Scene XI - Embassy's Countdown.

A/N: So… last week my PC's power supply died. Not surprised, the thing had 8 years by now (Yes, I squeeze as much out of everything I have as I can), but it did screw my schedule up. It happened on Monday too, so you know why I didn't upload. With a lot of other crap going on I forgot to do it later on in the week too. I should upload two Scenes to compensate, but nah. I still have a lot of work here and there so a 'buffer week' comes in handy. In any case, here, let's return to the regular uploading once more.

Takes place in: Month I - Day 13.

The tallest building in the Cannibal Colony was not as tall as many others in Pentagram. Ye olde construction methods and architecture allowed for much, true. But a skyscraper? Nah. Still, the height of this one more than lorded over all others, and the trio on top of it saw far more than two of them wanted.

It was unsurprising that Gonzalo sounded angry to kingdom come at the sight. "They do have a fucking embassy."

Days were being counted down, up to the second. The luminous building, created with all the pomp and self superiority that could be allowed in Heaven, was the central spectacle of Pentagram City. Not out of choice, no… out of obligation.

The cathedral like structure was a constant reminder of just how long many had to live.

"Yeah, and it has a fucking countdown." Leonor, once more, had that itch to go for a cigarette she didn't have. Having Gonzalo at her side, and not smoking, was enough to curb that desire. The young man had thrown the one he had been enjoying after he saw Leonor hadn't been janking his chain. "Every city in the Pride ring has at least one clock tower with the same function, but in our style. Not that pompous light infused shit."

Leonor was grateful that only two people had opted to come with her. She thought that the family would've learned of this already, but yesterday, after the Tithe was done with, the trio of cousins had been speaking to each other, even sending Evelinde away, after that mess.

Rosie had asked both Evelinde and Leonor to stay out of it. There was something the family had to short by themselves.

Hours later, at dinner, it had been Gonzalo and his sister, Rosa, the ones to knock at Carlos' door. While Rosa had said little it was Gonzalo the one to speak with no jokes, no puns and no nonsense. The pair wanted to see this embassy.

Not even Zana's gruff attitude after being interrupted as she ate had much to say about the request. It felt as serious as it was meant to be.

"I can't believe it." It also was disheartening, even for someone as used to shit and getting fucked over, for Leonor to see Rosa's eyes grow misty. "It is true… Angels do come here and kill people every year. They are going to come for us…"

"Hey. Hey. Here. Come here."

Gonzalo could be a piece of shit. Leonor had learned that the first day. But he was also just as loyal to his family and just as loving, if in different ways in some cases, as Carlos. Holding his sister close in an embrace as Rosa tried not to cry was all the indication Leonor needed.

It was a disgusting display. Not because the loan shark demoness found the affection to be so, but because she had been the one to visually fuck over one of the few members of the family that was still hoping for all that had been shared to be a lie. Destroying someone's hope was a common tactic of her ex boss, and Leonor had found the times she had to do that to someone to be the worst jobs of her life. Killing someone? Painless, most of the time. Crushing hopes and dreams?

Fuck, she preferred to just kill the bastard. She would've even chosen to be dunk in acid. She was a demon, not a motherfucking monster.

"Look, you didn't choose to fight, okay? So don't worry. I am sure nothing will go wrong. It is just two angels, sis." Gonzalo tried his best to console his sister, only for Rosa to push him away.

"It is two members of our family! Aunts! Uncles! Cousins! They have to be close!" This made Leonor wince even more, and Gonzalo felt as if punched when Rosa let out that wail. "Our own blood and flesh is going to come for us because HEAVEN didn't care! I hoped for this to be a lie, Gonzalo! I hoped for Nathaniel to lie! I hoped for grandma to lie! I wished Rosie was lying! I BEGGED for Lucifer to be the king of lies! But no! Of course not! Of course, curse or not, we are always to be hurt!"

"Rosa-."

"No! Fuck you! Don't touch me!"

Rosa cried out. It was so rare for her to swear in a serious manner that it clearly got Gonzalo to take a step back. Leonor didn't have the experience to appreciate just how bad things had to be for the young woman to be in that kind of mindspace.

"How can you be so calm?!" Rosa was screaming at this point. "You, Carlos, Javier and Enrique! All four of you are always like this! You take what comes swinging and don't care! How!? Look at that!" She pointed at the clock tower in the distance. "It tells us how long we have left! Why!?"

"Because shit happens." Gonzalo didn't surprise Leonor with that one. He just told the truth. "Shit happens in life all the time. Life is not fair. Life is not there to comfort you. Life is there to beat you down unless you overpower it." This time Gonzalo did reach for his pack of smokes, picking one up and lighting it away. After a quick drag he let out a sigh. "Javier made sure to protect all of us most of the time. Us three? We learned to take the hits with time, then we also learned to return them. You never did, and you never did because we made sure you didn't need to. Shit got to you, but not as much as it 'should'. The same reason Marcela doesn't need to, or Nuru. Even Jamba and Akiko had to deal with shit that you didn't because we shielded you from it all."

Gonzalo took another drag. The way he went about it reminded Leonor of her own reason to burn away hours with those death sticks. A way to cope with everything that was thrown her way. For Gonzalo? A way to resist intrusive thoughts forced his way by a curse hellbent on screwing him over.

"And you know, the same happened with Ander and Ernesto, though to a lesser extent. I'd like to say that Pablo and Alfonso were the same, but you know they got messed up. Unlike us, they didn't take it well." The young man let out a sigh. "Perhaps we should've done more for them? Pablo became an asshole out of his own volition, so dunno. With Alfonso it was hard. He was barely here, and now look at how fucked up he is." Gonzalo shook his head. "And Sandra? Sandra is fucked. Her mother planted an earworm there and she basically hates anything that has to do with men except her dad." In a quick motion Gonzalo finished his cigarette. It was so damn quick that it should've messed him up, but apparently he had experience with that, a disconcerting level of it. "We are all messed up, sis. All in different ways. We four? We just don't let it show much."

There was a small lul. Leonor wanted to get more involved, but she was aware that this wasn't her place to say or do anything. She was part of the family in a sense, but only recently, and she knew barely enough about any of them. Evelinde had been the one to try and get closer to the lot of them.

… Fuck. The Cambion was getting ahead on every sense of the word. Was it shitty of her to feel so envious? Greed was more her thing, always, but not like most of her kind. Either way, she felt what she felt and that was it.

Gonzalo flicked the butt of the cigarette away, somehow breaking the spell on his sister. "Aren't you worried about dying?"

"Of course." Gonzalo admitted without a second thought. "We all are. We talked about it, you know? Me, Carlos, Enrique… we'll face whatever comes. Javier too. Pablo and Alfonso overheard us and joined in, so did Jamba and Akiko. We all agreed to do it and almost had to fight our parents to keep them out."

Leonor had a question about that at last. "Why keep your parents out of this? More fighters would help. An angel is a dangerous enemy."

"It would also create a lot of stress." Gonzalo didn't miss a beat. "Look, don't tell anyone, okay? But Carlos has been getting cold feet over this."

Rosa looked at her brother with a frown. "You don't mean the revenge thing…?"

"No, oh no. He is going to make sure that bitch gets cooked. Literally. Probably alive if at all possible. I second his decision." Leonor let out a shudder. This was how many felt in The Order, right? They were all fucking crazy. Now matter how sweet, nice, friendly or charismatic, they were all more touched in the head than most demons. "But he really wants to try and de-escalate shit with whoever comes for us. And if it doesn't work? He doesn't want our parents involved, for good or ill."

Leonor couldn't help it. She let out a scoff. "Good luck with that."

"My feelings exactly." It didn't come as a surprise that Gonzalo thought like her. There was more the man wanted to say, Leonor saw. Just as she saw how he kept it buried. "But I am not going to be more of a downer today. I have to go back."

Rosa and Leonor both looked as Gonzalo turned to walk away, with his sister speaking up. "Wait. Why? What for?"

"Rosie wants to talk with our parents about the shrink she knows. I am going to help dad hold mom down." Gonzalo said those words as if they meant nothing. "So stay with Leonor. Talk about girl things and shit. Get your mind off this crap."

While Gonzalo left, not giving a single fuck about his sister flipping him off, Leonor did stay with Rosa.

This was a good opportunity, and the damn Cannibal didn't need to know about it. Besides, she'd be doing right by Rosa, and that alone would make up for any nagging her mind was pushing on her.

Being 'good' sure as hell was harder than being a dick, though the thought did not sit badly within her.

So why the fuck not? She went for it.

"Your brother is right, if nothing else." Leonor's voice made Rosa turn her way. "How about something to de-stress? Rosie showed me a cafe sitting on the border of her territory. Sweets, pastries and anything you may need to calm down and enjoy yourself." But the shark was quick to add. "Nothing cannibal in the menu, unless requested. It is a quaint place and as 'normal' as you can get around here."

Rosa bit her lower lip for a second. Did she really want to indulge after all that? Did she really want a sugar rush to forget that Heaven was literally baying for her family's blood? Did she want some caffeine to get pumped and engrose herself in any activity that forced her to ignore the simple fact that her own family, now dead, had turned into angels and was going to come to end her life?

Yes, yes she did. Leonor saw her cave in after a growl from her stomach broke the silence between the two of them.

"Yes. Please. That sounds like a delightful idea right now."