The auction

Dana and Amanda arrived to the auction as it was already underway, They still had time, since Dana's part was right at the end of the program. Dana got out of the car, and Amanda nodded and pointed to her earpiece as she walked away, presumably to coordinate the operation from a different location.

Dana made her way backstage, and a production assistant explained what she was to do. There were three items that were the centerpieces of the show. Dana would walk out with them one at a time, place it on the center of the stage, present the item as the announcer talked about it, and then exit the stage once bidding began. Every item had a custom made glass display for it, with wheels on the bottom for easy movement.

This should be simple, thought Dana. She wasn't sure if the man from last night would show up - would he be so bold, so soon after she had barely escaped his grasp? It would be much more difficult for him to get to her this time - there was security aplenty, both human and divine. Her mind was beginning to frighten her again, as she wasn't sure if she wanted him to come here or not. A part of her still wanted to see him, to touch him as he did the same - and more - to her.

She snapped to attention as her earpiece buzzed. "Dana, you ready? It's time.", said Amanda on the other end.

"The first of our centerpiece artifacts today, presented by my lovely assistant!" She took a deep breath and walked out to the stage. The bright lights blinded her for a moment as there was a smattering of applause. She wheeled the item, some kind of stone tablet, to the center and stood next to it as the announcer started talking about its history, previous owners, and so on. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the assistant frantically waving his arms, but she couldn't quite understand what they were trying to explain.

When the bidding started, she walked back. When she was backstage, the assistant came running to her, yelling "No, you ruined it! You were supposed to do your routine, remember? Jesus, why can't anyone do things right around here!"

Oh, so that's what it was. In her stage fright, Dana had completely forgotten about that. She clutched her elbow with one hand in a protective position and apologized. "I'm sorry. Just please do it next time, okay?", said the assistant, walking away.

However, Dana wasn't quite listening. For when she touched her elbow, she realized she was in big trouble. A familiar kind of trouble.