Obe leaned back in the couch and slowly relaxed her stiff muscles. 72 hours of continuous horseback riding through forestland clearly did not suit her body. She closed her eyes and sighed. Being in the King’s army was certainly not a cakewalk but in the 11 months that she had ridden with the King’s Special Guard, Obe’d had not a moment of regret. And she was proud of the swift progress she had made through the ranks, being widely acknowledged as a warrior par compare.

 It was long past midnight and the house was quiet, unaware of Obe’s return. And she had to admit she was quite enjoying the solitude. Later she couldn’t quite recall what it was that had alerted her half-asleep mind to a foreign presence. But Obe instantly knew somebody was entering the house.  She opened her eyes, instantly alert, but betraying no sign of it. A shadow moved behind her, Obe clenched her fists, ready to spring at a moment’s notice.

 “Obe,” a voice called out softly and Obe’s eyes widened in surprise. Disbelieving, she rose from the couch.

 “Adrien?”

 Adrien smiled at her. “Nice to see you haven’t forgotten me.” A number of responses to that flew through Obe’s mind, none of which she uttered.

 “You’re back?” she asked, shock warring with joy.

 Adrien’s smile faded. “For the moment,” he demurred, moving around her to sit on the other couch.

 Turning to face him, Obe asked suspiciously, “Meaning?” Adrien looked at her, the smile back.

  “Does that matter? I’m here right now. Let’s just make the most of it. Won’t you sit down, Obe? Talk to an old friend?” 

Obe sighed. Clearly, Adrien wasn’t going to answer her. She settled down on the couch opposite and looked at him, a certain amount of coolness entering her now that the first shock of the moment was past.

 “So what have you been doing with yourself?” she asked coolly. Adrien sighed. He hadn’t expected this to be easy.

 “Traveling,” he answered with a shrug. Obe arched her brows. So that was how it was going to be. Fine.

 “I see,” she said. “Well, you must be tired. You’d better get yourself off to bed. Gran’ll be happy to see you I’m sure.” She rose from her seat but Adrien remained seated, looking up at her.

 “But it’s you I came to see,” he said softly. Obe’s breath caught. Adrien cursed himself, he hated doing this. But do it, he must. 

 “Please sit down, Obe.” Obe sank down on the couch. “How have you been?”

 “Fine,” she said in an entirely different voice, her eyes asking him a thousand questions. Adrien’s heart smote him. He sighed, the longer this carried on the harder this was going to get.

 “Look, Obe, I came here to say something really important to you.” Damn, that didn’t come out sounding right, he cursed as he caught the hopeful look on her face. “I mean,” he leaned forward, “Obe, I need you to do me a favour. I need you to…take up an assignment for me, if you will.” Obe froze, her eyes hardening to flints. Adrien sensed the change in her and moved restlessly. “Look, Obe, I know I shouldn’t have left the way I did. I should have explained, I should have stayed in touch, hell, there’re a hundred things I should have done!”

 “You should have told me, Adrien,” Obe said softly, her voice steely. “But obviously you aren’t here to renew old acquaintances.” Adrien winced. “Just tell me what it is you want from me.”

 “Obe,” he started, but the look on her face stopped him. He sighed. “I went back to my clan”, he began, Obe looked surprised, as well she might, he thought. “I haven’t been living with them exactly, just…around. Civet’s leading the clan now. Unfortunately, he’s leading it in exactly the direction I thought he would,” he said disgustedly. “The clan’s one of the largest in the world now, swelled by the victims of Civet and his band of followers’ blood lust.” He looked at Obe, the concern in his voice communicating to her. “Obe, I’m worried. It’s not that the whole clan is one mass of bloodthirsty vampires. There are quite a few of those who’re vehemently opposed to the slaughter of humans to feed themselves. And that’s exactly what worries me. This group of dissenters is unofficially led by this vampire known as Achates. So far Civet seems to have tolerated them but I’m not sure how long that state of affairs is likely to last. And once his patience runs out…..” he shook his head. “Obe, you have no idea what a war amongst the vampires would result in.”

 
Obe wanted to say she could take a fair guess, she’d seen what an apparently minor disturbance had done to Adrien a year back. And he’s a vampire. But she didn’t say anything.

 
 “Besides which there is the loss of human life”, Adrien continued. “By the time I left from there, attacks on humans had already become a regular feature. Somebody needs to go there and stop all this.” He looked at Obe.

 Obe arched her brows. “And you think I am that somebody?”

 Adrien smiled. “Obe, I know you’re one of the best warriors the magical world has ever seen. I should, I had the fortune to train you.”

 
 There it was, Obe thought, the reminder. No matter what happened between them Obe knew that she owed a lot to Adrien. He’d meticulously trained her for two years, teaching her everything he knew, without once asking for anything in return. Though some would say she’d paid her debt in blood, Obe grimaced. Yet they both knew she’d never refuse Adrien anything, she sighed. She turned to see Adrien looking at her with some trepidation. It was obvious he was genuinely concerned. And Obe had to admit the idea of a ‘war of the vampires’ was distinctly unpalatable. Oh, who was she kidding!
 “Fine, I’ll do it”, she said. “I’ll speak to Ajax____”

 Adrien interrupted sheepishly, “Actually, I already spoke to him.”

 “Very sure of yourself, weren’t you?” she said in disbelief.

 Adrien smiled. “No…I was very sure of you.”

 Obe snorted. “Yeah, whatever! Now can we get ourselves off to bed? I work hard for a living you know!” The look on Adrien’s face instantly arrested her movement.

 “I’m not staying,” he said softly, staring at his hands clasped over his knees.

  
 “Oh,” she said, a wealth of meaning hidden in the sound.

 “Obe, I don’t know how to explain! You and I can’t_______”, he said agitatedly.

 “Then don’t,” she stopped him, her voice frigid. “I’m sure you have elsewhere to be, Adrien….”

 Adrien sighed and stood up. “Goodnight, Obe…” But Obe was already halfway across the room. “Obe”, he called out, she stopped, still hoping. “You will go, won’t you?”

 Her heart wrung inside her. “Yes, Adrien.”

 “Be sure to mention you know me. It’ll make you some friends. And beware of Civet.”

 Obe continued on her way upstairs.