The day was long, and by the time the Sun set, Rae was almost burned out. It was only the anticipation of the outing with Dakota that kept her going.

After she had exposed Victor's nuisances, the audience looked like they were even more in favor of Osira than they were before. At least, most of the leaders seemed more interested in her plans of dealing with the problem in hand, than Victor's.

The alphas of Piasek and Ancient Oléas, however, were still siding with Victor, as if not yet convinced by his incompetence.
And, as if to give the others even more reason to shake their heads in disbelief, Victor resorted to threaten Rae in front of them.

He was joking and being childish about the issues for a really long time. But, when asked to take action against the manufacture of the synthetic drugs and not antagonize Osira any further, he reminded her, "I hope you haven't forgotten that there once were 19 clans. Yeah, keep the dead in your prayers and let's hope that that doesn't happen to you." His assistant huffed beside him, pressing his nasal bridge in frustration.

Rae pressed her lips together, and said nothing more - providing the others with the chance of drawing their own conclusions and picking a side. The conference may have been a joke to Victor, but it would not be one when Valerius would hear of it. She could almost feel herself standing out in an open field, clouds above her, still and heavy and with an increased chance of a thunderstorm.

She spoke to Rev Akane Hatsumi in private, and as she had feared, the priestess had no idea about the marijuana plantations on her land. Rae showed her the photos that were taken by Jason, and her assistant made extensive notes of the fields so they could take a look when they would go back to the Nefesse hills. The Psi leader promised her to take a look into it and get back to her.

Before leaving, she made sure Rae had received the gifts she had brought for her, and asked her to have faith in the Sun and the Moon, "for they would shine your path, illuminating what seems lost in the dark of the night."

One by one, the other leaders stopped by her office before leaving. Some of them spotted out the gifts they had brought upstairs, the others mentioned the ones they had left with her staff. Ms Madea had gracefully floated in and out of the office room, bragging about how her gifts were the only things important to Rae.

The Attan alpha, Gary Ross, held up the silk robes, shirts and dresses he had brought, one after the other, allowing Rae just the right amount of time for speculation and admiration. Almost like a merchant. In between all the silk for her and Dakota, there was one fern green button-up shirt, wide at the shoulders - almost too wide, at least for either of them. An intricately designed silver brooch, shaped like a butterfly, hung pinned from the breastpocket.

When asked who it was for, Gary replied, "one of your omegas. Whichever is your favorite." Rae blinked at him, blushing.

Before she knew, it was 6:30 in the evening. She had just finished arranging her office in the way it was before the gift-infiltration, when Moira knocked on the door. "Madam Rae," her voice was sultry and teasing. "You have a meeting with your daughter in an hour."

"I know. I'm almost done. It'd be fine if I get out of here by 7, right?"

"Yes, absolutely. Lou would take you, right? I'll get another driver to bring all the stuff back home then."

"Yes, thank you," Rae looked up at her, her hand hovering over her own chest, "what would I do without you? Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

"Yes, Rae, you have earned this separation from me."

The last time Rae had visited the ice skating rink was a little after Duncan's death, and never later. Being the only one there, the place was usually always packed. She was sure, it would be no different this time.

And, it wasn't. The building was seething with people when Lou pulled into the parking lot in front of it- well, as many people as there could be on a Wednesday.
She had already changed from her trousers to a pair of yoga pants, and her heels to sneakers before leaving the office. She hopped out of the car, grabbing a warm jacket in the crook of her arm. Taking the car keys from Lou, she dismissed him for the night.

She smoked a cigarette in the alley beside the glaciarium before heading inside. Rae could not remember the last time she felt like this - like, she had finished all her work, and the break she was taking was well deserved. Outside, in the alley, it was a pretty warm night, but inside, by the rink, it would be freezing. She put her hoodie up when she entered the building, she didn't want a lot of attention this evening. Just an hour on the ice with her daughter, and then a nice dinner somewhere nearby.

The first person to identify her was the manager, Yuna, who stood behind a counter, renting out skates. "Rae!" she exclaimed, almost too harsh to the ear. Rae quickly put a finger to her own lips, motioning her to shush.

Yuna had been working at the rink for almost a decade now. She was working here when Rae used to visit the rink with a younger Dakota and Duncan.

They came almost every Thursday, the only evening they used to keep the bookstore shut. Nobody cared about her back then - she was not the alpha, or the successor; she was just a simple woman, married to the owner of a simple bookstore and mother to a little girl.

"Long time no see," Yuna lowered her voice to greet Rae.

"Yeah," she smiled. They engaged in trivial small-talk for a while, before she told Yuna that she was expecting Dakota. The latter seemed delighted at the idea of seeing her after a long time, and invited Rae to wait with her, behind the counter, where she would not be disturbed as much.

The clock ticked away as she sat at a given spot, waiting for Dakota. She had set foot at the rink around 7:40 pm, and Dakota was nowhere to be seen even around 8:15 pm. Rae had called her phone a few times, only to receive no response at all. Even texted, but to no avail.

By 8:30, she was anxious, and chewing on her nail beds. Yuna turned to her from time to time, with her big concerned eyes, chinning at the phone that laid on her lap soundless.

It was 9, and the crowd was thin, when she finally decided to give up on the idea. She was infuriated, and just ready to lash out at her daughter.

"Guess I'll leave then," she said to Yuna, checking for her phone and keys in her pockets, "I also have to find out where she is."

"Are you sure you don't wanna go on the ice for a little bit?" the manager looked at her with her big eyes again.

"I wanted to," Rae sighed, "but I think I should go, check if Dakota's home or if she's somewhere else."

"C'mon! She's what? 18? You need to be chill about her now, no? She'd hate you if you don't let her hang out with her friends, if that's what she's doing. I mean.. I'm speaking from experience."

Rae sighed again, remembering the words of Yoongi and her therapist. "Maybe you're right. But.. don't you need to shut down now? It's past 9 already."

Yuna chuckled. "I can keep it open for you. We usually keep it open until late. A few passionate skaters and club members do come after 9-9:30, when there are less people. Didn't you use to come late at night when you were young?"

"I used to come early in the morning. So, can I get a pair please?" She grinned at Yuna.

Rae thought she would have forgotten how to skate by now, but her body remembered. She clutched on to the beginner's rails when the blades first touched the ice, and decided to go a round holding them.

Almost everyone else was gone from the ice, and Yuna waved at her from behind the counter. "I'm going to the back to have dinner. There's a bell here, just here. Ring it if you need something." She waved back and concentrated on gaining her balance again.

Her plans of going a full round along the handhold were soon chucked into the gutter, as her feet took over her brain, and she was soon gliding over the ice across the rink, in all directions possible.

****

Seokjin waved goodnight at his crew of chefs, and walked through the dining area of The Orientum to finally go home. Rae's home.

It was a particularly tiring day. With people from all clans in the city, the restaurants were filled throughout the day. He had been stuck in the kitchen all afternoon, working, getting others to work. The compliments for the head chef were abundant, but the complaints were not necessarily absent.

When he finally stepped out of his workplace, and let the cool evening breeze touch his face, he breathed relief. It was a pretty big day, not just for him but for the entire clan. And there wouldn't be another day like this in the next 16 years. Unless Ika conquers over another clan, then the number of years would reduce by one, or more.

Seokjin adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder and turned left. In the lane next to the restaurant would be his car, waiting to be driven a few miles. That was all his car was good for now - driving to and from the restaurant, sometimes picking up or dropping Namjoon somewhere. That's all! No more road trips, or secret getaways with Jason.

He took his key out of his pocket as he stepped into the lane and pressed the unlock button. When he looked up to his beeping car, he froze in his spot. Standing just a few metres from him, with his back to the black Saab that Jin had been driving for way too long, was Jason. Sharply dressed, and with a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his arm.

"Hi," Jason whispered as the other closed the gap, "Rae said we would meet on Sunday, for Dakota's birthday. But.. I.. couldn't wait."

Jin visibly pinked at his confession, and looked away. Ever since Rae had told him the same, his heart ached for keeping himself from running to Jason. He took the bouquet from his arm, and pressed the tip of his nose against one of the flowers. As always, Jason's dedication to detail was heartening.

The bouquet was a palette of blue and purple - his favorite colors - a fetching disposition of ranunculi, dwarf-crested irises, Mr. Fokker anemone, violet wood-sorrels, and black knight delphiniums, bordered by the fragrant Stephanotis.

"Is this for me?" Jin teased, looking up at him through his long lashes.

"Of course, my love," Jason admitted, his voice and face rueful. With tears in his eyes, he wrapped his arms around Jin's neck and kissed him, deeply, sweetly, before engulfing him in an earnest, long-awaited embrace.

****

Namjoon did not expect the glaciarium to be open at the time he reached there. He had been at the University library, reading a Haruki Murakami novel that he got too enamored with. Dakota had told him to excuse her for a class since she would be out with friends, and he had agreed. Which meant, he would have an entire evening of skating to himself.

However, by the time he realized to put the book down, it was well after 8:30. All the way from the library to the main gate, he debated whether to visit the rink, or head home. Rae's home. He did not know what he concluded, but once outside the campus, he made the decision to stroll towards the rink.

A couple of known faces emerged from the entrance of the building and he bowed to them. "Are they closing up?" he asked, in a half-baked attempt to small talk. When they shook their heads, he smiled and walked inside.

Namjoon was a long-time member of the Osiran Skating Club. That is to say, he had a personal locker where he could keep his belongings before he went on the ice. It was also from where he collected his skates - his own skates.

From the locker room, as he untied the laces of his shoes, he could hear faint music coming from the direction of the rink. He sighed, a low susurrus at the base of his throat, wondering how many people were skating at this time of the evening. Humming along with the familiar music, he picked up his skates and ambled barefoot towards the rink.

I was dancing in the rain,
I felt alive and I can't complain.
But now take me home.
Take me home where I belong.

Namjoon could feel the chill coming from the ice. The sweatshirt and pants he had changed into did the bare minimum to shield him from the cold, but he didn't mind. Skating to him was a way to persuade his mind to relax, which was otherwise almost impossible to him. Namjoon suffered from chronic anxiety and stress, and had been going to therapy to cope with it. But skating always seemed to work better than a psychiatrist, especially when it did not stop the session when the timer went off.

The clink and drag of the blades against the ice made it easy to tell that there was actually only one person in the rink now. The melody grew louder, but he could not hear it anymore. The further he went into the atrium, the better was his view of the figure looming ahead. He would recognise her in half a heartbeat, anywhere; pick her out from a sea of people even if they all looked like her.

Careful as to not disturb her, he stood by the stairs to the bleachers and quietly put on his skates. Namjoon watched her, his arms crossed against his chest and brows furrowed. His chin jutted out, as a habit, as all his focus landed on her movements.
Gracefully, as if trained for years, she glided from one corner to the other. Moving with the music. As the song entered its pre-chorus, her limbs tensed. Trying to counter it, the woman extended her arms into a relaxed posture.

A spread eagle.

When the beat quickened, her legs crossed at the knees. Breathing deeply, she took a long backward glide, before taking off.

A Lutz.

Namjoon gasped when her hoodie slid off her head as she stepped into the jump. He had no idea how many rotations she wanted to get in, and neither did she. She fell out of it however, just at the start of the second rotation, touching down with an audible thud and a cry.

"Rae!" Namjoon took off the guards from under his blades and scurried towards her. Most of her hair hung out of the ponytail she had pulled up in order for her hair to behave. They fell on her face and over her ears, and she looked through their mess when Namjoon approached her.

"Namjoon, what a pleasant surprise!" She commented. If she was even the slightest embarassed, she did not let on. She took the hand he produced and got back on her blades.

"That was delusional of me," Rae giggled, allowing Namjoon to steady her stance.

"It was brave," he contradicted her, tightly grasping her shoulders. As his palms lingered there, Rae, unconsciously, leaned towards his touch, as if she craved it. Namjoon's cheeks flushed at the intimacy, and he breached contact.

Clearing his throat, he slid away from their bubble. "I thought you didn't skate anymore," he said, and immediately regretted. He thought he wasn't supposed to know that she once did.

"I don't," she replied. Whether she didn't catch on, or purposefully ignored it - Namjoon was thankful for it.

"I was supposed to come here with Dakota, you know like a mother-daughter outing! But she stood me up." She pouted when he looked at her again, and that seemed to liven him up a little.

They went around the ice for a while, in circles - sometimes along the periphery, and sometimes just in random strides. With the music in the background, it wasn't late before they fell in a rhythm, shadow skating each other. When they realized, they wordlessly glissaded towards each other.

On Rae's phone, a slow song transitioned into some upbeat alternative music.

Do, do, do, do you want me to
spend some time sitting next to you?
Do, do, do, do you wonder why?
Is there more than meets?
Is there more than meets the eye?

Rae gave him one of her hands and he took it, letting her lead him into a coupled scratch spin. Their faces inched closer as their free legs spread out behind them, and so did their entire bodies when those limbs came up to in front of the knees of their spinning legs.

She let go of Namjoon's hand as her figure gave into the formation, forcing her to spin while laughing uncontrollably and somewhat unnecessarily. And, Namjoon stood back, gazing, utterly smitten.

"Did you know we went to the same school?" Rae asked as they finally stepped off the ice.

"Yeah," Namjoon replied, with a sigh.

"It's a pity I didn't know any of you back then."

"You had different friends in high school," Namjoon's daily quota of regret should have been filled by now, but it wasn't. He tried to steal a surreptitious glance at her, but she was already looking his way. They both blushed and looked away, before Rae decided to speak.

"I wanted to get dinner with Dakota before going home. Since she's not here, would you like to join me?"

"Sure."

Rae walked up to Yuna's counter. The manager had come back a while ago, and had chosen not to disturb the skaters. Rae returned the skates, paid, and thanked Yuna for convincing her to stay, before turning back to Namjoon.

They picked up Namjoon's stuff from his locker, and headed to the parking area. Once inside her Maserati Levante, Rae whipped out her phone, mumbling, "now what could be open at this time?"

"Can I suggest somewhere?" Namjoon spoke up after several moments.

"Yes, please."

She huffed and put her phone down. When he started to tell her the directions, she started the car, driving it out of the parking area and towards where he pointed her to.

"It's.. it's a little deep into Downtown," Namjoon added details in between directions, "I hope that's.. not.. a problem?"

"Why would it be?" Rae smirked, "you think I'm too privileged to stand Downtown?"

He sighed. "That's not it. Umm.. this place is really close to where your bookshop used to be. We.. we can go somewhere else if that's not where you want to go."

"Oh!" A single sound escaped Rae's lips, and a weird anxiety began to circle around under her ribs. She had been to this area on several occasions in the last seven years, and never without work that would keep her from running to where her home would have been. If things were the way they were supposed to be.

She shook her head, looking ahead through the windshield and curtly added, "that's okay, it doesn't matter."

Rae parked the car in front of the cafe Namjoon had brought them to. Her expensive car stood out in the neighborhood, and she pulled her hoodie even tighter around her head to conceal her face.

"Can we.. umm.." her voice quivered as she looked up at the tall man, "walk around a little bit?" His face was stern, golden under the streetlight, and the sole stud earring on his left ear was glimmering. His little nose left no shadow on the side of his face that was away from the light, and for that, she was grateful.

"Of course," he replied, nodding his head.
They stepped on the cobblestone sidewalk and walked side by side, in silence. Even at 10 in the night, most shops and restaurants here were still open and in swinging business.

This was the part about Downtown Rae often missed. The abundance of help, the harmony and the fellowship of the people. If they kept walking for a hundred more metres, they'd be right in front of the curio store that had long replaced the Hill Bookshop.

And everyone would recognise her in an instant - both as the alpha and as a former neighbour. The owners of the antiques store, the chef of the neighbouring falafel and hummus restaurant, the cats that wandered in the area looking for food and belly rubs, if they were alive - they would all identify her without a second glance. Her chest heaved at the thought of it, and her palm flew to grab Namjoon's hand. Somewhat unconsciously, but definitely looking for it.

Namjoon sighed and stepped in front of her, blocking her trajectory. "We don't have to go there," he said, in the softest voice a man's throat could muster. Rae nodded. "Why don't we go to the park? It's just around the corner."

She nodded again, and it was Namjoon who took her hand this time. His strong fingers clasped around her balled fist, as he pulled her away from her past abode. They took several strides and a couple of turns before being ushered into the neighborhood park. The usual exhilaration of visiting children and families was sucked out of the area - only natural at a time like that. Namjoon and Rae took a seat at one of the benches bordering the play area.

Rae slid open the zip of her jacket and pushed it over her shoulders. The heave on her chest evaporated with the freeing act, but a new feeling took the void it left behind. She looked over to Namjoon, who sat still beside her.

Unlike her, his legs reached the grass under the seat and even bent at their knees, and he stayed that way, with his head hung low, over his sternum. His hair, she noticed, had grown longer since he had arrived at her house, and Rae found it almost impossible to not reach out and thread her fingers through them.

"Thank you, Namjoon," she decided to speak instead, "I would have probably done something unnecessary, if you didn't stop me."

"N-no problem," he nodded, still looking away.

There was an attraction, an awkward affinity that Rae had no intention of denying. Neither did she want to deny the fact that she wished to explore this attraction. She found him otherworldly gorgeous, and not only because of his striking features.

Namjoon had an air about him, something that brought attention to his character, yet kept his true nature guarded somewhere far away. Rae didn't know if that's what everyone felt about him, but she was utterly curious to rip off the facade and know him better.

"Are you feeling better now?" Namjoon asked, after a few minutes, finally looking up at her. She nodded.

"Good," he pressed his lips together and breathed through his nose. "Can we go get that dinner now? I'm starving."

The front of the cafe was aesthetically decorated with fairy lights and dreamcatchers in the shapes of barn and spotted owls - pleasing to look at and very inviting. The place must have been new, because Rae didn't remember seeing a Wise Owl Café in that locality before.

Namjoon shouldered the door and pulled her inside. The tables inside were uniformly scattered, and only a handful were occupied. A small bell chimed on top of their heads as they entered, and a staff welcomed them with a wave of their hand. They froze for a second as they recognised Rae, but did not speak on it when Namjoon shook his head at them in a signalling fashion.

"Table fo' two, Ma'am Alpha?" they asked, in a distinct downtown way of contracting and removing letters from words.
She nodded, her hoodie still up.

"Namjoon-ah!"

A familiar voice startled them as they proceeded towards an unoccupied table. They immediately turned to see an excited Seokjin frantically waving his arm, and a smitten Jason just looking at him with all the love he has.

When the latter looked back to see what his lover had noticed, his eyes widened. His jaw visibly clenched as he aggressively motioned Rae and Namjoon to join them. The lovers shifted on their benches to make space and the others glided in smoothly.

"You must be out of your mind, Rae," Jason spoke first, his voice hushed.

The accused looked at her other friends before turning to the accusing. "Why?" she scoffed.

"Roaming around here, in Downtown, after being threatened by Victor in a room full of world leaders. You've got guts, huh?"

The Kim brothers stifled their gasps at Jason's choice of words and stared his way for more details. But it was Rae who spoke.
"Victor wouldn't do shit."

"I know that. But Valerius would. He could put a price on your head, and you'd be dead before sunlight."

"Woah!" Rae pressed her palms down on the table. "Calm down, Jason!"

"I.. if I may speak," Namjoon interrupted.

He continued when he got a nod from Rae, "I don't think something that drastic will happen. Mr. Wang would not kill the alpha of a neighboring clan just like that, especially after his son has, as you said, openly threatened her."

"Joon, I am the one who studied Clan Relations," Jason complained. "What you said makes sense, but.. the Wangs are weird."

"No buts, Jason," Jin urged the conversation to discontinue. "If it makes sense, there's no reason to be scared. Yes yes, we should be cautious. But not scared. Why don't we order some food, and tell each other about our evenings? Did you and Joonie say hello to each other yet?"

Jason quieted down like a scolded child, and greeted Namjoon. They shook hands like they were once acquaintances.

"Now, you two, what did you do all evening?" Seokjin moved his curved index finger between Namjoon and Rae and smirked. Even with the playful curve on his face, he looked nothing but a representation of everything good about humanity.

"We were ice skating," Rae said, evidently shy and even blushing a little.

And, Namjoon quickly added more details. "Dakota was supposed to come, but she didn't. So I kept Rae company for a while."

"Oh," Rae's hands elevated in reflex and rested on the sides of her mouth. "I had to call Wales to see if she came back home. Why don't you go on and order for me? I'll come back."

Jin hummed a little tune as he looked through the menu. He seemed so happy, it warmed Namjoon's heart. The lift in the mood had been noticable since the beginning of the week, and the fact that it was because of Rae made him even happier. His eyes kept fluttering to the small entrance of the cafe, expecting her to be back every second.

"How was it?" his brother asked, plopping his elbow on the table. "You look happy."

"I'm happy for you, hyung," he whispered, just a little out of Jason's earshot.

Seokjin smiled and nodded, "I am pretty happy too, Namjoon. I've already made some decisions. I'd like to talk to you about them, okay?"

"Decisions? About what?"

The question remained unanswered as a quick moving figure approached the table. "I'm sorry," Rae started speaking as soon as she arrived. "I have to go. You wouldn't believe what Dakota has done!"

"What has she done?"

Rae didn't care who asked. Her visage let on her boiling temper.

"She got shit drunk at Allison's place - apparently they were celebrating getting into Prakra Uni - and, without an elder's supervision. I've told her so many times that that's not allowed until she's 18. Her friends called Tae up to bring her back home. Wales said that he has already picked her up from there.

"Holy Clouds! Why can't she just listen to me? Guys, ugh.. I'm sorry, I didn't want to sound so bitter. I'll have to leave though. Jason," she planted a chaste kiss on her friend's cheek, "I'll see you on Sunday, right?"

"Will you.. get a ride home?" Her last question was aimed at Namjoon.

From her words or tone, it was impossible to gauge her expectation. But when Namjoon nodded quietly, she smiled only a little and bid everyone a final adieu, before heading for the door again.

"Are you serious?" Jason rolled his eyes at his lover's brother, and it was enough cue for Namjoon to rush out after her.