Cayden Wilde in Calling the Shots - Episode 4

"So I screwed up. I was hired to investigate Matthew Kingston's transformation from an ordinary human to a Satyr. When Matt started liking what he had become, even going so far as to reject being changed back to his less-buff Satyr self, I decided he needed to understand that there were consequences to his changes. I used everything in my arsenal. Even his own mother. Clearly I'm no good with kids.

"I needed to focus back on the case and start thinking with my brain instead of my dick. So I left Matt in the hands of a professional and decided to go to the Artefact Vault."

******

The Artefact Vault.

To many, it looked like a large, black warehouse situated at the rear of City Hall. Most of the citizens considered it an eyesore and from the outside it seemed like a rusted old building that had fallen into disrepair. Still, many had claimed that they had felt a chill down their spine whenever they drove past and this strange sense of the unknown that hung around in the air nearby. But the truth of the matter was that with a few specially worded 'local legends' and a powerful warding spell were only the first level of defences it sported. In fact, Cayden was almost certain that it was probably one of the most secure facilities in the northern hemisphere. Hidden behind an illusion the warehouse was actually a stark black. Those who made their way past the initial wards would be met with thick, iron gates coated in silver that surrounded the perimeter; preventing any shifter like a werewolf or weretiger from scaling them. The iron also prevented fey-based creatures from crossing the threshold and powerful electrical currents kept any humans out as well. There was also salt embedded into the walls in a thick, metal tube that protected entrance from any ethereal creatures from the Shadoweave. For the more persistent and resourceful thief however there was an added defence of mystic jewels of every type embedded into the walls to absorb the magical energies of any from the Elemental Planes and arcane runes prevented any beast from Paradiso or Inferno from passing the barrier.

But there was one way that Cayden knew that allowed him access to the Vault at any time he ever wanted. It was a closely guarded secret, one he had never told anyone about. Only three people knew of it, after all. Himself, the Keeper and his guardian angel. The three of them had found this way into the Vault a long time ago when he had first arrived here in Wake Delta. He had actually met the soon-to-be-Keeper of the Vault on their way. The Aslan had actually been having some doubts about taking a job that would see him perpetually locked in a dark vault with little to no outside contact unless someone needed him. But then they found the underground tunnel leading from the northern outskirts of the city, hidden beneath a certain rock formation.

It was a long trek, an hour at least, but Cayden kept himself somewhat entertained by smoking a few cigarettes as he walked down the dimly-lit tunnel. His mind kept wandering over to Matt and he kept questioning what the young Satyr was doing now and if Katie had even managed to calm him down. He also wondered if Matt would ever forgive him for being so narrow minded.

He sighed softly and checked the time. It was just a little before dawn. The Keeper should be up. At the end of the long, dark tunnel reinforced by black, stone bricks were a large, metal door. When they had had discovered this entrance they made sure to bar and ward it against anyone who might find their way in. Cayden couldn't even begin to imagine the havoc someone could cause if someone from the outside snuck into the Artefact Vault and stole one of the precious treasures inside.

Cayden put out his cigarette and then lifted his thumb towards his lips. He bit down on his flesh, drawing blood. Though it stung, he had done this many times before. He drew a particular insignia on the door and then pressed his paw against it.

"In silence I swear," he recited. "By wolf's howl, by lion's roar, by no one's name. I am Cayden Gladius Wilde."

The magical insignia glowed an eerie, blood red; the sign of a blood pact. It shimmered and the blood was absorbed straight into the metal. There was a soft creaking noise as the metal doors slid aside to let him pass. Cayden stepped through and the doors immediately slid shut behind him. The magic behind the door was very particular about who could be let in.

Up a flight of stairs and soon he was emerging into the guts of the Artefact Vault. To the outside world, the Vault didn't have any windows but that was just a very special illusion. Light streamed in from long, vertical windows that ran down the length of the Vault as dawn rapidly approached. The entire place looked like a massive warehouse, with levels made of corridors that held countless shelves of powerful yet discarded artefacts that were illuminated by bright, yellow lamps. There were specially made handheld pads in front of each artefact that listed its abilities and any known ways of counteracting them. At the end of each row also stood a book on a podium that held the catalogue of artefacts within each shelf. Far into the distance, he could see the big, dark purple curtains of the 'Dark Zone' where the most dangerous and powerful artefacts were kept so that they might never see the light of day for one reason or another. To his right and perched above the rest of the Vault was a large observation deck with a complete view of the vault. Tunnels with glass-bottoms stretched from the deck all the way across the Vault. Flanking these tunnels was the complex crane system that could easily pick up any artefact as necessary.

Cayden was sure to stay within the yellow lines marked along the path. He knew that it wouldn't be wise to get too close to some artefacts; especially those that were particularly sensitive to living creatures; especially Paranorms. Cayden noticed that most of the inner security wards had been deactivated as he made his way towards the control deck. There was no doubt that the Keeper already knew that he was here. That was the thing about Aslans. Once they found their territory, they commanded everything about it. It became theirs and no one could enter it without the Paranorm knowing.

He headed up the flight of stairs leading to the observation deck and knocked on the single, metal door out of courtesy. There was a bit of shuffling from the other side and within moments, there was a creak and the ancient door swung open.

Kensuke the Aslan and the Keeper of the Artefact Vault beamed at him. "Cade!"

"Ken," Cayden replied. He couldn't quite muster up the enthusiasm the lion gave.

Ken tilted his head slightly to the side, peering at Cayden with his ever-inquisitive rust-gold coloured eyes behind a pair of glasses. His short, brown hair and mane were trimmed back into a very youthful appearance and style. "It's a little early for our weekly get together. Something bothering you?"

"Just a case I've been working on," answered the werewolf. "Something I actually need your help with. Mind if I come in?"

The Aslan nodded and stepped aside, gesturing with his broad paws into his sanctuary with a white paw, the finger of his paws matching the creamy-golden colour of the rest of his fur. While most of his body was covered in the silky, light gold fur, his paws and feet were 'gloved' by white fur a little like a fox's. "Yeah. Of course. Come in."

The heart of the Aslan's domain was a mix between a science fiction nerd's fantasy and a man cave. The main focus of the room consisted of a long carpet that lead towards an assortment of machinery and magical monitoring equipment stationed right in front of a broad window that looked out into the entirety of the Vault. Some of the equipment seemed a bit archaic with magical charms hanging from the monitors along with some runes drawn into the desktop boxes, but in the centre sat a holographic display that tracked any sort of disturbance within the Vault be it electromagnetic, magical or physical. Flanking the equipment were two tunnels that let out into the vault proper. To the right, however, there was a living room where some beanbag chairs were positioned beside a large couch in front of a large television hooked up to a games system. Connected to that room and hidden by a pair of double folding doors was a nice, broad kitchen and beyond that was a formal dining room. Next to that was Ken's bedroom.

Posters of football players and the latest video games littered the walls, all little trinkets that Cayden had brought Ken from the outside world. Once an Aslan made his domain, they would never leave its borders as they would literally begin to wither and weaken. Not that they necessarily needed to leave. Anything within their domain was under their control. An Aslan could grow crops on concrete if they wanted or make it rain indoors should they fancy. However, there were simply some things that Aslans could not acquire and that was why Cayden made weekly visits to Ken's place; to keep him up to date on the world outside of the internet.

They sat on the couch, Ken on the right and Cayden on the left like they always did. Ken offered him some cheesy nachos but Cayden refused. It was too early in the morning and the wounds from Matt walking out on him were still very raw.

"So what's this case you've been working on?" Ken asked, munching away at the nachos. He dusted his paws off. Some of the amber flavouring fell upon his tight-fitting muscle shirt and he brushed it off onto his black shorts. Cayden took the moment to admire Ken's physique. Despite not having any workout equipment, Ken always kept a muscular frame. It came from constantly hefting things around the warehouse. Sometimes those 'things' were objects that weighed tonnes because that's simply how they were designed.

"It's the Kingston case," Cayden explained. "I'm sure you've heard of it by now. Kid goes to a bachelor party for a friend, winds up being arrested as a Satyr. Then other members of the party turn up here and there and start turning into Satyrs too. Just yesterday evening, one of them turned into a demon because someone tried to mess with the spell that was infused in them. Oh and get this, they'll only turn into a Satyr if they're aroused."

Ken gave him an incredulous look. "You serious, bro? Sounds like some sort of weird... I dunno... ironic spell-like chastity belt."

Never thought about it like that but...

"Heh, you're right." Cayden turned towards the television which was playing some rerun of the latest superhero live-action series. "Kind of bizarre, I guess, because if they do succumb to their desires, they fully turn into a Satyr which is supposed to be the epitome of debauchery, inebriation and _that_kind of lifestyle."

"Kind of sad how people still stereotype us Paranorms," Ken said. He waved a paw absently and Cayden's keen ears could pick up the fridge opening. Two beers came floating in from the kitchen.

"Ken, it's barely seven in the morning," he protested even though he took the beer.

"I can tell you need it, man," said the Aslan with a comforting smile. "Besides, mi casa es su casa."

Cayden loved Ken like the brother he never had; it was just this kind of warm, affectionate treatment that always brought Cayden back to the Artefact Vault and made him wish he could visit more often. He would've loved to live here with Ken but, first there was no room and secondly, since he wasn't the master of his domain and a Paranorm, it was dangerous for him to be around so many artefacts.

"Just like when we travelled across the country," Cayden said, popping open his beer.

"Just wish Jake was here," Ken admitted, taking a sip from his own beer. "But he had to go back to Paradiso."

"I still don't think he went there, man."

"He said so."

After meeting a No One, Cayden was more and more convinced every day that Jacob, the guy who had picked him up just before he leapt into the Hudson, was a No One himself. Fond memories came flooding back. They had met Ken just as he was just about to move out of New York. Once Aslans grew to a certain age, they were compelled to leave their parents' home to find their own domain. No two Aslans could call a domain their home. Even loving couples had to build their domains next to each other instead of actually living under the same room. It wasn't uncommon from Aslans to divide a whole house completely in two so that they could live together. Ken had reached that age when he had to move out and it was a sort of rite of passage for the Paranorm species to find their own domain.

Ken's dad had some pretty powerful connections and had gotten him a government position in Texas where he was originally from. But Ken didn't want to be handed his domain and struck out on his own. Things weren't going so well... until he met up with the recently kicked out, slightly suicidal werewolf and the mysterious human/angel who just invited him to come on a trip with him.

"Yeah well," Cayden murmured, sipping from his bottle, "I guess I've grow up to be a little cynical and I take even what Jacob said back then with a grain of salt."

Ken lifted his bare foot and absently tapped Cayden's thigh with his toes playfully. "Why don't you tell me all about it, fuzzbutt?"

Cayden glanced at the beer bottle in his paws. He absently began scratching at the label with his claws. "Well, it's like this."

The red and grey werewolf outlined what he had learned of the case so far. The spell cast upon the bachelor party came from an artefact, apparently a cup that could transform any liquid poured into it into red wine. Those who drank from the cup had the spell cast on them. The cup apparently belonged to a Satyr who had approached the bachelor party as a late comer. Any who could've remembered who the guy was just mysteriously forgot about him, likely as a result of the spell. Any attempt to change the equilibrium of the spell or even dispel it caused the person it was cast on to become a wild demonic goat-hybrid that would rampage out of control.

"I was hoping you'd know of any artefact like that," Cayden concluded. "We couldn't get anything from the other victims given what's happened and the Artefact Vault was out only lead." He lifted his gaze. "So Ken can you..." He drifted off at Ken's wide-eyed, horrified stare. "What? Something I said."

"The Bacchus Cup," Ken whispered.

"Huh?"

The Aslan instantly leapt to his feet and bolted towards the control panels behind him, leaping over the back of the couch. "The Bacchus Cup! It must be!"

Cayden's heart was pounding. "What's the Bacchus Cup?"

"The Holy Grail!"

"Right. I spoke to Relic Ross and he mentioned that the myth of the Holy Grail could create artefacts if people believed enough."

Ken shook his head an began tapping on the keys around him, bolting from left to right as he hastily began sifting through the files on the holographic display. "No, no, no. It's the actual Holy Grail."

Cayden perked his ears in surprise. "Wait... really?"

"Yes!" Ken brought up an image of a golden cup encrusted with jewels. "The Holy Grail was originally the Bacchus Cup. It was an ancient drinking vessel used in ancient Roman mythology, originally just a simple clay cup. Dionysus or Bacchus was a god which we all know now is just one of the supernatural beings from one of the other planes, in this case the Feyrealm. He imbued the cup with the ability to turn anything into wine."

He swung his paws through the air and brought up another image, this one of Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper. "During the time of Jesus Christ, the cup used during the Last Supper _was_the Bacchus Cup. There's evidence that one of Jesus' miracles was actually because of this cup." He glanced towards Cayden. "Remember the Marriage at Cana?"

"That one where Jesus apparently turned water into wine?" Cayden asked. "Yeah. Are you saying that Jesus used it then?"

"Right. Remember, according to the Bible, 'Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.' Don't you see? The vessel they used to take the water out of the jars was the Bacchus Cup!"

"And it turned all that water into wine," Cayden mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But what's this stuff about turning people into Satyrs? Last I remembered, the people in that story didn't turn into goat-men." He lifted an eyebrow. "Did they...?"

"No." Ken waved his paws excitedly through the air. "That came later. The Cup was eventually turned into the Holy Grail over centuries. It was remoulded, gilded with gold and encrusted with jewels. It was found by King Arthur and entrusted to Merlin after he was put into sleep. Merlin, using his vast powers, hid it in the Feyrealm and returned it to Bacchus."

"Hang on," Cayden said, holding up his paws. "This is all pre-Convergence. How is this possible? Magic didn't exist then."

"Magic did exist back then but it was much more diluted that it was now. Harder to cast spells and even harder for Paranorms to make their way here. Ancient gods were actually Paranorms who got stuck here from other realms and they just gathered together, trying to make some way to get back home."

Ken shrunk the images on screen and brought up the typical graphic representation that made up the realms of the universe. At the centre was a vast black circle made up of stars with the Earth at its centre, the Material Realm. To its left was the vast, green lands encased in a circle of the Feyrealm. To the right was the dark, gloomy opposite of the Fey, the Shadoweave. Encasing all three realms in a tight ring was the chaotic swirls of the Elemental Conflux, the land of the Elementals. Just above that, in another encapsulating circle was the Dreamscape, the land of dreams and arcane, where most magic originated from. Then, above it all was the white, cloudy lands of Paradiso. Opposite to Paradiso, was the fiery depths of Inferno.

"The realms always existed," Ken explained. "Sometimes there would be rips in time and space that would allow Paranorms to cross over into the Material Realm for whatever reason. The Dreamscape, where all magic comes from, encapsulates everything apart from Paradiso and Inferno but because the Material Realm is so grounded in... well, the physical, there was never much magic in the land until the Convergence. But there still was magic. Merlin, one of the greatest magicians in history, was lucky enough to possess this kind of power."

Feels like I'm back in history class...

"So he took the Bacchus Cup and sent it back to Bacchus. How'd it end up back here?"

"It fell back in during the Convergence," Ken responded. "Authorities in the Feyrealm mentioned that Bacchus reported it missing after the Convergence. He mentioned that since it made it back into the Feyrealm, he infused it with another ability."

"Another one? I thought turning water into wine would be a neat party trick."

"It was but Bacchus is the god of revelry. He wanted to make sure that those who drank the wine from the cup would have the best times of their lives. His idea of a party is where everyone enjoys themselves. He doesn't want drunken fighting or bitching and moaning. So he infused it with the ability to force anyone who drank from the cup to enact the will of the wielder."

Cayden lifted an eyebrow. "Seems kind of... Machiavellian to me."

"Bacchus isn't known for thinking things through. He's drunk most of the time. Besides, in his eyes, he would only ever use it to make sure those who drank from the wine the Cup generated would just enjoy the party, nothing else." Ken glanced back toward his screens grimly. "The governments of the world have been after the Cup for a while now because it is very dangerous. Think about it, Cade, anyone who drank the Cup would be forced to enact the will of the wielder. Someone could easily control entire nations if he just shipped out some wine."

The werewolf grimaced. "Fuck..."

"Yeah..." Ken lowered his head grimly. "I don't think the artefact you mentioned turned those kids into Satyrs as part of its spell. I think it turned them into Satyrs because someone wanted them to be Satyrs."

Could it really be Trevor then? Could he have done this out of spite of Matt and the others for shunning him? Did he want them to know what it feels to be a Satyr?

"Cade, you've got to find this artefact," Ken pleaded grimly. "If it falls into the wrong hands..."

"I think it already has," Cayden murmured grimly. "Fuck. I've got to go, Ken."

Ken's ears perked up. "What? Right now? You just got here."

"But you just said..."

The Aslan shrugged. "Come on. I could use the company, man. The world isn't going to end right this minute. If this guy wanted to do something crazy, he'd have done it by now. Besides, there's something about the Cup you should know."

Cayden flicked his ears at the Aslan. "More than the fact that it's a magical cup made by a Roman God, held by Jesus, hidden away by Merlin the Magician and then somehow made it back to our world and landed in our little town?"

"Yeah." Ken stood up. "The Cup's wielder isn't defined by the one who actually holds it. The owner of the Cup is the one whom it is bequeathed to."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Meaning...?"

"Meaning that you can't just activate the powers of the cup by holding it. You have to be given the Cup first before you can use its secondary function, the one where the ones who drink it enacts your will. It'll turn water into wine easily enough but if you want people to start dancing around in grass skirts with coconut bikinis, you need to have been given ownership of the Cup."

The werewolf's mind was racing.

So... it might not be Trevor after all! It could just be someone who gave him the Cup. He could just be the patsy! The fall guy...

"Is there any records of who last possessed the Cup?" he asked.

Ken gestured at the consoles. "I'm running the genealogical trace now. The Cup has made appearances before. Maybe if we trace the families that possessed it, we'll find the current owner. I'm running magical traces as well. The use of a powerful arcane artefact will leave an imprint somewhere. Maybe big enough that 'll get a name." He shrugged his broad shoulder. "It's a slim chance but it's better than nothing."

"That's awesome, Ken. Thank you!"

The Aslan smirked and hiked a thumb towards his television. "So as a way of thanks, want to go a few rounds of Street Fighter with me?"

Cayden groaned. Though Ken did have a lot of responsibility, he also had a lot of free time and that made him a killer with all the videogames he had received from Cayden over the years. The werewolf really couldn't refuse at this stage. "Alright. Our usual wager, then?"

"Sure. Sounds to me you need it."

Despite his supposed reluctance, Cayden's tail was wagging as he sat back down on his 'spot' and grabbed one of the controllers. Ken set up the console and within moments they were back to being young, irresponsible and carefree. Simpler times when he didn't have to deal with the Des' stranglehold around his freedom, Katie's insanity or the various cases that wound up on his desk.

Or the fact that I fucked up with Matt.

"Hey, out of left field," he began. "Is it wrong that I used the mother of one of the guys that turned into a Satyr to convince him to go back to being human?"

"Talking to the wrong guy, dude," Ken answered, sticking out his tongue from the corner of his muzzle. "I was born a Paranorm. You guys turned into one. I'm not an expert in that."

"But coming from a totally impartial view. Was it wrong?"

"Are you just trying to talk me up to distract me from kicking your ass?"

"What? No!" Cayden couldn't really focus on the game as his mind was still plagued by Matt's scathing words. The computer was crunching away at the identity of the owner of the Bacchus Cup. But he couldn't help but wonder about Matt or what Katie was doing to help him.

"Look, I screwed up with Matt," Cayden confessed.

"Using a nickname for the victim, huh?" Ken laughed softly. "Man, Cade, you are such a dawg."

He recoiled at the comment. "What!? What's that supposed to mean!?"

Ken hit the pause button and gave the werewolf a sly look through his glasses. "Dude, you only give nicknames to the people you have either fucked or want_to fuck. It's why you always called Jake 'Jacob' instead of shortening his name like I did. You respected the guy too much to sleep with him. The only exception to that is Katie but she is _scary. All my artefacts just go _silent_whenever she's around."

That's because she's a No One... Geez, Ken, I wish I could tell you about them but...

"What are you implying?" he snarled.

Ken lounged back in the chair, a smile on his muzzle and arms draped across the back. He propped his feet up on the table. "I'm going to go out on a limb here, Cade. Matthew Kingston started off as a victim. You slept with him. Not once. Twice. I can tell because both of your ears are down. If it was a one-off thing, only one ear would be down. More than once and it's both. And dude, it's just been a couple of days. I love you man but your stamina is not good enough to get off more than once a day."

Cayden growled, baring his fangs. "Well I'm not a fucking lion."

"Aslan, please," Ken laughed, acting momentarily superior as he pressed a paw against his chest. "But I'm guessing you still kept things somewhat professional. For you, he was just a hot lay and a victim. I bet to him, though, you were something more. Maybe a lover. Father figure?" The Aslan shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Thing is, you did what you thought was best for him. Like you said, you used his own mother to try and convince him to go back to being human. I bet he didn't like that. So now you're all torn up."

Ken grasped his paws together, looked up and lifted his voice until it was high pitched and whiney. "Oh, please tell me what to do Ken. I royally screwed up. I hurt this kid by being underhanded, meddling and overprotective like I've always been."

"I am not overprotective!" Cayden roared, slamming a fist into the armrest.

"Please. The first few days after you, me and Jake started travelling together, you dotted on Jake every step of the way because you thought he was a 'fragile human'. You were this close" - he held up his thumb and forefinger - "to spoon feeding him."

Cayden averted his gaze. "Jacob was... He taught me that humanity is pure and beautiful. I wanted to protect that."

Ken's fingers gently brushed against his cheek. "Having humanity doesn't necessarily mean you need to be human, bro. I've known Paranorms with more humanity than a purebred human." He leaned back, propping his big feet on Cayden's lap. Out of pure instinct, Cayden grabbed the big lion's paws and began kneading them. A soft purr came from the Aslan's muzzle.

"It didn't help that Jacob always got us into trouble," muttered Cayden.

A snicker came from his best friend. "Remember that time in Nebraska where we found the Cursed Cornfield?"

He rolled his eyes and laughed. "That one where all those crop circles kept popping up? Turns out they weren't made by aliens but invisible Paranorms that would tear down the cornstalks as a means of herding their victims into certain areas. Jacob wanted to see the crop circles and when none popped up, we camped out waiting for 'aliens' to come out."

"He wanted to see everything," Ken sighed softly. "Always said that it was different reading it from a book than being there in real life."

Cayden let out a soft, thoughtful hum. The two best friends fell into silence for a long moment. He could feel Ken's gaze on him.

"So how badly did you screw up with this kid?" asked the Aslan at length.

"Pretty badly. Spent the whole day trying to convince him to go back to being human. We worked out like crazy. Normal for me but he wasn't used to it. He got big and buff fairly quickly. Something to do with a potion Mama Cherry Blossom fed him."

"That old dragon was experimenting again? Geez... she'll do anything to test out her concoctions on a live test subject."

"I know. I know. If her experiments didn't get results, I'm sure Des would've arrested her a long time ago." Cayden sighed and shook his head. "Then we went out shopping. Got him some new clothes because nothing he owned would fit anymore. Took him clubbing. Thought all the attention from other Paranorms would put him off but he just got drunk, partied like a Satyr and then we went home."

Ken took off his glasses and set them aside, looking directly at Cayden with his own eyes. "And then you fucked."

"And then we fucked," Cayden admitted bashfully. "Afterwards, I called his mother to come over because he mentioned before that he couldn't face her yet. He was asleep. I feel like such a slimeball."

Ken pulled his feet away, stunning Cayden for the moment. "I'm not going to lie, Cade. Not one of your brighter moments. What did you end up doing?"

"Sent Katie after him. She's more experienced with this sort of stuff. Besides, I figure that he wouldn't want to see me right now."

The red-haired Aslan nodded sagely. "Wise move. Let him cool off. I'm sure everything will turn out for the better in the end."

Cayden growled and got to his feet. "But what if it doesn't, Ken? I mean, for fuck's sake, the fucking Holy Grail is out there somewhere. What if whoever did this was just testing its capabilities!? What if they go up to the reservoir or Wake Falls and throw the fucking cup in!?" He gestured wildly in some arbitrary direction. "You said so yourself. The Cup's wielder's will is infused into anyone who drinks the wine that comes from it! They don't have to be holding it for that to happen. And the turning water into wine thing is just the first enchantment. It'll activate regardless! If all of Wake Delta's waters turned into wine..."

"The Delta feeds into the ocean, Cade," Ken said calmly. "I'm pretty sure within a month or so, all of Earth's oceans would be made completely out of wine. Huh... Imagine all the drunk fish."

"That's not funny, Ken! It could happen!" Cayden gripped his hair. "And even if we find the culprit, even if we find a way to turn everyone back... what will Matt think of me?"

A soft snicker came from Ken. "That's the problem with you, Cayden. You're always so self-conscious about what other people think of you. It's why you let yourself be turned into a werewolf in the first place. You were scared of what your then-girlfriend would think if you remained human. You couldn't face what your parents thought of you so you ran away. It's the same with Des with and the police. You couldn't stand what they thought of you so you turned your back on them and made drastic life changes just so you wouldn't face them."

Ken rose from the couch and made his way to Cayden, standing directly in front of the werewolf. "But trust me on this, Cade. Everything will work out. It always does. You and I have got a guardian angel looking out for us, remember?"

Cayden laughed softly. "I suppose."

Ken gripped his paws tightly. "Listen to me, Cade. What's done is done. You can't convince Matt to do something he already doesn't want to do. It's up to him to make his choices and live with the consequences. Just as it was your choice to do what you did and now you have to live with that. You can't undo the past. Just learn from it to make way for the future."

He sighed and shook his head. "Doesn't stop me from feeling the way I do."

Ken smiled softly at him. "Maybe I can help there."

The Aslan gently wrapped his paws around Cayden's waist and then leaned forward. Their muzzles met and Ken's rough tongue pushed into his muzzle. Cayden instantly felt all the stress, the worry and the panic fade away, pulled from his heart and soul and into the Aslan's being. He knew Ken would just distribute those emotions out and spread them over his domain, helping to power it. Such was the power of the near-omnipotent but rare Aslans.

Cayden broke the kiss and let out a soft sigh. "Thanks Ken."

The lion just gave him a coy smile. Then he felt the presence of a hot, throbbing rod press up against his crotch. That little spark of male-on-male contact was enough to start the blood rushing into his own crotch.

"You bastard," he growled playfully.

The Aslan gave him a smirk. "You came over early in the morning, we had a beer, we played videogames, you rubbed my feet. You know where this was going."

Cayden grinned and pulled Ken into another, powerful kiss. "Fuck yeah I did," he rumbled. He wrapped his mighty arms around Ken's back.

Both males were suddenly tearing their clothes off. Claws dug into fabric, ripping cloth clean off hot, lusty muscled bodies. It didn't matter that they were throwing shreds of clothing everywhere. Their need was great and Ken's powers were only helping both of their desires rise. Both men pushed up against the couch. Gravity and their passions sent them tumbling over the back, rolling over the cushions and sending them crashing down into the ground.

Cayden found himself looking up at the glorious, muscled form of Kensuke the Aslan. He simply could not help himself. The werewolf lunged forward, showing surprising flexibility as he bent his entire upper body to clasp his fangs around Ken's partially shredded underwear. A deep growl rose from his throat as he tugged at the elastic and tore it clean off. Ken's already impressive member was throbbing out of his sheath, a delectable, feline musk wafting into Cayden's nostrils and beckoning him into its folds.

That dick simply radiated power. Not surprising considering how Ken had chosen to focus on the Neo-Tantric Arts. It was in direct opposition to his parents' more traditional forms of magic but it served him well. Cayden's muzzle wrapped around the member, hot splatters of precum pouring out of the tip and down his throat. The werewolf allowed himself to get lost in the sexual rush of Ken's immense powers.

The lion gripped the back of his head, thrusting seductively into his muzzle. Every drop of precum that poured into Cayden was a little bit more of Ken that slipped inside of him. Their spiritual beings began to mix and meld, memories, thoughts, insecurities and worries all fading into the amalgamated being that they made. Both of them felt the aching need in Cayden's dick, they both experienced the rush of pleasure from Ken's dick and they both desires the feeling of their bodies pressed together in wild sex.

Cayden's paws, not totally under his own control, reached behind Ken and squeezed the lion's firm, bubble butt, massaging the cheeks in preparation for what they both wanted. Ken's fingers found their way down Cayden's broad shoulders, travelling across the mountains of his pectorals before finding his nipples. Just the brush of his fingers sent electric rushes through both their bodies.

Just like when two stones collided to create sparks, their intertwined bodies, caught in the rush of sex, generated magical energies that fed directly into Ken's domain. One of the many reasons that Cayden continued to visit Ken every week was that the Aslan grew more and more powerful with their sexual games.

But there was more.

Cayden's eyelids fluttered as Ken's essence poured into him and the Aslan brought them back to the various sexual exploits he had experienced since they had last seen one another. Images of naked bodies flashing on his computer screen coupled with the joy of release from his dick flashed before his eyes. It was like Ken was right there, sitting right next to him at his desk, his paw on Cayden's dick and Cayden's paw around the Aslan's member. They both shuddered as the memory took them to the orgasm within the memory.

Ken's fingers tightened around Cayden's nipples like two dials, changing the channels of the memory. Through some compulsion they both shared, Cayden pulled his muzzle from Ken's dick and gently pushed the lion towards his throbbing member. With their minds and souls connected, Ken had no trouble reaching back with his own paws and wiggling Cayden's blue underwear down his thick thighs, letting the big, pulsating dick free. In perfect synchronisation, the two guided Cayden's dick into the lion's ass.

Ken let out a feral growl and roar as the big, lupine cock slipped into him once inch at a time. Strong pulses of precum dripped from the magical feline's member, shooting into the air and cascading back down in a clear, white shower. Ken rubbed the fluids deep into Cayden's grey chest fur, running his paws across the hard lines of the werewolf's thick abdominals, and plump pectorals. In turn, Cayden ran his paws up and down Ken's strong, muscular legs. The Aslan showed surprising dexterity as he lifted his left foot and gently pushed his soles against Cayden's muzzle. The werewolf happily obliged and lapped at the offered appendage. Both men moaned. Both men felt the tingle of pleasure as Cayden's long, wet tongue ran up and down Ken's leathery pads, slipped between the lion's toes and lathered every inch lovingly with his saliva. When Cayden wrapped his lips around Ken's big toe and began suckling on it, both of them began shooting thick wads of precum with increasing ferocity.

Again, Ken drove down to his purpose and drew on Cayden's sexual experiences to power his magic. Both of them were taken to that first night when Cayden slept with Matt. The young, twinky Satyr might as well have been sandwiched between both, muscular Paranorms. It was like Cayden was sharing Matt's ass with Ken. They double-penetrating the Satyr in this memory, both growling and snarling as Matt screamed in ecstasy, clawing at the bedsheets while his sweat soaked the gyrating, corded muscled bodies of both werewolf and Aslan.

Cayden's thrusts grew wild and harder and Ken happily leaned back, taking in more and more of the werewolf's dick into himself. Their connection grew stronger and stronger. More and more power pumped into the Aslan as their sexual energies mounted. Ken threw his head back, unleashing another deafening roar. His precum was coming out like a waterfall. Around them, the air sizzled and crackled with power. The TV began buzzing with static. The console, however, hungrily accepted the excess power as Ken directed his energies towards it, fuelling its search.

Both males suddenly gasped as Cayden's knot pushed up against Ken's ass. It was just a brief moment of shock before they began wildly trying to push the werewolf entirely into the Aslan. Both wills thrust Cayden's dick deep into Ken, both experiencing the twin pleasures of fucking and being fucked in unison.

It came inadvertently as they both fled back to the threesome that Cayden had with Ron and his partner. They were both strong, domineering partners, both embodying the might, ferocity and raw desire to stick their dick into the offered hole. In their little fantasy scene, the bed creaked and groaned, the two Satyrs squealed in pleasure and both Paranorms exchanged a knowing glance as they both -

Pop!

Pushed Cayden's knot deep into Ken, tying them together.

Ken threw his head back, unleashing another roar that echoed throughout the entirety of the Vault. Ken's dick went rigid and his balls blasted hot, white seed all over Cayden's muzzle. The werewolf eagerly lapped up the liquid pleasure, feeling the rush of Ken's raw, magical powers flood through him and empower him more. Their essences ceased to be Cayden and Ken. They were just one being the moment Cayden accepted the seed into his body like so many times before.

The unified being eagerly pumped the werewolf's dick harder and faster into Ken, each thrust causing more and more cum to shoot out of the Aslan's member. They clamped the lupine muzzle around Ken's cock, putting a stop to any drop being wasted. The single entity felt another roar building in the Aslan's chest as another wave of pleasure began building deep within Cayden's balls. Their thrusts grew more and more feverish, stronger and more desperate as the pressure built and the dam walls began to shatter and break.

One last time, they dove into Cayden's memories.

They drew from the werewolf's fresh encounter with Matt as a big, herculean Satyr. The wild sexual encounter, the pleasure of their balls blasting hot seed into the waiting Paranorm's ass, Matt's cry of pleasure, their bodies pressed against one another...

It was too much.

They threw Ken's head back. An earth-shattering roar erupted from the Aslan's throat. Raw magical energies blasted out in all directions. Ken barely managed to control it all as he directed the power straight into the ground around them. Grass immediately erupted from the concrete, flowers blossoming and even some glistening butterflies bursting from the eruption of greenery. The console screeched as it absorbed what power it could and went into overdrive in its programmed search. Still, there was more than enough energy to cause the television to completely be consumed by static, the windows to shake and the entire Artefact Vault to shudder.

Cayden's balls tightened and with one final thrust, he pumped, his entire load deep into Ken's ass. His entire body shuddered with the eruption. His jerking movement shoved Ken's dick further down his throat and he gagged a little as more hot seed flew down his throat. Reminding himself to supress his gag reflex, Cayden happily consumed the magic-filled seed his strength left him. Each blast of seed drained him more and more. It was more than that, however.

Tantric Mages always ran the risk of losing themselves in their partner. It was the practice of merging two beings mind, body and soul, and in the process generating more magical energy than a single individual could ever generate. Drawing on Cayden's sexual experiences coupled with Ken's own lusty exploits and then tearing themselves apart from one another to avoid merging permanently would leave anyone drained. After all, for one brief moment in time, two had become one.

Now, Cayden felt utterly drained. It was like he and Ken had been sleeping in the same bed for a blissful eternity but now that Ken was gone, back to his own bed, the mattress felt so big and empty. He'd eventually get used to it but still, for the moment, he felt alone.

Though he had to wonder...

Why'd Ken break away just when we were getting to the good part...?

It was something he would have to think of later.

Ken was utterly wiped and he collapsed right into Cayden's arms. The big lion curled his legs around Cayden's waist as the two remained very much tied together. They rolled to their side, arms wrapped around one another and eyes blissfully shut in a bed of grass.

They could only hear the sound of their own breathing as it soothed them to sleep.

******

Katie parked her sleek, silver sedan. Sometimes predictability worked to her advantage. Whenever someone was depressed, they would go to some sentimental location and ponder. Other times, they'd literally teeter on the edge of suicide. Still being linked to her knowledge as a No One, she deduced where Matthew Kingston was. She stepped out of her car and peered over to Overfalls Bridge.

Wake Falls was a mighty natural edifice and one where many people found romantic or at least thought-provoking. Locals especially. It was no surprise that Matt had found his way to the wide, curved, metal and concrete bridge spanning the entirety of Wake Falls; Overfalls Bridge. The bridge was built just on the precipice of where the rushing crystal clear waters went from travelling horizontally to falling vertically. There were spotlights and guardrails everywhere to ensure no one decided to take a trip down the Falls. Where the night guardsmen were was a mystery.

She strode to where the Satyr, now partially clothed in just a pair of new-looking shorts, was leaning against the railings and peering off into the distance, to the lights of Wake Delta. There was no one else around. Just the two of them.

"How did you find me?" Matt asked. His voice was empty, hollow and without emotion. A reflexive action to guard himself against someone who was a known associate of the werewolf that had cut him deep.

"I'm a No One," she answered bluntly.

"Please. You're the best lawyer in town."

"No. I'm No One. It's a kind of... occupation of sorts. I could've gotten a happy ending. My happily ever after. But instead, I chose to devote that to helping others get theirs. The leader of the No Ones pulled me out of the flow of space and time and now here I stand."

Matt lifted his gaze and regarded her with a peculiar look. It seemed caught between disbelief and exasperation. The poor guy couldn't tell if she was being serious or this was just another one of her mad ranting.

"Listen. A No One is someone who comes in and helps people who get stuck with their lives. We're consultants. When people ask us to help, we step in to help. No matter what reality, world, dimension or plane of existence, we can come in and tip the scales." She pressed a hand against her chest. "People know me as K12 the Karmic. I represent the aspect of change."

Matt gave her a bitter laugh. "Change huh?"

"I know it may seem ridiculous. I think Cayden has told you how I'm all about balance. But knowing about balance means knowing what will change that equilibrium." She held out a hand towards him. "And I can tell that your balance has been disrupted, Matt."

He turned away from her, exposing his muscled back to her. "Your analogy needs work."

She sighed heavily. "Okay. You don't believe me? Fine. Before you decide to throw yourself off the bridge, I want you to come with me."

Matt shot her a piercing stare. "Why? So you can trick me just like Cayden did?" He whirled around, large hands balled into fists. "Because of him, my own mother_thinks I'm a freak! I have no friends and as of this point, everyone is just going to look at me as 'that poor guy that got turned into a Satyr'!" He clutched his horns angrily and let out a primal shout. "For fuck's sake! I didn't earn this body and I can't maintain it! I hate feeling the 'burn' of working out! But I also _love the way I look! I like being a Satyr but I hate the negative stereotypes that come with it! What the fuck am I supposed to do!? Is that the 'balance' I'm meant to live with?"

Katie gave him a sympathetic smile. Certainly not the worse existential crisis she'd ever had to deal with. She had to remind herself that this was not a competition. Every person was unique and if their worlds were being torn apart by imbalance, it was to be taken seriously. She dearly wished she had her full No One powers at her disposal so that she could actually help Matt but she was restricted.

"There was this guy I met once," she said. "One day, he was a normal looking guy in a wonderful city in the middle of the forest. The next thing he knew, he was a skeleton. As in an actual, walking, talking undead."

"What? Did the Shadoweave people invade or something?" Matt asked bitterly.

"This is on an entirely different world. Named Autheril. He no longer had to eat, he no longer had to sleep but the God of the Holy Light, the deity to whom he had pledged himself as a holy paladin, turned away from him because of what he was. He lamented and cried out. Through no fault of his own, he was stripped of his faith and future in paradise. Needless to say, I had to ask him why a skeleton was having an existential crisis."

Matt didn't respond and just gave her a tired look.

"I worked with him," Katie continued. "We hid his skeletal frame under some clothes and armour. He told me he always wanted to sail but since he worked inland, he never got the chance. With nothing to lose, we headed out to the nearest port and went sailing with a crew. Then we were attacked by pirates."

"Pirates. Right," Matt rumbled.

"Don't laugh. It was pretty bad. People died. Worse, the crew found out he was a skeleton. The captain was killed but being an undead had its advantages. Nothing the opposing pirates did could harm him. So he fought and saved the crew. They pledged themselves to him and he became known the Bone Captain. He found a new purpose in life despite the 'imbalances' he faced in his existence."

She brushed her hair back slightly. "Balance is all about perspective." Holding up to hands, she tilted her left hand downwards while she kept her right hand higher. "To many, the scales could look like it's favouring one side or the other. But if you just tilted your head slightly, you'd find that they're pretty even."

"That's no how scales work."

"Scales work the way you want them to work," she replied. "Weight is just a human construct just like time. A kilogram equals to 2.2 pounds because people says so. Make your imbalances work for you. Don't let them define you. You define them."

Matt grumbled at her and turned away again. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Again, Katie held out her hand but this time, she was gesturing towards her car. "Look, just trust me on this will you? Come with me. We won't go far, I promise. Where we're going is within sprinting distance of this place so if you don't like what's going on, you can just run all the way here and throw yourself off the bridge."

"You sound like Cayden..."

"I've been hanging around him too much," she snickered. "Come on. What do you say? I promise the guy you'll meet is... well... You'll see."

Matt closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. "For the record, I was never going to jump. I just wanted to be as far away from the city and Cayden as much as possible."

"I know. You went to the local donation box, stole some shorts that would fit and took the free tour bus from Wake Delta up here. You were already planning on seeing if you could whore yourself out for some money in town, lie low for a while and then move out of town. Possibly to New York."

He gave her a startled look. "How...?"

"I'm a No One, remember?"

At the very least, he was starting to believe her. That was a good foundation for what was to come. They stepped back into her sedan, the smell of sex still quite strong on him. It must've been torture to be carrying around Cayden's scent like that knowing how badly the werewolf had played him. The feeling of betrayal ran deep and it was still clouding his judgement even hours after the event. Such a brutal treachery was not so easily forgiven or forgotten.

However, as she rolled up to the white, cliff-side house she hoped a third opinion would be able to assist. Katie lead the way through the modern, wooden gate made of horizontal, polished, wooden planks and up to the front door.

"Whose house is this?" Matt asked.

"A friend and technically my boss," she answered, pushing the door open. The lights were on but there was an odd silence across the house. Cupping her hands over her lips, she shouted, "Marco!"

There was a faint buzz from her left and she glanced to the intercom.

"Polo."

She made a sour face and pressed the 'talk' button on the little, white box. "You know that doesn't work if you use the intercom, right?"

"True but then again, you came into my house unannounced. How do I know you aren't some axe wielding serial killer?"

Matt snickered softly. Katie was at least glad he was showing some other emotion apart from depression.

"You know everything. You know who I am. Besides, what kind of serial killer would use the front door? Now where the hell are you?"

"Upstairs. By the pool."

"There's a pool here?" Matt exclaimed in surprise.

"Everything in this house has a sort of magical function," Katie responded, beckoning towards the stairs. "After the Convergence, certain areas in the world became unstable. You know what a magical nexus is, right?"

The Satyr nodded. "It's where the ley lines of the world converge and magic is unusually powerful. Why?"

"Well Wake Delta is a magical nexus. I'm sure you've heard that before. But it's not one of the more popular ones for various reasons. Thing is, where there are nexuses, there are also these tears in reality. It's kind of like when you try to glue to pieces of a broken plate together. It will look whole but that fracture between the two pieces is still a weak spot. This house actually helps stabilise the world by siphoning off and turning much of the raw magical energies that pour in from the other planes into usable objects."

She gestured in some arbitrary direction as they made their way up the steps. "You heard the rumours how Wake Falls' waters have unusual healing properties, right?"

"It's how the town was first formed," answered Matt. "After the Convergence, some Paranorms came over to the delta to set up a fishing village. They found that the waters could help them heal a lot quicker."

"Right. Jacob actually uses this house to filter the magical energies of the nexus into the water to give it those healing properties. The pool he has on the second floor is actually a focused version of that. If you break a leg, you can take a dip in the pool and you'll be good a new within seconds."

Matt's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. This house is also built into the very cliff and Jacob has infused the very rock to keep its true purpose from prying eyes."

"So if this house was every destroyed...?"

"Nothing so dramatic," Katie said with a wave of her hand. "It'd just mean that the healing properties of the waters would go away. The raw magical energies would just wildly go anywhere. You'd find enchanted bushes, magical tree stumps or a talking blade of grass that'll beg you not to cut it down every Sunday. This way, Jacob regulates the energies and directs them."

"Wow..."

They reached the second floor which consisted mostly of a broad, open entertainment area and a minibar. Apart from the wide television mounted on the wall and the lounge set sitting in front of it, there was a broad, wooden table where Jacob sat alongside four others. Matt froze at the top step while Katie just strode up to the black-furred, blonde-haired wolf casually handing out cards.

"Poker? Really?" she asked.

"You were taking a while," answered the lupine with a dismissive shrug. He nodded towards Matt, rising from his seat and offering a paw. "Hi there, Matthew. My name is Jacob Reaper."

The Satyr glanced towards Katie. "Reaper?"

"Different place of origin, different rules," Katie answered dismissively. She glanced over at the wolf and then at the four other Satyrs in the room. "I take it you brought them here for a reason?"

"I figured it will help put things in perspective." Jacob gestured at the empty seat for Matt. "Have a seat Matt. Your friends have been waiting."

Archie Najima beamed brightly and the brown-haired Satyr stood up. He bounded happily over to Matt, clapping his shoulders and squeezing the firm deltoids. "Holy shit, Matty! You got buff! Didn't know you had it in you!"

"Archie...?" Matt asked. He glanced at the others. "Ron? Ted? Vance? What are you all doing here?"

"Don't really know to be honest!" Archie laughed. The light-skinned young man of Asian descent turned towards Jacob. "I was minding my own business at my apartment when this guy just comes knocking at me door. He outright invites me to a poker game with the others."

"And you just accepted?"

"Sure!"

Matt gave the groom an incredulous look then turned to the others. "You all just accepted like that?" He got nods as a reply. "Why?"

Jacob move away from his seat. "Because they're all running away from something."

"Hey!" Ted exclaimed. "I came here to play poker and comfort a friend. Not be insulted."

The wolf lifted an eyebrow at him. "Am I wrong, Ted? Are you _not_running from something?"

The blonde, built Satyr lowered his gaze and remained silent.

"You all have a reason to accept the sudden invitation from a total stranger to a poker game," Jacob said, gesturing for Matt to sit down. The biggest of the Satyrs approached the table but didn't sit. Archie complied, however. "For all you know I could be a hellhound that will steal your soul if you lose. After all, my surname is 'Reaper', right?"

Katie rolled her eyes at him. "Will you cut it with the drama and get to the point? We've still the guy that did this to follow up on."

"If you're supposed to be all-knowing," Matt accused, "why can't you just find the guy and solve this case quickly?"

It was a question that came up very often. Or at least variants of the same question. She was a No One. She was meant to be omnipotent. Why couldn't she just wave her hands and make things right again?

"Ripples," she answered shortly.

"Ripples?"

"The ripple effect," Vance offered. "If they solve the case miraculously, what'll the consequences be? Where's the evidence? Where did they _get_the evidence? How did they know? People are going to ask questions and the consequences of them helping would be far worse than if the case was solved by someone like the Chief of Police."

"That..." Jacob said, lifting a finger, "and though we may have the ability to see and know everything, it doesn't mean that we do. There's an infinite amount of knowledge in all existence but we're still mortal and we can only process so much information at the one time. Just because you have eyes, it doesn't mean you can see." He gave Katie a pointed look, a soft, smug smile on his face. "But that's neither here nor there."

Jacob rested his paws on Ted and Ron's shoulders. "As I alluded to before, each of you has a reason to accept the random invitation from a guy you don't know and who just popped up at your doorstep and invited you to a poker game."

Ron let out a short laugh and crossed his arms. "I don't know about the rest of you guys, but my life is great! I love being a Satyr! I joined PUK, I get to fuck and I don't give a fuck!"

The rest of the Satyrs in the room gave him a sour look. Even Archie looked a little displeased even though he was enjoying the benefits of being a Satyr as well. Katie scanned the groom's tale. It seemed that with his transformation, a big question mark had been thrown into his wedding plans.

"Is that so?" Jacob said. "So you're not at all worried about the fact that your abrupt transformation was reported to the police and they were coming to question you? Nothing to do with the fact that though you like being a Satyr, chances are you won't be allowed to stay as one? You won't be able to afford the legal fees to fight for the right to remain as one and you certainly won't be able to afford the transformation back into one if and when you get turned back. Perhaps running off to a mysterious poker game is not only an attempt to prolong your 'Satyr Frat Party' but also to push the limits of your new devil-may-care attitude?"

The dark-skinned Satyr's eyes went wide like saucers and his jaw dropped open in surprise.

"Ted..." Jacob began. "How's things at home?"

"Oh no!" exclaimed the blonde, half-man, half-goat. "You ain't gonna psychoanalyse me!"

Katie wandered over to the bar and poured herself a drink. She leaned back, watching the show. It was always a delight to see R3 the Writer of Reality at work.

"Then allow me to be blunt." Jacob gave him a little bow. "You were always a very social young man and your parents didn't care that you were out late. However, when you returned 'infected' as a Satyr, they've been treating you like their baby boy again. They've imposed a curfew. They restrict what you eat. They won't let you out of their sight and constantly give you this pitying look like you're about to die. They take pains to avoid mentioning your condition and they get riled up at any reporters that ask about you. It's like you're a wild eagle that's had his wings clipped and are now locked up in a dark room, unable to fly free. Jumping at the opportunity to join this poker game was just the rush of freedom and rebellion you needed."

Ted turned away from him, scowling. "If you knew, why did you ask?"

"Because it would have hurt less if you confessed it." The wolf turned next to Archie. "Archie...?"

The groom gave him a challenging look. "Give me your best shot, howler."

"How's your marriage going now that Nessie has learned you've slept with other guys and love the experience?"

Matt and the others spun towards Archie in surprise and even recoiled a bit away from him.

"So I got fucked by one of the hunky police men at the station," Archie said, shrugging. "I'm going to be married to the same girl for the rest of my life and I've never sucked dick or been fucked before. I thought I ought to try it at least once."

"And you like it?" Matt asked. "But... Nessie!"

"So? She'll strap on a plastic dick and fuck me every now and then. I bet she'll love being on top for once."

The room fell silent for a moment.

"You bet?" Jacob asked, breaking the quiet. "Has she even agreed to it? Or are you afraid that once she finds out, you'll have to face the shame of calling off the wedding because you took advantage of your situation and attempted to brush off your sudden homosexuality as part of your transformation when in reality, you've always been bisexual."

Archie leapt to his hooved feet and slammed his hands against the table, rattling the chips. "Hey! Back off man!"

"Am I wrong?"

Archie's eyes twitched slightly. To his credit, he remained standing and incredulous.

Jacob waved a paw absently through the air. "The other scenario is that you confess to her everything you did, you promise to let yourself get turned back and then you live the rest of your life lying to yourself and her that all that sex meant nothing. Of course, she could be into threesomes as well but you know her best, Archie. You tell me if she'd be into that kind of thing."

Slowly the Satyr sank back into his seat, head cast down.

"And while we're on the topic," Jacob turned to Vance. "Why don't we talk about your unrequited love for our groom, Vance?"

Archie's head snapped back up and he immediately turned towards the very-pale Vance. Everyone else just stared. Katie, at the bar, kept her giggle to herself. She mentally compared this moment to a soap opera reveal.

"Vance? Bro?" Archie began.

Vance immediately got to his hooves. The slightly pudgy, if even bearish Satyr turned for the door and hurried.

"You might not get another chance, Vance," Jacob warned. "If you leave now, you'll only be confirming what's been said." The wolf lifted his eyes towards the back of the retreating Satyr. "You've got to admit that you had that tiny little hope that this would be a game strip poker and when I told you Archie would be here, that was the deciding factor. And did you want to know something?"

He glanced towards Archie. "The groom was hoping it would be strip poker as well."

Archie got out of his seat and headed over to his best friend. He gripped Vance's hand tightly. "Vance... dude. What's this about?"

"Why don't you two go down to the guest rooms?" Jacob offered. "Two floors down. Any room you want. There's lube and condoms the all the dressers. Only the second room on the right had special toys, though."

The two Satyrs shot him a piercing look. Katie snickered and lifted the drink she had in her hand in a silent toast to the Writer. "You're such a good father."

"And you're the drunk, uncaring mother with the high-paying job," Jacob accused, returning a smug smile.

"Passionless, impotent stay-at-home dad," she fired back, a smile on her face.

"Soulless corporate shill."

"Emasculated, aimless cockblocker."

Jacob tilted his head to the side with a laugh. "It's a good thing we never had kids."

She laughed softly and took another sip from her drink. "They'd ever be the most well-adjusted people in the world or supervillains." She let out a soft hum of approval. "Where do you keep your good stuff? This is good but I taste too much alcohol and not enough of anything else."

Jacob gestured behind the bar. "The cocktail mixes are in the second drawer. Chilli is the mini-fridge and the spices beside that. If you're after fresh herbs, you might need to duck down to the garden."

"Fresh herbs?" Matt asked.

"She makes this rather interesting cocktail consisting of vodka, gin, lime juice, sugar, blended cucumber, coriander and a bit of mint. Very refreshing." He glanced to where Vance and Archie were looking on a little confused as the silver-haired lawyer began mixing a brew behind the bar. "Now you two, off you go. I believe you have some issues to talk out."

Vance and Archie exchanged glances. Vance's cheeks were a bright red and he couldn't meet the groom's gaze. Luckily, Archie had always been the bold type. With a serious stare, the man-to-be-married took Vance's hand and led him down the stairs.

Only once the soft clip-clop of their hooved feet had faded did Jacob start speaking again.

"I won't claim to know what is best for them," he said. "And while I may not like to intervene most of the time, my conscience tells me otherwise."

Katie set down her drink, giving her 'boss' a curious look. "What're you talking about Jacob?"

"We're about twenty minutes from Wake Falls. If I hadn't said anything, Vance will have regretted never talking to Archie about his feelings and thrown himself off the edge. Even the magical waters of the Falls couldn't have healed him from that."

Matt started in his seat and the others were halfway out of theirs. "He what!?"

Jacob waved them down. "Time, space, fate and destiny are funny things. Our choices define the path we take and in some realities, different choices create alternate realities. In this rather compressed reality" - he gave Katie a pointed stare - "time progressed along a single path. We all need to be careful about our choices as we really don't get any do-overs and we can't be happy in the knowledge that some version of us somewhere else gets to make the 'right choice'."

"Who gives you the right to interfere in our lives?" Matt snapped angrily. "Okay, maybe Vance would've thrown himself off the cliff if you hadn't said anything but you practically get to live consequence free! You're a No One, right? You got your happily ever after! We still have to suffer to get ours!"

Jacob laughed softly. "Something you should know about the way we intervene, Matthew." He locked gazes with Katie. "We don't step in and start messing with people's fates because we want to or for shits and giggles. We're _asked_to help." His deep, sapphire-blue eyes fell back on Matt. "And as heartless as you may think your gods are, as callous as you may perceive the Creator may be or as uncaring the people of the world are, _someone_asked me to help each and every one of you."

Katie closed her eyes and chose that moment to start blending her cocktail. That revelation, that someone genuinely cared for those who were suffering, was surprised those who were in strife. It was something that generally sparked the light of hope in people's hearts.

"Who?" Ted asked softly. "Was it my parents?"

"I can't say," Jacob said, shaking his head. "It's probably best that they remain anonymous anyway." He glanced towards Katie. "I just remembered. I have some freshly cut coriander in the mini-fridge. I was going to serve it up with some sour cream and chives for some finger foods. It's behind all the beer."

The lawyer smiled and nodded, ducking beneath the bar to fetch the herb.

"You're probably wondering what is in store for Vance and Archie now, huh?" Jacob asked, glancing at the three. "And no, I am not going to let you head downstairs to spy on them and possibly masturbate to them having sex."

"Awww," Ron whined. "Why not?"

"Because that will only end in the three of you joining them in an orgy."

"Look man, if they want us in with them -"

"Resulting in Archie deciding that he and Vance should just remain fuckbuddies to which the timid Vance will whole heartedly agree. This will result in Archie going through his marriage but having an adulterous tryst with Vance every week or so that will end their marriage, lead to a bitter divorce and Archie hating Vance for the rest of his life. Vance shoots himself in the head days later."

Ron's jaw dropped.

Ted shook his head. "You can't know that."

"Trust me, he knows," Katie supplied, chopping up some coriander. "Jacob's title is the Writer of Reality. His eyes were horribly mutated during his story to allow him to see through to all the realms of possibility. If there's even a _slight_chance that will happen, he can see if he chooses to."

Jacob nodded grimly. "I've seen that future, Ted. Now it's not certain. Choices can be made to mitigate the damage. You could even tell them right now what I've told you but that only lowers the probability of that scenario happening. As a warning, I'm telling you right now that is the _most likely_scenario."

Katie tossed the coriander into her brew and added some of the lime juice. The clear, slightly golden brew with cucumber chunks looked rather refreshing but she needed a bit more colour.

"What's in store for us?" Matt asked quietly. "What's the most likely scenario for the rest of us?"

Jacob turned to Ron first. "Ronald. Right now, chances are, Cayden Wilde is going to find a way to reverse this spell. You will be forced to take it. Unless, of course, you come across some funds miraculously."

The dark skinned Satyr grunted miserably. "Fuck..."

There, Jacob's lips twisted upwards in that coy, knowing smile of his. "A good thing then that you're here playing a game of high stakes poker, right?"

Ron immediately went rigid. "What...?"

"We've played a few games," said the black-furred wolf. "Now it's illegal for anyone to be gambling that kind of money but instead of actual money, I put up Katie's services as a lawyer to aid in your identity reassignment."

The Satyr fratboy sat up. "You what?"

"Basically, she's going to work for you for free to make sure that you can get all the paperwork, fees and counselling you need to make the transition from human to Satyr as smooth as possible."

"But we didn't play any games yet."

"Yes we did." Jacob gave him a smile. "And you won."

"But -"

Matt nudged his friend with an elbow. "Dude. Take the hint."

"Oh." Ron's eyes widened. "Oh!" He beamed at Jacob. "Thanks man."

Katie exchanged glances with the wolf and smiled. Of course this poker game was more than just a means to waste time. Being able to see through time and space had its advantages and allowed the Writer to plan several steps ahead. He wasn't always right. But that was why he had the support of the other No Ones.

And why he always supported her.

"You won the game fair and square," Jacob said with a shrug. "No need to thank me. Just be glad we weren't gambling with money."

"Do me next!" Ted exclaimed, waving his hand through the air. "How are you going to solve my parents going full lockdown on me?"

"By telling you that you're an idiot." The blonde Satyr's face fell. "Seriously, Ted, you didn't even know me and the only reason you came with me was because you wanted a night of freedom and act rebellious. It wasn't about' comforting Matt at all. While the same could be said of the others here, you've made a lifestyle out of this. Your parents aren't the enemy here."

"But I like partying! This is who I am!"

"Is it who you're always going to be?" countered Jacob. "You're running from reality, Ted. If you think life is consequence free, I want you to look down at your own two feet and then tell me that things are going to go back to exactly how they were at the end of the episode and we'll see you again at the same time next week, same bat-time, same bat-channel."

Ted opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was a cry croaking sound like something had died in his throat.

"Being young is fine. Exploring the world is great. Experiencing everything life has to offer is one of the best advices anyone can give. But you won't have_a life if you're dead. Drinking yourself under the table to the point where you don't even remember _how you got home and you sleeping until noon is a ticket to an early grave. You can't just shrug off growing horns and goat legs as something 'that happens', Ted. There will be consequences. And remember, you don't get any do-overs."

"Can't you -" Ted began.

"Nope."

"But aren't you -"

"Yes but still no." Jacob held up a finger. "One life, Ted. One chance to make it count. It's up to you how you want to spend it but I doubt you want dying by alcohol poisoning to be your one and only achievement in life."

Ted averted his gaze, deep in thought.

Katie felt genuine pity for the guy. Harsh lessons were hard to swallow but she had to admit that Ted's recklessness could easily have led him to a path far worse than the one he was on now. Thanks to Jacob, he would at least find a brighter path. She poured the drinks into some glasses and then brought them to the table, setting them down in front of each of those there. She left two out for Vance and Archie when they returned.

"Matt," Jacob began.

"I don't need any life lessons or lectures," Matt grimaced. "I've had enough of those. You can't fix what's happened."

"Good because I'm done lecturing." Jacob sat down in his seat and took a sip from his drink. "Very nice, Katie. Definitely your best."

Matt frowned at him. "Wait... So everyone else gets to be told off and I don't?"

"I thought you didn't need one."

"Yeah but..." The red-haired Satyr shuffled slightly in his seat. "Would've been nice if you at least tried."

"But I have. My lesson's over. If you didn't pick it up, that's not my fault." He took another sip then began collecting the cards around the table. "So who's in? Just for fun. No actual stakes."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" exclaimed the beefy, shirtless Satyr. "What do you mean your lesson is over? You didn't teach me anything! You just outed Vance, exposed Archie, gave Ron legal aid and berated Ted! What about me!?"

"Yes," Katie said, smiling at him directly. "What about you?"

Matt pressed two hands against his bare chest. "My mom thinks I'm a freak! The guy that I thought was my friend, who I thought was helping me, couldn't even be bothered to chase me down and sent his lackey after me and I'm still stuck wondering if I should stay in this body or not! I mean, you just said that in all likeliness, Cayden's going to find a way to cure us so I'll be forced to turn back into a human! You gave Ron help but what about me!?"

Katie exchanged glances with Jacob. "Would you like to tell him or shall I?"

"You go ahead," answered the Writer of Reality. "I'm enjoying my drink."

She smiled and gave the back of his head a little swat. Turning back to Matt, she said, "Matt. Remember what I said about perspective?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Right. The scales are tipped. So if I just tilt my head slightly, it'll look better."

"Tilt your head."

The frown on his face was filled with confusion. Still, he angled his head slightly to the side. This brought Ron and Ted slightly into focus. That and the two drinks left for Vance and Archie. Seeing those brought to mind what the No Ones had said to his friends.

And then it hit him like a tonne of bricks.

"Oh my god..." he sighed. He fell back into his seat, arms hanging by his sides, limp. "You bastards."

"Am I good or am I good?" Jacob snickered.

"What?" Ron asked, glancing from face to face. "What did I miss?"

Arms crossed, Katie said, "Matt just got his life lesson."

"What is it? Tell me!"

Matt looked over his shoulder at the stairs. "Vance should've just come out and told Archie how he felt. It would've been easier had he done that and wouldn't have needed the forceful outing by a deity outside of time and space." He pressed a hand against his chest. "If I had just told my mom how I felt, I wouldn't be struggling with this right now. Instead I avoided her. I _cleaned_Cayden's apartment all in an attempt to keep busy and avoid calling her."

He sighed and shook his head, thinking of Archie. "Archie... He's loving his new life but he feels like he's got an expiration date. Someone somewhere is going to turn him back into a human and then he's going to go back to being married to Nessie and have that ball and chain hold him down. He feels he has no other choice so he's going to do everything he can to live in the here and now while he can and then just blame it all on his transformation. But really... We're making these choices, aren't we? There is no 'undo button'. Even if we go back, what we did, who we did, is still going to stick with us."

Katie beamed down at him. "Go on."

Matt then turned towards Ron, a gentle smile on his face. "Ron... You want to be a Satyr so bad. I've been asking myself if I should stay as one but then I was jealous that these guys helped you to stay as one and not me." He shook his head and laughed. "And that gave me my answer. I know what I want to be."

Then, he turned to Ted. "And Ted, man... We can't all be kids forever and our choices do have consequences. I've got to live with mine. If that means staying as a Satyr and keeping this body, then that means I'll have to adjust and change. I didn't earn this body. But if I want to keep it, I'm going to have to change."

Jacob lifted his glass. "And that's a wrap, people. I would've chosen this time to unfurl a banner and shower the whole place with confetti and balloons but that's just a bitch to clean up."

Matt smiled and raised his own glass as well. "Thanks, Jacob." Ron and even Ted picked up their own drinks. To their surprise Vance and Archie came back from downstairs. Neither reeked of sex though Vance's eyes were a little red and swollen.

"How're the two lovebirds doing?" Katie asked.

"Better," Archie admitted, his arm around Vance's broad shoulders. "Still got a lot to work out but I think we'll be fine. What's everyone celebrating?"

"Personal growth," Jacob answered. "Join us."

They all gathered around the table and lifted their glasses.

"To you all," exclaimed the Writer of Reality. "Here's to all of you becoming stronger in your own way."

"Cheers!" Matt exclaimed and they pushed their glasses together, taking a drink. Katie's concoction really was refreshing.

"Hey, since we know you're a No One does that mean people will start coming to you for advice and shit?" Ron asked.

"You mean after you get over the initial confusion of people thinking 'No One' is not a proper noun and just an adjective?" Jacob laughed softly. "Just try and convince people that there are people out there like us. Go on. I dare you."

Point taken and the group just laughed.

"Why don't you guys head on down stairs to the bottom floor. I've got a dance floor down there for hooved species. Karaoke bar too. You guys might get that a bachelor party that doesn't lead into intrigue and spontaneous transformation."

Archie laughed softly, his arm still around a blushing Vance's waist. "If we did. Then we never would've gotten here."

"Well said. Head on down. Katie and I will join you in a bit. Help yourself to the food down there. It'll be breakfast time soon."

That was a clear signal that the Writer wanted to talk in private. The Satyrs moved away and once they were out of earshot range, she turned towards her 'boss'.

"Do I get a spanking because I brought them to you? Or is it one of those things where I only get three and this is my first wish? Do I skip a turn? Go directly straight to jail? Do I not pass 'Go'?"

"No, it was the logical choice," Jacob said with a shrug. "I was asked to assist, after all. Merry really does have quite the bleeding heart for young men thrust inexplicably into the path of a greater destiny."

Katie lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "Merry? I thought he was still sleeping under that rock of his."

"The Convergence woke him from his dalliance in the realm of the fey. But that isn't why I asked you stay behind." He gave her a sharp, piercing stare. The pupils of his eyes shifted to their natural state; shaped like eight pointed stars. "I wanted to warn you."

She inclined her head to the side. "Warn me? About what?"

"To take your own advice. Tilt your head, Katie. Tilt your head."

******

Cayden was sitting on the edge of a rocky outcropping. The sun was just rising. The gentle rushing of Wake Falls filled the air. The air was crisp and clean without the taint of pollution, grass beneath him fresh and capturing little droplets of dew. Somewhere behind him, birds chirped and a gentle breeze blew, carrying leaves tumbling off the cliff edge. Off in the distance, Wake Delta was just waking up.

To his right stood Ken, looking much younger. He was also a little scrawnier than before and his hair and mane had grown out into a full, luscious, reddish halo around his handsome features. He was gazing off into Wake Delta, a gentle smile on his muzzle; it was the smile of acceptance and one that told the story of an Aslan ready to settle and find his domain.

"You really care about this kid, don't you?" Ken asked, smiling at him gently.

"What do you mean?"

"Matthew Kingston. When you were doing him. I felt it. It was more than just a casual lay. He's a friend. Someone you feel you can really relate to. Like you, he was turned into a Paranorm and wasn't quite ready for the consequences. Fucking him that night..." Ken shut his eyes and chuckled softly. "You were always going to call his mother. That last act... it was kind of like a last fuck goodbye."

Cayden shut his eyes.

No use hiding that stuff from a Tantric Mage and an Aslan...

He turned away... and noticed the man standing to his left.

Jacob.

The human with black hair but with blonde streaks running from his temples. His deep, blue eyes, almost black really, were always so calm, serene. It was hard to determine his gaze and to most people, he would've looked rather... ordinary. But he was far from ordinary. Cayden knew that.

"Why'd you leave?" he asked softly.

Many times before, he had been here. It was one of the last times they were ever really together. They had finally arrived at Wake Delta, their destination. Ken had found a job as the Aslan of the Artefact Vault. Their constant adventures across the continental United States, encountering rogue Paranorms, lost artefacts and even the occasional cult or two had attracted the attention of some very powerful people. A chance encounter with the travelling mayor of Wake Delta had given both Cayden and Ken an opportunity that they simply could not refuse.

And now, they were just a few hours from crossing the threshold into Wake Delta and their friend and guide telling him that he had to go to Paradiso.

"Why did you leave us?" Cayden repeated, looking directly at Jacob.

If you didn't leave, I wouldn't have made such a stupid mistake like using Matt's own mom against him!

It came as a surprise when Jacob actually turned to him an answered. "Because I had to, Cayden. You two didn't need me anymore. Someone else did."

"That's not true. I've always needed you."

"That's not true." Jacob, still smiling gently, placed a hand against his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. "If you ever needed me, all you had to do was to just ask. I would come running."

Then he turned and started striding away.

"You've never asked for my help, Cayden."

A soft beeping suddenly woke the werewolf from his slumber. The smell of sex was still thick in the air and the television was flashing the morning news albeit on mute. The grass bed and flowers were gone. He flicked his ears around and noticed the distinct lack of Ken's breathing. Propping himself on his paws and knees, he instinctively sniffed the air as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. The windows had all been repaired miraculously. Ken's scent led him to turn towards the console where the Aslan was crouched over.

The beeping was coming from the console.

Still naked, Cayden padded over, absently scratching the back of his neck. "What's with the alarm clock?" he rumbled.

"It's not an alarm clock," Ken answered grimly. He didn't turn to face Cayden. "It's the results of my arcane scans and genealogical traces."

Cayden had to blink a couple of times before those words could fully register in his mind. "You found out who owns the Cup!?"

"Through magical tracing and historical records, yeah." Ken gestured at the holographic screen in front of him. "The Cup was brought back during the Convergence. Then it was passed from place to place, person to person. But it went missing after a while. However, when it was used a few nights ago, it left a distinct imprint in the Dreamscape. I was able to determine a single name from that."

No... It can't be.

Cayden's eyes widened in shock.

"Kingston," he breathed.

The werewolf immediately spun. "I've got to go. Thanks for everything, Ken, I mean that." He hurriedly looked for his underwear but grimaced when he remembered that they had ripped their clothing to shreds in their passion.

Ken placed a paw on his shoulder and handed him some clothing, perfectly folded and looking good as new. An Aslan could do anything within his domain, after all.

"What are you going to do, Cade?"

"I don't know," Cayden responded, gratefully accepting the clothing and slipping them on. They were identical to the ones that he had arrived in even down to the smell. "It could mean a lot of things. I don't know what happened to Matt's dad. Matt could've done this himself and maybe told himself to forget after seeing Trevor. Or maybe..."

"Maybe?"

Cayden shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Ken. You'll probably hear about it in the news tonight. I've got to go."

Fully clothed, he gave Ken one last hug before hurriedly leaving the Artefact Vault. He pushed his werewolf strength and speed to their limits to bolt out of the long tunnel and back out into the fields on the outskirts of Wake Delta. The run gave him plenty of time to think. There was no cell reception out in the middle of the planes so he had to wait a little longer as he drove back to town.

When at last a single bar beeped into existence on his phone mounted on the dashboard, he immediately gave Katie a call.

"Katie, I've got news," he announced.

"Good news I hope?"

"Depends on how you want to interpret it. The Keeper told me that the artefact we're looking for is probably the Bacchus Cup. It is the Holy Grail. It was originally an ancient drinking cup made by Bacchus to turn anything poured into it into wine. Over the centuries, it passed through many hands including Jesus Christ's. However, Merlin the Magician apparently used his powers to throw it back into the Feyrealm."

"Probably because it became more of a symbol than an actual artefact. Imagine getting the cup of Jesus Christ and prove that it actually has magical powers. People would tear each other apart for it. Even if it didn't grant immortality or whatever, something that defies the logic of the world would could be easily used to topple entire nations or propel a religion to absolute dominance."

"You'd know better than I would. But get this, when it came back to him, Bacchus infused a second enchantment on top of the first. It was innocent enough from his perspective. Just make it so that anyone who drank what the cup offered would be compelled to obey the wielder of the cup's will and intentions."

"That matches up with what Mama Cherry Blossom discerned with her experiments."

"Exactly. Moreover, I think the way to turn Matt and the others back into humans is through the cup."

"Explain."

"If we had the Cup and our will was to turn them back into the way they once were, then they would be compelled to change. That's how the Cup turned them in the first place. Whoever did this to them wanted them to be Satyrs so that's what they became."

"Interesting theory. I think it would work. Possibly the only way to really undo the curse without someone getting hurt."

"But there's a catch," Cayden said with a wince. "The Cup is bequeathed. It can't be taken. We have to get the current owner to give it to us or get the owner to want to turn everyone back."

Katie was silent for a long moment. "And that certainly complicates matters. Do you have a lead?"

"One," Cayden answered, his paws tightening around the steering wheel. "There was a Satyr that went to the bar that night and he had the Cup. Matt only knew one other Satyr, someone he was close with."

"You don't mean Trevor!?"

The cry sent a bolt of cold lightning through Cayden's system.

Matt.

"I think Trevor was just the patsy," Cayden admitted. "It doesn't really make sense. Why would he just come in and turn you guys all into Satyrs? Out of spite for how you ostracised him? I really don't think he'd go to such lengths over a college grudge." He shook his head. "No. I think this goes slightly more... personal."

"What are you talking about, Cayden?"

"I'm not too sure. Just call it a hunch. I still want to meet up with Trevor and see what he knows. Matt, you know where he lives."

"I do."

"Great. Give me the address. Katie and I will go talk to him."

"No!"

He jumped in his car seat. "What?"

"Trevor is my friend, Cayden. We pushed him into this. Let us talk to him."

"Us?"

"Yeah. I've got Archie, Vance, Ron and Ted with me. Take us to talk to Trevor. Maybe he'll be more open to the suggestion if we're all there."

"I don't know," Katie admitted. "That'll make it look like you're ganging up on him. Could push him over the edge. Besides, from what I recall, Trevor wasn't too close with the others. Perhaps you should just go, Matt?"

Cayden parked the car on the side of a dusty road, a frown on his muzzle. Once again, he found himself at a crossroads on what to do.

Taking Katie, a powerful No One, would certainly have its advantages. After all, she dealt rather well with Matt. Seemed that she managed to reconcile him with the other Satyrs and from the sounds of it, he was talking to Cayden again. All that was fairly impressive. Perhaps she could coax out the truth from Trevor.

Then again, Trevor barely knew Cayden or Katie. They hadn't released to the public that the transformation had been caused by an Artefact let alone the Bacchus Cup. If Cayden came marching in accusing Trevor alongside a lawyer_he could panic and do something foolish. Perhaps taking just Matt would soothe him. They _were friends for a long while after all despite their recent grievances. That sort of relationship didn't fade. Just like how Cayden still remembered Jacob so fondly.

Then there was the option of taking Matt and the other Satyrs. If Trevor saw what he had done or perhaps what he had played a hand in doing, he would be far more cooperative. There would be a whole spectrum of opinions amongst the Satyrs. Then again, as Katie suggested, it would seem like they were ganging up on Trevor.

Cayden leaned against the door, peering closely at his reflection in the side view mirror.

What should I do...?

******

This is again, dear readers! It's time to make a choice that will determine Cayden's choice!

What shall he do?

1) __Bring Katie. She handled Matt's situation admirably. She is a No One. Perhaps she is the best ally in this.

2) __Take Matt alone. It started with Matt so let it end with him. This is personal for him.

3) __Take Matt, Archie, Ron, Vance and Ted. Basically all the victims. They have a louder voice as one.