Well, it's the most concise way of conveying what a parent should do for their children. So I absolutely had to fit that in there.

"Audrey! Dinner!"

My daughter moans something through her door about not wanting to do family dinners anymore. Her door opens.

"Dad, how can we have family dinners if we aren't a family anymore? Besides I live on my own now. I'm an adult you know... I have my own life."

"Audrey, you know your mom and I discussed this. what you do on campus is fine by us, but when at either of our homes we sit down for a family dinner. Besides, a family is whatever you make of it. No need to get all 1950's on me."

My partner winks at me, cute as a button in an apron embroidered with the text I could tell you the secret, but I'd have to kill you.

"Ugh! Fine." A grunted sigh escapes her lips.

We take our places at the dinner table as sirens start blaring. I stand up.

"Please, continue. I'll go check. Must be some rodent skulking about."

I pull up a camera feed on my phone and notice my nemesis. Angrily shaking her fist and mouthing words. I engage the audio feed.

"...-ING ASSHOLE! GET OUT HERE AND RETURN MY GIRLFRIEND! YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR NOW AND WILL ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES! IF YOU DON'T RELEASE AUDREY RIGHT THIS MOMENT I WILL TEAR EVERYTHING YOU HOLD DEAR APART!"

As the audio spreads through the room I notice my daughter freeze.

"So Audrey, sweety. Anything I should know about you having your own life?"

I mute the audio and engage defences. Not noticeable, but doors get reinforced, walls get covered by a subtle forcefield, weapons start coming online.

Audrey looks like she's seen a ghost. My partner looks at me and motions for me to leave the room. He was always great at these things. I meanwhile leave the room and move towards my lair. I engage the microphones in the dining room.

"...and then she..." sob

I get dressed for battle as I hear how my daughter, my all, my everything tells my partner what happened. My boots click in place while I hear about the humiliation. My gloves slide on as I hear about the abuse of trust. My helmet seats firmly and connects to the torso part as I hear about the use of mind magic, coercion and ensuing blackmail.

As I leave my lair's postern I have heard enough, yet still my daughter continues telling about how my nemesis made her miserable. How she tried to end things, only to be coerced back into it.

I come into my nemesis' view. I make sure that the sound from outside carries through to the livingroom.

"Finall-" I cut her off. "You come to my house, to demand I hand over MY DAUGHTER so you can abuse her some more? I have heard all I need to. You have 3 seconds to remove yourself from my sight. If I ever see you again, you shall wish you were never born."

"What do you mean your daughter?"

"ONE"

"She is mine. I have claimed her. and I shall take her after I reduce your body to smouldering ashes"

"TWO"

My nemesis moves towards me to attack. Confident. Thinking she has had the upper hand. Fact of the matter is, I have been holding back.

When I started out, and was still married to my daughter's mother, I made a mistake. it made all the difference. Where before I was just a crazy scientist, but considered benign. After the mistake I was labeled a villain. I caused someone to die. And I swore not to do so again. But my ex-wife couldn't live with me anymore. So we separated. I promised not to tell Audrey about me, who was still an infant at the time. She would later discover my lair and I would come clean. We made it work. I promised not to meddle in her affairs she promised to keep everything under wraps. it was she who inspired me to branch out into acts of eco terrorism. Wrecking some pipelines was all for her and even though I couldn't make sure they weren't replaced, it was a bit of a bonding experience.

"Three" I say softly.

My nemesis hits me with a punch. It connects. But instead of me getting a transfer of kinetic energy and moving I stay put and absorb the impact. Other times I would only absorb part to keep up appearances.

Not this time.

As my nemesis starts throwing hit after hit, punches and kicks flying I stand there and see in my HUD various dials moving. The kinetic energy she puts out would be immense for a human. But she is not human. She is more than that. My suit takes some damage, minor stuff really. My energy reserves are near capacity.

I catch her foot.

"My turn"

I pull on her foot to get her torso closer to me as I bring my other fist forward. I engage the energy stored in my suit. An explosion of blood and viscera. When the red mist drops all I am holding is a leg. Her head has dropped and her eyes and mouth twitch.

I reach into a pocket and open a container with spores. I dump the contents on the bloody patch of ground and see fungi devour the blood and gore until nothing remains. I get back inside. I store my suit away for cleaning and trudge back inside.

I see my partner consoling my daughter. Red-eyed and bleary. She looks at me. A mix of relief and worry.

"I thought you swore you would never kill again."

"I did. But when it comes to you, I will do anything for you. If the world burns because of that then so be it. We will roast some marshmallows. "

Audrey hugs me.

And there's the prompt.

Have you been buying your fortune cookies from Steven He's Failure Management?

He does insist, after all...

If it's the usual type of smut, everybody will win there. I mean, he'll have a harem of tsundere vampires until makes a choice for one or the other...

...And that's when I bought the horse a prostitute!

I wake up from my nap. It's been a couple millennia but I feel just so rested right now.

As I project my consciousness outward, expecting layers of rock and stone I sense open air very close. And metal. And sounds of bustling cities. Humans walking about, even now at night. I listen in on the sounds and noises and as my consciousness expands into not just light and sound but also more ethereal modes and then it hits me. A great flash of information enters my brain and almost overwhelms me as I desperately channel the information magically.

This takes a week though and by the end I have learned several new languages, caught up on the last 2000 years of human history and then current state of the world.

I flex my muscles, waking up my body and shift through the earth. As I break the surface I change to a human shape, taking inspiration from the clothes people are wearing.

I walk around to the last place my loyal humans dwelled and expect to find a small hut with thatched roof, but apparently my subjects have done well for themselves. I find a sprawling mansion with a secured estate. No guards posted but everything both old and brand new.

I enter the estate. The door was closed, but nothing to hold back the warmth in my hands.

As I enter I announce myself.

"Sons and daughters of Saedra! I have returned! I, Lofwyr, walk this earth once again and reclaim my hoard!"

Several things happen at once. People enter the hallway from several doors, chattering in every emotion at once.

As the chaos reached a crescendo one of the older humans shouts for everyone to be quiet.

He faces me.

"Welcome home my liege, if you are indeed him." He motions to one of the younger people, who promptly disappears and shortly after reappears with a luminescent slate.

We have done as you instructed, growing your hoard and guarding your interests. Sadly our family dwindled in power as kingdoms rose and fell, and the hoard is no longer collected in gold and silver. But we do have news for you. If you can indeed prove you are who you are. "

My eyes flare up at this insolence. Nu nostrils start smoking.

"Insolent little hairless ape. You will not test my patience. Not Lofwyr!"

As my temper quite literally flares up an old memory surfaces. I had left instructions for this moment.

"But I have left instructions."

I hold out my hand, it regains some of the more draconic characteristics. A mote of light appears above it, growing and accumulating until it grows into a sigil.

As it appears the young one with the slate gestures hurriedly to the slate. The older one nods.

"Thank you, you are indeed who you are". Come, I'll tell you about what next. Tomorrow we will go to Essen and you will once again fill the seat we have saved for you. I can't wait to see how you will take control of the area and wipe every other competitor off the map. To be honest, we've been at the mercy of bigger corporations for far too long and rumours are surfacing that another dragon has awakened and is seeking to end our existence. But now we may have a chance to reverse our fortunes.

That's where it hits me. The estate, while in good condition is clearly not immaculate. The clothes they wear are dated by at least 3 years. The adults have lines in the faces, not of laughter but from worry.

The family starts chattering away among themselves. Some relieved, others excited at the prospects. I hear the letters BMW thrown around and worry that maybe I didn't prepare enough for my return.

Not an intentional one, but my brain is sneaky, so who knows 😜

A door opens, the little bell chimes and I'm awash with easy listening lift-worthy easy listening inoffensive jazz.

I shuffle along to the counter and order "One chai latte please". That's when I notice the eyes. The only problem with a disguise is that it's always a self-portrait. And the eyes always give it away.

They hesitate an instant before attacking. I hold up my hand. "Let's not do this. Not this time. I just want my chai latte. Please let me enjoy this. If you want I can fit you in for a 15:30, bit now I'm just in the mood for a chai latte and some damn peace and quiet." Our previous meeting ended up with the destruction of another of my favorite haunts and this place may be the last place for halfway decent chai latte.

They make the tiniest of nods. "One chai latte coming up. Can I interest you in Norah Jones' latest album?" I decline politely and check out.

She prepares my drink and as I leave the counter meekly smiling, she flashes the tiniest bit of mirth. I try my chai and find it decent, maybe even borderline great. I look back, genuinely surprised. "It was you all along?

"Always have been".

Geek the mage. After never making a deal with a dragon, it's the most important rule of running. Always. Geek. The. Mage. First.

My friends joke that being a pacifist mage is something of a bad thing to combine with shadowrunning. I usually laugh along, but my friends, they know. They know it's a ploy so I don't have to. And it's done its job. I'm never targeted and I just keep my friends alive and patch them up. I scout with spirits, boost and shield. But I'm deemed useless and 'just a healer'.

Before I awakened my magic I was studying to become a doctor. I've always wanted to save lives and when I was visited by my guardian spirit we didn't see eye to eye at first. We eventually got along. We made a deal. I would get near limitless knowledge about the human body so it could help my healing efforts, and my guardian spirit would have free reign if I wasn't observed by friends and asleep.

Unusual, sure, but not unheard of. And one of the terms was that I would be unrecognisable. Another was that if my body was threatened, I could call in the help to solve problem to our mutual benefit.

So when I remained of my running team, all bleeding out, and stared down the barrel of what I assumed was a heavily modded Aztechnology LMG, I called out.

The world turned black and time stood still. My guardian spirit stood before me, sharply dressed in a black suit with burgundy and gold trim. On his lapel a tiny pin of a star shining bright on a torch.

"I'm calling in the emergency clause. But no destructive magic. You know my vow."

My spirit smiles and says

"Very well. You can watch. But we will renegotiate."

Usually when he takes over I lose consciousness. This time I'm fully aware.

Time resumes. As the person wielding the gun gloats about how I am a useless mage and how they could keep me for last I see my body move. I feel the magic course through my body and leave my fingers. As my eyes get suffused with magic as well the bodies around me become translucent.

I see nerves being cut. Not the sensory ones, but the ones signalling motor function.

I hear the enemies becoming confused. Confusion turns to panic. But without nerves to carry the signals to muscles to move they can't do a thing. They are completely paralyzed.

Next, my body magically removes the vitamin C from their bodies and accelerates their metabolic rates for wound closure. Small white lines turn slowly red. White dots getting bigger and opening up. Teeth start falling out. Blood starts dripping at first, but as old wounds open up and scar tissue dissolves, blood gushes and spirts out.

More magic flows. This time it moves into the hearts of the enemies. It strengthens the movements and boosts the heart rate.

The enemies are no longer humans, but fountains of blood.

In 5 long minutes my body is almost drained of energy, but 7 armed gunmen lay before me. Fully drained.

I awakened into a tradition of Black Magic. And for my skills I made a deal with Lucifer, The Adversary, my guardian spirit. Tonight, will do so again.

As my fingers touched the arrow a sudden influx of repressed classics lessons came back. Here it was. One of Eros' arrows, immaculate fletching, wickedly sharp heart shaped point. It cracked with energy waiting to be unleashed.

I pondered what to do with it until I opened Insta and saw my crush going out with yet another douchebag. An idiot pumped to high heavens and my crush just like a groupie, hanging in his every word.

I looked at the reel to find out where they were. I recognised the place, grabbed my coat and closed the door behind me.

Racing to the town square, quickly moving between cafés and bars.

There they were.

I steeled my nerves, waited for a minute to calm my breath and with every once of self confidence, admittedly not much, I casually strolled up to the couple. Today being Valentine's Day I was met with hearts, Cupids, cherubs and red and pink everywhere.

I waved around the arrow and joked how I found it and how Cupid must have missed me and my crush mocks me for it. I sheepishly grin along, hurting on the inside. This ends now.

I suddenly drive the tip of the arrow, a dull dark heart shape, between the 3rd and 4th rib from the side.

As soon as the tip pierces the skin her glow fades. The arrow vanishes in an instant.

There it was. All the glaring flaws. Superficial written on her forehead, her tongue splitting to tell lies, her eyes blinded to truth. Her teeth rotten and hands grubby. Her shape reminds me of an elderly miser. Where before she would shine like a radiant star gracing me with her warmth, now she was repulsive. I gagged.

And not just me. Her date covered his nose and mouth almost retching, looking at my crush in shock. He scrambles to get up, grabs his belongings and runs. The people surrounding us gasp horrified. When she sees herself in a mirror she starts crying. Weeping.

No longer stunned I realised that I had forgotten something about Eros and his arrows. Some were meant for love and attraction. But those tipped with the dull grey lead points were for the opposite: repulsion.