Chapter Five
"I'd like to know..." said Wade.
"Hold off on the Twenty Questions and let's get something to eat," said Kabale. "What'cha got around here?"
"Kabale!" exclaimed Raf.
"I'm hungry!" said the devil-girl, putting a hand on her stomach.
"Uh huh!" put in Rufus.
Rufus and Kim exchanged a look, and the mole rat nodding eagerly. "Ron would have wanted to go to Bueno Nacho."
"I've been wanting to try it," said Kabale, "But never had a reason to transform while there."
"Me too," put in Raf.
"A devil that likes Tex-Mex can't be ALL bad," said Wade.
"Hey!" said Kabale, indignantly, "I am too!" She crossed her arms and glared at the boy on the screen.
"Uh, I need to work on that circuitry match. See ya later!" Wade quickly signed off.
All four of them couldn't help but snicker after a moment's silence.
"Okay, we'll go, but one thing. Kabale, you don't act like I'd expect a devil would," said Kim.
She raised an eyebrow. "And how would you expect a devil to act?"
"Well, you've been friendly, and open, and truthful," Kim glanced at Raf, who nodded.
The devil-girl's face went blank. "Just what are you saying?"
"I thought you'd be more... you know... sinister, cold, calculating, sneaky, that kind of thing," said Kim.
"Oh, just because I'm a devil I can't have manners? Is that what you think?" Kabale answered, her voice rising.
"Well, I..." started Kim.
"I'm evil, so I have to be a ravening animal?" asked Kabale, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at the heroine.
"I didn't mean..." said Kim, eyes wide.
"What about Senior Senior, Sr.? He's evil, but always polite," the devil added.
"True, he is," said Kim, "But I..."
"Haven't you ever heard of being subtle? How far would I get if I acted the way you think I should?" shouted Kabale, waving her arms.
"S-sorry, I didn't mean to insult you," said Kim, turning red. Rufus had jumped from Kim's shoulder and was hiding behind the computer on her desk.
"Kim," interrupted Raf, smiling softly, "She's provoking you."
"Yep," grinned the devil, "And it's fun, too. You've also revealed yourself."
"HUH? What are you talking about?" asked Kim, very confused.
"Bigotry," she answered, "You don't know anything about either of us, but you've snap-judged us based on how we look instead of having an open mind."
Kim gaped at her and groped for something to say until the angel came to her rescue.
"You're not THAT bad, Kim," she said gently, "Just do what you've always done and don't listen to her."
"She ought to, I'm trying to help her improve her attitude," said Kabale. "I could be her best friend, but see if it happens now." She turned partially away and crossed her arms.
"Good thing, too," muttered Kim. "So, about going to Bueno Nacho; you'll act like a normal person when we get there?"
"Of course! I'm hungry! Why would I jeopardize that?" was the answer.
Kim looked at Raf. "You trust her?"
At that, the devil-girl cracked up. "Trust me? Even Raf's not THAT stupid!"
"No, I don't trust her," answered Raf glaring at Kabale, "But she IS my friend."
"I'm evil, but I'm not an idiot. I don't know what's going on, or why this has happened, and think it's best to be cautious," said Kabale. "As far as that goes, you can trust me."
Rufus had returned to Kim's shoulder, since the subject was once again food. He tugged on Kim's hair to get her attention. "Like Shego acts."
"That's it!" agreed Kabale.
"That's as much as you're going to get, Kim," said Raf.
"It'll do, I guess, let's go."
At the front door, Kim paused. "Should you go out like that?"
"Raf and Kabale exchanged a look.
"Isn't tomorrow Hallowe'en?" asked the devil, "We're just wearing our costumes early."
"That works," said Raf. "Good thinking, Kabale."
"Of course," she answered, while thinking, "I got her to go along with a lie! I'm making progress!"
They went out the door, following Kim to her SL Roth.
Seeing the devil smirk, Raf used her telepathy to contact her. "I know what you're thinking, and you're deluding yourself. You know perfectly well we can't reveal we exist to humans; it would destroy everything we work for. A little deception to protect... everything... is not evil."
Kabale's face fell, and Raf gave her a pointed look.
"Fine," said the devil, with a sigh.
"What?" asked Kim, turning to them.
Kabale shook her head. "Never mind."
KP/AF KP/AF KP/AF
At Bueno Nacho, they got some looks, most of which were approval. A few people came over to give them compliments on their costumes. Kabale thought it was hilarious, and had trouble controlling her laughter. Ned gave them a free lunch, just for the excellence of the costumes.
"But where's yours, Kim?" he asked.
"Ah... not ready yet," she answered, uncomfortable. Strictly speaking it was true; she hadn't planned on wearing one. It occurred to her that she was suddenly a lot more aware of what she said, and the decisions she was making.
The three sat down in the booth that Kim and Ron usually took. Kabale and Raf were sitting together; Kim on the other side.
"Sinfully good!" said Kabale, munching her burrito.
Raf eyed the food dubiously. "If you say so." She, like Kim, had gotten the taco salad.
Kim had gotten Rufus a Naco, the treat Ron had invented a couple of years earlier, and the mole rat was busy scarfing it down. He suddenly noticed Kabale was smirking at him.
"What?" he asked, putting his little forelegs on his sides and glaring at the devil-girl. If she was going to try to steal his naco, she had a surprise coming.
"Good work, Rufus, I'm proud of you," she answered, and returned attention to her burrito.
"Huh?" he scratched his head and looked confused.
"Gluttony," said Raf, taking a bite of salad.
The mole rat's eyes grew wide. He looked at the half-finished Naco, then back at the devil-girl and angel. He thought for a minute, then said, "Meh!" and continued eating.
Kabale leaned over to Raf and said "I win that one," in a low voice.
"Big surprise there," Raf answered.
"Is that how you work?" asked Kim.
"Pretty much," said Kabale.
"Hm... a lot to think about," said Kim, and went back to her meal.
KP/AF KP/AF KP/AF
"Should they be telling Kim Possible all of that?" asked Dolce. The pink-haired angel looked worried.
"Raf can make her forget with her Think Fly power," answered Sulfus, "So don't worry about it."
Gas stood up. "Well, nothing's going on, so I'm gonna go eat. Seeing all that food is making me hungry," he waved at the screen. The red-headed devil was large, but carried his weight well.
"Sounds like a winner to me!" agreed Miki. The Asian angel stood up, and the others followed.
"Very well, enjoy your meals," said Arkan.
"Come back as soon as you're finished," ordered Temptel. "Do NOT attempt to go to them."
"Yeah, yeah," waved Sulfus.
A minute later, only the teachers were left in the room.
"Arkan, I'm worried," said the thin woman, turning to him. "In all my days I've never seen anything like this."
"Me either," he answered, "I thought it would be just another event, but something has changed. We'll just have to deal with it as best we can."
In the dining hall, the devils and angels clustered together, talking.
"Let's go," said Sulfus.
"Now?" protested Gas, "I want to eat first!"
"Always thinking with your stomach," said Cabiria, patting the large devil on the indicated spot.
"I keep my priorities straight," he admitted proudly.
"We're hungry too," said Miki.
"We're wasting time!" protested Sulfus.
"Let's take a vote," said Gas, "All in favor of eating?" He raised his hand, and was joined by everyone but Sulfus.
The black-haired devil threw up his hands. "All right, I know when I'm beaten. But we go as soon as we're finished."
"They're okay for now, Sulfus," said Urie, "We saw that they still have their powers. Don't worry."
"Don t tell me what to do, angel," he retorted.
As might be expected, Sulfus finished first. Everyone but Gas was nearly done. The big devil-boy still had several dishes as yet untouched.
"That's it, I'm going now," said Sulfus, standing up.
"Just wait a minute!" said Dolce, and took a last drink of orange juice.
"No." was the answer. Sulfus flew from the room.
"We'd better go after him before he does something stupid," said Miki, standing up.
"But I'm not done yet!" protested Gas.
"Just catch up to us when you do," answered Cabiria.
As they gathered their trays, the door opened and Sulfus came back in. Temptel was standing beside him and had her hand on his shoulder. He had his arms crossed and was glaring at her.
"If you're done, let's go back to the Challenge Room," was all she said.