A Dollar for Your Insight, a Fortune for Your Disaster pt.2

"I knew someone would find it sooner or later," the strapping young ghost stared at the old stuffed toy.

"You hid it there?" Simbi's eyes followed his.

"Yeah, but him out of anyone in this house. Odd isn't it?" he faced the snake spirit.

She looked down nervously, "so, I'm guessing you've noticed it too."

"Master is aware of it too. She just entered the Inferno," he announced.

"This early? What are we supposed to do?" she backed up.

"I've been monitoring their training. I'm still not sure why she still decided to take him on as a mentee if she knew."

"Is he…" Simbi faltered.

Eros shook his head, his demeanor more mature and composed than ever. "What about this one?"

"Airhead."

He was relieved, maybe his reckless and rebellious master really did have something up her sleeves. Though he had known her for years, through thick and thin, he was still not immune to her unpredictability.

"I think we need to hold a meeting, just in case," Eros suggested.

"I will inform the General," the female spirit bowed and vanished.

Eros hovered over the jock as he slept peacefully; hugging the old stuffed animal. His master used to sleep in the same manner as a wee child. But it had been years since she had seen it. She wasn't even aware of its existence in her own house. He had hoped to surprise her with a game of hide and seek. But now it was too late to interfere. He had promised Wrath to intercept as little as possible regarding things in the apartment; especially when involved people who weren't gifted with the second sight.

The youthful spirit left the room and approached his master's altar on the balcony. He pointed his finger at a candle wick and lit it up. He took in a deep breath and blew over the rest of the candles around it. The first fire danced and pranced its warmth onto the next. Each candle started to light up to form a ring of flame. The copper hue made his shirt looked sheer.

His pale golden pupils projected the waltzing fire; one more alive than the other. The fire spirit reached his hand out further. The tip of his finger lingered on top of the center candle; the warmth was numbing as he toiled to feel something. A flurry of stirring wind disrupted his melancholic moment as his fellow spirits arrived on the balcony. They gathered around in a semi-circle with the General leading ahead.

"Why have you called us here? The weekly meeting is in four days," the General squinted his eyes.

"As you all should know, everyone's aware that something is going on. But why is no one doing anything. No one is saying anything either," Eros replied.

"You have been observing her and that boy for two days, yes?" he raised his chin.

"What's your point?" the young man folded his arms.

The General sighed, "your stubbornness should not get in the way of our operation, Eros. We exist to serve her now. Do as you are told. Do not be a hero."

"You think I'm trying to be a hero? What happens to protecting her? Isn't that part of our job? I know it's normal for her to be reckless, but this feels different. She knows something and she's not telling us! How can you stand there and do nothi– "

"Look at yourself! This childish behavior needs to stop right now. I suggest you to not involve your feelings when making a decision. If this continues, I may need to ask someone else to watch over her– "

"She's in the Inferno right now," he interrupted.

The sturdy captain of Wrath's army of spirits was vividly disturbed by the newly unveiled information. Small muttering ensued amongst the lesser spirits. Simbi brushed through her hair awkwardly as she tried to divert her attention somewhere else.

"Do you know about this?" the leader turned to the snake priestess.

"U-uh…I might have forgotten to start with that," she looked up.

"What should we do?" Eros pushed.

"Hmm…There's nothing for us to do unless our Master gives a new command. All we can do now is wait for her to reemerge before we can decide on an action. She would know if we move behind her back and she would not be happy with that. Everyone can disperse for now."

The rest of the spirit servants bowed and excused themselves. The guardian of the apartment tried to slither back inside, but Eros had caught on to her plan and shot a flaming arrow at her.

"You too?" the fiery entity challenged.

"Eros…The General is right. We need to wait until she is done to decide on what to do. We took an oath to follow her orders," she answered.

"I know… But we don't know what's in there."

"Have faith in our Master. I have a bad feeling about this as well, but she would know what to do. We will deliberate further when she is back. Take it easy, Eros," the chief sympathetically bowed.

The brief assembly was cut short with no satisfying conclusion. The towering spirit majestically casted his dark cape and extinguished the candles on the altar. With that, the balcony was grim and inky once more. The moon was its only source of light. Swirls of smoke shrouded the empty space between the two spirits. They both gazed up to the sky; pondering over their conceivably gruesome end.

"I like the sly and cunning Eros better. If things were to end badly for any of us, then the good memories are all she could count on. Don't burden her with our worries."

Eros shot a surprised look at the sentimental remark of his fellow demon.

"Hahaha…I do not remember much of my past life or how human works. But she is unlike any other. I understand that you are concerned for her well-being, but you out of all people should know that she is capable of more than we could ever conceive," she smiled.

The night draft blew over the thin fabric of the male spirit's collars. He turned away and looked down on his hands. There was some truth in the lady's wisdom; precious memories of Wrath would be embedded with them for eternity. He snickered and sighed deeply. It had been quite some time since any other spirit had seen Eros' genuine smile.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it then. The circus animal has awakened," he pointed to the sliding door.

"What?" Simbi turned and saw a sleepy Pride staring out of the glass door.

She hid away in a hast to avoid another unwanted interaction and watched him step out to the balcony.

"Did someone light a candle?" Pride looked around, shrugged, and went back inside.

"Phew!" she wiped her forehead instinctively.