Jasper had caught on to the commotion and had made his way over to Ariel.

“What’s going on here?” Jasper asked. The woman crossed her arms and studied Jasper with a aggravated look set on her face.

Why can’t this just be over already?

“Are you its master?” She asked, pointing at Ariel.

“Yes,” Jasper grumbled. “What did he do?”

“It had the audacity to harass my son! What kind of master are you? Letting a monster like that out of your sight! Don’t you know what they’re capable of?”

Jasper huffed and reached up to grab Ariel’s hair and jerk his head down. Wincing, Ariel decided not to fight, and submitted to being dragged around.

“My apologies, he’s just a little stupid,” Jasper explained, occasionally tugging Ariel’s hair lightly. Ariel made sure to exaggerate each jerk of his head. “Once we get home, you can rest assured that he will be thoroughly punished. And I will not hesitate to remind him of his place.”

The woman grinned, seeming satisfied with Jasper’s promise. “Good.” She gave Ariel a smug look before pulling her child off with her as she strutted away.

Once the crowd dissipated, Jasper released Ariel and sighed.

“Please… don’t do that again,” Jasper whispered. “I hate having to do that. You’re lucky my father wasn’t here.”

“Yeah…” Ariel muttered. A wave of sadness filled him before he shook it away, forcing a smile back on his face. I’m not going to let some racist humans bring me down. “Did you get any information?”

Jasper nodded, pleased that the subject had changed. “Apparently she was seen conversing with another Catalyst this morning, we can go talk to them. They work a few stands down.”

Unenthused as ever, Ariel nodded. “Lead the way.”

They weaved their way through the crowd, heading towards a large stand alive with the sounds of chickens clucking. Two people moved about, one appearing the be the salesman, engaging passerbyers with conversation. The second person was tending to the chickens, and as Ariel grew closer he could see the symbols on her neck. A Catalyst.

Jasper calmly approached the stand, his demeanor unwavering. The salesman’s eyes zeroed in on Jasper, and a bright, product-selling grin appeared on his face.

“What can I do for you today, young man? Looking for some fowl?” He asked in a carefully picked tone.

“No,” Jasper responded bluntly. “We’re actually here to talk to your Catalyst.” The salesman raised a dark eyebrow and glanced over at his Catalyst. A look of anger flashed through his eyes.

“Did she do something to you? I swear she’ll pay if she did.” The man promised.

Ariel’s eyes trailed over to the Catalyst woman who was now frozen in place, her back to them. Ariel’s frown deepened as he could imagine the fear rushing through her after hearing those words.

“That’s not necessary,” Jasper sighed. “I’m Jasper Kaula, I’m a mage hunter. We’re looking for an escaped Catalyst who was last seen talking to her.” Jasper nodded towards the female Catalyst.

The salesman’s eyes widened once Jasper revealed his name. The Kaula family was well known, and was definitely not a family to trifle with.

“Of course, I’ll get her over here,” the salesman stammered. “Veronika,” he barked, summoning the Catalyst over. She turned and approached them slowly, her dark eyes refusing to meet any of their gazes. Ariel could tell she was beyond frightened. Though, he couldn’t blame her. If he had been approached by mage hunters, he would have been scared out of his wits too.

“Now, Veronika, you will tell this young man everything he needs to know, understand?” the salesman ordered sharply.

Veronika remained silent for a moment before silently nodded her head in submission. The salesman crossed his arms and smiled, clearly pleased with her compliance.

Jasper sharply fixed the woman in his gaze. “We’re looking for a Catalyst who goes by the name Mealony. She was reported to last be seen talking to you.”

Veronika remained silent.

“Well, is this true?” her master prompted.

“Y-yes,” she admitted, seeming to shrink five times smaller.

“What did the two of you talk about?” Jasper asked. While his words weren’t harsh, they remained firm and demanded to be obeyed.

“She just… she just told me that she had gotten her ring and escaped…”

“Is that all?” Jasper questioned.

The girl nodded.

Ariel got the vibe that she wasn’t being completely honest with them, but he didn’t really want to hound her for information. But Jasper wasn’t ready to let it slide.

Sternly, he added, “I would appreciate if you didn’t withhold any information from me.”

“I’m not,” her voice almost seemed to be pleading with them. Ariel’s heart clenched at the sound.

“What is your relationship with her?” Jasper pressed.

“We’re… just friends…” She whispered. Jasper cocked his head to the side.

The salesman was clearly getting frustrated. He raised his hand and swiftly brought it in contact with the Catalyst’s face. The force knocked the woman over, and she silently accepted her punishment, not even uttering a cry of pain. Ariel took a step forward, but his senses returned to him before he could do anything rash.

“You’re going to tell him everything you know,” the salesman ordered. The Catalyst looked up at him pitifully, her eyes holding some emotion that Ariel tried to put a name to. Was it anger? Fear? Sadness? Or just a mixture of all three?

“I… we were supposed to meet up tonight…” she admitted shakily. “On the outskirts of the city, near the cemetery…”

“Oh?” the Salesman’s eyes narrowed. “And what would be the point of you going there?”

The Catalyst dropped her eyes guiltily, and realization dawned on Ariel. They were going to run away together…

Jasper sighed and turned away from the scene. “Thank you for your time. That’s all we needed to know. Come along, Ariel.” Jasper began to walk away, and Ariel followed before sneaking a glance over his shoulder to meet the eyes of Veronika one last time. For a moment, her eyes held a trace of pity before they morphed into pits of seething anger.

‘Traitor,’ she mouthed.