A fancy restaurant. Not overtly fancy, but just fancy enough. The lighting was good, the clientele the lower upper class. As expected of a place like this, the portion sizes were small, and the pricing was overly inflated for what you get. This was the kind of place you went to for the prestige, not actually for the food or experience. A kind of middle-ground when it comes to higher end restaurants.

  Expensive, but not enough to break the wallet expensive, not for the clientele that visit.

  I wasn’t exactly new to it. Helping to build a business gave me plenty of time to wine and dine with the rich and elite. Not that I liked it. Though, I did come to enjoy the perks of these establishments. Mainly, the small portion sizes served as an interesting motivator.

  They left me hungry. Only serving to stoke my appetite. A side dish, a mere garnish to the actual purpose for the experience. To seal a deal. If anything, a proper meal would have dulled my instincts, so perhaps these kinds of establishments weren’t so bad in hindsight.

  After all, a good deal could easily sate a hungry stomach. At least, in spirit.

  Though, if I ever had to make a deal with someone, I’d have to make sure they eat their fill…

  Now for why I was here… Well, Leo had a plan, or rather, the slight inklings of a plan.

  “I plan to retire at the end of the year, or rather, quit.” He said.

  “Seems rather far.”

  “Honestly, I’d like to quit sooner, but if I quit now, I don’t think you’d get my position. Even if my father vouches for you.”

  “I concur, though, who is next in line?”

  “Not Terada. The man’s a genius, but he wouldn’t last. Plus, I don’t think the executive wants him in the position.”

  “How so? Sure, he has his issues, but he seems like he could handle it.” I reply back.

  “Back in the day he was something for sure, but now? The man’s blacklisted. If he were the division head, the division wouldn’t be able to get a single contract.”

  “I heard he ran into some issues in his youth, which is why he was placed under your inept hands.”

  “Father told me the same, but I’ve no idea what it is.” He says, unbothered by my comment.

  “Would your father know?”

  He shrugs.

  “Well, who is next in line?” I ask.

  “It would probably be one of the team leaders. Samantha would likely decline, even if she were nominated.”

  I nodded, sounded like her.

  “The other choices are Ken and Tom. Tom has seniority and has been working at Terada’s side since he started, but Ken is the young up and coming protégé.”

  “Mm…” I thought. “What is a company without some office drama…”

  “Right?” he said as if it wasn’t his problem.

  “I would like to say, if Tom were in charge I could use him, but… Recent events have me questioning his capabilities.”

  “The rumors?” He asks straight out.

  “Yeah, the rumors. Only…” I trail off.

  “How could he benefit?” Leo picks up where I left off.

  “Something like that, Samantha tells me it might have been Tom, he’s been avoiding me and well…” I sigh… “I’m coming to question my own judgements as of late.”

  “This isn’t just about your last boss?”

  “Well, in part, but also due to my recent failure.” I answered honestly.

  “I can’t imagine.”

  “How much did I tell you?”

  “Can’t remember? Well, you were really slamming down those drinks. I should have stopped you…” He murmured. Reminding me of how I had acted at the time with a slight blush. “Anyway, I think you told me the jist of it? Your former boss, turned partner, sworn brother or whatever betrayed you, and you ended up confronting him about it.”

  “Yeah… it made me realize something.”

  “And that would be?”

  “Humans are simple and yet so stupid. As long as you find out someone’s wants or desires, you can use those to entice them to do what you want, while at the same time threatening them with what they don’t want. It’s a truth I’ve known for a while, thanks to Him.”

  “Scary… Like the carrot and stick, or something?”

  “Something like that. Only, sometimes, when you least expect it, a person can choose the dumbest option for no valid reason.”

  “Like with your former boss?”

  “Yeah.” I say, giving him a look. “But not just him. There have been others in my life that have made decisions that I couldn’t quite grasp.” I answer vaguely, though… Thinking back, wasn’t I a beneficiary of such stupidity?

  Alex, my university teacher, my master, and in some way, even my boss. Alex knew she shouldn’t have gotten involved with me, yet she did to her own detriment. My teacher, he ended up covering for me, again, to his detriment. My own master too, inevitably followed the same course. Perhaps that was simply karma, or whatever it’s called.

  After all, I’ve hurt so many people in my life, it’s only natural I get hurt at some point…

  “Say, do you think he really betrayed you?” Leo asked.

  “Of course, why wouldn’t he have?”

  “Well, I mean, he accepted you despite your past, the two of you built up this big business. What if he didn’t betray you?”

  “Not possible.” I answer.

  “Sure, but… I mean, what if he was testing you or something? You were going public, the whole dynamic was changing, maybe he just wanted to check something. I mean, yeah, you superseded him, but what if he was just trying to protect you in his own way?”

  I had to laugh at the stupidity of that statement.

  “You don’t know him like I do. He’d never do that. He was a selfish bastard, if he couldn’t be at the top, nobody else could be.”

  After all… I was just like him…

  “Really? I mean, if you knew that, why would you work with him?”

  “It’s not like I knew at the time. I had suspicions, but I thought he would make the reasonable option when the cards were down. Instead, he decided to just burn everything down like a maniac. I mean, weren’t you the same? You and your whole destroy the company plan?” I poke at his weakness.

  “That… Well… when you say it like that, you might not be wrong…” He says after a pause.

  “I’m not. Now, can we get back on topic?”

  “Of course, so, where were we?”

  “Tom, the rumors.” I say, putting us back on track.

  “Ah, yes. With how much you had done, after you threatened me, well, maybe he, or someone thought their position was at risk?” Leo says.

  “That’s not, impossible. I never gave it much thought; after all, I figured I could climb my way out well before the consequences caught up to me.”

  “Yeah, well, you weren’t exactly diplomatic.” He says with a slight smirk.

  “I figured I had more leverage than I did. Not just that, but I failed to understand how little my position, or rather, your position meant to some of these people. Even with a proper plan, I don’t think I would have done much better though…”

  “I suppose you can’t just put everyone in a stranglehold like you did with me.” He says with a thoughtful look. And, he wasn’t wrong, though, I wished that I could.

  I let out a huff. “Honestly, I never thought I’d get as far as I did, I was actually planning on blackmailing you. Gathering information and using it to get you under heel.”

  “Oh… that would have been scary. Though, I’m not sure you would have found anything.”

  I shrug in response, but, “To be fair, knowing you better now, I realize that my initial plan would have failed spectacularly. You’re exactly the kind of person I don’t like. The kind that doesn’t choose the most rational response when cornered.” He gives me a smile like I had just complimented him.

  “Of course I would have. I already had my dad hovering over me; I didn’t need and still don’t need anyone else doing that. If you really tried to blackmail me, I would have just cut and run.”

  “And yet beating you up worked?” I asked.

  “Ah, well, honestly, I was thinking of doing something, but you didn’t really do anything to me. That and you were quite literally doing my job for me, so, exactly why would I care?” he said, notably he was avoiding my gaze as he spoke.

  “Pride maybe?” I ventured. “I mean, you quite literally got your ass handed to you by a woman. There aren’t a lot of men that would just, accept that.”

  He shrugs. “What can I do? I mean, I’m not much of a fan of being choked, but when you have an icy beauty pinning you down, well… I can’t exactly say I lost.”

  It… took an awful lot out of me to keep my face straight. Even then, his smile widened like he’d just won.

  “Honestly…” I say… “Why do I even bother?” He just shrugs. I sigh.

  “Okay, fine, change of topic, promotion. What do I need?” I ask, he shrugs.

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  “Merit, maybe?” He says cautiously, “To prove yourself?”

  “Yes. Bravo.” I say sarcastically as possible, “Now, how do I do that?”

  “I’ve no idea. I mean, that’s why I asked you out here.” I stifled a groan at his response. Really, it was like he was trying to get on my nerves, but that’s fine, he was at least willing to work with me… that was something, right? Especially after everything? Especially with what I said to him last time.

  Still, I better keep an eye out for trouble… just in case.

  “How much more work do we have?” I ask.

  “Probably until the end of the first quarter.”

  About three months then. “If I help you negotiate contracts, I don’t suppose that would be enough?” I ask.

  “No, not even with my father throwing his weight in. Even if you met the executive, the reason for the meeting wasn’t a good thing, right?”

  “Yeah, it wasn’t. And I also understand. He knows my face and name, but that just means the bar is higher…” I sigh. “It would almost be easier if I hadn’t jumped the gun.”

  “Mm… Yeah…” Leo actually looked thoughtful again. His fingers were tapping on the table. “Hey, ya know, maybe I do have something.”

  “Really now?”

  “Yeah, so, work dries up in three months and, around then we’ll need a new project, right?”

  “Sounds about right.”

  “So, what if, and I know this sounds crazy, what if we find a project to do in house?”

  “You mean, do an original work?” I ask.

  “Yeah, we won’t have to contact other agencies or work with other groups, it would be pure profit.”

  “I don’t think that would work though… Without any source material to follow, or original author to guide us, the storyboarding could take months, even years if we can’t come up with anything.”

  “We have Terada though.”

  “I doubt he has that same spark he did in his youth.”

  “Mm… Yeah…” Leo thought again. “Ah, but, I know we have an archive.”

  “Archive?” I ask.

  “Yeah, so, lots of projects get storyboarded or drawn up, some even have their key frames made out along with the base sketches, and they just get dropped. Either due to lack of interest, they don’t go well with the shareholders, or in some cases because the project loses funding halfway through.”

  “That could work, but…” I take a moment to think. “No, it probably would work. I’m sure I could find something serviceable. Even if it is bad, I’m sure Terada could figure something out. He may not have the same spark he did in his youth, but making garbage palpable should be within his skillset.”

  “Right? If you want to go for that, I think I can put in a request for an original work, and have you act as the person in charge. With me supervising.”

  “You think that would work?”

  “I think it just might. The executive knows who you are, and I’m sure my father would be willing to throw everything into backing this proposal.”

  “I assume I would need to provide a transcript?”

  “Yep, provide the work, and additional notation and what not.”

  “How soon would I have to bring it?” I ask.

  “Mm… I can apply for it now, which would give you access to the archives by the time work starts back up. After that, you would need to submit a proposal by the end of the quarter.”

  So, again, just about three months to get that working? Considering my nights will be busy…

  “Will I get time to visit the archives on company time?”

  “That can be arranged.” He said all too easily. “Even if the higher ups won’t accommodate it, I can do something on my end.” He said, all too confidently.

  “How will that effect our work schedule.” I had to ask.

  “I’m not too sure yet, but it shouldn’t be an issue. Honestly, with the work we do have, making it to the end of the quarter would be a bit of a stretch normally. As it is, there has been some news on a potential spike in crime on the horizon, and the police have sent out a notice that all businesses are to close their doors at nightfall to prevent incidents.”

  “Wasn’t there already a curfew?” I asked, even though… it never really seemed like an issue.

  “Yeah, but it was more of an advisory curfew. Nobody took them too seriously, since if you stayed near a light source or on the main roads, you were usually fine. The problem is, from here on out the curfew will be enforced, at least, until they get a handle on the crime. Or, at least that was what the official statement said.”

  If what he said was true than… it might be do-able. Only… if the workday was being crunched due to the curfew, how would that have affected us before? Hell, we might not have been able to accomplish any of the projects that had been lined up. We’d have to either drop them, or release last minute updates to projects…

  Hell, the whole division would have collapsed on its own at that rate.

  Now though? We had good paying work. They weren’t in house, but there were a lot less middlemen to work through. That, and the work itself wasn’t overly demanding. I wasn’t sure of the exact scope of the work, but it helped enough to know that what Leo said was correct.

  If anything, the only reason we’d be allowed to take on a project, is due to the current curfew, which would throttle the income and workloads. It essentially amounted to a three-month stay of execution as the rankings would all remain rather static.

  With all that, getting time to research and check the archives for an unfinished project was likely to work out.

  The question is, whether I wanted to risk it… The answer was annoyingly obvious. I had to. If I never tried, I’d never be able to climb the corporate ladder. Before, I might have been able to manage before, but now I had the attention of the executive. Which was both a boon and a bane. They knew me, which is why Leo’s plan would even work and yet it also put me under greater scrutiny.

  Other than the hail mary, which was Leo’s project, it was unlikely anything I ever did would garner me the attention I need to be promoted.

  “Fine… We’ll do that. Put in the proposal when you get the chance.”

  “I’ll have it drafted and put in right away.” He said with a sloppy salute and a grin.

  “Right… Now, assuming this is all, mind taking me to my car? I left it and my keys at the bar last night.”

  “Of course, I’d be more than happy too!”

  And just like that, I found myself back in my car. Well, after a rather embarrassing discussion with a refreshingly professional bartender. With keys in hand, and no idea what to do next, it was now afternoon, with evening approaching soon enough. I had a few destination in mind…

  First, was the business of last night. I gave Grim a quick call, but… I just got a busy tone that cut right off. Not even redirecting me to her voicemail. I gave the police department a call next, but… it was the same.

  Clearly, they must be swamped. With most of their staff dead or killed off, well, it made sense. Might as well swing by… In the meantime, I sent a message to éclair and see if she’s up to meeting up.

  Plan in mind I headed off…

  As expected the police station was swamped. The front was swamped with people. A line snaked from the front counter all the way out to the front of the building. The line was kept in place with tethers and everyone looked annoyed.

  I wasn’t sure if I should cut, but well, I didn’t have all day. A few people gave me a few dirty glances, a few people even yelled out at me as I walked in and bypassed the line. At the front desk, the clearly overworked officer saw me and called out.

  “No cutting in line please, we’ll…” A pause, her dead eyes flared back to life. “Oh, Prima! Are you here about the citizen patrols?”

  “I am, I can see your swamped.” I reply back, she nods. The officer was one of the officers Grim had assigned to me for the blood moon.

  “Yeah, a few of our clerks are technically civilians, so they were off-duty at the time, and there were a couple of officers on vacation during the event, but even then, we’re completely pressed on all sides.”

  Before she could continue, or I could reply back, someone in the line shouted out. The whole line was agitated.

  “Right, sorry, but Taylor is handling the applications. Just head back and up the stairs. You’ll see her office up there.” And she went right back to processing paperwork.

  Following her directions, I went to the back, where the damage from the blood moon was all gone, well, the damage to the building. The once bustling desks were now void of occupants. There were a few struggling clerks battling massive piles of forms and paperwork, while the phones rang constantly. Reminding me, that not all the damage was healed.

  The upper floor was much the same. Lines of desks sat empty. Even here, phones rang constantly. Another set of stairs led to the upper floor, and where the police chief was. Lining the walls were walled off offices, most of which sat empty without any occupants or owners. In the corner, though, there were three. One belonged to Grim, the same office I had visited before, currently empty. Beside that was another, which was currently empty. The name read Penance.

  As for the other, this one was occupied. Not just by one officer but two. Inside, was the woman from last night. Taylor, one of the Special Investigation officers, the other was… different.

  The door to the office was wide open, and when I entered, both of their heads turned to face me. Taylor gave me an annoyed look, the other, a man, narrowed his eyes and I could sense his immediate distaste for me. He didn’t say anything, only backed up, allowing me to enter. He did, however, occupy the corner and keep an eye on me.

  “Ah, Prima, figured you’d be here to sign up.” Taylor said, “Grim told me about last night.” She said with an unfriendly smile. “By the way, this is a newly arrived member of our division. He just arrived, we’re putting him through his paces and then he’ll be signing the oath. The usual procedure.”

  I glance over to the man. He was unassuming at first glance, a bit gaunt. He had dark eyes that seemed to drink everything in. He was constantly watching me, judging me, and I could tell, he didn’t like what he could see based on the look of disgust on his face. Still, I offered a hand.

  “Hello, I’m Prima Belle.” He looked at my hand, then at Taylor.

  “Mori.” His voice came out more a growl and took my hand. His hands were rough, calloused, and there was surprising strength in his grip. After an awkward, firm handshake, he stepped back into position and Taylor, well, she looked amused by the whole thing.

  “Now that introductions have been made, I’ll have you know that you’ll be joining me and Mori here for patrol at the end of the week. We have a number of other applicants in line, but Grim and Penance are busy putting out fires. Leaving me to handle you and everyone else that’s answered the call to duty.” Clearly, she said that last part sarcastically.

  “So, just fill out this form and I’ll contact you on the when and where, got it? Any questions?” She followed up with.

  “No, none.”

  “Good, now fill that out and let me finish our new junior’s orientation.”

  The form laid out the job terms. I would be paid for every patrol, and after a review I can set up a schedule for patrols. If Taylor was having to coordinate all the different magical girls showing up, well, it would explain why she was so short tempered, that and the work overflow, but I also knew that she just didn’t like me.

  I didn’t blame her to be honest. Even if it was annoying and as for Mori, well, that was another issue…

  I had a feeling that the patrol wasn’t going to be easy…

  Signed and looked over, I handed it back, with just enough time to pay a visit to éclair. Luckily, the Lower district wasn’t that far…

  A quick stop to pick up food for later, some for me and some for éclair, followed by me parking near the entrance to the lower district. Followed by a quick jaunt towards the familiar alley where we typically meet up.

  The minutes ticked down without éclair showing up. Nor did I hear her approaching, not that I ever had. With time continuing to tick towards evening and sunset, I opted to walk over to her home myself. She’d led me there enough times that getting there with my own two feet wasn’t impossible.

  When I arrived at her home though, standing just inside the alley was an unfamiliar face. She had short, brown hair with brown eyes to match. Her clothes were worn, and ill-fitting, with an oversized jacket covering her frame.

  She eyed me, her eyes narrowed.

  “You with a gang?” She asked, her body tensed slightly. A hint of violence in her tone. “Don’t look like it.” She continued, but her guard didn’t lower. “Who are you?” She finished with.

  “Prima Belle, éclair has been…” I paused. “A mentor of sorts.”

  “Is she now?” The woman replied back, she pulled herself off the building she was leaning on and walked up to me. She was a tad shorter than me, but her body was lithe, almost catlike. It was obvious even under her oversized, ill-fitting clothes. She also smelled of magic. My own senses were telling me she was dangerous, but exactly how dangerous, I wasn’t sure.

  There was tension between us. Neither of us looked away. A silent battle of wills ensued.

  Then…

  “Food’s ready!” éclair came stumbling out of her cardboard home, a large pot in hand. She didn’t even greet me before planting the still hot pot down, making the cold concrete sizzle. She then, with a swift movement, removed the lid.

  “I call it, back alley, SURPRISE!” She announced with a smile. Both of our eyes shot to the pot, both of us visibly recoiled at the sight and smell of the abomination she had made. What was more terrifying, was that it didn’t smell bad. No, it actually smelled good, despite the mysterious chunks floating in the stew, and the odd color of it. Yet, even then, our instincts screamed danger.

  “You can’t seriously expect me to eat that, right? Are you really trying to help or are you just trying to kill me!?” The girl before me exclaimed.

  “Kill you? Why would I do that? If I wanted to kill you, I would have a few days ago when you attacked me… Oh, and hi Prima! I got your message, what’s up?”

  “You know her?” The woman asked. Neither of us responded.

  Ignoring her, I just went ahead and started talking with éclair. “I had a few questions, I recently had my debut and…”

  “Oh! You did, that’s a big deal, did you use a coin?”

  “I figured it out myself, though, I do have questions.”

  “I’m sure you do, oh and, yeah, I’m sorta mentoring her for now. By the way, Prima, this is Panthera.”

  “That’s not my name.” The woman replied back with a snap and hiss.

  “Well, you don’t have a name, and I thought that one was good.”

  The woman looks at me, her eyes begging for help. “I don’t think that’s a very good name…” I offered a hand.

  “See?” The woman spoke up.

  “But I can’t just keep calling you, you, or hey you, or some variation of that.” éclair said with a huff.

  “I’d much rather not have a name that sounds like it belongs to a heavy metal band.” The nameless woman said.

  I considered that response, and she might have been on the money with her statement. It did sound like a heavy metal band’s name.

  “Well, I’ll think of something… Prima, do you have any suggestions?”

  “I just met her.” I respond to éclair. “Also, how does she not have a name?”

  “She’s a lesser magical girl. She attacked me with a few others, and it didn’t go so well for them.”

  I glanced over at the supposed lesser magical girl. Calling her a lesser almost sounded like a slur or something, but she just took it in stride.

  “That’s putting it lightly, she made complete fools of us, up until our boss showed up. When the dust settled, I figured it would be better to just throw in the towel then fight her.”

  “A smart decision!” éclair adds with a bit of flair.

  Looking between the pair, I couldn’t help but wonder, just how much had the city changed with the blood moon?