magnitude.

Luana nodded sympathetically. "I understand your hesitation." She said, her expression understanding. "Blindly trusting others can be risky, particularly when it comes to sensitive information." She paused, carefully considering her next words. "I do have a few contacts who might be able to assist here, but I’m afraid that’s all I can reveal about them at the moment. Still, I want to assure you that I would only bring someone in who I trust implicitly." She locked eyes with Ishika, her expression and tone serious. "But ultimately, whether or not you want to involve a third party is up to you. Your call."

It was important to Ishika that this information stayed tightly under wraps. It was precisely why she was so hesitant but seeing the way Luana reacted had her realizing that given the type of clientele she probably dealt with on a regular basis meant she did know how to work with this. "Okay.." she contemplated what Luana was offering and it was important to her that the other did trust the other people who she would employ to help out. "I can go ahead with it, because you trust them. But is there a way to maintain my anonymity? Can we attempt to redact names in the documentation if they're going to be going through it?"

“I’d be shit at my job if I didn’t Ishika.” replied Desmond with a knowing smile. “But hey, I’m with you. We’re a team, remember? Sounds good we can get going and no comment, you already know my answer when it comes to the both of you.” Sure he worked for the Mehras, but his loyalty was with Ishika specifically, especially after working closely with her for the past few years. 

Ishika couldn't help but smile at Desmond's words about them being a team. It was true. She relied on him more than she could even say. Sometimes she wondered if Desmond actually knew how important he was to her but then she dismissed the thought. If he didn't actually know it, he wouldn't have been by her side through everything. But as soon as the news flashed on her phone, she felt every other thought evade her as she realized what had occurred. Before she could even get the words out, Desmond was there, holding her hand and instructing her the best way he could. "I know that," she snapped before taking a deep breath, frowning at Desmond's words about Dante. She didn't trust that man at all so no--those words weren't at all reassuring. Ishika didn't speak as she took his hand and walked out of her office with him. 

"This is the problem with most women, you act without thinking and then make everything worse," Zelie said, setting down her fork because this conversation had officially derailed dinner. "I get it, you love him. Do you think I don't want that asshole to pay for what he did to Ace? But things take time, Ishika." She could see the fury radiating off her, but charging in blind would get Gavin killed and probably Ishika too. "I need to talk to some people and handle this with subtlety. When the time is right, we strike." The desperation in Ishika's voice was real, but desperation made people sloppy and sloppy got people killed. "Do you want Gavin to end up in a body bag? If you do, yeah, go on and act." She reached for her water glass, buying herself a second to think because this was spiraling fast. "I can assure you that old man is smart. He had to already know who Gavin is close to. Me on the other hand, I'm an enemy. Everyone knows Gavin hates me. He won't be watching for me, so let me handle this." The silence stretched between them before she added, "I just need a few days. Can you give me that?"

Zelie's words cut. Not because she was right, but because the other was grouping her with women in general and Ishika didn't entirely appreciate that. She was emotional right now, of course she was--finding out the man she loved had been taken by someone who'd threatened his life before had her a bit on edge. Still she worked on levelling her voice before she spoke. "If I acted like most women, without thinking like you said...I'd have shot your boyfriend dead when he abandoned his post and ran off to save you during the explosion." But she hadn't. She'd let Ace explain himself and had given him another chance because she knew better than that. Still she knew Zelie was right in this instant--going in blind would only harm her and probably Gavin as well if he was still breathing. "I can give you a few days but Zelie...I can't sit back and just, pretend to do nothing. I won't be able to." Ishika was close to pleading with the other, her pride taking a step back as she looked at the other. "You want him to pay for what he did to Ace, and I want the same...he'd never think we'd be smart enough to work together."

Mahira felt her stomach tighten as she watched her sister's face, the desperation there so raw it hurt to see. "That's exactly what spiraling looks like though,. You're about to do something rash or at least thinking about it, that's the textbook definition of spiraling, I worry about you that's all." She could see Ishika was already half-convinced that confronting Dante was inevitable and honestly that scared her more than anything else right now. "I get that waiting feels like giving up but charging into his territory without backup or a plan isn't brave, it's just going to get you killed." It was like seeing someone march toward a cliff, convinced they could fly. Ishika's reasoning seemed sound until you considered the people involved. "Starting with his friends and usual spots makes sense but promise me that's all we're doing right now, no detours to have conversations with people who could make you disappear." She needed her sister to understand that good intentions wouldn't protect her from bad decisions, especially when those decisions involved men who solved problems with violence first and questions later. "Can we at least agree to exhaust every other option before you go anywhere near Dante, because once you cross that line there's no taking it back."

Ishika didn't want to listen to Mahira right now. She knew her sister was worried about her but right now, all thought of right and wrong was slowly disappearing. Gavin wasn't the type to just go missing. She got that Mahira was trying to protect her but didn't her sister get it? She couldn't just sit back while he was just--gone. Of course that was what she'd have to do because storming into Dante's territory without ample backup would result in her becoming yet another casualty written about in the local paper. "Okay," she whispered as she nodded before venturing a glance in her little sister's direction. "Okay I'll try to...reel it back." Ishika promised Mahira despite knowing that if she had enough reason, she'd go storming into Castanada territory within an instant. "I--thank you for coming," she whispered softly as she leaned her head back against the couch. "I just--I didn't want to worry you, I'm sorry."

Desmond scoffed, “When you put it like that then absolutely, except it’ll be the adult version of that.” Waving her off, he accepted his fate and knew that this spa day would be a compromise for all of them to get what they want. Ishika’s question about him and Nazli had him in the hot seat as he stood there trying to maintain his composure. “Liking her yeah…Loving her came after.” he admitted. He then fell silent when she continued speaking on the matter, mentioning the similarities when it came to their emotions and letting someone in. She was right, he didn’t need to confirm that, but when she said he envied him, his expression faltered as he didn’t know what to say to that. Her relationship with Gavin was already a touchy subject after the incident and he didn’t want to push her to the brink if it was not warranted. 

She let out a small, tired smile at Desmond’s grin, the faint warmth in her chest almost catching her off guard. “Yeah, sounds like a whole thing—I’m already bracing myself.” She glanced up at him, the sharpness in her eyes softening just a little. “And thank you—for sticking around, for understanding. It means more than I say.” She paused, thinking about the day ahead. “As for today—mostly errands. There are a few things I have to wrap up, but nothing too demanding. Maybe a bit of breathing room before this weekend.” She gave a short laugh, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Though with Mahira and me, ‘breathing room’ might just be a myth.”

"Ish, stop," Mahira said, gripping her sister's hand tighter. "You're spiraling and that's not helping anyone right now." She could see how torn up Ishika was about all this, how she was blaming herself for something that probably had nothing to do with her at all. "I get it, you want answers and you want them now, but going to Dante isn't going to give you what you need. it's just going to put you in danger too and I'm sorry if this is mean, but no guy is worth your life." Her mind was racing through all the possibilities, all the ways this could go wrong if they weren't careful about their next moves. "And honestly, if his brother filed the report then that means other people are looking for him too, which is good news because it means more eyes on this than just yours." She watched Ishika's face, seeing that fierce determination mixed with desperation that made her want to both hug her sister and shake some sense into her at the same time. "But you're right about one thing—we can't just sit here doing nothing while he might be out there somewhere needing help." The whole situation felt like they were walking blind through a minefield, but doing nothing wasn't an option either when someone they cared about was missing. "So instead of going straight to the most dangerous person we know, why don't we start with his friends, his work, places he might have gone. Let's be smart about this. Recklessness will get you killed."

Ishika squeezed Mahira’s hand back, the fire in her eyes flickering but not fading. “I’m not spiralling,” she said, voice low but steady, like a blade hidden beneath calm. “Not exactly...I’m just finally facing what I’ve been trying to ignore. I know going to Dante is walking into a storm, and yeah, maybe it’s stupid, but what choice do I have? If Gavin’s being held, and if Dante’s involved, then every second I wait feels like another step closer to losing him for good.”

Titus looked at her, really looked, and felt like maybe he could breathe again for the first time in days. "I won't make you regret it," he said, and he meant every word because hell, having someone like her believe in him when he'd been questioning everything felt like finding solid ground after falling through ice. She was right about making ugly truths part of his framework instead of letting them destroy him—that's exactly what he'd been trying to do without realizing it. Her mention of Millie made his chest warm because yeah, knowing he had both of them in his corner mattered more than he could put into words, and maybe this version of himself really was worth keeping around. Having people count on him used to terrify him but now it felt like an anchor, something real to hold onto when everything else got confusing. His phone buzzed and he almost ignored it until he saw the clinic's emergency line flashing. Multiple trauma patients incoming from some kind of industrial accident, blood types needed, prep OR immediately. "Shit, I have to go," he said, already standing. "Emergency at the clinic. Multiple casualties coming in." He grabbed his jacket, pausing just long enough to meet her eyes one more time. "Thanks for not giving up on me, Ish. Really." Then he was moving, heading for the door because people needed him—and maybe that's exactly who he was supposed to be.

She put her hands up in a gesture that said slow down, because Ishika was practically vibrating with fury and this was escalating fast. "Okay, breathe for a second," she said, keeping her voice steady even though she could see how badly this news was hitting. "I know it sounds insane, and yeah, I probably should've led with this differently." The accusation about casual dinner conversation stung a little because she'd been dreading this moment all week, knowing it would explode exactly like this. "I get why you're pissed at me right now, but I'm not the enemy here," she continued, pushing her plate away because food was the last priority. "And you're right, this isn't random gossip—I have connections that keep me informed about things happening in this city." She wasn't about to blow her cover over this, but she couldn't just leave Ishika hanging either. "Someone I trust told me Dante's got him, and before you ask, no I can't give you names because that would put people at risk." The questions kept coming and she understood why, but damn if this wasn't the most complicated conversation she'd had in months—trying to help without revealing too much about who she really was.

“Breathe?” she repeated, shaking her head as if the word itself was absurd. “You just told me Gavin’s alive and in Dante’s hands, Zelie. I haven’t been able to breathe for two weeks.” Her nails bit into her palms as she leaned forward, the edge in her voice razor-thin. “You say you’re not the enemy—and okay, I get it. I’ll take your word for it. But you can’t expect me to just sit here, nod, and play nice when you’ve been sitting on this.” Her throat ached, her fury feeding the grief she’d been choking down since the night she last saw him. “You think I care about risk? You think I haven’t lived in it my entire life? You’re telling me to keep calm when you’ve just confirmed the one person I thought I lost is out there—and in the worst possible place he could be.”

millie hadn't expected to see her best friend and from the moment her eyes landed on the woman, her face lit up at the sight of her. even so, she could tell something was bothering the woman. pausing her movements from behind the counter, she gave the woman her full attempt. a small frown replied the once happy look that had been plastered across her face, "missing?" she asked softly and furrowed her brows. it wasn't necessarily abnormal for people to go missing in devil's junction but...him? of all people?

Ishika let herself be folded into Millie’s arms, stiff at first before her shoulders gave in to the warmth. For a second, she almost let herself believe she could melt into that comfort and stay there. But the tension coiled in her spine refused to let go. “He’s not just… missing,” she said finally, voice low, like speaking it any louder would make it more real. “It’s been weeks, Millie. And the longer it goes on, the less it feels like someone just… disappearing in the worst way.” Her hands wrapped around her friend, clenched so tightly the faintest tremor ran through them.

Luana's gaze was steady as she listened to Ishika's explanation. The gravity of the situation settled over her, sinking in with a heavy weight. "You're right." She said, her voice measured and even. "This isn't the work of amateurs. It's methodical, calculated. Whoever's behind this isn't just trying to make a move - they're making a statement."

It didn't phase her that she was potentially speaking to someone who had other loyalties. For her--the equation she shared with Luana was separate from all other familial situations. She had a job for the other and she knew Luana would help her through it. "That's why I brought it to you. Otherwise there are other people who could dig into this. But you--your expertise is unmatched." She watched the other read through everything and nodded when she spoke about a third party. That was plausible, depending entirely on who the other suggested. "That depends entirely on who you're planning on roping in. Trusting others isn't so...easy for me."

"exactly. you're not indestructible. someone wanted to hurt you and i need you to promise me that from here on out, you're going to be more careful." millie huffed out. she wasn't happy about the fact that they were here but she was just glad that ishika was alive. at the end of the day, that's all she really wanted. she glared at her when she spoke after that. "i never want to hear those words come out of your mouth ever again. there are plenty of people that care about you." and she couldn't believe the woman would doubt that for even a second. as the conversation shifted to millie's love life, she smiled slightly. "crazy how things change, huh? titus is good though. i love him. i really, really do." she paused. "and i love you just as much."

Desmond did his best not to roll his eyes as he already knew that Ishika was aware of his expectations, but sometimes that doesn’t mean she’d always follow through with it. “I’m glad, but I’d rather see it to believe it. So I’ll be the judge of that.” As he walked further into her office, he stood in front of her and still pondered on whether or not he wanted to go through with this. It was a win-win, yet win-lose situation. A win for everyone, as they’d get a break, but a win-lose because again, under Desmond’s watch, he wasn’t so sure if relaxation would even be in the cards. “Those are fair points.” agreed the bodyguard at first. “But to counter, Mahira and you are double the trouble and if you were truly doing a trip, it’d be better to leave Chicago entirely, but we both know that's not possible and the safer bet would be in your own territory, especially at home.”

Ishika leaned back slightly in her chair, a slow exhale leaving her lips as she watched Desmond speak. Her eyes softened—not with pity, but something heavier. Something closer to recognition. “Double the trouble?” she echoed, one brow arched. “You make it sound like we’re teenagers with fake IDs and nothing to lose.” But the smirk that threatened never made it past her lips. The truth was, Desmond wasn’t wrong. She had considered canceling the whole thing three times over. Safety. Optics. Control. All the things they were both trained to prioritize. But then she remembered how tightly Mahira had hugged her when she told her the trip was on. How tired she herself was of surviving on fumes. And now this—Desmond’s quiet, almost embarrassed confession.

Mahira felt her sister's words hit like a punch to the gut but she forced herself to stay calm, to be what Ishika needed right now. "Two weeks and you're just telling me now?" she said, trying to keep any accusation out of her voice because that wasn't what mattered here. "Ish, listen to me, you sitting down with him at the night market didn't make him disappear, okay? People talk all the time without someone getting kidnapped over it." She could see how Ishika was spiraling into self-blame and honestly it made her want to shake some sense into her sister because this wasn't her fault, not even close. "Who filed the missing person report, his family or friends? And have you talked to anyone else who might know where he went or what he was doing those last few days?"

She had always been good at keeping it together—at holding things in with the kind of restraint that only came from years of surviving rooms full of power, lies, and consequences. But sitting with her sister now, hearing her voice thread between logic and love, she felt the last of her composure begin to fray. Her fingers curled tighter around her sister’s hand, like it was the only thing anchoring her to the room. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want it to be real,” she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “I kept convincing myself that maybe he just needed time. That maybe he’d call and we’d argue and hang up and it would all feel normal again.” Her eyes flicked up to Mahira’s, glassy with unshed tears.

Titus nodded, taking in what she'd said about transformation being a series of choices rather than some single moment of revelation. "Dangerously self-aware, yeah, that's probably accurate," he said, and hell, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all. She was right about him making those decisions over and over again, every patient he treated, every time he chose healing over hurting—those weren't accidents, they were conscious choices even when he didn't realize it. All these years he'd been building this life while thinking it was just some accident of amnesia, but really it was the most deliberate thing he'd ever done. Her words about not believing in anything being worse than believing in dangerous things hit hard because yeah, he'd been so scared of becoming his old self that he'd almost convinced himself he was nothing at all. "You're right about holding onto this version of myself. I've spent so much time worrying about disappointing people that I forgot some of them actually want to stick around and help me figure this out." Having a friend like her in his corner meant more than he could express, especially when he'd been questioning his own worth lately. "I'm not going anywhere, Ish. This man you see standing here isn't going to disappear just because I learned some ugly truths about my past."

Ishika didn’t say anything right away. She just looked at him for a long moment, like she was cataloguing all the versions of him he was trying to reconcile. Not judging—just… seeing. “You know, most people would’ve let that kind of truth hollow them out,” she said finally, voice low but steady. “But you didn’t. You made it part of your framework. Ugly truths and all.” Her arms folded, more out of habit than defence. “I think it’s easier to be afraid of becoming someone terrible than it is to believe you’re actually good. Because if you believe that, then you’ve got something to lose. You’ve got expectations to live up to. People who… count on you.” A pause, then softer, “and yes, that now includes me also.” She met his gaze again, something in her eyes that looked almost like relief—but layered with worry she hadn’t fully shaken. “You say you’re not going anywhere. I’m going to hold you to that. Not because I doubt you… but because it matters to me, and to my best friend..” A faint, weary smile tugged at her lips. “I don’t hand out belief easily, Titus. But you’ve got it. So don’t make me regret it, alright?”

closed starter @ishikaxmehra

She froze. Her fork hovered midair, untouched, as Zelie’s words detonated in her ears—“He’s not actually missing, more like being held by Dante.” The silence that followed wasn’t quiet; it was sharp, violent. Like something in her chest had cracked open without warning. She didn’t speak for a moment. Didn’t move. Just stared across the table, her pulse thunderous in her ears, like the room itself was shrinking. Then, slowly, she set her fork down. Her voice, when it came, was low and shaking—but not from fear. From pure, unfiltered rage. “He’s what?” The table rattled for a moment as she pushed back her chair, just needing space for a moment, eyes glassy with disbelief. “He’s being held? By Dante? And you’re just—just casually bringing that up over dinner like it’s some neighbourhood rumour?”

Standing his ground, Desmond kept a watchful eye at every individual that passed by Ishika's office. Everyone knew that he had no plans of leaving and to not even try to make contact with his boss unless asked to. Hearing her heels from a distance, the bodyguard remained in position and didn't budge as he expected her to just enter in without a word. However, her voice cut through his thoughts as he met her gaze with an arched brow. "Ishika." he greeted. "I would have considered that a break, but alas we can't always get what we want." Suddenly, his expression changed after hearing her out and honestly, he wasn't too keen on the idea of the sisters running off for a girl's day. "You two can't do that at the comfort of your own home?" he asked already knowing the answer. Rolling his eyes, he stepped away and let her into the office before shutting the door behind them to further discuss the arrangement. "I was going to go regardless—shadow or no shadow and please, Mahira needs to give up. I refuse to bend at her schemes." Now his brain stopped the moment his boss mentioned Nazli and he stood there in silence, cursing her mentally for knowing how to get him to cave. "...Alright, that depends if she even wants to come, but I'll ask her. However, you two Mehras, this isn't a game...I expect scheduled check-ins and curfews in order for this to work."

Ishika let out a tired laugh at Desmond’s words, shaking her head as she stepped fully into the office and closed the door behind her. “Yeah, yeah, scheduled check-ins and curfews. I’m well aware this isn’t a game.” She dropped into her chair but didn’t let the weariness show in her eyes, just the kind of quiet determination that came from knowing when she needed a break—even if it was reluctantly earned. She met his gaze steadily. “Mahira’s stubborn, sure, but she’s got good instincts. And if anyone can drag me out of my own head for a few days, it’s her. And, you know I don’t do spa weekends often enough to complain about the company. Plus if we stayed home--how is that going to help anyone? We'd be in our normal routine, that ruins the point of a trip Desmond.” Her lips twitched in a faint, almost reluctant smile. “I’m trusting you to keep the chaos manageable, Des. No emergency calls unless the building’s literally on fire or someone’s threatening the family. Understand?” She leaned forward, voice softening. “And c'mon--you know you'll enjoy a trip away too, especially with your new little relationship. How long's that been going on anyways? I'm surprised you even have time for that."