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[Lord of the Mysteries] For the Ones We Left Behind 1/15 (4608 words)
Title: For the Ones We Left Behind 1/15
Fandom: Lord of the Mysteries
Character/Pairing(s): Audrey Hall, Leonard Mitchell, Melissa Moretti, Benson Moretti, Klein Moretti, Xio Derecha, Fors Wall
Rating: PG-13
Warning: none?
Summary: MI9 catches Benson Moretti, and end up with more than they expect.
The knock on the door distracted Melissa from her concentration on the gears in front of her, causing her to pull up her pliers against the skin of her palm in a way that left a red mark which did not break the skin.
"Miss Audrey!" Melissa exclaimed in surprise as she saw the beautiful blonde lady looking in through the small gap of the open door. The lady's smile was gentle, and Melissa found herself flushing slightly in embarrassment. "I– I didn't mean to take up this room, I just didn't–"
"Oh, it's alright." Audrey Hall demurred, letting herself into the room before closing the door behind her quietly. Her green dress swept around her knees elegantly, and she leaned against the closed door with hands behind her back as she said, "I was hoping to catch you since you hadn't gone home yet. What are you working on?"
Melissa ducked her head, setting down her project to wipe her greasy hands along the side of her dark dress, avidly aware of her own dishevelment against Miss Audrey's brilliance and beauty. She never put much stock into her own appearance besides basic maintenance, but it was hard for any young girl to feel confident when standing in the same room as the Dazzling Gem of Backlund. In fact, the plain and austere side room of the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation felt an insufficient backdrop to the noble lady's presence.
"Just a project for myself." Melissa said quietly. "I didn't mean to use the Foundation space to do it! I just… I had a thought and felt it couldn't wait until I got home. I've been working on a communication device— a way to allow two people to hear each other, even if the idea hasn't quite panned out…"
She didn't have high hopes for the project. Her professors either had a gleam in their eye when she pitched the idea, or scoffed at her for outlandish thoughts, reminding her that the telegraph had already been invented. With the war drawing closer to Backlund every day, Melissa wasn't hoping for much of a breakthrough– this was her own personal project, as she wanted the ability to speak with Benson whenever she felt scared.
She wanted to hear her brother's voice reassuring her, even when he was away from her.
"For your brother?" Miss Audrey guessed.
Melissa nodded, still feeling embarrassed for having been caught tinkering with her projects at the Foundation despite knowing that Miss Audrey was not the type to judge her for it. Her project bore the shape of a mechanical frog, which adults sneered at her for, but Melissa found the shape nostalgic and reminiscent of a safer childhood.
It was cute, she thought, and as she was the one making it, she was the only one who had to be pleased with its shape. The rest would be about whether her project worked or not.
"Oh," Miss Audrey said as Melissa presented the small thing to her, and Melissa finally noticed that the lady looked a little… unsettled.
Perhaps a man was rude to her earlier? Melissa thought Miss Audrey had such incredible composure, so if she looked even the slightest bit off from her usual gentle demeanour, then something big must have happened. In fact, Miss Audrey held such poise and grace that Melissa had a difficult time believing they were only a year apart in age; all of Melissa's classmates were still so childish and tended to pride themselves on material things… although not so much lately with the war going on. Now, they were mostly withdrawn and thin, their dresses faded and tattered.
There was no one quite like Miss Audrey, Melissa thought, who not only kept her composure and her grace, but also travelled the streets each day by herself without fear on her bicycle, and worked everyday to provide food and shelter to the starving masses. While other nobles hid away in their manor-houses and refused to aid the commoners, Miss Audrey spent all her days out handling supplies of rations, unafraid of the sporadic bombings and desperate people.
Melissa thought: there was nothing that could phase Miss Audrey.
"Melissa…" Miss Audrey hesitated, her smile faltering. "There's something I need to tell you."
–
Audrey Hall, a sequence four "Manipulator" of the Spectator pathway, was not an easy person to unsettle. It was likely due to her choice in pathway requiring her to distance herself from situations, and also due to a lifetime of people who were always willing to help and nurture her to the point of spoiling her, so that if Audrey did encounter someone who was willing to harm her, they would underestimate the sweet and spoiled girl severely enough for her to either get away or get revenge.
Case in point: Hvin Rambis.
Audrey was the only daughter of Earl Hall, and known as the Dazzling Gem of Backlund, as well as the Justice card of the Tarot Club. She grew up with a beautiful worldview where people were happy and bright, and her foray into the dark and cruel world of the supernatural did not diminish her sense of hope and optimism.
Rather, it was her own dawning understanding of the darkness of human nature that had Audrey drawing back in contemplation. The desperate people of war, and the cause of the war itself: human greed for power and their willingness to step on the lives of others in order to prosper.
Audrey could sufficiently protect herself, but recently she found that there were too few people who would stand up to protect others like the stories of heroes she grew up on.
Far too few people.
So when members of MI9 came barging into the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation, demanding one Melissa Moretti, Audrey found herself blocking their way.
"Her shift finished half an hour ago," Audrey said calmly before a man a head taller than her and more than twice her size. She had her hands clasped demurely before herself, tilting her head slightly to make full use of her innocent girl look. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."
"Ms. Moretti is not at home," the man scoffed, as two others behind him in dark suits shifted impatiently. "Nor is she on the route between there and here."
"Perhaps she went to visit a friend," Audrey said, not giving an inch even as she felt the other volunteers shrink back behind her. "Times like this, it's good to keep up with people you care for."
She didn't blame the others for not standing up to those men. They were strong, tall agents specifically chosen to intimidate, and the average citizen of Backlund these days was thin and weak from hunger. Audrey, on the other hand, had never gone hungry in the war thanks to the stockpile of her family, and she understood that her name and lineage meant MI9 would face consequences should they lay a hand on her. Others did not have such names to protect them.
Moreso Melissa Moretti, a small, thin, and quiet girl who preferred machinery over people yet spent three days a week handing out rations to the poor and hungry. Melissa didn't often say much about herself, but Audrey knew enough about her: she lived with her brother, who was a low-level government worker, and attended Loen Technical University with good grades. Melissa was a girl who got along more with her professors than her fellow classmates, and was often lost in her thoughts.
There was nothing about her that should spark the interest of MI9 unless one of her professors became a suspect.
(Or maybe, Audrey admitted to herself, it was the recent knowledge of MI9's support of the deceased George III that coloured Audrey's mistrust of them and her refusal to let them pass.)
"Then allow us to search the perimeter, Miss Hall," the man before her insisted. "Surely you and the rest of the Foundation have nothing to hide."
"We have nothing to hide," Audrey agreed, "but that doesn't mean any strange man who comes here should be allowed to search as they please. You could be thieves, for all I know."
She felt her dog Susie walk close to her, and then settle next to her legs in a comforting pressure.
"Thieves? What would we steal from a place as run down as this?"
"Food." Audrey answered calmly.
The man scoffed. "Do we look like we need food?"
At that, Audrey smiled and gave them a deliberate and slow once-over, making sure to look as sweet and innocent as possible while she judged them. "…No, you certainly don't."
In a city with malnourished citizens and even the middle class going hungry to feed their children, the population was only a few arguments away from chaos and disorder. To have three burly and well-fed men staring down a teenage girl… she wondered if she could find a reporter around the area with a camera to capture this moment.
Behind her, there was a muffled huff of agreement.
"We have reason to believe that Ms. Moretti may be involved in matters concerning national security," the man insisted. "Surely you can understand that in a state of war, we must be cautious."
Melissa? National security? Audrey only smiled. They didn't even attempt to hide that they were government agents. "I understand that you must have better things to do than this, in this state of war."
Did this have to do with her brother? Even if so, that should have nothing to do with sending people to Audrey's Foundation.
"Perhaps you can tell me what you want with her," Audrey demurred, a hand going to pet Susie's head, giving the impression of a girl seeking comfort from her dog. "You know she works here, and I know the people who work here– they're not dangerous."
The three agents looked at each other, and Audrey ducked her head slightly to send out a subtle mental cue: you can trust me. I'm not dangerous. If you trust me, you might get your way.
"It's Benson Moretti," the man finally admitted, after his shoulders softened from Audrey's mental cue. "He's been arrested."
–
"What?" Melissa asked numbly, brown eyes widening.
Audrey didn't believe it either, not with what little she knew of the Moretti family. "Did your brother have… any strange contacts lately? Did he meet anyone new?"
"No!" Melissa exclaimed, and she stood from her seat at the makeshift worktable. "Benson's always been very… he has a set routine. He doesn't deviate from it, not without telling me ahead of time. And he doesn't keep secrets, either! He's terrible at keeping secrets from me. He's good at speaking to people, but he doesn't do it unless it's necessary…"
"Perhaps his work makes it necessary," Audrey suggested lightly.
Melissa shook her head. "Not since the start of the war. He always urges me to go out and make friends, but he never wants to do the same himself. And he's been– there's more paperwork now, and he barely has any time outside of work at all!"
Melissa was pale, breathing agitated, eyes wide while her fingers clenched onto her dark, worn dress. Audrey noted all this along with the way Melissa fiddled with her fingers, a gesture that seemed an unconscious habit and reminded her of someone else, and took a deep breath. Everything about this felt wrong to her, even if there was no warning from her spiritual intuition of danger to her person.
The way Melissa scuffed at the ground with her right foot for a moment also made Audrey's eyes dart over in familiarity, but she chose not to think upon this.
Seeing the younger girl's worry, Audrey thought for a moment and nodded to herself. "Alright. I believe you. I can ask a friend to clarify what's going on– it might be best for you not to return home for the moment. Is there someone you can stay with?"
That made Melissa freeze, and her eyes darted away. "…No."
"Then," Audrey made a split second decision. "Why don't you stay with me?"
–
It didn't take too long for Audrey to send Susie off with a request to Xio to help her investigate into this matter, unsure of how involved she wanted to be. On the one hand, Audrey wasn't the type of person to let Melissa face this on her own when the dilemma had already been presented to her, but on the other hand, with Mr. World currently indisposed, she didn't want to involve the Tarot Club too heavily when it felt like all the gods, including Mr. Fool, was a little… busy, during the war.
Perhaps it was the way Mr. Fool felt a little more distant during their meetings lately, as if “He” was preoccupied with other matters (but Audrey didn’t like the idea of analysing a god, so she tried not to notice or bring it up). Perhaps it was the whispers that should Feysac win the war, then the worshippers of the Night would have to convert if they wanted to stay in Loen.
"What if it's too dangerous?" Susie asked as Audrey tucked the note in the pouch alongside her collar. "Is it a good idea to bring Miss Melissa back home? The servants would all know."
"That's why we're not going back home," Audrey informed Susie. "We're heading to the church.”
MI9 was a separate organisation from the churches. That meant they had no authority within the Evernight Church, and would not be allowed to barge in with demands. It would be the same with the Storm Church or the Church of Steam and Machinery. Had it been before the war, Audrey might have sent a message to Glaint for a favour hosting Melissa for a while, but they had gradually grown apart in the last year from the different roads taken.
She lamented over the distant friendship for a moment, and the changes the past several years had brought. Had it been merely months ago, she might have been able to hide Melissa away in her carriage for a while as well, but with her recent insistence on her own bicycle, it would be suspicious of her to call for a carriage now.
"What if it's too dangerous for Miss Xio?" Susie asked instead. "We don't even know why the government is targeting Miss Melissa, or her brother. We don't have enough information on this matter, Audrey."
Audrey shook her head, and then glanced back to the small room Melissa was still packing up in. Originally, Audrey would assign missions with monetary rewards for Xio and Fors, but now it seemed there were things more important than money to the Loen people. She could, of course, gift food, but that was something she wanted to give out regardless if her friends needed it.
"If it's too dangerous, then she shouldn't do it," Audrey conceded, writing another quick note to push into Susie's pouch. It was a bitter concession, because she hated the idea of protecting the people close to her by letting others suffer. Yet this was a feeling that Audrey grew to mull over the past several months, especially as the Hall family refused to give up their food stores despite her urging. It was a feeling that grew as she tried to give away as many rations as she could, going from manor to manor asking other nobles to lend help to those in need and only coming away with the bare minimum, if anything at all.
Audrey straightened in determination. "If that's the case, then… I'll manage to help in some other way. This must be a misunderstanding."
Because the only other options were that Melissa's only family was a traitor or criminal, or that MI9 was bold enough to start persecuting people for minor or imagined offences.
"Don't be seen," Audrey reminded her.
"Of course not," Susie returned quietly, and barked. "Who would pay attention to a dog?"
The moment Susie trotted off, Melissa emerged from the room, clutching a veiled hat between her hands.
"Miss Audrey," Melissa said confidently as soon as they locked eyes. "Thank you for your help and your belief in me, but I've given it some thought, and I think it's best if I went with the people who have my brother. I'm sure they made a mistake, and it's best to cooperate until everything is fixed."
Audrey shook her head. Normally, she would imagine that was the best response as well: cooperation to ensure that misunderstandings didn't continue, but the way her spiritual intuition buzzed when she imagined that option made her realise that was a bad idea.
"I think it's best to be a little more cautious." Audrey responded to her, and Melissa only stiffened in determination. "You're not running away if we head to the church for a while. If it's a mistake, things should be fixed soon, isn't that right? You haven't done anything wrong either, so no one should be arresting you just for going to the church and praying."
"I would like to see Benson instead," Melissa denied. "Whatever actually happened, I won't know unless I go with them."
"Miss Melissa," Audrey stated carefully, opting for more formal language now. She thought for a second about how to word things, and then found herself focused on Melissa's determined gaze and set of her jaw. The young woman was practically shaking, her fear evident, yet she wanted to turn herself in for some imagined crime merely to see her brother.
This feels so familiar, Audrey lamented, but then shook the thought away. No, no, Audrey, don't think about it.
"If this were a situation that they believed was a mistake," Audrey said slowly. "Then they would not have surrounded this building and all its exits merely because they thought you, as Mr. Moretti's sister, might be here despite me saying otherwise."
–
Thanks to the creator of the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation, Mr. Dwayne Dantes, being a publicly known religious gentleman of the Evernight Church, this meant that the church had very close ties with the establishment, and the Charity was placed not merely close to the Church, but with a private passageway that led into the nave of the central entryway.
It was something Mr. World mentioned once in a weekly meeting above the grey fog, elaborating on the location when Audrey asked further about it.
As for why that passageway existed, neither she nor Mr. World knew, and Audrey guessed it was perhaps because the path existed before the creation of the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation, and perhaps they were just lucky in the placement. Maybe the Church was happy to have Dwayne Dantes close by to donate more.
(When she suggested it, Mr. World had a strange expression on his face, as if he believed otherwise.)
The passage was short and led to a hidden door in the stone wall behind an angel statue, allowing both her and Melissa to pass into the church in a less conspicuous manner, even if Melissa looked a little suspicious in her veiled hat inside the church, which she quickly took off.
There were only a handful of people within St. Samuel Church, mostly priests who were setting out new candles to be lit in the evening. Audrey walked confidently up the central aisle until she caught the attention of a priest, where she curtsied elegantly and asked, "Is there a prayer room we may borrow? My friend and I are in urgent need of one."
This was something her family taught her before, as the church would supply a place to those in need should those people be large and renown benefactors.
The young priest took one look at her outfit and demeanour and bowed his head back with a smile. "Of course."
They were led around the pews to a side door, passing a warmly lit hallway where many more people bustled about, and Audrey gently took a hold of Melissa's elbow and kept her head low amongst the small crowd.
Melissa was tense under Audrey’s hand, but allowed herself to be led along if only for the moment.
In her peripheral vision, Audrey sensed a group in the corridor halt in curiosity as they passed by. She paid them no mind, instead sticking closer to the young priest as they were led down a turn and toward the door of a small prayer room, lit by a gas lamp on the wall to reveal simple furniture and several books. It was a simple room without windows, made warm and cosy by the soft murals on the walls and plush chairs.
Audrey thanked him and led Melissa inside, and then attempted to close the door by privacy, only for her movement to be halted by a palm that pressed against the heavy wood, covered in red gloves.
—
“This is torture,” Cindy moaned as they stepped through the back entrance of St. Samuel’s Cathedral. She was dragging her feet, clinging to Bob’s coat as she walked, and blocking Leonard’s way. “Not all of us are on the Sleepless path, we should be allowed to take more breaks! Rest! Relaxation! War or not, a person can only go so long before they collapse!”
“We are all on the Sleepless path, though,” Bob muttered in response, but even he was drooping a little as they were met with the crowd inside the church. “And we were supposed to sleep on the train. I get so motion sick if I try, though…”
“I can’t sleep at all on trains,” Cindy complained loudly, and then turned to direct her words at Leonard, “Captain, I haven’t slept in three days! Three! Can’t you do something about the higher ups giving us more warning before demanding travel from us? Just five hours notice— two to look for a hotel, two to sleep, and one for a good shower and making ourselves presentable…”
“I think the travel time was considered rest,” Leonard said with amusement. Thanks to the watchful senses of Pallez Zoroast, he never had any trouble with finding places and times to get some sleep in, even if he had less need of it than his team due to his higher sequence. For him, two days of train travel meant two days of lazing about, doing everything from doodling to reading up on the recent spirit compendium. “Also— I don’t get any say in emergency summons. We’re in all the same boat here.”
With that, he dodged past another tired-looking group of Nighthawks, and weaved around a group of young apostles carrying various crates.
With the war, their workload was bad enough that it had been a full month since the last time Leonard managed to make it home. It didn’t help that the majority of the Church Beyonders were of the Sleepless path, meaning that ‘rest’ was merely a suggestion for them.
But it’s a good thing we’re not being sent to the battlefront, Leonard thought bitterly. We may fight against the supernatural, but we still aren’t foot soldiers.
With the war between Loen and Feysec deploying more and more Beyonders, there were more than a few official church Beyonders worried that soon the countries would start sending church personnel onto the frontlines. After all, the war would hold severe consequences for the churches of the country.
“At least we managed to make it back in time,” Cindy brightened, discarding all her previous complaints. “On the last train, too!”
Indeed, they were cutting it close to the time of their summons. Archbishop Anthony sent a message recalling all Backlund Nighthawks not on important missions back to the church for an announcement merely two days ago, and with many roads and passageways destroyed by the war, it was nearly a miracle that they managed to make it back in time at all.
As it was, Leonard thought his team might have perhaps one night to rest after the announcement before they would be returned to their previous missions.
“We’re being overworked,” Cindy grumbled again, just as Leonard’s eyes caught a thin frame with dark hair passing by them in the crowded hallway.
Wasn’t that—?
Thanks to the general fatigue and rush of people around them, not many took notice of two ladies who were definitely not Nighthawks being led down the corridor. Normally, Leonard wouldn’t have taken notice either, since they were still in a fairly public space and it was normal for churchgoers to sometimes take some rooms in the back for prayer and bible study.
But the familiar figure that passed looked tense, and was shaking just a bit, which lit up Leonard’s awareness immediately.
“Hey,” he called out in a distracted tone toward his team, waving a hand at them. “You guys go on ahead, and I’ll catch up with you later.”
Bob paused, his coat wrinkled by Cindy grasping at it. “Are you sure, Captain? We shouldn’t be late.”
“Yeah, I won’t take long,” Leonard confirmed, and then slipped away from them.
Despite the crowd, it wasn’t hard to catch up to the women, and Leonard just managed to block the closing door with one gloved hand as the priest left.
Now that he was faced with her, the blonde lady staring at him in surprise looked quite familiar as well, and Leonard smiled charmingly.
“Sorry to bother you,” he started, “but I thought I saw a familiar face.”
—
Mr. Star!
Audrey’s wariness turned to shock as she identified the man with the red gloves. He was tall and handsome, with black hair a little too long to be tidy, and brilliant green eyes that hinted at Beyonder abilities. No wonder her spiritual intuition hadn’t thought to warn her against him, they were already quite familiar with each other!
What good fortune, Audrey thought with relief.
Behind her, Melissa frowned at the handsome man for a long moment, before she said with uncertainty, “...Mr. Mitchell? What are you doing here?”
Mr. Star smiled brilliantly, and Audrey let go of the pressure on the door, allowing him to push it open further and peer in. “It’s Miss Melissa after all. I thought I recognised you. I passed this way thanks to a— meeting.”
As Audrey retreated into the room, Melissa was still frowning.
“A relic?” The young girl asked.
“Ahh, um. Yes. It has to do with a religious relic—”
“Mr. Mitchell,” Audrey interrupted, because she could do a lot to make herself forget details she wasn’t meant to remember, but if the name was already spoken by Melissa, and Melissa didn’t know that Audrey could make herself forget, then it was best to use this information to her advantage. “Can you help us? There seems to be some rather intimidating men outside the church who are looking for Melissa here.”
That drew his attention very effectively.
“Men outside the church?” He asked, gaze sharpening.
Seeing Audrey’s easy trust in him, Melissa took a moment to look between them before nodding to herself. “Yes. They say they’re from the government, and that they have my brother Benson.”
She didn’t clarify that Benson had supposedly been arrested.
“I—” Mr. Star blinked in surprise, but nodded. “Of course I’ll help. Who is it? What do they look like? You say they have your brother? Why? Does it have something to do with Kl—?”
“I don’t know why,” Melissa interjected, eyes dark. “But I’d like to know. Mr. Mitchell, I’m not worried about the men outside. I want to go find Benson, and clear up the misunderstanding.”
A/N: My first LotM fic, written for that November writing thing so everything is both really rushed and me struggling to write the characters, at the same time. I wanted to portray Melissa as someone who can do this on her own, but also unafraid to ask for help if someone can help her (so long as it's not financial help, lol). And I wanted to see more of Benson's struggle grieving for someone who is both his brother and not at the same time.
Next
Fandom: Lord of the Mysteries
Character/Pairing(s): Audrey Hall, Leonard Mitchell, Melissa Moretti, Benson Moretti, Klein Moretti, Xio Derecha, Fors Wall
Rating: PG-13
Warning: none?
Summary: MI9 catches Benson Moretti, and end up with more than they expect.
The knock on the door distracted Melissa from her concentration on the gears in front of her, causing her to pull up her pliers against the skin of her palm in a way that left a red mark which did not break the skin.
"Miss Audrey!" Melissa exclaimed in surprise as she saw the beautiful blonde lady looking in through the small gap of the open door. The lady's smile was gentle, and Melissa found herself flushing slightly in embarrassment. "I– I didn't mean to take up this room, I just didn't–"
"Oh, it's alright." Audrey Hall demurred, letting herself into the room before closing the door behind her quietly. Her green dress swept around her knees elegantly, and she leaned against the closed door with hands behind her back as she said, "I was hoping to catch you since you hadn't gone home yet. What are you working on?"
Melissa ducked her head, setting down her project to wipe her greasy hands along the side of her dark dress, avidly aware of her own dishevelment against Miss Audrey's brilliance and beauty. She never put much stock into her own appearance besides basic maintenance, but it was hard for any young girl to feel confident when standing in the same room as the Dazzling Gem of Backlund. In fact, the plain and austere side room of the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation felt an insufficient backdrop to the noble lady's presence.
"Just a project for myself." Melissa said quietly. "I didn't mean to use the Foundation space to do it! I just… I had a thought and felt it couldn't wait until I got home. I've been working on a communication device— a way to allow two people to hear each other, even if the idea hasn't quite panned out…"
She didn't have high hopes for the project. Her professors either had a gleam in their eye when she pitched the idea, or scoffed at her for outlandish thoughts, reminding her that the telegraph had already been invented. With the war drawing closer to Backlund every day, Melissa wasn't hoping for much of a breakthrough– this was her own personal project, as she wanted the ability to speak with Benson whenever she felt scared.
She wanted to hear her brother's voice reassuring her, even when he was away from her.
"For your brother?" Miss Audrey guessed.
Melissa nodded, still feeling embarrassed for having been caught tinkering with her projects at the Foundation despite knowing that Miss Audrey was not the type to judge her for it. Her project bore the shape of a mechanical frog, which adults sneered at her for, but Melissa found the shape nostalgic and reminiscent of a safer childhood.
It was cute, she thought, and as she was the one making it, she was the only one who had to be pleased with its shape. The rest would be about whether her project worked or not.
"Oh," Miss Audrey said as Melissa presented the small thing to her, and Melissa finally noticed that the lady looked a little… unsettled.
Perhaps a man was rude to her earlier? Melissa thought Miss Audrey had such incredible composure, so if she looked even the slightest bit off from her usual gentle demeanour, then something big must have happened. In fact, Miss Audrey held such poise and grace that Melissa had a difficult time believing they were only a year apart in age; all of Melissa's classmates were still so childish and tended to pride themselves on material things… although not so much lately with the war going on. Now, they were mostly withdrawn and thin, their dresses faded and tattered.
There was no one quite like Miss Audrey, Melissa thought, who not only kept her composure and her grace, but also travelled the streets each day by herself without fear on her bicycle, and worked everyday to provide food and shelter to the starving masses. While other nobles hid away in their manor-houses and refused to aid the commoners, Miss Audrey spent all her days out handling supplies of rations, unafraid of the sporadic bombings and desperate people.
Melissa thought: there was nothing that could phase Miss Audrey.
"Melissa…" Miss Audrey hesitated, her smile faltering. "There's something I need to tell you."
–
Audrey Hall, a sequence four "Manipulator" of the Spectator pathway, was not an easy person to unsettle. It was likely due to her choice in pathway requiring her to distance herself from situations, and also due to a lifetime of people who were always willing to help and nurture her to the point of spoiling her, so that if Audrey did encounter someone who was willing to harm her, they would underestimate the sweet and spoiled girl severely enough for her to either get away or get revenge.
Case in point: Hvin Rambis.
Audrey was the only daughter of Earl Hall, and known as the Dazzling Gem of Backlund, as well as the Justice card of the Tarot Club. She grew up with a beautiful worldview where people were happy and bright, and her foray into the dark and cruel world of the supernatural did not diminish her sense of hope and optimism.
Rather, it was her own dawning understanding of the darkness of human nature that had Audrey drawing back in contemplation. The desperate people of war, and the cause of the war itself: human greed for power and their willingness to step on the lives of others in order to prosper.
Audrey could sufficiently protect herself, but recently she found that there were too few people who would stand up to protect others like the stories of heroes she grew up on.
Far too few people.
So when members of MI9 came barging into the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation, demanding one Melissa Moretti, Audrey found herself blocking their way.
"Her shift finished half an hour ago," Audrey said calmly before a man a head taller than her and more than twice her size. She had her hands clasped demurely before herself, tilting her head slightly to make full use of her innocent girl look. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."
"Ms. Moretti is not at home," the man scoffed, as two others behind him in dark suits shifted impatiently. "Nor is she on the route between there and here."
"Perhaps she went to visit a friend," Audrey said, not giving an inch even as she felt the other volunteers shrink back behind her. "Times like this, it's good to keep up with people you care for."
She didn't blame the others for not standing up to those men. They were strong, tall agents specifically chosen to intimidate, and the average citizen of Backlund these days was thin and weak from hunger. Audrey, on the other hand, had never gone hungry in the war thanks to the stockpile of her family, and she understood that her name and lineage meant MI9 would face consequences should they lay a hand on her. Others did not have such names to protect them.
Moreso Melissa Moretti, a small, thin, and quiet girl who preferred machinery over people yet spent three days a week handing out rations to the poor and hungry. Melissa didn't often say much about herself, but Audrey knew enough about her: she lived with her brother, who was a low-level government worker, and attended Loen Technical University with good grades. Melissa was a girl who got along more with her professors than her fellow classmates, and was often lost in her thoughts.
There was nothing about her that should spark the interest of MI9 unless one of her professors became a suspect.
(Or maybe, Audrey admitted to herself, it was the recent knowledge of MI9's support of the deceased George III that coloured Audrey's mistrust of them and her refusal to let them pass.)
"Then allow us to search the perimeter, Miss Hall," the man before her insisted. "Surely you and the rest of the Foundation have nothing to hide."
"We have nothing to hide," Audrey agreed, "but that doesn't mean any strange man who comes here should be allowed to search as they please. You could be thieves, for all I know."
She felt her dog Susie walk close to her, and then settle next to her legs in a comforting pressure.
"Thieves? What would we steal from a place as run down as this?"
"Food." Audrey answered calmly.
The man scoffed. "Do we look like we need food?"
At that, Audrey smiled and gave them a deliberate and slow once-over, making sure to look as sweet and innocent as possible while she judged them. "…No, you certainly don't."
In a city with malnourished citizens and even the middle class going hungry to feed their children, the population was only a few arguments away from chaos and disorder. To have three burly and well-fed men staring down a teenage girl… she wondered if she could find a reporter around the area with a camera to capture this moment.
Behind her, there was a muffled huff of agreement.
"We have reason to believe that Ms. Moretti may be involved in matters concerning national security," the man insisted. "Surely you can understand that in a state of war, we must be cautious."
Melissa? National security? Audrey only smiled. They didn't even attempt to hide that they were government agents. "I understand that you must have better things to do than this, in this state of war."
Did this have to do with her brother? Even if so, that should have nothing to do with sending people to Audrey's Foundation.
"Perhaps you can tell me what you want with her," Audrey demurred, a hand going to pet Susie's head, giving the impression of a girl seeking comfort from her dog. "You know she works here, and I know the people who work here– they're not dangerous."
The three agents looked at each other, and Audrey ducked her head slightly to send out a subtle mental cue: you can trust me. I'm not dangerous. If you trust me, you might get your way.
"It's Benson Moretti," the man finally admitted, after his shoulders softened from Audrey's mental cue. "He's been arrested."
–
"What?" Melissa asked numbly, brown eyes widening.
Audrey didn't believe it either, not with what little she knew of the Moretti family. "Did your brother have… any strange contacts lately? Did he meet anyone new?"
"No!" Melissa exclaimed, and she stood from her seat at the makeshift worktable. "Benson's always been very… he has a set routine. He doesn't deviate from it, not without telling me ahead of time. And he doesn't keep secrets, either! He's terrible at keeping secrets from me. He's good at speaking to people, but he doesn't do it unless it's necessary…"
"Perhaps his work makes it necessary," Audrey suggested lightly.
Melissa shook her head. "Not since the start of the war. He always urges me to go out and make friends, but he never wants to do the same himself. And he's been– there's more paperwork now, and he barely has any time outside of work at all!"
Melissa was pale, breathing agitated, eyes wide while her fingers clenched onto her dark, worn dress. Audrey noted all this along with the way Melissa fiddled with her fingers, a gesture that seemed an unconscious habit and reminded her of someone else, and took a deep breath. Everything about this felt wrong to her, even if there was no warning from her spiritual intuition of danger to her person.
The way Melissa scuffed at the ground with her right foot for a moment also made Audrey's eyes dart over in familiarity, but she chose not to think upon this.
Seeing the younger girl's worry, Audrey thought for a moment and nodded to herself. "Alright. I believe you. I can ask a friend to clarify what's going on– it might be best for you not to return home for the moment. Is there someone you can stay with?"
That made Melissa freeze, and her eyes darted away. "…No."
"Then," Audrey made a split second decision. "Why don't you stay with me?"
–
It didn't take too long for Audrey to send Susie off with a request to Xio to help her investigate into this matter, unsure of how involved she wanted to be. On the one hand, Audrey wasn't the type of person to let Melissa face this on her own when the dilemma had already been presented to her, but on the other hand, with Mr. World currently indisposed, she didn't want to involve the Tarot Club too heavily when it felt like all the gods, including Mr. Fool, was a little… busy, during the war.
Perhaps it was the way Mr. Fool felt a little more distant during their meetings lately, as if “He” was preoccupied with other matters (but Audrey didn’t like the idea of analysing a god, so she tried not to notice or bring it up). Perhaps it was the whispers that should Feysac win the war, then the worshippers of the Night would have to convert if they wanted to stay in Loen.
"What if it's too dangerous?" Susie asked as Audrey tucked the note in the pouch alongside her collar. "Is it a good idea to bring Miss Melissa back home? The servants would all know."
"That's why we're not going back home," Audrey informed Susie. "We're heading to the church.”
MI9 was a separate organisation from the churches. That meant they had no authority within the Evernight Church, and would not be allowed to barge in with demands. It would be the same with the Storm Church or the Church of Steam and Machinery. Had it been before the war, Audrey might have sent a message to Glaint for a favour hosting Melissa for a while, but they had gradually grown apart in the last year from the different roads taken.
She lamented over the distant friendship for a moment, and the changes the past several years had brought. Had it been merely months ago, she might have been able to hide Melissa away in her carriage for a while as well, but with her recent insistence on her own bicycle, it would be suspicious of her to call for a carriage now.
"What if it's too dangerous for Miss Xio?" Susie asked instead. "We don't even know why the government is targeting Miss Melissa, or her brother. We don't have enough information on this matter, Audrey."
Audrey shook her head, and then glanced back to the small room Melissa was still packing up in. Originally, Audrey would assign missions with monetary rewards for Xio and Fors, but now it seemed there were things more important than money to the Loen people. She could, of course, gift food, but that was something she wanted to give out regardless if her friends needed it.
"If it's too dangerous, then she shouldn't do it," Audrey conceded, writing another quick note to push into Susie's pouch. It was a bitter concession, because she hated the idea of protecting the people close to her by letting others suffer. Yet this was a feeling that Audrey grew to mull over the past several months, especially as the Hall family refused to give up their food stores despite her urging. It was a feeling that grew as she tried to give away as many rations as she could, going from manor to manor asking other nobles to lend help to those in need and only coming away with the bare minimum, if anything at all.
Audrey straightened in determination. "If that's the case, then… I'll manage to help in some other way. This must be a misunderstanding."
Because the only other options were that Melissa's only family was a traitor or criminal, or that MI9 was bold enough to start persecuting people for minor or imagined offences.
"Don't be seen," Audrey reminded her.
"Of course not," Susie returned quietly, and barked. "Who would pay attention to a dog?"
The moment Susie trotted off, Melissa emerged from the room, clutching a veiled hat between her hands.
"Miss Audrey," Melissa said confidently as soon as they locked eyes. "Thank you for your help and your belief in me, but I've given it some thought, and I think it's best if I went with the people who have my brother. I'm sure they made a mistake, and it's best to cooperate until everything is fixed."
Audrey shook her head. Normally, she would imagine that was the best response as well: cooperation to ensure that misunderstandings didn't continue, but the way her spiritual intuition buzzed when she imagined that option made her realise that was a bad idea.
"I think it's best to be a little more cautious." Audrey responded to her, and Melissa only stiffened in determination. "You're not running away if we head to the church for a while. If it's a mistake, things should be fixed soon, isn't that right? You haven't done anything wrong either, so no one should be arresting you just for going to the church and praying."
"I would like to see Benson instead," Melissa denied. "Whatever actually happened, I won't know unless I go with them."
"Miss Melissa," Audrey stated carefully, opting for more formal language now. She thought for a second about how to word things, and then found herself focused on Melissa's determined gaze and set of her jaw. The young woman was practically shaking, her fear evident, yet she wanted to turn herself in for some imagined crime merely to see her brother.
This feels so familiar, Audrey lamented, but then shook the thought away. No, no, Audrey, don't think about it.
"If this were a situation that they believed was a mistake," Audrey said slowly. "Then they would not have surrounded this building and all its exits merely because they thought you, as Mr. Moretti's sister, might be here despite me saying otherwise."
–
Thanks to the creator of the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation, Mr. Dwayne Dantes, being a publicly known religious gentleman of the Evernight Church, this meant that the church had very close ties with the establishment, and the Charity was placed not merely close to the Church, but with a private passageway that led into the nave of the central entryway.
It was something Mr. World mentioned once in a weekly meeting above the grey fog, elaborating on the location when Audrey asked further about it.
As for why that passageway existed, neither she nor Mr. World knew, and Audrey guessed it was perhaps because the path existed before the creation of the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation, and perhaps they were just lucky in the placement. Maybe the Church was happy to have Dwayne Dantes close by to donate more.
(When she suggested it, Mr. World had a strange expression on his face, as if he believed otherwise.)
The passage was short and led to a hidden door in the stone wall behind an angel statue, allowing both her and Melissa to pass into the church in a less conspicuous manner, even if Melissa looked a little suspicious in her veiled hat inside the church, which she quickly took off.
There were only a handful of people within St. Samuel Church, mostly priests who were setting out new candles to be lit in the evening. Audrey walked confidently up the central aisle until she caught the attention of a priest, where she curtsied elegantly and asked, "Is there a prayer room we may borrow? My friend and I are in urgent need of one."
This was something her family taught her before, as the church would supply a place to those in need should those people be large and renown benefactors.
The young priest took one look at her outfit and demeanour and bowed his head back with a smile. "Of course."
They were led around the pews to a side door, passing a warmly lit hallway where many more people bustled about, and Audrey gently took a hold of Melissa's elbow and kept her head low amongst the small crowd.
Melissa was tense under Audrey’s hand, but allowed herself to be led along if only for the moment.
In her peripheral vision, Audrey sensed a group in the corridor halt in curiosity as they passed by. She paid them no mind, instead sticking closer to the young priest as they were led down a turn and toward the door of a small prayer room, lit by a gas lamp on the wall to reveal simple furniture and several books. It was a simple room without windows, made warm and cosy by the soft murals on the walls and plush chairs.
Audrey thanked him and led Melissa inside, and then attempted to close the door by privacy, only for her movement to be halted by a palm that pressed against the heavy wood, covered in red gloves.
—
“This is torture,” Cindy moaned as they stepped through the back entrance of St. Samuel’s Cathedral. She was dragging her feet, clinging to Bob’s coat as she walked, and blocking Leonard’s way. “Not all of us are on the Sleepless path, we should be allowed to take more breaks! Rest! Relaxation! War or not, a person can only go so long before they collapse!”
“We are all on the Sleepless path, though,” Bob muttered in response, but even he was drooping a little as they were met with the crowd inside the church. “And we were supposed to sleep on the train. I get so motion sick if I try, though…”
“I can’t sleep at all on trains,” Cindy complained loudly, and then turned to direct her words at Leonard, “Captain, I haven’t slept in three days! Three! Can’t you do something about the higher ups giving us more warning before demanding travel from us? Just five hours notice— two to look for a hotel, two to sleep, and one for a good shower and making ourselves presentable…”
“I think the travel time was considered rest,” Leonard said with amusement. Thanks to the watchful senses of Pallez Zoroast, he never had any trouble with finding places and times to get some sleep in, even if he had less need of it than his team due to his higher sequence. For him, two days of train travel meant two days of lazing about, doing everything from doodling to reading up on the recent spirit compendium. “Also— I don’t get any say in emergency summons. We’re in all the same boat here.”
With that, he dodged past another tired-looking group of Nighthawks, and weaved around a group of young apostles carrying various crates.
With the war, their workload was bad enough that it had been a full month since the last time Leonard managed to make it home. It didn’t help that the majority of the Church Beyonders were of the Sleepless path, meaning that ‘rest’ was merely a suggestion for them.
But it’s a good thing we’re not being sent to the battlefront, Leonard thought bitterly. We may fight against the supernatural, but we still aren’t foot soldiers.
With the war between Loen and Feysec deploying more and more Beyonders, there were more than a few official church Beyonders worried that soon the countries would start sending church personnel onto the frontlines. After all, the war would hold severe consequences for the churches of the country.
“At least we managed to make it back in time,” Cindy brightened, discarding all her previous complaints. “On the last train, too!”
Indeed, they were cutting it close to the time of their summons. Archbishop Anthony sent a message recalling all Backlund Nighthawks not on important missions back to the church for an announcement merely two days ago, and with many roads and passageways destroyed by the war, it was nearly a miracle that they managed to make it back in time at all.
As it was, Leonard thought his team might have perhaps one night to rest after the announcement before they would be returned to their previous missions.
“We’re being overworked,” Cindy grumbled again, just as Leonard’s eyes caught a thin frame with dark hair passing by them in the crowded hallway.
Wasn’t that—?
Thanks to the general fatigue and rush of people around them, not many took notice of two ladies who were definitely not Nighthawks being led down the corridor. Normally, Leonard wouldn’t have taken notice either, since they were still in a fairly public space and it was normal for churchgoers to sometimes take some rooms in the back for prayer and bible study.
But the familiar figure that passed looked tense, and was shaking just a bit, which lit up Leonard’s awareness immediately.
“Hey,” he called out in a distracted tone toward his team, waving a hand at them. “You guys go on ahead, and I’ll catch up with you later.”
Bob paused, his coat wrinkled by Cindy grasping at it. “Are you sure, Captain? We shouldn’t be late.”
“Yeah, I won’t take long,” Leonard confirmed, and then slipped away from them.
Despite the crowd, it wasn’t hard to catch up to the women, and Leonard just managed to block the closing door with one gloved hand as the priest left.
Now that he was faced with her, the blonde lady staring at him in surprise looked quite familiar as well, and Leonard smiled charmingly.
“Sorry to bother you,” he started, “but I thought I saw a familiar face.”
—
Mr. Star!
Audrey’s wariness turned to shock as she identified the man with the red gloves. He was tall and handsome, with black hair a little too long to be tidy, and brilliant green eyes that hinted at Beyonder abilities. No wonder her spiritual intuition hadn’t thought to warn her against him, they were already quite familiar with each other!
What good fortune, Audrey thought with relief.
Behind her, Melissa frowned at the handsome man for a long moment, before she said with uncertainty, “...Mr. Mitchell? What are you doing here?”
Mr. Star smiled brilliantly, and Audrey let go of the pressure on the door, allowing him to push it open further and peer in. “It’s Miss Melissa after all. I thought I recognised you. I passed this way thanks to a— meeting.”
As Audrey retreated into the room, Melissa was still frowning.
“A relic?” The young girl asked.
“Ahh, um. Yes. It has to do with a religious relic—”
“Mr. Mitchell,” Audrey interrupted, because she could do a lot to make herself forget details she wasn’t meant to remember, but if the name was already spoken by Melissa, and Melissa didn’t know that Audrey could make herself forget, then it was best to use this information to her advantage. “Can you help us? There seems to be some rather intimidating men outside the church who are looking for Melissa here.”
That drew his attention very effectively.
“Men outside the church?” He asked, gaze sharpening.
Seeing Audrey’s easy trust in him, Melissa took a moment to look between them before nodding to herself. “Yes. They say they’re from the government, and that they have my brother Benson.”
She didn’t clarify that Benson had supposedly been arrested.
“I—” Mr. Star blinked in surprise, but nodded. “Of course I’ll help. Who is it? What do they look like? You say they have your brother? Why? Does it have something to do with Kl—?”
“I don’t know why,” Melissa interjected, eyes dark. “But I’d like to know. Mr. Mitchell, I’m not worried about the men outside. I want to go find Benson, and clear up the misunderstanding.”
A/N: My first LotM fic, written for that November writing thing so everything is both really rushed and me struggling to write the characters, at the same time. I wanted to portray Melissa as someone who can do this on her own, but also unafraid to ask for help if someone can help her (so long as it's not financial help, lol). And I wanted to see more of Benson's struggle grieving for someone who is both his brother and not at the same time.