When it came to an event like the annual fundraiser, the organizers made sure to spare no expense. This only made sense, though. After all, this was an event that only some of the most notable and influential people in American sorcerer society could attend.
"Man...talk about fancy." Valerie whistled while looking through the venue immediately upon entering.
All around the lavishly decorated ballroom were some of the most notable individuals in American sorcerer society. Everyone from lawyers, lawmakers, DPA agents, businessmen, and even a few social media stars was in attendance. Casually mingling with one another and drinking to their heart's content.
Officially, the purpose of the fundraiser hosted by Wallace Redwine, the man in charge of the three sorcerer academies, was to raise money for his schools. However, everyone knew that extravagant parties such as these were the perfect place to expand your network and rub shoulders with other rich socialites.
"Geez." Freddy nervously chuckled. "I'm starting to feel a bit out of place in here."
"It's best not to make a big deal out of it." Cyrus replied in a casual tone. "Most of the people here are just as crazy and weird as the rest of us. They just so happen to be kinda important."
This, of course, wasn't the 'tree magic' user's first time attending a party like this. He had gone to a few in the past along with his parents. Albeit none quite as major as this one, though.
"Easy for you to say. You must be used to this kind of thing."
"Are you?" Elizabeth looked at the man with curiosity.
All Cyrus could do was shrug. "Not really, the last time I went to something like this was after my dad got appointed as a judge."
'Everyone here looks so uppity.' Maria said to herself while scanning over the other guests.
The 'beast magic' user was doing her best to appear as professional as possible. Even if she and her partners were here to pull security for the event, they needed to maintain a positive image. The last thing she needed was either her Vice Captain or one of the other APS members in attendance to admonish her for looking too relaxed.
"Hey, look over there." One of the guests whispered to his colleague upon seeing the group of six enter the ballroom. "Aren't those MacNamara's kids?"
"That's right." The woman next to him replied in between sips of her wine.
Another decided to jump into the conversation. "Evan and Elizabeth, if I remember correctly."
"I hear the boy is some kind of genius hacker. Apparently, some big tech companies were trying to recruit him not too long ago."
"And the girl?"
"A fashion designer, her sister's been exclusively wearing her designs for the last year or so."
"Y'know...I heard a pretty unsavory rumor about the boy from one of my contacts in Miami. He has a reputation for being a party animal."
"What else is new?" The man laughed quietly. "Have you heard about some of those youngsters from the Murphy family? I doubt he's as crazy as them."
"My daughter went to school with the girl. From what I hear, she's quite the little demon. Her grandfather's money must've gone to her head."
"Sounds about right. The boy is quite the looker, though, and so is the girl. I might need to try my luck with one of them before we leave here. With any luck, I might even be able to get a meeting with their father out of it. Or even their grandfather."
"I don't think your wife would appreciate that very much."
"Oh, fuck off...."
Fortunately, neither the twins nor the four agents heard the comments being aimed at them as they made their way through the ballroom. Stuff like this was to be expected, though. It was only natural that such high-profile people like them would draw a lot of attention.
Just as the group was about to make their way over to the refreshments table, a voice called out to Elizabeth. All of them then turned their heads to the right to see none other than Alyssa Blair rapidly approaching them with a smile on her face. The woman also had her younger cousin, Solomon, trailing right behind her.
"Well, fancy meeting you guys here!" The Blair family representative said before hugging the 'earth magic' user.
"Likewise!" Elizabeth replied with a smile of her own. "How are you liking the dress?"
"I absolutely love it!" Alyssa practically beamed while giving the group an elegant twirl. The woman was wearing a black and green sheath dress with a subdued rose pattern around the waist. Even at a quick glance, it was easy to see the level of detail that was put into it. The woman also had a rose-themed hair ornament atop her head. "I already told everyone I know to contact you if they want one like it. I suspect that you'll be getting a lot of customers in the near future!"
"Thank you!"
"And you must be, Evan!" The woman then turned her attention to the 'wind magic' user. "Elizabeth told me all about you back at the beach."
"All good things, I hope." Evan replied with a smile that practically lit the room up.
'So damn pretty!' Valerie internally shouted while trying not to drool at the sight of the man.
"Of course, of course! Oh, where are my manners? It's nice to see you guys too."
"Same to you." Cyrus said with a friendly wave.
"That dress looks great on you." Freddy added.
"Hey." Solomon said with a slight scowl on his face. The boy looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here at the moment. Everyone assumed that he was dragged here against his will based on his demeanor.
"Ignore him. He's just mad because he can't hang out with his friends before school opens back up."
Valerie patted the young 'plant magic' user on the shoulder. "Hey, can't blame the kid. I'd feel the same if I were in his shoes."
Alyssa was quick to change topics. "So...let me guess...Valerie, you must be Evan's date while Cyrus is Elizabeth's?"
The tall blonde's face immediately went red after hearing those words. The woman was about to say something, but was cut off when Evan unexpectedly hooked his arm under hers while giving Alyssa a thumbs-up.
At the same time, Elizabeth placed her arm over Cyrus' shoulder and gave the woman her own brilliant smile.
"Of course! The son and daughter of the DPA's top dog can't go to a fancy party like this all by ourselves now, can we? And don't forget Maria and Freddy, all these guys are here to make sure we don't steal the spotlight too much."
'Ah shit, his arm feels so nice!' Valerie did her best to keep her face from getting any redder than it already was. 'And he smells amazing too! What the hell, man?'
"Oh really? Well, that's certainly news to me." Another voice suddenly interjected from behind Solomon.
The group turned their attention to the newcomer, and Valerie's eyes widened in surprise. Standing before them was none other than Lucas Chandler, husband of Zoe Chandler. The man was dressed in a standard tuxedo while delicately waving around a glass of wine in his hand. His eyes were hidden behind his orange-tinted glasses.
"Uncle Lucas!" Valerie almost shouted before rushing over to the man and giving him a hug. The man gladly returned the gesture while trying not to spill his drink.
"Long time no see! Man, it feels like you get stronger every time I come back here."
"You got that right! All that weightlifting has been paying off."
"I can tell."
"When did you get back in town? I didn't feel your mana when I left the house earlier."
"My plane landed literally an hour ago." The man replied. "My flight got delayed, so I had to come straight here."
"Lucas, how have you been?" Evan then said to the man.
"Seriously, we haven't seen you in over a year." Elizabeth added.
"Good God! Evan, is that you?" The man was genuinely shocked to see the person in front of him. "I heard that you spent some time training with Quinton and Nick, but I wasn't expecting this. You're huge now! And Elizabeth, you've grown much prettier than the last time I saw you. I'd be careful if I were you, Elaine might start getting jealous."
"I can see why the boss married him. The guy knows how to put on the charm." Freddy laughed.
The 'light magic' user then directed his attention towards the other agents. "And you three must be the other youngsters that my wife was telling me about. Let's see if I get this right...Cyrus, Maria, and Fredrick, right?"
"Yes, sir." Cyrus said with a nod. "It's nice to meet you."
"It is." Maria then said, hoping not to come off as rude to her boss' husband.
The man then spent a few seconds sizing up the trio before nodding his head in apparent approval. Whatever he may have been thinking was a complete mystery to them. But, judging by the look on his face, it couldn't have been bad. Or if it was, he was damn good at hiding it.
"These eyes of mine tell me that you three are pretty special. Especially you, Ms. Ortega. Theo and Robin were telling me about you not too long ago. Robin couldn't stop gushing about how she found a hidden gem right in our own backyard."
It was hard for Maria not to feel a bit awkward after hearing Lucas' words. The girl wasn't used to the idea of people talking about her like that. She made an effort to fly under the radar as much as possible. But the notion that her superiors spoke so highly of her around others did make her feel a bit nice on the inside. Not that she would ever admit that out loud, though.
"That's right!" Cyrus then spoke up after remembering what he had heard about the man. "You have mystic eyes, don't you? I've read about them online, but I've never seen them in person before."
Instead of a verbal response, Lucas simply smiled and lifted up his glasses. Much to everyone's surprise, except for Valerie's, the man had a pair of ruby-red eyes hidden behind them. Normally, when a sorcerer is using their magic, their eyes shift from their natural color to a subdued orange. But his were different.
"Cool..." Solomon said while gazing upon the sight before him.
"That I do, young man." Lucas then said to Cyrus.
"Wow."
Mystic eyes were an extremely rare ability that only one in every few thousand sorcerers possessed. So rare, in fact, that a pair of them was known to sell on the black market for a few hundred thousand dollars if they were in good condition.
The ability allowed the wielder to see the flow of mana in both the atmosphere and inside people. Along with a few notable benefits that very few knew about. It was also known to be an extremely recessive ability, which made it almost impossible to predict when it would pop up. Many in the past have tried to produce offspring that possessed them, but as of today, none of those attempts have been successful.
"That reminds me..." Lucas then said while looking directly at Cyrus.
'Those things are actually kind of creepy now that I think about it.' The 'tree magic' user thought.
'They do look pretty damn cool though.' Freddy said to himself at the exact same moment.
"Zoe said that she wanted me to take a look at your magic sometime in the future. I don't know what for, though, since she wouldn't give me details. Something about wanting to get a better understanding of it."
Cyrus briefly pondered over what the guy was talking about, but quickly got with the program. It actually made a lot of sense in his mind. There was still quite a bit about his magic that he didn't know about. And the idea that someone with Lucas's ability might be able to help him out on that front was certainly a possibility.
"I see. I'll be sure to let the Chief know when's a good time to make that happen."
That comment piqued the interest of the others for various reasons. The other agents basically just got confirmation that there was something special about Cyrus 'tree magic' that they weren't aware of. Something that was being kept a secret. The twins were curious about what could've been so special that Lucas himself was being asked to take part in it. Meanwhile, the oldest of the two Blair cousins was having her own thoughts.
'It must be because of his 'tree magic'.' Alyssa pondered while glancing over at the freckle-faced teen. 'My uncle already said that he wanted me to get some more information on the guy whenever I got the chance. If Lucas Chandler is getting involved, then there might be something worth looking into.'
The group spent the next few minutes catching up and chatting before going their separate ways. All three parties still needed to go mingle with a few of the other guests before the auction started. But Lucas promised to meet up with them later on to talk some more. For now, though, their main focus was to be as social and friendly as possible.
-(o)-
A full twenty minutes had passed after the group had entered the building, and the party was now in full swing. People were shuffling around the ballroom, talking, drinking, and having a good time.
On one side of the venue, Evan, Valerie, and Freddy were speaking to some businessmen who were obviously trying to get in the twins' good graces. On the other side, Elizabeth, Cyrus, and Maria were sitting at one of the tables, relaxing while momentarily trying to avoid the other partygoers.
'Man, this place really isn't my scene.' Maria thought while leaning back in her chair. 'I don't get how anyone has any fun at things like these.'
The woman then looked a bit further across the room to see a few of her fellow agents chatting it up with some of the event staff while the others were doing a walkthrough of the venue to make sure that everyone was behaving themselves. The girl was honestly starting to wonder why she even needed to be here for any of this. No one in their right mind was dumb enough to do anything stupid during this event. So the need for all this security was pointless in her mind.
'I could be playing the new Elder Scrolls game right now.' Maria silently lamented. Instead of wasting her time here, should could've been doing something that was actually fun. Something like spending hours in front of her computer playing mind-numbing video games until the sun came up. Or maybe even checking out some manga that she still had yet to start reading. Anything would've been preferable to playing babysitter for the twins.
"Well, aren't you quite the interesting one?" A female voice said from right behind the young 'beast magic' user.
Maria quickly turned around and locked eyes with a middle-aged woman with brown hair and matching eyes. The young woman recognized the new arrival almost instantly and paused at the sight of her.
"Um...hello..."
The woman leaned down a bit and gave Maria an inquisitive look. The kind you give when observing an unknown animal in the wild.
"Forgive me for sounding rude, young lady. But do you mind if I ask you a quick question?"
Maria hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Uh, sure..."
"Would you happen to be in possession of a dragon-type cryptid?"
The bluntness of the woman's question immediately put everyone at the table on guard. Cyrus began inspecting the woman from top to bottom. He could instantly tell that she was another 'beast magic' user based on the multiple mana signatures coming from her body. However, her mana levels weren't too impressive compared to those at the station.
"H-how did you know?"
In response, all the woman did was smile at Maria before standing back up and adopting a proud look on her face. "My husband is also in possession of one. And the mana they give off is rather unique compared to other cryptids. I sensed your companion as soon as you came within range of me, and I just couldn't help but ask."
'Because that's not creepy at all.' Elizabeth thought while trying to figure out who this lady was. She still had yet to figure out what to make of this newcomer.
'Isn't this lady one of the VIPs that the Chief mentioned?' Cyrus wondered while gazing at the weird brunette.
"Oh, where are my manners?" The woman then held out her hand towards the raven-haired teen. "My name is Samantha Conley. It's nice to make your acquaintance."
"Maria Ortega." The 'beast magic' user replied.
"Judging by the way you're dressed, is it safe to assume that you're a DPA agent?"
"Yes."
"Of course, of course, the agency always finds a way to scoop up the ones with talent, I suppose. Even my son was convinced to become an agent a few years back."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Anyways, young lady...would you mind telling me how long you've had your companion with you? The last one that I know of was killed about two years ago. So knowing that there's one in America that we didn't know about is quite the surprise."
"A little over three years." Maria replied.
Although one would think that something like this was sensitive information, in reality, it wasn't. Especially since Maria wasn't even hiding it. Unfortunately, the young woman was expecting something like this to happen sooner or later after joining the DPA. It was only a matter of time until the word got out that her most annoying companion was in her possession. It wasn't really all that big of a deal to her, though. After all, even if people knew about her dragon, it wasn't like they could steal it from her.
Bonded cryptids died along with their hosts in the event of a 'beast magic' user's death. Something that has been an irrefutable fact to this day. So no matter what anyone did, if they wanted an exceptionally rare cryptid that was currently in someone else's possession, they were shit out of luck. How long the bonded cryptid lived depended on its own individual strength. However, no matter what, when their hosts died, the beasts were soon to follow.
Fortunately, this didn't work the other way around. If a bonded cryptid died, then its host would continue to live on. A benefit that many of the more unsavory of their kind had a bad habit of exploiting whenever they could. Many 'beast magic' users were of the opinion that cryptids were no more than tools that could be discarded and killed without a second thought. Nor did they blink twice when their companions bit the dust. Not Maria, though, the raven-haired teen was more attached to her companions than most people were to their pets. If any of them died, she'd be absolutely devastated.
"Really?" Samantha Conley looked genuinely surprised upon hearing Maria's response. "Which means that it's still in its adolescent phase, right?"
"Yes."
"Amazing."
The woman then seemed to spend the next few seconds pondering something before the lightbulb went off over her head.
"Tell you what, young lady! If you're ever in need of a bit of special training with your companion, feel free to call this number." The woman then handed Maria a business card that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "I can get my husband to help you whenever your dragon is ready to move into its adult phase."
'I guess certain types of cryptids have different life cycles compared to others.' Cyrus thought while listening to the conversation. Not that he really had any other choice since the two women were right in front of him.
"Why would you do that?" The raven-haired teen asked. "You don't even know me."
"Do I need a reason to get in the good graces of someone who will surely be a valuable DPA asset in the future?"
'That does make sense.' Maria mentally acquiesced.
"I do have half a mind to try and convince you to join the Dallas Station, where our family is based, though. But, the last thing I want to do is step on the toes of Zoe McKenna and Jean-Jacques Mubele. I don't know about you, but I care about my life too much."
"Gotcha..."
"Anywhos...if you're ever interested in my offer, feel free to call that number. Until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of the party! Hopefully, we'll run into each other again later." Samantha Conley then began walking away while muttering to herself out loud. "Now then...I heard my niece and nephew were around here somewhere. Harold's kids, if I remember correctly. What were their names again? Robin and Sebastian, I think..."
"What a weird woman." Elizabeth finally said, now that the woman was out of earshot. "What did she say her name was again?"
"Samantha Conley." Cyrus replied.
"So...that was Samantha Conley? The genius biologist who owns that pet cloning company?"
"Yeah..." Maria quietly answered while looking down at the business card that she was given. She was still trying to figure out what exactly to make of that brief interaction.
"Well, you have to give the woman credit. She certainly doesn't waste any time."
-(o)-
"I'll admit, it does seem like a good idea." A well-built man with short, red hair and a neatly manicured mustache said while rubbing his chin. "I considered doing something similar with our three new rookies, but it's hard to find the time these days."
"I know what you mean." Chief Chandler nodded in between sips of her drink.
"I can't imagine that it would be hard to find someone to agree to it." Lucas placed his hand on his wife's shoulder. "Isn't that right, Peter?"
"Oh, without a doubt!" The man now identified as "Peter" smiled.
Peter Dunbar, a.k.a. the White Vortex, was the Chief Agent of the DPA station in Raleigh. On top of that, he was a former member of the Charlotte station and a respected agent across the country. The man used to be in charge of the APS before Theo was given the role, and was known to be quite an effective hunter. So effective that, like Theo, he too was often called out to handle major threats across the country whenever the situation called for it.
"If I were you, I'd give Zharia Owens a call." The redhead then said. "I hear that she's been looking for a new protégé ever since her youngest son finally moved out. I bet she could turn that niece of yours into something special. I mean, look at what she turned Theo into after only a couple of years."
"You think so?" Chief Chandler asked.
"That might be a good idea." Lucas added. "Valerie's more combat-oriented than most her age. Spending some time with that woman might do her some good. Even if she is bat-shit crazy...."
"It's certainly worth a try."
"Anyways..." Dubar then shifted subjects. "Where's that son of yours?"
"With his babysitter." The woman replied.
"You actually managed to find one? Shit, how much did that cost you? Trying to find a babysitter for sorcerer children these days is like trying to solo kill a fully grown manticore."
"Only two hundred bucks."
"Really? How?"
"Oh, I have my ways."
-(o)-
"Again! Again!" Lionel Chandler was practically jumping up and down with glee in the backyard of his family's house.
"Alright, but stand back. I don't want you to get hurt. Mrs. Chandler will kill me if anything bad happens to you." Zack, the newly awakened sorcerer who had been spending his time training in the DPA station, said with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
The young 'fire magic' user then let out a deep breath as a small ball of orange flames appeared in his hands. He briefly held it in place before mentally forcing the magical creation to reshape itself into the image of a flower. And then once again into the image of a spinning wheel.
"Cool, huh?"
"Yeah!" The little boy replied with a smile on his face. "Make something else!"
'Man, kids these days sure have a lot of energy.' Zack said to himself while doing his best to hold the flame's shape. 'I can't really complain, though. Mrs. Chandler is paying me two hundred bucks to watch her son for the night. So the least I could do is make sure that he's entertained.'
-(o)-
"That reminds me, how's Ethan doing?" Lucas then asked Chief Dunbar. "Still as lazy as ever?"
The red-haired man rolled his eyes and let out a sigh at the thought of his second-in-command. But managed to get his emotions under control just enough to respond to the question. "To this day, it still baffles me how he's able to complete all of his work and some of mine while only being awake for five hours out of the day. If the guy wasn't so damn good at his job, I would've asked Eugene to ship him off to some flyover state years ago."
Lucas couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
"It's crazy to think that he's S-rank just like Elaine and Theo." Chief Chandler added. "Makes you wonder what he could be like if Ethan actually applied himself."
"Tch." Dunbar scoffed. "I'd put my money on Hell freezing over before that ever happened. But hey, at least I never have to worry about paperwork with him around. Everything's usually done by the time I walk into my office in the mornings."
"Man, you're starting to make me jealous. I've been trying to shove some of my work onto Theo ever since he got back. And I still end the day with a stack of papers on my desk by the time I'm ready to head home."
The trio enjoyed a short laugh before continuing their conversation as the party grew more and more lively around them.