Chapter 3

Long ago, Vincenza had gotten used to the thick stench of smoke. She almost admired it, at this point – it’s presence, intangible but weighty, turned an ordinary room into something like a heavy dream, a space manipulated by the powerful words of those who held it.

“So you oppose this plan?” The other woman asked, rolling her cigar on the edge of a strangely immaculate ashtray.

“Yes.” Vincenza replied. A woman like her was trained to be headstrong, even in another’s domain. “I understand your concern, but adding more people to this affair…”

“The plan has always involved a crowd. I thought we were on the same page with this.”

There was a frightening lift to her voice, but Vincenza carried on. “Of course. But there’s a difference between giving someone power in the organization, and giving them power like this.” She ran her fingers over the smooth surface of her rings. “It’s just too much of a risk for such little gain.”

The woman inhaled deeply. “You still think there isn’t threat of further interference in that theater?”

“I’m sure of it.” Vincenza said. “It’s more than just weakness - the girl is working alone, and doesn’t possess any particular goal. The fact she’s even involved so far is pure coincidence.”

She immediately regretted her word choice, watching the shadowed woman harsly exhale another cloud of smoke.

“Coincidence or not, she’s a rogue element. Caution is warranted.” She said, bitterly, dropping her cigar in the still-clean ashtray. “Very well. If you’re so sure, I will trust your optimism for now. I merely ask you continue to consider possible candidates.”

The secondary message was clear – the second you’re wrong, I’ll proceed. With or without you. Vincenza took a deep breath of the aromatic smoke that threatened to burn at her brain. “Of course, mistress.” She tilted her head in respect, “I won’t fail you.”

There was no room to make a mistake like that. ⋆

Hoshiko hummed as she finished her work, the last of the kitchen counter sparkling under her efforts. “Done~! I’m all done for the day~!” she chimed with a smile.

Dawn giggled from the doorway. “Look, your cat!“

Sure enough, Blair sat at the boundary himself, looking with suspicion at the still-wet floor. Hoshiko laughed, tossing her towel over her shoulder and walking over to pick him up. She knew enough to know that if asked, her mascot would chalk it up to mere politeness for Hoshiko’s mop job, but Dawn had pinpointed the real reason - he wasn’t a fan of getting his feet wet.

“You’re already done for the day?” Dawn asked cheerfully.

Hoshiko nodded, for once feeling enthusiasm instead of just pretending it. “I think I’ve figured out all the tools and stuff now.” It’d take a while to really be able to cut down on time, but not having to fiddle with outlets or figure out where they kept the extra sponges had made the job much less exhausting. Deep cleaning was still the hardest, but she only had to tackle one room a day for the most part - and honestly, most of the rooms didn’t need near as much attention as she had expected at first.

“That’s great! I tell you, the grounds are getting much better attention now that I don’t have to do all that. I just weeded the back garden for the first time in…” Dawn paused, counting time on her fingers. “About 2 weeks? It was starting to turn into a jungle.”

“I’ll have to check it out when I get back.” Hoshiko said, heading towards the stairs.

“Oh, you’re heading out?”

The voice made her jump. Vincenza was at the top of the stairs, a pile of papers in her hands. It looked significantly reduced from yesterday, maybe half the size, but still had to be a few hundred sheets tall.

“Y-yeah,” she replied, Blair limp in her grip. “Just out for a walk, really.”

Vincenza scoffed with a smirk. “When you say it like that, it sounds suspicious.”

“It’s nothing suspicious!” Hoshiko insisted, her voice quivering slightly. Dawn coughed politely. Starting to feel her cheeks burn, Hoshiko started up the stairs, trying to head to her room before more questions could be asked.

“Is that so? Where are you going then?” Vincenza asked casually.

Hoshiko felt sweat trickle down her neck. “Just… 5 th and Main.” It was the first address that came to mind – the homeless shelter. “I’m visiting a friend.” She kept walking, trying not to make eye contact.

“Oh, around there? That’s actually great, then!” Vincenza said, grabbing her by the hand as she tried to pass. “Would you mind picking something up for me on the way back?”

Hoshiko froze in horror. What kind of setup was this? “I—I’ll be a bit late back,” she stuttered. “D-do you really want me to—“

“Ah, no worries. It won’t be ready for another hour at least.” She said amicably, a dangerous smile on her lips. She didn’t seem to be willing to take no for an answer – or at least, not from her maid. Hoshiko grit her teeth, wanting nothing more than to give her a punch to the teeth and a loud fuck you…

Instead, she gave a measured answer, forced out with significant effort. “I suppose… that’s fine then. What is it you’d like me to pick up?”

“Wonderful!” Ignoring her question, Vincenza clapped a hand on Hoshiko’s shoulder, finally letting her sweaty palm free and walking downstairs. “I’ll text you the address then. It should be on your way.”

Hoshiko nodded, peeking over her shoulder to see Vincenza give one last mischievous smile up at her before engaging Dawn in conversation about her garden. It wasn’t a comforting look. Blair squeaked, alerting her she was squeezing him far too tight.

“Sorry,” she muttered, loosening her grip. “Let’s get going, huh?” His bushy tail told her that he couldn’t agree more. ⋆

After checking her phone about ten times to make sure all possible spyware features were off, Hoshiko routed to the area around Solo Mio by alleyway. It took significantly longer to walk than to fly, but knowing the street layouts by heart helped her. When she arrived she found the streets lively and bright, filled with (mostly young) shoppers casually walking and chatting, or occasionally sitting at a table outside one of the restaurants. For only being a few hops from the slums, she hadn’t expected it to be so trendy. She paused at the entry to the alley, immediately wondering if she could even walk through without a glare.

“Oh, Hoshiko! You’re looking good.” Nearly jumping out of her skin for the second time today, she spun around to see a smiling police officer. For once, it was a relief to see the slightly sour smile of Officer Richter.

“Thanks, officer,” Hoshiko said, giving a polite nod with heated cheeks. Ritcher was a tall and brawny woman of Middle Eastern descent, and very much the kind of person who looked at ease in a police uniform. Despite her early onset of wrinkles and a typically grumpy expression, she remained a handsome woman. She stood out from the other cops on patrol in the slum not just by a dedication to her job, but her partner, a friendly German shepherd named Dakota. Hoshiko remembered her more for the night she’d given her a couch to sleep on – but she pushed that thought aside before it made her blush.

“I haven’t seen you around 2 nd lately. Almost got me worried there.” She asked, patting the younger woman on the shoulder. Dakota stepped up with her, looking up expectantly with “pet me” eyes that seemed just a touch out of place on a dog that could probably kill a man. “You found a place, I take it?” Ritcher prompted.

Hoshiko nodded. “Yep. Comes with a job, even.” She said, kneeling to give Dakota a pat. All police training aside, he was a friendly dog, more than happy to happily lick and drool on anyone who gave him positive attention. Blair gave a quiet hiss, but quickly quieted when Ritcher took similar note of him and tossed a chunk of jerky his way.

“That’s good, of course. Always happy to see cute girl off the streets.” Ritcher said, before coughing awkwardly as if she’d said too much. “Your cat, too.”

Hoshiko politely ignored it, instead giving Dakota another scratch and standing back up. “This is off your usual route. Did they move your patrol?”

“Not too far. Just nudged it a block or a two to include this area. It’s gotten quite popular, as you can see.” The police officer said, indicating out to the picturesque road with a hint of frustration. “With that new café and boutique around here, the squad wants someone to keep an eye out during business hours.”

So middle class shoppers don’t have to come into contact with any smelly hobos. Hoshiko could hear what Ritcher wasn’t saying as clear as if she actually had, and smirked in return. “I can imagine.”

“You pretty much fit in the crowd in those clothes.” Ritcher said. It was true, Hoshiko noted, with a look down. It felt bizarre. She stepped into the sunlit sidewalk with Ritcher and her dog. “What are you doing around here, anyway? Spending your first paycheck?”

Remembering with a sudden start that she was here for a reason. “Oh, uh. I was going to lunch.” She said, pulling the first excuse she could think of. “I heard that Solo Mio place is good.”

Upon mentioning the name of the restaurant, the friendly face of Ritcher dropped into a dark frown, her hands threateningly aimed towards her sides. Dakota reacted in turn, standing up and looking at his master for an order. “Just for lunch?”

Hoshiko felt like she’d just blundered face-first into a minefield. “Um. Yes.” She said, shrinking a little. “Is there something else I’d be getting there?”

The officer cautiously loosened her shoulders, prompting Dakota to sit down in turn. “It’s nothing. I just…”

Hoshiko wasn’t going to let her off that easy. “You just…?”

“I shouldn’t be telling you about it.” She said, crossing her arms defensively. “Especially if you don’t already know. I don’t want you getting into trouble, especially when you’re on the up and up…”

“How much trouble can I really get into at an Italian restaurant?” Hoshiko said, laughing. “What am I going to do, get food poisoning? Be underpaid as a waitress?”

That seemed to be the right question, because Ritcher’s glare bittered the moment she said it. “It’s not their pay that’s the issue.”

Hoshiko cocked her head. “Then what’s the issue with working there?” She asked.

The officer paused, realizing she’d already gone too far. She sighed, and leaned in closer, her voice low. “Look, now don’t start spreading this… but that place is one of the reasons they want this place patrolled. About 3 months ago, a waitress from there was reported missing. We found her body in a lake a few weeks ago. Homicide.”

Hoshiko’s blood ran cold. “You think… it had something to do with that place?” she asked in a tiny voice, looking at the unassuming brick building.

Ritcher nodded. “When she went missing, we questioned everyone at the restaurant. The owner was particularly suspicious, and refusing to provide DNA samples and evading questions. No alibi. We couldn’t pin him for anything in particular yet, but he was a serious suspect. When we found the girl’s body, it was a clear case. We had foreign skin cells under the fingernails, a man’s hair on her clothes… DNA testing could close this like a book. So of course, as soon as we get this info, we go to the suspect’s flat with a warrant, right?”

“Burst in, he’s dead. Bullet to the head. By all accounts, it looked like a suicide, but something seemed…. off about it. For one, no one had reported him missing. It’d been days since he died, but we hadn’t heard a peep. So, of course, we go to his work to see if he’d called in sick or vacation or something… only to find that the ownership had been quietly shifted to another man days after our initial questioning. The paperwork was perfect, the entire process was seamless. Like it had been planned from the start.”

A chill ran down Hoshiko’s back in distressing recognition.

“Of course, there’s nothing on this new guy. He’s the oilest creep I’ve ever laid eyes on, but his alibi holds up, and we have nothing else on him.” Ritcher shook her head. “That’s the suspicious thing here – everything is just too clean. It all adds up so well, like someone sat with a checklist making sure everything was sealed so tight that we couldn’t touch it.” She glowered at the thought. ”The thing that got me was the time of death. The coroner said he must have died mere hours after we pulled that body out of the water. Like someone knew we found her… and took him out before we ended up on his door. There’s something up with that place. I don’t know what , but something.”

Having finished her story, the Officer pulled back, looking around suspiciously. Dakota nudged her hand comfortingly, and she softened, giving him a treat from her pocket. “As I said, that’s not public knowledge. Keep your mouth shut, okay?”

Hoshiko nodded obediently, brain still swimming with this information. She hadn’t known what to expect from this lead, but it certainly wasn’t homicide. Combining that with the magical signature from the other night…

She felt sick to the pit of her stomach, suddenly realizing that she couldn’t even imagine how she could deal with this kind of thing. Her skills were in fighting monsters, not solving mysteries.

Dakota licked her hand, bringing her back to Earth. Hoshiko shook her head, trying to focus on the situation before her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to upset you,” Ritcher said, frowning. “I’ve just seen too many people on the streets get involved in shady business… I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I understand. I’ll stay out of it.” Hoshiko replied. Of course, she wasn’t going to tell Ritcher she already was involved, just in an entirely different way. She forced a smile. “I’m not really feeling Italian after that, though…”

“Ha! I guess not, huh?” Ritcher laughed with her. It hurt a little to see her so relieved, but there was no helping it.

The streetlights flickered to life across the street, finally deeming the dimming sky dark enough to bother lighting up. “I suppose I should go get dinner somewhere else then.”

“Right, of course.” Officer Ritcher replied, straightening up. “I’ve still got some time on patrol, so I guess I’ll leave you alone. Take care, alright?” Dakota wagged his tail and bumped his nose against Hoshiko’s hand one more time. “Don’t stay out too late, either. You’ve got a home now, so use it!”

“Of course! Nice to see you again, Officer!” Hoshiko said, padding off down the alleyway. She could feel Ritcher’s concerned gaze follow her until she turned the corner, out of her view. ⋆

“I would have expected these burgers to taste better fresh,” Blair remarked, between clumsy bites of meat.

Hoshiko shrugged, finishing the last of her food herself. “It is just McDragan’s. The fries are definitely better warm.” She wiped the grease on her fingers off on the remains of the paper bag. They had been planning on at least slightly higher quality food, but the errand Vincenza had sent her on had took longer than expected. It was nowhere near Hoshiko’s actual or reported location, giving her the distinct impression her employer had planned to send Hoshiko on the errand no matter where she said she was going said. She’d had to walk all the way to the ritzy part of downtown, and find the store in a sea of other tiny overpriced shops. Once there, she spent far longer than she would have hoped waiting for an employee to notice her in that underlit and overperfumed hellhole, only to get the world’s best customer service once they learned she was working for the Vincenza Moretti.

Despite her curiosity, Hoshiko hadn’t looked in the package. It sat sealed in her backpack, which was in turn tucked into a safe corner of the roof for when she was done for the night. What Vincenza wanted from a frilly boutique like that was none of her business. If anything, she wanted it to be even less of her business than it already was.

Besides, she had bigger things to deal with. Not that she really knew what exactly those things were.

This time of night, 10 th Street was quiet, still. The last of the customers had trailed out of the restaurants a good while ago, and now Hoshiko was just watching the employees leave one by one. Most of parking lots were now fully empty, but Solo Mio’s was still occupied, two cars parked in its small lot.

As she watched, two people left; a curvy middle-aged woman with an apron in hand, and a uncomfortably lean and well-dressed man who held the door for her. She leaned over the rail a bit, letting her magically enhanced hearing do it’s work.

“You’ve got to stop keeping me so late.” The woman said – despite the nature of the phrase, she seemed less than concerned, a flirtatious tone in her voice. “Someone might get suspicious.”

The man laughed. “I’m telling you, you should just tell him we changed the restaurant hours. God knows he’s too dumb to check.”

She laughed in return. “Of course he wouldn’t… I’ll have to try that one. If he does, I’ll say we haven’t changed the sign yet, eh?” She leaned in to give him a kiss. Even from a distance, Hoshiko could tell it was sloppy. “See you tomorrow, honey…”

“Of course, darling.” He waved her off as she got into the car and drove off into the night. Only once she left eyesight did he seem to relax, the sauve posture leaving his body and replaced with something colder in the blink of an eye. He ran a hand through his slicked back hair and let out something between a sigh and an exasperated groan, and pulled a black phone out of his pocket.

“We’re closed. Meet you downstairs.” Were his only words, and he returned inside.

Hoshiko clenched her fist around her wand. Suddenly, she had cold feet. There was no sign of anything magically wrong here. She had no reason to go in on organized crime, however malicious it might be. Maybe, she thought hopefully, the magical signature had been a fluke, Giovanni farting the wrong way or something, and she could just go home –

Only for a magical flare even she could feel shake through her body, bringing her to her feet. “Guess that’s our signal.” She grumbled, swallowing her nerves with the last taste of her burger, and then jumped across the street, her wings glowing slightly to provide her the reach.

Hoshiko’s landing on the roof was uncharacteristically graceful, but a soft landing didn’t mean much here. On one side of the restaurant was her target – an old skylight. She smirked. It was some small luck that this building wasn’t always a swanky Italian place with shit lighting. Sure, they’d blacked it out, but the design flaw (for an evil lair, anyway) was still wide open to be exploited. It saved her a fair bit of effort trying to find or make a way in. To be fair, she was a little excited - she’d never gotten a chance to do an entrance like this before. It was decidedly comic book, even if she was pretty sure no one would witness it if they were in the basement.

With a small burst of pride and confidence, she flew into the air, the heels of her boots pointed carefully down to the center of the skylight. Then, she let go of the power keeping in the air, charging down with her whole weight, magic swirling around her to protect from the shards of glass.

It was a perfect execution, for what she knew of the situation. She broke through the glass easily, only to land heel-first on a sheet of velvet. It tore slightly under her weight, and a few seconds later ripped from the rest of the ceiling, just long enough that Hoshiko had lost her balance. She fell onto, and knocked over, a table in a dazed bundle, flat on her ass and sporting a few scratches from when she’d lost concentration. A flurry of noise started from below her. “What the fuck was that?!” could be heard above the commotion.

Perfect. Hoshiko kicked the cloth from her in frustration and jumped up. It had looked just like paint from the outside, but she was wrong. The ritzy look of a velvet ceiling looked perfectly suitable in the restaurant itself – even in the dark, she could see how during business hours it would be a decently upscale place, small but perfect for an intimate date. Hoping to beat the approaching enemies, she ran to the wood frame of the staircase, carefully labeled as “Extra Seating Downstairs” and glowing from the light.

By the time she reached it, there were two men halfway up the stairs – both holding guns. They froze upon seeing her. “What? It’s a fucking kid.” One asked. The two were side-by-side in the stairwell, squished together in the space, wearing cheap suits that were too small for their obviously muscled forms. Their faces were different in appearance, but they both sported the same mix of confusion and dumb anger.

Hoshiko gulped down her fear, using their confusion to whip her wand along in a loose curl. “Stellar Strike.” A comic-looking glowing star dropped down, knocking against their hands and causing them to drop their guns.

“—What?! Magic?!” Immediately, both were on their knees, awkwardly scrambling to grab their guns in the limited room of the stairwell.

Behind them, the man from earlier had arrived, looking at her with some sort of angry awe. There was a light of recognition in his eyes. “Hey, it’s that Magical –“

Hoshiko didn’t wait to hear the end of it, much less think. She jumped up and aimed past the bumbling guards, to the end of the stairs. Before she could make it down, she saw a familiar glint – and was knocked back onto the first stair with force, the air pushed out of her by a stomp to her gut, pinning her to the ground.

“Starry.” Her vision came back to the view of Vincenza over her, eyes narrowed in hatred. “Why are you here?”

“It’s my job ,” she grabbed and pulled forward at the villian’s ankle, briefly unbalancing her from their already unsteady stance. The brief moment of shock let Starry roll out from under her and scramble backwards and onto her feet. “What else—“

Before she could finish that thought, she was slammed against the wall again, hit with a knee to her jaw that left her crumbled on the floor. Hoshiko coughed, her front lip bleeding and her head reeling.

“That’s not what I asked. Why are you here ?” Vincenza towered over her, touching the tip of her polished, immaculate shoe to the underside of Starry’s bruised chin. This was different than their usual games. There was a malice in her voice Starry had never heard before. The largest of her rings was glowing, a dark purple gleam that was spreading to the other rings one by one as the floor started to writhe under them. Hoshiko gritted her teeth. She hadn’t seen it before, but that had to be the summoning process for the tentacles. If she didn’t move now…

“Starburst!” She barely bothered to raise her wand for the attack , just angled it for Vincenza’s face. It wasn’t a terribly dangerous attack, but without warning and heading for your face, it was certainly startling. Vincenza jumped back instinctively, allowing Starry to again roll free. This time, she jumped right into flight, out the hole in the ceiling and onto the roof. At very least, it’d be easier to dodge the attacks out here.

Vincenza appeared on the roof in a flicker of black and movement, moving towards her prey relentlessly from the moment her feet hit the ground. “I asked you a question, girl.” She growled, a darkness pooling around her body. With a flick of her fingers, tentacles rose from the ground, waiting on a command. “Why did you come here?”

“There was a magical signature coming from that place.” Hoshiko said finally, watching the tentacles intensely. “I knew it had to be you.” She held her wand in front of her; she was actually more ready to jump out of the way than attack, but wanted to look a bit more threatening.

“I’m flattered for the attention,” Vincenza said. It sounded like a joke, but there was no humor on her face. “But I think you should get a better hobby.” She snapped, and a tentacle shot forward, straight for Starry’s wand. She jumped into the air, bringing her wand easily out of its range – only for the tentacle to wrap around her ankles and slam her back into the roof with considerable force, leaving her prone.

“You’ve always been easy to read.” Vincenza said, and for the first time since this begun, she could hear a hint of amusement in his voice.

Starry’s head spun. She tried desperately to push herself up, but her entire body only trembled in response. Even without the tentacles restraining her, she wouldn’t be able to seriously move for a few minutes at very least. She clutched at her wand helplessly, unable to even lift it.

“Maybe you should change professions, Starry. It has to be embarrassing for this to keep happening.” The tentacle at her ankle was joined by others, sliding up her body as if rising with the excitement.

And then they jerked, and stopped. Hoshiko looked up to see Vincenza standing as still as a stone, eyes wide.

The sound of a siren screamed in the distance, hitting her like a brick. In a city like this, there was no shortage of nighttime emergencies. A police siren in the dead of night wasn’t anything too unusual.

But this one was coming closer .

Vincenza said something in a language she couldn’t understand, but it definitely sounded like a curse. She turned around, yelling down into the hole. Taking advantage of the distraction, Hoshiko used the opportunity to try to prop herself up, succeeding only for a moment before her the shaking of her arms collapsed her back down. Before she could gear herself for another try, she suddenly found herself moving up – held up by a tentacle holding her waist.

Hoshiko immediately panicked, kicking weakly. “Don’t struggle. I’m being nice.” Vincenza said, startling her with proximity. When did she get over here? Before Starry could react further, Vincenza grabbed her from the tentacles, dumped her over a shoulder, and teleported away.

The sensation of being carried in Vincenza’s flash-step, she was suddenly aware, felt much like the jolt of falling without any of the sensation of landing. Upside-down and held about as securely as sack of potatoes, the hop from roof to roof was a terrifying blur of heights and dizzying speed. Even with her wand in hand, Starry didn’t dare use it, instead using her hands to clutch desperately to her kidnapper’s waist.

“This probably far enough.” Vincenza said. It took Hoshiko a good moment to realize they’d stopped, her vision still swimming. “You can let go now.” Despite the assurance, it took her dropping Starry upper half for her to do so. She heaved herself into a sitting position, leaning against the railing of this rooftop and breathing heavily, trying to settle her stomach and stop the spinning in her head.

“You really are bad at this, aren’t you?”

“Shut up…” Hoshiko said, pointing her wand at the other woman desperately. She couldn’t fight while trying not to toss her (poorly chosen) dinner – but to her surprise, Vincenza didn’t move to attack. She just stood there, watching the magical girl with a serious look in her eyes.

“I’m serious this time, you know. You should quit.” Vincenza said. Hoshiko glared up at him, ready to shoot a witty insult, but she continued. “Playing tag with you was fun at first, but this crossed the line.”

“I’m not playing at anything!” Hoshiko yelled, quickly getting heated. “Stopping people like you is my duty.”

“Oh? People like me? Who would those people be?”

“Well ---“ Hoshiko faltered. It was obvious in her head, but hard to put into words. “Bad guys. You know.”

Vincenza scoffed. “If that’s all you’ve got, go crack down on litter in Central Park. It’s a real menance.” Her tone grew suddenly more serious. “You’re out of your league here. This is the last time I’ll play nice.”

“ This is you playing nice?” Hoshiko snarked, but the look on the villian’s face told her she shouldn’t have.

Vincenza turned away, adjusting her suit jacket. “Well, that’s been your free career advice, kid. I usually charge for that kind of treatment.” Another joke told with a flat tone. “Here’s to never seeing you again. Have a nice life.”

“I’m not giving up.” She said, mouth braver than her mind.

The older woman didn’t look back at her, eyes already set on the sky. “Next time, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

A chill ran up her spine. Vincenza was 100% serious, and Starry knew it. Worse of all, she knew that she could . She bit her lip.

“Good bye, Magical Starry.”

And with one small, decidedly unfriendly smile backwards, she blinked away, leaving Hoshiko alone in the night. ⋆

By the time Hoshiko returned to the house, it was roughly 2 a.m., and her patience was as thin as it came. Even with her magically enhanced healing, it’d taken a good while to get back on her feet, and even longer assure she had no visible injuries. Then, sore and bitter, she had to figure out where the hell she was (a task not helped by the fact Vincenza apparently dropped her a few miles away) and get back to where she left Blair and her backpack. The police were still at Solo Mio when she arrived, so she had to sneak around to the back of the building and get Blair to drop her stuff down. By the time she’d made it home, she’d been thoroughly questioned and lectured by her guide while also sporting one of the worst full-body aches she’d had in a good while.

In short, the esteemed Magical Starry’s only thoughts upon walking up the winding mansion staircase was that she’d really just like to take a shower. Unfortunately, she was interrupted halfway through unlocking her door.

“Ah, Hoshiko.” The voice stopped in her tracks. Vincenza stood in the doorway of his office. In comparison to how Hoshiko felt, the other woman seemed to be a paragon of health. There was even a jump in her step as she closed the door, flashing her employee a frankly carnivorous smile. “Just the person I wanted to see.”

Hoshiko felt sweat roll down her neck. “U-uh, hello, Ms. Moretti. Sorry to get in so late.” She said, shifting awkwardly.

“It’s no problem. You’re actually right on time.” Vincenza said. Did you manage to pick up my package?”

“Oh! Yes.”

She had nearly forgotten. Rustling through her bag, she pulled out the box from the boutique and winced slightly. Despite her best efforts earlier, the box was scuffed, with one corner crushed in. Vincenza wrinkled her nose, but said nothing, only opened it to check the contents and then smiled. “Great! Here, won’t you try it on?”

Hoshiko stopped. “What.”

“I want to make sure it fits.” Vincenza dropped her hand on Hoshiko’s (sore, sore) shoulder and pushed her gently to her bedroom door. “Try it on real fast, won’t you?”

Hoshiko let herself be directed into the room, stuck holding the beaten box as she closed the door behind her. Blair looked up at her, as if daring her to answer what the hell just happened. She said nothing in return, too tired to even process the bullshittery that just occurred. “Whatever,” she mumbled, tearing into the box without more than another look. “I’ll just get this over with.”

Five minutes and one look in the mirror later, that attitude was radically changed.

Hoshiko didn’t bother to knock, kicking open the door to Vincenza’s study in a flourish of rage and lace. Despite all the time she’d spent plotting on how to get into this room and harvest it’s secrets, now that she entered it she didn’t even bother to look around, her eyes only registering the target of her fury.

Vincenza spun around in her office chair with the widest shit-eating grin the world had ever witnessed. “Can I help you?”

Hoshiko bit her lip so hard it broke skin for the second time tonight, trying her best not to respond with a punch. This is my employer. She gives me a place to live, food to eat… She’s gone above and beyond to provide for me. I can’t fuck this up now. “Yes, actually.” She said, her voice trembling through gritted teeth. “I’d like… to know why you gave me… this .”

As she said this, Hoshiko gestured down to the outfit. It was, to be technical, a maid outfit – in the loosest sense of the words. It had an apron. A frilly headdress. The fabric and detailing were of high quality, the piece clearly being well-made.

It was everything else that was an issue. The frilly black-and-white garment was composed of an small “shirt” with a tight fit and revealing cut, showing both her navel and cleavage, and laced in the back. The provided apron at very least covered her stomach, but the fabric was transparent and lacey, with the ribbon at the back covering more skin than any other part of the outfit. The skirt, of course so short and fluffy that every move threatened to expose her panties. (Of course, the box had included those, too – along with a garter belt and stockings, just to top off the look. She hadn’t bothered with those.)

“It’s a uniform.” Vincenza answered innocently, clearly having the time of her life.

“A… uniform.” Hoshiko repeated slowly and deliberately, plucking at what was by far the most expensive piece of lingerie she had ever laid eyes on.

“Maids have uniforms, don’t they?” She replied. “Since you’re my maid now, I figured I’d provide you a quality one. It’s quite stylish, isn’t it? You look great in it.” As if to affirm her previous statement, she flicked at the edge of the skirt, ruffles fluttering gracefully upward to even the light pressure.

Hoshiko was honestly dumbstruck, clutching her fists and staring at the ground as every last bit of self control left her.

“What the fuck?” she muttered.

“Pardon? I don’t think I heard you.” Vincenza replied, ever so politely, still idly playing with the lacing of her skirt.

“I said, what the FUCK? As in, what the ever-living fuck are you THINKING?” Hoshiko repeated, voice growing to a roar. She slapped Giovanni’s hand away from her skirt. “Do you think porn is a goddamn documentary?! Are you so removed from the idea of using your hands that you really think anyone could get anything worthwhile done in this Victoria’s Secret bullshit?! “Maid” means I’m paid to clean your fucking house, not wax your damn clit! I’m not going to wear this dumbass dress!”

Her words echoed through the room, leaving behind a terrible, reverberating silence. As it set in, Hoshiko could feel herself instantly deflate, rage draining from her body to be replaced with cold, deep panic. Vincenza’s face remained unchanged, merely watching as Hoshiko’s demeanor changed.

“U-uhm. That is.” She stuttered, her brain turning for excuses and finding very few. “… S-sorry about that, uh, Miss Moretti! I, uh –”

She was interrupted by the woman before her breaking into riotous laughter, kicking back in her chair. “Finally! God, that took longer than expected.”

Hoshiko stopped, staring blankly at the laughing supervillain before her. “… Um… What?”

Vincenza wiped at her eye. “ Christe , I mean that ridiculous stone face of yours! I can’t so much as ask you to pass the butter without you cringing like you expect me to beat you with the dish. Then, the second you think I’m not looking, you give me a death glare. Do you know how weird that is from someone who does your laundry?” She leaned back in her chair. “The answer, for your future reference, is very.”

Hoshiko blinked, slowly putting together the words in her head. “I’m… sorry?”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Vincenza said. Hoshiko held back the urge to apologize again. “Look, you’re not my slave. I won’t have you executed for telling me to fuck off once in a while. I’d prefer it, even.”

She narrowed her eyes, still not quite if she understood. “So you’re saying…. You harassed me just so I’d stop being so nice to you?”

“‘Nice’ isn’t the word I’d choose, but that’s the gist of it. Not that I didn’t have fun with it, mind you. You look pretty good in that.”

“ Why ?” It just wasn’t adding up.

“Do I really need to explain the appeal of cute young women in skimpy lingerie?” She went to flip the skirt up again, only to be thwarted by Hoshiko jumping a step back, turning red.

“Not that, dumbass!” Hoshiko replied, stumbling over her words. “I mean – why would you prefer me to tell you to fuck off? Seems like something most people would want to avoid from their… subordinate.”

Vincenza snorted. “Subordinate. Nice wording.”

“Shut up! I already had to clarify the concept of maid once today, okay?!” Hoshiko said, feeling stupider by the moment. If she put her foot in her mouth much further then she’d start gagging. How had this conversation become such a disaster? She’d never met some one more infuriating. “Just—just answer the damn question!”

“Alright, alright.” Her arch-nemesis-cum-employer leaned onto her armrest. Despite the playful smile, Vincenza looked at her seriously. “The truth is, I just hate dishonest people. Whoever you are naturally, I’d prefer to deal with that person than the façade of politeness you put up to keep your job… or whatever your plan with that is,” she said, gesturing vaguely. “Just treat me as naturally as you do Dawn. Don’t worry so much about looking inoffensive. You’re bad at it, anyway. Your ‘playing innocent’ face makes you look like a B-movie villian.”

“I think it’s pretty normal to treat your boss different than your friends.” Hoshiko responded. “I don’t want to piss off the person who’s keeping me fed, clothed, sheltered…”

Vincenza shrugged. “I’d be more inclined to throw you back out on the street for being boring than for being a foul-mouthed prude, luckily for you.” Hoshiko frowned at the implication, but the other woman continued. “You may be my employee, but we’re living together now too. Honesty will make the entire process more comfortable. If it makes you feel better about it, you can pretend my explicit orders are to be as rude as possible.”

“That just sounds even creepier, frankly…”

“Then just be you.” She said, with a disarmingly soft smile. “I promise it’ll be fine.”

Hoshiko’s heart skipped a beat. “Then… I’ll try.” She said hesitantly, shoulders loosening slightly. “I’ll see you in the morning then, Miss-- …. Vincenza.”

There was a glimmer of pride on the older woman’s face. “Of course, Hoshiko.” She turned around in her chair, looking back to her desk. “Oh, and do remember your uniform, of course. You should wear it every day from now on.”

“Not a chance in hell. Goodnight.”

He was still laughing as she left the study. Blair watched her with silent interest as Hoshiko walked into her bedroom, deliberately closing and locking the door behind her. Staring back at her was her room - well-furnished, stocked with all sorts of personal goods - which she still couldn’t believe were hers - that her host and employer had provided out of pocket even when she was willing to work for pennies to sleep on the floor. And the only request the woman had, besides doing the job she was hired for, was for Hoshiko to be herself.

The only catch, of course, was that this same person also just threatened to kill her just hours earlier.

Magical Starry was just as much herself as anything else – maybe even more honestly her than anything Hoshiko dared call her “civilian life.” Her whole body still burned from the night’s misadventure, her muscles remembering every hit, her skin every shard of glass. It wasn’t even a fight – it had taken all her power just to resist. Her stomach lurched thinking of all the times they’d fought before. Vincenza been playing with her, like a particularly well-fed cat with a mouse. She really could have killed Starry – and more importantly, next time, she really would.

Hoshiko hugged her own shoulders, only for her self-piteous thoughts to be interrupted by the fact she was still wearing the goddamn maid uniform.

“Hoshiko?” Blair asked.

Without an answer, Hoshiko started stripping out of her clothes. “That stupid fucking smug honesty-worshipping tentacle-fetishist piece of shit,” she cursed, throwing the headdress off to the side in unexpected force. It bounced off the dresser, hitting close enough to Blair that he skittered under the bed to poke his disapproving face out. Fully naked, she collapsed onto the bed, not bothering to even turn out the lights.

It was a good night to just pass out.