"That is the best damn set of questions I've ever heard in my life," Duke replied, grinning like a madman. He would've said he hated lazy plot conveniences, but his last official outing before Kivotos was a narrative fucking tragedy anyway. Plus, a student was in danger here, and that was all he needed to tell the rules to go fuck themselves.
"Very well then, if you could walk with me..."
Arona and Duke looked at each other, nodded, and bumped fists. It was time to get to the bottom of this.
"First, let's start with a probe. How much do you know of Arius?"
"Ooh, ooh!" Arona raised her hand, bouncing in Duke's arms. "I collected the info! Pick me!"
Duke rolled his eyes and jerked his head towards his tiny secretary.
"What energy. You remind me of a certain someone. Very well then, miss...?"
"Arona! Just Arona is fine."
"Arona, then. What does Schale know of Arius?"
Duke took a look as the void around them bent and shifted, becoming the same long table filled with sweets that the Tea Party had been at earlier in the day. However, the night sky of the mindscape was blotted out by the lights of the campus buildings, giving off a false sense of life that he couldn't help but feel mildly discomforted with. If Arona had noticed, she didn't say anything focused as she collected her thoughts, and Seia simply pulled a seat out at the far end and sat as if this was a daily occurrence, nursing a cup filled with (fake?) tea.
"I know that Arius split off from Trinity following a disagreement, and were quickly defeated and banished. They then disappeared, and no one knows where they went to this day," Arona recited, and Duke pat her on the head at her proud look. Seia looked at her and nodded, placated but not impressed.
"Surface knowledge, but I suppose it is justified. Much of Trinity's early history is subject to interpretation, some information simply being lost to time even to us. The truth of the matter is that the Arius faction is, indeed, still clinging to life. Just barely, enough to be little more than a withered husk of what was once a great beast, but it is alive."
"...How do you know this?" Duke raised an intrigued brow.
Seia took a dainty sip. "I am 'blessed' with the powers of foresight. I glimpse of the future in its many forms in my dreams...whether I wish to or not."
Duke and Arona looked at each other uneasily.
"Is there somethin' in the future that we need to look out for?"
"Many things. Many things that I thought were destined to play out. Many things that I thought would contribute to the tragedy that is...or rather was, Trinity. That's not to say that there is no hardship coming," Seia reached over the table to grab a croissant, "but that there are things that even I am unsure of now."
"...Unsure?" Arona tilted her head, trying very hard not to drool at the various dream-pastries. "I thought you could see the future in your dreams. Can't you just, uh, re-dream them the next time you sleep?"
Seia huffed amusedly. "Compared to the nightmares, I most definitely would have jumped at the chance to. But my dreams have only involved you very recently, Duke-sensei."
"Well, I just took up the job," Duke shrugged. "Makes sense ta me."
The seer hummed, putting a hand to her cheek in thought. "No, perhaps I'll need to rephrase this...how do I...ah, yes."
"You see, I had long since been expecting another...a different Sensei. A woman and her dear Make-Up Work Club, unravelling a plot of betrayal and hatred..."
Duke's heart hammered in his chest. It could only be her again, and this time someone remembered. How deep did this rabbit hole go...?
...
He shook his head. Like the whole deal with Arona, he had to table this for later. As much as it pained him to say, the only good those stories of his wife would do would be for his heart. Right now, this was his story, and he was needed.
"...Yeah, I knew her," Duke responded quietly, squeezing Arona a bit tighter at her concerned look. "But I can swing by Trinity after all this is over with to talk about that, if you're cool with it. Let's just deal with the here 'n now, Seia."
"You're a focused man," Seia nodded, "I can respect that. Please, sit down. I'll give you the information that I believe is the same."
Letting Arona hop out of his arms, they walked over and took seats on opposite ends to Seia. Once they had settled in, Arona piling her plate with various sweets, the president of the Tea Party cleared her throat.
"Now then, let's get to the most salient information: Arius Satellite School is, indeed, underneath Trinity. Linked by an underground passage and surrounded by false entrances, getting to the district itself will be no easy feat."
False entrances, huh? Of course it had to be some kind of fucking puzzle.
"So how the hell do we find the right one?"
"I may not remember the exact details, everything blends together when you're forced to watch it against your will dozens of times," Seia sipped her tea again and let out a quiet sigh, "but there is a code for the internal route to the real entrance. There should be one student in particular who you may be able to reach that has the skills necessary to decipher said code."
"Wait a minute, how does a Trinity student know how to get to the Arius district?" Arona questioned, and Duke's eyes shot open as he connected the dots before her. Seia, noticing his shock, merely smiled.
"Simple. She wasn't originally from Trinity..."
"She's a goddamn plant from Arius," Duke breathed, and Seia nodded. Suddenly, the scenery shifted again, the three of them deposited from their seats as the warm lights and elegance of Trinity melted away to rubble, ruin, and vanity. Arona's mouth shut with a clack, whine about her missing food dying in her throat as they all looked around the decaying Arius district.
"Just a preview of what is to come, I fear my strength is waning. That girl, the spy...and my would-be assassin is your target, originating from this lifeless world." Seia smiled a bit wider this time, clashing heavily with their surroundings. "I believe it will be obvious who she is upon first glance. As an aside? I recommend getting to know Peroro and Friends. You'll find she isn't as cold as she seems."
As Aru struts her way to that sweets club's building, fancy bag of cookies in hand, she idly wonders how nothing crazy has happened yet.
Now don't get her wrong, there's nothing bad about getting down and dirty for the job, and getting into at least one firefight per week is pretty much mandatory for any student living in Kivotos.
But wasn't it a little too peaceful here?
They're a group of Gehenna students in Trinity. You couldn't blame her for expecting some sort of shot to plink off the back of their heads, or someone to trip her as she was walking, or for some disgruntled student to throw a grenade at them as they were at a vending machine. But no. There are glares, there's muttering behind their back, there's flustered confusion whenever Mutsuki winks and licks her lips at them (seriously, what is she even implying?), but there's no outright violence. Compare that to Gehenna, where if you breathe funny you're getting laughed at and then eating lead...if, of course, you didn't shoot them in the throat first. Throw in about twenty more guns, half of which weren't even related to the situation in the first place, and you have a normal day for the Prefect Team.
"This place is kinda snazzy," Mutsuki hummed, skipping along in front with her bag slung over her shoulder. "Who knew Haruka got to buddy up with some highfalutin girls?"
"Come now, Mutsuki," Aru chided, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Regardless of what their allegiance is, Problem Solvers 68 never fail to repay kindness with kindness! Respect with respect! Dignity...with dignity."
Mutsuki hooted and clapped as Kayoko rolled her eyes and shrunk deeper into her hoodie. Just another day of them not appreciating the company mottos she painstakingly crafted for every occasion.
If only Haruka were here, Aru ruefully thought to herself. She would give my declaration the gravitas it deserves!
Oh well. At least that would be a moot point in about two minutes.
"Take a right here and we'll be at the door. We don't have anything to worry about, Haruka said they're...heh, sweet."
Mutsuki's face scrunched up, and Aru couldn't help but raise a brow. Seriously, she made all kinds of dumb jokes and pranks but drew the line at Kayoko's puns? Rolling her eyes, Aru pushed open the door-
"Shhh," Airi quickly put her finger to her mouth, stopping the rest of Problem Solvers in their tracks. Finding what was assumedly the After-School Sweets Club snacking in a semi-circle, the focal point of their attention was on the slumbering Haruka currently laid across Airi's lap, bundled up with Kazusa's jacket. Her sailor hat had been delicately put to the side, and the girl's expression seemed to be one of rare peace.
"Are you...Haruka's friends?" Kazusa quietly asked, eyes fixed on Aru's horns.
"...Yes, we are," Aru quietly responded, knowing full well where the girl was staring and tensed. "I've heard you all have been taking care of her," Aru brought the bag up, "and would like to thank you for that."
"Um," Yoshimi mumbled, gaze darting from Aru to Mutsuki to finally Kayoko. "Yeah, sure. Come on in an' take a seat."
"Wow," Natsu murmured in amazement, drinking in the rare sight of students from Gehenna in their club room. "So Haruka hails from the land of our fated rivals...I suppose the pieces of the puzzle are finally falling into place."
"Well, it doesn't really matter to me," Airi lightly ended the conversation. "A friend of Kazusa's is a friend of ours, and friends of Haruka's are also friends of ours. You all seem like nice girls," she cracked an eye at them, "but I do believe you have some explaining to do."
Even Mutsuki gulped.
...
"Wow, all of you have led a pretty hard life," Yoshimi nodded as she munched on a cookie from the bag. "Never heard of a team of 'fixers' in Trinity. Guess it's good to know that you're all not driving Haruka here to an early grave or anything."
"What?!" Aru hissed before quickly composing herself. "We at Problem Solvers are like family, there's no way we would order Haruka to work herself to the point of near-death! Honestly..."
She scooted over to Airi and gently pushed some of Haruka's hair behind the girl's ear, feeling some part of her grow warm as her employee seemed to unconsciously lean into her touch. Airi, watching her closely, nodded as if coming to terms with something and smiled warmly at her.
"How did she fall asleep here anyway?" Kayoko muttered. "Haruka never falls asleep in unfamiliar places...or with unfamiliar people in the room."
"She encountered the worst fate that a sweets rookie could reach," Natsu leaned in, pausing for dramatic effect. "The sugar crash."
Problem Solvers stared at Natsu, looked amongst themselves, and looked back at the other club without a lick of understanding. Kazusa rolled her eyes and stretched, and Kayoko was struck with the near-overwhelming urge to scratch her behind the ears.
"She'll be fine," she grunted. "Just need to sleep off all the stuff she ate. She really packed it away...though I kinda think she just wasn't able to say no."
"Yes, well, that certainly sounds like her," Aru sighed wearily. It wasn't really something that screamed 'outlaw', but at least Haruka had enjoyed herself...or at least she hoped the girl did, being the nervous wreck that she was. "Still, it's a good thing if we can treat ourselves every once in a while."
A quiet chorus of agreements rang out, and the groups gradually settled into a comfortable silence, the sounds of Haruka's soft breathing and the munching of snacks being the only sounds in the room.
"So," Yoshimi finally broke the silence after a few minutes, looking over to Mutsuki. "I heard rumors going around that a group from Gehenna were on campus, but I didn't think we'd get to know you this well."
"Yeah, we stick out a bit, huh?" the chief of staff wryly grinned. "I don't think it's a problem with you lot, but..."
"I've no idea about my fellows, but I am beyond such shallow thinking," Natsu declared, thumping her chest. "Life is like a box of cupcakes: each one has its similarities and differences, yet every one of them is to be cherished. If you love sweets from the depths of your heart, then you will find sanctuary here."
Yoshimi shook her head. "Not gonna lie, you looked all business-y when you first showed up, but now you don't seem half bad. All those rumor-mongering idiots were just blowing things out of proportion, I guess."
Aru huffed amusedly. 'Don't seem half bad', she says! "Well, you're not entirely wrong: the life we lead is one fraught with danger and intrigue," Aru commented, a smug sneer on her face as she gracefully accepted a cookie from Natsu. "Problem Solvers 68 is no stranger to death-defying battles! Tremble in awe at our brutal efficiency and rugged professionalism!"
Haruka snorted in her sleep, whined and stretched a bit, and then snuggled back into Airi's thighs.
"...That could count as professional courtesy in some circles," Kayoko smirked, shaking her head. As everyone quietly chuckled, Aru futilely sputtering in the background, they could hear the sound of loud thumping indicative of someone bounding down the hall.
"Geez, some people amirite?" Mutsuki groaned. "If they wake Haruka up, I might just have to correct 'em with a prank or three~!"
A muffled scream that sounded something like 'ooy'ma asoosaaa' bore down the hall, and Kazusa dropped her half-eaten muffin as her ears went flat against her skull.
"Kazusa...?!"
"H-Hey, what's the matter?"
"No..." she whispered, eyes wide and terrified as if she had just beheld a cucumber.
"KYOUYAMA KAZUSAAAAAA!"
"I-Is she a friend of yours?" Aru asked, uneasy at the girl's naked terror.
"Absolutely not!" Kazusa hissed and jumped up, and Natsu had to bite her lip to keep the obvious joke from slipping out. "We've gotta get outta here, Yoshimi, get- just get the window open!"
"What? I'm not- no, we're not jumping through a bush because you're scared of that girl!"
"Scared?! Hell no! She's been bugging me for a while now a-and I have no idea what she wants! Always calling me out for, uh, t-things...it's so annoying! I've told her to grow up and leave me alone already," Kazusa's hands mussed through her hair, "but she just won't get it! I didn't see her all day and I just knew it was too good to be true!"
Kayoko raised a brow as the girl's eyes darted around the room, sweat pouring down her face.
She couldn't be a worse liar if she tried, she mentally huffed. But it's none of my business. The boss, on the other hand...
"You're being stalked?" Aru tilted her head, causing a wave of scandalized gasps among the After-School Sweets Club and an embarrassed growl from Kazusa. "Well then, don't worry your pretty little heads. Being our benefactors has its advantages, you see," the boss of PS68 stood up and brushed some dust off her skirt, pulling Wine Red • Admire off her back with a flourish. "Girls...?"
Snickering, Mutsuki pulled Trick or Trick off the wall rack and leaned it on her shoulder. "Aw, isn't our Aru just the coolest~! As she said, you girls can sit back and relax. I like you lot, so I can beat up a stalker for you easy-peasy!"
Kayoko nodded, pulling Demon's Roar from its holster and, just to show off a bit for their new clients, twirled it with practiced ease. "This'll be good for PR, at least. Though I suppose Aru wasn't thinking about that in the first place."
"Yeah, I bet she just wanted to protect her new friends! What a gal, huh?"
"Would you two just let me have this?!" Aru huffed, cheeks turning pink as the After-School Sweets Club snickered behind them. "Let's do away with this stalker as quick as possible, for our peaceful evening and Haruka's rest!"
"KYOU- Ah, is this the right...? H-Hold on, um...ah...yeah! Yeah, okay...whew!"
The girl behind the door cleared her throat, the sound of fabric shuffling about masking the sounds of Problem Solvers getting into position. Yoshimi, Natsu, and Kazusa had also drawn their arms and posted up as best they could, guns pointed to the door and trigger fingers at the ready. Airi had managed to throw Kazusa's jacket back at the girl, picked a drowsy and confused Haruka up and moved the pair out of the way of the ensuing firefight...at least temporarily.
Airi was completely ready and willing to fill Kazusa's stalker with holes.
"Hoo, hoo...okay, y-you've got this Reisa. READY OR NOT, CATH PALUG, TRINITY'S SHINING HERALD OF JUSTICE-!"
"Trinity's shining who now?" Kayoko raised a brow.
"Cath Palug?" Natsu looked to Kazusa with sparkling eyes. The cat-eared girl could feel her sweat soaking through her recently-acquired jacket as an apocalyptic rage boiled inside her.
The door burst open with a mighty kick, and a small girl with pink-and-blue multicolored hair rolled in and struck a tactical pose with her shotgun. It would have looked heroic, had the plushies attached to her bag, her oversized coat, and the little buttons adorning said coat not made her look adorable instead.
All capped off with the proud expression on the girl's face betraying her status as a few macarons short of a box.
"Uzawa Reisa, is here!"
Reisa took a look at the veritable wall of guns pointed at her from every angle, turned her gaze to Kazusa's absolutely furious expression, and decided to open her mouth anyway to try and fit her entire sneaker inside.
"Wowie, I guess paying a thousand yen for that intel was a good idea!" Reisa happily declared, before dramatically gasping. "Wait a moment! You've brainwashed these poor innocent souls into becoming your thralls, Cath Palug?! Unacceptable! The depths of your devilry truly knows no bounds, she who makes even her fellow delinquents weep in fear!"
She pointed right at Kazusa, who was gritting her teeth so hard that it was nearly audible. Yoshimi and Natsu even shimmied away from her a bit. "Your reign of terror ends TODAY! I cha-"
Reisa would never finish her sentence as Mutsuki popped a round into her forehead, soon joined by a hail of gunfire as Trinity's Shining Herald of Justice began screaming.
As Mika sat alone in the darkness of her room, legs pulled up to her chest, she came to terms with the fact that didn't understand her precious Nagi-chan at all.
Why?
Why?!
Why would they even think of parleying with Gehenna?! They were lawless and barbaric! That sham club that calls themselves 'the Pandemonium Society' (wow soooo cool they think they're so much better than you) is nothing but a gaggle of idiots and blowhards! She had a begrudging respect for the Prefect Team, very begrudging, for trying to keep order in a hostile land...but that one was group. A drop in an ocean of degeneracy and filth.
How unlike her.
How shameful.
And Nagi-chan wanted to bring that here, to their beloved Trinity.
But I'm the stupid one, Mika bitterly laughed to herself, biting her thumb and rocking back and forth. So what do I know? Seia is smart, witty and sees the future in her dreams. Nagisa is pretty, charming, and a real lady. Why do they even need me, that flighty idiot who can't even remember her 'propriety'?
(You are nothing to them)
Mika clutched her head and moaned pitifully. It wasn't true, her friends loved her...it hurt, it hurt, why did everything hurt when she tried to think...?
(You are not a thinker, you are a fol̷͖̀ĺ̷̦owe̵̬̔r)
No, no, no, Mika thought to herself as she stumbled off her bed and towards the table. Plan, she planned something with Saori, her plan was to-
(Plant the spy, the Tea Party will be m̵̢̧̲̺͒́́̓͜i̴̮̣̠̲͈̦͋͊̽̉̕ne, take this bom̷̡͖̌̊͜b, a short trip to the ho̶̧̢̡̢̹̟̣̟̗̳̤̩̖̔͐̔͂̈͜spitá̸̢̡̟̪͖͓͖͕͍͎̟̇l̶͚̾̀̔̕-)
Something within Mika roiled at the thought, and she knocked over the water bottle she was about to drink from with a shuddering sob as she began dry heaving. She didn't want this anymore, Saori, Saori, what was this, why was she just so angry all the time now, this wasn't-
(̶̳̑̀̓ͅY̴̬̝̱͋͆o̷̻͚͛̿ų̵̢̥͐ ̸̭̤̟̾̑͊ą̸̛̋ŕ̴̙ë̵͓́͒͋ ̴̙̦̇n̶̛̞̠͆ö̶̡́̋t̴͖̫͕͗͊ ̸̝̿̾̒a̵̞̥͂̒ ̵̈́͜ͅt̸͖̊h̶͙̔͗̈́i̵̺͝ṋ̸͚̋͝k̴̳̿͐è̷͖̤͎ř̸̯͖,̴̪̇ ̶̣̊͌y̴̨̬̣̅̿̿o̸̫̹̾̇ų̴̜̅ ̷͓͙͐͠â̴͖̦̞͛͝ř̸͓͍é̶̤̗̉ ̴̻̃͗ä̶̳̥́ ̷͔̱̈́̓̏͜f̷̼̒ỏ̸̜͒l̴̟͔̫̓l̴̻̼̪̔̔ơ̴͉͚͍̑̕w̷̬͖͉̚ẽ̴̛̯ŕ̵̞̈́͝)̶̨̫͈̒̀
(Do what you are told.)
...
...
The bomb was on its way.
The spy was on campus.
The seer would be dealt with. The lady would be locked away in a tower. The Tea Party would be in the hands of the princess, and under her just rule the vile demons would be slaughtered to the last.
That was the plan.
Misono Mika dried her face and puzzled out a smile as she wobbled back to her feet and slipped into bed.
Tomorrow would be another bright day!
(Good child.)
(Obedient child.)
The longer Duke sat in his seat at the Tea Party's table thinking of the poor state of the Arius district, the more his blood boiled.
Atsuko, Saori, Misaki, Hiyori...and Azusa. He had burned those names into his memories as soon as Seia told him, the girl's power of visualization petering out. They were Arius Squad, an elite team that bitch Beatrice used as her personal attack dogs...as long as they were useful and obedient. Beatrice was willing and able to discard them without a second thought if managing them was too inconvenient, as she had with countless other students so far.
(Princess, s-save the Princess, please...!)
...Oh, he was stomping mad. The dead had names, and Duke would make sure that Beatrice would remember each and every one of them as he compacted her into meatloaf.
"M-My apologies, Duke-sensei, that I could not show you more," Seia coughed into her sleeve, and Duke did understand: the poor girl was sagging at the mental strain of having kept up the illusion of Arius for so long. She had warned them that she wasn't the most robust student normally and here it was demonstrated to his face. Granted, he thought he'd be the one taking the heat seeing how it was his mind and everything, but this wasn't an exact science anyway.
"Ain't a problem. Your intel was real gold star stuff, kid," Duke leaned forward. "So, how do we get outta here? Arona and I got our work cut out for us, and we better get started on finding that Azusa kid as soon as dawn breaks."
"I can handle that," Seia gently assured him. "...But may I please request something before I send you two off?"
"Sure thing."
"Alright!"
"Thank you," the president smiled at them briefly, her smile being replaced by something smaller and melancholic. "I beg you to save my close friend...and persistent pain in the rear, Misono Mika."
"...Save her from what?" Arona tilted her head. "She seemed a little prickly to me, but otherwise fine."
"And that is not right," Seia's eyes narrowed. "Mika is many things. She is a bit dumb, too impulsive for a Tea Party member, and too innocent for her own good. But her hatred of Gehenna...that deep, smoldering rage of hers...it is the mark of a devil. I don't wish this upon her. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."
For the first time since they'd met, a crestfallen expression sat upon Seia's delicate features. "Nagisa doesn't know. Their deep friendship blinds her to Mika's inner darkness. But she can be saved, Duke-sensei. I know it, I've seen it. I may heap scorn onto her, sometimes justified and other times not, but I don't want to see her desecrated like this. Please, save Misono Mika from the hatred that is not her own."
...Not her own? Duke leaned forward, about to ask for clarification-
"...?!"
"...?"
The world shuddered.
"...Uh? Is, um, is something supposed to happen?" Arona whispered.
"Not really sure..." Duke muttered back before looking at Seia. "Hey, Seia, you alright over there?"
"I...w-what was that?!" Seia sputtered, eyes swiveling wildly in an attempt to spot the unknown enemy. "Something is here...! Something is coming!"
Duke tensed as Arona's gaze sharpened. "...What joker is tryin' ta piss around in my head?"
"My, my. What a crass man you are, 'Sensei'. Oh well, I suppose I can forgive an uncouth first impression."
Seia gasped as the dreamscape twisted and screeched around them, and the group was suddenly back in the Arius district. Pulling Arona and Seia close to him, Duke took a deep breath and stayed alert.
"And what a naughty child you are, Yurizono Seia...sticking your filthy little fingers in an adult's property. You've even brought along a little friend...how detestable."
"Just stay near big ol' Duke, kids," he lowly muttered, feeling a surge of protectiveness as two small hands gripped his shirt.
"Oh, but where are my manners? I suppose it would only be good etiquette to introduce myself personally, no? Hahaha..."
Duke didn't even flinch as a vortex, swirling with red and black energy, opened before him. With Arona shuffling behind him and Seia trying to stand firm beside him, Duke Nukem felt no fear in his heart as he beheld the woman that stepped from the portal.
If her red skin hadn't made her inhumanity obvious, the crown of eyed wings composing the top half of her head certainly did. The woman wore a lacy, backless white dress that hugged her curvy figure, the end of it stylized with roses that billowed outward behind her. It was stylish, sexy and graceful all in one package, but the aura of sheer contempt that radiated from the woman ruined any notion of sensuality she tried to project.
"Greetings, Duke-sensei," the woman regally tilted her head, the barest shred of respect in her action. "I am Beatrice, a member of Gematria. You may call me Madame, and those little parasites nipping at your heels?"
Beatrice's many eyes glared disdainfully down at Arona and Seia as she flipped open her fan, hiding the lower half of her face. Duke, on the other, felt his lips pull back into a snarl as he clenched his hands into steely fists.
"They are not allowed to call me at all. I do believe an apology for trespassing upon my estate is in order."
SIDE STORY 01: A Change of Heart
Komakaze Rabu knew that this job was kinda shitty. The only difference is that she really didn't care until recently.
"Are you sure about this, captain?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Once Kaiser finds out..."
Rabu snorted. "I know what Kaiser'll do. That's why I told you and the girls to get the fuck outta here before things really go to Hell. You can disappear, start new somewhere else while I bum around, steal an assload of supplies in an unmarked truck, and-"
"No way!" the Helmet Gangster exclaimed, pumping her fists. "The other girls and I, we talked. If you're really going through with this, we'll follow you and just multiply that assload. Fuck Kaiser, right? We've gotten by without 'em in the past, and we can do it again!"
Rabu actually laughed this time. "Yeah, fuck 'em! They think they're hot shit, talking down to us and giving us dogshit pay just 'cuz we're dropouts? Nobody screws with the great Komakaze Rabu and her crew!"
The Helmet Gangsters around them guffawed and exchanged boasts of their own amongst hushed murmurs. Rabu herself just shook her head fondly and took her cracked phone out.
Chichi
RABU HON I MADE IT IN! ! !
Thats great babe! knew schale would be fuckin stupid if they didnt take you in! love u!
Chichi
I love you too, Rabu.
Come right home after that job, okay?
We'll celebrate! I'll put in a good word to Duke-sensei
Let's see if you can get into the Security Team!
(She smiled, smiled so wide it almost split her face. Chieko always believed in her, that fuckin' softie, so unlike your standard delinquent that their relationship felt like a dream even now.
Chichi wouldn't be able to sleep at night if she knew her girlfriend put a dying school down like an old dog. And so Rabu didn't.)
(You have read up to this point.)
Hey
Chichi
Hey hon!
Learning to cook the different kinds a steak
Whats up?
I need to talk to you about something
Chichi
Is everything okay?
This job
I quit
And I'm gonna let bossman know in the only way I know how
Chichi
Rabu
Are you okay
Are you safe
I love you. You make me a better person
I'm gonna do the right thing
Then I'm comin back home with the girls
And we're never doing this shit again
See you soon
Chichi
Rabu
"Hey, Captain! Trucks are all loaded. We ready?"
Rabu turned off her phone and pocketed it, muttering a silent apology to the heavens. Truthfully, she had no fucking clue if Abydos would even welcome them, if Kaiser would just roll in and stomp the shit out of them once they defected, and if they'd even make it there in one piece in this sandblasted district. She had no idea if she just made the worst decision of her life or was about to find her return to morality paying dividends.
What she did here was the opposite of lying low and doing the job to get home. But she had a girl back home. Someone who looked at her lifestyle, said 'nah', and made an effort to go clean. And she did it...all to provide for some lowlife like her. Then Chieko took Rabu's hands, her eyes bright and clear, and told her that she could get outta here too.
They say love made dumbasses out of the smartest girls. Rabu was already a dumbass, so what the hell. Let's just go balls out for love, then!
"Alright gang, let's move out!" Rabu shouted, and they all scattered like ants to their own trucks. "We're headin' to Abydos High! Let's save those pricks and stick it to Kaiser, eh?! For our clean break!"
"Our clean break!" the gang hollered back, whooping and hollering and waving their guns in the air like it was the world's most heavily armed sports game.
Rabu turned her head and motioned to a Helmet Gangster with long black hair. "Ami, gimme that megaphone. I'd rather us not get shot to shit when we're closing in on Abydos. Those drone's rockets fucking hurt."
"Gotcha, captain."
Whatever happened in this godforsaken desert, Rabu was gonna be right in the center of it.
...
Fuck me, this better work.
A/N: No way it's been a week since I last ported over a chapter. I refuse to believe it.
In any case, been busy withering away over here. Know what's better than writing an essay that's at least 2 pages single-spaced? Writing two of them.
I had to write five pages for the first one. I'm leaving a changed man.