Gaps in the Armor

The team split up as they arrived, Ethan, Grace and Alice moving off together while Mei followed Penny towards the sweets shop.

The three wandered through the mall, their steps synchronized as they browsed the shops. The air was filled with the hum of chatter and soft Christmas music playing overhead, despite thanksgiving still being a week away.

"Think about it," Ethan said, his eyes scanning the display of dungeon gear in a store window. "If I can channel Surge from you, imagine what else I could do. Mei's elements, Penny's shadows... even Grace's Sentinel abilities."

Alice nodded, her fingers tracing the edge of a display case filled with combat gloves. "But the Essence cost," she reminded him. "We don't know how much it'll take to channel those abilities. You said you were nearly out of Essence after using Surge twice and healing me."

"And what if Boost doesn't work on them?" Grace added. "Shadow minion is fine and all, but it's nothing compared to when it's Boosted. There are probably going to be some abilities that have an outsized impact."

Ethan nodded, taking in both of their points as he examined a shield. "Speaking of Shadow Minion, even if I can't boost it, we could have me summon one and then we could replenish the Essence between fights."

"That sounds like an excuse for a dungeon quickie!" Alice laughed.

Ethan chuckled at Alice's joke, though his mind was already racing with possibilities. "Maybe," he admitted, "but it could be useful. We should test it out later."

Alice clapped her hands together, a mischievous grin on her face. "We should find some sexy gear to wear while we raid. We'd never be short on Essence." She held up a pair of armored assless chaps. "Do you think these would make my butt look good?"

Ethan laughed, shaking his head. "You and your fashion sense," he teased. "But sure, why not? The payout for the dungeon loot was pretty good. Let's see what we can find."

They moved from store to store, trying on gear and debating its merits. Grace found a reinforced vest that would protect her vitals without hindering her movements, while Alice insisted on a pair of boots with enhanced traction.

Ethan, meanwhile, focused on finding something practical. He settled on a belt with multiple pouches, perfect for storing potions and other necessities. As they shopped, their banter filled the air, a mix of laughter and friendly teasing that drew smiles from passersby.

Mei and Penny stepped into a fancy candy store, the air thick with the sweet scent of chocolate and caramel. The display cases were filled with an array of colorful treats, from delicate truffles to elaborate sugar sculptures.

Penny's eyes sparkled as she took in the sight. "Oh, look at that!" she exclaimed, pointing to a tower of macaroons. "We should get some for Grace. She talked about missing the shop near campus in California."

Mei nodded, the mention of Grace bringing her mind back to the situation. "We need to talk about Marcus," she said. "He's not just going to leave, Penny. He followed Grace across the country. He's not going to give up that easily."

Penny's smile faded, replaced with pursed lips angled to the side. "You're right," she admitted. "But what can we do? We can't be sure he'll even try something. He's only shown up once at the hospital."

Mei sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know," she said. "But you heard him, he outright said he wouldn't leave her. He made it sound as if she were trapped here."

They moved on from the candy store, treats in hand, their conversation continuing as they browsed other shops. Penny suggested setting up a watch, taking turns sleeping at Grace's apartment. Mei proposed going to the Guildmaster, but Penny shot that down, not wanting to escalate without Grace's permission.

"We don't know what he's planning," Mei said, feeling frustrated at not being able to do more. "We need to be ready for anything."

Penny nodded, her expression serious. "You're right," she said. "We'll talk to the others. We'll figure something out."

As they turned a corner, Mei did a double take. Her eyes widened as she spotted a familiar figure in the crowd. She grabbed Penny's arm, pulling her back around the corner.

"Mei?" Penny asked, confused. "What—"

"Shh," Mei hushed her, peering around the corner. "Is that him?"

Penny followed her gaze, spotting Marcus weaving through the shoppers. He seemed to be looking for something—or someone.

"That's him," Penny confirmed, her voice barely a whisper. "He's looking for Grace."

Mei's hands flew to her phone, typing out a quick message in their group chat. Marcus is here. She hit send, her heart pounding as she waited for a response. They needed to warn the others. They needed to protect Grace.

Their phones all went off at the same time, the telltale sign of a message in the group chat. Ethan and Alice were busy talking to a shop keeper, and Grace checked her phone, expecting Penny and Mei wanting to meet back up.

Her face paled as she read the message.

Alice noticed quickly, moving to her. "What happened?"

Grace turned her phone around, letting Alice read the message.

"Fuck," she swore. "Ethan!" Her tone caught his attention immediately, bringing him over.

His expression hardened as he looked at the message from Mei. His mind began to race. Marcus was here, in the mall, looking for Grace.

"Where are they?" Ethan asked, his voice urgent. "We can make sure we avoid him."

Alice nodded, her expression determined. "Let's go," she said, already moving towards the mall entrance as she called Penny.

Grace followed closely behind, her eyes scanning the crowd nervously. She clutched the shopping bag in her hand tightly, as if it were an anchor keeping her grounded.

As they moved through the mall, Ethan kept a watchful eye out for any sign of Marcus. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his senses heightened by the adrenaline coursing through him. He reached out and took Grace's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She looked at him gratefully, her grip tightening around his fingers.

They found Mei and Penny near the food court, their eyes scanning the crowd anxiously.

"Did you see him?" Alice asked as they approached.

Mei shook her head. "No, but he was headed this way," she said, pointing towards the direction Marcus had been walking.

Ethan's mind raced with possibilities. They needed to find Marcus before he found Grace. But how?

"We should split up," he suggested. "The three of you take the long way around, Alice and I can hold him up."

The others nodded in agreement, and they quickly divided into pairs. Ethan and Alice headed towards Marcus, while Mei and Penny took Grace in the other direction.

Ethan's eyes scanned the crowd as they walked, his mind focused on finding Marcus before he could get to Grace. He could feel a growing sense of unease, a gnawing fear that they might miss him.

As they rounded a corner, Ethan spotted Marcus up ahead. He was standing near a shop window, his eyes scanning the crowd intently. Ethan's heart pounded in his chest as he quickened his pace, Alice close behind him.

They approached Marcus cautiously, their eyes never leaving him.

"Marcus," Ethan said, his voice firm but calm.

Marcus turned to face them, his expression surprised but quickly turning to a smirk.

"What are you doing here?" Ethan asked, his tone accusatory.

Marcus shrugged innocently. "Just shopping," he said. "Is there a problem?"

Ethan stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied Marcus's face. He could see the deception in his eyes, the way they darted nervously from side to side.

"You're looking for Grace," Ethan said, stating it as a fact rather than a question.

Marcus's smirk faltered, and for a moment, Ethan thought he saw a flicker of fear in his eyes. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by a cold, calculating look.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marcus said, taking a step back.

Ethan took another step forward, closing the distance between them. He could feel the tension radiating off Alice beside him, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"Cut the bullshit, Marcus," Ethan said, his voice low and dangerous. "We know what you're up to. And we won't let you hurt Grace."

Marcus's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing as he studied them. "You think you can stop me? Marcus said finally, stepping forward, his voice cold and mocking. "From talking to her?"

Ethan didn't flinch, his gaze steady as he met Marcus's eyes. "Yea."

Marcus scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about," he spat. "I'm here to make sure my Grace is safe and I don't need your permission to speak to my girlfriend."

Alice stepped forward, her voice sharp as she cut off Marcus's words. "You're not her boyfriend," she said firmly. "Grace made that clear when she left California. You need to respect her wishes and leave her alone."

Marcus's expression darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. He quickly schooled his features, replacing the anger with a look of concern. "You don't understand," he said, his voice sounding sincere. "My Grace is confused right now. She doesn't understand what happened. I'm just trying to help her see that."

Ethan shook his head. "We know exactly what you're doing," he said. "We know the kind of person you are underneath that veneer of concern. And we won't let you hurt her again."

Marcus's eyes widened with surprise. "Hurt her?" he exclaimed. "I would never hurt my Grace. I love her, and I want to make sure she's safe and happy. That's the truth."

Alice rolled her eyes, unimpressed by Marcus's performance. "Save it," she said. "We're not buying what you're selling."

"Just remember," Ethan said, his voice low and warning. "We're watching you. And if you so much as think about hurting her again, we'll be there to stop you. Leave. Go home."

Marcus's expression twisted into a sneer, but he didn't respond. Instead, he turned on his heel and stalked off, disappearing into the crowd.

Ethan and Alice watched him go, their expressions grim. They knew this wasn't over. Someone who'd flown cross country to chase their ex wouldn't give up so easily. But for now, they had bought Grace some time.

Alice's phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to check the message. Her eyes scanned the words quickly, and she looked up at Ethan, relief flickering across her face.

"Penny says they're almost to the train station," she said. "They're going to catch the train back to campus. We should head that way too."

"Let's go," he said. "We can catch the next train."

Alice nodded, falling into step beside him as they made their way through the crowd. She could feel the tension radiating off Ethan, the barely leashed anger and fear that threatened to boil over at any moment.

She reached out, her hand finding his and pulling him to a stop. He looked down at her, his expression softening slightly as he met her eyes.

"Hey. We'll keep her safe," Alice said, her voice steady and sure. "He's not going to get what he came here for."

Ethan nodded, his grip tightening around her hand.

As they walked, Ethan couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of his stomach. He knew Marcus wouldn't give up so easily. He could see it in the way Marcus had reacted. He was convinced of his own kindness, believing his own lies. And that made him even more dangerous.

Ethan's mind raced with thoughts of what Marcus might do next. He knew they needed to be vigilant, to watch for any sign of trouble. But he also knew they couldn't live in fear. They had to find a way to stop Marcus once and for all, to cut off the threat at its source.

The train didn't take long to arrive and Ethan and Alice quickly found their seats.

The train rattled along the tracks, its steady rhythm a backdrop to the hum of quiet conversations around Ethan and Alice. They sat side by side, shoulders pressed together as they watched the cityscape blur past the window.

Ethan's fingers tapped restlessly against his knee, his mind racing with thoughts of Marcus and Grace. "We need to find a way to get him to leave."

Alice nodded, her brow furrowing. "What can we do?" she asked. "He hasn't done anything illegal. We can't just have him thrown out of the city."

Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "There has to be something," he said. "Some sort of pressure we can apply. The Guildmaster, maybe? Grace said that Guildmaster Warren helped her. Maybe he would again?"

Alice considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement. "We can ask Grace," she said. "She might not want to ask for help again, though."

Ethan nodded, his expression resolute. "We'll talk to her as soon as we get back to campus. We don't need to wait around for him to do something before we ask for help," he said. "In the meantime, we need to keep an eye on Marcus. Make sure he doesn't get near Grace again."

"We will," she promised.

As the train pulled into the station, Ethan and Alice stood up, gathering their things as they prepared to disembark. They stepped out onto the platform, the cool air a welcome contrast to the stuffy interior of the train.

Ethan and Alice walked side by side towards Grace’s apartment, the afternoon sun casting long shadows on the pavement. Snow had begun to fall while they were out, leaving their shoulders wet as they entered the building.

He knocked lightly before opening the door, stepping inside with Alice close behind him. The apartment was warm and inviting, the scent of coffee and something sweet lingering in the air.

The team looked up as they entered, questioning looks on their faces.

"How did it go?" Penny asked.

"We confronted him," Alice answered with a shake of her head, closing the door behind her. "He acted as if what he was doing was normal." She looked at Grace. "He called you his girlfriend."

Violated, Grace's expression tightened to one of disgust before warping into anger. "No. I'm not going through that again."

"We are talking about that on the train, but we're not sure how to get him to leave," Alice hung up her jacket and moved to sit down. "If he hasn't done anything illegal, what can we do to get him to leave?"

Mei shifted forward in her seat. "Maybe he has, or maybe not illegal, but wrong, and not just showing up here."

Ethan frowned, taking a seat next to her. "What do you mean?"

Mei leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. “Think about it,” she said. “The double booking at the DRS this morning. The arena cancellation tomorrow. What if Marcus is behind all of this? He might not be able to hurt Grace directly, but he can make our lives difficult.”

Grace took a deep breath, her eyes wide with realization. “He did something similar in California,” she admitted, her voice trembling slightly. “He’d find ways to control what I was doing and who I was working with. His father has connections—high-ranking guild officers. They could make things… disappear.” She wrapped her arms around herself.

Penny reached out, placing a comforting hand on Grace’s shoulder.

"If he has been meddling, there'll be tracks," Mei continued. "I doubt you can make those sorts of changes without anyone knowing about it."

Alice nodded in agreement, her expression determined. “We need to be proactive,” she said. “If Marcus is trying to sabotage us, we can’t just wait for him to make his next move. Who can we talk to about this?"

"Guildmaster Warren?" Mei suggested, looking to Grace.

She nodded slowly. "He told me I could talk to him if something else happened with Marcus. I can send him a message."

"That still leaves how he knew we were going to the mall today," Alice stated. "That's not messing with administrative systems. That's tracking you."

Grace nodded. "We talked about that on our way back. We have no idea how he's doing it, though. Is he outside watching us? Tracking our phones?"

Penny straightened as an idea came to her. "Alex can help us." She saw the looks of confusion on Grace and Mei's faces. "He's a Seeker, we took some of the same courses together. We're not close, but if anyone would be able to figure out if Marcus was watching the apartment, it'd be him."

"You think he'd help us? Seekers are B-ranked. He's got to be super busy, right?" Grace questioned.

"He and I were partners in our fourth year dungeon survival course. I can reach out to him," Ethan suggested, pulling out his phone. "It doesn't hurt to ask him. Worst case he says no, right?" He looked at Grace for permission before reaching out to Alex.

At her nod, his fingers flew over the screen of his phone as he typed out a message to Alex.

"Hey man," Ethan wrote. "I know we haven't talked in a while, but I need your help. A teammate of mine is having some trouble with an ex-boyfriend who won't leave her alone. We think he might be watching her apartment and we were wondering if you could use your Seeker abilities to find out how he's doing it."

He hit send before he could second-guess himself.

Ethan looked up from his phone. "I sent him a message," he said. "Let's see what he says."

"Wanna make it another movie night?" Penny asked, trying to avoid sitting around worrying.

"I am kind of curious as to the original terrible space opera," Grace smiled.

They quickly settled in to watch the movie. The hero, Captain Vraxion Starborn, delivered every line with the emotional range of a malfunctioning toaster, while the villain—an alien overlord made of visible foam rubber—cackled endlessly as if paid by the laugh.

Half way through, Ethan's phone buzzed with a new message. He quickly opened it up and read through Alex's response.

"Hey," Alex wrote. "I'm sorry to hear that she's having trouble. I'd be happy to help out if I can. What exactly do you need me to do?" Ethan looked up at Grace, relaying the message to her.

"We'll be doing some training tomorrow morning, before heading to her apartment in the afternoon." Ethan responded to Alex. "Think you could swing by some time tomorrow and check if he's out there?"

Alex responded almost immediately, agreeing to meet up with them tomorrow evening. Ethan looked up at Grace, relief flooding through him.

"He's going to help us," he said. "He can meet us here after dinner."

Grace nodded, her expression a mix of gratitude and anxiety. She knew that finding out how Marcus was watching her would be the first step in putting an end to his harassment once and for all.