DISCLAIMER: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF TRAUMA AND PANIC ATTACKS

Azaria's knee bounces, and her heart pounds as her eyes shift to meet with the redheaded angelic being once more. At first glance, he was just some buff dude that hit the jackpot in the genetic pool. Although his magnificent wings were no longer out, she could never see him as just some ripped dude from just a side glance. Thoughts raced through her mind.

Azaria lets out a shaky breath and quirks a brow at the second figure with the peculiar owl mask. She didn't have any sort of reaction, so it seems she's also in the know.

Amadeus saunters over with a cup in hand, offering her water. She shakes her head and hugs herself tighter. Amadeus shrugs and plops down beside her. She flinches and shifts away from the overgrown man. She couldn't help but think this man was behaving too nonchalantly to figure out his identity.

"They're way too calm. . . maybe he's letting me marinate in my thoughts like some turkey on Thanksgiving! He's probably planning to kill me in the worst way possible! Maybe complete some hard-ass trials until I die by exhaustion. . . You botched it up, Azaria! He's a freaking god and you messed with the tiny dude he's friends with!"

Meanwhile, Amadeus was swallowed by his thoughts as he picked at his tooth. . .

". . .Almost. . ."He drawls before quietly gasping," Got it! I knew eating that turkey leg at a cart that doesn't offer toothpicks was a bad idea. It's still pretty good though. . . eight out of ten, somewhat recommend!"

"Okay okay okay! Lemme get this straight," Azaria takes a deep breath, hopping to her feet to face the individuals in question, "Your name is Amadeus and you're his guardian cupid as well as mine. You help people find love. . . like some love god?"

"Sure," Amadeus shrugs.

Azaria nods and turns the masked woman, who has been seething in her seat since finding out another knows of their existence.

"You're Soul. The Cupid that's in charge of Amadeus because he's on parole of some sort, so you're there to keep him in check."

"Affirmative," Soul responds in her monotone.

"Right. . . Oh, I need an aspirin," She groans and buries her face in the palms of her hands.

Amadeus' shoulders bounce in amusement. Her breakdown reminded him of his millennia doing work in his department. Call it petty but he enjoyed it very much. However, he was the only one in the know that enjoyed it. A tapping on the burly man's shoulder brought his attention to the frowning Corazon, who leaned in and spoke in a whisper.

"Can't we just wipe her memory? This is already too troublesome as it is. . ." Amadeus props his chin in his palm, leaning on the armrest of the sofa.

"Wish I could, but she's another Evolite on my list. Second to you. She should be in the know to adjust rather than to wipe her and go through this all over again, wouldn't you agree, kid?"

As Amadeus explained, Corazon couldn't help the sour taste that permeated his tongue.

He could guess why she was second to him. Maybe it was her brutish demeanor or her thick-headed opinions. He couldn't imagine any sane man or woman wanting to be with her. She might bite his head off the first chance she gets.

"Fantastic... you should name her Ms. Praying Mantis. . ." Corazon grumbles, making Amadeus quietly chuckle.

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"What you've just dismissed violates several codes and the worst part is, you don't seem to care!" Soul stomps beside a nonchalant Amadeus. He yawns and regrets eating that turkey leg. . . and the three more he had after that.

"I'll care when you tell me exactly how many codes I've violated," Amadeus side glances at the woman beside him, smirking when she fell silent.

"Seven!"

"Two," Amadeus corrects and continues on his path into the Renfaire.

"Damn it!"

The afternoon faded into the warmth and cool of dusk. Street lamps and stall lights dimly lit the path they threaded on. If they weren't on a mission to find the slippery serpent, Amadeus would admit it to be quite romantic. However, as Amadeus looked over to his side, he sighed. Soul's gaze was focused on the tracker, looking for the Evolite at large.

He knew the woman was fixated on her duties. That much he could gather even from the break they took. While he recovered, she studied. It was still peculiar as to why Hathor would allow a rookie to be her right hand. Granted, Hathor was benevolent when she wanted to be, but it was still an oddity.

A slight gurgle from his stomach brought his hand to cradle his abdomen. The scents of spices and curry filled his nostrils and caused his mouth to salivate. Amadeus looks down at Soul and bumps her side with his hip. Startled, she looked up at him.

"Let's take a break."

"Absolutely, not!" She clenched her fists," We've taken fourteen days off!-"

Amadeus rolled his eyes, putting his large hand on her masked face to make her stop talking. It worked but it was more like she was too stunned to speak.

"Before you go on a devotee self-righteous rant, hear me out," He carefully removed his hand, and she crossed her arms with a huff.

"Good. . . We're at a fair and there's no guarantee we'll be back here for any cupid-related work."

"So?"

"So, we might as well enjoy it while we can! I mean- look at this place!" Amadeus opened his arms to gesture to the fair," We've been scouring this place for a few hours, and not once have you looked up from your monitor."

Soul scoffs," I'll give in to your futile whining when you admit the true reason for wanting a break." He could feel the smugness from under her mask but didn't care one bit.

"I'm hungry and wanna eat crabcakes," He bluntly admits and silence befell the woman. She knew Amadeus was this brash, straightforward man but even then, she was frustrated by his lack of hesitance.

"Have you no shame?"

"None whatsoever."

She sighed and debated in her head, "If we stop for twenty minutes-"

"An hour."

"One hour! If we stop for one hour, we must continue our search for the Evolite immediately after."

"Deal!" Amadeus exclaims and drags the woman around the fair once more. She wasn't that big of a fan of being dragged around, but she must stay true to her words.

It was only for an hour. What could go wrong in an hour?

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A/N: Don't forget to vote and comment!