scaring you, am I?’’ she asked, rather concerned. There was no point in scaring the poor fellow.

Spencer tried to be above gossip, but she was right in saying that a lie could become true if you heard it enough. He would much rather go to the source and get the truth. However, that was not always an option. And in the case, he would never bring it up. If there was some truth to what he had heard, it seemed Cassandra had been through quite the ordeal. He would never want to rip open those wounds.

”I have. He’s pretty cool.” Spencer liked the blonde demon. He was not at all what he had expected from a mafia leader. He gave Cassandra his full attention and listened as she explained about being mate with someone, he knew a bit about witches, but not what the mate-bond actually meant. His gaze dropped shortly when she said her mate ended in a coma. He didn’t think anyone should have to go through that. He eventually looked back up at her. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was happy he hadn’t been part of the mafia back then. His gaze followed her when she went to get the coffee. He was trying to keep his thoughts straight, but they were all over the place. How could a person be so cruel? He could only guess what services Jasper wanted from Cassandra. He tried not to, as it just made him angry to know a person could do such things without feeling a shred of regret about it.

He looked at the cup a moment, before taking it to get a sip of the scolding coffee. He didn’t mind, even if it caused him to lose feeling of his tongue. He tightened his grip of the cup, his teeth bit together when she continued and straight out said what that bastard had done to her. Had he been any stronger, the cup would undoubtedly had broken under the pressure of his grip. He took in a sharp breath between his teeth being bit closely together.

Spencer looked confused for a moment when she said Tidus was left for dead. He clearly wasn’t dead. He listened as she explained what had happened, that Tidus had been neither dead nor alive. It made more sense to him that many might think. He could say he was surprised a father would do something like that to his son - but he wasn’t. His own had done the same. But maybe it was just easy to hate a child, knowing it was not yours. Spencer had never gotten the whole story. He just had to fill in the blanks himself. He was a banshee, so one of his parents had been with another. By the way he had been treated by both of them, it was clear his mother was the one hiding something.

He took another sip of the coffee before grabbing for the cookie, putting it into his mouth and breaking of a piece far to large to fit in his mouth. He put the rest of the coffee down, taking hold of the piece sticking out of his mouth and breaking that off as well. ”I’m sorry for your loses,” he said when he had finally managed to swallow the cookie. He had no idea how it was like to lose a child, or a fiancé.

Spencer could imagine how angry she had become when she learned the truth. It was clear she cared a great deal for Tidus. It was probably like what would happen if something happened to Kenna. He would go through every part of hell to make sure she was okay. He had always thought his relationship with the werewolf was more beneficial for him than her, but when push to came to shove, he would never fail to be there for her. He shook his head when she asked if he was scared. ”You’ve done what I’ve imagined doing many times. I’m not scared of it. I wish I had the strength to do it, if I’m being honest.” He looked at her with a look that might be confusing. A lot of emotions appeared in those blue-ish green eyes. Some pity, it was impossible to not feel bad for her, a great deal of anger, and a splash of admiration. She seemed so strong even after everything she had been through. How could he feel like he had been through anything bad compared to that?

To most, it would seem rather out of place to attack someone threatening you. It seemed like going against natural instincts of freeze, fight or flight. Cassandra was a victim to the situation where those three tings never seemed to be induced in the right order. She always hit back, making her look hot-headed and foolish, and as soon as her fight was lost, she would freeze; accepting her defeat. As the banshee mentioned Tidus as being cool, Cassandra shrugged slightly. He knew her ‘brother’ as anything but cool, making the statement Spencer just made sound silly to her. She chose not to be bothered by correcting him, as anyone was in the right for their own opinions.
The whole ordeal she had explained seemed like water, next to her following recollection of the events that followed after her attacking Jerry. Her own foolish actions lead to something so painful and humiliating. She scoffed shortly at herself. ‘’My losses as just that; losses. They’re in the past, however haunting they might be,’’ she admitted, shaking her head slightly. She understood the compassion someone would feel for learning about someone losing a loved one, but she did not share the compassion. She had moved on, at least from Josiah. Calsifer still had a tight grip on her heart.
‘’I’m glad that you aren’t scared - yet, at least,’’ she said, taking another sip of her coffee, before she closed her eyes for a moment, to collect her thoughts of what had happened back at the headquarters. The smell was the most prevalent thing she remembered, aside from the pain. She could try to explain the pain, but… That would be like explaining a phantom. ‘’When I attacked Jerry, he broke my leg. Although I’m a witch, and I know how to heal myself, it drains my energy severely. To heal a fractured bone, I would be on bedrest for at least three or four days - which was exactly what happened. I was sleeping on the couch, while Tidus and Bienvido tried to figure out how to get us three away from the mafia. I was alone for a minute, at the most, when Jerry abducted me from the flat and brought me to the headquarters.’’ She said, shaking her head. She had been reckless, sleeping like nothing was the matter. She had not been careful enough, and she could only blame herself every time she looked at the blackened eye or the bruises on her body.
‘’At first, it was only some thorough beatings,’’ she explained, looking directly as Spencer for a moment. ‘’All they wanted was for me to tell where Tidus were, and how to lift the curse I had put on the Don. One thing you should know about me; I’m stubborn. I don’t fall back on a promise.’’ She said, smiling shortly. ‘’Then, they decided that some torture might be effective. Thumbscrews, although they weren’t that effective. Then they found the plyers. Pulling my nails off my fingers and toes seemed like if would have been more effective, I guess. Then another thorough beating, breaking my fingers and toes, before they broke my jaw and nose. Even my eye socket wasn’t off limits,’’ she said, taking another sip of her coffee. She knew this was rather graphic but explaining to him what had been done to her would surely be better than just admitting what she had done to get revenge. She took another bite of her cookie before she shrugged her shoulders.
‘’The Don - Jasper - then joined in. When he got me alone, he… Well, he started by offering me a way out; lifting the curse. When I refused, he offered me to be his equal - ruling the mafia alongside him, being his woman.’’ She said. Somehow, it was talking about Jasper that made her the most uncomfortable. Not the beating, the rape, the betrayal… Jasper, himself. Why it was so, was only something her instincts could explain. She trembled slightly now, as she took yet another sip of her coffee. ‘’When I refused him, he forced himself upon me. I don’t know for how long - the pain seemed to be the more breathtaking part of it all. I think I screamed, but knowing me I only thought about it. That’s how it usually was with him…’’ she admitted, not looking directly at the banshee. She placed her coffee-cup down on the table for a moment, as her tremble had grown to make her almost spill the beverage.
‘’Tidus and Bienvido found me and got me out. Tidus stayed behind with Jasper, while Bienvido brought me home. I couldn’t just leave Tidus, however, so we returned, only to see Tidus ready to… I don’t know what. He had strung up both Jerry and Jasper from some pipes in the locker-room.’’ She said, shaking her head. ‘’Jerry died, hanging there. Crushed by his own blood. Magic is a cruel mistress.’’ She said. She didn’t explain how she had forced the blood that had been dripping on the floor to wrap around him and crush him to death. ‘’Jasper, however, was alive when I left. He wasn’t gravely injured, besides his balls being crushed to a paste in the palm of my hand. That was the first and only time I’ve heard that man scream and avoid my gaze. That bastard,’’ she said, shaking her head. She still didn’t know if Jasper was dead or not. She would know, eventually. But right now, she didn’t care. She just wanted to leave and never come back.
‘’So, that’s what happened. That’s how Tidus became the new Don. It’s how I ended up looking like this, and how I ended up being regarded as a free-for-all by every goddamn male in the mafia.’’ She said, rolling her eyes, before she looked down at her coffee. ‘’It’s been a few days, but… Everything still aches. Both mentally and physically. That’s why I’m leaving for a while. I need to be myself, alone, to get past that shitshow,’’ she said, looking back at Spencer.

Spencer knew all the way how it felt wanting to fight back. He had tried it a few times, but his strength could never match the one of his dad. In the end he stopped trying and took everything in stride. He might not be able to fight back, but he was not going to let his dad think him weak. It didn’t seem Cassandra agreed with Spencer’s statement about Tidus, but he chose not to ask about it. If he got to spend more time with Tidus, he would learn if he had been mistaken. He usually wasn’t though. Unless a person was exceptional great at hiding their true self, he trusted his first impression.

Spencer wasn’t sure he could think like her. But maybe he was reactions could be quite extreme. Mostly he was steady and seemed fine, but the moment he felt a strong emotion, he would go all in on that emotion. He didn’t see a reason to pick up in old wounds, so he just let her losses stay at that. ”Now I’m a little afraid,” he said with a weak chuckle. There was some truth to his words, but he would never stop acting like he wasn’t afraid of anything, didn’t get sad about anything. Until he was sad, angry or afraid. Then he wouldn’t be able to hide it.

Spencer had tried breaking bones before. He didn’t heal as quickly as a witch. His bones might not even have grown together properly. He had to wait for up to 16 weeks before his bones healed, and then in the meantime he just had gotten another broken bone. It wasn’t until he met Kenna that he found a way to heal himself using blood of different varieties, mostly vampire blood. He couldn’t believe all of this could happen to one person. He didn’t know what somebody could do to deserve something like that. ”Jesus,” he simply said, drinking some more coffee.

Spencer’s admiration for her grew from every piece of the story she spoke. So did his compassion. His gaze fell down towards her fingers, when she spoke of having her nails ripped up. It was a little uncomfortable to hear from her. It sounded like a story from the middle ages or something like that. But it hadn’t happened back then. It had been very recent. It had happened to the woman sitting in front of him. He also got very angry. He was prepared to go kick the shit of that motherfucker. He could find him if he wished so, but something told him, it wouldn’t make anything better. He should just stay here and try to keep his anger contained. He did know that was impossible, but he could at least wait until she wasn’t around.

Spencer couldn’t believe his own ears. His woman, like women were just a prized possession. He scoffed. Spencer knew what it was like. Not completely, but he knew some of the feelings. He knew how it was like linking so many bad things to one person. He still saw his father’s face in every other person, saw the pure anger and hate. He saw how she trembled, how talking about it made her body react that way. He almost reached out to take her hand, but remembered how she had reacted before, so he didn’t. He got an idea, but he would wait to tell her until she was done with her telling everything.

He let out a deep breath when he told what Tidus had done, and almost done. ”Damn,” he said, looking into the coffee cup. He finished the last of the coffee. He understood why she needed to get away. He had done the same. ”I understand. I needed to get away too.” He scratched his neck and wondered if he should tell her his idea, if it was even going to help her. ”I have an ability that can maybe help you.” He folded his hands in front of him. [color=#66ccff]”I can find everyone and everything. If you want me to, I can keep an eye on Jasper, make sure he doesn’t follow you. Only if you want. I just thought it might make you calmer where you’re going.

Cassandra understood the young man’s reaction to her tale. It didn’t surprise her one bit; most would be affected by the story of how someone had been assaulted, tortured and raped. She didn’t bother to even feel bad for herself at the moment; all she thought about was getting back to being herself.
‘’Your offer is very sweet, Spencer,’’ she said, smiling slightly at the banshee. ‘’However, I don’t fear him following me. If he does, he has death in his way. I’m done fearing what he will do if he ever returns. He should be fearing me instead,’’ she said, looking down at her jagged nails for a moment. She still remembered the feeling of the man’s priced jewels in her palm, and how one slow yet forceful squeeze had made him scream like possessed and avoid her gaze. She looked back at Spencer.
She wanted to show that she appreciated how he had listened to her story, but it was hard to do so. it was rather rare that it was needed to show appreciation nowadays. She moved her hand slightly, allowing the fingers to dance in a calm pace; drawing in the air a tiny symbol. The symbol transformed to a tiny dragon, spewing fire an inch away, up her wrist. It turned towards Spencer, spreading its wings to show how big it was. ‘’I think he likes you,’’ she chuckled lightly. Then, the dragon dumped on her wrist and walked up her arm until it sat down on her shoulder. It nuzzled up against her jaw, purring like a little cat, before she turned her head and it booped its head against her nose. ‘’Little gremlin’!’’ she chuckled, before the dragon disappeared into thin air.
‘’I love magic,’’ she admitted, looking back at Spencer, winking at him. ‘’it takes so many forms,’’.

You had to be very cold to not have some sort of reaction to her story. Whether it being angry, compassionate or sad - or everything, as in Spencer’s case. Spencer smiled a little by her words. ”I don’t doubt it.” She had shown she could take care of herself. He for one, was not going to get in her way.
Spencer looked at her hands as she started moving them in air. He sat back in the chair, when a small dragon appeared. It breathed fire on Cassandra, who didn’t seem bothered by it. He leaned forward to look at the tiny creature. He smiled when it tried making itself bigger by spreading it’s wings. He looked up at Cassandra with a smile. ”I hope he does.” He wouldn’t want to be on a dragon’s bad side. He watched it step by step as it moved up to Cassandra’s shoulder. He chuckled by their interaction. He was adorable. The dragon disappeared to Spencer’s disappointment. He sat back in the chair. ”I wish I could do something like that.” He didn’t think his abilities were that interesting. He could scream, find people and see dead people. They might be practical, but not fun.

Cassandra smiled gently at the banshee, as he said that he didn’t doubt it, when it came to Jasper fearing Cassandra and not the other way around. She was done being a pushover, and she was done trying to save others. It never worked anyway. Calsifer had died, Josiah had died, Tidus had died. She couldn’t save those she loved, so why even try?
She knew that magic wasn’t for everyone. Those who wished it the most rarely got a chance to try it. It was sad, in some way. She had wished her magic banished a number of times, and in front of her sat a man, wishing he could do such things. She leaned in over the table, grabbing the banshee’s hand very gently. She knew that he wouldn’t hurt her, or he would have done so by now. If he tried to, however, she would not be too pleased with him. ‘’Here,’’ she said, directing his fingers with hers, so that their fingertips were touching, mirroring each other. Again, the symbol formed, this time between their fingers, allowing for the little dragon to emerge on Spencer’s hand. It would be light enough to not weigh his hand down, but also just heavy enough for Spencer to be able to feel the little creature on his skin. The dragon looked curiously at the banshee, spreading its wings and making a small squeaking screech, as it tried to mimic what Spencer would sound like if he screamed. It wagged its tail slightly, showing that it enjoyed its own performance, before it started to wander up the banshee’s arm. ‘’Oi, you! Behave,’’ she warned the little creature, as it climbed to the shoulder of the banshee, starting to snap out at Spencer’s ear in play. A few moments later, the dragon vanished once more.
She looked at Spencer with a crooked smile. ‘’He’s all bark and no bite, that one,’’. She leaned back in her seat, distancing herself from Spencer once more, as she wasn't sure if he even cared for the close proximity of them in the first place. She then stretched her fingers, as they still ached. Using them for magic still pained her, sending jolts through her arm every time.

Spencer had not reached the place she had. He did think he could still help people. He had yet to lose anyone he loved. He was still intact in that way. It was unlikely it would continue to be so, but he had to keep some hope out.
He looked at their hands as he took hers in a gentle grip. She did as he directed, putting his fingertip against hers. Another symbol appeared, until the dragon grew from his hand. He felt the slight weight, without it being as heavy as he had experienced. He looked at the dragon with a huge smile. He chuckled when it did a pretty nice impression of his scream. He couldn’t help but think it reminded him off a dog, the way it wagged it’s tale. He followed it with his gaze when it moved up his arm until it reached his shoulder, even if Cassandra was telling it to behave. He laughed when it snapped at his ear in a playful manner. It disappeared again. ”I was just about to name him,” he pouted, before turning his face into a more neutral expression.
”And damn cute,” he added. He already missed the little guy. He wished he could have him as a pet. It would make him feel better to know he always had someone around. Maybe he should think about getting a puppy. ”Hey I just want to thank you for trusting me with everything. I promise I won’t abuse it.” Trust was important to him. If you trusted him, he would be extremely loyal. He would be like her in that regard - he would rather take the pain that rat somebody out.

How adorable it was to see him smile like that. Just like Tidus, Spencer seemed rather fond of dragons, which was just another reason for trusting him; Tidus did.
‘’He already has a name, that poor bastard,’’ she said with a crooked smile. ‘’Calsifer,’’. She didn’t want to explain why the phantom-dragon was named after her stillborn son; that was one step too close to comfort. ‘’He was once a rather large and mighty being. I lost my ability to manipulate fire, and with that, he lost his size and might. What’s left is the spirit of my great protector and companion,’’ she said, before she bit her lip. Perhaps if she had been able to conjure Calsifer back when she had been assaulted, she wouldn’t have ended up being this torn and beaten? She could only guess. ‘’If the Don trusts you, I trust you. However, my trust is limited. Normally, Tidus will forgive, under the right circumstances. I won’t.’’ she said, almost warning the banshee. She did not care to waste time on broken promises or lost trust.
‘’I’m not a purebred witch. I’m half draconian.’’ She explained, looking at Spencer once more. ‘’My parents were mates, but my father left before I was born.’’ Briefly, her eyes changed from their dark and warm brown hue to something mimicking liquid gold and blood mixed together, with her pupil being long and sharp, like a dragon’s. The same eyes as those that would emerge if she used haemomancy. The eyes returned to normal, as she looked away from him for a moment. ‘’Fire doesn’t burn me that much. I love the warmth, the heat. When I get cold, I feel like falling asleep and never waking up again.’’ She then said, smiling at the banshee.
‘’You don’t have to tell me about your talents,’’ she then said, as she realized he might feel obligated to do so after she had shared this with him. ‘’I have one… Trait, if we could call it that. The reason for me to wear all of this,’’ she said, eluding to the fact that the only skin visible was her face, neck and hands. ‘’Physical contact kinda freaks me out,’’ she then said, looking shortly at his hands, as she was reminded how he had tried to get a hold of her before. ‘’I share memories. I pull people down into memories, and often not the ones I would like to show them..’’ she then admitted. ‘’It’s rather new, and I don’t know why or how… It just happens.’’.