Hellena

Actually... Let's cut back to Maya (Maya's POV) by Hellena

Chapter 47 in After

Your girlfriend in shining armor (or at least, sharply dressed), here to rescue you! by Hellena

Chapter 46 in After

You try to dart for the door, praying for a reprieve, only... Your dress stops you. _Again_. So it's more like you have to _slowly crawl_ to the door with your stupid half-steps, at least until Maya takes pity on you and opens the door in your stead. And, for _once_ tonight, you...

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Maybe... But you'd rather show off to Maya, wouldn't you? by Hellena

Chapter 45 in After

You stand up, and look at yourself with a more critical eye. Most of what Maya had done was beyond you, but you examine your face with different lighting, and try a couple of different expressions to see _how_ the makeup changes their look. You didn't really want to go through Ma...

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I promise it will be worth it. For Maya. by Hellena

Chapter 44 in After

You half-expect her to start dolling you up then and there, but instead she shoos you off to the showers instead. While, you notice much to your nerves, frowning at your closet. She wasn't expecting you to, like, dress up, right? Because you're pretty sure all of your clothing fi...

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Of course it's who you think it is. by Hellena

Chapter 43 in After

After a couple of heartbeats of panic, you decide you can't just hope whoever it is goes away - and that you can _probably_ hide _most_ of this. Crudely. If given a couple of minutes. Fuck. ...Maybe there would be some divine intervention, in between now and the fifteen seconds...

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Of course it's who you think it is. (Maya's POV) by Hellena

Chapter 43 in After

Apparently, you don't know how to properly date? What does that have to do with anything? by Hellena

Chapter 42 in After

You never thought that you'd say this, but... This part of things, setting up the diagrams and symbols while ominously chanting, lighting candles and ringing bells... It's actually pretty _fun_. It was just like when you'd first learned to shoot, the process of disassembling and...

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...Maybe you can hedge a bit here? by Hellena

Chapter 41 in After

You weren't happy with the idea, but it looked like there was only one realistic option here - to summon a demon. It was the riskiest option, but it was also the fastest - and it gave you the most control over the situation. If there _was_ a trap in the protections or negotiation...

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Take the books. by Hellena

Chapter 40 in After

You're tempted, for a moment... But it's just too big a commitment. You'd be trading one dubious obligation for another, and you doubt that Ms. Meyers would appreciate you trying to back out. You'd prefer to take Maya's place on the guillotine sure - but the way things are struct...

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Yourself, for now. by Hellena

Chapter 39 in After

But one point sways you above the others, as you give a silent, decisive nod, and head off to the library; reading the books yourself lets _you_ control the risk. Maybe you won't see every trap, but you can limit how deep you go - and so long as you keep things theoretical, the d...

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