The Case of Monachopsis

Chapter 5: Alliance

Happy one year anniversary!
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Elijah lifted his head and inhaled deeply. He allowed himself to pinpoint Ira's familiar amber aroma. Elijah didn't need common sense to recognize that most people didn't track down their colleagues by their scents. Obviously, he couldn't help it. It wasn't like it was his fault that Ira chose to pin him down during their close encounters. One thing was for certain: each time she was near him, he was greeted by a nice, warm, woody scent. In those moments, it was difficult for him to lean away. He often found himself unconsciously leaning closer to Ira, who smelled like a warm hug would feel. Unfortunately, as Elijah turned the corner, he immediately flinched upon being greeted by an unwelcoming scent.

"Lagear, there you are!" Elijah scrunched his nose when the smell of cigarette smoke wafted at him.

In the hallway, Ira turned toward the sound of Elijah's voice and found her colleague standing right in front of her.

"Sorry, I just got back from—" Ira began, startled by his abrupt appearance.

"Smoking? I can tell." Elijah interjected and waved his hand in front of his face for a dramatic effect.

"Did you need something?" Ira asked, trying to continue the conversation.

"Are you in a chatty mood?" Elijah's eyes were filled with a certain curiosity that sent a chill down Ira's spine.

She raised an eyebrow, wondering if she should indulge Elijah's antics.

"Depends on the topic." She answered, suspiciously.

"Why didn't you-"

Ira put a hand up to silence Elijah as she shook her head.

"I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is... it's complicated." Ira clarified, before lowering her hand to her chest, nervously.

"Okay, that's fair. If I were you, though, I would have punched Brandon a long time ago." Elijah held his breath for a moment, opting to stand slightly away from Ira.

"Who?" Ira furrowed her eyebrows.

"The Commander." Elijah answered simply.

"His name is Brian. Why do you always get that wrong?" Ira chuckled.

"Because, I don't care enough about him to remember his stupid name." He said this before shrugging.

"What about Jordan?" Ira tilted her head in confusion.

Elijah pursed his lips as he attempted to recall the person mentioned. His unfocused eyes roamed the hall before settling back on Ira's form.

"Oh! She's... nice, but I'm not personally invested in her enough to remember her as well." Elijah huffed.

"Mike and Abe?" Ira frowned, a question forming in the back of her mind about how he was ever able to remember her name.

"Hm?" Elijah found himself blinking in rapid succession to recall the faces that belonged to those names.

Ira sighed and rolled her eyes before replying. "Seriously?"

The look of disbelief on Ira's face was enough to catch Elijah's attention. Just as another sigh was about to escape her lips, Elijah craned his neck to look at her, directly.

"Describe to me what they look like." He asked, seriously.

"Male. Sticks up their ass. Also, the ones I fought with earlier over drugs." Ira felt her chest tighten at the thought of them.

Elijah's expression soured.

"Remind me to call them Musty and Asshole." His face contorted into a look of disgust, as though they had just walked by him.

"So, you can just forget someone's name, just like that? Huh, a bit rude, but that seems like your style." Ira raised an eyebrow, now leaning against the wall.

"The names that I remember are of people I care about or people who have made an impact on me." Elijah's animal-like ears lowered with hesitation.

"Impact?" Ira asked, matching his level of anxiety.

"Most times negatively." Elijah's body tensed as he leaned away from Ira, disinterested.

Ira's face fell into a look of despair at the thought that she may have done a significant amount of harm. Was he talking about their fight from earlier? She wasn't sure how to continue the conversation or how to approach another apology. The tightness in her chest became stronger as she allowed anxiety to wreak havoc in her mind. Noticing Ira's distress, Elijah was quick to adopt his usual flirtatious persona.

"Sometimes it's sex." Elijah jutted his elbow against her, teasingly.

Ira inhaled sharply at the sudden contact that stripped her of all her worries. Ira gently rubbed the side of her arm where Elijah had hit her before closing the distance between them.

"Shh! Don't say that so loudly!" Ira snapped, sending a hand flying over Elijah's lips. "And, don't you dare tell me about your sexual awakenings."

Ira felt a swipe of something warm against the palm of her hand.

"You are so gross. But, if you think that's enough to make me take my hand away from your mouth, you're wrong." Her voice was a deep, teasing purr as she pressed her palm more firmly into his face.

Elijah chuckled, a pleasant sound that sent a shiver of delight down Ira's spine. He lifted his arms up in surrender as Ira removed herself from him, before immediately whipping her hand on his shirt. Elijah reached out to cover her hand with his own.

"You know, dragon saliva has really good healing properties. You're wasting a fortune by painting my shirt in my own spit." Elijah teased.

"Yeah, and that tongue of yours will never dry out, I imagine." Ira rolled her eye.

She received a wink in response before the two separated.

"Uhm. Are you... feeling any better? At least from our whole thing in the breakroom?" Elijah's hands gestured wildly into the air to imply their fight from before.

"I guess. It's just been a really long day for me, longer than usual. I'll be okay." This time, Ira was sure she believed her own words.

With one eye looking at Elijah, confused and content, Ira turned to resume her stroll through the building. Elijah eventually followed as he attempted to match her own pace. Thinking back to their argument, Ira realized that she had no idea what Elijah planned to do after he had escaped. If it were even possible to pull off such a stunt, alone, she wondered where he might go that would be safe. With her eyebrows now furrowed, Ira began to worry.

"Where would you go?" Ira asked, suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Elijah stilled, giving Ira a confused glance in the process.

"If you successfully ran away earlier, where would you go?" Her eye searched Elijah's face for any clues that might tell her he'd be okay.

"I don't know. I never planned ahead." He admitted it with a sigh.

Ira nodded, understandingly.

"I'm just tired of being captive. As much as I'd appreciate crime solving, I know that I'm going to be imprisoned after this is all over. I can't go back to rotting away in a cage." Elijah's hands clenched at his sides.

Ira remained completely silent until she reached the end of the hallway. She pursed her lips and contemplated the weight of responsibility she was about to take on for herself.

"What if I helped?" Ira offered while an idea formed in the back of her mind.

"Helped?" Surprised, Elijah stopped in his tracks and almost collided with Ira's shoulder.

"I can help you escape, whether it's before or after the case is solved. I'll do it, I'll help you." Ira said with an assuming smile.

"Wouldn't that be putting you at risk?" Elijah's eyes wandered slowly across Ira's face in an attempt to discern her true intentions.

"Brian already does that to me. This time, it'll be my choice." She allowed herself to relax under Elijah's piercing gaze.

"Are you sure?" Elijah frowned as doubt took root in his mind.

His instincts told him to refuse, and continue on his own. However, Elijah didn't need to be a genius to recognize the intense resolve he saw in her eyes. It was enough for him to give in. With a smile tugging at her lips, Ira glanced around to find someplace private to talk. In that moment, only one place came to her mind.

"Come with me." She ordered while gently grabbing him by the wrist.

"Are you sure we're-"

"Jordan, bless her soul, won't mind." Ira answered with a chuckle.

Ira looked at him with a warm, welcoming expression. Elijah felt his face heat up knowing he was the object of her gaze. He averted his eyes from hers as he allowed her to drag him halfway across the building. He felt his stomach twist. Whether it was from the nostalgia of being held by Ira or the closeness that returned between them, he wasn't sure. Regardless, a very faint smile seemed to tug at the corners of Elijah's lips. Ira eventually loosened her grip around his wrist, allowing him to pull away and follow closely behind her. He let himself be led to Jordan's office, where the pair settled on the couch. As Ira locked the door behind them, Elijah pressed himself deeper into the soft cushions.

"So, detective, enlighten me." Elijah smirked at Ira's eye roll at the nickname.

"Alright, I'll try if I remember correctly. Working here has been like a fever dream for me." Ira sighed, leaning into the couch for support.

"So, most of the dead zones are where we hold people for questioning or arrest." The places that aren't dead zones include the breakroom, which you figured out, offices, and our work areas." Ira began, gesturing to the space around them. "The entrances, exits, windows, and hallways are warded to protect, and alarm us if anything dangerous is getting in or out. So, if you tried walking out as you are now, the ankle brace would trigger an alarm."

"So, how am I going to get out?" Elijah's lips twisted into a frown at the complexity of everything.

"Well, they disable the wards for certain cases, especially if new evidence is being taken in. Certain evidence they gather needs to retain its magical properties to be used as evidence. We could use that short window of time for your escape. But, we need to figure out how to remove your ankle bracelet." Her gaze flickered down to his leg.

"What happens if I don't make it in time? Would I turn back into my favored form?" Elijah's animal-like ears flickered in distress.

"I don't know...Which means we'll have to be quick about it, and I have to figure out when and where they're bringing stuff in." Ira barely managed to hold back a sigh, knowing all too well that she'd been doing too much of that.

"And, how to remove this," Elijah shook his one leg for emphasis, "in the process."

"Right. We'll have to steal a set of keys from any of the officers working here. In the meantime, we need to work on getting you to shape shift." Ira crossed her arms as she settled comfortably onto the couch.

Her knees gently grazed Elijah's thighs in the process. As a result, heat rose from his legs and to his face. His eyes drifted to stare at where their bodies were making contact.

"That might prove to be... difficult." Elijah managed to confess despite a lump that suddenly lodged itself in his throat.

"Oh, why?" Ira tilted her head, curiously.

"I never learned how to regulate my emotions, and I shapeshift in reaction to how I feel at a certain moment. Most of the time, when I changed forms, I was dangerous and large only because I was angry. Maybe even scared? It's become like a reflex now, and I-" Elijah trembled.

"Okay, okay, I think I understand." She sat up straight. "If your emotions dictate your ability to shape shift, you're going to have to learn how to control your emotions. No shortcuts."

"What would a shortcut even look like?"

"Hm, like, eating your favorite snack to stay happy, for example." Ira let her words sink in as she moved her legs away.

"Oh, I see". Elijah nodded.

"What if you ran out of that snack? What then?"

"I'd be slightly upset?"

"Yes, and that could ruin your ability to change forms. You'd suddenly be annoyed or angry, and become huge."

"You make a valid point." Elijah agreed.

It took everything in Ira's power to retort that she almost always had a valid point.

"So, we'll have to find a way to keep your emotions in check. I don't know how much luck we'll have since I can't seem to keep mine in check either." Ira looked away in shame for a moment.

"What happens if I can't learn in time? I... I haven't-" Elijah chewed on the bottom of his lips.

"Hey, it's okay if you can't. It's a skill that people spend many years in therapy trying to learn... I should know."

Elijah felt his shoulders relax a bit at Ira's assurances.

"I could brush up on my sigils and glyphs. You could help me make a potion of polymorph for you, I have the components but not the raw magic for it." Ira said, pushing herself off the couch to stand up.

"You still study magic?" Elijah could see the shock on Ira's face at his sudden question.

"Oh... uh...A bit, it's not really helpful when there are people who can-"

"Can you show me?" Elijah struggled to hide his excitement.

"Sure."

Elijah watched with an amused expression as Ira raided Jordan's desk. From there, she produced a quill and paper to present to Elijah. Carefully, she began drawing the sigils onto the paper as Elijah watched with wide eyes. In a matter of seconds, Jordan's desk gleamed with an assortment of tiny illusionary fireworks, a silent, but colorful show of what Ira could do.

"That's beautiful." Elijah felt himself become hypnotized by the display.

"It's not as impressive as you think." Ira frowned.

"It's a dying art, it's impressive you're learning it to keep it alive." Elijah watched the illusion more closely. "Can it make sounds?"

"That's a bit harder. I haven't studied that far yet. All of my illusions are silent for the most part." Ira didn't feel like admitting she'd been slacking on studying her sigils and glyphs.

"Can you make one on a larger scale?" He turned his attention to Ira.

"Fireworks?"

"No, illusions."

"I could try, why do you ask?"

"I have an idea. If I work on shapeshifting, you need to work on learning how to add sound and smell to your illusions."

"Smell?" Ira raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Fire." Elijah said, rising from the couch.

"Fire?!" Ira half-shouted.

"Yes, that's the word I just said."

"Smart ass." Ira rolled her eye. "Mind telling me why?"

"I'll tell you my idea tomorrow, okay?"

"Fine. So, it's a deal then?"

"Deal." He agreed.

Ira looked wary but extended a hand for Elijah to shake. A calloused hand slowly wrapped around her own as she tightened her grip.

"That's quite a grip you have." Elijah said, refusing to let go.

"If you behave, maybe I'll let you go out of my sight." Ira sneered.

"I'll be on my best behavior, ma'am."

"Good choice." Ira smiled with obvious mischief. "Good behavior gets rewarded after all. And the reward is your freedom."

"All the more reason for me to behave." He said with a wink.

"When did you want to try and execute the plan anyway?"

"You mean, when did I want to escape?"

"Honestly, whenever an opportunity presents itself."

"Okay. Whenever you feel ready," Ira paused to break the handshake and place a hand on Elijah's shoulder, "let me know. My part isn't nearly as hard as yours. And, don't you dare say anything about what else of yours can get hard."

"I would never." He joked.

Ira rolled an eye at the obvious lie. "How early should we meet tomorrow?"

"You can come here as early as you want, but I'm only allowed out of my room once the sun rises." Elijah shrugged, falling back onto the couch.

"Which room is your room, by the way?" She turned to her 'friend' questioningly with furrowed eyebrows.

"The one we first met and fought in. And, if you keep doing that with your face, you're going to get wrinkles." Elijah tapped his forehead for emphasis.

Ira offered an eye roll, but relaxed her face before continuing, "They turned that into a bedroom? That's weird... We have actual jail cells with beds, why aren't they using those?"

"Based on the eavesdropping I did, they want to reserve those cells for suspects. I'm not technically one, so they handed me a pillow and a blanket and called it a day." Elijah laid back onto the couch, making sure to kick off his shoes before placing his feet on the cushions.

"That's all you have?"

"Yes, besides the clothes I borrowed with your help."

"No wonder you wanted to escape." Ira furrowed her eyebrow, recalling the unsavory events from earlier. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"I didn't have it in me to trust you."

"Do you trust me now?"

"I'm trying to." He sheepishly said.

Ira smiled warmly at Elijah.

"Me too."

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

He nodded as Ira departed. Outside of the office, Ira looked around the lab quickly, checking to see if Jordan would notice her strange demeanor. Her friend probably would, given how perceptive she was. 'Better be quick', Ira thought to herself as she mentally went over the amount of money she had saved. Now standing in front of her desk, she made a small list of what she'd need to get.

Tucked away in a secret compartment of her desk, Ira slipped out a small bag of coins she used only for emergencies. She quickly counted the amount she had, deciding if it'll be enough to pay for a carriage ride and a trip to the store. It would probably be enough, Ira thought. Eventually, after a short ride, Ira walked into the store. Her eye took in the racks of clothing with interest. Elijah had mentioned he didn't have many clothes, and he seemed disappointed about it, so Ira was going to amend that.

Ira glanced at her shopping list, which contained items such as a bedroll, daytime clothing, and nighttime wear. She also took into consideration that he probably lacked basic necessities such as soap, and shampoo, which she would need to buy. 'I'll get him the basics for now, so he at least has something', Ira thought as she searched through the articles of clothing. She wanted to be sure that she'd get him something in his size, but it was hard to tell since he wasn't there to try it on. Thankfully, Ira had a good enough memory of Elijah's body from the many times he ended up being pinned beneath her.