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       #Post#: 1356--------------------------------------------------
       angels among Us
       By: Minyaagar Date: February 13, 2026, 6:59 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Ace drew his coat a bit more tightly around him to keep the
       harsh cold wind out and glanced around the sorry state of the
       people  bundled up around a trashcan fire trying to stay warm.
       HIs heart ached for the homeless people, and drew out the bag of
       sandwiches he'd brought to hand out as he approached the group.
       He handed them over, talking kindly to the people before heading
       off towards his car to head home.
       He walked briskly to keep the blood pumping through his body and
       paused to huff hot air on his cold hands. Ace had started out
       with gloves, but had gifted them to an older homeless woman that
       needed them far more than he had several blocks ago.
       The sound of a yelling frightened drunk man caught his attention
       and his head swiveled towards the man.
       After taking a few minutes to calm the man down, the other's
       words were a bit..disturbing and Ace wasn't quite sure if he
       could believe the drunk man's ramblings. "You go find somewhere
       to stay warm, I'll go check it out," He reassured the man with a
       gentle pat before he headed down the alley the other had come
       out of.
       Ace came to an abrupt halt, his eyes widening at the sight of a
       headless female up right and shuffling around, her arms in front
       of her feeling around as if searching for something. "Okay..this
       is rather odd to say the least," He murmured and moved to stop
       the inanimate body by restraining it with his hands and turning
       it around so it wouldn't hit the brick wall. "Are you looking
       for something?" He couldn't help but ask..unsure of the headless
       creature being able to understand him.
       A sudden bit of inspiration hit him and he took one hand to sign
       into it, hoping that it might actually be able to communicate
       that way.
       
       Wrens body was in the middle of figuring where her head had
       rolled off to,  the body almost getting upset at being
       restrained. It felt a hand in hers as the shoulders went up in
       suprised.
       *my head* it signed back.*it rolled so where can you help me?*
       she asked.
       Ace's eyebrows rose at what was signed back. So the headless
       body was looking for it's head. He couldn't just leave it out
       here where mortals could see or encounter it. *Of course I will
       help you. Just..where were you when you lost it?* He signed
       back.
       *down the ally- was minding my business when that guy knocked
       into us..* signed back the hopeful body.
       The head who kept quiet out of necessity heard Ace to sigh
       audibly with relief.”excuse me sir.. I’m over here.. if your
       being that calm means you’re not mortal.. mind giving us a
       hand?” She questioned. The head rested near the dumpster where
       it had rolled.
       —
       Ace's head jerked slightly at the sound of a voice speaking and
       then let go of the body's hand and moved to retrieve the head
       that was next to the dumpster. "I don't mind at all," He said
       softly as he gently lifted the head off the ground and took a
       moment to dry off the wet hair before approaching the body.
       "How..does this work..putting it back on?" He asked a bit
       curiously, trying to get a look at the the base of the neck and
       the body. "I'm definitely not completely mortal," he agreed,
       looking at the head's  gentle features and lovely red eyes for a
       moment.
       “Just put me on the neck- guess the choker wasn’t as tight as I
       hoped again.” Said the woman. “Your surprisingly gentle- thank
       you so much.” Said wren.”my name is wren- what’s yours?” She
       asked as her head was put back into place and gained control to
       adjust the thick choker she often wore.
       —
       "ah, well, we'll have to make sure it's tight enough this time,"
       He replied with a slight smile. Her gratefulness had him nod as
       he maneuvered the head to where she needed it, and held it while
       she fixed the choker. "I try to be, and you are quite welcome
       dear wren. You can call me Ace," He replied with a smile.
       "so..what happened to you that you lose your head? I've seen
       many ghosts and creatures..but never anyone like you before,"
       “Honestly- was born this way- sort of a generational curse due
       to the forefathers but who knows how much that’s true.” She said
       with a chuckle.”I know I’ve been mistaken for a dullahan from
       the Irish parts or the ‘*Fenyw heb un pen*’- the headless woman…
       but I’m descended from the line in the America’s- so I’m sure
       you’ve heard that lie of a story of ichabod.” She said with a
       chuckle.”but don’t believe the one thing that seems common
       between us all- though you still want to avoid touching the
       revenants- they do feed off the life force.” She said as she
       began to walk.
       ——
       Ace nodded, recalling a bit about the myths and stories he'd
       heard of the supernatural beings in Ireland. He hadn't  realized
       though that the old story from America had any relation to them.
       "Ah good to know. I've only seen revenants from a distance. How
       far are you going? Would you like a ride...or escort home?" He
       asked, and warmed his hands again with his hot breath.
       “Honestly was getting to the museum- I have a gaggle of teens
       coming from the school for a field trip in a few days  and was
       going to make sure the hall for students are set up, the one
       wing where we will occasionally do competitions.  Believe one is
       coming up soon- this years concept is going to be interesting to
       say the least.” She be mused.”and I wouldn’t mind an escort..
       keep my head from falling off my shoulders.” She said with a
       soft smile.
       ——
       Ace smiled, listening to the woman talking about her job and
       hearing the passion she had for it in her voice.
       "Sounds like you have a busy and rewarding job. If you're in
       need of assistance setting up, I don't have any pressing
       business," Ace couldn't help but offer.
       He chuckled at her joke about losing her head again. "Well we
       can't let that happen again. At least with that guy being drunk
       no one will ever believe him if he shares that story."
       Ace fell into step next to her, keeping pace so not to make her
       have to hurry. With his longer legs, he was used to slowing down
       for others.
       +++
       Wren blinked a bit at the offer.”well it would go faster with
       another pair of hands and my normal assistant is having a baby
       soon so she’s not there.” She said. “Telling me- I know once I
       lost my head where some busts were- thankfully- Mister Martin
       was apart of the last school trip got us back together before
       the kids found my body wandering the halls.” She said with a
       deep sigh.
       “Though I felt for the skittish human student that found my
       head- tried really hard to not blink- ended up creeping them out
       a bit- longest stare of my life- but it kept me from being
       discovered.” She said with a chuckle.
       “So what do you do Ace?” She asked with a blink.
       ——
       Ace held back a laugh at the story of her head getting lost
       among the busts at the museum. Her mentioning a Mr. Martin's and
       human students made him realize that she was knowledgeable about
       the monster academy nearby. He found himself relaxing a bit more
       realizing he could trust her with more information about
       himself.
       "I bet that was hard to keep up," he replied with a grin.
       "I'm a musician, songwriter and model. Though also an amateur
       painter as well. I imagine you are wondering what I am, since I
       wasn't all too shocked by your headless incident. I'm part angel
       and part human." He said in a lower tone.
       The two finally arrived at the museum and Ace moved to pull the
       door for Wren. "So...maybe after I help you set up I could get a
       private tour, if you're not too busy,"
       --
       Wren chuckled.”you have no idea. When the kid saw me I just told
       him a past student did a sculpture of my head .. thankfully that
       smoothed  it over.” She said.
       Wren went with her keys to unlock the door for Ace to open it
       with her blushing a bit.”I’m free- “ she said with a smile.
       “Please come in.” She said to step in and felt her head wobble
       to catch by the side of her head to rework the choker.”maybe I
       just need to get a new one.” She murmured before heading to the
       hall where boxes of things sat, and other things were covered
       carefully with tarps.”alright.. sculptures need to go on the far
       table.. the dividers we have up sits for paintings - sketches
       will be on some of the dividers.” She listed.”if you get
       confused just ask for clarification.” She said.”oh! And
       photography goes on the far wall.” She said as she moved to pick
       a painting to start moving.
       ——
       Ace couldn't help but laugh at his imagination of the kid's
       expression when he had seen her. He was pretty sure that the
       guy's face had to have been pretty freaked out and priceless. "I
       bet that had him doing a double and even a triple take. At least
       you were able to convince him it was a sculpture. It could have
       been much worse,"
       Ace's face light up when she agreed she was free to show him
       around. He closed the door behind him once he'd come in and eyed
       the collar she was readjusting yet again. "It's possible that
       would help," he agreed and followed after her.
       His eyes widened slightly as he took in all the boxes and items
       covered in tarps around the room. It was definitely going to
       take awhile to get everything set up, if he hadn't volunteered
       to help he imagined it would have taken Wren hours to do it on
       her own.
       Ace pulled off his coat and scarf and set them to the side out
       of the way and then pushed his sleeves up, showing off some of
       his tattoos and started to go through one of the nearby boxes.
       "Sounds easy enough, and I'll ask if need be," He replied.
       After he'd emptied one of the boxes, he paused to pull his long
       hair up off of his neck and moved to go through some of the
       paintings and photos under the tarps. He couldn't help but
       admire them as he sorted the tapestries and photographs into
       each spot.
       "So..are these student pieces? Cause they're pretty amazing," He
       commented pausing to admire a black and white photo of the city.
       It looked as though it had been taken from an aerial viewpoint,
       which rather impressed him. It looked far more professional than
       a teen might shoot.
       ---
       “Yes they are - they are past winners over the years.. long as
       this museum and the school has stood.” She said. She placed a
       painting of a garden, with a woman gazing at the  fountain.
       “That one was one of  the best photography pieces.” She said to
       stride over to settle by him.
       “I know it looks like professionals have done a lot of these..
       are some that are long lived.. or never age. They got more
       restrictions though as to give the more human ones a chance
       every decade or so .” She said to take a moment to walk over to
       a sculpture.”like this one- very impressive.. “ she said taking
       off the sheet, it was that of an angel with wings.. the wings
       clearly been painstakingly made.
       “A lot of love went in this one.” She said as she looked about
       to see where  to put that one.
       —---
       "When is this event happening? I may have to stick around to
       meet some of these student artists," He commented as he admired
       the piece a moment longer. "I know a few people who might want
       to check it out as well." Ace added, thinking of helping the
       students get noticed for their talents.
       His gaze followed Wren shen she mentioned another piece she
       found impressive and his eyes widened seeing the anel sculpture
       and how detailed the wings were. "If I didn't know better, I'd
       say they saw a real angel to make wings like that," He murmured.
       "That would look good as the final piece in the sculpture
       section. let me help you move it, it looks pretty heavy,"
       Ace moved in to take half the weight of the sculpture and helped
       her move it. "There..looks like we're a third of the way done.
       Do you have a water fountain anywhere close? I could use some
       water,"
       --
       “Maybe- we’ve had students that outed themselves this way. Most
       simply getting a glance. Once someone did see me without my
       head.. and my body was used as one of their pieces… cause they
       were peeping.” She said with a blush. “Another ended up doing a
       big ol charcoal drawing of a living gargoyle.. turned out she
       fell for the human but he told the truth. Lost his entire family
       and his memories as a result..“ she said with a sigh.
       “Yes, it’s right down the hall to your right.” She said with a
       smile.
       —
       Ace couldn't help but feel empathy for the students that had
       outed themselves through their work. It wasn't easy keeping the
       supernatural world secret from mortals..he knew that rather
       well. It was one of the reasons why he made a point to travel so
       much when he wasn't with his band or creating music. It kept his
       fans from stalking him.
       "That's sad," He murmured thinking of the poor gargoyle and
       having lost everything. "Thanks..I"ll be right back," He replied
       and made his way down the hall to find the drinking fountain.
       After getting his fill of water he took a short trip to the
       restroom before heading back to the event area and got back to
       work.
       "So, Wren, what sorts of things do you do for fun when you're
       not working here?" He asked a bit curious to know more about the
       woman.
       --
       “Art of my own, I do love the theatre “ she said with a smile.”I
       did travel for a few years but I’ve settled since then.” She
       admitted.”oh and I find mini golf fun.. if my head would just
       stay on.” She said with a chuckle.
       ——
       "oh really? Is there a particular medium you prefer using? Is
       there Any particular style of theater that you like the most?
       Musicals vs dramas or classical theater? One day I hope to
       settle, but I've got to get the wanderlust out of me first," he
       admitted.
       He smiled at her comment about mini golf and her head not
       staying on. "I imagine it might freak others a great deal if it
       fell off during a game. I wonder if you could create a collar
       that was a woven metal that could keep it in place better. I'm
       sure if we put our heads together we could figure out some sort
       of collar that wouldn't open or loosen too easily,"
       ----
       “In for medium as messy as it is- charcoal. Got plenty of work
       I’ve done-“ she said softly. “As for theatre I much prefer the
       musicals, as for types - drama or comedy.” She said with a
       chuckle.
       “Wanderlust hm? Anywhere you’ve been you loved?” She asked
       curiously.
       “Quite usually I play where there is strictly supernaturals-
       it’s indoors though. The glow in the dark designs make it
       interesting though.” She said before hearing him mention about a
       collar. “I’ve never worked crafty like that but .. it be nice to
       have a more secure way that makes me look good all the same.”
       She bemused softly.
       -++
       Ace smiled imagining Wren with smudges of charcoal on her face.
       "I bet you'd look adorable with charcoal smudges," he couldn't
       help but muse out loud.
       The more he learned about Wren the more he felt drawn to her.
       Which was a bit unusual, as he rarely ever had feelings for
       anyone. He'd always thought himself to be asexual because he'd
       never felt attracted to anyone. Yet with Wren, there was
       something. The feeling was rather strange.
       "England was quite amazing, though New Zealand has to be my
       favorite place. I've been there a few times now. Then again
       Japan in the spring, with all the cherry blossoms is the most
       beautiful place to visit. It's hard to stay away from one's home
       country," he replied with a nostalgic look in his eyes.
       He got an intrigued look when Wren mentioned playing and glow in
       the dark designs. Maybe one day he could watch her one day.
       "I've helped design jewelery and metal work in the past. If
       you'd like to sketch out some ideas, I could try my hand at
       creating something custom for you,"
       It didn't take much longer to finish setting up everything in
       the room and Ace moved back to get a look at the set up.
       "I think this looks pretty good, unless you think otherwise and
       want things moved around," he said crossing his arms over his
       chest.
       ______
       “The cherry blossoms are indeed quite lovely.. if I had a trip
       I’d most likely visit again, but I can understand the feeling.”
       She said as she finished up a section. She heard his offer of
       making her something that would work for her to blush.
       “I wouldn’t mind - and I’ll pay you.” she said warmly.
       Her face studied some places as she looked it over.”I think I’m
       quite satisfied for it. Set up for the kids.. can’t wait to see
       what talent comes out this year.” She said with a smile.
       ——
       "well if you do ever go back let me know. If I happen to be
       there, I can show you all the best places. There's a lot of
       hidden gems that only us natives know about,"
       Ace gave a nod when she said she'd pay him, though he knew he'd
       name a price that was on the lower side.
       "So is this event tomorrow? What time does it start? Maybe I'll
       be able to pop by,"
       He moved to grab his coat and scarf and put them over his arm.
       "Do you need a break before showing me around? Maybe you'd like
       coffee or something to eat first? I'm kind of hungry after all
       that work,"
       --+
       “Oh? That sounds like fun, be something to look forward to when
       I visit again for Japan.” said wren with a smile, “and yes, the
       tour will happen around 9 in the morning for tours, got some
       people lined up to make group tours for the school.”  She said
       to smile a bit, as she smoothed her skirt.
       “Food does sound good- that work did build an appetite.” She
       said with a soft stretch before grabbing her keys for the door.
       ——
       Ace ran a hand through his hair, and smiled back thinking it
       would be nice to get to know Wren better while he was helping
       his old highschool friend Henry Aoi out.
       "Well I'll be here for awhile, so we have time to get to know
       one another better. I'll be helping an old school mate with his
       classes. I'll definitely come by tomorrow and join one of the
       tours if that's all acceptable. Though, I may have to be in
       disguise. My band is kind of popular,* he explained as he moved
       to retrieve his coat.
       "Are there any places that you like? I am pretty new to the
       area. I've only been here for a few days," he explained as he
       followed her to the door, stepping outside and waited for her to
       pick up and give an answer.
       --++
       Wren gave a smile hearing the man talk a bit.”oh? What’s your
       band?” She questioned as she got her sweater back on.”mm I know
       a few places  that’s pretty good- are you in the mood for-
       pizza? Breakfast? Or… burgers?” She asked as she made sure her
       choker stayed put.
       ——
       "We're called The Oath," He replied, wondering if she'd heard of
       the band or not. "We do mostly rock music, sometimes a bit metal
       as well. With a mix of English and Japanese lyrics." Ace
       expanded.
       His stomach growled at all the types of foods she suggested and
       he shot her a sheepish grin. "It all sounds good, though I
       haven't had a good burger in a long time." He replied.
       Ace waited patiently for her to fix the choker and then followed
       her down the street. "The only draw back to this place is how
       cold it gets," He said with a shiver as he pulled his coat
       closed and tightened his scarf a bit more to keep the cold out.
       "The only cold place I've been in was Russia. We ended up snowed
       in there for nearly a week,"
       --+++
       “The oath? Think I’ve heard it from the youth that runs around
       town as of late.” She mused. “So I can understand the need of a
       disguise tomorrow or you’ll have the teens all over you.” She
       said with a chuckle.”burger it is.” She said as she began to
       walk. “It is cold- but better than the humid heat during the
       summer- least you can layer on the warmth.” She said with a
       smile.
       They passed several people walking themselves.. walking among
       them some wouldn’t never of guessed them human or otherwise, her
       head giving a soft nod to the librarian that ran the public
       library.
       They stopped at a quaint place down a small street that wasn’t
       far from
       The pizza place. She walked in to see a man and a woman flirting
       before she’d move and get them seated.
       “Thanks Katie- soooo.. when are you two just going to get
       married?” She asked the young woman who blushed.”oh wren- stop
       it!” Said the waitress with a light slap of the menu as wren
       chuckled. “And what about you? Finally got a date?” She asked
       her eye trailing to Ace.
       This time it was wrens turn to blush.”I’m treating him to a meal
       with helping me with the museum set up.” She said as her ears
       turned the same color.
       “Mmhmm..” said the waitress as she set the menus down.
       “I’ll take the usual drink - lemonade.” Said wren as she tried
       to hide behind the guise of the menu to calm the fact of her
       face burning red.
       “What about you sugar?” Asked the woman to take down what he
       would order. “Be right back with the drinks, and let me know
       when you’re ready to order.” she said before walking off.
       Wren settled on her usual to close the menu after the waitress
       left.”so you know the man is a supernatural- a wizard- the girl
       is human. She currently does know about the supernaturals due to
       the fact that their dating- it was approved begrudgingly by the
       council to see if it can work out.” She said as she watched the
       woman getting the drinks before setting it down.
       --------
       Hearing that Wren had heard of his band had him smile slightly.
       "Yeah, I don't really want to get mobbed. It's happened before,"
       Ace followed by Wren's side, his eyes watching the  sidewalk and
       going back to her every few moments as she talked.
       "Tell me about it, the humidity does a number on my wings and
       hair," he joked in a low voice.
       His gaze fell on a few of the passerbys, catching the suggestion
       of a few being supernatural. He didn't say anything about it
       though. His second sight wasn't something he shared with other
       people.
       Ace followed her into the small restaurant, letting out a
       pleased sigh at the aroma of the cooking food. He couldn't help
       but listen to the two women talking, getting an amused look
       while he got off his winter coat and scarf and settled across
       from Wren.
       At the question of Wren being on a date, he smiled seeing how
       she blushed before answering the waitress's inquiry.
       "If you have hot tea I'll take a cup of that," he requested when
       prompted. "Still trying to warm up. And thank you, miss," he
       replied
       Ace took the offered menu to look through it carefully. He
       glanced up when Wren mentioned the girl was a human and was
       dating a wizard.
       "Ah, well hopefully it works out. Humans don't do very well when
       their memories have to be erased." He murmured, not wanting
       everyone to hear.
       When the waitress Katie came back with their drinks, Ace waited
       for Wren to give her order and then gave his own.
       "I'll have the bacon burger with the caramelized onions and
       Swiss cheese, and a side of onion rings, and it says you have
       fresh baked pies? Do you have cherry?"
       After Katie had finished getting their orders and left to put
       them in, Ace focused his attention on Wren.
       "Do you like to go on dates? What sorts of things would one do
       on a date? Cause honestly, I've never really dated, or felt
       drawn to anyone before." Ace admitted.
       ______
       Wren took her cup to take a drink to almost choke a bit on the
       lemonade. It almost sounded like he was going to or was going to
       ask her out. She swallowed what she could before
       thinking.“Honestly, I’ve dated off and on in my teens but no one
       fit, one I managed to leave - the asshole was a werewolf that
       refused to be in any pack. I haven’t dated since then..” she
       said to blush lightly.”you’ve never been on a date?” She asked
       softly.
       ______
       Ace looked quite concerned and started to get up when Wren
       nearly choked on her lemonade. "You okay?" He asked and relaxed
       when she recovered.
       "No, dating was never something I felt like doing. I never had
       any crushes or felt attraction to anyone either. It wasn't until
       after highschool that I found out there were asexual individuals
       and just embraced it as what I was. But maybe..I was wrong about
       that too. Being around you ..I feel much different. Would, you
       want to go on a date with me? I don't really know your schedule,
       but we could exchange numbers later and text before deciding on
       a date. You really don't have to decide anything just yet. Feel
       free to take your time,"
       _____
       Wren listened as Ace spoke about himself to blink a bit.  She
       blushed a little at the sound of what he’s saying and smiled
       softly. “I wouldn’t mind a date- I work 9-5 on weekdays- and
       10-6 on saturdays. Sunday’s I’m free and one Saturday a month.”
       She said with a smile.
       She dug for her phone on her sweater to shift it out as she got
       her contact info out.”I wouldn’t mind a date but we can hash out
       a time.” She said with a smile.
       —
       Ace was quite surprised and pleased when Wren blushed and then
       agreed to going on a date with him. He reached into his jacket
       pocket to pull his own phone out to look over his up coming
       schedule. "I have no problem working around your schedule. I may
       have some Skype sessions with my band, we'll be collaborating on
       the weekends. It gets harder when we're all in different time
       zones," he explained. "But we're not going to be doing that
       every weekend."
       After taking a moment to exchange contact information, he put
       his phone away. "We can always talk or text after work as well,"
       he suggested.
       +++++
       Once she got his number and tucked her phone away she the food
       come out.”so are all of you just visiting seperate places right
       now?” She asked curiously.
       “I’m fine with that, I’ll shoot a text beforehand- and then
       call?” She asked as she grabbed a fry to take bite.
       ______
       "well, we were going to try and take a break from touring the
       next year and work on a few new songs. We've got several already
       done, so we can take our time. The band and I don't want to wear
       ourselves out too much. So yeah, some are visiting family and
       others are traveling. If my friend Henry hadn't asked for a hand
       with his music class, I'd probably be a bit bored out of my mind
       trying to fill up time." Ace explained.
       He gave a nod of agreement to her suggestion of texting before
       calling, since he was already taking a rather big bite out of
       his burger. A rather pleased moan came from him a few minutes
       later.
       "Soo good," he sighed happily after he'd finished his bite.
       "I'll definitely be coming back here to try the rest of the food
       on the menu,"
       The rest of their meal was filled with idle talk and questions
       about each other's backgrounds and likes between them enjoying
       the food. It was a rather enjoyable time for Ace, and he
       couldn't help but feel  eager to spend more time with Wren in
       the future. After they'd split the bill, Ace insisted on walking
       Wren back to the museum, wanting an excuse to spend a little
       more time with the intriguing woman.
       "I had a great time today Wren, I'm definitely looking forwards
       to seeing you tomorrow and on our official date as well. Don't
       work yourself too hard," he told her once she was back outside
       the museum.
       ______
       Wren enjoyed the bit of time with Ace, when she saw he managed
       to split the bill tipped the waitress and went to walk with the
       man back to the museum. “Oh I’ll be alright guy t, it’s a job I
       live quite a bit, you enjoy yourself as well.” She said blushing
       a little. “You try and keep warm!” She said to wave him off
       before heading inside.
       ______
       Ace had added a tip onto his portion, but figured the waitress
       would appreciate both of their tips.
       "That's good, it's better if you love the work you do. It feels
       like less of a job that way. Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow!" He
       replied a bit eagerly and waved before he headed off.
       It wasn't until he got back to his friend's house that he
       started feeling a bit nervous about what he should wear the next
       day. How was he supposed to look good in a disguise? And if he
       used his angelic magic to blend in, Wren wouldn't recognize him.
       "Hey you okay Haru?" Henry asked when he got back from teaching
       a little while later.
       "Yeah, just trying to figure out what disguise I should use. I
       met this lady that works at the museum we're going to tomorrow.
       I want her to know me, so it's kind of hard figuring out what to
       wear," he sighed and ran a have through his hair.
       "Wear your glasses, take out your piercings, and maybe dress up
       in clothes your fans haven't seen you in. Like a suit," Henry
       suggested, with a bit of a teasing look.
       Ace thought it over. "I could wear a hat too. And then just
       change my voice when around any teenagers," he mused.
       ------
       #Post#: 1357--------------------------------------------------
       Re: angels among Us
       By: Minyaagar Date: February 13, 2026, 7:37 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Danny along with the other music students were quite surprised
       by the new very tall teacher that joined them on their excursion
       to the museum.
       "Everyone, this is my friend Haru, he'll be helping me out with
       teaching music this year," Mr. Aoi the music teacher introduced
       the man. "Though do you prefer for them to call you by your last
       name?"
       Ace shook his head, a smile flashing on his face. "Haru is
       perfectly fine," he replied in a much deeper voice than normal.
       He was still a bit antsy that someone might see through his
       disguise. He'd even gone so far as to cover up his neck tattoos
       completely and remove all his piercings.
       The group was split up between the teachers that were acting as
       chaperones, Danny and Lilith ending up in Haru's group of five.
       "So do you all want to go through the tour first?" He asked
       glancing over the teens, shifting nervously.
       ___
       Lilith was walking with Danny, her mind a little on the two that
       she hung with before. She couldn’t help but feel the tall
       teacher was someone she knew. To her he resembled closely to
       Ace, one of the bands she idolized.
       During the whole ride- even with Danny chatting- she’d give
       noises of engagement though she stared at the man hard.
       It was by chance they would be grouped with the mysterious man,
       and her close enough to see his face.  Her eye widened as it
       felt clear despite the lack of tattoos and piercings.
       “Yeah sure,” said the girl as she tucked her hands in her
       pockets.
       Meanwhile, wren was fussing over some small details to notice a
       class come in. A warm smile crept on her face as she walked over
       to tap Ace on the shoulder.”why not start this a way.” She told
       the group.”there is a special wing you might find interesting-
       lucky few get to see it.” She said as she turned to the
       students.
       —
       Ace had been pretty sure his disguise would work, up until he
       noticed one of the students hyper focused on him. It was just
       his luck that she kept her attention on him during the entire
       ride and even more so once she was put into his group. At least
       the chatterbox beanpole next to her had kept some of her
       attention.
       Haru turned at the tap to his shoulder and brightened.  He gave
       a nod  when Wren offered to show them a wing of the museum that
       few got to see.
       "That would be quite enjoyable, thank you,"Ace replied and
       shifted his hat a bit. "You can call me Haru if you'd like Miss
       Hamilton," he said spying her name tag.
       If he wasn't so worried that the goth girl knew his last name,
       he might have given it as well. He was pretty certain that she
       already had recognized him and soon enough would be gushing or
       fangirling over being so close.
       "I just hope there's not any enchanted magical items," Danny
       murmured under his breath, getting a few odd looks from the
       teens near him.
       Haru raised an eyebrow at this, getting a rather odd sense that
       the human teen had seen more than other humans.
       "Make sure to stick close and no wandering off," Haru said to
       the teens then ushered them to follow after Wren.
       -----
       “If we are going by first name, haru- please call me wren.” She
       said with a smile.
       Lilith’s stare was broken with what she heard muttered. “What
       was that Danny?” She asked her brow raising as they began to
       walk.
       Wren chuckled.”seems one was looking at you pretty hard..” she
       said in a low tone as she guided them to the wing.
       ——
       "of course," Haru replied with a smile of his own. He shot a
       look at Danny as the teen paused to look at Lilith after she
       asked him about his comment.
       "Nothing! Just talking to myself!" Danny said quickly and forced
       a rather nervous laugh, running a hand through his hair.
       Haru turned to give Wren a nod. "Oh I've noticed. Seems that the
       rainbow haired kid is a good distraction though,"
       Danny went quiet for a bit after that, not wanting to give away
       more that Lilith shouldn't know about.
       The last thing he wanted was to get her into trouble.
       "So what's in this special wing?" Haru asked curiously as the
       headed down a long hallway.
       --
       Lilith gave a small suspicious look as she felt Danny knew
       something that he wasn’t being honest about.. but of course she
       had her own secrets that she kept to herself.
       “Old movie props and costumes.” Said wren.”sometimes they get
       retired- there were a few movies that were shot here.” She told
       haru with a smile.”horror, sci-fi.. you name it. “ she said.”but
       these were more from this town, so it’s nice to see the kids get
       excited over movie making.” She said.”and I got permission to
       show off some gremlins puppetry from that movie. It’s actually
       kind of cool.” She said. While she wasn’t thrilled to most of
       the horror films portraying their kinds in different fashion-
       she had to give it to humans to get creative to make the things.
       As they walked in she spoke of various things and how they
       worked. While the group was around- one of the five feeling
       mischievous noticed a were wolf costume to grin a bit.
       Seemingly managed to go unnoticed did the prankster grab the
       mask and hid as the group moved to the next exhibit before
       crashing by Danny.
       Lilith saw a flash of a wolf mask as she went pale. A flash of a
       memory sent her off as she darted from Danny’s side, brushing
       past Ace and almost knocking wren over to scramble.
       The girl would trip and wren witnessed the girl hitting the
       floor to whirl around.”excuse me young man- take off that mask!”
       She said with a frown as she went to take it off the boy’s
       head.”.ill remind all of you to not touch the props!” She said
       with a stern tone.
       ——
       Danny could feel Lilith's eyes on him and knew she was
       suspicious of him now.  When he heard the museum guide mention
       there were old movie props and costumes he cheered up
       immediately.
       "Ooh sweet! I've been researching on the movies filmed here! I
       bet there's a lot of great costumes and things to see!" He said
       excitedly to her.
       Haru smiled, pleased to hear the other students getting excited
       as well. "I think I ended up with mostly drama students in my
       group. Though I do think it will be quite enjoyable myself,"
       Haru added.
       The tour was going quite well, up until one of the boys decided
       to try on one of the masks and scared the goth girl and nearly
       knocking Wren over.
       Haru caught her elbow and then followed her over to the
       prankster. "Well, aren't you going to apologize? I think you
       should plan on sitting out of the competition for touching
       museum pieces," he said a bit sternly.
       Seeing the frightened look in Lilith's eyes prompted Danny to
       move and help her to her feet.
       "Are you okay?" He asked softly, looking concerned.
       -----
       The teen seemed bashful.”I’m sorry.. just thought it was cool
       and…” he started as things seemed calmed down. Lilith felt
       Danny’s hands on her arms as she got up, despite how she tried
       to act- she trembled as she managed to say.”I’m fine..” she said
       once.”totally fine…” she said before hearing the classmate
       looking guilty- Lilith let off a breath.
       Wren sighed.”I get your excited but these things are meant to be
       preserved since they are quite old.” She said placing it on the
       costume to look at the young woman that was now standing.  She
       took in how Lilith hugged herself and came over.”you alright
       dear?” She asked as Lilith said more calmly “I’m okay..can we do
       a bathroom break?” She asked.”Danny can come with and stand
       outside.. if that’s okay.” She said to look at Ace.”and I’m
       sorry.. I ah.. “ she thought briefly of an excuse of her
       behavior.”got attacked by a large dog last year.. clearly.. I’m
       still not over it..” she said as the prankster went pale.”I
       didn’t know!” Heard Lilith.
       “Look it’s alright.. but just don’t.. do it again.” Said the
       goth girl as she managed to calm down.
       Wren got a look.”I can take you there.. haru might as well let
       the group do it hm?” She said as she needed to talk without the
       young ears around.
       ——
       Sensing the prankster was remorseful had Haru consider changing
       his punishment to something else.  Though..he wasn't sure that
       was a good idea. From what Henry had told him, once you
       suggested a punishment backing down from it wasn't a good idea.
       HIs gaze went to Lilith, watching as Danny helped her up and the
       girl tried to convince them that she was alright. Though it was
       obvious to him that the teenager was still freaking out a bit.
       When the girl explained that she'd been attacked by a dog, he
       sighed slowly, and gave a nod of understanding.
       "A break is probably a good idea, I think you and I should have
       a talk, young sir," He said, laying a hand on the prankster's
       shoulder and drew him off to the side of the room. "The rest of
       you please stay in my sight if you don't need the bathrooms,"
       The other two gave a nod and moved to look over another display
       as Haru focused on the prankster and talked to the guy. Danny
       watched as Wren took Lilith out of the room and towards the
       restrooms and let out a sigh. "Well..least there wasn't an
       actual werewolf coming out of a mirror," He muttered, thinking
       of the previous year's craziness.
       --
       Lilith caught the muttering of Danny to give an expression that
       was unlike any other- and wren caught it. Her brow furrowed as
       she got Lilith in the bathroom and let her finish what she was
       doing.  She watched her come out her eyes red from what looked
       like crying though she barely heard a sound.
       ”I’ll be alright ma’am.. just…” she started as wren felt a
       little suspicious.”it’s okay take your time- werewolf attacks
       can leave an impression.” She said rather casually as Lilith
       said offhandedly.”yeah especially when I am why my brother tu…”
       she mumbled stressed and distracted to stop.”got hurt… by the
       big dog.” She said as she kept her back to wren. The inner panic
       calmed down as she managed to give a neutral expression.”try to
       not be too hard on that guy- drama and movies- gotta love it.”
       She said before they would meetup with the group again.
       Wren had a rather serious look, while Lilith clearly had the
       resting bitch face going on as she hung near Danny- her mistrust
       of what was around her simmering inside.
       “Thanks for helping me Danny.” She said with a small smile as
       the group moved on to head to the larger group.
       ——
       Haru's eyes widened rather big at hearing Danny's low mutter
       about a werewolf coming out of a mirror. Yeah..the kid had
       definitely seen things that he shouldn't have, that much was
       obvious. Surely the headmaster of the academy knew this
       though,right? It seemed the teen needed someone to talk to about
       what he'd seen and gone through.
       The prankster kid snorted having heard it himself. "Don't mind
       danny, he's always spouting nonsense. He tried to convince a few
       people last year that there were monsters in the forest that
       were going to attack us,"
       "Oh? I see." Haru said thoughtfully, recalling that it had
       actually happened. There'd been a great deal more that had gone
       on, from what he'd been told. Not that any of the human students
       or teachers had been privy to that information.
       "Well, I'm not going back on my decision of you not
       participating today. But if you want to come back for the next
       competition when they hold it, you can," He told the prankster
       teen, who nodded and let out a long sigh.
       It a short while later when they headed out to the restrooms and
       water fountains for the other teens to get drinks. Haru kept a
       close watch on Danny, thinking of how he might get the teen
       alone to talk to him while at school.
       Danny gave Lilith a understanding look and nodded. "You're
       welcome Lilith," He replied as the headed to join the rest of
       the group for the main tour of the museum. "So..why were you so
       focused on Haru so much in the bus on the way here?" He asked
       curiously before shooting a look at the guy. There did seem to
       be something different about him..a sort of glow around him that
       others didn't have.
       After the experience the year before with the Sandman, and the
       monster invasion, he'd been able to see things a bit
       differently.
       --
       Lilith folded her arms to hear his question to blush a
       little.”don’t laugh- but I think ‘haru’ is really Ace from the
       Oath- he must have some hella good makeup to hide the tattoos,
       and some serious voice manipulation- but I’m pretty sure it’s
       him..” she blushed a bit with excitement.”their one of my
       favorite bands- his music saved me from a really dark point in
       my life.” She said softly.
       Wren met up with haru and watched the teens do their thing as
       she sighed.”girl slipped a little - big dog was - something
       else..“ said wren as she stood with the angel. She noticed how
       the girl got excited about something to blink.”I’m just
       wondering how to get her alone without her being guarded.” She
       said softly.
       ——
       Danny blinked, a bit surprised to hear that Lilith thought that
       Haru was a famous singer from a band. A band he actually
       listened to, which was kind of unusual. After his crazy previous
       year, his musical taste had been influenced more by Kevin and
       Sammy who listened to the band practically everyday. While he
       hadn't understood their obsession, the music had helped him a
       great deal.
       "Well..maybe. If he took his glasses off you'd know for sure.
       He's got that beauty mark under his right eye, right?" He asked
       as he eyed the man a bit more closely.
       Haru's eyes slide towards Danny and Lilith, making Danny nearly
       jump in his skin. Had he heard them talking from that far away?
       Haru made a thoughtful sound at what Wren had told him, and
       realized that the girl had definitely figured out who he really
       was. "I think I can get her alone. Though..there are a few
       things I think I should talk to mr. Rainbow about a few things
       too," He added and reached up stroke his chin. It was a habit
       that he just couldn't help but doing.
       "How are you faring as a chaperone, Haru?" Henry questioned as
       he glanced between his friend and the museum administrator. He
       had the feeling that this was the woman that Haru had mentioned
       the night before.
       "All right, Wren's been pretty helpful," He replied. "oh..and
       Patrick over there is sitting out the art competition. He just
       had to pull a prank with a werewolf mask earlier. Kind of scared
       a few of the students. I was going to see if they needed some
       fresh air to calm down a bit more," Ace/Haru added.
       "Patrick..we've talked about your need for attention
       before..come on. YOu'll stick with me. That's not a bad idea.
       I"ll take the other students on the tour, and you can take them
       outside for a little while," Henry replied.
       Haru gave a nod and then headed over to Danny and Lilith. "We
       should talk, but outside. I don't really want everyone hearing
       what I have to say," He added in a whisper. "Ah..Wren would you
       like to join us?"
       ___
       Lilith smirked.”if we can get close enough to see. But we can’t
       be pulling what laughing boy did- I so wanna participate in this
       art competition.” She mused. She saw Danny jump.”hey, you okay?”
       She asked as she went to see the chaperone staring a little.
       Wren who was with Ace as she listened. “About?” She wheeled
       before hearing Henry.  Wren gave her warm smile.”if anything he
       can help set up and clean up- so no idle hands.” Suggested wren.
       Wren followed to see Lilith looking semi excited that Ace was
       getting closer but a quick change to suspicion seeing her close.
       “Yes..I know a place that’s pretty quiet.” She told the man
       before she would lead them to a small garden that was in the
       middle of the building- like a courtyard it allowed for fresh
       air and flowers.
       Lilith gave a side eye. “What did you want to say Mr. haru?” She
       asked her hands in her hoodie pockets.
       ——
       Danny gave Lilith a slight nod, his mouth opening and then
       closing as Haru came over with Wren.
       Haru could see the questioning looks the teens gave him and
       stayed quiet as Wren led them to the indoor garden.
       "This is quite a beautiful garden," he complimented then turned
       to look at Lilith and Danny, seeing the wary and curious looks
       the two were giving him.
       "You've probably guessed it already," he said softly and took
       off his hat and glasses so they could see his face better. "Yes,
       I am Ace from the band The Oath. I just was hoping to not get
       swarmed by fans while I'm working at the academy. I hope you can
       keep it secret for a little while longer," he explained. "But
       there is more, you both might want to sit for a moment," he
       added and gestures to one of the benches.
       Danny was a bit shocked that Haru was admitting he was the lead
       singer and moved to sit wondering what else the man might say.
       "From your comments earlier to Lilith; enchanted  magical items
       and a werewolf coming out of a mirror; sounds like you've
       encountered the supernatural in the past."
       Danny was quite taken aback by Haru mentioning everything he had
       muttered and scooted closer to Lilith. "How..did you hear that?
       You were super far away."
       "I have sharper senses than most," Haru replied with a smile
       before glancing around. "See, I'm more than human. I'm part
       angel."
       At these words he concentrated and his black wings emerged from
       his back for a moment do the two could see them. "This is
       another secret you'll have to keep. Though, if there's anything
       either of you want to talk about, you're free to talk to me or
       Wren, no matter what it is,"
       Haru slowly shifted his wings away, hoping he hadn't blown their
       minds too much. Danny was sitting there with his mouth wide open
       obviously shocked.
       ----
       Lilith smacked Danny’s arm in literal excitement as the man
       admitted who he was.”I told you!” She said with the enthusiasm.
       Her barely holding in the want to fangirl over him.  She blinked
       a bit at his comments to sit down. The next few words came out
       as her brows raised to look at Danny. While her reaction was
       suprised that Danny not just knew but in her mind became not
       just a possible friend but a source of information as well.
       But what got to her was Ace was trusting enough to show his true
       self. Her eye widened at the wings as her jaw softly dropped.
       She clutched her hoodie arms as she realized this was a real
       problem.
       Wren noticed how she was being before she got in place.”please
       don’t freak terribly.” Was what she said before she would reach
       and bring her head off as Lilith’s eyes bugged out.
       Once the head was settled as Lilith seemed ready to talk before
       her brothers words came to mind.”you say that- but you have a
       way of keeping secrets without having to bribe.” Said Lilith her
       arms folding as wrens brows knitted together.
       How a girl could know that made her frown.”what do you mean…”
       she started as Lilith snapped.”you can wipe memories by ways of
       magic-  and I rather not lose what I know..” she started to show
       panic as wren’s brows shot up at how a human would know that
       information.
       “You do, if my brother shifts and can’t control himself - I
       gotta be able to intervene..” she started as her voice cracked
       in a tone that was someone that was panicking as wren’s eyes
       went wide. “So he was bitten.” Heard Lilith as she realized she
       was stepping on land mines as she immediately shut her mouth as
       she avoided looking at anyone.
       ——
       Danny rubbed his arm a little after Lilith had smacked it, still
       trying to digest that Ace was an angel. And then the red haired
       woman was suddenly pulling her head off! His eyes widened
       further and he let out a gasp of shock.
       "Holy crap!" He swore, not being able to hold back any longer.
       Haru slowly shifted his wings away, a look of alarm filling his
       face at Lilith's reaction to Wren and her starting to panic over
       having her memories wiped.
       "Hey, neither of us are going to do anything like that to you.
       Your brother is being taught by others how to control his
       shifting. I'm sure there are other students that ..need help
       like he does," he added.
       Danny had turned to shoot a shocked look at Lilith, realizing
       that her brother might just be a werewolf. It seemed almost
       crazy that a headless woman and an angel was trying to reassure
       her to not freak out.
       "Honestly, I knew there were monsters and creatures, but not
       that angels were real. Or headless people. It's kind of hard not
       having someone to talk to about everything I went through last
       year. I'm imagine Lilith needs someone to talk to as well,"
       Danny murmured, looking between Wren and Ace.
       Haru nodded, feeling like both of the teens might need someone
       to just listen and not judge them. "Well..I don't mind listening
       and helping where I can. Just, try and not spread it to any of
       the other human students,"
       ----
       Lilith heard Danny speak.. and seemed to relax her grip on her
       sleeves. The idea of being able to truly speak her mind.. after
       being quiet for a year-the tears that threatened to come
       out.”you won’t?”she managed as a sob came out softly as wren sat
       on the other side.”you have my word - as a dullahan.” She heard.
       Her lip gave a soft tremble.”it happened a year ago.. and it was
       all my fault.” She said as the few words began to tumble out-
       almost with no control as she sniffled.
       “I was going through some shit, and I was big on haunted
       places.. my brother followed me one day cause well I convinced
       him.” She said softly.”just wanted a bit of fun, and watch him
       get spooked.. what I didn’t expect was a wolf to show up. It was
       so fast.. I couldn’t move- I just .. couldn’t.. and Lyall pushed
       me and took the brunt.” She fessed as she continued.”it was a
       year of hell.. his first turn- he wasn’t prepared- I wasn’t.. “
       she said as her hands let go.
       “He came back bloody and scared.. thankfully all we know was it
       was a local farmers animal- after that I was there for every
       shift of the full moon- finding workarounds so our parents would
       not find out. - lying about his late night workouts.. or some
       late night studying in the basement we have.  But his temper was
       the big issue- he got scared of even playing sports and one of
       our arguments triggered a shift in him.” She said.”but.. he
       didn’t touch me. Not even during the full moon changes..” she
       said as she saw wrens face pale.”every moon change and he did
       not try to attack you? What of that argument?”
       Lilith seemed to think.”if anything he barked at me, I had the
       broom because he insisted I have something just in case so I was
       scared but- he didn’t do anything..” she said as her hands
       fiddled with her skirt.
       “In fact I found this school- their site was easy to get into- I
       was desperate to help him. And well.. their secret side of the
       site showing they helped people like my brother..” she said.>>
       #Post#: 1358--------------------------------------------------
       Re: angels among Us
       By: Minyaagar Date: February 13, 2026, 8:02 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       ^^
       “Told my brother and convinced my parents with him it was just a
       better school than the one hick town. They don’t know of his
       turn or bite.. I just filled out what they hid by code for
       monsters.” She said.
       Wrens face gained some empathy hearing this girl bore it on her
       shoulders and wondered what it took to keep it quiet. Let alone
       risk herself. She folded her arms.
       “Danny just know I was keeping quiet cause well we didn’t know
       how they were- other than that they were keeping it under code
       for a reason- far as the school knows I don’t know.” She said as
       she sighed.
       ——
       Ace couldn't help but feel empathy for what Lilith had gone
       through after hearing the story. "I wouldn't say it's your fault
       at all. It's not like you knew the werewolf would be there. Your
       brother was just being protective of you, like brothers are. It
       sounds to me like your brother has more control than most."
       Ace caught the surprised look on Danny's face when Lilith
       mentioned the secret side of the academy's website. "You must be
       pretty good with code to get past the safe guards they have on
       there," he commented, sounding quite impressed.
       Danny gave a nod and ran his hand through his hair at Lilith's
       explanation of why she hadn't said anything to him before.
       "No worries, I get it. I won't tell anyone." He promised
       recalling how the headmaster Mr. Mikkelson had told him to keep
       the monster side of things quiet.
       After a moment of thinking it over he started telling Lilith,
       Ace and Wren about what he'd gone through. The nightmares the
       sandman had used to drive him mad with fear, the students that
       had been forced into the nightmare realm, the monsters that had
       been released and nearly destroyed the academy the year before.
       "There's a lot more to the monster/supernatural world than you
       know. We might have won against that guy, but there are others
       that could come after us. That's what freaks me out the most,
       worrying about what might happen next,"
       Ace was more than a little shocked to hear about what Danny had
       gone through. He could tell from the dark circles under the
       teen's eyes that he hadn't been sleeping very well either.
       "to be honest, there are always attacks from monsters, those of
       us who can, like wizards, nephillim and holy warriors deal with
       them every day to keep humanity safe. It's quite possible for
       humans, a select few to gain abilities to fight them off as
       well. Like one that has second sight," Ace explained, and moved
       to squeeze Danny's shoulder gently. "I imagine you've had
       reoccurring dreams of what happened, yes? It makes it hard for
       you to relax and get real sleep I bet. I can help you with that
       too,"
       Danny blinked and looked rather relieved that there were people
       that were being vigilant against the horrible monsters. "That..
       actually does help. And no, sleep hasn't really been easy for
       me. I'll do anything to sleep through the night for a change."
       Ace gave a nod and glanced at his watch. "Maybe after this
       competition is over, I can set up times to talk with you both.
       If you feel better having each other there, we can do that too,"
       Danny shot Lilith a look. "I'm fine with either, what do you
       think Lil?"
       -----
       Lilith blushed a little. She still felt at fault since her
       brother didn’t want to go in the first place. Lilith heard
       Danny’s words blush a bit.”I love computers as much as art..
       sometimes I do things I’m not particularly suppose to but I’ve
       stopped due to circumstances.” She said to rub the back of her
       head.
       “And thanks..” she said with a small smile before Danny would be
       spoke to. Hearing the fact that Danny had been through something
       they hadn’t been around for- was interesting.
       The more she  listened to quietly as Danny was spoke to- it
       sounded like the boy had it harder than she did. She quietly
       looked away feeling bad she was even apart of this conversation
       given from how it sounded Danny was gifted.
       Wren listened as she put her hand on her hip feeling for the
       boy. “And just to apologize for freaking you out.. my head does
       not stay on very well.” She said with a sigh.
       Lilith seemed to snap back to reality.”yeah sure.. whatever..”
       she said in a tone that sounded tired and wanting to be done.
       Wren took note.”we can go back and do some art time.. your
       participating in the competition yes?” She asked as Lilith
       jumped to life again.”heck yeah!” She said before blushing
       again.”I mean yeah.. sure..”  she said as she got up ready to
       go.
       ——
       Danny felt much better after having gotten all the stuff he'd
       gone through off his chest. He wasn't all that surprised that
       Lilith was more than ready to get back to normal daily life. He
       was quite ready to get into the art competition himself.
       Hopefully this time, his nightmares wouldn't be emerging in his
       artwork. He'd noticed that had been happening a great deal.
       "I'm ready to get back too!" Danny said a bit excitedly and got
       up, smiling much more brightly than before. "Good luck to you
       Lilith,* he said with a wink before heading back down the hall
       as quickly as he could without running.
       Ace walked slowly with Wren after the two teens, thinking about
       what the two had been through. "I can imagine there are other
       students that have gone through traumatic things as well that
       have no one to talk to either. I will have to talk to Mr.
       mikkelson about taking on a more full time position. I do have a
       psychology degree, I've just never actually used it," Ace
       admitted. "Which means, I may stick around here longer than I
       thought,"
       -----
       “I don’t need luck.. but good one to you.” Said the ever
       confident Lilith as she flashed a grin. She was still
       apprehensive of the two, and worried on anyone knowing about her
       brothers change. She watched Danny practically speed walk off to
       turn to ace.”thank you.. I’m still unsure of things.. but I’ll
       try and trust just - one more time.” Said the goth teen before
       she would jog to catch up to Danny to hear someone say to stop
       running to speed walk and giggle as they made it to the room.
       Wren gave a soft breath out. Hearing a teenager say it like
       that- made her wonder if there was more going on at home. Her
       attention swinging to Ace as she heard him mention about a
       psychology degree and him taking the job and staying.
       ”what about your band?” She asked.”.think they’ll take the
       hiatus well?.. mean could get the school talked into for
       dances.” She said as her hands went behind her back her smile
       widening. As they walked her shoulder hit the door before her
       head would come off her shoulders, right into the hands of
       Odette a banshee that would promptly put it back.”I get your
       talking to a hot ass man- but you really should pay attention to
       your surroundings.” Said her childhood friend.
       ”I was gonna see if you wanted to do lunch.. but I see you’re
       very occupied…” teaser the blue haired woman.”but this is okay-
       means I can call my hot ass man to see if he wants to do lunch.”
       She said as wren would fix her choker to pause.”you.. got a
       date.. miss knock out with-“ started the classy woman to see an
       eyeroll.”.don’t start with that-“ said Odette before seeing her
       friend make a breath out.
       “Ace this is Odette- my friend since we were kids. She runs the
       local gym where she teaches boxing.” She told the angel as the
       banshee held her hand out.”nice to meet ya.” She said with a
       smile.
       ——
       The significance of Lilith saying she'd try trusting once more
       has Ace realize how serious this situation was for her. He
       watched the two teens hurry off together and smiled hearing the
       girl giggle as she caught up with the speed walking Danny.
       Ace had actually been thinking about how to talk to his band
       about slowing things down a bit. "Well, we tour the most during
       the summer anyways. We all have different projects we work on
       during the rest of the year when we're not composing. Though, I
       have thought about slowing down a bit. We can Skype and work on
       music even if we're all spread out. I'm sure I could convince
       them to play a few highschool dances," Ace added chuckling a
       bit.
       Ace wasn't expecting that Wren would suddenly lose her head and
       the for the woman that caught it to not scream or have any sort
       of freaked out reaction.
       The banter between the two had him relaxing as he realized the
       women were close friends.
       "Nice to meet you Odette. I'll have to come by your gym sometime
       soon. I could use a place to work out," Ace said taking the
       other's hand to shake it.
       It took a mere moment for him to pick up that she was a
       supernatural being herself, though he didn't mention it.
       "Maybe someday in the future, we could all get together. Maybe
       play some pool or just hang out. I don't know many people here
       yet, so it'd be nice to get out more and see the fun side of the
       city,"
       ----
       “Could totally do a double date, oh and just so you know- I’m a
       banshee- promise I’ll try to not bust your eardrums.” She joked
       a bit. The urge to scream at times was something she worked on-
       it often came on when she sensed death nearby.
       Wren’s eye fluttered between the two that spoke.”mmm.. it would
       be nice to know who picked you of all people up.” Said the
       dullahan.
       “It was kind of spontaneous.. I like it that way.” Said Odette
       with a grin. “Though it seems you’re not far in that mindset
       either.” she muttered to the flustered woman.”oh shush..” said
       wren before wrapping her arm in ace’s .”you two have fun, don’t
       do anything I would.” She told wren with a soft nudge to the
       shoulder the woman making sure her head wouldn’t tip off again.
       Once she left wren gave a soft breath out.”she’s a bit strong
       coming on- but she’s good people.” She said with a smile.
       ——
       "a double date? If Wren feels up to it, I wouldn't mind. I can't
       say I've ever been on one before," Ace mused out loud.
       "Oh you are? No need to worry about that. I'd heal quickly from
       any physical damage," he assured her.
       Ace couldn't help but smile in amusement at the two ribbing on
       one another. His face flushed lightly when Wren slid her arm
       into his own.
       He smiled at Wren's description of her friend. "I kind of picked
       up on that. It's always a blessing to have a good friend. We
       should probably hurry back to the room full of kids though. I'm
       sure by now they're getting antsy to get started,"
       ------
       Wren gave a smile as she walked with him.”indeed we should- then
       lunch.” She said with a smile.
       She would walk back to see the teens hard at work, and looked
       over where Lilith was at, her choice of paints with a rather
       large canvas. She knew they’d be in and out for the days to come
       to work on it or for the few not doing large projects take it to
       the school. She noticed how the girl seemed concentrated on
       sketching out the full concept, her eye trained a little to
       smile.
       The day would wear on as lunch arrived and the kids fed.Time was
       quick as things had winded down and wren letting Ace know of a
       date for dinner.
       She dressed up and put her makeup on carefully, and once she
       reached the agreed spot clutched her hand bag as she looked
       around. The woman was giddy and had arrived a little early to
       adjust her choker some before biting her bottom lip a little.
       ——
       Ace gave Wren a warm smile feeling rather happy to get the
       chance to know Wren better and looked forwards to spending more
       time with her. He had a rather good feeling that his coming to
       help Henry was going to affect his own life in many wonderful
       ways.
       After the students finally got to an ending of their field trip
       and gotten a good start on their competition pieces, Henry, Ace
       and the other teacher gathered up the students and headed back
       to the vans to get back. The happy students chatter kept him
       semi occupied while he tried to think of what to wear on his
       dinner date with Wren.
       Once he got home, he cleaned up a bit and chatted with Henry a
       bit before he headed off to meet up with Wren at the restaurant
       they'd agreed to meet at. It was a small local bistro, so it
       wasn't too busy or too fancy.
       "Wow, you look gorgeous," he exclaimed amwhen he spied her
       waiting and took a moment to appreciate her outfit.
       "Let me get the door for you," Ace said and moved to pull the
       door open and then followed in after her.
       They were soon seated at a table and brought their drinks.
       "Would you like to split an appetizer? Or share two different
       ones?" Ace asked taking a glance over the menu. "If there's
       anything you'd like to talk about, feel free to ask me anything
       you're curious about," He added taking another look at her
       beautiful form.
       --+--
       Wren smiled seeing the man to blush a bit.”you look good
       yourself..” she said.
       She smiled as the door opened for her to walk in.”thank you.”
       She said.
       Once seated and with some wine  she heard his questions.”think
       we can split one, what you going for loaded potato skins or the
       fried shrimp and dip?” She asked as she looked at the menu. “And
       just curious- did you want us to go slow with this?” She asked.
       -----
       Ace ducked his head slightly at her compliment, causing his hair
       to fall in his face. Knowing it would continue to get in his way
       had him pulling it back in a hair tie before they were seated.
       He hoped that if anyone in the restaurant recognized him they'd
       not approach him outright. Or at least wait. He had many meals
       interrupted by fans before.  It made it hard to go out socially,
       since a few fans had acted rather possessive.
       "Those both do sound amazing, I'm game if you are," he agreed.
       Her question had him blink a bit, feeling rather nervous about
       how to proceed. "What would you like to do? I've dated a bit in
       the past, but they never wanted to stick around when I didn't go
       past kissing and cuddling. It may take some easing to go past
       that," he explained. "I put a great deal of myself into a
       relationship. I don't do things half way,"
       -----
       She took note of how flustered Ace had become to get a gentle
       look. “It’s well and fine about easing- I just wanted you to be
       comfortable with the pace. We could always just go with the flow
       and see where the river takes us.” Said wren with a smile.
       Her hand went up for a waiter as the two came to an agreement of
       an appetizer and ordered their meals. The woman brushed her
       strayed hairs around her ear.
       “I’ve been with least two people so I have some experience..
       though the first guy was an asshole of a wolf.” She said with a
       slight puncture of tone. “He does run around here with the local
       pack and acts thuggy- just a small warning.” She said with a
       slight flush.
       ——
       Ace relaxed a great deal after Wren suggested they go with the
       flow and see where it took them. "Thank you," he said with a
       grateful smile.
       Ace got a surprised look when she mentioned dating a werewolf
       and the guy still being around.
       "No need to worry about me. I can hold my own against a wolf.
       One day I'll have to let you see me do my other job," he added
       wondering a bit of how she might fair in one of his monster
       hunts.
       "Though I do hope that's not too soon. I'd like to do normal
       dates with you. So..are you up for dancing after dinner or would
       you rather do something else?"
       *****************************************************