Idle chatter from students fill the training room as they exit the class. Crowley sees the students off, making sure he's counted everyone out of the room. Once the coast is clear, he casually makes his way around the area, cleaning up supplies to put away himself. Today, he refused to have his students do the clean-up, which confused them a bit, but they didn't question him.

Crowley enters the storage room, tossing supplies aside in a disorganized fashion. His aim wasn't to clean up just because he just needed a moment of privacy in a room he knows there are no cameras. He pulls out a phone that is not one he uses personally all the time. He turns it on and waits for it to activate.

He finds a contact under library and calls it, waiting for a response. He lets it ring three times until he hears the click of a response.

"I'm turning in a book today. I'll be a little past business hours, will that be okay?" Crowley asks the person on the other end. 

"Just fine. Drop it off at our usual drop-box, and I will make sure to check it in." The woman speaks out as Crowley speaks in code. 

"Great, thanks a lot." Crowley hangs up and shuts down the cellphone again before tucking it away. He makes his way out of the storage room, and he goes back to pretending to clean up. He only ends up tossing everything in the storage room once he finishes what he actually meant to do. His day continues on as normal.

                                                                 ~0~

Karina Wood hangs up her phone as the line disconnects. She lets out a breath, adjusting her glasses and tucks the phone away.

"Karina, was that a personal call?" The head librarian, Ms. Lady questions the young woman.

"No! It was someone I knew who wanted to drop off a book, but it would be after business hours, and I just reminded them of the drop-box. Anyway, I'll get back to putting books away! Excuse me, Ms. Lady!" Karina goes to the book cart and starts to push it towards the book shelves. Ms. Lady looks at her curiously, but lets it go as the phone goes off.

Karina walks down the aisles, putting away books as she thinks about the call she just received. She knows she can't ask questions, but at least she knows the person who called is a trusted source that has brought in goblins and ghouls more than once to get them out of Artemia or if they needed a place to stay as cases of discrimination have increased and the threat of expulsion is ever looming.

Her day goes on as usual. She finally gets a chance to have her lunch break. She clocks out as usual and makes her way up to the second floor of the library where they have a cafe. She goes to the fridge to grab some snacks and some bottled water, getting in line to pay, and then heading back down towards the employee exit to eat at the tables outside of the library yard.

Karina finds an empty table, then sits down and pulls out her personal phone. She dials the number of her safehouse and waits for it to ring three times before she hangs up and calls again. On the second ring, there is a response to the phone.

"Karina, what is it? Is everything okay?" A woman's voice responds. 

"Juliette, good it's you. Yes, everything is okay. I just wanted to give you a heads up to warn the ladies not to come out of your rooms this evening. We are going to get a new arrival, but I would rather the person bringing in the goblin or ghoul not see you all. He will immediately figure out you are all human. So, it's best if you all hide in your rooms for about an hour after I get back from work." Karina explains to Juliette. The human woman makes a sound of approval.

"I will update everyone. We will see you later to get into the final phase of the plan now that I'll be starting work tomorrow." Juliette reminds her.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that. We will discuss things further once I get back. I don't want to get too much into it while I'm here at the library. Take care now." Karina hangs up after Juliette's response and finishes up her lunch.

                                                                              ~0~

"Hello? Earth to Lori!" Mary waves her hand in front of Lori's face as her eyes are cast off to the side as she seems lost in thought. The wave of her hand doesn't seem to do anything to get her attention. She clicks her tongue and knows the one thing that always gets her attention, even if she doesn't like it. "Lorisandre Imogen Dragul, this is your grandmother speaking!" Mary tries to mimic the voice of an old lady.

"Mary!" Lori yells out at her, turning bright red. "Don't use my full name! You know I hate it!" She huffs as Mary starts to laugh as she is brought back to reality. Lori continues to pout as she playfully smacks at Mary, who tries to calm down.

"Well, it brought you back to earth. I've been trying to tell you that we can take a break from studying and get some lunch. But, it looks like you've got a lot on your mind. What's up?" Mary asks her as she closes up her study packet for the Branching Exams. Lori realizes that Mary is the only one who is unaware of the crime she, along with Dean, Diana, and Chelsea, has committed. Lori has been trying to figure out if Mary should also be brought into this.

"Oh gosh, Mary... so much has been happening. I don't even know where to start. Yet, I'm scared to bring you into this and get you into trouble, too." Lori drops her head on the desk, really feeling conflicted. 

"Lori... what are you saying? You're worrying me here. Dean was weird too when I called him yesterday. Actually, he had your phone, so I really need to know what is happening. I thought there were no secrets between all of us." Mary puts a gentle hand to Lori's arm. Lori sighs heavily before sitting up to look into Mary's hazel eyes.

Lori nods as she realizes this promise as well. She takes a deep breath and explains the whole situation to Mary. Mary only listens to the story, her expression showing her growing shock and concern of the situation. She is also a bit upset that Diana was the first person Dean turned to when facing this situation.

"Why am I not surprised that Dean put us all in this kind of situation? I need to go see him!" Mary stands up, but Lori grabs her hand.

"That's impossible right now. His parents won't let anyone see him. I tried to go yesterday, but his dad pretty much told me to leave. He's suspicious of me about the woman we helped out. I'm sure Dean put the blame on himself, which is why he is getting the brunt of it. I did sneak in to talk to him, though, after Lady Caroline went to see him. There's a barrier preventing him from leaving. I know what it is, but I don't have a way to break it. Maybe... there is someone I can ask." Lori lets Mary go as she looks at her.

"I can't believe Dean didn't tell me that. He just made it sound like he was grounded and he would come today. Looks like that won't be possible. Considering what you've told me, it looks like his family hasn't turned him in. They probably want to cover up a scandal if the son of the headmaster of Acacia Academy goes to prison." Mary frowns, hurt obvious in her voice at being kept from all of this after it's all happened.

"Don't be mad, Mary. I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, but it's bad enough that we are all involved. I'd feel bad involving you, too, and getting you into trouble. I'm sure Dean thought it, too... since it's just you and your mom, she would be devastated and all alone if we got caught and all of us ended up in prison." Lori assures Mary that there was no malicious intent in leaving her out of all of this. Now she's in it, but hasn't done anything directly to get into too much trouble.

"Right... Right, I see that now. Well, I'm in this now! You're all my friends and I've got your backs too! We can find a way to break the barrier and bust Dean out if need be." Mary says, determined. Lori smiles up at her friend and nods.

"I've been trying to figure out what to do about that barrier. I haven't had a chance to meet up with Diana to talk about how Chelsea took the news or to update her on what I'm doing for Dean. She's been busy, too, probably taking care of Hannah by herself." Lori sighs as she stands up as well. 

"Well, I think finding a way to free Dean is the most important. Where can we investigate this? Probably only something advanced or elite students have access to, unlike us." Mary mentions. She looks at Lori's expression change from figuring something out to suddenly blushing brightly. Mary knows that expression all too well. She is thinking about Crowley.

"Lori, why are you thinking about Professor Crowley at a time like this?" Mary asks the red head. She jumps at being caught so easily and fans her flushed face with her hand.

"It's not like that! Well... not entirely, but I think I can probably ask him for help. Diana seems to have developed a good relationship with him, and he has been super helpful, according to her. Maybe he can help us find a way to get Dean out." Lori suggests to Mary. She arches an eyebrow as this piece of information is new to her.

"Wow... are you sure she's not trying to steal him from you, too?" Mary snaps a little as Diana is brought up again.

"Of course not! It's obvious to my eyes that Diana is not interested in Crowley... romantically. I mean, they talk well with each other, but it's not like that. Now isn't - " The young women stop talking as there is a harsh knock at Lori's door. Lori slowly makes her way to the door.

"Yes?" She calls out cautiously as she looks to her closet where she stores away her magic wand when she doesn't use it.

"Open up immediately. This is Captain Brown of Flat-Topped Acacia." The duo look at each other nervously. They were not expecting a visit from Flat-Topped Acacia already. Lori does her best to calm down and opens the door.

"Oh, pardon me. I didn't realize this was your room, Miss Dragul." Captain Brown and the officers with him put their hands over their hearts and bowed their heads. Lori tries not to cringe at the act. She is startled as she notices Kiara Pancheri. Kiara's yellow eyes widen slightly as she recognizes Lori's scent from the hospital.

"Um... is there a problem?" Lori asks as she tries to remain calm as she looks back at Captain Brown. He looks back down at the young woman and nods.

"I'm afraid there is an escaped fugitive on the loose, and we have on good authority that they could be hiding at the academy somewhere. We are investigating all the dormitories and making sure there are no outsiders. Is someone with you?" Captain Brown looks past Lori into her room.

"That's bad. Yes, there is. My classmate and friend, Mary Hale. She's studying for the Branching Exams with me." Lori moves slightly so Mary can show herself. Mary does so and salutes the officers respectfully.

"Yes, sir. I'm here as well." The officers with their trained eyes determine that she is human and nod. 

"I see, thank you. Now, have any of you seen anything suspicious? Have any of your neighbors acted suspiciously?" Captain Brown asks, his gaze being cast to the door next to Lori's where Diana is at after confronting her outside of the dorms. 

"No, I don't think so. It's been pretty quiet, just the usual ins and outs of the girls that go to their clubs and extracurricular activities on the weekends. I'm sorry we aren't much help. We've been in here all this time. We were actually just going to step out for some lunch. Now I'm worried about this fugitive." Mary lies smoothly as Lori is starting to show some nervous tics. She's not sure why the panic.

"There's no need to worry. They are an ordinary human, so all the soldiers in training here should be fine." Captain Brown assures the young women. Mary nods and steps closer to try and ease Lori with a gentle hand to her back. "Officer Pancheri, anything?" Captain Brown looks back at the wolf shifter. Her hands are behind her back as she stands up straight. Lori's heart feels like it sinks to her stomach as she looks at the woman from before.

"No, sir. There are no suspicious scents here." Kiara informs him, her face free of emotion. Captain Brown clicks his tongue but keeps his cool in front of a Dragul. 

"Well, if you'll excuse us, Miss Dragul and Miss Hale." They all bow their heads and move on. Lori sees them off politely before she closes her door with shaky hands. She drops to her knees in front of her closed door. Mary jumps and is quickly at Lori's side.

"Lori?!" She puts her arm around the trembling girl as she takes calming breaths.

"That woman... she was a wolf shifter and well..." Lori lets out another shaky breath as she explains to Mary the situation that happened at the hospital. "She let Dean and I go before, so I was worried she wouldn't let it go a second time. Yet... she continued to cover for us even now. That's a relief." Lori leans on Mary to take comfort in her friend. 

"Oh... I'm so glad I didn't know that information before then. Looks like that woman is on our side. She's against the injustice that Dean always talks about." Mary smiles a little as she thinks of him. Lori nods and then stands up, pressing her ear against the door. "Lori?"

"I'm listening to see if Diana's room is next. They're probably going to inspect her room." Mary goes to stand next to Lori, and they both press their ears against the door. 

Diana sighs as the fierce knocks she heard from Lori's room next door now knock on hers. She readies herself for yet another confrontation with Captain Brown as she gets up and goes to open the door.

"Didn't we just finish speaking? I think this might be called harassment at this point." Diana greets him with a snide comment. Captain Brown glares at her with obvious disdain. 

"We are still conducting an investigation and are looking into everyone's rooms. We have reason to believe the fugitive is in this academy." Diana rolls her eyes and steps back, making a mocking "enter" gesture.

"Go ahead, look to your heart's content. It's only me here." Captain Brown motions for Kiara to take Diana up on her offer. The woman nods and steps into the room, sniffing around. She obviously can smell Hannah all over the room. Diana has been trying to mask it with air freshener, but her wolf nose catches onto the scent underneath the floral air freshener. 

"Nothing here either, sir." Diana smiles a bit smugly at Captain Brown, knowing that it irritates him. Yet he is keeping his cool in front of his subordinates. Kiara steps out of the room and takes her spot again behind Captain Brown. 

"Well, thanks for the visit. I'll see you around." Diana waves at Captain Brown, but the last sentence is directly spoken to Kiara. She slightly nods her head before Captain Brown orders everyone to continue on their search. Diana closes the door and lets out a breath as she presses her back against the door.

"Looks like that woman is definitely on our side. She hasn't given us away." Diana goes to the wall that is connected to Lori and starts to knock in Dragon's Code. A series of taps to communicate with other soldiers that was created by the Dragul family. Diana taps out to Lori to call her and reminds her of her number if she has a way to call her now.

Lori looks to the door and then looks to Mary. She sighs and hands her phone over so Lori can dial Diana so they can speak properly. The phone rings, and Diana quickly picks up once the call comes through.

"You good, Diana? Did things go alright? Mary is here with me. She knows everything now." Lori explains to Diana as she puts the phone on speaker. Mary and her sit away from the door to a safe corner of her dorm.

Diana also moves away to a far away spot and sits on the floor. "Got it. Yeah, I'm alright. Thankfully, the wolf shifter officer didn't give us up. Even though I'm positive, she recognizes us due to our scents. You said you ran into her with Dean when you were escaping the hospital, right?" Lori makes a sound of approval.

"Well, I suppose that is a good thing. We are in the clear until Dean's family becomes involved. As we both know, he is putting everything on himself, but I'm sure his family suspects us. I got that sense when I briefly spoke with his dad. I did my best to pretend not to know what he was talking about. He didn't believe me but didn't say so." Lori responds.

"Oh gosh, did you find anything to help Dean out?" Diana asks her.

"Nothing I would have access to. I was thinking this is something we could ask help from Professor Crowley. He is on our side, right?" Lori asks as she puts a hand to her racing heart.

"Yes, he's on our side. I didn't get a chance to tell you the huge favor he did for us. He helped Hannah get to a safe place, so she's not in the academy anymore. We got her out, so Flat-Topped Acacia officers and that jerk of a Captain will not find any signs of her. Though... I think I've already asked way too much from him with this." Diana brings up to her.

"Wow, then he's an accomplice too. Um, maybe I can try and ask for the favor. He might help out since we're friends and allies." Lori suggests. Also, the idea of talking to Crowley again has her all flustered. Mary smiles a little and shakes her head. 

"You can try. I don't think he will say no if you ask him at the right time." Diana encourages Lori.

"Alright, I'll do that. We were going to head out for lunch anyway, so that should be a good opportunity. Wanna come, Diana?"

"I'd love to, but I think for now I should stay put in the room. I'm pretty sure right now Captain Brown is gonna keep an eye on anything suspicious that I do while he's here. I'll order in something. You two go ahead and meet with Professor Crowley so we can help Dean out." 

"Okay, I'll call you later. This is Mary's number. I still don't have a new phone. Let me know if Dean calls you. Let him know we are working on finding a way to free him." 

"Will do. See you!" The women hang up. Lori gives Mary her phone back, and then the two of them grab their wallets before they head out of the dorm. They try to be casual as they walk past the officers who are still checking in on all the people who are in their rooms. 

Both of them make it out undisturbed as they walk into the academy. "Where do you think we will find him? It feels a lot hard to find Professor Crowley since he doesn't have a set military faction." Mary mentions as they walk on. Lori blushes a little. 

"He's probably at the Acacia Mearnsii buildings since they don't really get days off anymore. Ah, geez, I know where he is!" Lori admits to Mary. She tries not to laugh as she motions for Lori to lead the way. She pouts and leads the way to the Serpent building. The two of them walk in, seeing very few students going in and out.

"He might be too busy to see us, though. It's worth the risk, though." Lori convinces herself as they roam around the hallways. They look in fairly empty classrooms for any sign of Crowley.

"How about we try the lower floors. Maybe they have combat practice today." Lori nods in agreement with Mary, and they make their way down the stairs to check in there. 

The two of them slow down as they hear voices coming from the gymnasium. They go to the open doorway and look in to find two women fighting full force with their magically enhanced armor. The two young women look on in amazement at the sight of real soldiers fighting so amazingly.

Their clashes against their armor sound so heavy, but the women move as if they were lightweight. A loud buzzer goes off, and the women immediately jump back and catch two enchanted machetes tossed to them safely by Crowley. Mary and Lori listen to him describe the scenario the two women are in as they each pretend each other is a vampire, but also the human soldier that they are supposed to be. 

"Wait, he's not seriously making them fight with those actual machetes, right?" Mary questions in concern.

"It's fine. When it's enchanted, it doesn't hurt humans. It only affects the vampires. The incantation for such a suggestion is on the blade itself." Lori points out to the spell that glows each time the two machetes hit each other. Mary nods impressed, and they continue to watch in silence for a bit.

"So, this is the kind of skill the elite possesses. I... I really have to try and catch up to that." Mary thinks to herself as she realizes in person what taking the Branching Exams means. She clenches her hands, forgetting to pay attention to the fight.

"Mary!" The young woman is startled as Lori grabs the back of her head and pulls her down to the ground with her. Both of them shield their heads from a flying machete. The machete clatters a few feet away from them. They were protected by a barrier that appeared in front of them and quickly dissolved. 

"What are you two doing in here?" The pair look up at Crowley, who had protected them. They both stand up and put their hands over their hearts and bow their heads apologetically.

"Sorry for interrupting your class. We'll get out of the way until your class is over." Lori grabs Mary's arm and the two of them back away into the hallway. Away from sight.

"That woman..." Crowley's gaze focuses on Mary before she disappears around the corner with Lori.

"Professor, everything alright?" One of the women that was fighting questions him as she picked up the machete that was flung out of her hand by her opponent.

"Fine, alright, let's get back to it." Crowley goes back over to the students to continue their training for the remainder of the hour.

Lori and Mary sit and quietly talk to each other as they wait for the class to be dismissed. The both of them watch the students exit and get up from the floor, dusting off their bottoms just in case.

"You two are still here." Crowley is the last person to come out as he looks to where the two of them stand.

"If this wasn't important, we wouldn't have stuck around. We are not advanced enough to know how to break a blood seal barrier. Our friend is put behind one at his home, and it's unjust." Lori says as she calms her heart. She must take this seriously if they want to help Dean get out if things get worse.

"Only the caster can break it." Crowley immediately dismisses it. Not really caring to deal with something like that while he has to prepare for tonight.

"That can't be the only way." Lori clenches her hands. "Please, Professor Crowley. Our friend did a good deed and is now being punished for it. Diana says we should trust you, so that's why we came here." She looks up at him pleadingly.

"Alright, follow me." Crowley walks back into the gym, changing his attitude once Lori brings up Diana. The two of them follow him to get an explanation of how to help Dean out of the barrier.

"Whoa! What the?! Hey!" Mary bumps into an invisible wall. She tries to turn around and finds she's surrounded by the invisible wall. She looks to Lori, but she can't hear what she's saying.

"Professor Crowley?! Why did you -"

"I'm not the best verbal guide. So it's better to show it instead. You're a Dragul, so you must be a pretty high-level student." Crowley mentions as he touches the barrier to let Mary know what they are doing since it's the only way she can hear him.

"Um, yeah... but I'm only GCW." Lori admits to him.

"Huh, looks like nepotism wasn't at play here." Crowley moves his hand away after finishing his explanation to Mary. That ends up bringing up Lori's fiery spirit.

"I earned my way up to GCW all on my own! I don't need the Dragul influence to show how awesome I am. I will be a damn good member of Koa Acacia all on my own." Lori says loudly to him.

"Good, you've relaxed. Let's get to breaking my blood seal barrier." Lori is surprised that he was actually trying to calm her down. She smiles and nods, looking forward to being able to work closely with Crowely.

"Alright, do you know how the magic for a blood seal works?" Lori shakes her head. "Okay, so as the name suggests, the barrier requires blood from the user. Depending on the strength you want, then the amount of blood is important. I only needed a few drops of my blood to get that around your friend. Generally, you can use the same type of spells or tools to break this barrier. The magic input will just differ."

"I see. Then what will break this barrier?" Lori asks him. Waiting for him to show her.

"If you know the signature of the caster, that's the easiest way to break it. You just use your own blood for it. However, I can assume you don't have that information as all spell casters keep their signature a secret. So next are tools. Koa Acacia has-"

"Oh! I think I know where this is going! Koa Acacia has literal cutting tools that break through barriers." Lori says proudly of herself.

"Yes, that's true. Unfortunately, a tool hasn't been successfully made that can cut through these barriers." Lori pouts a little thinking she had the answer. Mary knocks on the barrier, wondering what is taking so long.

"Okay, so tools?"

"Think about it, Lady Dra-"

"Lori! My name is Lori, and Lady Dragul is my granny." Lori corrects him as she blushes a bit. 

"Alright, think about it, Lori-." Her face turns bright red as he calls out her name. "This barrier is made of blood. There are some major elements that affect blood, like iron and oxygen." Lori gasps as she immediately catches on to what Crowley is suggesting. "So?"

"I have to weaken the barrier by removing either access to oxygen or iron. I know the tools for those and spells that can help!" Lori then pouts. "Yet I have access to none of those now. I can't believe it is something that simple." Crowley walks up to the barrier and cuts his finger to undo his own barrier.

"Finally!" Mary complains as she's finally free.

"Remember, the amount of blood and the magic input matters to the strength of it. That's why this barrier is attained at an Acacia Mearnsii level. If you break it at your level, you'd just drain yourself of your magic. So, depending on the strength, you could need two to three people to break the barrier. Or... if you had a monster adept at magic, they could shatter it without any effort at all." Crowley tells them. Mary and Lori look at each other, surprised.

"It makes sense... Monsters have had access to magic their entire existence. Magic to humans is nothing compared to them. Even a thousand years is not enough compared to monsters and their magic. They've had it since before humans had their era as a dominating species." Lori adds in as Mary settles down from being trapped in a barrier for fifteen minutes.

"You two had better go now. I still have a couple more classes to tend to. I hope this helped you out." Crowley goes back to set up the weapons his other students used. 

"Thank you for your help, Professor Crowley." Lori and Mary put their hands over their hearts and bowed their heads before heading out. 

"Whoa!" Mary catches Lori as she collapses on her dramatically. The two of them had made it out of the Serpent building as she does this. "Lori?!"

"Oh my gosh, this was the longest I had ever interacted with Crowley. I kept it so together!" Lori rests her cheek on Mary's chest. Mary can't help but roll her eyes, but is happy for her friend and her experience.

"That's great, Lori. Did you get answers on how to free Dean? I couldn't hear anything in the barrier unless Professor Crowley touched it." Mary brings Lori back to the present.

"Oh, right! Yeah, but... we're gonna need two to three people. Or a monster that has awesome use with their magic. Or we get access to a magic tool that can deprive the barrier of the blood's oxygen or iron. Hmm... I think I might be able to get something from the smithing rooms." Lori assures Mary. She nods her head and motions her along. "Now?!"

"It's now or never! We don't know what Dean's dad will decide to do with him later!" Mary reminds Lori. She realizes this as well, and they quickly make their way over towards the Golden Curls Weeping Willow building.

                                                                            ~0~

"Dean! Oh, my sweet boy!" Dean lifts his head up from his bed and looks over at his mother. He sits up as she rushes over and hugs his head to where her neck is and runs her red nail polished fingers through his messy blond hair. The young man wraps his arms around her waist.

"Your father is being unreasonable. I don't know what's going on, but this is ridiculous. Your father should not be keeping you -"

"Mom... I'm lonely." Dean interrupts her as he wants to stop talking about being under house arrest. He just misses the constant company of his friends and the students at Acacia Academy. He misses seeing Diana after being in constant contact with her for days. After coming to terms with his feelings for her, he feels a bit anxious being away from it all.

"Oh, sweetie. Mommy's here, I'm so sorry. You must miss your friends dearly. I've noticed they've tried to call you quite a few times." His mother gently strokes his hair, just as she always did when he was a child and would tell her how he felt lonely. She was always glad that he would confide in her his honest feelings. "Won't you tell me about how things have been going at school?"

"It's so fun being with Chelsea, Mary, Lori, and Diana." Dean mentions softly to her. 

"Diana? Is this a new friend I haven't met?" His mother asks him as she moves to gently stroke his cheek. She feels it warm up.

"Yeah, she's a friend I met on the first day of school. We really hit it off, and she has been a huge help to me as I learn to be a better student. Mom, I really like her. A lot..." Dean smiles a little.

"That's wonderful!" His mother exclaims happily as she feels the smile reaching his eyes. She kisses the top of his head. "Now I really want to meet this Diana!"

"You'd like her too, Mom. I'm looking forward to it." Dean lifts his head up to meet his mother's dark blue eyes. She smiles lovingly at her son and cups his cheek. 

"I'm looking forward to it as well. I'm going to speak to your father again and get him to let you out. I miss having lunch with the whole family together. Please give me a moment, sweetie." Dean nods his head. He just can't help but be spoiled by his loving mother. 

"Thanks, mom. I love you." 

"I love you too, Dean. I'll be back!" She assures him in that bright say that Dean assures other people. She kisses his forehead before getting up and leaving Dean alone again. She makes her way upstairs with a determined look in her gaze.

"Chandler! Chandler, we need to talk!" She makes her way over to Chandler's study as he is working from home. She doesn't knock as she catches him in the middle of a meeting. 

"Rosemary, I am in a meeting -" Chandler mutes his microphone and turns off his camera.

"I don't care! Chandler, this is absolutely not okay! Get Dean out of there right this moment! I want to have lunch with my son! I will not leave here until I understand what is going on!" Rosemary yells at her husband. her arms firmly at her side as her light brows remain furrowed.

Chandler sighs and excuses himself from the meeting as he closes the laptop. Rosemary stomps up to his desk as he looks up at her lovely face adorned with a frown.

"Rosie, my love, please understand that I am showing him that his actions have consequences. This is a matter that is official, so I can't speak about it in great detail. Just know I am handling it." Chandler explains to her. Rosemary is not having it. 

"Chandler, take Dean out of the basement right now." She says in a warning tone. Chandler realizes that his wife is going to keep insisting until Dean is out of there. He also doesn't want to break her heart by telling her that Dean is at risk of being arrested for breaking out the goblin bride. 

"Alright, he can come out for lunch. He is not allowed out of the house until the issue at hand is resolved." Chandler stands up from his desk and motions out his wife to lead the way back down. They reach the basement entrance, and Chandler pulls up a clear nail the size of his index finger and presses the pointed tip on the barrier. It absorbs the iron and oxygen on the barrier to become a rust color. The barrier is broken as Rosemary rushes back down to go get Dean.

Rosemary heads up the stairs with Dean in tow. "Come, come along, my dear boy." Dean doesn't acknowledge his father as Rosemary takes him by the hand towards the kitchen. Chandler shakes his head and goes back to his study to finish up his meeting. 

"Let's have some lunch together! I had the chef make your favorite dish." Rosemary says cheerfully as their butler pulls up seats for her and Dean. They take their seats, and Rosemary works on making Dean comfortable as he's finally back upstairs and can look outside through the windows.

"Thanks a lot for convincing Dad, Mom." Dean takes his mother's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. She returns the squeeze and smiles at him. 

"Of course, sweetie! But unfortunately, the only way you were allowed out is that you are still not allowed out of the house. You and your father need to have a proper discussion. I don't like it when the two men I adore are at odds with each other." The older woman looks at Dean pleadingly. Just to appease his mother, he nods in agreement. He is still very upset with his father, though.

"Now, let's have some lunch and further discuss this Diana that you like." Rosemary says excitedly as she wants to know about Dean's love life. Dean brightens up a bit as he nods at her. He is eager to talk about Diana with her.

"Well, she's a cute, shy woman who has opened up a lot since she became friends with us. She's really smart and skilled in battle! She's got the talent to be in the Salix Branch, so she's taking the Branching Exams. She's so kind and honest, too. I'm so glad that the others were able to also befriend her... well, almost everyone." Dean thinks about Mary, who still hasn't begun getting along as well with Diana. 

"Oh dear? Which one?" Rosemary asks, but with her woman's intuition, she can deduce which of the three girls may not be getting along with Diana.

"Um, it's Mary. Both of them are having a hard time interacting with each other without it getting awkward." Dean admits to his mother. She nods her head, seeing how correct she was about this.

"Hmm, well, I suppose sometimes it just works like that. It takes a moment for some people to get acquainted with each other. Other times, it just doesn't work out, and we just have to accept that." His mother explains to him. Dean is disappointed by the thought of that happening. 

"That would be so sad. I wouldn't want to pick sides because I care about Mary and Diana." Dean's brow furrows in concern. Rosemary smiles in understanding and gently strokes his cheek before they resume eating.

                                                                               ~0~

The Five Elite and the leaders of Artemia are all gathered in the building connected to the courthouse, which is where the leaders and Five Elite meet. Chandler Acacia also joins the group as he is also an important figurehead as he runs the military academy, preparing young people for the war with monsters.

"Alright, looks like we are all present as requested." Imogen Dragul looks down at all the members present. Her steely gaze passed over everyone as they paused on Crowley. He arches an eyebrow and tilts his head, wondering what she is going to say. Though, he has a strong idea of what she will be bringing up.

"We are gathered here today to once again decide the way this country is heading to. It is obvious that things are getting out of hand with the monsters as time goes on." Imogen puts her hand out to ensure she gets to say all that she wants to say. "We can't deny how many arrests have happened. I have all the reports of Flat-Topped Acacia provided by Captain Brown." Imogen puts down a huge pile of papers down from the table behind her. The group all looks at the reports.

"That's all well and good, Imogen, but how many of those are legitimate?" Charon Matthews speaks up. He casts his onyx colored eyes up at the old woman. Imogen meets his gaze.

"Charon, the fact that we even have this many is a show of the instability in Artemia. The monsters will turn against us as they, too, come to see all these arrests. It would be best for the humans here that they were no longer welcome. As you can see with how long Victoria, Luciana, and Xilian have withstood the test of time after keeping their walls closed to monsters." Imogen argues.

"That would go against everything the founders wanted to establish when Artemia was created. Our ancestors had family members who were married to monsters. Has your own family not claimed that they are descended from the great phoenix dragons?" Charon counters her.

"As you can see, we have all been born human. No one has seen a dragon in recorded history." She reminds him as she is beginning to grow irritated. The group in question can see that things are going to escalate between the two oldest members among them.

"Well, then I assume this is another vote to decide the fate of the monsters. My vote remains the same." Vincent mentions as he tries to get everyone to the real reason Imogen had brought them all together. 

"Yes, I suppose so. This time, you are not allowed to abstain, Crowley. You will break the tie of the vote to decide the future of Artemia." Imogen orders Crowley as he was lounging back on his seat. He fights to roll his eyes.

"And I said I would side with the majority. So, vote away and see what changes." Crowley challenges the old woman. She is ready to snap at Crowley as she snaps open her fan and starts fanning herself.

"Okay, all in favor of ejecting the monsters from Artemia raise your hand." Caroline speaks up as she is beginning to feel a headache from the arguing that she knows will go nowhere. She raises her hand along with Imogen and Vincent raise their hands. The group all freeze, and all eyes go to Sean as he tries to look calm. His hand is still down. They all seem to be waiting for him to move and make the voting as usual, an even split with Crowley never picking a side.

"All against ejecting the monsters from Artemia... raise your hand." Crowley can't hide the smile on his face as he raises his hand. Charon Matthews, Chandler Acacia, Nichole Sintek, and Sean Carson also raise their hands. The group is stunned at the sudden change of the vote that had always been an even split up until this very moment.

"What... what is the meaning of this? What changed your mind?!" Imogen turns to Sean. He is slightly startled by everyone turning to him. He gulps, unsure of what to say. Even he didn't expect to change his vote all of a sudden. It just happened before he could stop himself.

"I... I don't agree with the way things are going. I've been inside Flat-Topped Acacia prison and see that most of the monsters locked up there are not like the reports portray them. I personally haven't had bad experiences with monsters, so it's not right to send them away. I've put a lot of thought into it, and I realize that what makes Artemia so great and unique is that the founding families wanted this place to be open to them. Kicking monsters out now will absolutely leave us at a disadvantage. We are strong, but even we can't face off multiple armies from the ghouls, mummies, and vampires... not even their subspecies." Sean speaks up as he stands up to get his point across. He hoped his trembling didn't reach his voice as he spoke.

"Well, there you have it, Caroline, Lady Dragul. The monsters will remain in Artemia as they always have." Chandler speaks up as he stands next to Sean, putting a firm hand to his shoulder. Sean looks up at Chandler, his childish admiration for him coming up in his expression. He feels happy to be praised by Chandler after disappointing Caroline. "Any objections, Vincent?" 

"No, we lost fair and square. The monsters will remain." Vincent smiles to himself as he remains seated. Charon looks at his younger brother, affirming that it is best for him not to have any objections. Vincent fixes his glasses and stands up. "Well, then I suppose this adjourns our meeting. Have a good evening, everyone." 

"Fine by me. See ya." Crowley is the first to exit as he stretches his back on the way out. The rest of the group put their right hands over their hearts as they said their farewells to the three leaders. Caroline and Imogen remain speechless as the Five Elite and Chandler exit the meeting room.

"There will be no further objections now. The majority has spoken, Caroline, Imogen. The monsters will stay, and things will return to the way they were as our ancestors had wanted it." Charon speaks to the two women. Caroline clears her throat and composes herself, watching as Imogen continues to fan her flushed face. Her wrinkles become prominent with her frown.

"Very well... that is what everyone has decided then. Then, if you'll excuse me, Lady Dragul, Lord Matthews... I must prepare my orientation for a new employee for our kidnapped bride rehabilitation education coordinator." Caroline collects her things and steps out as well, leaving the two oldest members alone.

"Imogen -"

"That's enough. I'm going home now." Imogen snaps her fan closed and grabs her cane. She makes her way out, not having the patience to politely say her farewell to Charon. He doesn't insist upon it as he watches her go.

"This was an interesting turn of events. I'm glad you came around, Sean." Nichole compliments as she walks together with Chandler and the young teen. Sean nods his head, keeping emotion free of his face as best he can.

"I'm allowed to change my mind. I definitely upset two leaders, though." Sean clenches his hands at his side.

"So be it. If politics were a people pleasing competition, the world would fall into ruin. We are only doing what is best for this country. The monsters are necessary for this country as well. They will know what is best and aid their home country from the Three Generals. They know we have powerful aces up our sleeves." Chandler says proudly. "We have the perfect candidates."

"Perfect candidates?" Sean looks at Chandler curiously. Nichole looks ahead of herself, slightly concerned.

"Yes, the wielders that will hold the Holy Weapons. We have an opponent each for Amon Bedivere, Ilyas Ithamar, and Serena Bathory." Chandler tells the young man, smile on his face. Sean looks at him surprised and then looks ahead to make sure he doesn't trip or run into anything. 

"Sean, would you like me to drive you home?" Nichole speaks up as they reach the exit of the building. Sean shakes his head.

"No, thank you. I have to report to Flat-Topped Acacia prison to do some prisoner check-ups. It's best if they have a strong member like me around to ensure everyone's safety. We do have some tricky monsters locked up who will need extra supervision." Sean lets them know.

"I see. Well, you be careful, alright?" Nichole looks at him with genuine concern.

"I will be! Good evening, Lady Sintek, Headmaster Acacia!" Sean puts his hand over his heart before nodding his head and running off towards the direction of the Flat-Topped prison. Chandler and Nichole watch the eager young man go as he disappears into the darkening area. Chandler motions Nichole forward to walk her to her vehicle.

Sean looks back to make sure he's far enough away from the court house before he slows down on his way towards Flat-Topped Acacia prison.

"Well, you really dropped some jaws. I just loved watching those old hags watch their plans crumble in front of them." Crowley can't help but chuckle a little bit as he leans against a light pole as Sean comes up behind him. He gulps and goes to stand next to him.

"That sucked! It looked like Lady Dragul was about to rip my head off right where I stood." Sean admits his fear as he changed his vote for the first time. The tie was finally broken, and Crowley did as he promised: he voted with the winning side.

"Yes, well, for the law abiding child, things are about to get worse. We have to get out the goblin, Roard from the prison by ten o' clock. No earlier and no later than that. Unfortunately, I had to make use of some excess magic today, so I need that time to replenish, and if we go past that time, the switch between guards will be complete. We can't mess this up, or we'll both be executed." Sean gulps as he puts a hand to his throat. "There's no turning back once you enter Flat-Topped Acacia prison."

Sean suddenly feels like he's going to regret some of his choices, but for the greater good... he knows that Crowley is not wrong. It's better to be allies with the remaining monsters than having the entire monster population against all of Artemia. He takes in some breaths and starts to jump in place like a boxer ready to face a strong opponent.

"I got this. I'll get the goblin to the meeting spot, and I leave the rest to you." Sean looks at Crowley, who is looking down at the teen. He nods his head, and they both begin to walk towards Flat-Topped Acacia. Crowley moves around the three story prison, avoiding detection from cameras or guards posted outside the building. Sean builds himself up as he walks to the front gate and scans himself in. He is at the point of no return.

"Good evening, Sir Carson. Prison inspections will begin once the prison guard exchange happens." A guard informs him as he hands him the list of prisoners being moved around. He finds Roard's name as his court date is coming up.

"Now, what do you take me for? I don't need a guard with me for say this one, for example. A regular goblin I can handle on my own. If that will put you at ease while the guard switch happens." Sean says confidently. The guard looks at him, surprised. 

"But sir -"

"Come on, don't forget I'm one of the Five Elite for a reason." He grins and winks. The guard clears his throat and salutes him with his right hand over his heart.

"Yes, sir!" The guard relents and lets Sean go on his own. He uses his access key to enter the multiple doors towards the prisoner wings. He goes through the same process with other guards in the prison. Most of them are easy to convince. A few of the much older members needed a bit of convincing. Everyone was easy to pass as Captain Brown had been busy and ended his shift once he finished interviewing all the students he could at Acacia Academy with no luck in finding the goblin bride.

Sean sees off the last guard before the switch and makes his way down the cell blocks. There isn't the usual commotion as most prisoners had lights out, so they are sleeping now. Sean ignores the nocturnal ones that try to provoke him, especially prying at his young age. He has built up a thick skin in the time he's been in the prison, so their hassling doesn't affect him anymore.

"Here." Sean breathes out as he finds the cell where the goblin Roard sits on the floor. His back pressed against his bed. He lifts his head up to look at the young boy. 

"Prisoner FTA2003, it's time to switch out your cell. Up to the cell, your arms out of the bars with your hands bunched into fists." Sean orders the goblin firmly. Roard grunts as he stands up. He had fresh bruises after being harassed earlier in the day by some guards. He complies with Sean's orders, waiting for him to put on the magic blocking cuffs. He puts them on before having Roard step back and then opening his cell to let him out. 

"Come out slowly and don't do anything funny. You've done enough, and your wife wouldn't want to see you this way." Sean whispers as the squeak of the closing cell slightly hides his voice. Roard's eyes widen.

"What did you say?" Roard wants to know if he heard him right. Sean doesn't answer him as he grabs his arm and starts to lead him further down the cell block towards the stairs that lead down to the first floor.

"Hannah is waiting for you in a safe place. You won't meet her right away. Instead, you'll be in a goblin and ghoul safehouse. So, no matter what, you have to do what I say." Sean explains quickly as they reach a camera blind spot. He speaks in a low voice to keep any audio from picking up on things. 

"What -"

"Shut up!" He interrupts Roard as they come back over a camera's watchful gaze. He pushes him to show the ones watching from the cameras that everything is normal. Roard stumbles a bit but stops talking and waits for Sean to say anything.

"We are getting close. I'm going to let you knock me out, so make it convincing with a good smack to my chin or temple with those handcuffs. They're not locked, so as soon as you hit me, they'll come undone. Run down this hall, and you'll meet a man a bit older than me waiting for you. His name is Crowley, and he'll break you out." Sean is explaining things to Roard, but he is having trouble keeping up with all of this. He didn't expect to be rescued from prison. Especially not by an official of the prison.

"I don't understand -" 

"Now! If you want to see your wife again!" Sean orders between gritted teeth. Roard jumps into action and knocks out Sean just as he said. The young teen drops limply to the ground, and Roard runs off. The alarms catch the sight of Sean being knocked out, and then alarms start to blare. The prisoners go into a commotion, and others wake up and join in inside their cells. Roard can only hear his heart beating in his ears as he stumbles, running down the hall Sean told him to go down.

"Oh Goddess, what if this is just a ploy to make my charges worse?! Maybe I should -" 

"Don't stop." Roard's thought is interrupted as he sees a man down the hall. His eyes that see well in the dark see him clearly. Roard realizes Sean is telling the truth and runs up to Crowley.

"You're Crowley?"

"Let's go." Crowley grabs Roard's arm and focuses all his magic to teleport the two of them safely towards their destination. 

The commotion and blaring alarm sounds stop in an instant, and Roard finds his view has changed from dreary stone walls to a beautiful garden enclosed by ancient willow trees on all sides. He looks around, feeling himself become restored to mother nature. His wounds begin to heal a lot faster than when he was in prison. He takes a deep breath of fresh air and smiles for the first time in weeks since he was separated from his wife. A thud takes away his attention as he looks back to the man who helped him.

Crowley is on one knee as he breathes heavily, his arms and legs shaking as he used up all his magic to get Roard out. It took up his energy and strength as well. He is sweating profusely as he pants.

"Hey! Are you okay?!" Roard kneels down to check on Crowley, unsure of what to do. Then he realizes what happened because he knows skills like teleporting are things humans can't do easily. Let alone with another body. "You used up all of your magic."

"As reckless as always, but we are always so grateful for your assistance, our shadowy savior." Roard jumps and looks back at Karina as she comes out with a green glass bottle. Her thumb covers the opening of the bottle as she walks towards Crowley. Roard moves aside as Karina kneels in front of Crowley and helps him down the liquid inside the bottle.

"That is..."

"Yes, it's the magic restoring herb found only in our goblin lands... the black briar mushroom. Made into tea. Welcome to this safehouse for our kind. My name is Karina Wood." Crowley gasps as he turns away from the foul tasting liquid, feeling his feverish shakes start to go away. The strength of his body has not been restored.

"Could you help me bring him inside? He needs some time to get the strength back in his limbs." Karina asks of Roard. He nods, and the two of them help Crowley up, putting his arms around their shoulders as they walk into the home. They reach the common living room where they place Crowley on the longest couch to lie down.

"I... I don't understand what is happening? Why would you and that young boy help me? How do you know Hannah?" Roard questions Crowley as his breathing steadies, and he closes his eyes to ease the spinning around him. 

"I don't know her. The one who insisted on helping her was someone I know. I did this for that person because they asked." Crowley says softly. Roard looks at the exhausted man, knowing he probably won't get a lot of information from Crowley.

"I see... Then please give my thanks to that person as well. I'm so grateful to all of you." Roard mentions with a soft smile.

"Mmm..." Crowley's arm falls to the side as he falls asleep. Karina comes back into the room with a blanket to put over him as she puts his arm back over his stomach. 

"This man... this isn't the first time he's done this?" Roard questions Karina.

"No, he has helped not only us goblins, but many others. Fairies, mermaids, sirens, vampires, everyone that lives here since he was a teenager himself. But, I think we can save this conversation for later. Right now, we should patch you up, get you a shower, and some food. I'll get a room ready for you, um..."

"Roard, thank you, Miss Wood." Karina smiles and motions Roard to follow her as they leave Crowley to sleep. 

"I did it... Diana..." He mutters in his sleep, a small smile appearing for a brief moment before he falls into a deep sleep.