I've got to say…I wanted to call this chapter "Adagio" so badly. But I think that having fewer chapters going up would be a wise idea. And of course, I own the angels, excluding Pain. (By the way, Andante is walking speed – still not very fast, but more movement than Largo.)
Sadie's notes: Katriana is one of the people from Incalzando. Who; well, you'll see soon enough. Also, we use a lot of stuff from both various countries and their religions and myths. It did take a lot of research on my part – Mika's too damn lazy. SHOUJO-AI WARNING. A lot is implied, but still, we all know what we see when that happens…lots.
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Riprendere
Chapter Eight: Andante
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"Do you know who I am?" She asked.
"Of course. You're Kage." Francoise answered. Kage looked at her, bewildered. Stepping away from Joe, she carefully tossed her long hair behind her ear.
"Pandora, and my own son. It is my pleasure to meet you." Kage said politely. She curtsied neatly. "I must say that the two of you fit together perfectly. Brown and blond, blue and red. And you are beautiful."
Francoise blushed at that. Death's eyes seemed to be burning now. She pressed her hands to the glasses holding Yami and Hikari. However, they managed to fly gracefully out instead of fall. The two landed gently beside their daughters.
Yami had an amazing mess (that resembled Energy's quite well) of blond hair and hazel green eyes. His wings were, in striking contrast to his hair and eyes, pitch black. The woman next to him had chest-long dark brown hair and obsidian black eyes, but wings as white as a dove.
"Now it's starting to feel like a party." Pain whispered to Death. She shrugged and watched as Yami and Hikari hugged their daughters. Kage smiled transparently at Joe, wondering what to think.
"Etaf, and then, Kage, Etoile." Death said, hands already on the glass. The angel who toppled out onto Panthos had long black hair and wore nothing but black. As her cobalt eyes opened, she rose and seized Fate.
"Fate, Fate, what have they done to us?" Etaf cried, sobbing into Fate's shoulder. "The wings…they're…they're…"
"I know, Etaf, calm down." Fate said, gently running her fingers through the angel's hair. "But you still have magic. That's what's important, my dear."
Fate and Etaf stood there for a few minutes longer. Within that time frame, Etoile fell from her glass imprisonment and stood up off the ground.
"KAGE, YOU BITCH!" Etoile roared, storming over to Kage and slapping her soundly across the face. Her pale midnight blue eyes resounded with fury. Her duplicate did no justice to the real thing. "YOU! THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, YOU DESERTED ME!"
Kage smiled. "You never ratted me out. We still owe one another."
Etoile then pushed multiple strands of hair from her face and beamed. "Joseph Shimamura, just as Kage said. She told me the day I killed Albireo. You're somewhat of a celebrity in Heaven. Prometheus. And this lady must be the new Pandora. Where's the other Pandora, the Pandora I knew?"
Bipolar was not the word for Etoile's sudden change of heart. The long, slim sword that hung at her waist winked in the light as she turned to look Pandora. She saw Pandora asleep on Zeus and rushed over.
"Kage, what is it?" She asked. Kage looked.
"Magical disorder. There's only going to be one real thing to solve it." Kage stated simply. "Joe, if you'd kiss Francoise."
Instantly, both turned nine shades of red. Kage laughed.
"Do it outside. They will wake up if you do it in here." Fear said. "So much emotion will cause a major uprising in this hall."
"I must agree." Death said, already leaving.
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The rebuilt Water Temple was an exact replica of the one Cielle had destroyed. As Zaffiel presented the necklace to gain entry, she sighed.
"I know none of you really wanted to come with me." Zaffiel said. "But it's too late now, that it is. Are you all ready to take this all the way, until we've killed Joe and Francoise?"
Kummi, Nirine, Fiella, Enala, and Arien were all silent. They all knew this was a life or death choice, and they'd probably die either way.
"I'll do it." Kummi said finally. "I want revenge on all of those asses."
"I'm in." Fiella agreed.
"It's against my better judgement…but it needs to be done." Enala admitted.
"How could I not?" Arien asked, shrugging.
"I'll hold them off long enough to know that we never took their stuff. And how could you ever doubt that I'd be with you all the way to Katriana's doorstep?" Nirine said. After they'd all given their okays, Zaffiel held the pendant to eye level and was granted access.
Kummi and Enala followed suit, and the six entered.
Inside it was fairly simple – there were statues of the first angels of the elements, and large orbs containing the glow of the element. There was a shrine for each of the five elements, as well as a list of the angels for them.
"So this is what it's like inside the temple." Fiella said. "Enala always talked about it, but never really could capture it. It's amazing. Holy, almost."
"Sacred." Arien added.
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"Outside," Hikari breathed, throwing her arms in the air. "And so much has changed after almost a thousand years…is Albireo still in power?"
Joe and Francoise were last to leave, still flushed from Kage's remark. As soon as everyone's attention was focused on something else, Joe turned to Francoise.
"You know that I'd protect you no matter what, right?" Joe asked. Francoise looked into his eyes. They told no lies. She nodded. The two kissed right there as no one looked.
"Put me down." Pandora ordered Zeus, who promptly dropped her out of shock. "Not that hard, but it works."
"P-P-Pandora? What the hell?" Zeus asked as the blond girl stood up. "Ten seconds ago, you could barely lift a finger without someone's help! What the hell happened?"
"I can explain that. Since Prometheus and Pandora…" Kage said, pointing to Joe and Francoise, "Are accepting their roles, she no longer is needed as the true Pandora, and thus clearing her of magical backup. Make sense?"
"No, not really…but I'll take your word." Zeus said. "Wow…you've changed. A lot."
Pandora's icy eyes obviously shone with pleasure. Her previously short haircut was now a long braid that reached down nearly to her ankles, leaving her face open, giving her a much more mature air. She smiled.
"The time is getting closer. We need to get into Heaven." Pandora said. "If we want to get anywhere, we're going to need the sins. Fear and Epsilon: do you think you can unlock the doors at this range?"
"That, Miss Pandora, would be impossible to do. My power can only reach so far. Heaven is out of my range at the current time." Fear said. "I will need to be closer, then I can try and contact my sister."
"Fear's right. There's no way I can get through those walls to Lust from this distance." Epsilon confirmed.
"Even with Pride and her swollen ego, her mind can not flex that far." Fear said. "Pride is my elder sister by seven years. You are wondering, are you not?"
"Looks like we have only one choice." Etoile said. "Infiltrate Heaven. Come on, they never took the bridges down."
"And how would you know that?" Mirllyne asked.
"Because, little one, your sister used them when she returned." Etoile replied. "Come on. Heaven is through the bridge. Kage, did you keep a key to them?"
"Oh, you won't need that." Luna said, appearing out of thin air. "I was chosen to see to it that you got through to at least the gates."
"What the hell gives? Was no one listening last chapter when I said Mika wanted to STICK TO CANON?" Sadie bellowed. "THAT MEANS NO PLOT DEIVCES!"
"I'm actually not a plot device, I just came to…never mind." Luna said. She handed Enx the key. "Be warned that Tsukasa has taken over Heaven. I'll be off now."
And she vanished. Enx studied the key in her hands. It was heavy, and seemed to be made out of solid diamond. A silver ribbon was tied at the end of it.
"Well, let's not waste time," Enx said, looking up. Her eyes were set on what needed to be done. "Lead the way."
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"It's been quite a while since I've been here." Etoile said, marveling at the gates. "Behind them is the welcome area, if you go down the marble stairs. To the east is the great tree of the worlds – Yggdrasil – and to the west is Western Heaven and Nirvana. North will take you to Olympus, the temples, and all the other important stuff."
"I miss Olympus." Zeus said, smiling.
"Ah, it's only you." A man's voice – deep, yet infinitely calm – said. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"It's Michael!" Mirllyne called. She looked upward and smiled hugely, waving.
A male angel jumped down. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and his white wings flapped magnificently. A white robe was draped around his body and a gold rope tied it at his waist.
"Do you still say that thing, Etoile?" Michael asked, coming to stand before the group.
"I still respect no one because no one respects me, I hate everyone because everyone hates me." Etoile said. "Now let us in."
Michael smiled. "You know the rules. Wings, ladies and Pain and Energy, the rest of you, start talking."
There was suddenly a scream, but then right after it, a laugh. It was Etoile, her wings showered in blood, protruding from her shoulderblades. They were extremely pale blue, and each had several hoops pierced through them. Both of them alone were at least ten feet long.
"Your wings, too?" Etaf asked. "I would have thought that all of them in your ears were enough, but you did your wings?"
"Nah. Getting all the seven wasn't enough, so I just did diamonds from there on out in my ears. The ones in my wings are only hoops." Etoile explained. "And Michael, you idiot, we brought Prometheus and Pandora. Shut up and open them."
Michael chuckled. Then, after being kicked in the groin by Etoile and backhanded by Kage, he threw his head back and laughed out loud. The golden gates swung wide open, but Michael kept laughing.
"Oh…oh…oh crap, that was good!" Michael managed to get out. "There's no way you could not be Kage and Etoile! Go in, and see if you can get them out. Good luck to all of you!"
"Come on, we're in!" Kage said, ushering them all through the gates. "Now, I want an explanation. Why, so suddenly, have we all been awoken? Why are we in Heaven? Why is it finally time for Prometheus and Pandora to be of importance?"
"Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing. What the fuck gives?" Etoile asked. "I want some explaining."
"YOU'RE ABOUT TO PAY FOR TRESPASSING ON OUR TERRITORY!" Kummi roared, unleashing huge escapades of indigo fire toward them.
"Oh, she has the worst timing. But all the better, since I really need to get some energy out." Etoile mused, hand straying to her waist.
"YOU WANNA PLAY, DO YOU?" Etoile screamed back, four pointed silver objects thrown toward Kummi. They caught the light and bounced it back spectacularly, causing many to shield their eyes.
Etoile's full skirt did not hamper her as she ran. She clapped her hands and dropped to the ground, causing a huge pillar to form with her at the top of it. The pointed things missed Kummi, but Etoile seemed not to care. Inversely, she just clasped her hands together and pointed two fingers upward, head bent seemingly in prayer.
"COME ON, BITCH! WE'RE SETTLING THIS HERE AND NOW!" Kummi shouted, sending more flames at Etoile. Etoile held up a hand and the flames blew around her, revealing a spherical bubble around her.
"You've remained clueless since the day we met." Etoile said, observing something floating just above her palm. "And the most important thing that you need to realize is that SHE'S BETTER THAN YOU!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'M BETTER AND YOU KNOW IT!" Kummi cried, but this times, her flames were directed a different direction. "I FUCKING WANT TO KILL YOU, MIRLLYNE, YOU BITCH! I HATE YOU AND ALWAYS HAVE!"
(I'm serious this time. Get behind me and do not move until I say you can.) Mirllyne ordered. Already around her balled fist flames had formed, bright, burning, orange flames that respected her personality. Kage stepped forward with her.
(Not alone. Never alone.) She replied. (You still alive up there, Etoile?)
(FUCK YES I FUCKING AM!) Etoile sang back, voice pulsing with energy. (No full uniforms. Let's just get rid of her.)
Pure, white-hot energy poured from where Etoile stood. Mirllyne unleashed the flames from her fist, but Kage hung back. Kummi tried to set up a barrier of her own fire, but wasn't fast enough. The other two angels' blasts met and she screamed.
"I'm sorry, were you trying to hit her?"
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"They're in Heaven, yes, for the last time!" Enala explained to Tsukasa for what felt like the thousandth time.
"Don't go. Leave them be for right now." Tsukasa replied. "It's better that way. If they have the real Etoile and Kage, we should wait and see what Kummi's like when she returns. Zaffiel is watching to make sure things don't get too out of hand."
Enala pursed her lips. Tsukasa met her eyes and smiled warmly.
"I know you don't like this – but I promise you'll be able to go soon enough. Bide your strength until you need it." Tsukasa said. Enala sighed wearily and returned the smile.
"I guess you're right. But…you know that if I have too much at one time it hurts. I'll go let some of it out. I won't make promises too soon. If you see my sister, tell her that I'm storing. She'll know what I mean."
"Have fun."
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"No…NO…NO. That is going TOO FAR." Etoile said. She clapped her hands and the pillar sunk right back into the ground. She half-walked half-ran toward the other girl standing next to Kummi, the girl with the midnight blue hair.
"I was wondering when I'd meet you. Hello, then. My name is Etoile." Mechanical Etoile smiled her robotic smile. The real Etoile tossed her head back, revealing her thoroughly pierced ears.
"Whoever designed you sucked. My hair and eyes are way lighter, and I have so many piercings that I drive people insane." Etoile said. She clapped her hands and placed them to her sword. In an instant, it had become a staff.
"Whoever designed me was trying to make me better than you, which I clearly am. Come on, show me what you're made of." Mecha-Etoile noted, smirking.
"Don't you dare, either of you." Death said, pointing her scythe. "I am warning both of you, or else I will not hesitate to destroy the two of you."
Etoile threw only one punch and then stalked away. Kage gripped her arm and looked into her eyes, seeing the fire raging beneath her skin and her want for revenge.
(Cool down. This will never get you anywhere.) Kage advised before Etoile shook herself free. Kummi's snarling face appeared behind Mecha-Etoile, wanting the same thing as the real Etoile.
"Come." Death ordered, pointing ahead with her scythe. "We are going to the single Gothic church in Heaven to meet the sins. Etoile, you are to calm down right now."
"Let's get out of here before Zaffiel shows up and busts us," Kummi suggested. "I'll deal with you later, you little bitch. For now, be happy you're not dead."
"And the same to you." Mirllyne said with overwhelming sarcasm. "Next time, Excalibur will be meeting your neck."
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"So, now that you both have a reason to continue, you will, will you not?" Zaffiel interrogated, walking in slow circles around Kummi and Etoile.
"No choice. I was programmed to do as you wished and nothing else." Etoile replied. "I need more piercings. She has all the sins, not just three of them."
"I agree with that. I need revenge on that fucking little whore." Kummi snapped, playing with fireballs.
"The two of you are free to go. Send Nirine in if it wouldn't be too much trouble, that it shouldn't be." Zaffiel concluded as the two stood up.
"What the hell do you want?" Nirine demanded, entering once Kummi and Etoile were gone. Zaffiel pointed to one of the previously occupied chairs and Nirine sat.
"Are there going to be any more dreams?" Zaffiel asked, sitting on her desk instead of pacing. Nirine thought for a moment while playing with her halo, which was clasped in her hands.
"I don't know. There's not much more to give them without giving everything up." Nirine explained. She sighed. "ISV has a lot figured out already, so if anyone else did have any sort of post cognition, she'd get it really fast. I think it would be fairly pointless."
"I suppose you are right, that I do. They have Etoile and Kage with them, as well as Death and Fear. They are going for the sins, are they not?" Zaffiel commented.
"They are; what else would idiots like them do?" Nirine asked, grinning evilly.
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"Copied me, Kage! How the hell would you feel if someone copied you and did the whole thing wrong?" Etoile pestered Kage. Kage turned to face the other angel.
"I'd be flattered. Copying me, of all the people there are to copy. Grow up, Etoile. We're going for the sins, not shaved ice in a park." Kage replied. Etoile scowled at the response. "Oh, pipe down, you sour bitch. As Death said before I did, you know how they get when they have to much of their specific sin around."
Joe could now easily identify the relationship between his mother and Etoile. Kage was calm and tried to keep Etoile in line, while Etoile caused mayhem for Kage to clean up. Both were perfectly happy with this, and Mirllyne always seemed to be around if either of them needed her.
"You call me a sour bitch? Talk about hypocritical bitch right there for you." Etoile replied, knowing Kage would get ticked by this. She was right.
"Oh, the two of you, cut it out." Oblivion said before they could go any further. Kage and Etoile both burst into laughter as she said this. Oblivion muttered something and continued on her way.
"Still, though. I'm going to turn that cheap clone into a new sword and kill Albireo again with it!" Etoile declared. Kage raised an eyebrow and sighed.
"You'll do whatever you want, I know that from years of living in the same dorm room. Even in matters of your own health you disregard my opinion…" Kage commented, shaking her head.
"I'll second that." Mirllyne added, earning her a scowl.
"Screw you two hypocritical bitches. At least I can get some target practice in before I try to kill the rest of Chaos' family." Etoile said, purposely standing back. This time, she was ignored for a few seconds.
"TAKE THAT BACK!" Mirllyne and Kage screamed together. Etoile roared with laughter. Joe, too, couldn't help but chuckle at them.
"They make the perfect comedy team," Sadie noted, smiling widely. "So, what do you think of her?"
"Kage? She's…different than I…imagined as a kid." Joe explained, searching for the right words.
"I thought she was going to look like some punk-ass stoner bitch, but she's so…warm. She exudes such a nice aura, you can't help but feel comfortable around her." She replied, smiling in a detached way. "But I understand what you mean."
Joe watched again as Kage flapped her wings, as if trying to fly. Mirllyne gave her a funny look, then flapped her own and took off once more to the skies. Etoile shrugged and only managed to lift herself a few inches from the ground.
"There, look, the church." Death pointed. It loomed on the horizon as a magnificent black obstruction, almost daring to be seen. Fear continued to walk, as did Epsilon.
"Where are you going?" Oblivion asked, then nodded in understanding. "They can sense you're nearby. Let's get a move on, shall we?"
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"NEVER FORGET YOUR PLACE AGAIN!" Zaffiel roared, backhanding the shaking little angel once again. "Never, ever, forget that you signed in for this. You insolent fool, you brought this to yourself. Go and cry, and see if I fucking care. GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
Zaffiel breathed deeply to calm herself. Memories had come back too strong and she'd had to let some of her steam off somehow. The younger angel ran off, bleeding, back to her room to calm the angry wounds.
"What was that all about?" Enala asked, walking around the corner the angel had just run around. Judging by Zaffiel's flushed cheeks, she'd been angry again. "Come on, I'll bring you to Tsukasa. Will that make you feel better?"
There was no need to ask. Zaffiel followed like a young child to Tsukasa's office, where Enala bowed and stepped aside to let Zaffiel enter. Tsukasa glanced up to see Zaffiel, who was nearly in tears.
"Come here." Tsukasa ordered, pushing away from her desk. Zaffiel ran over and collapsed to her knees, hugging Tsukasa. Tsukasa returned it and kissed the top of the angel's head. "How bad, Zaff…"
She was cut off by Zaffiel's lips on top of her own, as well as the feel of Zaffiel's warm hands around her slim waist. Tsukasa could tell that it was far worse this time, and Zaffiel's memories of abuse were coming back once more.
"Please, Tsukasa…I need…"
"What about Albireo? He almost found us last time, Zaffiel. This time, he could really get us and have us dead."
"Fuck Albireo. If he finds us, he can fucking deal with it."
This time, Zaffiel came on full force, and Tsukasa was ready, open mouth and all.
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"They're inside. The sins are inside. Etoile, if you need to flash or rape anything, kindly do it now." Oblivion said. Etoile blew it away and clapped her hands to transform her sword to a tall thin staff. "Have at it then, you two."
Fear and Epsilon looked to one another. Fear's eyes were crystal-clear blue, and his were as red as ever. Taking one hand of the other and grabbing one of the two huge door handles, they pulled. She shut her eyes and her wings flapped insanely, as if struggling to get away. Finally, the doors creaked open. Epsilon stepped inside, then motioned that it was safe to come in.
If Death's Hall had been frightening, this made it look like the bright and sunny playground. There were pews made from stone with hymnbooks still lying open upon them; cobwebs played across their yellowed pages. Candles still burned in their wrought-iron candelabras and the faces of gargoyles smiled on either side of them. The altar held communion with rotted bread and evaporated wine. Its intricate black lace tablecloths and stunning iron candle holders (only one this time), however, did not compare to the large, circular stained glass window above it. The window depicted a beautiful woman holding a rose, but had pricked her finger upon a thorn, and another terribly, evilly gorgeous woman in the background was laughing at her for it. Sunlight tried to penetrate it and the other windows, but dust had set in and had no hope of being cleared.
Yet that was still not the worst part.
Seven people – only seven – stood around the church. Seven candles – only seven – still burned. The seven people were all dressed in black, though each had one of seven colors on: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, blue, and purple. There were four females and three males. All of their faces and bodies looked to be in various stages of torture. It started with what only looked like a flinch with arms held up (one of the boys) to a frozen scream, eyes wormed shut, arms held up, and on her knees. All their ears – regardless of gender – were pierced with whatever color they were wearing, as well as diamonds, apart from black.
Epsilon touched the girl who wore red. She shuddered awake, and as she did, one of the candles blew out. She blinked a few times, then fell onto Epsilon.
"You've…come. Does that mean…Albireo's…dead?" She asked, her red eyes identical to Epsilon's. "They'll…awaken…soon."
She managed to stand up on her own finally and pushed the long, perfectly straight black hair out of the way of her ears. Ruby earrings dripped from them, some just little posts and others long enough to sweep the ground. Her skirt missed the ground by about an inch and her sleeves covered to her fingertips; red lace and more rubies fringed both.
"Excuse my impoliteness. In life, I was Epsilon's brother, but now, I am not. I have become the sin of Lust, and that is my name." Lust said, giving a small bow.
"Oh…my…GOD!" Another girl screamed, this one being the one who had looked the farthest along in her torture. Her hair too was black, but it was shorter than Lust's and was restrained by a blue silk headband. Her eyes were the exact same shade as the headband was. She wore a black long-sleeved shirt that belled at the elbows, a black knee-length skirt, knee warmers just after the skirt ended, and black shoes. All along her ears were aquamarines, though none dripped quite as spectacularly as Lust's did.
"This is my sister. She is the sin of Pride, and Pride serves as her name as well." Fear explained, giving the closest thing to a smile yet. Pride arrogantly tossed her head back and smirked.
"A pleasure." Pride said. "Oh, I want Wrath to come back…then we can fight one another again."
As she said this, one of the boys began to move, cracking open his fantastic orange eyes and shaking out his already mussed black hair. A loose black long-sleeved shirt and baggy black pants held up by an orange belt covered him, but his feet remained bare. He stretched his arms out, then made as if he were about to fight something. Shaking his hair out of his ears, amber earrings glistened through the black strands, though they were all just posts and small hoops.
"'M hungry." It was another one of the males, and both his sunny yellow eyes were wide open. His black hair was up in spikes; his tight black shirt and loose black pants were form-fit to him. Like the boy with orange eyes, he wore no shoes, but wore fingerless yellow gloves. A few of his yellow citrine studs were cuffs, and even more were hoops.
"Wrath and Gluttony." Lust said, pointing. "Ah…the candles have blown out. Our souls have returned." She smiled, and as she did, there was a unanimous swoon, "Don't fall for my charm. I'm never a good thing to have."
"Nor are we." Two girls said.
The first had shoulder-long black hair and emerald green eyes. Her sleeves, unlike the rest, were short, though her skirt was long. It didn't cover her emerald slippers, and her hair revealed all the emeralds shot through her ears.
The other's hair was fell to the middle of her back, but was tied into a loose ponytail. Her indigo eyes blinked a few times. She wore a black tank top, a long black skirt like the others, black shoes, and fingerless indigo lace gloves that stretched from her upper arms all the way to her fingers. Her sapphire earrings were the most, and one had even been punched through her navel; they were almost as whimsical as Lust's were.
"Envy and Greed, and where's Sloth?" Pride asked. Envy turned her head. There, sitting on one of the pews, was a boy with a long black ponytail and shimmering purple eyes. He wore a black short-sleeved shirt and loose black pants, as well as black shoes. There was a purple cloth wrapped around his right wrist. All his amethyst earrings were posts, all but one that dangled to his waist.
"So. The seven of you, awake again." Death said. "Meet the new Prometheus and Pandora."
Pride stepped forward and studied Joe, then Francoise. She smirked.
"Should we see how they do in a fight of who has more of me?" Pride teased, smiling. "I see you, Etoile."
"Not now. We'll wait." Sloth said, rising. "It's good to know them now, though."
"Shall we leave now?" D.S. asked. "I can hear them. They're coming back."
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((shoots self)) No reviews did she get...