in the heart of the village stood a quaint cafe called the íbisz. behind the bar was a door, left ajar, posing as a closet, but leading to bel's office.

the scene unfolded thusly: iris, the barista-bartender, was shaking up a drink for one of the regulars when the entrance jingled. switfly, she set her shaker down, a gesture of welcome for the unexpected visitor - none other than her old friend jacin.

jacin's once vibrant hair was a disheveled mess, his copper eyes glossed over, his frame hunched. each step towards the office weighed heavy with words, a soliloquy forming behind weary eyes.

behind the office door, clacking could be heard as bel waded in between sentences and paragraphs on her typewriter. the staccato ceased as her gaze shifted from the page to the doorframe, rising in recognition. a sigh marked her acknowledgment before she spoke:

"please, take a seat." bel's invitation lingered until jacin collapsed onto the olive couch nestled in the corner of the room. bel drew her chair close, and seated herself with ankles crossed. she gently set her pipe aside and gave jacin a small smile.

"remarkably reserved today, angel of fire," she observed, her glasses reflecting a playful gleam as she tilted her head inquisitively.

jacin's anguish was palpable as he gripped the couch, his long nails leaving dimples in the leather. "my head... bel, i don't understand..."

he tugged at his hair, scratched his neck, swayed about like a ship in a storm. his hands settled in his lap, fingers intertwined. "bel, bel, bel- i don't- bel, please- i'm drowning, bel, i don't know what to do, bel, i don't know how to exist in this world, without purpose, seeing my seat empty and the others taking advantage of it, bel, if no-one's there to keep them in check, for the others to know what's right and what's wrong, bel... for sam to engage in his games, he needs me... he needs me... sam's ship, my stewardship, i keep the balance, bel..."

amidst his turmoil, a cup of tea materialised before him. jacin's grip shifted to the cup, accepting the warm solace, seemingly unaware that bel had even gotten up to prepare it.

"i'm listening," she reassured him as he took it with both hands.

"why aren't you going outside anymore?" he almost wailed before taking a sip. "you and crow..."

she shook her head, "it is not by choice, ja-cin," she enunciated his name, "our caretaker henry forbids me from sharing my findings. i refuse to keep them to myself, alas, i am stifled-"

"fuck henry." a glimmer of passion rekindled in jacin's eyes. "fuck this, we need you, bel, we can't function without you, our anchor, our compass, the scribe of our fragments, my fragments-"

"i know." she took a sip of her own drink: jacin noted hers looked darker and redder than his. "henry thrives in secrecy, i do not. we're at odds! he doesn't trust that i won't share my findings, and his mistrust is not without reason: he fears i might divulge, and he knows the others will..." she cut herself off.

jacin's nails grazed the nape of his neck. he decided on not asking her to elaborate: he knew more than most how difficult dealing with henry could be. "and crow?"

bel's shoulders dropped a little. she chuckled, a flicker of warmth amid their conversation. "she'll be back. she's a bit worried about going back to the professional sphere soon, but aside from that, she'll be fine and outside in no time."

"where's she hiding?"

"in a server room. it is overrun with plants. they serenade her as she dreams."

"beautiful," jacin mused, his gaze distant.

during their exchange, the world outside the office carried on, vivacious as usual. the two sipped their tea. they could hear the chatter from the other side. the cafe's rhythms echoed as iris's movements set the beat. between the clinking of cups and conversation, jacin could feel iris's presence. "iris has a knack for this," he remarked. bel responded with a smile.

"and you, acheron, have a 'knack' for conversing with the ineffable." she looked up from her drink, straight into his eyes. "i've seen you engage with phen, sophie, and notably, baltasar."

jacin groaned. "you have questions, huh... curious little thing..." he looked away, towards the door. "some things are best left forgotten. crow warned you- the quest for truth devours and will consume you-"

"is it not my duty to uncover truth?"

"yes but-"

"as it is yours to dispense justice?"

"i understand-"

"you do not." she set her drink down. "i have to know. i have to know every facet of the people who live here so i can keep you all safe from yourselves. i must unravel you, i must decipher how each of you functions, what you've all gone through, to help you fulfill your purpose."

"and who takes care of you?"

"i have a lifeline."

"bullshit!" jacin rose and paced. "bullshit. who?" silence. "an outsider? really?"

he stopped, asking without meeting her gaze:

"do you love them?"

"yes."

he turned towards her, eyes ablaze. "but you can't love!"

bel laughed. he looked at her incredulously as she took off her glasses. she declared: "i am a warm machine, as sam is cold flesh."

after a swift wipe, she put them back on.

"bel...!" jacin lunged at her. her glasses tumbled off, and the table quivered under the sudden impact, splashing the tea into turbulent crimson. he gripped her shoulders.

"bel, Easter mine, this isn't you," jacin hissed, his grip firm on her tie. the intoxicating smell of sudden rain, old books, and spilled tea permeated the silence before bel spoke.

"i might not be what you remember, jacin, but i know myself."

his gaze shifted erratically around the room.

"no, you know love means danger, no, no... see? this is what i came here to talk about. see how important i am? you'll get yourself killed without me. ah, the axe, bel, the axe..." the weapon in question was laying in the corner, out of its usual nook in the wall, gleaming menacingly under the dimming light. he shoved bel aside, and almost summoned the axe to his grasp, barely dragging it across the office before towering over bel yet again.

"i decide who you are," he whispered. he pressed the handle against her throat. with a grunt and a prayer, bel pushed it aside, coughing.

"i am not of your kind, jace-"

"you are!" he burst into laughter, kneeling before bel, the axe in his lap. "i... made you... i raised you... i made you... your axe... i..." he lunged again, this time tightening his grip around bel's throat. the axe clattered to the ground as bel clawed at his hand.

"you're not allowed to love."

clawing harder, bel managed to let out a small "fine" before jacin let go.