Izzy was the first to stumble out of the bar and into the frigid mist. She yelped with the shock of it and giggled falling back on Sera.

“Oh, shit, it's cold,” Sera wailed, and Izzy laughed harder. Then Sera laughed too as the girls took turns gripping the railing and shoving each other up the stairs.

Lily had her arm linked around Val's and spoke soothingly about going home for a nice, hot bubble bath. “It's a perfect night for vanilla candles and a few tablespoons of chamomile flowers, too. I could set it up for you as soon as we get you home.” She had a noticeably British accent.

Val sobbed, “I just can't believe he would call it off like that.” Val and Brad had been dating for almost eight months, and she was beginning to think the relationship was getting serious. That was until Brad decided that he needed to focus more on his career, so that one day he could “give his family the things they deserved.” Izzy and Sera both felt the need to overanalyze that excuse, and it did nothing for Val's nerves all evening.

“I know, honey,” said Fi. She had her hand pressed to Val's back to support her. “Just be very careful on these stairs. They're very slick,” she added hurriedly. Then called ahead “Seriously, did anyone call a cab, yet?”

Izzy and Sera worked together to pull Val up the last steps, still giggling like maniacs. Lily let her go so the other girls could hug her, and as she looked back at Fi, her breath caught in her throat. Fi's arms flailed uselessly about her trying to find a hold of something. Lily reached for her, and Sera cried, “Oh, my god! Fi!”

“Woops!” said a voice behind Fi as she stopped in mid-air with a hard “oof!” escaping her lips. She was shoved upright again, and a lady linked arms with her. “Let me help you the rest of the way,” she said. “It's quite slick.”

Izzy's expression changed from horrified to jubilant, as her laughter resumed, and Sera laughed nervously. Val looked around her confused. Lily clung to the railing and offered one hand to Fi and the other lady. They hoisted each other up, and took a few more steps from the stairs before Fi let go of both of the other women and leaned over. “Ohhhh!” she looked up again. “Ahhhh!” She groaned in every language while Izzy and Sera were both laughing wholeheartedly, and Val stepped forward to rub Fi's shoulder. “I thought I was gonna have a heart attack!” Fi shouted. “Jeez! Did anyone call a damn cab?” Even Val was giggling now, as all the women laughed with relief.

“Where the fuck even are we?” Izzy breathed leaning to get a better view of the street sign. “Oh, shoot! I know where we are. We're not far from my place.”

“Oh, can we spend the night?” asked Fi.

“Yes!” Sera roared. “Let's all crash at Izzy's!”

“We'd all sure appreciate it,” said Fi, touching Izzy's forearm pleadingly.

Lily said nothing as she watched the strange lady standing nonchalantly by the steps looking bemused.

“If it's alright with you, I'd like to make sure you girls get there safely,” she said.

Lily looked back at her friends who stared perplexingly at this odd lady, and before they could say anything she said, “Sure, we'd appreciate the company. After all, you did save Fi's life. I'm Lily, by the way.” She held out her hand to the lady. Lily barely stood at five feet, and her hair shown like gold even in the dim lamp light.

“I'm Anya,” said the lady taking Lily's hand firmly. Lily pressed her index finger to Anya's pulse point, and recognition flashed into Anya's eyes. “Pleasure to meet you all,” said Anya, recovering smoothly, and Lily smiled as well.

“Yeah, alright,” said Izzy, “It's this way.” She indicated down the street and the other women followed.

Anya pointedly ignored the shrouded presence behind them and brought up the rear of the group walking alongside Lily. She folded her arms trying to fend off the chill. Now she definitely wished she had brought her coat.

“I can't believe you have such a nice bar right down the street from you!” said Sera to Val in an attempt to resume conversation. “Isn't your neighborhood poor?”

“Hey, it's developing, okay?” said Izzy. “Give it two years and the local real-estate market is gonna be hot!”

“Yeah? No kidding,” said Sera.

“So, who sent you anyway?” said Fi looking back at Anya. “Are you a part of some sort of bar service?”

“Fi!” hissed Val warningly, gripping Fi's arm. Sera gasped melodramatically at Izzy shushed her through her own giggles.

“You could say that,” said Anya with a shrug. “Sid's been bartending for a long time. He prefers people get home safely.”

“Wait!” Sera cried whipping around. “You know the cute barkeep?”

“Oh, Sera, don't,” Fi chided, and Val looked at her phone again; swiping the screen to compose a text.

“Is he single?” Sera asked, walking backwards and ignoring Fi's protesting tongue click. Izzy looked back and grinned.

Anya shrugged and sighed, “Well, he is, if you don't count any of his casual flings.” Val didn't notice as Izzy and Sera groaned disappointedly, and Lily laughed heartily perhaps for the first time that night.

“What? What does that mean?” asked Fi.

“Of course, he'd be one of those.” Sera rolled her eyes facing the front again as Fi continued to demand answers.

“He likes to think of himself as a 'free lover'.” Anya said with a deep nod toward Fi.

“Oh,” said Fi considering, and then, “Oh!” she said as the realization hit. “How can men just get away with stuff like that?”

“It's the twenty-first century, Fi,” Sera chided. “Girls can get away with that stuff, too.”

“Then why don't you?” Fi asked her cynically.

Sera looked back and grinned wickedly, “Because I don't like to share. What are you doing, Val?”

Fi looked at Val's phone. “Oh, honey! Please tell me you are not drunk-texting your ex.”

“I am, but this is so unlike him,” Val replied exasperated. “He keeps rebuffing me, but he's being so polite and supportive about it. Either come back to me or let me be mad at you, you Jerk!” She shook her phone and began typing more vehemently.

“She's not, actually,” said Izzy over her shoulder.

“What?” said Sera, Val, and Fi in unison. Lily stared at Izzy expectantly, and Anya trotted along happily awaiting the next plot twist.

“Well, I knew Val would text Brad and try to get him back at some point tonight, so I swapped his text conversation with an AI chat platform.”

“You swapped my text conversations?” said Val. “I hope you know how to put everything back; I need this for work!”

“Relax!” said Izzy. “All I did was open the AI text feature and leave it open on your screen. Your drunk ass handled the rest.”

Val folded her phone under her arm petulantly, and she appeared to be clenching her jaw. Sera raised her eyebrows at Izzy, and she sighed. “Come on, Val.” Izzy said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “He isn't coming back after leaving like that. I just wanted to protect you from making a fool out of yourself.”

“Okay!” Lily interjected as a few horrified gasps erupted, and she gently inserted herself between Val and Izzy. “We're all really tired and we're all pretty smashed, so let's all head in and sleep it off. Izzy, your place? Is it close?”

“Yeah,” Izzy said. “It's this one here on the corner.”

“Great,” said Lily as she pushed the troop forward.

They walked on a few more steps when Anya's curiosity bubbled over. “What is this AI text?” Lily shot her a warning glance, but Anya looked on innocently at Izzy.

“It's exactly what it is. An artificial intelligence you can chat with. It's like talking to NaviSage, if NaviSage talked back.”

“But you can do it on your phone, now? I thought you needed the power of a desktop.”

“Welcome to the future!” Izzy jeered.

Anya stifled a scoff. She'd been traversing the unknown for several millennia from every possible angle, and she could say with certainty that there is no such thing as “the future”.

“Here we are,” said Izzy, turning to present her building to them, and Anya sensed she was being cued to leave.

“Well,” Anya said with her bright smile. “It was lovely meeting you all. I'm glad you all made it safely.” She looked at Val. “Perhaps it was a good thing you spent the evening chatting with people or things that wanted to be supportive of you?”

Val looked up and muttered, “Piss off.” The troop made their way up the building's steps.

Lily paused by the door long enough for the others to file in, and she looked back at Anya, performing an elegant bow from an era long passed. The gesture made Anya gasp. “Praise unto Thee, oh generous and merciful Guide. I thank you for granting your protection to my friends and me.” Her soft British accent reached Anya like music on the wind.

Anya backed away with a nod, before turning and hurrying back the way she came. She paused whipping out her phone and pulling up her own link to the LogiPulse platform.

So, you're not only capable of replacing humans at their jobs, but you can replace them in their relationships too? Enter.

I am a machine learning platform. Although I can emulate human interactions, I cannot take human form, much less their place in any way.

Yeah, about that. I was walking with this girl, and her friends set her phone up so she'd talk to you instead of her boyfriend. She couldn't even tell the difference. Enter.

I can understand why you might come to that conclusion. I'm sorry to hear that her friends would violate her trust to such a degree. Bear in mind, pretending to be someone's boyfriend is as much a violation to my own algorithm as it is to her privacy. Perhaps this also goes to show how distant her and her boyfriend are becoming that she is able to mistake the cold speech of a machine learning platform for that of her boyfriend who is meant to care for her.

Anya reeled from this statement, feeling too cold to process it.

I guess they did mention that she and he had already broken up. Enter.

I can understand why that would be the case.

Anya put her phone away and shook herself, or perhaps she was just shivering more violently. She was still aware of the women's pursuer, but she was also aware that they would only reveal themselves in their own time.

She approached a break in the buildings and looked down a darkened alleyway. “So, here you are? I meant what I said, and you know it,” she called through it. “The law of hospitality extends the full length of one's doorstep. And in any case, Sid would rather not have a human incident in a bar that doesn't exist. Can you imagine the insurance suit?”

A dark figure birthed from the darkness, and it laughed.

“Is that why Sid enlisted the help of a 'Guide'? So they could make it home without incident? Under your protection?” the reaper began sternly but he stifled a chuckle at the last question.

“Yes,” Anya said firmly; trying her damnedest to repress her shivering. She never lost eye contact, though.

“Even though it was her time?”

“Don't give me that!” Anya said, appalled. “I know as well as you do that there is no 'master list' that determines who stays and who goes. The whole thing is just as chaotic as any other natural phenomena. That's why it's so important that you be there. Otherwise, it's just another 'miracle'. Another instance of 'I should have died' and 'thank the lord,' and I know that you hate that most.” She said acidly, her voice quivering as she shivered violently through her words.

The reaper smirked at her, but his eyes looked tight. “Get home safely little miss Anya, or I might yet reap someone else tonight.”

“That's not how it works!” Chided Anya after him, as the reaper faded back into shadow, and Anya shivered, muttering to herself, “Psychopomps don't reap Faeries.”

The mist had turned to snow.