Chapter 202 Control Issues

Rachel opened her eyes, ears twitching as DC’s nighttime life pricked her brain; she felt surprisingly spiritually rejuvenated by the internal experience—probably something Mei or her mother had done. However, any speculation in that direction was dashed as her mom sank into her chair with a tired drag of air.

"Mom? What is it?"

Darting to her side, she gripped her hand as her mother gave her an exhausted smile, guiding her down to kiss her forehead. "I’m okay; don’t worry about me. Facilitating something like that is just... draining. I did quite like Mei, though. She’s crafty and skilled, finishing off what I started without you even realizing, I bet."

"You’re not just trying to stop me from worrying?" Rachel pressed, spotting Anthony showing a similar wariness as he leaned over and rubbed his face.

"No, Speedy," her mother whispered, shaking her head and holding up her hands. "Hehe. Help your old mom up? And you do realize what time it is? I’ve... had a long day," she yawned.

"Sure," she sighed, pulling her mom to her feet to be welcomed into a hug. "Going to bed, then?"

"I would already be in bed if it weren’t for my worrisome daughter," she winked, pulling away and motioning to Anthony with sleepy eyes. "It seems your encounter with Tintreach was difficult on you, as well. Channeling divine energies can be exhausting."

"Ugh. Yeah, you could say that," the Legend mumbled with a weak laugh, sweeping his hair back while looking up at them. "I can feel him... somewhere inside me. Haha. Kind of weird, but yeah. I think I’m going to pass out. You, Rach?"

Rachel shook her head as her mother took them to the door, heading to join her father, no doubt. "Naaa. I’ve still got a few things to do before hitting the sack. Umm. You’ll be joining the rest of Omen for Scarlet’s dad’s funeral?" she asked to be positive of his attendance.

"Uh-huh." Forcing himself up to stretch, the man went to the doorway to lean against the frame and watch her support her mom to bed. "Do you think I’d miss you injecting my fiancée with goddess blood?"

"Technically, personification and not a goddess," she corrected with a backward smirk that he conceded to with a casual tilt of the head. "Although, it’s not like either of us really knows the difference."

"Doesn’t stop you from being right and winning the point," Anthony mused. "Catch you in the morning, Ears."

Rachel didn’t have a good comeback for the man while seeing her mother into her room, spotting a twinkle in the black-haired woman’s brown eyes as she silently giggled and kissed her forehead before shutting the door; her mom could be so frustrating.

Turning to give him a light glare as he passed her, she tried to find an insult, yet what angle of attack did she have?

He was a girlfriend’s total dream. He had his master’s in chemistry. He owned his own side business training martial arts students, which doubled as a hobby. He wasn’t shy about joking around or getting serious when needed. He appeared to be a good leader, since she hadn’t gotten any complaints from the other Mythickin. He was muscular, tall, and handsome.

Perhaps that was the issue. She didn’t know him that well. No, maybe there was a thread to pick with his obsession. Anthony blamed himself for Amelia’s cursed cancer, but there was no way to know if becoming the Legend of Diarmuid was the cause, and it wasn’t as if he’d caused her cancer to begin with.

Anthony went to the 3rd level without another comment passing between them due to Rachel being locked inside her own spinning mind.

Strategically, she needed to find a weakness or flaw; it was something that dug at her mind, which was possibly a problem of [Strategic Mind].

Crossing her arms, her back pressed against the wall, she closed her eyes and broadened her hearing to listen to Anthony pull out his phone, likely texting Amelia good night. The urge to work angles to put herself in a better position dug at her psyche, grating against her will and probably [Lunar Pride]. She didn’t like it.

Fidgeting uncomfortably, Rachel scratched at her neck. Why is this turning on me? Is it because I don’t have an enemy in front of me, or I’m bothered by something with Anthony? Stop! she internally snarled, fighting through the pushing drive.

Sure, tactically, it was sound, yet from a friend and ethical point of view, it made her stomach sick. She wouldn’t want any of her teammates trying to identify her weaknesses. Why was she looking for them in the first place?

He was joining Omen, which meant she had to know her people and herself to manage things going forward, but that was a far step away from trying to nail down points of attack on people she was supposed to trust. Sure, she had to have some understanding of people’s weak points to keep them out of trouble; that wasn’t this.

"Chill," she breathed to herself, working around her neck as it cramped. "Take a step back; regain control."

She turned these Feats on and off; well, most of them. They were supposed to be for her benefit; they didn’t control her! Yes, it had helped her discover many issues inside herself as of late, and all of the Legends and Myths around her had their own personal issues, yet for some weird reason, at this moment, Anthony stood alone from her introspection. Why had it taken her this long to focus on his weaknesses?

Amelia was usually up around this time as of late, and it was bothering her that the couple were chatting.

"No!" she growled. The gears in her head worked while Anthony went into the upstairs bathroom to get ready for bed, speaking to his girl to chat and wind down.

Why am I fussing over this right now? There are so many other things I need to focus on! Anthony’s afraid to give up control like me, sure... but is it really that simple? Is this me having control issues? It’s not his problem. It’s me! He has no issue tossing me the reins, where it’s pulling teeth to get me to do the same... Does that mean he’s a lot more emotionally mature than me? Probably... Dammit!

Her tail shivered as she sighed and prompted Nia to change her outfit, swapping to their jogging attire; the bun had her purse, so all she needed to do was collect a phone strap for her arm. Nia was running out of inventory slots for stupid items like that to take up space.

"...Does that mean you’ll be joining us shortly? You weren’t gone for all that long, but Scarlet’s stalling on dress shopping. On the brighter side, I’ve conjured up a few slots for us through some rather fun home-craft projects. Too distracting and not important information?"

No, you’re fine, Nia. And that’s understandable for Scarlet, Rachel mumbled, trying to overcome the battle winding around her chest. She went into her room to fish through the equipment bag Scarlet had returned with after Rachel had gone to dinner with the UK and French Legends.

Just help her relax. I’ll be there shortly. I need to clear my head and get my heart in the right place. Mei made it sound like she’d be bringing the Graceful Moon, or that’s what I’m calling it, into a physical location that I can use, but she has no idea where that will be since she’s following the path Chang’e sets. Oh, and Anthony’s got a new roommate like you and me.