I Wish You Were Never Reborn

Cleaning the dorms was a battle... but Shay triumphed in the end.

The communal bathrooms were the worst.

There was... so much hair.

According to the schedule, it hadn’t even been a week since they were last cleaned, but it looked like multiple werewolves had used the showers.

--and had hair-pulling matches.

Shay glanced at the mirror as she walked out. She looked ridiculous, a yellow bandana on her head to soak up the sweat; an old t-shirt over her nose and mouth to protect her from the strong bleach smell; and rubber yellow gloves, honestly, just because she felt like it.

Yeonha came too... to help maybe.

She didn’t. She sat down on a random armchair and immediately dozed off.

Shay was about to walk over to wake her-- but as luck would have it, she slipped on the wet floors.

She slipped hard, too-- both feet forward, one of her shoes coming off.

She didn’t crack her head on the floor, go into shock, and bleed to death, though.

Someone caught her... and didn’t even offer a word.

She looked up into the sparkling hazel eyes of Tyvan Valorum... her wealthy, (assumedly,) well-dressed boss.

He nodded to acknowledge her before passing his judgmental gaze over the areas she’d just cleaned.

“Clean. Not military-clean, but acceptable,” he said. “Yeonha, sit up properly.”

“I’m up,” Yeonha murmured. She sat up, surprisingly obedient.

Tyvan turned to her, “Good afternoon, Miss Yan.”

“Good afternoon,” Shay said, nervously biting her lower lip. “I did my best.”

Tyvan tilted his head, “I must ask you to be more mindful of the knots securing your footwear.”

He winked.

Shay just... melted in his strong arms.

Tyvan lifted her up.

--to heaven, almost.

He placed her down on the edge of an unused bed... and he went to get her lost shoe.

Kneeling down, he put her shoe back on her foot before lacing it snugly and securely.

It was... a gentle and caring and heart-poundingly intimate experience.

Down on one knee, he looked up-- which made Shay’s heart palpitate even faster.

One knee. Wow.

She brushed the fingers of her hands together.

“H-have you read the story, Cinderella?” she asked.

“I have,” Tyvan said with a subtle smirk. “Does this make you feel like the eponymous protagonist?”

“And that makes you my Prince Charming,” she whispered.

“Not quite,” Tyvan said coyly. He stood up, offering his hand. “Prince Charming is under my payroll.”

Ooh. Shay took his hand to get back to her feet. She didn’t know what that meant, exactly, but it sounded like it was somehow better.

“I’d like you and Yeonha to find him and send him to my office,” Tyvan said. “We have an engagement later in the evening.”

“Got it, Boss,” Yeonha said as she popped out of her chair.

Shay felt a bit lost, but she nodded her head anyway.

After Tyvan left, she turned to Yeonha, “Who’s Prince Charming?”

“PC is PC,” Yeonha said mysteriously. “I’ll look here... Check the common rooms... maybe.”

Tyvan Valorum sat at his office desk, poring through the financial documents his secretary had prepared.

His profit margins were lower than he would have liked. Expanding his list of clients would resolve that issue... but that came with its own set of difficulties.

Briar Rose stepped out of the shadows, wisps of dark smoke trailing from her head and shoulders. She was dressed more conservatively than usual, wearing a strapless gold blouse and dark jeans with artful floral stitching.

He preferred that and would have liked to see it more often... but he was loathe to impose even the lightest restrictions on the young woman’s dress code. It had taken her years to wear anything apart from plain black.

Briar Rose placed a mug of coffee on his desk with a soft smile.

“You’ve been asking for coffee a lot more often, Boss.”

A certain young lady drifted into Tyvan’s mind as a possible reason.

“I still prefer tea,” he said, “but the coffee you make is lovely.”

He gestured to the globe.

Briar Rose nodded, sauntering over and opening it to reveal the hidden cache of spirits.

“Coffee liqueur?” she offered.

“Cordial,” he said. “Black currant.”

She popped open the bottle and added a splash to his drink.

“Does this even work?” she asked, “Or is this something you thought up on the spot?”

“The flavour pairing is theoretically sound,” he said before sampling the drink.

Sweet.

Complex.

Not unpleasant... but he still preferred tea.

“What news, Briar Rose?”

Briar Rose folded her hands in front of her waist, “The Sun Group has suffered two mysterious accidents and one obviously supernatural murder.”

She leaned forward, looking rather displeased-- “and that one was drained dry.”

“You have your suspicions,” Tyvan suggested with a frown.

“One of our cells detained a suspect,” Briar Rose said, “but I don’t think that’s the guy. It’s gotta be one of them.”

“I’m doubtful,” Tyvan shook his head. “Thus far, none of the drained victims have awoken as ghouls.”

“Then they must have found a workaround!” she exclaimed.

“Mind your volume, Briar Rose,” Tyvan chided. “And get your hands out of your pockets.”

Briar Rose quickly put her palms up, “Ah. Sorry.”

She intertwined her fingers in front of her chest before adding, “Did you read my file on the Arrow Group?”

He did. The Arrow Group certainly had the most to gain from their rival group’s decline... and it was an open secret that they had a long-standing feud.

“Their recent aggression in the business sphere is worthy of note,” Tyvan said, “but it’s not enough to prove foul play.”

“Maybe we should send them a warning?” Briar Rose suggested.

Tyvan closed his eyes and shook his head.

“It’s not in our jurisdiction,” he said. “They’re only human.”

“Even if they have an uber-vampire on their payroll?” Briar Rose groaned.

Tyvan sighed, “We have only our suspicions, for now. If a rogue vampire is indeed involved, it falls to ❴Eminence❵ to police their own.”

Briar Rose’s expression twisted at the notion, old injuries and offences not yet forgotten.

“Worse still,” Tyvan continued. “Empress has coined the term ❴Hidden Village❵ to refer to this particular group of humans.”

Briar Rose pursed her lips thoughtfully, “Are they really that powerful? --to deserve their own faction name?”

“The Chinese groups have extensive and expansive histories,” Tyvan explained, “older than any of the active factions, including ours... ❴Eminence❵ aside.”

He took a pull of his comfortably warm coffee before continuing, “As of now, I’m loathe to recognize them in an official capacity. According to Empress, the highest echelons of ❴Hidden Village❵ comprise immortals whose matters remain far removed from those who are not. But if their operations interfere with the other factions...”

“You mean like alerting every major news outlet that people are getting murdered, vampire-style?”

“‘Tis a sordid situation,” he said.

“At least thanks to the Enquirer,” she added, “the GP’s are more worried about getting abducted than geriatrics with sharp teeth.”

Abducted?

He was unaware of any recent, high-profile kidnappings.

“Tyvan,” Briar Rose said... “You know the new girl is related to the Sun Group, right?”

“Hmph. You’re worried about her,” he chuckled. “She’s grown on you.”

“Not really,” Briar Rose said, looking away. “But she works hard... I respect that.”

She turned back, “Should we tell her?”

“Unnecessary,” Tyvan said. “Yan Xue is part of ❴The Kingdom❵ only in name.”

“You gave her your pin.”

Tyvan eyed her suspiciously, “This was discussed. You’ll get your own, soon enough.”

“Boss,” she said, “Why did you give her your pin?”

Tyvan returned her glare... but she did not back down. He did not expect her to. Briar Rose was fiercer on the behalf of others than she was for herself.

He finished his coffee, easing it back down on his desk with his pinky.

“She deserves a base measure of protection.”

“And what if she doesn’t want your protection?” she asked, “What if she wants to fight? Like I did?”

“You are different, Briar Rose,” Tyvan said flatly.

“How?” she shot back.

“That should be obvious.”

Briar Rose grimaced, letting the words sink in.

“Tyvan,” she said... “who is she?”

Tyvan tapped his finger on his desk. What answer could he give, concise and truthful, yet... avoidant of certain notions?

Yan Xue was a harbinger to catastrophe-- so decreed by Merlin.

She was a dangerous variable.

As ❴Hidden Village❵ grew in power and influence, she could also be a potential vulnerability.

But most of all...

“She is an innocent, Briar Rose.”

“So was I,” she said quietly.

“Yan Xue doesn’t have a reason to fight,” he said. “She doesn’t have a reason to hate.”

Briar Rose rendered a slow nod, finally understanding.

She closed her eyes and sighed, “Fine. Sorry, Boss...”

“You’ve done nothing wrong,” Tyvan waved. “Asking questions is not the same as challenging my authority.”

Briar Rose nodded again-- but furrowed her brows, “Wait-- if you’re convinced that ❴Hidden Village❵ doesn’t fall under our jurisdiction, why did we agree to meet with the Arrow Group?”

“Hm. Professional curiosity, I suppose.”