"And where were you, Em?" Ray asked, leaning against the wall.

Sahira nodded at the question, looking over to Embry as they quickly stepped around the guards fixing the door. Twyla was apologizing over and over to them, clearly still reeling from her sudden flare use. Adrenaline and embarrassment, perhaps?

"They already served us food." Sahira said.

Embry hummed slightly. "So very sorry. I was busy painting the roses red." They apologized, wringing their hands.

Sahira just smiled. "Yea, don't worry about it," she said, turning a bit and grabbing something. "Cut mine in half. You can have it." They handed Embry half of a chicken salad sandwich.

Embry stared at the sandwich for a moment, taking a moment to understand the social cue. "Uhm... thank you." They mumbled. They quickly took a bite before they had to say anything else.

The ginger-haired one tilted her head, smiling in a bemused manner at Embry. "Yea, no problem." She said. Ray watched the two, raising an eyebrow.

"'Kay, you two. Save it for Hallmark, we've got the stupid Cauldron the guard." He sighed.

Embry crossed their arms, leaning on one hip. They huffed a little and kept eating the sandwich. They did have to admit that it felt nice that Sahira had considered them...

Nevermind that all. Ray was right; there was a Cauldron to guard.

Soon, the guards left with the new door intact. Twyla stepped back, humming a bit as she glanced at her teammates. "So, I don't have any more flares on me right now. Do we have another way of warning the guards?" She asked, her voice soft. It was much different than the wendigo screech she made earlier in the fight. Sahira could still hear her ears ringing from that one.

Ray thought. "Well, this is the second time, we're gonna have to catch them this time. Will we need to get our babysitters if we finish the job?" He asked.

Sahira shook her head. "No way. The Thieves didn't seem like they wanted to fight all that much, but we can't risk them deciding against their morals- or whatever." They decided. "We'll at least need another line of defense if things go crazy."

He looked at her. "Well, you're the leader, aren't you? Do you have an idea?" He asked.

She paused, thinking. "Well... no... but I'm sure we've got time to figure it out."

~~~

"So, what did Father say this does?" Hannah whispered, holding up the leather bag that CJ had been given by the Horned King.

CJ tilted his head slightly, leaning over the vent. "He said it would keep them asleep, so I guess it's some sort of sleeping magic." He shrugged.

Hannah smiled faintly. She just seemed fascinated by all kinds of magic. Gracie glanced around, fidgeting with the flower. She kept taking it in and out of her hair, as if checking to see if it was still there.

The girl shifted, her bones slightly visible in the crescent moonlight. "Let's be quick and get into the vent. We don't need anyone seeing us out here." She said quickly. "We're very much wanted fugitives."

The other two nodded in agreement as Hannah opened the bag. Smokey black fog - apparently a signature - drifted out of the pouch, wafting in the air for a moment. CJ closed his eyes for a moment, trying to shake the drowsiness the magic immediately caused him.

The fog swirled around for a moment, then slipped into the vent - looking like fine sand as it fell-, blending into the darkness. Hannah watched, her eyes wide with wonder. Gracie's brow furrowed, noticing how the magic didn't seem to have any affect on her.

CJ opened his eyes again. "That stuff is strong." He mumbled, running his fingers through his dark hair in a way to bring some sensation back into his body.

"Well, an all-powerful demon will of course have some rather strong spells." Hannah mused with a laugh.

"Even one that died twice?" Gracie asked, shaking her head. All-powerful her-

"Anyway," she smiled. "Let's just be careful and wait a little bit. I'm sure it'll take effect soon."

~~~

Sahira's head dipped for a moment. She squinted a little as she tried to hold it up.

"Does anyone else feel super tired all of a sudden?" She asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

Ray closed his eyes for a moment, but it took effort to open them again. "No." He lied, glancing away. "Might be the fact you've hardly gotten any sleep this whole time." He shrugged.

Embry leaned her head back onto the wall. "No... I feel it, too... it's kind of weird... Maybe we are just tired? Time for a nap, or something?"

He looked at them. Something was definitely up now... Embry was talking normally!

Twyla looked at the other three. "I feel fine... What are you guys talking about?" She asked, curious and confused.

Ray suddenly yawned, but he quickly covered his mouth. "It's fine. It's just been a while without sleeping." The feeling of sleep was pleading him to rest, dragging him down to the ground and his mind into a fog. He sat down on the steps. "Maybe... a little bit of rest..." The part of his mind that was fighting to stay awake, yelling that something was wrong, became muddled and hushed. He closed his eyes and felt his head thump back onto the wall.

Twyla watched her teammates fall asleep, talking of some sort of great tiredness that she didn't feel. It was... odd to say the least, and certainly frightening.

Suddenly, the charm she had in her pocket began to glow, sensing a magic that was unfamiliar. She took it out and stared at the iridescent crystal becoming bright, causing small rainbow spots to refract onto the stone walls. As the rainbows drifted closer to the Cauldron, they disappeared quickly as it consumed the light, remaining a void of darkness in the room.

"What in the world..." She whispered, looking up. Then, she realized something- and if she had blood, it would have frozen in shock and fear.

They were being attacked.

"Shit!" Twyla shouted, nearly dropping her charm as she shoved it back into her jacket pocket. She ran for her bag and dumped its contents out, trying to find another deus ex machina that she shoved in there.

She grabbed some herbs that her mother had given her. They only grew in Halloween Town, a smelling salt of sorts. The stems were stiff and wood-like, with a flower that looked perpetually wilted (like almost every other flower in her hometown, but nevermind that). Perfect- she knew being a chronic overpacker would be a good thing.

Suddenly, the vent fell down and clattered to the ground.