Ari waited for Marcus to continue but it seemed like he had nothing left to say about her reputation. She grinned, most people went on and on about how she terrified them and listed off the various tales they heard. As they circled around Ari felt as if in this moment they were alone on the ballroom floor. Though, Marcus was one to never be preoccupied with one task that kept him from his duties for too long so she kept that alert at the back her mind. She wanted to enjoy the moment for what it was, a dance with a man she fancied. Another thought tugged at her mind, how the other members would react to their dance? If she was seen cozied up to Marcus the others could think she had gone soft. Yet as the dance continued she didn't mind what anyone else thought, well, beside Marcus. She especially hoped Aerous noticed them as his previous insult had been made invalid.

"It was a pleasure to dance with you." Marcus gave a bow before he they separated and he took his leave.

"I've kept you long enough," Her voice was full of sadness but she knew it wasn't a moment that meant to last forever and she also knew that they would have more interactions soon enough.

Her eyes fell upon Liberta and Felicita and it dawned upon her that there were rumors of a grand speech that would happen tonight. Felicita had yet to spoke of anything relevant to Ari yet since she must show respect she knew she had to appear attentive. Thieves were not her responsibility but the protection of La Famiglia greatly concerned her. Moreno was the main aggressor and likely the ringleader Felicita said. He was not one to respect diplomacy so there wasn't any way Ari could sweet-talk him into a peaceful agreement. She hated the fact that he disallowed her to do her primary job. Ari scoffed at the fact that they were trained killers Moreno certainly needed to do a better job when he trained them. She at least wanted a challenge when she stepped into a middle of a fight. If that was just a warning then Ari was curious to know what was to come. The need to watch her surroundings became more instinctual at the appearance of Nova. Perhaps her dance with Marcus had rubbed off on her in an unexpected way.

Nova's appearance was sicklier than she remembered from their last meeting. Why hadn't Luca cured him? Why was he left to suffer, he was clearly on death's doorsteps and one of the top Alchemist couldn't do anything? Each of her questions was answered as Nova delivered his speech. He spoke about his health, which lead to talk of a new Papa. Ari couldn't imagine any of the other Famiglia members being Papa, there was no one. The Arcano Duello sparked an interest in Ari not because of combat but because of the wish. She could easily wish for Nova to bring her father back from his comatose state. Now, her request to Marcus for combat training wasn't a feigned interest but instead she was genuinely invested in improving her physical skills. Ari almost tuned out the rest of the speech as she closely focused on her personal goals. Fortunately she reverted her attention back as she heard about how death came to whichever Arcana Card The Wheel of Fortune landed on and the winner of the Arcano Duello selected that member. She figured Nova did this so that he wouldn't have to make the decision himself, he cared too much about each of them to ever be able to make that choice. It was a lot to take in, Moreno, Nova's Health, Arcano Duello, and a death to finish. An award for being the most liked member was never to be in Ari's hands, which meant whoever won could easily choose her because of her popularity status in La Famiglia.

Ari went to excuse herself from the ballroom after Nova's speech was done when she saw her Apprentice of Intelligence cowering behind a column. He bled from one arm while the rest of his appearance wasn't much better. Alexander Grant, of The Grant family, which was almost, if not, as well known as the de Telarius's, cardholder of number four The Emperor, and had laughable control of his Arcana Power. Her fisted clenched together as the rage swelled inside her, how he dared to come to the ball looking like that was truly unacceptable.

"You have the nerve to show up here looking like that?" Ari made a motion at his appearance. "You do realize this is your first formal appearance? Unless your goal was to bring dishonor to your family name and to mine?" She cared very little to wait for his likely excuse. "Go on to the infirmary, now. If you can't beat a thief without a scratch you need to listen to my training. Don't think I don't know about your absences or that you try to do it yourself. If you ever embarrass me again," She quietly hissed so others around wouldn't be keen to eavesdrop on their conversation. There wasn't a need for her to finish her sentence despite his short time with La Famiglia Ari had made sure he knew she meant business.

She charged off and nearly ran into another Apprentice, one that only pushed to her anger toward her dangerous level, Tobi. He hadn't danced with Annabelle and he didn't do what she asked. She didn't pretend to smile this time nor laid a finger on him. "Tobi, you didn't do as I asked. I'm not one you want to anger, I'm a fair person but I don't like when people disobey my orders. Watch yourself Apprentice," Ari moved in closer to him as she spoke and as she finished she walked away dismissing any words he had to say to her.
​

"I've wrapped your wounds now, so you'll need to wash them with antiseptic mixed with water and re-wrap them every six or so hours," Beck passed one of the guards a bottle and a roll of material. "Think of it like... when you wake up, after lunch and before dinner, alright?"

"Thank-you very much," the guard graciously took the antiseptic and material from Beck and smiled. Beck was all too happy to return the smile. As an Alchemist, it felt good to help others. Leaving the infirmary with less pain and a positive attitude was way better than a grown man wailing. With a nod, Beck showed the guard to the door and escorted him outwards. As the guard walked away, Beck turned his head to glance out a window. It was already night time and the moon was shining quite brightly on the mansion. It would be a nice scene to paint if Beck had the time or the skill.

"Beck?"

He turned his head at the mention of his name, Aislinn Brennan hurrying towards him. It was odd, why wasn't she wearing her uniform like she had been before? And why was she wearing make-up? And jewellery? And a really nice dre--

"Aw, shoot!" Beck quickly stepped inside the door, grabbed his coat from the rack, and bolted down the hallway and past Mrs. Brennan, who was wearing a disappointing look on her face. Beck wasn't worried at all what she thought, it was his brother that Beck worried about the most. Luckily though, the infirmary wasn't too far away from the La Famiglia's quarters and Beck was in his room and out of his usual clothing in record time. He very quickly bathed, shaved his face as clean as he could and made a very quick decision on what suit he would wear. He had a few, thanks to Marcus and Camellia (only because she liked clothes), but choosing which was most appropriate was hard. Indeed, it was a ball and that required formal attire, but how formal was too formal? Bow tie? Black tie? No tie at all? Argh!!

Spontaneity picked the black bow tie with a suit and so, with a quick neaten up of his hair and removal of his earrings, Beck was suited up and out the door.

Just as he reached one of the side entrances into the ball, Beck did his thing; invisibility at the moment was the best way to one, sneak into the party without attracting attention to himself and two, pretending like he had been there the entire time. The music was still playing when Beck sidled through an ajar door so it didn't seem like he missed out too much. As he made his way across the floor, trying to find a familiar face that he wanted to talk to, the entire room fell silent and the La Famiglia Papa, Nova, entered.

Beck was next to Flint at the refreshments table when he made himself visible as the speeches started and when they were finished, he had no idea what to say. For a moment, Beck stared into space, absorbing the information that had been given to him.

Someone had to... die?

And then, all at once, a thousand and one things flew into Beck's head. He knew for certain that he was not Papa material (that responsibility landed on Marcus' shoulders) and would probably be defeated in the first round. So, what if Beck was to offer his life? No... as noble as that would be, he did not deserve to die. As far as he knew, neither did anybody else. So, what if you contracted one of the remaining cards with someone who did deserve to die, like a criminal? A person with a fatal disease? An elderly person? Would their life force be enough?

Another question he asked himself was why the Wheel started spinning in the first place. Was it something that was completely random or was it triggered by an event? And if said event was somehow delayed or stopped, would the wheel stop? Or if the Papa or Felicita died? Was it a matter of the wheel stopping though, removing its pointer or keep it spinning?

The atmosphere felt much too dense to ask such serious questions right now, so Beck kept his mouth shut and his eyes glued to his shoes.

There had to be another way, right? There was always another way.​

"Hey Beck," Beck turned his head at the mention of his name. "What took you so long? Marcus is looking for you, by the way. You may want to hide. I think he wants to scold you. You know, the usual." Beck made a face at the mention of his eldest brother. He hadn't spoken since he had run away from his fight. Surely he would be ripped a new one, but at least Flint cared about him.

"M-me? I was--" Beck began, before being interrupted by Xoxaa. Beck had never really spoken to Xoxaa but knew she was part of the Sword. If she had ever come to the infirmary to get wounds treated, it would not have been by Beck.

"Uhm... Do you know... if that boy there spies on nude girls by chance? I can only assume someone with the ability to hide themselves from sight is probably a huge pervert. I'm a little concerned for my privacy with him around..."

"Ex-excuse me?!" Beck's face went bright red. H-h-how could she say something like that? He was standing... right here! Right here! And she was talking right to his brother! And very loudly!! Did she have no respect? No shame?! "I n-never--"

"I assure you, miss Illiphia, that my brother does nothing of the sort," Marcus came in to save the day, his tone very brooding and serious." He is an upstanding and moral citizen who always behaves appropriately and dutifully. He is intelligent, ethical, and honorable. The only thing he is not..." Beck followed Marcus' eyes to the clock. "...is on time. Like usual."

Beck made another face, this one a little annoyed and not particularly pleasant. At least he wasn't blushing anymore. Yes, he had been late. But it had been for good reason.

"Which actually makes two of you," Beck bit his lip. At least he wasn't the only one in trouble. "You are aware that you were summoned for security purposes to arrive before the celebrations began? I assume you have a legitimate excuse, and if so I would love to hear it. In fact... I assume you both do. Do tell."

Xoxaa began to crumble under Marcus' words, stuttering and spluttering out her words. She even fell to her knees. If Beck didn't get scolded on a regular basis, he probably would have done that too. Maybe not as dramatically, because if he made a scene it would have meant more trouble later. But Beck stood firm and silently grinded his teeth.

"I was in the infirmary, brother," Beck said with a hint of hostility. Well, to Marcus, it would be more than a hint, "treating those who were affected by thieves today. Is that all right with you, brother?"​

After her confrontation with her subordinate Ari quietly yet hastily ducked out from the ballroom and headed towards her own room. The ball would last approximately another hour or so and since her focus had been unfortunately shifted she was in no mood to deal with the waste that cluttered the busy dance floor. A heavy sigh left Ari's mouth as she finally slipped into her room undetected she couldn't deal with people especially those that were apart of La Famiglia. Her body fell into one of her soft to the touch lavender chairs. She didn't quite remember what material it was made out of it but was by far her favorite. Mounds of papers made themselves at home on her desk with one file and all its content spread open rested on top of the others. Somehow Ari had fooled herself into the thought that her work was done but she was Head of Intelligence her work was never done. As easily as it would be to pawn it off to one of her lackeys they tended to have the loosest of lips to whoever could spot the cash. Nowadays she only trusted Camellia and herself with the privileged files although there were files even she couldn't show her right-hand.

In an effort to remove herself from her current thought provoked state she shuffled through the material on her desk. Her most tedious project was the one that involved the members of La Famiglia. Ari had committed those ones to memory with Moreno around it was much too dangerous to have those types of files around for just anyone to see. A yawned escaped Ari's mouth her eyelids felt suddenly heavy as she nestled into her chair. Before she knew it forty-three minutes had passed her by in an instant. Several drawn out blinks and eight eye-rubs later Ari senses had focused and she heard a soft murmur almost like a ritualistic chant outside her window. She quickly sprung up from her chair and threw open the curtains to reveal a sight that baffled her, the island of Regalo in flames. Every precaution and protocol about this situation whizzed through her mind faster than she could grasped. Immediately she began to undress herself, she placed each of her hands on the opposite side of her hips and forcefully removed her white dress over her head. Then with one finger flung her heels out, which both landed with a clunk on the other side of the room. In haste she made a dash to her closet and selected a black low-cut shirt, a leathery purple jacket, and skinny jeans to match. Her accessories included the black bangles she had worn to the ball and two black studs in her ear. If there were attackers out there the least she could do was let them look at something fashionable before they died. She patted her thigh that confirmed her knife was still firmly attached to her hip.

Ari stepped out into the hallway almost simultaneously her Arcana Mark came to life. If one were to peer down the hall she was in they wouldn't see the tall, deadly force that moved toward their direction. Thankfully her card power granted her the power of slight invisibility as Ari could casted an illusion on the mind of someone to make them think she wasn't even there. It was the perfect method to utilize on the battlefield and one she intended on using in the tournament if she was forced to participate. The mansion was left behind and Ari made her way into the center of Regalo where the flames burned the brightest. Trying to shield herself from the flames she kept her right arm bent just above her eyes as she searched through the smoke. Each step was took with caution to avoid the dead bodies that littered the streets. The chants still rung in her ears but from which direction she couldn't tell. Ari began to run towards Domencio's shop; she hoped that he had the intelligence to have gotten his family out alive. When she arrived on the scene a man she could barely see was butchering someone who laid defenseless on the ground with what looked like a butcher knife. As she took her next step the man immediately detected her even with all the smoke clouding the air. Ari saw the man rush toward her unlike the thieves earlier this one was meant business.

What she lacked in physical combat skills Ari regained in fast reaction time and quick thoughts. She rolled onto the blood soaked ground as the blade swung where her body had previously been. Ari stood up and swiftly kicked the guy in the gut as he turned around to face her, which had almost threatened to swallow her entire left foot. With the smoke and flames that surrounded them it was had for her to rely on her illusions because her opponent weaved in and out of it. Ari firmly grasped the hilt of her knife it felt right in her hand. Nova had a very strict policy on when they could take someone's life and surely this fitted that situation. If not, it's not like Nova was around to discipline her Ari thought. Through the smoke to her left came a hand that welded a knife and in response Ari dodged the weapon and traveled down the arm so that she ended up behind her attacker. Her knife's blade reflected the flames as well as absorbed the heat from the environment. Ari pressed her arm securely around his neck. Despite her steady hold the man seemed more like a bull, restless and had plenty of fight.

"It's time to put you down, any last words?" She liked to let them think they had last words but she would stop their existence before they had the chance to choke any words out.

"Ms… Terranci!" The man managed to choke out. Ari's arm went slack causing the man to easily rip from her grip and turn to face her. His face became recognizable to her even with all the grime and soot smeared on it, it was Domencio.

"My, my I'm glad I didn't kill you first." Ari grinned and Domencio returned it. He responded by telling her how the man who she had seen him stabbing was one of the ones that had ravaged his business. His wife and child were already on an escape boat but he foolishly turned around once he remembered he left their savings in the store then he returned and that's where he met the zombie-like foreigner.

"I saw some heading towards the deep fore-" Domencio's voice grew softer as Ari took off towards the woods where she used to call home.

Guilt settled in as she had never even considered her father as someone she needed to save. Her footsteps pounded the pavement as she dodged every dead body, burning debris, and zombie solider she could and made her way towards her house. She spotted two men carrying touches who stopped every few seconds to set another tree on fire and then continue onwards. A loud whistle drew their attention toward Ari where she motioned for them to come to her. One had a long, blond ponytail and looked quite scrawny while the other was bald and stocky. They met each other's gazes and nodded before the bald one launched himself at Ari. She responded by delivering a swift kick to his abdomen that made him cry out in pain. Her concentration switched from him to the other in hopes of finding a way to defeat both of them. Mr. Bald unsheathed his long, brass sword while he advanced forward. Ari rushed toward the man, his sword soon swiped at the air in front of her. Lucky for her he had easily fallen victim to her first illusion, she had projected an image of herself a few inches ahead of where she actually was. That allowed her to observe how he handled his sword and it was clear that he was quite new at this but his swipes were made with force.

Unknown to Ari, Ponytail had taken his partner's torch along with his own torch and created a ring of fire to trap them inside. He then waited for the signal that his partner would give once he was ready to take the poor girl down. Ari eyed her surroundings after she caught Mr. Bald grinning from ear to ear as if he had already claimed victory. In a flash he was on her, once again he swiped at her, which left Ari only able to defend herself with her knife. She was able to block his poorly aimed attacks but the sheer force of his blows pushed her backwards towards the flames. Ari gritted her teeth and dove northwest of her current location. Ponytail and Mr. Bald both lunged at her as they continued to chant the words Moreno had taught them. With her back pressed against the flames Ari decided that she'd rather take a fist than a sword. Ponytail's fist caught her on the jaw as she sidestepped the area where she thought the sword swung. A pain sharper than the one that resulted from the blow to her jaw made her realize her sword calculation had been off. The sword had sliced through her jacket and dug deeper into her flesh. Ari casted two illusions at the same time, one a giant bear that rushed through the flames to guard her and then that the circle of flames had died down.

With her left hand cupped to her damaged right shoulder Ari ran forward and slammed her head into Ponytail's stomach, which caused a stunned Ponytail to stumble and fall backwards. She seized that moment with her knife to make sure Ponytail wouldn't ever attack her again. Ari panted heavily as she wiped the blood from her knife onto her pants. Mr. Bald appeared a little move brave in face of a giant bear and charged toward it with his sword out. Ari swore under her breath as his sliced through her illusion and then without hesitation ran towards her. The sword's tip stopped inches away from her heart and then dropped to the floor along with the man that had controlled it. Ari looked from the crumpled body upwards where she met the gaze of a plump, older man who held out a boulder high in the air. He grinned before he dropped the large rock on top of the body, which caused the sound of broken bones.

"You're injured," Domencio's face dropped as he saw the open wound.

"It's nothing!" She shifted her hand back on top of her injury and began walked forward. "Why did you follow me?"

"If I hadn't…"

Without any more words spoken between them they trudged deeper and deeper into the woods. As soon as they arrived at Ari's destination she was unsure of why he had followed her around because she surely didn't want his pity. With each movement her shoulder ached but the blood had ceased so she knew she wouldn't bleed out. Domencio stepped in front of Ari to open the screen glass door but she swatted his hand away, which left blood splatter wherever she touched. Ari looked at the door as closely as she could even though it was dark she could tell the door was slightly cracked opened. Every lesson that she was taught about stealth flew out the window as Ari one handily knocked the door open and run into the house. Adrenaline coursed through her system as she threw herself at the man who hovered over her father's restrained body. Her fist pummeled into the victim's face, left, right, left, right, over and over and over again. Tears welled up in her eyes much to her disapproval but she couldn't stop them. Emotions flashed through her that she had kept bottled up, words she had never said and ones she was all too familiar with were spoken, and memories that were buried resurfaced. Her punches waned in strength but Ari continued until the mixture of pain, blurry eyesight, and tiredness got to the point where she wasn't even hitting her target.

Two rather large hands wrapped themselves around her torso then lifted her up onto her feet and gently wiped away her tears. Ari was slowly leaned back into a chair as she watched the man undo the restraints that kept her father in place. A smile appeared on Ari as she noticed for once her father actually looked at peace despite his unkempt appearance. With the ball she had completely forgotten to cut his hair and give him a quick shave. Pain filled Ari; she couldn't believe this was all her fault. A stupid ball wasn't worth more to her than her father yet she had let it come in the way of her responsibilities. He was soon cradled in Domencio's strong arms. Ari reached her hand out to stroke his hand when the sound of chanting shook her out of her mindset. In a flash Ari was at the window ever so slightly she pulled the closed curtains outward in order to peek outside. Flames were spreading, Moreno's men were somewhere out there in the darkness but everything seemed to blend. As she looked back to Domencio she noticed a sheet was placed over the man she had pummeled but its white color was dyed a deep red in some parts. Slowly, her eyes glanced at her shaky hands, which had made the same color transition as the sheets. Ari pressed a single finger to her mouth and waved Domencio to follow her as she opened a side door.

Their steps outside crunched the leaves underneath the weight of their feet. A slight breeze blew through the trees as they continued their quest back to the town part of Regalo. Inch by inch they cautiously traveled out of the woods and into the city. The flames had grown and the smoke was heavier than she remembered, which caused her to fall back closer to Domencio. A reflection caught her eye when Ari looked downward she saw herself in a blade of a sword. Blood in the shape of her hand was smudged on her face from when she had leaned into her hands. The tears had caused lines to form in blood that looked painted on. Shakily Ari snatched up the sword and placed her knife, blade up, in her back pocket and covered it up with her jacket. Their speed picked up as weaved their way through the town somehow they managed to avoid most of Moreno's men. The ones they had encountered Ari lead them away and took care of them with her new weapon. She quickly adapted to the weight and feeling of the sword. Even though most of her blows missed entirely she got the job done and returned to Domencio who hid in alleyways. One man had successfully reopened her wound with his own sword and would've down the same to her throat if she hadn't had Arcana Powers.

They arrived at the escape boats and Ari ushered them onto the nearest one, which contained Domencio's family. He wished her luck and Ari made him swear on his life that he wouldn't ever reveal the man's identity (even though he didn't really know much) and protect him with his life until she could look after him once more. After she waved them off she confidently faced the town of Regalo where the screams echoed into her ears. Her job wasn't finished until she cleared as many houses and building as she could. The pain in her shoulder throbbed as it bled almost as if it was reminding her she wasn't invincible.​