Spades and Angels

One Plus Two Equals Booze?

Lolita

Six Days Later

It's been almost a week.

Almost a week since I spoke to Riv about what to do following what happened the night of the Snow Ball and I still haven't done what Riv suggested. I just...I still needed more time to figure out how I felt about all of this before having the awkward and painful truth conversation.

Mads....he gives me space. Not staying away completely since I can tell Mads is near in more ways than one, but we don't talk. Rather we torturously closely circle one another like distant stars or planets trapped in another's orbit. Or two halves of the same comet that can never reverse time to become one. Trapped near each other yet with a seemingly impassable gulf between us that neither of us reaches to remedy for differing reasons.

"Hey, Lo have you got a minute to talk?" Pey taps my shoulder and I snap my eyes away from where I'd last sensed Mads watching me but finding no one there. "Lo?"

I look away from the wall and nod to my friend, "Yeah, yeah I have a minute." I clear my throat and turn to her. "Any more luck on the whole Project Aphrodite riddle or the whole stack of problems with the Spades? Well me, Mads and...and the Spades," I trip over Mad's name but manage ok other than that. "Pey?"

She sighs, "Not exactly." I frown and see a few of the others come past, Ash and Hali sparing me a sympathetic look that I try to return. Doing ok until he comes past as well. The tired, haggard and miserable look on his face cuts me to the heart. The tired expression speaks to days of sleepless nights and hours of crying. A fate I was faring to but that I seemed to, hopefully, be better at hiding. At least for now.

Shaking myself mentally I sigh and give Pey a look, attempting to remain on track with the conversation. That whilst also trying to figure out what her comment could mean before Riv slips into the room, staying near Mads who keeps an arm around her shoulders but his eyes on or near me. Pleading every time we lock eyes that we talk. At least that's what I think it is.

But I can't. Not yet. "Pey what did you mean we're not exactly closer to figuring out the whole Project Aphrodite riddle and the triangle Spades issues? Please...please tell me one of us has something for one of those problems? Because we're running out of time to solve all of it before the Spades find either me or Riv and or that I changed over. Before we're out of time."

"That's bleak and non-optimistic," Mal chips in with an odd expression. Sighing she shuts up before sharing a look with the duo made of Riv and Mads on the other side of the room. "You two said you had something to share?"

"Mhmm," Riv spares a look at Mads but gives up when she realises he's stuck silently watching me. "We figured out that the old practices that the Spades use to trap Lo should have become null and void when she switched over to us. Well to you guys when she changed and became an Angel."

"Should have?" Ash sounds afraid then, picking up on Riv's emphasis on those two words, Hali sparing her sister a look where she's next to Ash. His arm was around her shoulder. "Riv what do you mean should have?"

She sighs, "I mean should have since the practices used on her aren't....they're not legally in circulation as practices so can't be legally shut down," Mad's eyes snap to hers and Riv shrugs looking sorry, "I tried to look into it but without going through the formality of reviving the outlawed practice - something I don't advise we give them the power to do or advertising we know about - there's no legal loopholes to release her. At least none that I can find after months of in-depth looking."

"And are there any semi-legal ones?" Made asks in a shaky tone, his voice husky and making me feel a way I can't avoid under the fear brought on by the conversation at hand. "Riv please...please tell me there's another way to keep her safe."