“So you're the captain of the first division, yes?” Elaine asked. She sat at her desk like every other day.

“Yes. My name is Damon, I've been in Macabre Hearse for about five years. I was an orphan before, going from foster home to foster home. The last one I was in was... Not fun, to say the least. I found out about Macabre Hearse through an online ad. I killed my abusers and ran to here as fast as I could, there's no other life I can have now.” Damon shook his head, the bangs of his short brown hair whipping back and forth.

“I started out almost the exact same way, to get to such a high rank is a rarity, you're... Platinum Rose rank, correct?” she asked.

“Correct, I worked hard to increase my rank to the max, I think I'm the only one here with that title, at least right now,” Damon said.

“That's amazing, I'm dumbfounded by your sheer amount of will. I already have a second and third in command, but would you like to start as the fourth?” she asked.

“Who are the second and third?” Damon asked

Elaine made the exact noise a crow would make, and Kalan appeared on her shoulder.

“This is Kalan, he is my familiar, black magic users need familiars. For example, the warlock Turbuk has the soul of a deceased dragon as a familiar.” She frowned.

“Who is your third in command, then?” Damon questioned further.

“Come, my knight.” She raised her arm, and a dark purple sigil appeared in front of Damon. Pain materialized on top of the sigil in a kneeling position.

“Yes, my lady.” Pain rose up.

“This is my third in command, Pain. You need to learn the ropes, so Kalan and Pain will take turns teaching you.” She got up and walked around her desk, Kalan clinging to her shoulder.

“Who is this?” Pain looked to Elaine and back at Damon, and pointed at Damon.

“Your new pupil, Pain. His name is Damon, make sure to be nice to him, alright?” she asked.

“You know I'm not Hex anymore, you don't have to worry about me being mean to people.” Pain shook his head.

“I keep forgetting, it's still something I need to learn,” she said.

“Don't worry about it too much, you'll learn my new self eventually.” Pain smiled, the purple silicon lower lip of his lower jaw rising up on the sides.

“You should be honored, Damon is an even higher rank than you, he's Platinum Rose, you're Lavender Rose.” She laughed.

“Really? I didn't know there was a higher rank than mine,” Pain said.

“He's a higher rank than even Kalan, which is rare in itself,” she said.

“I am also Lavender Rose rank,” Kalan said.

“There's only one higher than Lavender Rose, and he's got it. He probably got it by saving the lives of others multiple times,” she said.

“I do somehow get there in the nick of time.” Damon shrugged.

“Heroic deeds get you higher ranks, I suppose that's why you are the highest,” she said.

“I only got the new rank a few days ago, there was a big event and everything, and you yourself presented me with the rank by knighting me,” he said.

“Ah, yes, I remember that. I'm always giving people ranks, but knighting people is rare. A queen must have two black knights after all,” She smiled and shrugged.

“What piece am I then?” Kalan asked.

“More like a bishop,” she said.

“And what would Hex be?” Kalan questioned further.

“The white king, the endgame, the checkmate,” she said.

“Who is Hex?” Damon asked.

“A man who was supposed to be a valued ally, but my want to test each other tore us apart.” She frowned.

“What would a checkmate be for you?” Kalan asked.

“I can't answer that out loud, but you and Pain already know very well what a checkmate would be for me,” she said.

“The checkmate seems impossible, in my view,” Kalan said.

“It seems impossible for me too, but the heart wants what the heart wants,” she said.

“I think there still is a chance, a small one,” Pain said.

“What?” she asked.

“There's still a chance, at least I think so.” Pain turned to her.

“You... Then there's still hope?” she questioned further.

“Yes, it's small, but it's still a chance,” Pain said.

“Are you just saying that to make me feel better?” she said.

“No, I wouldn't tell you something you wanted to hear just because you wanted to hear it, not anymore,” Pain said.

“I understand. Damon, you can go with Pain, he will teach you for now.” She gestured Damon and Pain towards the door.

“Alright, let's go then,” Pain eyed Elaine as he walked towards the door. The look in his deep purple eyes were full of worry.

“Coming,” Damon said and walked to the right of Pain.

They left the room, leaving Kalan and Elaine alone together.

“He's an interesting boy, don't you think?” Kalan said.

“... Maybe I could move on with him, who knows?” She sighed and sat down.

“Remember the last two times you didn't tell people how you felt, if you start feeling for him, let him know. I don't wish to see you suffer more than you already do,” Kalan said.

“I've tried to get over him, but nothing seems to be working, I feel so... Misplaced, without him. Like I don't belong here,” she said.

“I saw the look in his eyes when he looked at you, he definitely has romantic feelings towards you,” he said.

“I saw it too, because when I look in the mirror and think about Hex, I have the same expression,” She rested her head on her left palm.

“It's hard to disguise feelings, only the oblivious seem to not know, Hex is an oblivious one, you had to spell it out for him.” Kalan shook his head, his beak cut back and forth through the air.

“They say the eyes are the window to the soul,” she said.

“I don't doubt that,” Kalan said.

She continued her work in peace. Kalan flew to an empty rung of the coat rack in the corner. She sometimes looked back at Kalan while he was preening himself. She thought that if she got a boyfriend and fell in love with said boyfriend, she would stop thinking about Hex. It was like that with Pain, but he was only acting like he was when he was alive, and that reality crushed her. She wanted nothing more to either have Hex or get over him already, and stop the hurt in her heart.