Chapter 25: It's not that time of the year yet
Hey someone say something witty, and enjoyable to celebrate the new year!
Lance: *leaves the room to fetch the 'Enjoyable Jokes for Holiday Celebrations' book*
W-we really don't have the time to wait for you, you know...oh well, enjoy!
At the nameless bar
A small pub which reeks of wood shavings, and strong beer was having it's worst night, it's not easy running such an establishment to begin with the bartender thought while whispering songs of comfort in his head to keep himself distracted while his customers, and he uses that term very lightly discuss among themselves a manner of very trivial topical conversations. While he would enjoy the occasional drunken argument, two of their customers are giving him a world of discomfort. He wonders how the rest of them are fairing so well when they are just a single step of away from becoming cursed for life, the bartender had a buddy who knew this guy, who had a cousin who was cursed by a Witch Doctor, and he came out of that with third degree burns all over his body...while working at an ice factory.
"It's starting to get late, anyone know the time?" Walker asked.
"It's still sunset" Kelly reported.
"Have you guys met up with any of the other guys in our guild?" Walker casually asked.
"...Nope" Megas answered.
"...This conversation is starting to stale" Trianna realized.
They heard the shuffling of feet from across the room. Turning towards the noise they could see Nina, and Aegis dragging their bodies towards them looking rather exhausted.
"Sobered up? That was fast" Megas grunted.
"That wasn't fun at all-*urgh*-I, might not be done yet..." Nina groaned.
"Next time we do that, we better win" Aegis said.
"We'll have to switch Nina with Walker, I get the feeling this bro knows what's up!" Megas said.
"I-...I don't even care anymore I just want my stomach to stop hurting" Nina muttered.
"I-I remember having an upset stomach...i-i-it was a n-n-nightmare" Firefly stuttered
"Maybe this place has something for that. Hey bartender guy! Do you have any medicine!" Kelly called out
The bartender practically jumped in shock, but his fear only grew when his brain contemplated Kelly's demand. A medicine for hangover, and stomach problems? Now they were just asking for too much, this was a bar not a clinic. The realization that their request could not be met hit him like a ton of bricks, he could already feel the Purgatory Oracle's glare piercing him through the walls like invisible daggers. An ultimatum was upon him to either tell the truth, or run for his life abandoning his customers. Which option gave him a higher chance to get through this unscathed?
"No need for that, we'll just go out, and find Elfie. She'll cough up something, or spit up something in this case" Walker half-joked.
The bartender's life was spared, for the most part, yet he could still feel those glaring daggers penetrating him.
"So we're done here?" Nina groaned.
"Pretty much, let's pack up, and move out" Walker said.
"Nothing packed, no pack to pack up!" Peach Basket corrected.
"Then finish your drinks, and move out, and don't tip the bartender" Walker said.
"Firefly, are you fine with not having anything?" Kelly asked.
"Y-yeah I'm...I'm okay" Firefly assured.
"No tip, no tip!" Peach Basket chanted.
"Sparing him a life of anguish is tip enough" Trianna agreed.
Walker, Kelly, Firefly, Peach Basket, Trianna, Aegis, Nina, and Megas turned away from the bar stall, and headed out the door. Along the way the group hears some stifling noises just out the swing door.
"I think people are finally starting to come out of their homes" Walker muttered.
"Strange, usually demons hide for much longer periods whenever I appear" Trianna said, rubbing her chin, and lowering her head in deep thought.
Suddenly they could hear what sounds like instruments playing just outside, and muffled voices singing over them. Walker opens the door, and sees a small band slowly marching at the center of the main dirt road made up of Sasha, Elfie, Peachy, and Schrodinger who was pulling at his coat collar to cover his face.
"What is this" Walker said rather flatly.
"This is what happens when you give us days off" Aegis warned.
"It's not so bad" Walker said.
"Assisting those with any need-in any field, we are Disgaea Guild!" Peachy was heard singing.
"See? Free advertisement" Walker said.
"Our leader is a brash Gunner, who calls himself Walker~! He's quick to anger, hires beggars, and puts us in danger~" Peachy added.
"...No arguments there" Walker said
"When he was young he found make up, and had a lot of fun~" Sasha suddenly began singing.
"She wouldn't..." Walker muttered darkly.
"He wore lipstick, and mascara-then ran outside the blaring sun~" Sasha added.
"Son of a-hey! Let me go-and give me back my gun!" Walker exclaimed as his teammate's natural instincts quickly told them to restrain Walker.
"Sorry, but we're not gonna end this with with a sour note...pardon the pun" Aegis said holding onto Walker's right arm.
"Bro, if you don't learn to laugh at yourself, you're gonna be a killjoy at parties" Megas said gripping Walker's left arm.
"Have they been doing that all day?" Walker grunted.
"Let's find out. Hey! Guys! Over here!" Kelly called out.
The girls stopped playing their instruments, and Schrodinger stopped covering himself to look at the voice calling out to them.
"Hi~!" Peachy called out to them with all smiles.
"Hi~!" Walker exclaimed back, all anger.
"...It was his idea!" Sasha shouted right after going into fits of giggles, and pointing at
"She was never really good at lying when no HL is involved" Walker said.
"You calm yet?" Kelly asked twirling Walker's gun she swipped.
"Yes, I am, I realize my anger is a danger to others dear, and near to me, and I won't shoot them on sight" Walker said with a strained smile.
"I try that every time I snap, and no one ever believes me" Nina said.
...*Sigh* it's still too early, you four, get in here, no singing" Walker ordered.
"Are ya buying?" Sasha asked.
"If it'll get you ta not sing yeah" Walker grumbled.
"I'll have something sweet, and fruity!" Peachy said quickly
"I want an apple cider with your HL on the side" Sasha said.
"As always Sasha, screw off" Walker retaliated.
"Would a poor beggar such as me be given a martini with an olive?" Elfie pleaded.
"I thought I paid you a while ago" Walker said.
"Anything, but tea, that liquid crap will not touch my high class lips" Schrodinger said.
"Don't tell me, just order for yourselves" Walker said.
"So walking out of the bar was pointless?" Trianna asked.
"...Well...damn it, their idiocy is rubbing off on me..." Walker muttered under his breath before retreating to the bar stools with the increase company.
"Now that they're here-*hic*- maybe they can do something about us?" Nina groaned.
"But if I let them do that you won't learn anything" Walker said.
"D-don't push it" Nina grumbled.
"Fine, fine, Elfie do what you do best" Walker said.
"It's the only thing I do best" Elfie reported.
"Wonderful" Walker muttered with sarcasm.
Kimberly, Sophie, Milky, and Limbo
Milky had just told the group that Lloyd's house contained several cauldrons, as well as flasks, and beakers Sophie can use to mix up the tea brew. Lawrence had provided them of all the ingredients they would need to create several flavored tea, mostly the leaves themselves, but they were also given several powders that would either amplify the taste, or turn the tea into nitroglycerin. Regardless Kimberly could barely contain her excitement as not only will they be making drinkable, or explosive tea, but she was also handed seeds to grow her own for the first time.
"This is most exhilarating, I am giddy with anticipation!" Kimberly squealed.
"If by any chance this powder causes our chemical compound to become unstable then I confiscate them for further study, and possible future use. I have several scenarios in my thoughts as to the uses of explosive liquids" Sophie said.
"Is it alright to just interrupt whatever it is Lloyd is doing in his house?" Milky wondered.
"I always go inside buildings unannounced~" Limbo wailed
"It's humorous, but this is the first time I've seen tea seeds, look at how huge they are, they fit my palm almost perfectly, and yet some seem so miniscule, what did Lawrence call this one in particular?" Kimberly wondered as she picked a single brown seed.
"I believe he called it Camellia Sinensis" Sophie reminded.
"Yes of course...such a beautiful name, which in time will grow into a lovely little shrub tree, which will produce adorable flowers in the fall~" Kimberly moaned in a state of bliss.
"I can rapidly increase the speed of which the seed grows with the right chemicals" Sophie assured.
"No! I-I mean that is quite alright, a true lady is patient therefore I must be as well" Kimberly said almost sounding sad at having to wait so long.
"You think Walker's gonna let us grow those things? A tree could take up a lot of space in the yard" Milky said.
"Nonsense, according to Lawrence-who was the last person I thought would know so much about growing tea seeds- that the earth around our building is perfect for these little seeds to grow. Why would Walker buy a building on that patch of ground if he didn't want to grow tea?" Kimberly asked.
"I don~'t believe he knows~" Limbo moaned mysteriously.
"Arriving at Lloyd's dwelling" Sophie stated as she saw the completely black building near their right side.
"Yes, so much to do, so little time. I can only hope the sun stays up for a little while longer" Kimberly said.
"We have an estimate three to four hours of light before night" Sophie stated, though not really looking at the sky, or sun.
"So we're here, who's going to knock first?" Milky asked suddenly growing nervous.
"What ever is the matter with you? We know of Lloyd, there's no reason to feel any sense of fear...however, I will be the mature one here, and knock on his door first. Watch how I demonstrate proper etiquette, and dignity of an upper class lady" Kimberly said walking over to Lloyd's house while looking as tall, and straight as she could. She knocked on the door three times, and was preparing for a curtsy, but quickly regained herself as this was not the time, nor the demon to be doing so. The door open only a tinged, and a bleak looking Blue Skull could be seen through the thin crack.
"Ah! Lloyd our fellow guild acquaintance we require the use of your many cauldrons, beakers, and flasks to create a rainbow of different teas for future enjoyment, what say you?" Kimberly asked.
"...A star diminished of light skewed by it's lively brother suns
Faint thumps of bleak attempts to mask it's death, alas it remains shunned
What hope can there be for me, for thee, we are all similar to a pale sun devoid...of fun" Lloyd muttered.
"That is no way to speak to a lady, not let us inside, so we may enjoy ourselves in your company" Kimberly said.
Lloyd was silent for a moment before opening his door completely, still with his sunken face, and blotched eyes that look as if he hasn't had any sleep, and yet...he has.
They three girls, and dead spirit welcomed themselves in.
"Light minimal, can make experimentation...hazardous, must repair before anything else" Sophie said.
"I like~ it~" Limbo said.
"I can barely see a thing, and I have night vision on these goggles" Milky said putting on her cat eyed goggles which apparently have night-vision, though that would explain a lot.
"Do you not have electricity?" Kimberly asked.
"...Shut off power...removed bulb as well, I do have extra long lasting candles we could use" Lloyd said.
"Why are you letting us do all this so easily? Milky wondered.
"...Was it not part of my duty as guild member?" Lloyd asked.
"None of us even signed a contract, we're just here because Walker gives us HL when we do stuff" Milky said.
"He should really be more organized than this" Kimberly said.
Berry Melon, Noelle, and Isabelle
Retreating back to the twin's home with only a minor audience spotting their convincing outfits, the quickly washed themselves, and returned to their original dresses, and hairstyle.
"That worked, better, and worse than I had thought" Berry Melon squeaked.
"We totally had them all fooled sister" Noelle piped in.
"We're getting better, and better sister" Isabelle added with delight.
"So are you actually going somewhere with this?" Berry Melon asked.
"Yep! Me, and Isabelle are going to be~" Noelle began
"Actresses!" Both twins shouted.
"That's so cool! I wish there was something I wanted to do with my life" Berry Melon said.
"Aren't you already something like us?" Isabelle asked.
"Yeah, but I did it mostly because I was bored, this is still fun, and all, but I wonder if there more I can do around here" Berry Melon said.
"Why don't you try everything, and see what works out?" Noelle suggested.
"That's not a bad idea you have there! Okay! I'll try everything! From archeologist to zoologist!" Berry Melon declared.
"We'll help too, it sounds like fun right Noelle?" Isabelle asked.
"Right as rain Isabelle" Noelle said.
"Alright let's do...later!" Berry Melon said.
"So what do we do now?" Noelle asked.
"...We could go back to the guild for some food" Isabelle said.
"Yeah, but we might not get another chance to go out like this" Berry Melon said.
"Let's go into demons houses, and break their jars!" Noelle suddenly.
Berry Melon, and Isabelle silently stared at Noelle for quite a while
"W-what? You asked what we should do" Noelle said.
"Isabelle you got anything?" Berry Melon asked.
"Hm~ no..." Isabelle confessed.
"Me neither..." Berry Melon said.
…
"So...jar breaking then?" Isabelle asked.
"Guess so" Berry Melon figured.
Packing away whatever they will take back to the guild in their inventories they rushed outside, which was now had a small number of demons nervously walking about as if expecting some sort of disaster to walk barefoot towards them with gleaming red eyes, and a monster's skull for a helmet.
"Let's start out there!" Noelle shouted pointing at an inconspicuous house diagonally to their opposite side of the road.
The three girls ran towards the building, giggling with excitement, then Berry Melon opened the door, surprisingly it was unlocked, or the door was just old, and broken. Regardless Noelle, and Isabelle playfully pushed Berry Melon inside. She ran inside hands in the air with the biggest, widest smile, ignoring the confused Orc, and Warrior presiding the small living room, and grabbed the nearest jar, and threw it at the wall breaking it, and releasing it's contents.
"H-how did she knew we stashed our rubies in there!" The Warrior wondered out loud.
Sure enough besides some dust, and junk there were an assortment of sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, all in small prism shapes. Berry Melon ignored all of that, and ran out of the building giggling like a little schoolgirl, and soon the other two Mages ran away with her, also giggling like schoolgirls.
"That was actually rather fun!" Berry Melon confessed.
"The look on their faces really added to it to!" Noelle said.
"Where should we go next?" Isabelle wondered.
"Let's try that one!" Noelle shouted pointing at another random house from across the dirt road.
Once again the girls ran with giggling fits towards the randomly chosen house, this time Noelle was chosen to break a jar, but they found the door was locked. Luckily there was a large fist sized hole on the front door that Noelle was just barely able to squeeze through. Once inside Noelle ran around the room looking for a jar to break, and eventually found one, just in time for the owner of the building to walk down the stairs, and see the whole thing play out.
"What the hell?" The Lady Fighter cried out.
Noelle tossed the jar, and it crashed onto the wall into bits, and pieces, but it was largely empty.
"Are you kidding me! First my door, and now this!" The Lady Fighter shouted.
Noelle quickly unlocked the door, and ran out, along with Berry Melon, and Isabelle.
"Hey come back here!" The Lady Fighter cried out.
"What next, what next!" Berry Melon squealed.
"There! That house!" Noelle pointed.
"It's all black" Isabelle said.
"I think that's Lloyd's place" Berry Melon said.
"Cool! Let's do it!" Noelle decided.
"My turn, my turn!" Isabelle shouted.
The door was already slightly open, a thick smell of herbs, and a mist of steam was seen seeping out of the slight opening, the windows were also open, and pouring out strong smells, and steam.
"What is he doing in there?" Noelle wondered.
"Alright, I'm going in!" Isabelle said.
"Do it, do it, do it!" Berry Melon cried out, her voice cracking after the third "do it"
Isabelle opened the door, and rushed inside, in a blur she spotted several other of her fellow guild members, but she was too distracted with her game to care who they were. Eventually she spotted a jar, and held it high above her head in triumph.
"...What is she doing?" Lloyd asked.
"I don't know, but it's disturbing me" Kimberly said.
"Isn't that the jar with the weird powdered tea?" Limbo said.
"You mean the one that could possibly-" Milky was saying.
Suddenly Isabelle threw the jar much to the surprise of everyone, they watched almost as if time had suddenly slowed down, as the jar, and it's contents collided with the floor. Then a loud explosion occurred, Most of the occupants were covered in soot, and third degree burns, but Isabelle's icy body protected her from any degree of burns, odd how they don't work during combat, but even Mages can't fully understand magic. Just as quickly as she ran inside, she ran out with her two Mages running with her.
"This. Is. Amazing! Thanks to the power of unintended experimentation, we could conclude that the contents of the powder is in fact an explosive product! Do we have more of that substance I can test?" Sophie cried out.
"I've never seen someone so happy with so many burns before" Milky said.
"Once the rush of discovery wears off, I'm sure she'll react normally to the pain. For that matter perhaps we should find Elfie, and have her heal us as well" Kimberly said.
"Do as you wish, I will stay here, and collect whatever I need to take with me, alone" Lloyd said. Being a Blue Skull he was also protected with his icy body from any degree of burns, of only they actually worked in combat rather than for everyday reasons.
"Whee~ that was so cool, I didn't know jars exploded!" Berry Melon cried out.
"You learn something everyday in the Netherworld" Noelle said.
"We should totally break jars at home!" Isabelle said.
(Warning! Do not try this at home)
"Maybe, but do we have jars?" Berry Melon wondered.
(No seriously, you should not break your home jars)
"We could look around, but let's just break jars here" Noelle said.
(It's not as fun as these three make it out to be, don't try this at home!)
With all their talk about the fun, fun activity of breaking jars they realized they had nearly crashed into the wall of another possible candidate for jar breaking. The girls quickly decided to hit this building, but instead of rows of perfectly throw-able jars they found rows of tables, both rectangle, and round, and a really long table at the far end with several identifiable demons.
"Hey~! We found you guys!" Berry Melon cried out.
Several of the group quickly turned around toward the source of the noise.
"Big sis, how did you find me?" Walker asked.
"We were playing 'break the jars' it's super fun, and we ended up here" Berry Melon explained.
"Aha! You can't escape now!" A voice cried out from outside.
Suddenly a Lady Fighter burst through the door, and tackled the three Mages. Walker instantly drew his gun, but his quick thinking redrew it back in it's holster.
"Hey~ I think I know that girl" Walker said.
"She's been poking in, and out of our lives for a while. It's been a while Evelyn" Aegis said.
"Not you guys again. Don't get the wrong idea, what I'm doing is justified.
"You're giving my sister a headlock, you have Noelle in a choke-hold with your arm, and a leg-choke to Isabelle" Elfie said.
They broke my jar, which is my property!" Evelyn exclaimed.
"That isn't an excuse to turn their faces blue, now let them go before we have to pay for their revivals" Walker said, the consume alcohol he has drunk making him much more calmer than he would have been.
Evelyn released them from certain death, but was still angry. The three little Mages quickly scurried towards their bigger demon friends, with gleaming, tear-filled eyes pleading for protection, their lips were quivering to add to their overreacting.
"Hey Evelyn, good to see you girl, I see you still paint your legs to look like bike shorts" Sasha joked.
Evelyn turned beet red, and pushed her lower belt to better hide her shorts.
"T-they're s-shorts you dumbass!" Evelyn retaliated.
"They're tighter than my short, shorts" Sasha argued.
"T-they help me flex my legs more so I can be more effective in a fight!" Evelyn said.
"Among other things" Sasha said non-chalantly.
"I'm gonna kill you!" Evelyn exclaimed.
"Sasha enough, you're not getting anything out of this, and if you keep it up, I'm taking your pay to fix whatever it is that's wrong with her" Walker warned.
"Kidding, kidding, just get over here, and have some cider with me" Sasha invited.
"What I want is reimbursement for my jar they broke!" Evelyn said.
"Let's talk about that over a glass of cider" Sasha said.
"We'll talk after I get my HL!" Evelyn said.
"This is stupid, neither of you are drunk enough to get in a bar-fight. Here, Evelyn right? I have your HL, just take it, drink with us, or go. At this point I just want it to be quiet again" Walker exclaimed.
"Why are you being so reasonable" Evelyn asked.
"Because I'm buzzed with sarsaparilla, lucky you, now get over here, before I change my mind" Walker said turning away from her
"Well I wasn't planning on drinking, but I guess I could-*gah*!" Evelyn was saying until she suddenly spotted Peach Basket, and Trianna, Walker noticed.
"Them? Don't worry about it, well...actually worry enough to stay on your toes" Walker said.
"We try so hard to make people less frighten of us, and yet we can't resist our natural urge to curse every single living being" Trianna explained.
"Sounds like a cursed life in an of itself" Aegis said.
"No one said life was going to be easy, or simple" Trianna responded.
"Well I'm here, what do I have to do to get something to quench my thirst?" Evelyn asked.
"I don't know, where's the barkeep! Yo! Get your ass in here, hate to see someone sober who doesn't want to be!" Megas shouted.
The Bouncer stood up from his hiding place in the janitor's closet, and rushed back to the front to serve his customers.
"W-what will it b-be?" The Bouncer stammered trying to sound confident, and not shaking with fear, he failed miserably.
"Another hard apple cider over here for the girl with the hot pants, and for my pal here!" Sasha exclaimed motioning towards Evelyn.
"Don't I get a say as to what I'll drink?" Evelyn wondered.
"Not when we're paying" Walker said.
"Am I still needed here?" Nina wondered.
"Depends, do you know what normal teenagers do? I don't think this is it" Kelly said.
"Aren't you too old to be a teenager?" Nina asked.
"Well...I can be a teenager in spirit at least" Kelly argued.
Suddenly the doors to the front door are open once again, and a second Lady Fighter approached.
"I really hope this is a great hiding spot, all the other places are f-" she began.
She stopped when she saw all the demons on the front drinking.
"We're drawing customers already?" Elfie wondered.
The guild stared at her, almost uncaring, while she stared nervously at them until she spotted the Gunner.
"O-oh! It's you!" The Lady Fighter exclaimed.
"I knew you'd come running back to me" Schrodinger said stepping off his stool, and walking towards the Lady Fighter. Once he got withing reach, she decked him in the jaw, the force sent him flinging on a nearby table, and breaking it.
"H-hi...again" the Lady Fighter muttered nervously towards Walker.
"Ah~ you're the one who wanted to know more about gunners right?" Walker answered.
"Y-yeah...oh~ w-why can't I think straight all of a sudden" the Lady Fighter whispered
"You're probably conflicted with so many questions you wanted to ask" Walker answered.
Elfie sipped on her drink, becoming more, and more intrigued at this by the second, and she wasn't alone.
"...Look, if you can't think of something out of the blue, ya can just schedule something some other time" Walker proposed.
"Y-you mean like a one on one...like a d-d-d" the Lady Fighter stuttered.
"Duel? That's not usually what we call it, but close enough" Walker said.
Sophie was heard groaning loudly.
"Well then-hehe-I suppose we have a deal" the Lady Fighter said gaining confidence.
"Sure what time?" Walker asked.
"How about-" the Lady Fighter was saying.
"I need a refill! Don't make me wait!" Trianna warned
Looking at Trianna the Lady Fighter jumped back, not realizing that the thing she was suppose to be hiding from was here. Before Trianna could turn to look at her, the Lady Fighter made a mad dash out of the building.
"Hey wait-! Geez, didn't even tell me where to meet up..." Walker said.
"Are you really that dense partner?" Sasha cried out.
"Shut your pie hole-hey! Watch where you're shooting! You almost shot another hole in my hat!" Walker exclaimed after Sasha suddenly shot at him.
"You're just so-*ugh*!" Sasha cried out groaning loudly again.
Maple, Phoenix,Lance, and Misha
After a lengthy browsing of Lance's books they picked out a handful, and placed them in their inventories for future reading. The left his home as the sun began to finally set on the horizon, leaving only half of it left to be seen before it becomes dark.
"These new books on revolutions shall better perfect my future plans to end this regime we're facing" Phoenix declared.
"I'm not feeling it" Maple confessed.
"You're just too nearsighted by propaganda!" Phoenix assured.
"No I think it was all the trees so close to my vision that did that" Maple confessed.
"...You're really nearsighted?" Phoenix said.
"Yup!" Maple confessed again.
Lance muttered something, and nodded his head slowly as he continued to read from his book.
"Companion I have noticed that you do not seem to keep constant attention to the road. You chances of crashing into something are significantly higher if you do not watch where your going" Phoenix warned.
"...Use to it..." Phoenix muttered, still reading from his book.
A black fog of smoke appeared in front of them, in which Lance walked straight towards, moments later he was pushed back by an unknown force. Once the fog cleared the unknown force showed himself as Aldo.
"Guild members if I am correct, where is my sister? Zam!" Aldo demanded.
"We have not spotted her, nor did she join our group when we parted ways. If memory serves me correct she left with you!" Phoenix declared while pointing his finger of justice to Aldo.
"She said she will be meditating, yet I did not see her at our usual meditating area in the woods. Such deceit from a younger sibling will not go unpunished-zam!" Aldo declared.
"Oh come on, it's was just a harmless ditch, why don't you wake up, and smell the daisies, like I do every morning?" Maple asked.
"If she continued to delay, and abandon her training, she will undoubtedly be worthless-zam! I promised my tribe, and family that I will watch over her training, and I will not fail, unless I do fail then seppuku it is-zam!" Aldo declared.
"Mew, meow, mewowow~" Misha growled.
Translation: (Ah~ the simple art of traditional suicide, music to my ears)
"I didn't know ninjas did that" Phoenix said.
"We don't, but my sibling does not know this, and that is the lie I will tell her to return to her training-zam!" Aldo declares.
"Wow, she must really care about your well being if that will convince her to train with you" Maple said while twirling in place.
"Care?...this, this might not work after all, zam..." Aldo said, suddenly now losing confidence in his tone.
"Something is amiss comrade? Shall we discuss this?" Phoenix offered.
"Perhaps...it may not hurt to try, while I'm at it I'll think of another plan-zam" Aldo reluctantly agreed.
"Lance seeing as how you have lived here longer than us, would you know of an establishment that will allow us to speak unhindered?" Phoenix heroically asked.
Lanced nodded his head.
"Then onward, lead us to the chosen land!" Phoenix declared pointing another finger of justice towards the sky, though the correct way was just straight ahead according to Lance who was already walking.
"Have you been searching for your sister for a while now?" Phoenix asked.
"Just recently, I have been to our headquarters, but found a Prism Mage currently residing the building-zam! When I discuss his presence in our territory he stated he was hired by Walker to build a second floor, which would explain all the stacked up wooden beams above the roof-zam!" Aldo said.
"Ah~ expanding already?" Here I thought they had just formed the guild not too long ago" Phoenix said.
"Well shall inquire about this towards Walker when we find him, but our current objective is to find my younger sibling-zam!" Aldo said.
"I can feel the strong bond from both of you despite being so far away~ It makes my buds bloom with excitement" Maple said demonstrating this by conjuring several blooming white flowers from all over her thorny spring beneath her to hop around.
Lance nodded his head in approval.
"Mew, mew-mew!" Misha piped in
Translation: (Enough my stomach is still churning from the wretched books I have witnessed)
Suddenly the group heard a loud explosion farther along the road, and a large cloud of smoke could be seen drifting up towards the sky.
"...Do you suppose..." Phoenix was saying
"That it has something to do with us? Zam! I can scout ahead to be sure-zam!" Aldo said.
"Seems almost pointless to me, but do as you wish, hopefully your sister was not at the epicenter of that explosion" Phoenix said.
Aldo quickly leaped towards the roof of a nearby building, and sprinted towards the source of the explosion. Before anyone else could speak he returned in a second cloud of smoke.
"No trace of my sister, yet I found the explosion connected to several guild members-zam!" Aldo declared.
"Then it's their problem until we're told otherwise. Lance how long until we reach your destination?" Phoenix asked.
Lance pointed a random building besides the senate hall building where three different colored Mages suddenly ran inside, along with what appears to be a Lady Fighter following them.
"Instantly I distrust such a place close to where the lies are born, and raised" Phoenix said.
"Nameless bar...nothing more..." Lance muttered.
"Excellent, considering the state this town is in at the moment I highly doubt there will be a large crowd to disrupt our conversation" Phoenix stated.
"Phoey! I hate bars, no nature in them whatsoever!" Maple argued.
"But it's made of wood!" Phoenix argued.
"Nope" Maple refused to believe.
"You can't be that thick, besides, we're not going to stay" Phoenix said.
Maple continued pouting, but followed Lance nonetheless. Reaching the bar they were surprised to see not only the three Mages which turns out to be their comrades all along, but the majority of the guild as well also enjoying several drinks, Trianna still in plain sight.
"Ew~ it smells really strong here~" Maple complain squeezing her nostrils shut.
"The wood shavings, or the drinks because I can smell both" Phoenix said.
"It appears as if my sibling decided to to end her training earlier than I suspected" Aldo said.
"Meow, mew~" Misha said.
Translation: (Do they not notice our presence, regardless I shall make them notice us)
"I'm gonna fix it" Maple said.
"I don't understand, fix what?" Phoenix asked.
Lance simply walked to a random round table to the left, sat in an empty chair, and continued reading.
'Fixing~ it~" Maple sang loudly enough for the rest of the guild to notice them, Kelly nearly jumped off her seat seeing Aldo.
Maple spun in place like a spinning top though her arms were raised above her head like that of a ballerina. Suddenly she began spreading numerous pink petals, and suddenly the previous smell of wood, and booze was replace with a strong perfume scent that smelled like a mixture of several flowers.
"Fixed~" Maple declared.
"Can't you guys walk into a bar like normal people?" Walker was heard complaining.
"This wasn't my intention in the least" Phoenix answered.
"Ah! B-brother, I uh~ heh~ there's a really good reason for this...nin-nin" Kelly awkwardly.
"Mew!" Misha cried out
Translation: (Yes! Here comes the sibling beating!)
Aldo didn't say anything as he got closer, to the point of leaning towards the bar, not looking at Kelly, or anything really, just staring, stiff as a board. He didn't even notice the bartender's sudden retreat back to his hiding spot when Trianna glared at him for Peach Basket's amusement.
"...You don't have to say anything...I'll go back to training, nin-nin" Kelly replied sounding defeated.
"...Impressed-zam" Aldo muttered.
"W-what...uh~nin-nin?" Kelly said.
"I said, I am impressed as to how quickly you can associate yourself with other demons, practically blending into a group-zam" Aldo said.
"I-I don't really understand...nin-nin" Kelly said.
"Your stance is relaxed, your mind remains focused on topics of conversation no matter how pointless, you can stick a knife in their backs, and they wouldn't be none the wiser-zam!" Aldo declared.
Upon hearing this several of the guild members moved a few inches away from Kelly, all, but Aegis who's armor would be more than efficient enough to block a knife.
"T-that wasn't-" Kelly was stuttering.
"Even if it wasn't, it is still an important skill for a ninja, for an assassin...something I could never achieve-zam! You on the other hand, you can associate yourself with others, and they wouldn't be none the wiser. Even though your skills in everything else is fairly lacking...I still find your social abilities to be impressive-zam!" Aldo declared.
"Come on bro, you're just saying that. We both know our family, and even our tribe always favored you, for your skills-nin-nin" Kelly confessed.
"Yes...and yet they couldn't see how skilled you were socially, how well you blended with everyday commoners-zam! You were unnoticed by skilled ninjas for years, I could never fathom how our elders couldn't not witness such a feat-zam. You are very highly skilled in your own way, and I am proud of being your sibling-zam!" Aldo declared.
"Really~" Kelly sang.
"*ahem*" Aldo coughed.
"...Nin-nin?" Kelly finished.
"Yes...now then I need to go, and meditate on our conversation, when shall the building be complete-zam!?" Aldo asked.
"If yer talking about our guild, I was told it would be up, and running by nightfall, so not too long now" Walker said.
"Then I shall meet you inside-zam!" Aldo said jumping away from the stand, and vanishing in a cloud of smoke.
"And they say bars are nothing, but a bad habit. Another sarsaparilla!" Walker grunted
"Here's to -*hic*-something I can't remember" Megas exclaimed
"Renewed siblings?" Elfie guessed.
"Actually it was something about foot-long clubs, but that's something I'd toast for too!" Megas exclaimed.
"...Megas, go home, you're drunk" Nina muttered.
"I haven't even started...again!" Megas exclaimed.
"Can we have something too!" Berry Melon piped in.
"We're thirsty!" Noelle began.
"Super thirsty!" Isabelle finished.
The bartender immediate popped out from behind the staff door.
"H-how may I help y-you?" The bartender asked.
"Geez, he's still scared?" Sasha mocked.
"He better be!" Trianna spoke loudly while reaching towards Peach Basket for a quick hug causing the bartender to jump
"We're thirsty!" The three girls cried out.
"A-are they o-o-ol-" the bartender stuttered.
"Speak up already" Walker impatiently told.
"I-I can't serve minors!" The bartender revealed.
"No problem, my sister the Red Mage is well above the drinking age, but those two need root beer floats" Walker said pointing at Noelle, and Isabelle.
"C-coming right up!" The bartender assured
"Do you serve food here?" Aegis quickly asked.
The bartender quickly nodded.
"Give me a burger, thick meat, medium rare" Aegis muttered.
"Can't wait until we get back can ya?" Walker half-joked.
"Part of my defense is my muscular physique, I need more proteins than several demons put together. I've been lacking as of lately despite the large meat dishes you have been serving me" Aegis answered.
"Elfie make a note of that" Walker said.
"I'm the psychiatrist not the secretary" Elfie said.
"Bitch...fine, who wants the position of secretary?" Walker called out.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Kelly repeated while raising her hand up high.
"Why would you want to do that?" Walker wondered.
"That sounds like a job normal demons do, I want to try my hand at it, I promise I won't screw up, and I'll work really hard!" Kelly assured.
"She's determined..." Aegis muttered.
"Never seen someone so excited to do something other than pillage, and rob" Nina commented.
"You never know who you truly are until you've had a few in ya" Walker said.
"...That's a poor excuse for your habit" Aegis said.
"Up yours too" Walker grunted.
Milky, Kimberly, Sophie, Limbo, and Lloyd.
It took them a moment to recover their injuries from a recent explosion, luckily Sophie was an amateur healer, and medic. With their wounds temporarily bandaged, and injected enough morphine to numb an Elephant.
"Well it was more painful than it should, but we finally have our first successful home brew custom tea!" Kimberly declared, unable to keep from squealing with glee, but was able to regain herself before she did anything more humiliating.
The group huddled over the cauldron to the see boiling water with several leaves, and other assortment of ingredients.
"We wait for the H2O to remain at boiling temperatures for approximately ten minutes, then filter out everything else, and cool it to a temperature just above freezing" Sophie explained.
"Then the ice tea will be complete?" Kimberly said.
"Absolutely" Sophie assured.
"Can't we drink it how it is now?" Milky asked.
"We could, but I specifically wanted this batch to be iced, seeing as how currently they are lacking in flavors options" Kimberly said.
"What flavor is it?" Lloyd asked, though sounded very upset.
"...Hm~ I'm not entirely sure myself...there's fruits in it" Kimberly said.
"Apple, mango, a hint of orange, and kiwi to be exact" Sophie answered.
"All blended with Earl Grey tea leaves" Kimberly added.
"Sounds...ghoul-ishous~" Limbo joked.
The team stared blankly at Limbo for ten minutes, until the silence was finally broken.
"Oh! Quickly, it's time! We have to filter, and cool the tea!" Kimberly exclaimed.
Sophie immediately pressed a switch on her remote control turning off the extra large bunsen burner for cauldrons, and extra large beakers. Lloyd then proceeded to form a large bubble made of super cooled air, the cauldron, and it's contents steamed for a short time until the eventual cooling process began.
"It's set to remain this way overnight...*Sigh*" Lloyd said sounding disappointed in his work.
"It is set to the right temperature right?" Milky asked.
"As you have requested" Lloyd muttered.
"Excellent, I shall be waking up to an iced tea made by us tomorrow morning" Kimberly said.
"So, we're done for the day?" Milky said.
"...Yes I suppose, strange. I could have sworn this little adventure of ours would have lasted longer" Kimberly said.
"Let us retrieve our utensils, and be on our way, staying here will not quicken the cooling process" Sophie said.
"...Fine..." Lloyd agreed.
"You're not mad at us for all the soot covering your living room from that explosion?" Milky asked.
"I am already in my grieving state...I am always grieving" Lloyd said.
"We shall assist in cleaning this up, it is the least we can do for after you allowed us to use your home" Kimberly assured.
Lloyd simply nodded, and with that, they all left his home. The sky now turning a darker blue, the stars now just starting to glisten, and the sun showing the last of it's specks of light until next day.
"Hard to imagine it took us a whole day to get one cauldron full of iced tea" Kimberly said with dignity.
"It was a pretty big pot" Milky said.
"The roads are beginning to take on life again, the once peaceful looking ghost town is reviving itself...*sigh*" Limbo groaned.
"Cheer up, buck-o! Now you can sneak up behind people, and steal their wallets-I mean scare them" Milky said.
"Have you looked at them? You may not understand this, but I can tell when someone has had the scare taken out of them. They're exhausted, no fuel, all the scare drained from their bodies" Limbo explained.
"So even if you tried to be scary they'll be too exhausted to scream, or react?" Milky said.
"Yes...like that feeling after the nightmares of a really scary movie, whatever frightened all of them must have been truly frightening~" Limbo moaned
"Peach Basket's mother" Kimberly said.
"The worst part is she doesn't even try" Limbo said slumping further, and further into depression.
"That will be enough of that for one day spirit, continue to act this way, and you shall not be invited for iced tea tomorrow with me" Kimberly warned
"I can't drink tea" Limbo said.
"The prices we pay for immortality as a ghost" Kimberly said.
"I'm not really immortal though...ageless, but not immortal" Limbo corrected.
"Oh! They're similar enough!" Kimberly impatiently declared.
"Hey look at that really large group ahead of us, aren't they with us?" Limbo asked.
"Ugh~ it has to be. We are the only guild unfortunate enough to have a Ranger..." Kimberly said with disgust.
"Let's go over to them!" Milky said.
"*Sigh*~ I doubt they'll care what we were doing all day, especially since it involves me" Limbo said.
"Currently my estimated guess is that they'll be returning back to headquarters after excessive drinking" Sophie explained.
"How can you tell they drank a lot?" Milky asked.
"Several of them are walking in zigzags, muscle control seems to be none of their concern, and the Wood Golem is being held up by the Heavy Knight" Sophie said.
"Your clever observation is once again to be praised Sophie, as you were with measuring our ingredients" Kimberly complimented.
"Part of the schooling" Sophie stated while adjusting her glasses.
"Hey! How many wallets do you think I can swipe from them before they spot me?" Milky asked.
"That sounds like a wager to me" Kimberly said.
"Considering we keep most of our HL in sacks, I wager zero" Sophie calculated.
"Fine! How many HL sacks do you think I can swipe?" Milky said.
"Fifty HL...Seven, max" Sophie said.
"Two hundred on twelve sacks" Kimberly said.
"Since I'm a ghost I have no need for worldly possessions, I won't partake in this" Limbo said.
"Fifty HL says I'll die alone, and afraid" Lloyd said.
"...Alright, here I go" Milky whispered loudly before she made a mad dash towards them. Surprisingly making no noise while doing so.
From their point of view Milky was jumping back, and forth behind them, her hands moving so quickly they were near invisible, but it only lasted so long until...
Kelly quickly put a stop to Milky's thievery, but only after being robbed herself.
"Just what the heck do you think you're doing!" Kelly exclaimed putting Milky in a headlock.
"Just-playing...an inside game!" Milky wheezed as the air was sucked out of her.
"She's giving us our wallets back...if she wants to live" Walker warned.
"I-I will!" Milky promised now starting to turn blue.
Kelly released her, giving Milky time to breathe.
"I-I got 11 sacks!" Milky cried out.
"Fiddlesticks!" Kimberly shouted.
The rest of the guild turned around to see the remainder of their missing crew, walking rapidly towards them.
"What does this mean?" Limbo wondered.
"It means no one has won this, therefore this wager was null, and void" Kimberly said.
"If it's too dark for me to see thief rob me blind then it's dark enough that Comet's job should be done" Walker muttered.
"Robbing Thieves tell me it's time for me to go home, I'll just be taking back my HL, and I'll be on my way" Evelyn said walking away.
"Bye-bye~" Noelle, and Isabelle cried out.
Evelyn split from the group with her sack of HL, and returned to her home.
"I've never lived on a building with more than two floors other than the castle for teaching all new, and would be Healers" Elfie said.
"Wait a second, didn't you say you reincarnated into one from a Lillim? Why'd you have to go to school for that when you already became one on the spot?" Walker asked.
"For the sole purpose of being reliable of course, I thought I had explained this a while ago" Elfie said.
"Maybe...but how did you end up as a beggar after all that schooling?" Milky suddenly asked.
"That's a long personal story, now's not the time" Elfie said with a smirk.
At that point they had reached the edge of the woods.
"So did everyone waste their time effectively?" Walker asked out loud.
"I didn't get caught!" Berry Melon exclaimed.
"We didn't get caught~!" Noelle, and Isabelle sang.
"I learned...absolutely nothing" Elfie said.
"Well unlike her, I actually learned...wait...never mind, I didn't learn anything either...except that I'm a lightweight apparently" Nina muttered.
"By my standards" Megas said, though didn't sound disappointed.
"And mine" Walker added.
"As well as mine" Aegis said.
"I get it" Nina stated flatly.
"Does he expect us all to answer that?" Schrodinger asked Kelly.
"Well of course you lack the necessary brain power to take in any amount of new information" Kimberly mocked.
"We've wasted our entire day making Iced tea, and pretty much wrecking Lloyd's house in the process" Milky said.
"I-It wasn't our fault entirely! That little blue Mage who suddenly popped out of nowhere threw that powder jar, and ran off...with two other different colored Mages..." Kimberly said as she put two, and two together.
The woods left cracks, and slits of moonlight to touch the ground, and leave the trail just barely noticeable, Berry Melon was ordered to take the lead, and light the way with her patented 'fire on a stick', not a torch, but as others would call them, but she was not those others so she called it 'fire on a stick'. This really helped Firefly, who was already having a hard time breathing from the constant noises she would hear outside the trail of the woods, she had eventual resorted to using Limbo as a temporary object to cuddle, much like a teddy bear which really saddened Limbo even though he could not. Schrodinger offered to provide Firefly with safety if she flung herself towards his inviting arms, but a heavy branch had suddenly fell from a tree, and clubbed in his skull. Screaming in pain he turns towards Elfie to make it better, and saw Trianna's eye glowing red for just a second before they returned to normal.
"What?" Trianna asked.
"I-I uh~ Elfie help me out" Schrodinger asked as he rubbed the growing lump in his head.
"'Why are your freaky eyes glowing you freak of nature' is what he wanted to say, but couldn't out of sheer fear. You're welcome Schrodinger" Elfie said.
"That isn't at all what I was gonna-" Schrodinger was saying, but then turned to Trianna to see how she'll react.
"*Sigh* it's comments like that, which propels demons to hunt us down to no end. It's sad really" Trianna said.
"Aw~, but you're adorable little girls, how can demons be so cruel?" Nina asked
"You must be new to this Netherworld if you don't know that our kind are constantly being hunted down for our...traits. It also doesn't help that we constantly curse all we see to no end regardless of any contact with us" Trianna quickly explained.
"You know, you're kind of asking for it when you put it like that" Walker said.
"What if your kind was being hunted down just because you shoot on sight?" Trianna argued.
"...Point taken..." Walker said defeated.
All discussions were suddenly silenced when they neared the clearing of the trail, and saw their newly renovated home. They could see Blank just putting the finishing touches of the abode by scrubbing the last window on the second floor. If Walker's crummy sign wasn't nailed to a wooden stake rather than on the wall, they could have mistaken it for a completely different place altogether. The building was not only taller, but also doubled in walls were painted a creamy white, a round window was seen above the second row windows, and just above that was a Pyramid roof with Sophie's roof merging with the main building, and moved to the left side. Before anyone could comment the front double doors opened, and out came Comet looking absolutely fabulous, and pleased with himself.
"You like? Oh~ who am I kidding, you love~!" Comet cooed.
"It's...actually not half bad" Walker said.
"And that's just the outside, come inside, and get a taste of the real surprise" Comet hinted with a wink.
The guild followed Comet inside, almost instantly they noticed the extra size of the building being put to good use. The lobby was larger with a navy blue leather corner sofa measuring fifteen cushions just besides the right side of the double front doors. To the left side of the building were the double doors towards the hallway. In front of them were the once wooden double doors were replaced with a well polished glassed double doors with a dark oak wooden handles. Between those two entrances in the corner was a round table where a cordless black telephone was spotted. To the right was a single brown oak door with no explanation to it's existence
"So basically when I saw that you guys had no connection to the outside world, I was like 'eew~' so I got ya this really cool, and sassy phone you can call people with. The phone number is on the side, and I've also re wired this entire building with sockets for your electrical stuff, and a telephone of your own. Now come, come! You're gonna love the dining hall!" Comet squealed excitedly.
Once again he left them before they had any time to speak, causing them to follow in hot pursuit. The dining hall was no longer rectangle, but a much larger square. The same long table they have sat in stood strong, and fixed at the center while several smaller tables for four with their own seats adorned around the table, but what really got them excited was the long stand on the right side of the building. Behind the stand was an equally long shelf, both of them stretching from one side of the building to the other, and lighted with a tinted blue light.
"Is that..." Megas whispered.
"Your very own bar! Just a little something I cooked up during break time, of course I get a free discount on everything if you don't want to pay for it-*giggle*!" Comet explained.
"It's empty though..." Walker said.
"Sorry, can't conjure alcohol, or any drinks really, that's why design, and construct buildings silly" Comet said.
"Don't ya have all that extra sarsaparilla you keep?" Sasha reminded.
"No one is touching that!" Walker quickly exclaimed.
"Now, now, don't fight yet, we still have that one room I forgot to mention I added in the lobby" Comet said.
He left the dining hall, and made for the single door room to the right with everyone following. Inside they saw a newly constructed room with a ceiling reaching the second floor, an empty bookshelf stretching from one wall to the other was seen on the left side, a dark wooden floorboard recently polished with matching walls, and a fireplace was seen on the far right. At the center they saw a tall recliner made of black leather, and next to that was a red velvet therapist's couch.
Elfie suddenly squeaked in happy surprise.
"It's just like in my dreams~" Elfie whispered.
"And the piece de resistance, your rooms..." Comet said.
They left the dining hall, entered the lobby, and went through the wooden double doors towards the hallway which was much more better lighted than before, and wider as well. Comet lead them to the first room to the right, and everyone gasped.
"I know Walker told me to make only one room bigger, but when I first did that it made this whole place feel...out of place. So I just re-shaped the rooms to be twice as big, to destroy any claustrophobia any of you felt sleeping in your rooms" Comet said.
"W-w-what about the bathrooms?" Kimberly asked.
"Also slightly larger, re-cleaned, and I even added a bathtub in them so you can take a dip in your own little slice of warm water paradise~" Comet said.
"This is...just incredible" Nina said.
"Bet this beats whatever cot you use to sleep in" Aegis said.
"Don't remind me...I can still hear the bombs going off around my little bunker I had to build myself...worst thirteen birthday ever..." Nina muttered.
"Don't get mad at me, but I kind of empty out all the rooms" Comet said.
"My treasure belongings, and tea collection! Where are they!" Kimberly demanded to know.
"P-please don't get violent on me, they're safe, all of them! I just...thought well maybe you'd like to trade places. This is what happens when I drink on the job" Comet apologized.
"Just tell us where they are, and you'll be on your way unharmed" Walker growled.
"Safe, j-just tell me where you'll be staying, and I'll warp all your stuff there!" Comet assured.
"He is telling the truth-zam!" Aldo said out of nowhere causing everyone to jump.
"D-damn it, don't do that!" Walker exclaimed.
"While I saw him working on the building, I saw him warp everything out of the way so as to not accidentally destroy then while he was constructing-zam!" Aldo reported.
"...Fair enough, we just have to tell you where we'll be staying, and that's it?" Walker asked.
"O-of course, right now we can fit a total of fifty demons here! Twenty on the bottom, and thirty on top" comet explained.
"*Sigh* fine let's get this over with..." Walker said.
The guild noticed numbers above the door, which Comet also quickly explained. Odd numbers where on the right side, and even numbers on the left always. Megas chose the first door on the right marked one, while Blank was forced to take the first door on the left marked two to better reach the kitchen to prepare morning meals. After than Noelle, and Isabelle decided to once again share a room on the right marked three, Limbo decided to vacant the room marked four on the left side. Schrodinger chose room five on the right, and Misha unable to deal with Comet's bubbly personality shut himself on room six. Peachy took room seven, and gave a little cheer as to how lucky she was to have a room with the number seven causing Peach Basket, and Trianna an annoying pain in their stomach. Aegis stomped his way towards room eight. Before anyone could speak out for room nine, Trianna quickly declared that Peach Basket shall be sleeping on room nine since in some places nine can be pronounced as something closely related to the word 'suffering'. As they were about to turned right on the corner hallway they saw a metal door on the left with ten on it. Comet explained that this was Sophie's house, now officially attached to the guild building.
"Hm~ I'm going to need more thrusters if I'm going to launch this sucker into orbit" Sophie realized.
Making the right turn they saw numbers eleven through twenty, and a wide spiral staircase leading towards the second floor. Walker took door number eleven on the right, Nina chose door number twelve on the left. Berry Melon, and Sasha had an argument over who should get door number thirteen, but after Sasha whispered something into Berry Melon's ear. Berry Melon immediately blushed.
"Y-you wouldn't dare tell him..." Berry Melon whispered.
"I can do you one better, I can show him..." Sasha whispered back.
"Y-you're bluffing" Berry Melon whispered.
"How long have we known each other?" Sasha reminded.
Berry Melon looked at number thirteen with deep longing, but eventually settled for room number fourteen while Sasha triumphantly marched towards room thirteen. Elfie chose door number fifteen, while Kelly casually took room number sixteen. Kimberly at last felt Schrodinger was far enough from her room, and settled on number seventeen while Aldo disappeared in a cloud a smoke, and reappeared in room eighteen. Milky instantly rushed towards room nineteen, and Firefly finally spoke out her desire to sleep in the possibly safer first floor, and took the last room, number twenty. This left Lance Phoenix, Lloyd, and Maple. Comet lead them to the second floor which appeared to be T shape seeing a path on the left they could take at the center of the hallway. Phoenix felt a tang of heroic, revolutionary courage on room twenty one on the right side. Maple was content with taking room twenty two on the left side. After a long pause in which neither Lloyd, nor Lance said anything to each other, Comet decided to just put Lloyd in room twenty three, and Lance in room 24. With his work finally done, and paid in advance, Comet warped himself away, and allowed his customers the time they wanted to soak in their new rooms. He did good, he knew that, and hopefully good enough to warrant another project. They were the first to peak his interest in a long time. He warped in the middle of the dirt road of the town, his warping skills still needed some fine-tuning.
"(When I become a galaxy skull, I'll fix that)" Comet thought to himself.
Not wanting to take a chance for a possible screw up he decided to walk home. It wasn't that far to begin with. On his way he spotted a Lady Fighter slumped on the ground hugging her knees. As he got closer he could hear her muttering words like 'stupid', 'lame', 'not good enough', 'butterflies', 'stomach', and more. Comet quicken his paced, and stopped beside the girl.
"Such a beautiful night don't you think. A terrible time to be punishing yourself with insults rather than enjoy the glistening of the stars" Comet said.
The Lady Fighter stopped talking, and sunk her head lower.
"I know that pose, I know those words...you couldn't express your feeling couldn't you?" Comet asked.
The Lady Fighter nodded slightly.
"Ah~ that takes me back to a time when I was a wild card, and did what I wanted when I wanted...Good, or bad, love, or loathe someone. Didn't matter to me so long as I was entertained..." Comet said.
The Lady Fighter at last looked up to see Comet.
"So I'm guessing you screwed up, sweetie?" Comet asked.
"I-it wasn't my fault...that thing everyone was warning us about was there...that...Purgatory Oracle" the Lady Fighter whispered.
"That can only attribute to a small part my dear" Comet said.
"...I was trained to fight...and nothing more...I don't have experience, nor the time to get some" the Lady Fighter muttered, sounding as if she already gave up.
"You forget yourself. You're a demon aren't ya? We live in a place where if we don't like how we look we can change...for the right price of course" Comet said.
The Lady Fighter did not respond.
"If you want it, I can loan you a little extra so you can make that happen" Comet said.
"Why do you care?" The Lady Fighter asked.
"Who knows...maybe it's my inner wild card wanting to get more thrills, I'll be taking care of that later tonight, but if you're still interested I can take you to a side trip, and get you that experience" Comet said.
"H-how?" The Lady Fighter asked.
"It's a simple reincarnation my sweet, I just happen to know a class, or I should say monster you can turn that will guarantee you have that special someone looking only at you" Comet promised.
He extended a hand, which the Lady Fighter reluctantly took, and they left for parts as of yet unknown...
End of Chapter
Super apologized for the late entry, holiday hangovers are symptoms to writer's blocks, drink responsibly. I guess I've already been given new requests for missions, and will grant their wishes, and do them. As a reminder, you can choose whatever five characters in this fic to do whatever you want, and I will try my best to make a long chapter about their exploits. Thanks for the reviews, support, and most importantly your patience!