---

Maria took a deep breath as the phone rang, back pressing against the closed door while listening to the flurry of activity happening beyond her small barrier.  The women and men were talking about the smallest out of place folds of the dress or tiny variables in her braid.

She released a sigh of relief as Tom answered on the fifth ring; he didn’t sound that tired, but his deep voice threw her off a little.  “Maria, you called sooner than I anticipated.”

“Hey, yo, uh, hehe, Tom … umm, you got somethin’ that’s pretty important to talk to me about, right?  Clay was sayin’ something like that, so, uh … yeah, I gave you a call.”

His deep tone turned curious.  “Something bothering you, Maria?”

Her teeth clamped down on her tongue, but begrudgingly, slowly she replied, unable to lie.  “... Eh … modeling is a lot more work than I thought it was.”

“Haha!”  She heard a creaking of his chair as he leaned back.  “You’re modeling right now?”

Maria rubbed her elbow with a forced chuckle, trying to distract herself by studying the near-empty warehouse storage room; it didn’t help pull her mind from the intense voices outside, talking about things she wouldn’t even begin to know how to explain.  “What … you didn’t know?  Hehe, I thought you knew just about everything.”

“No man can store that much information!  No, the last I heard, you were back in Cali, safe and sound.  So, what can I do for you?  Is Master Sergeant Clay treating you well?”

“Yeah, yeah, no … umm, no, he’s chill.  Uh … no, what can I do for you, general?  Heh, Clay was talkin’ about somethin’ healin’ people at the FBI or … I don’t know, ya know?  He was talking about you and stuff.”

“Wooow,” Tom mused.  “Is it really that bad over there?  I was sure you’d be firmly against the request made by the Associate Director.”

She fiddled with her braided hair, stomach tightening as a few people mentioned her in the other room; they’d probably be looking for her soon.  “Yo, it’s exhausting … and I don’t know why since all I gotta do is just sit there for like forty minutes as they mess with my face, but damn … yo, it makes me feel like there’s somethin’ wrong with me!  They’re just so fussy.  Shit … how many lipsticks do they gotta put on me before they’re satisfied, ya know?

“Eh … I’m not gonna go over there and try to shake down some asshole I got no beef with, but if some of those guys need healing, then I’m down … shit, just picking out the way I look now took those tontos lacos like two hours, hombre!  Two hours … for a dress and to figure out I look good without makeup, yo!  For real?  Shit!”

[crazy fools]

Her jaws snapped shut as someone knocked on the door.

“Ms. Espinar, are you in there?”

“Eh … yeah, umm, give me a minute, okay?  Yo, I’m on the phone.”

“... Very well, we’ll start getting everything lined up for the next shoot.”

She whispered a curse, causing Tom to laugh.

“Okay, Maria.  Let me fill you in before you go crashing their party…”  He paused, tone becoming serious.  “There are quite a few Mythickin and Legendkin within the U.S. at this time; we’ve been pulling them in from everywhere we can, and not all of them are as cooperative as you have been.”

“Heh,” Maria’s left hand tightened against her stomach from the noises outside.  “What can I say, Rachel and the chicas are one of a kind.  Am I right?”

“Without a doubt … these other Mythickin and Legendkin … their tempers have flared, and there are already a few incidents between cooped up and restless individuals, which is understandable, to an extent, and one reason why David has allowed the Miami group leniency to roam.

“However, that hasn’t been the case in California; you’ll be walking into a hornet’s nest.  I can’t be sure how things will turn out, but I’m hoping you can at least show them that the Miami experience will not be the same as the treatment they received in California.”

“Hmm…”  Maria felt her curiosity stir.  “They aren’t from around here?  Okay, uh, where are they from, huh?”

Tom cleared his throat.  “There are two Legendkin and a Mythickin that will be moving to Miami.  The Legend of Yasuke, a young African American man from Chicago, and the other came from South India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to be specific, and he’s the Legend of Arjuna … kind of a cheeky guy, to be honest.”

Maria smiled.  “Chicago, huh?  Okay, okay, and I don’t even know what you said about that Indian dude, but I like cheeky guys; they can be funny.”

“I’m glad you approve,” Tom replied with a soft sigh.  “The last one … those two are less of a handful than the Mythickin.  Her name is Selvaria, and she’s a … Leviathan.”

Maria’s brain stuck on the revelation as Tom let the information hang.

“... Uh, like the Bible Leviathan that God struck dead?”

“Ugh … I really don’t know, but she can turn into a sea monster in the water and there appears to be a strange transformation that happens to her body if she’s outside of a body of liquid for too long.  Anyways, I suspect that when she’s filled up on water, she can cause pretty substantial damage … she blew apart much of the FBI building.”

A freakin’ Leviathan!  Okay, so, a massive sea monster that can probably swallow entire ships … yeah, being friends with a creature like that sounds like great fun … well, I mean, Scarlet’s pretty stupid powerful, too, but she’s a walking marshmallow.  Hmm … yeah, I can’t judge.

“How’d it start?”  Maria asked, finding the story more interesting as Tom explained it.

Tom took a moment to answer, fiddling with something in front of him.  “A Mythickin woman named Julia was taunting the Leviathan with a few Legendkin in the room; she was basically calling her a weak, disgusting, slimy eel…”

Maria bit her lower lip as a knock sounded at the door again.  “How soon will you be ready, Ms. Espinar?”

“... Aye, Tom, hold up … I’ma take care of this real fast and get back to ya.”

“Sure thing.  Just give me a callback when you get everything settled.  I’ll just be going over reports … there’s a lot of them, and honestly, it’s nicer talking to someone about lighter business to let my mind settle.”

“Light, huh?  Well, okay, jefe!  Hehe, I’ll hit you up in a bit.”

[boss]

Hanging up, she went out and explained that something had recently happened at the local FBI facility, and she needed to head over.  The workers seemed really disappointed but accepted the excuse with little resistance.

Clay stayed silent through her performance, never lying and even mentioning how hard it was to sit there for hours while being fussed over.  They all laughed at her statement, taking it as a joke before getting ready to pack up.

Jasper and Reed were cleared to take them to the FBI headquarters but wouldn’t be allowed inside.  Maria wasn’t sure what she’d do once she got there, but was happy to get away from the stress of having men and women fussing over her; it all felt so foreign to her, and she’d hit her uncomfortable limit for the day.

The three men smiled at her as she spread her crossed legs across the table, sunroof open to allow the sun to recharge her; the lone exception was the stone-faced bodyguard.  She had to adjust her dress slightly, but it wasn’t difficult to find a comfortable position that didn’t reveal too much skin.

God, this feels so good … thank you for the sun!  I just need an hour or two and I’ll be maxed out.

Maria released a content sigh, and was about to call Tom back when Clay cleared his throat, pulling her attention.  “... I wasn’t sure you were going to take the request.  What changed your mind?”

Her soft smile turned into a grimace, giving the three men a glare.  “All of you guys, and those other crazy people.”

“Hmm … have we upset you?”  Reed asked with a concerned tone, glancing at Clay with a questioning expression.

“No, no,” she mumbled.  “I’m just not used to so many random people giving me shit, fussing over my hair, and all that other stuff … damn, like … give a chica a break.  I ain’t seen even ass-kissers suck up so hard, ya know?  It’s just … it’s not my scene, yo.  I ain’t used to this shit, and uh…”

“Ah,” Clay nodded with a smile, looking down at his pants.  “You’re overwhelmed.”

The other two men’s eyes widened with understanding.

“Tch … I mean, I guess, but uh … yeah, I’m just a little done with that.  I ain’t doin’ that one thing, though … uh, give me a bit, though … I need to call Tom back.”

“Maria Espinar,” Clay stated with a light chuckle.  “You certainly are the most genuine woman I’ve ever met.”

“... There it is with the compliments again, shit…”  Maria grumbled, calling Tom.

Tom answered.  “Ahem … are you ready to continue?”

“Yeah, lay it on me, jefe!  I’m good; we’re headin’ to the place now.  So … wussup with them?”

“... Hmm, you recall me talking about Julia and the slimy eel comment?”

“Yeah…”

“Julia is an Erymanthian Boar, and quite crass, even more than you, I’d say.”

“Damn,” Maria smirked, “okay.  So, she threw the punch, then?”

Tom let out a low groan.  “I’m looking at the footage now … she was the one pushing everything, but it moved into which President they liked … you know it’s an election year.  Selvaria said she would vote for President Capell, and to everyone’s shock, Cahira, the Legend of Grace O’Malley, jumped forward and decked her.

“... It barely moved Selvaria’s face, and judging by the tightening of her fists and eyes, her response was an emotional one.  One backhand sent the woman flying across the room, and that’s when Julia jumped at her … she’s got quite a lot of power, but in the end, it didn’t surprise many to find the Leviathan virtually unharmed … although losing a lot of mass, I suppose.”

“Hmm … so, they all just holdin’ grudges now or somethin’?”

The four other people in the car stared at her, unable to hear the conversation but picking up pieces of the discussion through her responses.

Tom didn’t sound too pleased.  “You could say that.  There wasn’t really a clear winner, but who knows what would have happened if it wasn’t stopped.  It’s just a powder keg waiting to happen, and while the official story is that it was political, I’m guessing it stems from an encounter between Cahira and Selvaria earlier that week when they went to the ocean together … both are marine-based Legend and Myth.”

“Huh,” Maria’s lips lifted into a half-smile.  “What about this guy that’s not lettin’ anyone heal him?”

“The Legend of Alvíss … a short guy that’s apparently a dwarf.  He’s a wiseass that is one of the few Legendary Artificers, although it seems on the lower-tier of that spectrum.  As you might expect, he’s short, very muscular, and … I doubt many women would say he’s attractive, but his confidence is off the charts.

“He’s got a Norwegian accent with a northern dialect, which makes it a bit hard to understand him at times, but it’s usually something snide.  Gah … yeah, the personalities there just don’t mix.”

Maria chuckled.  “Yeah, I can see why!  Yo, they sound like a real group of assholes … but they’re goin’ after the Leviathan chica?  Wussup with that?”

“... Mmh, for the reason I think she’ll do well getting to know your group.  She’s standoffish, not that vocal, and mostly keeps to herself while reading, but it seems she also likes to be in a group.”

“... Yo,” Maria mumbled while shaking her head, “has anyone told you it’s kind of weird how much you analyze people?  Like, I don’t think I’ve ever thought that hard about what people do.”

Tom didn’t respond for a moment, and when he did, it was laughter.  “... My wife, actually.  It’s helped me in my career.”

“I bet it has…”

Maria popped her tongue a few times, glancing between the men around her.  “Aye, uh … you sayin’ it’s not good havin’ them all together, right?”

“I did,” Tom replied, seat squeaking again as he leaned forward.

“Okay … uh, just a thought, but umm, yo, check it; since I’m in town, after the interview, I was lookin’ at hitting up my cousins and shit.  If they’ll be headin’ back to Miami with me, then … ya know?”

“... Hmm … actually, that’s a pretty good plan, Maria,” Tom whispered.  “You don’t think your family would mind?”

“Mi familia?  Na, homie, we all about that party, jefe!  As long as they can have a good time, then it’s all about the fun, yo.  Aye, and Clay’s goin’ to bring his family over, too!”  Maria cheered, causing Clay’s eyebrows to rise.

“... I said I would try…”

“Yo, he’s totally goin’ to be brinin’ out the crew, and like … yo, it’s gonna be off the chain!  Oh, aye, Reed, Jasper, we need to stop off and get the goods, too.”

“Of course,” Reed replied with a forced smile.

“... Indeed,” Jasper mumbled, mirroring Reed’s expression, “I’m sure it will be quite the experience.”

Clay’s normally tough expression softened with a silent chuckle.  “Honestly, Maria … I’ll check with the Missus and the boys.”

Tom’s mood had significantly improved since she’d first called.  “You always find a way, Maria … alright, I’ll leave it in your hands.”

“Hehe, count on the Queen!”

Tom hung up with a laugh.

Reed cleared his throat as she lowered the phone.  “Ahem … Ms. Espinar, this will be after the interview, correct?”

Maria’s eyes widened.  “Aww, shit … I totally forgot.  Uh … yo, they can hang out with us, right?  We got room here…”

“... I suppose we do,” Reed slowly replied.  “Who will we be picking up?”

The bodyguard had suddenly taken an interest in the conversation.

“... Eh … just two dudes and a chica,” she mumbled.

Maria did her best to assure the two men that everything would be fine on their ride to the FBI building; it was 2:30 P.M. when they arrived because of traffic.

Clay and her left Reed and Jasper in the car, but Maria paused out front, removing her sunglasses to stare at the LA FBI main office.  The upper right half of the large building gave the impression a few tanks fired off several rounds at it.

“Damn…”

I guess four Legendkin and two Mythickin were involved, but shit.

Clay didn’t say anything, only giving the destruction a moment’s notice.  “I didn’t warn them we’d be arriving.”

“Good … no damn welcome party.”

They entered the building, walking up to the front desk with Maria’s heels clicking against the marble floor as she kept her purse pressed against her side.  Clay’s decorated military outfit drew most eyes of the busy greeting area, but they lingered on her.

The man at the desk just finished talking with a woman, directing her to the left side of the room.  Clay engaged before he could speak.

“I am Master Sergeant Zawnté Clay, United States Army, and this is Maria Espinar, the Mythickin Unicorn; I’m sure you’ve seen or heard about the miracles she’s been performing in Seattle Washington.

“Associate Director Keen has asked for us to come, and General Dallas of the U.S. Army has issued three transfer notices for Selvaria Bell, Ohan Norman, and Vasishtha Malhotra.  Do you have someone that can escort us to their location?”

The man’s tongue slid across his lower lip before tucking it under, brow creasing with concern as he glanced from Maria’s smiling face to his phone.  “Uh … could you hold on a moment while I confirm that, Master Sergeant?”

“Of course,” Clay responded, not moving or taking his eyes off the agent.

Maria’s silver irises shifted to her braided hair, draped over her left shoulder.

They really did a good job with this thing … they actually managed to tie it enough times to keep it out of the way.  Maybe braids are the way to go.

“Hmm…”  Maria glanced around the nice business space, gripping her wrist at her front while slowly turning to take in the view.

Clay’s focus moved to her as the man nervously called his superior.  “Something caught your interest?”

“No,” Maria mumbled, feeling a little sheepish.  “It’s just … yo, this place isn’t as nice as the Miami FBI office.  It’s not bad and all, but it’s not that great for somethin’ like LA, ya know?  I expected a lot more.”

He took in the area with a slight frown.  “I believe the Miami main office went through a massive reconstruction around 2010 … this building has been here since the sixties.”

“Huh,” a smirk lit Maria’s cheeks, “guess they’ll get their own upgrade with the fight destroying a part of it, eh?  Not all bad!”

Clay smiled, shaking his head while turning back to the man as he got someone on the line, explaining the situation.  His frown became more pronounced as he nodded, putting down the phone.

“Master Sergeant, Special Agent in Charge, Luka Schifter, will be here shortly.”

“Thanks,” Maria grinned, walking a few feet away to wait, Clay joining her.

He glanced over at her with a rueful smile, turning to catch several more stares from men and women that quickly averted their gaze.  “You look nice in that outfit.  No one can keep their eyes off you.”

Maria’s lips fell a little, vision dropping to examine her red dress.  “... Aye, I could probably buy a Bentley with the shit I’m wearing … damn, it just feels wrong.  Ya know?”  She whispered, cheeks reddening a little as she noticed all the eyes studying her body.

She fingered the expensive necklace overlapping the lilac-white locks holding the flower between her breasts.  “I mean, I’ll wear a gold chain from time to time … gotta be lookin’ clean, but … shit.”

Clay didn’t respond right away, folding his arms across his broad chests.  “... Reed cried for over an hour yesterday.”

Maria’s left eye creased, staring up at the man.  “Huh?”

“They ran dozens of tests, and each one showed his grandson was cured of his heart defect.  I don’t know how much that really meant to him.  Personally, I think he’s trying his best to show you how much he appreciated your efforts, and he’s not stupid … there’s a reason he’s so wealthy.  I’m sure he knows something horrible happened yesterday that made you vanish out of the blue, and he saw the damage to your bra.”

A lump dropped down Maria’s throat.  “... Yeah, I guess he would have.”

“He’s not trying to buy your favor … remember, he said he’d show you his gratitude through his actions.  He’s in your corner, and that’s a good man to have in it.”

“Hehe…”

“Hmm?”  Clay looked over at her as she laughed.

“No, it’s just … it feels good,” she mumbled, pressing her hand against her burning chest.  “Damn, it’s just … it’s nice knowing people have your back, and … it’s just wild, ya know?  So many people are jumpin’ out to support me.  I just … I don’t know if I deserve it.”

“Deserve it?”  Clay repeated.  “Do you think people just hand out respect for nothing?”

“No…”

“No, it’s earned, and I can tell you from personal experience, Reed, Jasper, and I feel nothing but respect for how you live.”

“That right?  Heh,” she gave him a bright smile, wiping away a tear that threatened to fall down her left cheek, “I guess I can tell you aren’t lyin’, chino.  Aye, thanks.”

Clay rubbed below his lip.  “You really are like the morning sun when you smile.”

“Shit,” Maria chuckled, shoving him to the right, “again with all these compliments, chino!  Cut it out; it’s embarrassing.”

Several people’s eyes widened as she casually sent the large military man skipping on one foot to balance himself, but his soft chuckles lightened the atmosphere.

It only took another minute before their escort walked around the corner at a brisk pace, heading right for them.  Maria and Clay noticed him by the air of authority he put off.

“Master Sergeant, Ms. Espinar,” he stated, extending his hand in a business-like manner, “I’m the Special Agent in Charge of this office, Luka Schifter.  If you’ll follow me.”

Maira shrugged, falling into step with Clay and him as they walked around a pair of metal detectors; the stationed agents didn’t even blink an eye.

Luka continued on, directing his focus on the African American Master Sergeant.  “We didn’t get any confirmation that you’d be arriving so soon.”

“Circumstances aligned.”

“I’m glad they did.  I just received notice from General Dallas’ aid that you’ll be taking two of the Legendkin and one of the Mythickin off our hands.  What of the other request from Associate Director Keen?  There was no mention of it in the transcript.”

Maria jumped forward a bit to catch up to the two, finding it a bit difficult; she hadn’t had to power walk in heels before.  “Nope, not gonna happen!”

Luka slowed, brow furrowing as he glanced down at her; they were drawing attention from all of the other agents.  “Is there a reason?”

A grimace touched Maria’s lips as she stared back at his brown eyes.  “Look, I ain’t gonna get involved with shit that’s got nothin’ to do with me.  If someone’s hurt and they’re not an ass, then I might be willing to help out, but I’m not the government’s hired thug to beat Demi into submission.  Okay?”

Her response seemed to have struck a nerve by his tightened jaw, but he swallowed the retort, keeping his tone even.  “We’re trying to keep people safe.  By chance, we managed to keep anyone from getting hurt the last time they went wild.”

Maria glanced to the left with a half-smile.  “That’s a lie.”

“Excuse me?”  He asked, slowing to a stop in the middle of the hallway.

Clay wore a frown.  “Maria can sense when people are lying, and she cannot lie, which is a part of her abilities.  Also, she’s not fond of liars.”

“Got that right,” Maria huffed, popping her tongue.  “Yo, I get it,” she said with a smirk.  “You wanna get me all up in arms, but aye, I know some of the Legendkin got everyone out of the way and kept things under control.”

“Under control,” Luka mumbled, repressing a growl.  “They blew up part of an FBI building because they were pissed at each other … just some stupid argument, and they caused tens of millions in damages.  That is not under control.”

Maria folded her hands behind her back, lifting an eyebrow.  “Aye, it was you guys that chose to bring them here, right?  Why blame everything on them?  Couldn’t you have put them on opposite sides of the city?”

“And risk another Seattle incident?  That Leviathan was nearby, but she didn’t do anything to stop him.  No, she was complicit with the whole thing.”

“That’s your opinion,” Clay replied, tone emotionless.  “We are here to relieve you of the three individuals stated in the document sent by General Dallas.  Can you direct us to their location?  We have a busy schedule today.”

Luka’s lips tucked under, but after a short breath, he nodded, regaining his composure.  “... Of course, this way.”

Their performance had caused several agents to slow their pace, lingering to catch the exchange, but one glance from Luka sent them scurrying down the halls.  He didn’t speak the rest of the trip.

Maria figured they’d arrived at their intended location when they entered a hallway with over a dozen agents stationed outside of a room.  All of them moved aside, allowing them a clear path to the medium-sized office where the three Demi were being kept.

Luka opened the door, entering with them, and Maria got her first look at the woman and two men.

Her focus instantly centered on the Leviathan Mythickin.

Selvaria was a lot smaller and leaner than she expected the girl to be, wearing a baggy blue T-shirt with an elastic pleated thigh-high skirt that showed off her skin-tight dark azurite scales, that if stroked backward, would definitely rip up your hand.

The plate-like shiny scales ran from her black shoes across her whole legs, except her visible inner thighs, and the same was true for her arms, starting at the back of her hand to her shirt sleeves.  Along the inside of her arms and legs, her scales turned into a crimson color, and it all made Maria believe that if she tucked herself into a ball, she could turn into a spiked sphere of death.

Her fingernails were more like deep sapphire claws, turning the pages of a book she was reading in the corner, large aquamarine eyes narrowed into a nearly placid expression while scanning the words.

The Leviathan’s thick night-black hair glowed with tanzanite inlaid highlights, falling to her lower back while red spikes, emitting the same luminescent light, protruded from her back.

The back of her skirt bulged as a thick, plated tail curled around her butt to rest against her folded legs, weaving slightly to create a small breeze from the branching out vertical tail fin that showed small curved spikes, leading to a long razor-thin point that looked like it could be used to slash, pierce, or beat anyone that drew near to her, and specific plate lines shone with the same tanzanite hue as her hair.

There was minor evidence of smaller prongs poking through her skull, hidden by the mass of hair, but it was less noticeable, and rather than ears, there seemed to be jagged red horns.

However, despite the jagged yet elegant appearance, Selvaria’s small size made her look like a moody teen in timeout rather than an apex predator of the sea.  Stranger still was the kiddy pool with a baby seal splashing around, causing the girl’s clothes to be more than a little damp, but it was clear that some of her plated scales covered parts of her chest, butt, and front.

Ohan Norman appeared to be in his mid-twenties, thick nappy hair pulled back into a ponytail as he studied their entrance.  His dark eyes were sharp with a calculating edge as he held a sheathed katana in his lap.

The Legend of Yasuke wore black, ripped jeans, a fitted white T-shirt, black shoes with bright red lace, and a short, neatly trimmed beard.  The outfit showed off his ripped physique while leaving enough for Maria’s imagination.

Vasishtha Malhotra had an open cut white shirt, showing way more skin than Ohan, and his thick feathered black hair flowed around his head, resting around his shoulders while his sculpted face sported a five o'clock shadow that fit his supermodel-like frame.

Both Legends didn’t lack far behind Anthony in their own way, making a lump fall down Maria’s throat, and for some reason, Selvaria’s swishing tail caused Vasishtha’s hair to flutter back as he gave her a charming smile; the Legend of Arjuna’s tone was playful and English on point with a slight Indian accent.

“Okay, okay, I see you decided to change up the tactics, Luka; I like it!  We should go dancing.  What do you say, kamaneey mahila?  I’ll show you how to bom diggy diggy!”

[pretty lady]

Luka sighed with frustration.  “Vasishtha, please, behave yourself.”

“Oh, but that’s no fun!”  He grinned, showing dazzling teeth.  “I came to America to have a good time, and that’s what the recruiters promised, but uh … falling flat, my man.  We need to pick up the pace and get it movin’.”

Ohan gave the man a small smile.  “Don’t mind, Vasishtha, he’s just been a bit restless.  Hello,” he said, getting up to offer his hand to her.  “My name’s Ohan.  I assume you’re Maria, the Unicorn we’ve heard about.”

Maria caught Selvaria’s eyes move to her, and the girl gave her a weak smile before returning to her book.

“Selvaria,” Ohan explained, gesturing at the girl.  “She’s a bit shy.”

“Yo, Ohan, gettin’ in quick, my man!  I like your style.”

Everyone turned to Luka as he cleared his throat.  “I’ll leave one of my agents outside to guide you out.  I have other business to attend to.”

“Later, Luka,” Vasishtha said with a lilting tone.  “Don’t trip on your way out; wouldn’t that be a shame?”

He left with a low rumble in his throat, and all but one of the agents followed, shutting the door behind them.

Maria followed their exit.  “Tch … dude seems like a real piece of shit, am I right?”

“Aye, I like you!”  Vasishtha jumped halfway across the room, landing before her in the blink of an eye to give her a courteous bow.  “Vasishtha, at your service, kamaneey mahila!”

They all turned their attention to Selvaria as the door shut; she spoke up, voice soft but pretty.  “I’m Selvaria.”  She paused, pointing a clawed finger at the baby seal beside her.  “That’s Galatea, Cahira wanted to shoot him, but I wouldn’t let her.  She doesn’t like baby seals … she’s crazy.”

Maria smiled at each of them as Clay took a step back, acting as a shadow.  “Aye, I’m Maria.  Yo, so I’ve got a party goin’ on later today.  Y’all wanna join?”

“Aww, hell yeah!”  Vasishtha cheered.

Ohan lifted his hand to where he’d left his sword, and it flew into his open palm before vanishing in wisps of smoke.  “Anything to get out of this cage.”

“Umm…”  Maria caught Selvaria bite her lower lip, glancing down at Galatea.  “Aye, why not, bring the baby seal!  My cousin will freak out; it’ll be great.”

“Okay, I’ll join!”  She replied, showing monstrous fangs while somehow giving her a cute smile.

Vasishtha’s smile fell as he glanced at the door, and Ohan’s cheeks bunched to the side.

“I thought something like this might happen,” Ohan muttered.

Clay followed their gaze, vision narrowing.  “What is it?”

“Oh, nothin’ big,” Vasishtha groaned with a sly smirk.  “The other group’s just makin’ their way here.  Guess they want one last spat before we go, and that sly Luka agent is probably letting it happen to have an excuse to bring to the top brass.  Am I right, Ohan?”

“I figured the same…”

Maria popped her tongue.  “Well, shit.  Okay, if he’s makin’ it my problem, then I’ll make it his once this is through.  Damn … trouble just seems to follow me,” she chuckled.  “Aye, don’t sweat it,” she stated, flipping her bound hair back, “yo, I got this.”

Her three new acquaintances glanced at each other before giving her a shrug or nod.

Ohan hummed softly, studying the door.  “What are you going to do?”

“What else?”  Maria asked, giving him a toothy grin.  “Tell the bitches to back off!”

Vasishtha doubled over.  “Haha!  I love it.  Hey, hey, I got it; call the ugly one a waste eating Ferrett!  She’ll blow up … face redder than a cherry,” he wheezed.

“Eh,” Ohan released a forced chuckle.  “I’m fine with just leaving and moving on with our day.  Maybe we shouldn’t start another incident that will put even more heat on our backs?”

“I second that,” Selvaria whispered, jumping off her seat and bending down to pet her baby seal.  “It’s not worth it; they’re not that strong anyway.  No fun.”

“Not that you could do much as you are,” Vasishtha cut in with an apologetic smile.

“... True,” the Leviathan mumbled with an annoyed groan.  “They won’t let me go back to the ocean.”

“Okay, okay,” Maria held up her hands.  “Let’s just take it as it goes.  I wasn’t really that good with plans, anyway.  Sound good?”

“No plan is never good,” Ohan chuckled, “but I’ll follow your lead.”

“Oh, I like this plan!”  Vasishtha grinned, cracking his fingers with a dark chuckle.  “Just say the word.”

You know … these guys aren’t that bad.

Maria turned back to Clay as he cleared his throat.  “How about I handle the situation?”

The four Demi blinked.

“Oh,” Maria mumbled, “uh … yeah, okay.”

“Right, follow me,” he said with a sad shake of his head, moving toward the door, and the others fell in step, Selvaria carefully picking up her baby seal to hurry after them.

---