Rise and shines were almost always usually followed up by breakfast and drinks, plus maybe a warm, or hot, or dare I say it even a cold shower depending on one’s preferences – I ain’t here to judge. 

But I suppose we can all unanimously agree that the first few steps you take emerging back from deep sleep don’t usually involve giving an entire point-by-point summarization of yesterday’s escapades over video call to your private, personal detective succubus lady… but just what is usual any more in my life, right? 

Pointing out every single absurdity is just getting real stale at this point, I should probably stop already. Ain’t like this was gonna be the last time anywho.

Irene shifted locations as she listened on, taking continuous sporadic sips of her mug which I have a rousing suspicion should have been depleted a long time before given how many times she’s wrapped her lips around it. 

From the shiny porcelain of her kitchen to the dark oak of her living room. As the camera whirled and spun along with her, I managed to see slight glimpses of her humble abode… and as I’ve already expected, everything had an orderly, organized feel to it. So clean, so meticulous, even the couch she planted herself on looked as if it was still just freshly bought a couple of hours ago – nary a stain nor even a wrinkle in sight – and it was white too, so that’s pretty much bloody impossible.

“So your mother’s got you proving your resolve first before she would even consider lending you a hand by having you break down a barrier that she herself personally erected, am I getting this right?” 

I shifted places too, holding her towards the clear blue sky, while I looked up at her from below lying down. 

“It’s a working process, I’m getting there, at least,” I said. “I don’t suppose you have any tips for me to go about this more efficiently?”

“Nothing your father hasn’t already told you,” She responded, lifting her long legs up from the ground and curling herself rather snug. “A barrier handcrafted by Terestra herself… you sure do love your impossible odds, don’t you?” 

“And my time constraints too,” I pointed out. “Don’t forget that one… that’s a classic.”

“Speaking of which…” She began tapping a finger against the surface of her mug, the expression on her face a distant, thinking one. “From what you’ve told me of Harry’s condition now, it sounds to me that that constraint is getting tighter and tighter really fast.”

“Yeah…”

“This ward you placed on him, didn’t think that was even an actual possibility, clever way to buy time, though I doubt you’d be able to do it again. Foreign objects embedded into a soul cause too much distress, anguish, no, too much pain… he might not make it a second time if you tried. Still what if… maybe you could still buy some time. Perhaps we could…?”

And at this point in the conversation, I was pretty much no longer a participant. Irene played both parts, answering and questioning herself in rapid mutters that I couldn’t quite catch. 

Didn’t dare impose myself on her train of thought and risk feeling the weight of another one of her piercing glares, so I left her well alone for the time being, and instead scour around the vicinity for a particularly pointed-eared individual that was surely running amok somewhere nearby.

Totally on a whim, I looked out over at the lake, definitely not because I noticed a little ripple drifting in what was once pristine, serene waters… more began to converge, a buoyant watering ring at the center of the lake forming, then suddenly – splash.

Like a dolphin gracefully emerging from the deep blue, a slender figure quickly arose above the depths, a shimmer of bright snowy-white hair streaking across the air, showered upon by pouring, raining droplets returning back into the water surface. 

Found her.

Ash tossed and turned her head, her long flowing hair swaying along with her every nimble twist, her hands delicately stroking her arms, her neck, her body… her bare, naked body… soaked in the morning sun, her pale skin glistening… the sight was like, ooh boy… guess someone likes their showers lukewarm…

“…not paying attention.”

On autopilot, I nodded, responded “Definitely, yeah,” before quickly switching back to manual control, realizing a little too late who just spoke. “Sorry, what was the question?”

Irene blinked a very long and dull blink. 

“You already answered it,” She said, briefly running a hand through a tangled knot in her hair. “Anyway, back to what I saying before I lost you there – regarding Harry, you don’t have much time anymore… I give it a day, two days if you want to be hopeful. After that, well… you’re making sure that doesn’t happen, right?”

“It won’t,” I affirmed. “I’ll get it done.”

“And I believe you will, make no mistake, I have faith. Complete, total…” She blew a sigh, one that disrupted the swirling stream rising above her mug. “I know you’ve already pulled off the impossible twice now, but you can only do so much, you know? And you’ve already done so much…”

“I know.”

“If you can’t save him, that is not your fault, don’t think that you didn’t do enough, you did. Please, just keep that in mind, will you? You can try, of course… but in the end, that’s all you can do. And failure, failing… that doesn’t define what you can still do. So don’t let it.”

Spoken so casual, so offhandedly, it had to have been intentional. That indifference in her eyes hiding the growing concern that she has for me… probably been festering all this while we’ve been apart from one another. 

Act stoic all you want, Irene, but I see that writhing and squirming that your fingers were doing. 

“You’re worried,” I said, giving her a smile. “I almost forgot how cute you are when you’re worried.”