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Daisy and Moon stood by the door while Joe comforted Mindy as she cried. The two young women weren't sure what they were supposed to say to Mindy to make her feel better. Daisy hated getting in her feelings just to make someone else feel good, and Moon... well Moon had her issues with Mindy and she was there for moral support. 

Mindy's room was huge, nearly the size of Daisy and Moon's apartment. The walls were hot lavender with posters of celebrities like Johnny Depp, Idris Elba and Jack Gyllenhaal on it. The floor was hardwood, and there were two rugs; one in front of the door, and the other before the bed which stood opposite a large window with a better view of the coffee plantation ahead.

Japanese lanterns hung above the lime green bedspread, giving the room an exotic feeling. Daisy knew Mindy loved to travel on her down time, it was no surprise that was there. She must have bought them the last time she was in Japan with her father.

On one side of the bed was a desk with a laptop on top and a chair beneath. And on the other side was a dresser with a huge three-way mirror. 

Daisy moved to the window and gazed outside. The sun was bright and the workers were out on the field working hard. She spotted Maria and chuckled. The girl talks too much. No wonder she got along with Joe quickly.

She took a step back and had a quick glance at the two bookshelves, each standing on one side of the window. The one on the left had novels from different authors. Daisy spotted Joly Holy's latest book, Conqueror. She pulled it out, opened it and sniffed the first page.

It smells so good. 

Taking a moment to stare at it, she admired everything about the book. From Joly Holy's dedication to her fans as being the inspiration behind her latest installment, to the rich words and deep story about a forbidden love.  

If only monsters were that caring in the real world.

She put it back and walked over to the other shelf. Now it got interesting. It had books about different types of land and aquatic monsters, what weapons to use when hunting monsters, and how to kill each monster. 

They were arranged from A to B, and Daisy felt if she misplaced one Mindy might lose her mind. One book with a leather cover caught her eye. It seemed small and out of place from the rest. She took it out. "Execution," she read the words on the front. I've never read such a book about monsters and hunting, and I've read everything.

Flipping over to the first pages, the writing was of cursive style. This looks handwritten. Cursive writing is dead.

She was about to read the first sentence when Mindy stopped her. "Don't do it." The young woman stood next to her. Daisy looked back at Joe and Moon, the two stared back at her. 

"Why?" she asked.

Mindy took the diary from her hands and placed it back on the shelf. "Because it's a magic book. Everything with a leather cover on this shelf deals with magic and everything related to it." 

Daisy waited for a moment, then started laughing. "Magic?" Her laughter grew. "Just because monsters exist, doesn't mean magic does too. And if it did, I would have known about it."

Mindy rubbed off the remaining traces of tears on her cheeks and said, "Don't you think that's the same way the people who don't know about the existence of monsters feel? Just because you've never seen or experienced something doesn't make it not real."

Daisy was quiet, knowing Mindy was right. "I'm not saying it's not real. I'm just saying we have been hunting for nearly ten years now, and not once have we encountered a magician, or sorcerer, or wizard, or whatever name they give themselves. Have we fought witches? Yes, but they hide under the assumption of magical beliefs. But in truth, they are serving a monster's purpose."

Mindy turned to Joe. "You believe in magic, right?"

"I believe in everything; magic, gods, heaven, hell etc," he replied. "But don't expect Daisy to share the same sentiment. She thinks those kind of things belong in fantasy books, not the real world."

"What about you?" Mindy asked Moon, who was leaning on the door with her arms folded. 

"I'm a Zodiac hunter by trade. Everything I hunt is magic related. But Daisy has made it clear that she doesn't believe in it, and I am not going to force my beliefs onto someone else," Moon replied. "Until proven wrong, she's entitled to her own opinions."

Daisy never understood the fuss with magic being available to the world. If anything, the existence of magic should scare everyone associated with it if it was true. There was no way someone could wield magic and not face consequences. Such power shouldn't be allowed to fall into anyone's hand without a cost. 

Now, whether the person lost an eye, arm, leg or hand in exchange for magical abilities, it was up to them.

"You're right," Mindy said with a sigh. It was weird for the two to agree on anything, but it appeared magic may have been the thing that would make them get along. She returned to the compact two seat sofa and retook her place next to Joe. "Anyway, thank you for being here for me. It means a lot."

"Don't worry about it, it's what friends do. I assume you're fine now from earlier? Jojo can be a bitch sometimes, but that's how she is. She doesn't have empathy for others."

"No, it's OK. I am not mad at her, but what she said brought back memories about my father I wanted to forget." She sniffled softly, rubbing her nose.

Daisy felt sorry for Mindy, but if anyone in that room was going to understand what she was going through, it was her. The feeling of knowing you have been taken advantage of and there was nothing you could do about it sent shivers up her spine.

The whole thing with Daisy was that she loved being in control. That's who she was and she was not going to change for anyone. The moment she felt something was out of her power, she let it go. 

That could also have been why she chose not to pursue a relationship. From what she had seen, men strove on controlling their women, and she felt she may be forced to kill one of them because of that. 

She walked over to Mindy and sat next to her. And for the first time in their interactions, Daisy opened up and said, "You're not a victim, Mindy. You're a survivor."

"We all are," chimed Joe. 

Mindy and Daisy gave him confused stares.

"I mean, we all have survived someth... you know what, I'll just shut up."

"Yeah, you better do that," Daisy told him. She lifted Mindy's chin and stared in her eyes. They were as beautiful as always. Such innocence could be seen behind them. Mindy hadn't deserved what happened to her. Nor did Daisy. Those experiences made them who they were. Some could argue it wasn't their best versions, but who cared? "What was it that you wanted to tell all of us in the living room before Jojo opened her mouth."

"Joe and I caught one of Yoko and Uno's men, and he told us the Dead Dealers bought Blacksword."

"The private military?"

"Yes."

"Dammit. What now?"

"I have no idea. I was so close to catching them, but once again, they slipped through my fingers," saddeness rang in Mindy's tone. She was in the worst mood than she had ever been in. Her biggest enemy owned one of the most powerful military corporations, Daisy totally understood if Mindy locked herself in her room and cried for weeks. She would have done the same if she had the time.  

"That's all the snitch said?" asked Daisy.

"No," Joe replied instead. "He also told us..." he swallowed his saliva.

"He said what?" Daisy insisted.

"The Doll Maker is alive."