After their small heart-to-heart in the archives, Taehyung decided to take Amaris back to her home. It was late, and he could tell she was exhausted. Today had probably been the most active day of her life in the past ten years.

They made their way up the stairs, past Taehyung's bare desk, and out the door to where Taehyung's car was parked. Amaris seemed to be filled with questions, curiousity setting her eyes ablaze. She asked about his time as a detective, his hardest case, his favorite case, and everything in between.

"Is this your car?" She asked as she waited for him to unlock her door, her fingers tracing its outline.

"Technically, it's the department's car," Taehyung said, "but it's assigned to me."

Amaris nodded, seemingly satisfied by this answer, and climbed into the car. Her ghost-like hands trailed around the different buttons, feelings her way around the car. She reminded Taehyung of a blind person trying to get a feel for their surroundings. He wondered why Amaris, who could see, would do this.

"So how did you like going out today?" Taehyung asked as he drove.

"It was fun." She beamed at him. "I haven't been able to explore much. I'm only ever allowed in the yard, anything beyond that is out of bounds."

"Allowed by who?" Taehyung raised an eyebrow.

"My body guards," she answered nonchalantly.

"Body guards?" Taehyung was taken aback. He hadn't seen anyone other than Amaris at the house.

"They're assigned by the government to keep me safe." Amaris made quotes in the air with her fingers and rolled her eyes. "They're just there to keep me in that god forsaken house."

"Do they live with you?" Taehyung asked.

"No." Amaris shook her head. "They have shifts and switch out through the day."

"I see." Taehyung nodded.

They drove the last few minutes to her house in relative silence. Out of the corner of his eye, Taehyung could see Amaris marveling at all that was outside. He had purposefully taken a different way than the cab had taken them so Amaris could see something different. It was strange how much he loved watching Amaris discover the world all over again. Her eyes would sparkle with something he had never seen in anyone else; her lips would purse just slightly even though the corners of them would turn up. It was a beautiful thing to watch, and Taehyung was glad he could help bring that expression to Amaris' features.

"Will you stay a while?" Amaris asked as they pulled up to her house.

"I suppose I can," Taehyung said, turning the car off. He should have gone home and to sleep, but he just couldn't peel himself away from Amaris' side.

She led him back into her ornate home, unlocking the door and holding it open for him. Somehow, the place looked different in the shadows of night. It was well lit with lamps and lights everywhere, but the shadows the lights casted seemed eerie.

"Drink?" She asked, holding up a bottle of what looked like whiskey.

"Didn't pin you for a whiskey girl," Taehyung chuckled, joining her in the kitchen. "And no, I have to drive later."

"Right." Amaris nodded and poured herself a glass of the brown liqour.

"Honestly, I didn't think you'd be the type to drink," Taehyung said as he followed her back out to the living room where she plopped on the couch.

"I like drinking," she said, taking a sip of her whiskey, "but she doesn't like it."

Taehyung was about to ask who 'she' was when he realized she meant the Oracle.

"Why doesn't she like you drinking?" Taehyung asked as he settled on the couch beside her.

"It makes our mind fuzzy," Amaris explained, "and she doesn't like that. She knows I like drinking because it helps me block her out."

"I can imagine what you're going through is difficult," Taehyung started, "but did you ever think about the fact that the Oracle is experiencing the same thing?"

As soon as he spoke, he regretted it. Amaris looked at him with wide and shocked eyes, staring at him silently. For what felt like an eternity, nothing was said. Amaris just stared at him with a look he couldn't quite descern.

"I never thought of that," Amaris whispered, barely audible, "I always hated her for making my life like this, but has she ever known anything else? She needs a host to live on this earth. All she's ever known is sharing a mind, never having control of a body. Taehyung, thank you."

"For what?" Taehyung asked.

"For making me realize that it's not her fault." Amaris smiled sadly. "I feel so terrible for all the things I've done to spite her in the past ten years."

"Hey, it isn't your fault," Taehyung comforted.

"How could I have been so selfish?" Amaris seemed to be ignoring him now, wrapped up in her own thoughts.

Taehyung watched her mumble things to herself, chastising herself for all she had done. Had he known his words would have this effect on her, he wouldn't have said anything. It was strange to see her in this state, muttering apologies to the Oracle inside her.

"Hey, Amaris, it's okay." Taehyung reached out and wrapped his arms around Amaris without thinking.

She froze at the contact, stopping her ramblings. Taehyung held her tightly, both comforting her and holding on tightly to the memories from so long ago. He had missed Amaris. She had been his best friend, his first love. Seeing her like this in such a degenerate state pained him. He wanted to help his friend, to rid her of her trouble. Now, he was glad that he had been assigned this crazy case. It was going to be one hell of a ride, but at least now he could be close to Amaris, close enough to help.

"I promise it'll be okay..."