A month passed by quickly. Too quickly for Lucinda's taste. Before she knew it, she had finished two more cases from the Investigation Squad, and Poseidon was once again giving her a new mission after her break. Normally, she would decline. If she didn't feel like she had the energy for a new mission, she would just tell Poseidon no, and she would understand. There were plenty of other assassins in the SCD that might be able to do a better job than her in her current state, after all.

But this time, not only could she not decline, but it was something that every member of the SCD had to do. And she was going to be the most important part of it.

"You're invited to the SCD's charity party?" Viktor had asked her when she first told him about it.

She nodded. "My siblings work for the SCD, so I was invited to be my sister's plus one. It starts at night, but I'm planning to take a full day off to prepare as well."

"The SCD's party is in fourteen days, right?" He rested his elbows on his desk and held his hands together. After a while, he shrugged. "There's nothing important on July fifteen, so sure. Thanks for letting me know. Though I do hope you know that this means you only have three days left of your paid vacation leave, and you can't use Greyson's."

Her ears twitched at the thought. Three days out of fifteen. What on earth did she use those days for? On the bright side, she definitely still had fifteen days of sick leave, but she didn't want to use those.

Still, she nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Viktor."

That was one problem solved. Unfortunately, there was still another, more difficult one.

The sound of fingers snapping in front of her face made Lucinda blink and lift her head. The soft sound of music reached her ears, followed by people talking and utensils clanking. The banquet hall's soft orange lights made her squint, but she quickly regained her focus.

She turned to her right, where her younger sister, Lucia, stood. She retracted her hand back and rested it under her elbow, while her other hand picked up the glass of wine again. She had her hair straightened for the party, making her round ears more visible. Brown eyes scanned Lucinda from the tips of her loose white hair to the ends of her glittering black dress, then to her again.

She chuckled, moving closer. "The hell happened to you? You've been staring at the floor."

Lucinda shook her head. "I'm tired. The party just started, but I'm already done with talking to people."

"This is new. You usually enjoy that." Lucia took a long sip of her wine. "I'm not sure if it's the lighting, but you also look paler. Didn't you take a break?"

"I did. A month long break." She placed her hand on her forearm. It had been hours now, but she could still feel the sharp jab of a needle. "The poison must have made me paler. Some of them can do that sometimes."

"How much time do you have?"

"Five hours, but this one won't kill me. It'll just mix with my blood, like the other poisons that failed." She shook her head once again. "Enough about the mission—we'll deal with that when the time comes. Were you saying something earlier?"

Lucia furrowed her brows and frowned. Frustration was visible on her face, but it seemed like she was concerned as well. "Are you sure it's a good idea to bring Chuchu here?"

Lucinda turned to her left. Next to her, Greyson stood, one hand holding a glass of grape juice while the other held the skirts of her dress. His ears were flopped down, and his eyes kept flicking from left to right. Ever since they arrived at the venue, he stuck to her side like glue. If she wasn't holding his hand, then he was holding her dress.

"Hey." She tapped his shoulder and knelt to his height. "How do you feel?"

"It's noisy. And there's a lot of grown ups."

"Are you scared?"

"A little." He paused to finish his remaining grape juice. "What time will we go home?"

"It might be a while. Just stay close to me, your aunt or uncle, or Miss Poseidon. If you want anything, don't be afraid to tell me. Alright?"

The last part made his ears perk up. With a smile, he nodded. "Okay."

After giving him a forehead kiss and wiping the lipstick stain, Lucinda stood up and faced Lucia again. She placed one hand on Greyson's shoulder, pulling him closer to her. "I didn't really want to bring him, but I didn't want to leave him alone, either. You and Lu are the only ones who can watch over him past midnight, but you're both here. So, I asked Sidon if he could come, and she agreed under the pretense he's Lu's plus one."

"Are you sure there was no one?"

She shook her head. "I've been trying to find a babysitter when Sidon said we're going to push the party a month closer. In fact, I'm surprised I managed to find him a nice tuxedo on such short notice."

"So what happens if you have to..." Lucia swiped her hand across her neck, as if she was wiping sweat away. Despite that, Lucinda noticed the way her index finger stood taller than the others.

"When that happens, I have you to watch over him. It's not like he'll be there when that happens."

"Of course. Even at a party, I'm still stuck with babysitting duty."

"Chuchu likes you more than Lu, so it's only appropriate."

"Mima." Greyson tugged on her dress, making her turn to him again. "I'm hungry. Can we get some food?"

"Of course." She grabbed her glass and faced her sister. "Keep your eyes open. If anything happens, let Lu or Sidon know about it."

"Good luck."

Lucinda nodded. She grabbed Greyson's hand and led him to the buffet table. She tightened her hold, but had to loosen before she could accidentally hurt him. Once they reached the buffet table, she grabbed a plate for her and Greyson and lined up as well.

Fortunately, there were only a few people ahead of them. It was difficult to tell who was who in her perspective since everyone stood side by side. Her target could be lining up here, he could be eating, or he could be chatting with the other guests and attendants. With how big the venue was, it wouldn't be surprising if they passed him without anyone noticing.

Five hours. She had five hours before the poison she injected in her body would mix with the rest of her blood—

The loud sound of metal against metal made her look down. Below her, Greyson stood at the tips of his shoes as he tried to reach for the serving spoon, which already fell and stained his sleeves with spaghetti sauce.

She sighed, but the smile on her face didn't fade. "Let me help you with that."

'Thank you."

"Don't be afraid to ask for help, alright?" She grabbed a handkerchief from her purse and wiped his cuff sleeves. "Your tuxedo's already dirty."

His ears fell. "Sorry."

"It's alright. Is there anything else you want?"

"Can I get some lumpia rolls?"

Like he asked, she placed two rolls on his plate, then two on hers, and continued walking. It didn't take long for them to reach the desserts and drinks section. She grabbed one of the small cake slices and placed it on her plate.

Just as she was about to grab one for Greyson as well, her earpiece rang. She brushed her hair back, letting her fingers click the answer at the same time, and placed the cake on Greyson's plate.

"Target's coming to you," Lucian said. "He's getting food on the buffet table, on Chuchu's left."

She nodded. "Act fast. We might miss our opportunity."

Without waiting for his answer, she ended the call. Now, she just needed a reason to stay on the table before—

"Mima." Greyson tugged on her dress again, making her look down. His brows were furrowed down, matching his frown and flopped ears. "I don't want cake right now. Can I get something else?"

"Of course, sweetheart. What do you want? There's fruits, cupcakes, coffee jelly."

She quickly flicked her eyes to the left. Lucian headed to the buffet table, dressed as one of the servers, carrying a tray filled with glasses of wine. And when she turned to the right, her target stepped closer, grabbing his own food from the buffet table.

Benedict Rosales. A member of a lesser known criminal organization that had joined the SCD as a spy. And during his time in the SCD, he had managed to leak information to other organizations, including the Underworld.

She grabbed a coffee jelly from the table. When her fingers and nails touched each other, she pressed her nail deeper in her skin. Before the blood could come out, she placed the dessert on Greyson's plate.

Just in time, her brother walked past her. Lucinda placed her injured hand on top of one of the glasses, while her other hand grabbed a glass for herself. Lucian turned to her for a split second and gave a small nod. She returned it before looking away.

"Excuse me, sir," she heard Lucian say. "Would you be interested in some wine?"

Benedict hummed. "I was wondering when I'd bump into one of you. Thank you."

Lucinda smiled and quickly drank her wine. That part was done. Now, she needed to make sure that the poison would work.

"Chuchu." She turned to Greyson and passed her plate to him. "Can you bring this to our table? I'll call Aunt Lulu to get you. I just need to do something really quick. Is that okay?"

"Will you be back?"

"Of course." She kissed his forehead once again. "It'll be quick, I promise."

Like what she told him, Lucinda called her sister and didn't leave the table until Lucia came to pick Greyson up. When she was sure they were both seated, she nodded to herself and headed to the stairs. It didn't take long for her to reach the second floor, and soon she had a view of the whole hall.

She closed her eyes, scanning for her blood. Unsurprisingly, she didn't find it. It must have been too thin when she mixed it with the wine. No matter. She expected this.

She pressed her earpiece again, this time to contact Lucian. "Lu, are you still keeping an eye on the target?"

There was a pause. When Lucian answered, she flinched back. The fuzzy noise on his end made her ears flop down, and she almost took the earpiece off.

"Lu? Don't tell me you lost Rosales already."

"'Te—say—thing?"

"I said—"

The noise became fuzzier, and Lucian's voice faded away. She pressed it again, twice, thrice, then turned it off and on once again. The noise disappeared, but Lucian still didn't respond. In fact, it was just silent.

Did something happen to him?

"The view here's interesting, isn't it?"

A cold chill traveled down her spine as she turned to her left. A woman stood near her, leaning on the railings and looking at the people below. Her deep blue dress was simple, exposing her shoulders and hugging her figure. Her short, brown-blonde hair didn't hide her pointy ears, though it was enough to hide her facial features.

She wasn't from the SCD. This area was off limits to anyone except her or Poseidon.

"Personally," she continued, "I prefer the view from above. You get to see the people all around you. It's better than hiding like a rat."

Though the smile on her face didn't fade, Lucinda narrowed her eyes. Was she Rosales's plus one? Or was she someone else? "If that's what you think, then perhaps."

"It is." The woman lifted her head and turned to her. Her left ear was torn, as if something or someone had ripped it off. Her left arm had a full sleeve tattoo, but Lucinda's eyes remained on the one near her shoulders—a black snake with its forked tongue out.

"Then again, snakes also stay hidden underground. And a lot of people are afraid of them."

Lucinda placed her hands behind her, though one of her nails hovered above her skin. She took a step back and—

"Lucinda Mari A. Saffirus."

She stopped in her tracks, and another cold chill traveled down her spine. Mentally, she shook her head and faced the woman again. As she took a step forward, a bright blue smoke-like light snaked around her body, changing her attire from the party dress to a suit with a coat that made her look bigger.

"The 'A' in your name stands for Atencio. Your parents were Dianna Eve A. Saffirus and Mathew Andres D. Saffirus, but both died in a mission when you were just seven. Ever since then, you've been working as an assassin for the SCD. Your brother followed in your steps, but your sister works as an informant. But right now, it's your side gig, and your main job is a detective in the DUO's Investigation Squad."

As the woman walked closer, Lucinda pierced her nails against her arm, drawing blood. Within a second, her blood crystallized into two sharp blades. She tossed the other one to the woman, while she held onto the other.

The blade passed by the woman, making it disappear into the same blue smoke from earlier. Lucinda's eyes widened for a split second, but she immediately turned around. Just in time, the woman appeared right behind her, lifting her head so the knife wouldn't pierce her chin.

The woman hummed. The light didn't touch the surface of her icy blue eyes, making her stare blank. Despite that, Lucinda could tell she was squinting. And it was subtle, but her eyes gleamed for a quick second.

"Interesting, interesting." Her eyes narrowed. It was almost as if she was smiling while her lips remained a thin line. "I have to hand it to Alecto. His little device really did work. It managed to cut your signal from your friends, which means you can't call for help unless you make a scene."

Alecto? Then that must mean... "If you know one of the Underworld's Furies on that level, that must mean you're one of them."

"That took you a while to figure out." The woman lowered her head. "You can call me Nyx. That's what I'm mostly known as, anyway."

Lucinda scowled, but she kept the frown inside. How on earth did an Underworld Fury manage to get in without anyone noticing? Did she somehow manage to teleport inside, or did her ability have connections to illusions?

Regardless, she took a step away from Nyx, relief flooding her veins when Nyx didn't follow her. "I'm honored to hear that one of the Underworld's Furies went that far to know every information about me. Is there a special occasion?"

"Originally, I was here to kill you. It would be bothersome for the Underworld if our members keep dropping like flies. But after seeing you up close, there's a change of plans." Nyx extended one of her hands out. "I'm inviting you to play a game, Weaver. Not the Underworld's game, but my game. Which means you play by my rules."

She cocked a brow as the corner of her lips curled up. "And why would an Underworld Fury be interested in a game with me?"

"It can get boring in the Underworld, you know. My coworkers aren't really the type of people who play games. On the other hand, you look like the type of person who's good at these kinds of games."

That was a lie. An obvious lie. It didn't even look like Nyx was trying to hide it.

Still, she crossed her arms. "Well, what kind of game?"

"There's multiple of them. But for now."

Nyx stepped closer again and placed her hands on Lucinda's shoulders, burying her nails on her skin, while she stretched her other arm. There was a small gadget in her hand, but it was difficult to tell what it was. It looked like a touch screen phone, but it was also too small to be one.

She raised her hand and pointed to the crowd below, making Lucinda furrow her brows. Where was she... her eyes widened, and she almost pushed Nyx away from her.

Nyx was pointing at their table. She was pointing at her siblings, at Greyson.

"We're playing hide and seek."

Lucinda clenched her hand into a fist as she shot Nyx an empty stare. "Bringing a child into this? How low of you."

"What's the matter, lost your confidence?" Nyx hummed and took a step back. "I look forward to meeting you again, Weaver. You better hide well."

She snapped her fingers once again. More smoke surrounded herself and a small part of her surroundings.

And when the smoke dissipated, she was gone, with not even her shadow visible. 

Word count: 2857
Total: 14702

lmao i forgot to add a scene in this chapter so i had to delete the previous one and i forgot what my old a/n was already rip