ILLUSION || Jason Todd

TEN

❝WHO HURT YOU AND MADE YOU SO GUARDED?❞

FRAWLEY, HARD BOY

Once Dick had left the room shortly after entering - it seemed Rachel was wanting isolation from everyone - and was quickly interrupted with his conversation with a sister by the sound of his car whisking away. It did not take a genius to figure out Kory had stolen his precious Porsche and the former Robin was quick to run after his vehicle after promises from Lorelei to stay with Rachel. It was a no-brainer that Lorelei would remain with Rachel. She was not the one who wrote a letter saying she was leaving and to take care of Rachel. It was harsh but it was the truth, even with his intentions of coming back.

He had made a mistake, he realises that now, which was better than nothing, Lorelei supposed. Especially when she grilled him about what Bruce and Alfred would have thought; the blonde mage knew his relationship with Buce was rocky, hence the mention of Alfred and suddenly he knew, in that very moment, he fucked up. If Alfred wasn't there to kick Dick's ass then Lorelei would most certainly bring up the butler to get her point across. It worked.

With Dick having to leave and fetch his precious car, Lorelei walked back into the room. She had no intentions of staying long but, given the past, Lorelei wanted to make sure Rachel was aware that Dick had, for now, left the premises. It was nothing but a kind gesture to ensure Rachel simply knew and had no unwanted surprises like the letter.

The purple haired girl turned her head to Lorelei as the door closed, giving a soft smile to the older girl. "I won't stay long, I just wanted to let you know Kory has taken Dick's car." She said, coming to sit next to Rachel. The wooden seats were uncomfortable, that was the first thing Lorelei noticed as she hit the seat, but regardless, it didn't stop the sigh from escaping her lips as her entire body relaxed for the first time in a good few days. "He's chasing after her, they'll both be back soon."

Rachel nodded at Lorelei's words, keeping herself quiet as Lorelei scanned the girl's face, looking for any inkling of distress. "I have to tell you something, Rachel." Lorelei said, her voice quiet as her eyes darted to the doors before locking eye contact with Rachel, who remained silent but attentive. "I know you trust this place but I have this feeling. I just- we need to stay careful, okay? There's only so many strangers we can trust."

"The sisters aren't strangers, they took care of me and my mother." Rachel argued, her voice just as soft and quiet as Lorelei. The young mage pursed her lips, trying to wrap her brain around a soft way to say her next sentence.

"But you don't know them now, people change." Lorelei said, earning a slow nod from Rachel. The violet eyed girl could only hope that the younger girl understood her words and that they were said out of concern and care.

Rachel kept her glance on Lorelei, who was still studying the younger girl, still waiting to see if she were to snap - to lose control of her abilities. But it didn't come. She just stayed there, still, almost studying Lorelei herself. "There's something else, isn't there?" Rachel asked after accidentally brushing against the young mage's leg.

The question took the ice blonde mage by surprise, as she sat blinking a few times. Not many people could read Lorelei so easily, people didn't get close to Lorelei, not really, not fully. Not even in Centia; that was mostly because of her status in society, coming from an important family of old heritage that was well known and respected in the realm had its isolations, homeschooling being one of its "perks".

Lorelei gave a small, shy smile at her question. "How did you know?" She pondered out loud, truly curious as to how Rachel knew. Rachel was smart, no doubt about that, the girl had somehow survived multiple kidnappings and murder attempts. Sure, she had her abilities but Lorelei knew from firsthand experience that having abilities only takes you so far, a lot of the time survival took skill.