Editing The Lioness (Warhammer High) (section)

==Part Three: Prep==

===Fate===
At 3 AM, the residents of the El’Jonson household are usually fast asleep. Even Lion himself is rarely awake at this hour, preferring to remain as close to his humanity as he can manage. However, tonight is different as one of the occupants is awake. Lyra stared out her window, looking at the back garden with a blank face. She had awoken 30 minutes earlier and was no longer able to sleep no matter how hard she tried.

She stared at the many trees surrounding her mansion, noting their movement in the winds with barely any moonlight. Their leaves swayed side to side, mesmerizing her with their slow methodical movements. Her eyes began to tire once more, a sign of future sleep when she pried them awake, suddenly looking more intently. Something had moved down below in the trees.. She was sure of it.

Not even putting on any extra clothes then her pajamas, she made her way out of room and down the winding staircase, trying her best not to make any noise to wake her mother. She arrived to the back patio entrance, staring at the trees. She wasn’t sure what she saw, but there was definitely something hiding out there. Her logic told her that nothing could have made it into the grounds but she some part of her wanted to check.

Sliding the patio door open, she walked barefoot outside into her backyard. Although some of her uncles’ houses had created artificial forests and clearings around their households, her father had gone a overboard with his. He had actually planted Caliban’s deathworld trees around the manor, known for their tenacity to grow at a rapid rate. Although they were bound by the spire itself, the trees had done miracles in growing in every direction they possibly could. From the patio door it would take less than 15 feet to reach the trunk of one of the many trees.

She walked towards the forest with typical stubbornness, meeting whatever was hiding in the shadows head on. She disappeared into the mass of trunks, soon not even seeing her own house behind her. After several seconds of walking, she noted that she might be actually lost. Staring around her, all she could do is stare into the shadows, knowing full well she wasn’t alone.

Naturally, her thoughts went back to the visions of Caliban she had only a week ago. Even though it felt like a dream, the details were crystal clear in her mind. Her surroundings eerily reminded her of the exact same scene with the Calibanite lion. She remembered everything, in particular what the watchers had told her.

“I am the lion...” she whispered, thinking it ominous of dangers to come. The legends of Calibanite Lions were told to every child of Caliban. Only two ever existed in the history of the planet, thus adding to their near mythical status. Known for being of the most strongest beasts in Caliban history, they were ruthless killing machines of the people. It was therefore strange to receive a vision of watchers relating her to a beast of near unlimited bloodlust. The more she actually thought about it, the more terrified she became of the idea.

A slight shiver went down her spine as she suddenly felt very alone and cold in the dark shadows of the trees. Turning around to what she thought was the right way, she took steps forward, plowing on in the darkness.

“I am not a beast,” she muttered in defiance, probably to the shadows than anything else. The past week have brought many hurdles she had to overcome because of these visions. They had only brought her pain and suffering. She would be damned if she was going to listen to a bunch of omens dictate who she was. She clenched her fists. “I am Lyra El’Jonson.”

“I hope so.”

She looked up in surprise. She had ended up back at her house and for this she was thankful. Her mother was standing before her, looking worried. Florence was still in a nightgown staring at her daughter, clearly woken up recently.

“Mom, I... Did I wake you?” she asked, trying to get her thoughts together.

“I heard the patio door open. What are you doing out here?”

Lyra paused and turned back to the trees. “I thought I saw something outside. I went to investigate.”

“And it didn’t cross your mind to tell the guards to do so instead?” Lyra wondered to herself why she hadn’t. It was regularly told to all the Primarch’s daughters to never take a chance with their safety, even though some of them blatantly disregarded such a warning. However, Lyra wasn’t one to do so and this made her feel a bit dull. Her mother looked at her, disappointed and more worried than earlier. “Come inside before you get sick in the cold.”

Lyra suddenly realized how cold she really was. She covered her chest with her arms, feeling a bit stupid for walking out barefoot, with nothing but an undershirt and her pajamas. As they walked back into the house, her mother asked the question that everyone seemed to be wondering about this entire week when it came to Lyra.

“Something the matter?”

She was about to say no like always, but suddenly realized this conversation had to happen even if she didn’t want it to. “Do you...” she started, trying to choose how to say the next line without sounding like she was crazy. “Do you believe in fate?” Her mother was a bit surprised with the question as she widened her eyes just a bit.

“You’ve never been the superstitious kind, Lyra” Florence commented.

“Things have happened this week that just seem so strange, I can’t explain it. Has that ever happened to you?”

She smiled and nodded. “When I met your father for the first time, I was shocked that he wanted to see me. I never imagined the son of the Emperor would be interested in a doctor. And when he asked me to marry him, have you as my daughter, meeting your uncles and coming to Terra... I had to believe that it was fate there for a little while. But then I realized how stupid it was.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“Your grandfather.” Lyra looked a bit surprised as her mother smiled, distantly remembering an old memory. “It was the first time I met him, and I almost couldn’t believe it was him. He did his best to make himself look simple, using his powers to downplay himself to make it more normal for me. We were chatting away when I told him how I couldn't help but feel fate had brought me here. He laughed in my face.

“He told me if he believed in fate, he would still be on Terra fighting a hopeless war while Humanity disappeared from the galaxy. For him, fate is a way for a simple man to explain how lucky or unlucky he is. He believes that every being is in charge of his or her future and there is no guideline on what you can or cannot do. He is living proof of that.”

Lyra stood there, knowing full well that would be something her grandfather would say. She realized that the accident was because of her actions and that everything since then was of her doing. She sighed, feeling a bit worse then before, but understanding she still had the power to change things.

“Thanks mom. I need that.” She realized she hadn’t mentioned her evening plans yet, and felt this was a good times as any. “By the way, I’m going out tonight.”

Her mother’s left eyebrow raised up. “Oh? Aren’t you grounded?”

“You never confirmed that. You said since I don’t have a bike, I won’t be leaving the house much. I am receiving a lift.”

Her mother looked at her, clearly displeased by her daughter’s reasoning, but gave in since she was right. “What could be so important that you are testing my limits?” she asked, and Lyra smiled.

“I have a date with Felix Severus.”

Her mother’s other eyebrow raised, clearly surprised. “Oh. I guess we can let this slide then.”

===Phoenician===
A long sleek gravlimo rolled into the gates of the El’Jonson residence some hours later. The vehicle slowed down and came to a stop a moment later in front of the main entrance, its engines cooling off in the morning wind upon the spire.

A second passed before the driver’s door opened and out stepped the driver, an middle aged man wearing a black suit and a chauffeur hat. He ran around the large vehicle, making his way to the back passenger door. Pausing once to brush himself off and straighten his tie, he opened the door ceremoniously, bowing at the same time to the occupant.

Out stepped Victoria, smiling to herself as she surveyed the empty lot around her. No one else seemed to be visiting her aunt and cousin this morning.

“Perfect” she purred to herself, only now noticing her driver still bowing by her side. “Thank you Geoffrey, you may wait in the car.” The driver nodded once and closed the door behind her as she walked to the entrance. She suddenly stopped and looked back at the car, sighing. “You nearly had it Geoffrey.”

The driver looked shocked and followed her gaze to his shoe, where there was a spec of dirt on it. He mentally cursed himself for missing such a simple distraction. “My apologies madam. I’ll do better next time.”

She nodded as she continued to the door while Geoffrey leaned down and took out a handkerchief to brush the dirt off his shoes. She walked up to the entrance as the main door swung upon, the servitor butler appearing at the entrance. Like most automated butlers, this one was programmed with external sensors attached to the door, including face recognition software.

“Welcome Lady Victoria. Lady Lyra had not informed me of your visit.”

“That is because I didn’t tell her I was coming. Where is she?”

“Eating in the kitchen, madam. If you could wait I will go fetch her and-”

Victoria didn’t let the servitor finished as she brushed past him, knowing full well her way around the house. Her heels echoed against the hardwood floor as she made her way into the mansion, past the winding staircase and towards the backside. The servitor followed a good distance behind her, trying to find proper procedure in dealing with such behaviour from family.

Victoria made her way into the kitchen, where Lyra sat at a table seemingly enjoying some toast before noting her new guest. “Hi Lyra” she said, waving as she approached her.

“Victoria. What a pleasant surprise.” Lyra seemed a bit shocked by her cousin’s appearance and was already trying to find out why she could possibly be here, but didn’t have to think that hard to figure it out. The servitor came to a pause behind her cousin, still unsure of what he should do. She nodded at him, gaining his attention. “You can leave us.” The servant nodded, happy that the responsibility of the new guest was off his shoulders as he turned around and left them.

Victoria pulled a chair and sat down at the opposite side of the table taking note of her breakfast. “Haven’t I told you yet that carbs can make you fat?”

“You tell me quite a bit Victoria. Maybe you can start by why you are here?”

She shrugged, leaning back into her chair. Victoria wasn’t going to hide anything from Lyra, it was usually impossible to try. The girl had a knack of figuring out people’s intentions with little information. That sort of intuition is why most of the family knew she would be the clear candidate for a politician or diplomat. “I just heard from a yellow bird that you have a date, that’s all.”

Lyra sighed, already having figured out as much as soon as she saw her. “Remilia’s worried over nothing. Felix wants to help me find something I’ve misplaced, alright? It is only a bonus that he is a charming.”

Victoria smirked at that. She knew Felix’s exploits as a council member and felt it would be a right fit for Lyra. Although he was quite good looking, it was a shame he wasn’t Victoria’s type or she would have pursued him herself. Too political for her tastes.

“I just came by to congratulate you for your success. Remilia is just being herself, trying to protect her family from getting hurt. Still, she would like it if I came back to her with an answer on my opinion with the whole thing, so you don’t mind if I did do some investigating on Felix, do you?”

“I do. I don’t want you or Remilia risking my date so you can find out Felix’s private life, understood?”

“I’ll be discreet” Victoria said, a smile on her face. Lyra knew she was going to do the investigation no matter what she said. Hopefully it would go unnoticed by Felix.

“Is there anything else?” she said, aggravated by her cousin’s plans. Victoria shook her head, getting up.

“Don’t worry Lyra. Just a little look, I swear. I doubt I’ll find anything on your crush.” Lyra’s brow furrowed, a bit annoyed it was happening at all but knew she could do nothing to stop her. “I’ll make my way out now. Have fun!”

“Goodbye Victoria” was all she heard as she left. Victoria had a tendency of pestering her cousins with her plans. They usually didn’t like when she did, but that never stopped her. Truth was, like Remilia, she found the entire thing to be strange to begin with. She only needed to judge how deep Lyra had fallen before she continued. As she made her way back to the limo, she took out her vox and went through a list of contacts. “Geoffrey, back home please. I have work to do.”

===Tallarnian Liquor===
The day passed quickly after her surprise visitor had left. Lyra had done her chores, completed any remaining homework she had to do, cleaned herself and had picked her dress for the night. And there was still three hours till Felix showed up.

Lyra sat at her desk, staring at her room and wondering if she had missed anything. She was ahead of her planned schedule, and had plenty of time to kill before her date showed up. Her fingers tapped her wooden table repetitively, thinking of what she would do to pass the time. Normally, something would have gone wrong by now, but all was quiet, which made her feel strange.

Her fingers stopped as she eyed the bottom drawer of her table carefully. A part of her told her she shouldn’t but as the minutes went by she gave up on self restraint. Reaching down, she opened it slowly to not make any noise. Removing the trio of large text books that occupied its space, she stared at the empty container, calmly analyzing it before she reached down again.

“How did I do this again...” she whispered to herself, her fingers moving along the edge till she heard a click. “There we go.” The false bottom of the drawer popped upwards. She removed it and eyed the hidden wares with a smirk.

It had taken her some time to acquire, but the bottle of whisky in front of her was well worth the money and time she had invested. The Tallarnian liquor was her favorite brand since she first began drinking some years ago, introduced to the special brand at a diplomatic party she had attended. She enjoyed in particular for its oaken taste and hint of spices the Tallarn love to use. The bottle was currently 13 years old, and had bright blue label covering it to symbolize it was assured of the highest quality.

Grabbing a glass from the drawer as well, she carefully made sure that the door to her room was locked and she wouldn’t be caught by her mother. Although her father cared little if she drank, her mother’s medical experience told her teenagers shouldn't be drinking so early. This did little to de-motivate her as she poured a healthy glass.

She stared at it for a moment, breathing in the heavy smell before she downed it in a single movement. The taste hit her hard as she felt the alcohol burn her insides, all the way down to her stomach. Lyra leaned back and relaxed, enjoying the warm feeling of the alcohol as it filled her chest. She carefully poured a second glass, this time to sip for the next while as she surveyed her room some more.

Her eyes came to rest on her watcher resting on a chair nearby, having not moved since he had arrived. Asleep as always, every day that went by made Lyra feel worse. For the first time, she wondered if this date with Felix was for him or for her. She sipped her drink as a sudden bit of doubt filling her mind about the entire thing.

===The Network===
Like her cousin, Victoria had also been busy since she had left Lyra. Asking her normal sources for any gossip on the jetbike incident, she found little talk about missing gold items with noble family markings. Whoever had it was keeping it a secret to themselves and out of the general gossip rings.

Fine by her, she enjoyed a challenge in her domain of expertise. Many of her special sources were indebted to her in one way or another. All it took was a call or two, reminding them of whom they are grateful for and asking them to start digging. It wouldn’t take long for her to be certain if there was any gossip or not. If there was, then it would be a simple matter of tracking down who has it and making sure Lyra got the information one way or another.

Otherwise, if there wasn’t any gossip on lost jewelry, then Felix would need to start explaining quite a bit. And to make him do that, she would need more information. Good thing she had already begun to collect information on him at the same time she started with the pin. Either way, she would get to the bottom of this no matter what happened.

A plan for every situation. She sat back and smiled, enjoying the perfection she was creating around her. It felt amazing for her, and she shivered in delight as it slowly started coming together.

A new message popped up on her computer and she stared at it for a moment before moving. Seems like there was more to this mystery than a simple date.

“Felix doesn’t have the pin. Why do you want it” she read out loud. The sender was anonymous, but she could still track down who sent it. “Time to get to work” she muttered as she leaned in and began to respond. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, tapping away a response as she began to figure out what was really going on.

===Calling Family===
Freya almost had a heart attack as her vox went off beside her. She glanced at it for a second, wondering who it was before returning to her current task. Although she trusted Alex to do his best as a spotter, at several hundred pounds of weight he would be able to do little if she managed to let the bar slip out of her fingers and fall on her. She eased the bar back upwards, grunting heavily as she slipped it back onto its rests with her boyfriend’s coordination.

Taking a deep breath, she sat up and reached for her vox which was still ringing furiously beside her. Taking a single look at the name, she instantly picked up and put the phone to her ear. “Hey Lyra, how’s it going?” she said, still a bit breathless from the exercise.

“Uh, nothing. Did I catch you at a bad time?” her cousin responded on the other side.

“No, Alex and I were just-” she began but was immediately cut off.

“Wait, Alex is there? Oh shit, you guys weren’t having sex, were you?”

Freya looked a bit surprised, but decided to play along with it. “Oh yeah, we were totally into it. I don’t think Alex wants to stop either. He is getting behind me and looking at me in a way that...”
Alex stared at her blankly, unsure of what she was referring to as she winked at him. On the other side, Lyra could only stutter and mumble incoherently, unsure of what to say. “Lyra, I was joking. We were working out. Just working out.”

“Maybe I should call back at another time.” Lyra sounded unsure of the entire situation, even a bit nervous it seemed. As well, something about her voice sounded strange to Freya’s enhanced hearing. She thought about it a second, wondering if she really did hear her slur or was it just her imagination.

“Lyra, what is it?” Freya asked, a bit more forcefully, knowing something was wrong and had an idea of what it was.

There was a pause before Lyra continued. “How are you?” Diplomatic as ever, Freya played along with her cousins way of doing things. She knew she wouldn't like politicians later in life.

“Fine. I was in the middle of a workout with Alex. I somehow managed to get my father to let him come over to help me train, even when I am grounded. What about you?”

“I have a date with Felix Severus” she proclaimed.

“I heard. You seem very happy with yourself.”

“I am trying to restrain myself,” Lyra admitted. “I’ve been trying to get his attention for a while now. Things turned out to be in my favor for once.”

“Oh I know you had a crush on him. Think most of us did.” She heard Lyra fidget, knowing full well that she never spoke of her crush, but was obvious to anyone who looked. Freya leaned back onto the bench, her back resting against the bar. She smiled at how Lyra was acting on the other end of the line. “So when’s the big date?” she asked.

“Tonight. I can’t wait. To be honest I feel very anxious about the entire thing.”

“I figured. Do you normally get drunk like this before going out?” Again, Lyra began to stutter before a legitimate response could be formed. Freya also heard the sound of glass nearby, knowing full well that she had taken another sip of whatever she was drinking.

“I am not drunk.” Another pause, to which she heard more of the glass moving. “Okay, maybe I am. How did you know?”

“You called me and immediately assumed I was having sex, began to slur and I can hear you moving your glass around. Remember, wolf ears?” There was silence on the line, and she had to check that Lyra hadn’t hung up in embarrassment. “Lyra?”

“To be fair, you did sound out of breath when you answered” Lyra muttered, defending herself just a bit. Freya chuckled at that, but got back on point with the conversation.

“Remilia told me what happened. So should I be worried as she is and freak out or let you have a good night?”

“I just want your opinion on the entire thing, that’s all.”

Freya took a moment before answering her. “I’m happy that you’re actually having fun after last week. But I have to admit that this is all a bit of a coincidence that he wants a date and happens to have what you are looking for. Just saying.”

She could hear Lyra tapping her glass repeatedly before talking once more. “You think he is using the situation to date me?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. We could be just paranoid about the entire thing, but I’d be careful. See if he has what he promised before you do anything alright?”

“Yeah... yeah that makes sense.” Freya slowly began to realized that this was not the cool and confident Lyra she knew quite well. She seemed to be doubting herself and was looking for Freya to help her along.

“You sure you okay with this date?”

Lyra chuckled on the other end. “It’s been a long week Freya. I just want something good to happen for once. And maybe this will be the first step in the road to recovery, you know?”

Freya nodded, her arms clenching as she felt blame for everything that happened. “Listen, if you need my ‘help’ tonight, I can come over, alright?”

She heard Lyra laugh a bit harder, showing the effects of the alcohol as it took a couple of seconds for the giggles to subside. “No, I think I can take care of a single Terran noble.” There was a bit a silence and some more movement of glass before Lyra responded. “Thanks Freya.I needed that. I’ll see you later.” Before Freya could get a word in Lyra hanged up. She sighed as she put the phone to the side, thinking of her cousin for a bit longer before Alex jumped in.

“If you want, I can get behind you and look at your fine-” he started with a smile, but she cut him off quickly, her face frowning from the discussion.

“Not unless you want my dad to chase you out with his chainsword. Now shut up and get back to your spotting position, I got three more sets to complete.”