Phoenix

A group of six figures sat quietly around a nondescript table, in a not entirely unique cafe. Most of them sat there, heads down, only occasionally gaining enough bravery to steal a look up at the sixth figure, who rested their head deeply into their delicate hands, their elbows threatening to bore through the mahogany table they loitered around.

Silence was the order from the menu, the dreadful pall of existence wrapping them all in it’s nihilistic embrace as faint light struggled to stream from the overhead lights. The curtains had been drawn, the sign on the door flipped to closed, but that didn’t stop the odd person from trying to enter the normally opened business in vain hopes of finally fulfilling their caffeine and/or sugar addictions.

“I don’t know where to begin.” said the sixth figure, their head unmoving from the deadened embrace of their clenched digits. Their head slowly lifted up, the bags under their eyes only adding to the exhausted breaths of air that left the exasperated individual.

“I left her in the care of you five, to teach her the Friendship of Magic, and what do I have to show for it? I understand the Sirens maybe being why you were all so cold to her during the Battle of the Bands, but this?”

None of the other five figures even tried to look up at the sixth, each of them looking down at their legs in solemn mortification.

“She’s missing. She could be dead for all I know! And you five, her very friends, the very ones she was calling her family! You all turned your backs on her.” the figure looked around at the group gathered before her.

“You are all lucky that I’m the same as you while I’m here. Otherwise… Otherwise I wouldn’t be accountable for what I would do…”

The sounds of feet scuffling against the freshly cared for linoleum was all the figure received in response.

“Not only does she not have her journal, but she also doesn’t have her… whatever you call these small rectangular things. None of you even know where she lives. Have you even put out notice that she may be missing?” the figure's arms shot out, matching the exasperation in their voice.

“No?” they said when they received no response from the other five before them. “Are you serious right now!? For- Well!? Don’t just sit there! Get to work! We have to find her!”

***

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” asked the second figure, looking worriedly at the first who had torn down a rather colourful flyer. “I mean… You’ve led us for… well, forever, but things have changed! We don’t have to use the magic anymore! People like us because of who we are! We-”

“We do.” responded the first succinctly, stuffing the flyer with what appeared to be a beaming face into their bag. “You were the one who somehow convinced us to not only go back there, but to take care of her. We can use her; we can get revenge on those primitives that disrupted our plans. We may never rule this pathetic world, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get some satisfaction from their downfalls.”

The second figure sadly nodded, before digging around in their pocket and pulling out a phone, clicking the power button to reveal a sound asleep girl with crimson and gold hair in the loving embrace of another.