Monthly Bonus #3 - Summer Scenario Special - Unit Romeo & Ava (Patreon)

“I did warn you of the group’s skills,” Ava says, her brows raised in a very ‘I told you so’ expression.

I exhale as I push open the doors to Laycott’s Bar and Grill, the artificial light from inside spilling out onto the night-shadowed street.

“Yeah. I’m not even sure why we were partnered to help them. I thought with them being ranked so much lower than Bravo, we might be able to offer something. But no,” I bemoan as we head inside, hit by the scent of greasy food and strong beer.

Ava walks close to my side, glaring daggers at someone near the bar whose gaze lingers on me a little too long.

I try not to let that stir anything within me.

“Yo!” The call erupts across the bar, making everyone look around to find the source of the yell.

Seren waves at us from the far corner, sitting slouched on the edge of the pool table, their purple-streaked brown hair hanging around the edges of their face. They don’t bother actually getting up, just gesturing at us to be the ones to make our way over.

As we get closer, a shiver of magic washes across my skin, like a barrier around the team.

“We didn’t think you were going to make it,” Felicity says, smiling. Her short cut black ringlets are contained beneath a satin headscarf, the tasselled tails of it draping over her broad shoulders and suiting the corduroy pinafore dress she wears.

“Sorry. We got caught up in paperwork,” I admit with a sheepish shrug.

“Understandable,” Asce comments from her place at the end of the pool table. She thrusts the pool cue into the set of balls, and they scatter across the green baize top. I’m pretty sure I see a shimmer of something in the air before three of the balls plop neatly into the holes.

She stands up with a satisfied nod. Her pink velvet embroidered jacket accentuates her toned figure, puffs of lace poking out from the edge of the sleeves. The high-waisted trousers she wears along with it makes her outfit look like she’s stepped out of the Regency era. From my time with her, it seems her whole wardrobe is styled this way.

“Nicely done,” Ava comments, staring at the pool table.

“That’s because she’s cheating,” the final member of Unit Romeo, Tricia, states through the melodic lilt of her accent. She gestures a deep umber hand towards the pool table. A red glow, like threads of iridescent fire, swim through the air, and the three balls that had fallen into the holes rise before rolling across the baize top again.

Asce wrinkles her nose, her dark golden-brown skin crinkling with the expression, making her usually hazel eyes flicker to violet. “It’s not cheating to use every tool at my disposal. It’s exactly what the Chamber members expect us to do.”

“Ugh,” Seren groans, throwing their head back as they slide from the edge of the table. “Can you seriously not go five minutes without mentioning the Chamber?”

Ava folds her arms. “Having ambition is a worthy goal.”

Seren slouches, their hands dangling almost by their knees. “Not when she harps on about it constantly.” Their Echolian accent hangs much thicker to their words compared to Asce’s, who has adapted to the Italian accent of where she fell through the portal decades ago.

“You’re her cousin, Seren. Perhaps you could be more supportive?” Felicity interrupts, pursuing her lips as she draws her thick brows into a frown. It seems she doesn’t just like to use her magic to try and heal.

Seren rolls their eyes and trudges over to sit next to Tricia. Their slumped, full frame beneath baggy jeans and a loose graphic t-shirt is a contrast to Tricia’s much shorter, leaner figure, dressed in a simple shirt and skinny jeans—though her bright-patterned shawl adds a pop of colour to the professional ensemble.

“I hear you’re a whizz at most things,” Tricia says, her mahogany-brown eyes fixing on Ava. “Maybe you’d finally give Asce the challenge she’s hoping for? Darts, perhaps?”

I suck in a sharp breath. “I don’t think—”

“Done,” Ava announces with a nod. “But no magic.”

Asce smiles and shrugs. “Then no vampire-bullshit either.”

I groan and move to stand beside Felicity, her wide expressive eyes framed by gold eyeliner glimmering as she smiles at me.

“It seems our teams are mingling nicely,” she says. Her skin glitters like stars reflected in a midnight pool, but it’s difficult to tell if it’s makeup or natural, even though she is technically human. Unit Romeo are all types of witches, after all, and it’s obvious just how much magic runs through the team’s blood.

Ava lets a dart fly, and it cuts a straight path through the air to the dartboard, landing with a solid thunk.

“I said no vampire-bullshit,” Asce grunts.

Ava meets her gaze with a level-stare. “That is just talent.”

I rub a hand down my face. “Oh, this is gonna go great…”

_ _ _

(The phonetic pronunciation of the Echolian name Asce is "Ash")