The sound of running water was sweet serene music for the ailing soul. Right from the very moment I turned the faucet, I was soaked in the warm cascading streams of comfort, feeling every single droplet dribble down every strand of my hair, every open pore in my skin… there's just no other feeling like it.

Some people wished for the fast-lane of fame, others yearn the glitter and gleam of fortune, but not me though. Install a bathtub in my bathroom, you'll never see a happier face on a person that could topple my own.

It was the perfect place to refresh myself, cleanse myself, do away with these bothersome thoughts, let the water carry them away to their rightful place… to be siphoned in a swirling whirlpool down into the metal grate of the drainage pipe, where they belong.

But there were those rare special exceptions, thoughts, that as much as tried to scrub and rinse, would only nestle deeper into my psyche like some kind of psychic parasite that's gotten a bit too clingy for its own good.

Seems this time, I may have had a growing infestation. Irene's timeframe was a stubborn parasite.

According to her, I wouldn't have to be putting on the suave moves on her just yet. All were equal and just in the eyes of the pact, the terms that we agreed on go both ways.

Irene wasn't done helping me out just yet, and so long as I still needed her help, I wasn't at all obligated to blow her a kiss every time I go looking her way. The flirty lovey-dovey side of the deal would only come into play once everything was said and done.

It was only after the dust had settled, only once the city streets were no longer smeared in the blackened essence of decay, and the sleeping finally awoke… only then were we required to finally get down to business.

For now, just try to forget about it. 'Least that's what Irene suggested, gone from the confines of my bedroom walls with the slam of a door.

Well, I was trying to alright… scrubbing myself to a raw pink, splashing my face with enough puddles of water to drown myself in it, yet all that came out of it was the dirt and grime I've accumulated rinsing down to the soapy wet tiles at my bare feet.

And, forgive me for being presumptuous, but I had a feeling that Irene was faring a lot worse at it than I was. I don't know how we're ever gonna look at each other and not think about what laid ahead of us in the future.

All I knew for today, was that it was definitely going to be an awkward few hours in the backseat of the car. I would very much just rather stay soaked in the bathroom till the end of time.

Could very well have stayed there forever, but just as all good things were, bathtime had to come to an end. Too soon, and too swift.

There was a gentle knock on the bedroom door, three solid raps, and the clearing of a throat. Those two actions in that order… I knew who was standing behind that doorway.

"Master?"

I turned the faucet in the opposite direction, bidding a soft farewell to my comforting streams, and let my voice bounce its way across the porcelain walls.

"I'm here, Ash."

Hearing her, just knowing that she was up and about, and not in an eternal slumber, was something I'd never take for granted again, made even better by the fact we were finally on speaking terms again.

It no longer felt as if I was walking on eggshells whenever I tried to strike up a conversation. It felt so good that I could pull a towel from the railings, rubbed it around me, and say to her without having to fret, "Did you need something?"

I'd like to think she felt the same way too. Maybe it was just plain placebo and desire, but hearing past the muffle of the doors, she certainly did sound that way…

"No, but, thank you for asking all the same. Ah - but I regret to inform you that Lady Amanda seems to be acting quite a bit… peculiar, I should say."

Lady Amanda, huh? Heh, everyone's got a title now...

"I have wondered briefly if it would have been alright to simply leave her be… but I realized it'd be better if I leave that judgment to someone who knew her better than I. So, Master… if it's not too much trouble, could you perhaps - ?"

"Check up on her, yep, sure can do,' I finished for her, wrapping the towel around my waist as I stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. "I'll be with you in a moment."

"Thank you," Ash said, clearing her throat again. "I shall take my leave now."

"Alright."

You know, I wager if I concentrated for hard enough, I might just be able to see her take a small bow to the closed wooden doorway, before departing her steps into the inaudible distance beyond.

Certainly wouldn't put it past her.

So, something seems to be up with the blondish-brown haired coffee deviant downstairs, something uppity enough for Ash to be taking note of it as something out of the ordinary.

It's concerning, worrying, but I was far too busy basking in the afterglow of being able to have simple minute conversations with Ash without having to drape it under the guise of a special occasion in order to do so.

Really, it was a feel-good type of sensation. That rock on the bridge had finally been chipped away, and the path ahead has never looked more smooth-sailing. No other feeling like it.

If only Ria was here to see it… I could only imagine how'd she react to it.

A twinkle in her crimson eyes, that smile full of mischief, and of course 'Insert witty remark here'...

There goes my feel-good sensation…

It wasn't any use feeling bad about it, wallowing away was simply a waste of time and energy. If I wanted her awake, if I wanted them awake… standing around with a towel tied around me wasn't the best way to go about it.

One step at a time - get dressed.

Shirt donning and jean wearing was a process done mostly on autopilot, and since I wasn't too keen on the idea of stripping down to my bare essentials right next to the unconscious Matriarch, I turned tail and waltz myself through the bathroom door again.

Had a fun time staring at myself through the fogged glass mirror while I fiddled around with a loose belt buckle that outright refused to connect. That little wasted time trying to tighten my pants reminded me of even more wasted time.

My hour of downtime was gone, and my progress dabbling in the mystic arts remained at a standstill.

Those eyes reflecting back at me seem to sneer, a gaze so contemptuous, they looked at me like I was dirt, 'Are you even trying?' they mocked me.

I was. I will. I am.

Focus, determination, intent.

Both hands gripped the sink, both hands gripped tight, for now, I'll focus on focus. As Adalia said, sensing magic is as important as using magic. If I can be seamless with one, I'll be seamless with the other.

I had to hone to a point where I won't even have to think about doing it.

One last stare into the mirror, one last look into those dubious eyes, before I closed them shut, and took in a deep breath.

Like breathing. Like moving. Sense the magic.

The easiest to find was still my own, that standing fan blowing far and strong. Second, came that mysterious presence, faintly, yet unmistakable there, like the buzzing of a fluorescent lamp. Adalia, sadly… was even harder to sense, Ria even more so…

Irene's swayed and swirled, a smoky red miasma in the dark, blowing a current with as much exuberance as my own, almost equal on that front.

Then there was a flash, a jet of bright light blinding me amidst the dark, snapping my eyes wide open, and sending me stumbling back a few paces away from the bathroom sink.

No sneers, no eyes filled with contempt, I stared at myself in the mirror, seeing the shock and terror forming in my own expression. I didn't dare blink, didn't dare close my eyes for even a second.

There was no other way to describe it - horrifying, nauseating, that presence I suddenly stumbled upon, it was repulsive. In that instant, in that flash of white, I could feel my stomach churning just by simply thinking about it.

The worst part of it… was that it wasn't just a shot in the dark, an enigma that would elude for days to come. It was no mystery what it was… who it was I sensed. I knew painfully, perfectly well, whose presence I felt in that brief fleeting moment of absolute terror.

There was no other feeling like it.

It reeked.

It was absolutely vile.

It was evil.

And it was Ash's.