Lyon shows up exactly at the time Brianne gave him—or at least he thinks so.
But as he turns the corner, she's already there, leaning against a wall.
Her arms are crossed, and her eyes are burning with anger.
«Has no one ever taught you punctuality?» Brianne snaps, shooting him a sharp glare.
Lyon's cheeks turn bright red.
«I-I'm not late! And besides… people usually get paid to work…» he mutters.
Brianne sighs.
«You're two minutes late. And my blood counts as payment, doesn't it?»
Lyon lowers his head, saying nothing.
~She's not exactly wrong about that…~
The two walk side by side through the dark alleys of Totthenam District.
Brianne moves with confidence, as if she knows every turn by heart.
Except for the occasional siren wailing in the distance and the roar of a lone car, everything is silent.
«Questions?» she asks, glancing back for a second.
Lyon shakes his head.
This world—the Crystalbearers, the secret patrols—still feels unreal to him.
«Your crystal is classified as a Parasite,» Brianne explains. «It feeds on organic material—blood, in your case. That urge drives you to feed, and in return, it grants you powers similar to a vampire's. That's why it has that name. Basically, it gives you strength, enhanced senses, regeneration, and something called Blood Rage.»
«Blood Rage?» Lyon repeats, uneasy—that name doesn't sound very comforting.
«It's a defense mechanism. If the crystal senses you're about to die, it temporarily turns you into a war machine. We don't know much—Vampire Crystals are extremely rare—but it's something very dangerous. For you, and especially for others.»
Lyon gulps, relieved he's never been close to dying—who knows what might've happened?
But then, one line from Brianne's explanation suddenly flashes through Lyon's mind—something he hadn't really noticed at first.
«That urge drives you to feed, and in return, it grants you powers similar to a vampire's. That's why it has that name.»
«Wait a second… So you're saying I'm not actually a vampire?!» Lyon blurts out.
Brianne shoots him a look.
«Of course not! You really thought you'd turned into a vampire? Everyone knows those don't exist!»
Lyon lets out a long sigh of relief after hearing that.
They keep walking, passing only a few homeless people or drunks slumped against the walls. Eventually, curiosity gets the better of him.
«What about the others? What kind of crystals do they have?» he asks.
Brianne sits down on the sidewalk and motions for him to join her.
She pulls out a pack of cigarettes and offers him one.
«Do you smoke?» she asks.
Lyon never has, but accepts like an idiot—just to feel on her level.
His first drag burns his throat, and he nearly collapses coughing.
Brianne shakes her head, calmly takes the cigarette from his hand, and tosses it into a drain, while Lyon looks away, embarrassed.
~What a freaking embarrassment…~
«I have the Garuda Crystal, level 7. You've already seen what it can do,» Brianne explains.
~Of course—that gust of wind… she was the one who created it? What an incredible power…~
«Clare has the Red Salamandra Crystal, also level 7. She can create and control flames. Elaine has the Poltergeist Crystal, level 5. It gives her telekinetic abilities.»
«Level 5, level 7… what do those levels mean?» Lyon asks.
Brianne takes a drag from her cigarette, then continues.
«Crystals are ranked on a scale from 1 to 10+, with 1 being harmless and 10+ being able to shake the balance of the world. Yours is a level 9 crystal.»
Lyon's heart races at the idea of having such a powerful crystal.
He basks in it silently, but her annoyed expression quickly kills the pride.
«What about Gin?» Lyon asks, thinking of the quiet guy dressed in black.
Brianne pauses for a second.
«Gin LeBlanche... has a level 10 crystal. But I don't know much else. I've never seen him in action, and MI6 hasn't exactly been eager to share details. After all, he's the strongest Crystalbearer under their command.»
Lyon lowers his gaze, disheartened.
~Great. My record as the strongest Crystalbearer in the council lasted, like... two minutes...~
Brianne crushes the cigarette under her boot. In the moonlight, her emerald-green eyes gleam, and Lyon suddenly remembers the nasty rumors floating around about her.
«Brianne, can I ask you something else?» His voice trembles slightly.
She just stares at him, waiting.
Lyon's face burns.
«W-Well, they say you've had sex with half the guys at school… and even some teachers. N-Not that I believe it! I just… wanted to hear you deny it.»
Brianne takes his hand. Lyon's heart explodes.
«Just like your Vampire Crystal feeds on blood, mine needs… semen. From a different guy each month,» she whispers seductively, slipping her hand under his hoodie.
Lyon freezes as her breath brushes his cheek, but his heart is far from still—
—and not just his heart…
«And it's been a month since I last fed my crystal…» she murmurs, even closer.
~Am I… Am I about to have sex with Brianne Leviantis?! The Brianne Leviantis?! I'm going to be a legend at school!~
With his heart pounding like crazy, Lyon closes his eyes, lips parted, waiting for the kiss…
...and nothing.
Instead, Brianne bursts into laughter, nearly rolling on the pavement.
«AHAHAH! You really fell for that? You're such a dork!» Brianne laughs, nearly rolling on the ground.
«THAT'S NOT FUNNY! I ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK! YOU DON'T JOKE ABOUT THAT WITH A GUY IN FULL PUBERTY!» Lyon shouts, face burning with embarrassment.
He pulls down his hoodie and bends forward, trying to hide the inevitable erection from the intense moment.
She wipes away a tear, still giggling.
«Sorry, Lyon. It's Clare's fault. I've spent too much time with her—she's rubbing off on me.»
Lyon has never felt so humiliated in his life.
And yet… he's kind of relieved she denied those ugly rumors.
Brianne gets back on her feet, brushing off the dust and pebbles from her skirt.
«Break's over. Let's go.»
The patrol continues for another two hours, winding through empty alleys lit only by distant streetlamps.
«I didn't know you smoked. I've never seen you do it at school,» Lyon murmurs, breaking the silence.
She smirks.
«And I didn't know you were a stalker.»
Once again, Lyon turns bright red.
[M-Meaning what?! You don't need to be a stalker to notice that the most popular girl in school doesn't smoke!]
«I was kidding. I know you're a good guy,» she says. «And you're right. I don't smoke—except one cigarette a day, at midnight. It's kind of a good luck ritual. Helps me focus.»
They finish their patrol without incident—just a few stray cats and drunk students giggling on their way home.
«We're done,» Brianne says. «Can you get home from here?»
The alleys all look the same, but Lyon nods—after two years of hunting, he's memorized the way back from almost anywhere in London.
«Y-Yeah, it's just about a half-hour walk from here…»
Brianne hooks her arm through his.
«Then I'll walk you. If something happened to my new partner, I'd never forgive myself.»
Eventually, they reach the building where Lyon lives—a run-down apartment with peeling paint.
Nothing special, but it's the best his dad can afford.
«Here we are,» he says quietly, almost embarrassed.
«Perfect. Give me your number,» she says, pulling out her phone.
They exchange numbers and, without warning, Brianne hugs him.
Her body presses against his—Lyon's face ends up buried between her breasts.
Then she plants a kiss on his cheek.
«See you tomorrow, little Lyon.»
The unexpected affection leaves him dazed.
After all, they barely know each other.
But still... he kind of loves it.
«S-See you tomorrow, Brianne.»