Chapter 10

"How do you know about this place?" The blue-haired woman who had handed Edea the necklace hours ago turned around in surprise when Ringabel and Edea entered DeRosa's former laboratory.

"The question is: How do you know about this place? Did you work for Fiore DeRosa?", Ringabel calmly asked while Edea was inspecting the room. It seemed that most of the devices were still being used, though she couldn't tell what they did exactly.

"Worked for him?" The strange woman laughed hysterically. "You could say that. I was one of the happy ladies he put under his spell. A charming man, I can't deny that. But what he did to me ... what he did to a lot of women is unforgiveable."

That's why she looked familiar, Edea thought. She must have been in the laboratory when the they defeated DeRosa. Most of his victoms had been unconcious, even when Edea and the others had left after the fight to get help for the women.

"If your ideals are so different from his, why are you still down here? What you did to the necklace is just like his parfume magic", Edea stated and crossed her arms.

"Who said I want to be different?", the woman answered. "He wanted me to become his tool. Now I'll be the weapon that turns against him, the hammer that crushes him into the ground."

"DeRosa's ... gone", Ringabel told her and gave Edea a look that said: This woman's truly crazy.

"He might be gone, but there are still other men around who are just like him. In fact, all men are the same. They think they're stronger, wrap us weak women around their fingers and throw us away when they don't need us anymore. But now the time has come. They will get the punishment they deserve. Florem will be freed from men's terror, no evidence of them will be left when I am done with them."

"That's why all the husbands were killed", Edea whispered and then raised her voice: "Don't you think you're overdoing it a bit? Just because one man disappointed you doesn't mean-"

"They're all the same", the woman shrieked. Ringabel cleared his throat: "No offense, miss, but you just have to wait. Even if it seems unlikely now, your prince will come around eventually and save you from this ... misery."

"Are you telling me I am desperate because I'm single? Do you believe us women need mento be happy? As I said before ... you all are the same. I will prove that Florem is better off without men. Why not start here?"

"Good job." Edea shot Ringabel an angry glare. "Now she's even crazier than before. Maybe your charming skills got a bit rusty over the time?"

"I didn't want to waste my charme on her", he grinned.

"Understandable", the blonde girl nodded. Both watched as the woman putting on several bracelets, earrings and necklaces. All of them must have been cursed - and wearing them turned the woman into an ugly monster that could be described best as a giant spider with a woman's face.

"No matter how romantic it is, I will never get you any jewellry from this day on", Ringabel promised, sounding disgusted.

"I didn't plan on wearing any, you know? I think I'm gonna have nightmares of Ouroboros wearing a tiara. Great."

"Watch out!" He knocked her aside to shield her from the spider's poisonous claws.

"Are you hurt?", she worried, but Ringabel shook his head.

"You know the Dark Knight's favourite saying? What doesn't kill us makes stronger. Much stronger." He reached for the sword at his side. Edea did the same. Even though she was in her casual clothes she still knew how to use the Swordmaster's skills.

The monster was incredibly ugly, but not very strong. Or maybe it was the perfect synergy betweeen Edea's and Ringabel's attacks that made them defeat the giant spider so quickly. When the fight was over the former woman vanished, leaving a pile of glowing jewellry behind.

"Case closed", Ringabel said and put up the rings and bracelets. "Let's take this as evidence."

"Can we tell the Matriarch that this crazy woman killed the men? Their wives may have been put under a spell to murder them, but they can't remember anything and I don't want them to feel guilty for what happened. The ugly spider here is the only black-listed creature we need to blame."

"Of course", Ringabel nodded. "The widows already are punished enough with their losses, there is no need to tell anybody how their husbands died."

"Good", Edea agreed. "Let's go see the Matriarch, then. And don't forget about our date."

"I wouldn't even need a diary to remember that."

An empty park, mostly illuminated by fireflies and a clear, starry sky above ... It was kind of romantic, Edea had to admit that. Curiously she followed Ringabel through the park until they reached a picnic rug that was filled with four desserts in different shapes and colors.

"Edea", Ringabel said, "may I present you the four Crystals of Sweetsendarc? In order to stop Vegetablos from destroying several worlds, you need to awaken them."

"How do I do that?", Edea giggled. "By eating them?"

"Exactly." She wondered how he managed to sound so serious.

"And where is the Pillar of Light?", she asked. When she got no answer she turned her gaze away from the desserts and looked at Ringabel instead.

"Don't you think the moonlight adds an unearthly glow to my hair? It shines like the Pillar of Light itself", he hummed. Edea choked.

"I really started to enjoy this. Until you broke the mood within seconds. I get the feeling you are truly bad at dating girls. Were the girls you went out with when we started our journey deaf or something?"

"Don't hurt me like this", he pouted. "I have some Pillar-of-Light-qualities, you know?"

"Like what?"

"I could take you to other dimensions when we-"

"I don't want to hear anything more of it", she complained and covered her ears. "Just take me back to the inn, perv. Date's over."

"What? No!", he objected. "Edea, please. You didn't even try one of the desserts. Forget about my last few sentences, they were stupid. But you liked the idea of Sweetsendarc and the Crystals, didn't you?"

"I did", she admitted and looked at him. It was true, his light blond hair looked great, but she would never tell him. He was the last person who needed a boost to his ego. His pleading expression was sort of cute, though she liked the look on his face he had had this afternoon better. The heated one. When she continued speaking, she realised that her throat had gone dry. "This date still has come to an end."

"Why? That's hardly fair", he protested. She shook her head. It wasn't a midnight picnic she wanted.

"It has ended-" She lowered her voice and let one hand wander over the soft, white fur of his collar, "-so that we can do this." Her lips went up to meet his, and his arms instantly wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her closer.

"You know", he whispered against her lips before pressing his body even closer against hers, "this time we have no excuse to ever stop."

"Don't stop, then", she smiled and barely noticed that he carelessly kicked the desserts aside before guiding her down on the blanket. Kneeling over her, he lowered his body down to hers and started kissing her again, pressing her against the blanket underneath them. He didn't even try to be gentle this time; she felt a strange mixture of desperation, relieve and passion in the way he kissed her. Or maybe it was how she felt herself. How did she manage to reject him all this time? If she had known kissing him felt that great she surely would have changed her mind earlier.

She wrapped her fingers around his hair. Time to mess with the pompadour.