After the adrenaline of Pier 13, Jay-jay had hoped for a "normal" week. In her mind, normal meant waking up, burning some toast, and maybe arguing with Keifer about why he shouldn't buy a private jet just to avoid traffic to the mall.
But "normal" was a foreign concept in the Watson household.
Jay-jay was currently standing in the middle of their hallway, staring at a mountain of black-and-gold gift bags. "Keifer, what is all this? Did you buy a mall while I was sleeping?"
Keifer didn't look up from his tablet. He was sitting on the sofa, looking effortlessly sharp in a charcoal-grey polo. "Those are apology gifts for the residents on our floor. The 'Chicken Incident' caused a bit of a noise complaint. I'm just ensuring no one sues Ci-N for emotional distress."
Jay-jay laughed, leaning over the back of the sofa. "You're actually being nice to the neighbors? Who are you and what have you done with my grumpy husband?"
"I'm being strategic, Jay. Not nice," he corrected, though he couldn't hide the slight twitch of his lips.
The conversation was cut short by a strange sound coming from the hallway—the sound of someone dragging something very heavy, followed by the unmistakable thud of a box falling.
Jay-jay, fueled by her natural "Mutya" curiosity, opened the front door.
Across the hall, the penthouse unit 44-B—which had been vacant for years—was wide open. Moving men were scurrying back and forth, but they weren't moving furniture. They were moving crates labeled in Japanese and German.
Standing in the doorway was a woman who looked like she had stepped off a runway in Paris. She had silver-toned hair cut into a sharp bob, wearing a silk kimono-style robe over high-waisted trousers. She was holding a vintage vinyl record player as if it were a newborn baby.
"Careful with that! If you scratch the needle, I'll scratch your paycheck!" the woman barked in a voice that was both melodic and terrifying.
She turned and caught Jay-jay staring. Her eyes were an unusual, piercing hazel.
"Oh. Hello. I assume you're the neighbor who let a giant bird loose in the lobby two nights ago?" the woman asked, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow.
Jay-jay blinked, taken aback. "Uh, hi! I'm Jay-jay. And... yeah, sorry about the chicken. That was a... cultural performance?"
The woman stepped into the hallway, moving with a grace that reminded Jay-jay of a cat. She ignored Jay-jay's hand and instead leaned in close, sniffing the air near Jay-jay's neck.
"Vanilla and... gunpowder? Interesting," the woman whispered.
"Excuse me?" Jay-jay stepped back, her Section E instincts prickling.
"I am Seraphina Von Heist," the woman announced, finally standing straight. "I'm a consultant. I fix things that are broken. And looking at this building's security, I'm going to be very busy."
At that moment, Keifer appeared behind Jay-jay. His entire aura changed instantly. He didn't look annoyed; he looked alert. His hand instinctively went to the small of Jay-jay's back, pulling her slightly closer.
"Von Heist," Keifer said, his voice dropping into that dangerous tone. "I heard you were in Zurich."
Seraphina smiled, and it wasn't a friendly one. "The Alps were boring, Keifer. Besides, I heard the 'King of Section E' finally got his crown stolen by a commoner. I had to see the girl who managed to tame the Watson beast."
Jay-jay looked between Keifer and Seraphina. "Wait, you guys know each other?"
"We attended the same 'finishing school' in Switzerland," Keifer said, though the way he said it made it sound like they were in a gladiator pit together. "She's a high-level corporate spy, Jay. Or at least, she used to be."
"I prefer the term 'Information Architect,'" Seraphina hummed. She looked at Jay-jay with a strange, lingering gaze. "You're cute, Jay-jay. But be careful. When you live with a dragon, you eventually get burned. Or worse... you become the target for everyone who wants the dragon's gold."
She turned on her heel and walked back into her apartment, slamming the door shut.
Jay-jay looked up at Keifer. "Is she a friend or an enemy?"
Keifer looked at the closed door of 44-B for a long time. "In our world, Jay, there's no such thing as either. There's just people you've fought with, and people you haven't fought with yet."
He looked back at his wife, his expression softening but his eyes still troubled. "Stay away from her. She doesn't do anything without a reason. If she's moved in across from us, it means someone—or something—is coming."
Jay-jay gripped his hand. "Let them come. We still have the chicken suit in the closet if things get weird."
Keifer groaned, but he pulled her into a hug, resting his chin on her head. "I'm doubling the guards again."
"Keifer, no!"
"Keifer, yes."
Unknown to both of them, inside Room 44-B, Seraphina was standing in front of a wall covered in photos. In the center was a picture of Jay-jay and Keifer at their wedding. Seraphina picked up a red marker and drew a circle around Jay-jay's face.
"The Mutya," she whispered to herself. "Let's see if you're as strong as the legends say."