Jett was right that they had been expecting me, but Briar still had the most relieved look on his face that I had ever seen. He ushered me back up those stairs, and insisted I leave my things in the room I guessed I’d have to stay in.

“Finlay, may I ask why you decided to change your mind?” The old man asked from the doorway while I removed my coat.

“My teacher threatened to kill my best friend if I didn’t give him the hilt.” I didn’t mean to give him attitude, but the idea of Professor Bruno actually succeeding and making good on his threat sent chills down my spine.

“Oh dear, I hope your friend is alright?” He looked un-phased by my tone, his eyebrows practically frowned in concern for her.

“She’s fine. She wants me to explain what’s been going on. I don’t know what to tell her.” I folded my jacket and scarf, and laid them out on the end of the cot.

“We could tell her together, if you think it would help?” He offered.

“I thought we shouldn’t involve others in on this.” I responded curtly.

“I’m afraid she might already be involved if she was attacked so openly like that. Best we can do is at least make her aware?”

“... I guess that makes sense.” She might be able to protect herself better, if she knew what to look for. If only I knew for sure what that would be.

In the end, Briar helped me think of what to say in the text message I sent to her, inviting her over. We went back downstairs with Camilla, who was at the counter. She looked bored, I got the feeling that retail wasn’t the best fit for her. Briar was showing me around the shop, and explaining what was in our immediate area when Emma came in through the door. Camilla immediately stopped slouching against the counter, and went back to acting like an actual employee. I made a beeline for her, and we hugged. I was relieved to see that she made it okay.

“Did anything happen after I left?” I inquired, and she shook her head.

“People are wondering why Professor Bruno suddenly left work. No one has any idea otherwise.” She explained as she began taking off her gloves. I nodded, and led her toward Briar. When we passed Camille I could see she returned to slouching, probably realizing that Emma wasn’t a customer.

“Briar, this is Emma.” I felt weird introducing her, but she stuck out her hand politely toward him.

“Ms. Emma. It’s nice to meet you, I understand you must have a lot of questions?”

“Absolutely, sir. Thank you.” I stayed close to her, I could tell she was somewhat weirded out by her current situation.

“Very well. Camilla, let’s close early today. We’ll be rather busy soon.” He looked over our shoulders to the taller woman, who looked relieved to step away from the counter and start closing up. He looked towards us again.

“Let’s talk over some tea, yes? This way please.” Briar turned toward the stairs, and I tried to offer Emma a reassuring look as I followed him.

At the top of the stairs, I could hear hollering coming from the room I was supposed to be staying in. I offered a quick apology before going to see what was the matter.

“Hey! Finally! Stop leaving me by myself!” The sword complained from my backpack, and I went and fished him out.

“What? You lonely?” It was my turn for a chance at teasing the sword.

“Ha. More like infuriatingly bored. Seriously. Take me with you.” I rolled my eyes, and relented. I backed out of the room, Emma was waiting in the hallway between my room and the room I was in yesterday, with an irked expression. She probably heard me ask an inanimate object if it was lonely. I gave a vaguely embarrassed look before I led the way into the kitchen space, where Briar was already at work making more tea. I briefly wondered if it was the same kind as yesterday, I never actually tried it.

I sat down in the chair I took yesterday, and Emma took the one Briar was in. I set Jett down on the table, and allowed myself to finally look at it. I guessed that little spark of light between the prongs was what turned into the blade, but if I touched it now my fingers went right through. I set it down again with a grunt, and I slouched against the table as Camilla made her appearance, and walked past us to sit on the couch in the living space on the other side of the room.

“What is that?” Emma asked warily, no doubt remembering the scene it was involved in earlier that day.

“Tell her I’m the mightiest weapon in all of creation, the bane of all wrongdoers, the shining beacon in the surrounding darkness!” He announced rather dramatically, I rolled my eyes.

“More like the bane of my existence.” I muttered into the table.

“Ouch. Uncalled for.”

“What? What do you mean?” Emma worried, looking just about as confused as I felt about the last 24 hours.

“Nothing,” I sat up again, just as Briar returned with some cups and the tea pot. “It’s the thing the professor wanted.”

“The Star-crossed wrath,” Briar supplied, “It concerns me that your professor knew of it already.”

“Probably saw me talking to it in class.”

“You did look kind of insane.” Jett commented, I only sighed in response.

“Why did the professor want it?” Emma asked, looking between Briar and I as the old man poured out our cups of tea.

“That sword, and your friend Finlay, are some of the only things preventing the end of life as we know it…” Briar began grimly.

“You’re not exactly a deadly roadblock if you ask me.” Jett filled in the pause with a quick jab at me. I glared at him.

“... I worry that your teacher will have gone to tell someone else that you’ve already gotten your hands on the Star-crossed Wrath. It will make our foes even more persistent in finding, and ending you.” He turned toward me to say that last bit, and chills went down my spine again.

“Professor Bruno? I thought he was dead.” Emma looked back to me, expecting me to agree or correct. I just lowered my head against the table again and groaned.

“Dead?” Briar looked at me as well. Emma took it upon herself to explain.

“Finlay stabbed him. With that.” She pointed at Jett, “Only it looked different. Then he just… vaporized?”

“... I see. This is a good thing, at least. You purged the evil soul from this world, and you’ve figured out how to use the blade?” Briar sounded hopeful.

“Hardly. I don’t even know what I did-”

“-you closed your eyes.-” Jett inserted.

“-Jett just told me to point and swing. So I did.” I glared at him as I finished.

“It goes without saying that you should at least look at what you’re trying to kill.” He responded quickly, understanding what I meant. I was about to protest, I wasn’t trying to kill my favorite professor. When Emma interrupted.

“Who’s Jett?” She asked, and even Briar looked confused.

“I’ve been wondering something similar, you mentioned the name earlier.”

“Oh, yeah.” I forgot Jett said people seemed to forget his name wasn’t actually Star-crossed Wrath. I picked him up by the handle, and held him so that the bottom of the hilt was resting on the table.

“Everyone, Jett. Jett, Emma and Briar.” I sounded sarcastic, but Jett actually responded despite not being heard. Albeit just as sarcastically.

“Charmed.”

“He says it’s nice to meet you.” I added dryly, Emma looked concerned, and leaned away from the sword.

“No I didn’t.” Jett grunted, as Briar exclaimed.

“Of course! I had no idea the Star-crossed Wrath had a given name. It’s a pleasure.” He seemed genuinely happy to hear this. I sighed, and set the sword down again.

“See, now that’s how you should talk to me. Nothing but respect from that one.” Jett sounded amused.

“Then stop being a prick.” I was glad I could talk to him more freely now that I wasn’t around outsiders. Somewhat anyway.

“Wait, wait. Hold on. So… The sword… Talks?” Emma was still staring at it distrustfully.

“Yeah, he doesn’t shut up.” I answered, at the same time Briar began an explanation.

“The Star-crossed Wrath, or, Jett, can communicate with those in the Moira family line, just as he can only be used by them.”

“Why?” Emma didn’t tear her eyes away, but she warily took a sip from the tea, a motion I replicated now that I remembered it was there. It was good. My mind stuck on what Briar said though, about how Jett can be used by ‘them’ and not just ‘him’. Did that mean someone else could have done this? Like my brother? Or my father?

“We aren’t totally sure why it is that way, but we do know it's a fact. Countless others have attempted to wield the Star-crossed Wrath, and none were successful, it just can’t be done.”

“Hold on. You said anyone in my family could do it. Why not my brother, or my dad?” I tried to stop the line of discussion before it continued on.

“The responsibility falls upon the youngest able Moira.” Camilla called from across the room.

“Says who?” I turned in my chair, but Briar was the one to answer.

“It’s just how it is, we don’t know. We don’t know what happened to your father, and if it was your brother then he would be the one the heartless chased into the alleyway last night. You wound up here because they, and your instincts, led you here.

“My instincts didn’t lead me here.” I pointed at Camilla, “she, led me here.”

“But it was you who put yourself in her path on her nightly walk. You chose to flee into the alleyways, you chose to run in the route she took.” Briar argued calmly. I sighed, and pinched the bridge of my nose before wincing and remembering it was sore.

“Fine. Whatever. I’m the chosen one.”

“Um, I’m still confused. I still don’t know what’s going on.” Emma reminded, and Briar looked back to her apologetically.

“Right, my bad, let’s work on getting you both all caught up, yes?”