Somehow we got out the door without him saying much of anything to my sister. Oh, he asked her about the Dragron in our living area, of course. But then he simply seemed to accept her explanation, while he was checking me out. So I guessed he liked my outfit, even though I was disappointed with it myself. In fact, he was apparently utterly dumbfounded. I expected him to say something, but I think his jaw was hanging open with his tongue out. I likened the image to a Balthro in love.

If I were being honest, he looked dabber tonight as well. He was dressed in a dark navy blue suit with a blue tie that really brought out his eyes, and his hair was combed back. It was as though he had gotten a haircut just for this occasion.

As he brought me outside, I was bewildered to find an automobile waiting for us. "What's this?" I inquired. I didn't think he could even afford one of those.

"Borrowed it from a friend," he replied. He had a friend who owned an automobile? Was this friend rich? These vehicles were a luxury item that no normal person could even hope to afford in their entire lifetime. Generally, the only people who owned one were the nobility class. Seth owned one, but he worked for the government as headmaster of Almahna Academy. So, to be fair, he didn't really own it, and probably would need to return it should he leave the post. I was unsure of how that worked, to be honest.

Rolling my eyes as he opened the passenger side door for me, I stepped inside. I wasn't exactly a fan of male chivalry. It felt to me like a long-extinct concept that should have died out in the Second Age, and I didn't really see a place for it for women in the modern age. To be honest, it felt demeaning to me. Of course other women were free to have their own opinions — this was just mine.

The soft plush leather seat hugged around the curves of my body — I guessed that the leather must have come from Bitaur hide. I sighed at the thought of the poor life lost to give someone a super expensive luxury item. But it wasn't like the nobility cared. As long as they lived their lives of luxury, they were content. Even at the expense of everyone else.

But it was not something I was okay with. For years, Mystimon such as Bitaurs or Elephanci were slaughtered for their hide, horns, or tusks. This practice sickened me. Due to this, Elephanci was now an endangered species. There were laws, of course, protecting these species, but did nobles care? Not in the least. This was simply one more reason for my distaste for these vehicles. 

"Who is this friend?" I asked as he got in the driver's side. Did he even know how to drive one of these things? Should I be bracing for impact? I locked in my buckle and held on to the door as though I were hanging on for dear life.

"Oh, you don't know her. . ."

Her? Now I really had to know — but I resolved myself to research it later on — maybe. If I survived this date first.

Noticing my apprehension, he asked, "Are you okay?"

I shot him a look. "Do I look okay?!" I replied, dumbfounded that he would even ask that. "I've just gotten into the automobile with someone I am not even sure knows how to drive to go on a date — the first date of my entire life, I might add. Do I look okay to you?"

He burst out laughing. "I thought I was the only one nervous here. . ." he replied. "Glad I'm not the only one!"

Oh, great. That's a relief, I thought to myself sarcastically. My hands gripped the door tightly as he started it up and the engine roared to life. I didn't even trust Seth's driving, and here I was entrusting my life to David of all people. Did I trust him anymore? I guessed that was going to be tested tonight. The automobile lurched forward, then halted. Then it lurched forward again. Then, once again, stopped. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?" I asked him.

Finally, the automobile began moving forward as he winked at me. That did nothing to instill me with a lot of confidence. I felt myself gripping the door and the seat for dear life as we rushed forward at high speed, the city gate coming into view and growing larger as we moved by the second. Was he going to stop for the guards, or was he just going to crash through the gate? What was the plan here? Why was he going so fast? It felt as though the Palace District was passing us by at the speed of light as I turned to David. "Can you please? . . For the love of the Gods, slow down?!"

He looked back at me, startled. "Oh. . ." he replied as the automobile slowed. "Sorry about that."

"Was there a reason you were going so fast?!" I questioned him, incredulous that I had even got in the automobile with him at all. Maybe I had a death wish, I thought to myself.

He shrugged. "Maybe I wanted to see what you would do. . ." he said to me with a smirk.

I shook my head as I rolled my eyes. You wanted to see what I would do? Are you insane? I didn't say that, as I just sat there and watched as he slowed the automobile to a stop at the gate. The guard came by and checked him and me, and proceeded to open the gate for us.

"The next time you get the idea in your head to try to scare me. . ." I started glaring at him. "Don't. Not unless you don't want anymore dates like this." I knew connecting it to the tease of additional dates would get him to take me seriously.

He looked back at me, wide-eyed. "Yes, ma'am. . ." he said simply. Good. I'm glad we understand each other. I didn't ask him out to date a daredevil after all — actually, I still wasn't sure why I asked him out. But I knew that wasn't it.

I also didn't want to date Necro Spirit slayers — the very idea of which terrified me. I wanted to know what he thought his magic would do. He was told that Zoe's had no effect. I sighed at the thought as I looked over at him, the market stalls and shops passing us by at a brisk pace. "David. . ." I started.

He looked back at me. "Yeah. . .?"

"We really need to talk about what happened at that house. . ." I said, as I stared down at my lap. "I understand trying to protect me. . . But what did you think you were doing?"

He pursed his lips. "I know it was stupid. . . But I just couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to you," he replied thoughtfully. He gave me a weary look. "You know. . . Those cultists last year, I could handle them. . . But the thought of something invisible that's immune to my magic. . . It unnerves me. I mean. . . What if it attacked you? I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. . ."

I turned from him to the road ahead of us. I suppose I didn't really think of it that way. He really cared about me. . . And if I were being honest, I really cared for him too.

"We will figure this out. . ." I said finally after a long silence. "Together."

That was a promise. There had to be a way to fight these Necro Spirits. . . As well as whatever was weakening and blocking my spirit guides. We just had to find it.

I smiled at the waiter as he showed us to our seats. Looking around the restaurant that David had brought us to, I wondered to myself if he would even be able to afford it. And if so, how? Where did he get the money to afford a place as fancy as this?

He had brought us to what appeared to be the fanciest restaurant in the uptown part of the Housing District. This part of the Housing District was more upscale and put together than the lower parts where we were the other day, though not nearly as upscale as the Nobles District. Looking around the lounge, there were round, sleek, glossy black tables arranged across the floor in an ornate pattern, with a stage overlooking them from the right-hand side. Each of the tables had a pristine, bright white tablecloth draped over it, and a candelabra sitting in the centre.

I gave him a perplexed look as he pulled a chair out for me, as glossy black as the table. "Are you sure you can afford this?" I asked him.

He bellowed as I took a seat. "Of course!" he replied. "What kind of fool do you take me for?"

I hoped he didn't expect me to actually answer that — it would have been a long list. Such as the time he nearly went over a cliff wrestling with a cultist. . . He would have gone over had I not pulled him back just in the nick of time with my telekinesis. . . Which was the one time I had been able to use that power. It had eluded me ever since.

He sat across from me and seemed to stare long into my eyes for what felt like an eternity. "I am still surprised that you asked me out. . ." he said finally.

"Honestly, you and I both. . ." Laughing nervously, I said. "I surprised myself as well. I can't explain what possessed me. . Maybe it was how you went to bat for me back at the house. How much you've done for me, like helping to get my sister out of jail. Without once asking for anything in return. I guess I never realised how much I've taken you for granted. . . And I'm sorry for that."

He glanced over at me for only a second, as a waiter came by and poured a bottle of what looked like Almahnan wine for us, but I declined it and asked for tea instead. I wasn't much of a drinker. "Kairine. . . I care about you. . ." he started, as he exhaled. "And that will never change. But you worry too much about everyone else. . ." he continued, as he leaned back in his chair. "Don't worry about me. Instead, you should worry about yourself. . . When you asked me out, I thought that meant you were finally putting your own desires first for a change. . . Was I wrong?"

I thought over his words. Maybe he was right. That's just the way I have always been. I worried about Zoe, David, even Seth, if I was being honest. What I wanted and what I needed were never really top of my mind. For a long time, I stared down at the table. "I don't really know what I want. . ." I said finally, glancing back up at him. "Fleur said that maybe I asked you out because it was what my heart wanted. . . But I'm not sure if that's true," I continued as I breathed a sigh. I watched as a human couple at another table leaned in close to one another. Was that what we should be doing? I really didn't know. I glanced around the rest of the restaurant. There weren't many people here tonight. Maybe four or five tables were occupied, I guessed. It must have been a slow night for them. "I guess. . . I've spent so long worrying about other people that I've lost touch with what I want or what I need. . . If that makes sense. I really don't know anymore. . . All I can do is go with it and see where this takes us."

His lips curled into a smile as he leaned in close and set his hand on mine, just as Fleur had done the other day. As he did, I could feel electricity across my skin, reminiscent of what happened with her. A surge of emotions rushed into me like a river, some of my own, and others not. . . I narrowed my eyes at him as I struggled to maintain control. The last thing I wanted was a repeat of what happened the other day. First, I sifted through my own emotions, identifying exactly how I felt in that moment. . . I felt anxious being here with him, yet I also felt calm for some reason. . . I guessed that being here with him calmed me. He often had that effect on me.

As I zoomed in on what I guessed to be his feelings, I detected a hint of guilt. . . As well as anxiety and trepidation. But moreover, I felt as though he were holding something back. Something that he wanted to tell me, but couldn't quite find the words for it.

Leaning back in my chair, I stared him in the eyes. "There's something you want to say to me. . . ?" I said plainly, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer.

For a moment he looked stunned, then smirked as he breathed a sigh. "Can't get anything past a psion. . ." he said, as he glanced around, before looking back at me. He leaned in and motioned for me to do the same. As I did, he said, "I've been digging into the case. . . There was just something that didn't sit right with me. . ."

I nodded for him to continue.

He glanced around one more time, then back at me. "Here's what we know. . . A Dusgelvan woman was murdered at that house at approximately eight or nine o'clock in the evening on Boltday. . ." he started. I tried to keep the days of the week straight in my head. It was now Soladay, Lunaday was yesterday, and that comes after Boltday. "We know now that Zoe was at your home by seven. That means she couldn't have committed the crime. That's why she was let go, right?"

I nodded. "And yet, they claimed to have a witness who placed her nearby the crime scene. . . Is that was struck you as well?" I wondered if we had both narrowed in on the same inconsistencies.

He nodded back. "It is. . . So I did some digging. . . Kairine. . ." he started as he leaned in even closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Someone targeted her intentionally! They wanted her out of the way!"

His words hit me like a pile of rocks. . . All of a sudden, it all made sense. But then, the question was, who would have wanted my sister out of the way? Who would target her that way?

The thoughts swirled around in my head as a shadow approached and loomed behind David. "Waiter, could you give us a moment, please?" I said, needing more time to process what David had just told me.

But the figure remained, looming over us like a watching Owlune, waiting for us to make a move.

Finally, I looked up. "Waiter, please. . ." My voice caught in my throat as I instantly backed away, my chair tumbling out from beneath me. "David. . ." I croaked, barely able to get the words out. "David, look!" I screamed. Suddenly, everyone else in the lounge was staring at us and backing away as gasps and hushed screams filled the room.

Finally, David looked up. Immediately he leaped from his chair, taking up position between me and the shadowy figure. "You. . ." he said finally. "What are you doing here?!"

A wide grin cracked across the face of the figure as he stared at us, his bright sky-blue eyes narrow and sharp, piercing into our souls. His windswept black hair framed his perfect face. His bronze-tanned white skin almost glistened in the soft yellow light of the lounge. "I just thought I would visit some old friends. . ." he said, his voice tinged with the murderous betrayal that I knew blackened his heart.

"Vierre, we are no friends of you. . ." I said, my voice shaking. I couldn't believe it. It was really him: Vierre Koriphix, the boy who nearly killed us last year.

And he was back to finish the job.