F
Fox of Spades
Guest
The Human Realm: Farmer's Market
"Hey, you grew up here." Tyree shrugged. "That counts for something. If anything, you've got way more experience in cities than I have." He listened to Celeste talk about her life before, about her father and being whisked away to Greece. Yeah, she was okay. He wondered if she missed the freedom or if she enjoyed her new life as a demi-God amid the lavish lifestyle of those who inhabited Olympus. The way she talked about freedom made Tyree believed she missed it, their was a wistfulness to the way she talked about cities. He was just about to ask Celeste a question when she paused in front of a street vendor, purchased a rather nice looking red scarf, and then asked about Valentines Day.
Their exchange was brief but confirmed that Lilith had indeed been in the area not too long ago.
"Thanks, sir," Tyree said as he followed Celeste deeper into the crowd of shoppers. "Andddd, being a Holiday, where do I start? It's not much different from being a Greek Spirit, I guess. We're each in charge of a specific Holiday, and our job consists of traveling to earth on those specific days and spreading the spirit of said day." It was harder to put into words than he thought. No one had really asked him what being a Holiday was like, then again, his friend circle was composed of other Holidays - that was just things were. "We stay in the Holiday Realm 99 percent of the time. It's nice there. It's a lot more colorful than earth. Sometimes things get monotonous, but that's just the way things are."
Tyree smiled. "Don't get me wrong. I love being a Holiday. When Independence Day rolls around, I get to spread the Patriotism in whatever country I'm in. There's different customs everywhere. In the US, they light up the sky with fireworks and grill hot dogs in the park, in Singapore they have the National Day Parade, in the Philippines they re-enact the first unfurling of the flag, and it's different everywhere." There was a pause as they walked on. "What's it like being a Demi-God, and do you guys party 90 percent of the time like the Reaper says you do?"
Unbeknownst to the duo, someone was trailing them.
Oh my, Greed and Pride would be so proud of her if she returned with Celeste and Tyree in hand. More importantly, Chaos and Aria would be happy and forgive them for their prior slip-up. Orignally, the plan was to have Deceit patrol the surrounding area - the area around where Valentines had been found - as a bird. She'd gotten lucky and seen the Holidays boarding Roland's van from the sky. Once the van was out of sight, she snooped around a little and realized that Halloween and Friday the 13th had been left by their lonesome.
She'd contemplated going after the two in the house, but decided there would be more merit in following the van. She was even more delighted when she noticed the Holidays splitting into smaller groups of two - now was her chance to strike. She could be a reckless spitfire like Pride and Greed always said, but if there was one thing she wasn't, it was stupid. The boys really ought to give her more credit.
Those were the reasons why she morphed into spitting image of Halloween - except with a grisly wound on her left abdomen.
Deceit smiled as she pressed her hands against her side, smiled as a deceitful crimson began seeping through her clothes and fingers. She walked into the crowd, pleased to hear the shocked gasps of the onlookers surrounding her. "T-Ty, Celeste," she called out.
Tyree was the first to turn around and he felt his insides turn to ice.
"The sins... they attacked the house." She pretended to almost stumble face-first into the ground. "They took Francis." Once the bomb had been dropped, she allowed herself to fall to her knees on the cobblestone road. All eyes were on them.
The Human Realm: The Streets of Essex
The Holiday was getting all worked up over her phone, and Thanthos savored every moment of her struggle. He broke into a grin as she chastised him. "Hey, if you don't have any naughty pics in your phone, then you have nothing to worry 'bout, right?" He ruffled her hair, condescendingly. "The way you're acting up, makes me think you've got a secret folder or something." He bent down so he could whisper in her ear, something that seemed to drive the girls he was flirting with mad. Of course, he wasn't flirting with the Holiday, he just wanted to see her squirm. "What? You send them to that blonde friend of yours? The one with the goggles? Bet he likes those."
Thanatos pulled away and smiled brightly, like he hadn't just said what he had. "Just kidding of course, no need to blush, Holiday." He straightened up, feeling superior for once. "Soo, we just gonna stand here and get all flustered over secret folders or what?" He held out his hand and gestured to the interconnecting streets before them. "Ladies first."
The Human Realm: The Hall of Justice
"You're right, Nina. It looks like something really important." He remembered the funeral. Jack O'Lantern and his family had worn suits similar to the ones the humans were wearing now. It had been a somber event, and even the best cake and funniest jokes did little to lift Roland's spirit. They made their way up to the steps, and Nina handled the conversation with the guard. Ferris smiled, partly nervous and partly grateful that his girlfriend had gotten them inside the building without so much as a complication. If anything, they looked like young adults who were nervous about their first time on Jury Duty, a little lost, but not in the least bit suspicious - at least for now.
When they finally met the rest of the Jury, Nina asked him a question.
"I have no idea," he answered, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "It seems important though, they're all reading something. Tell you what, Nina." Ferris beamed. "I'll go ask them, I'm sure they'll be willing to help us. Maybe they've even seen Valentines Day—"
Ferris was interrupted by a man in a black robe, he wore a suit underneath and had a look of utter seriousness on his face. "Good morning, everyone. The judge has just arrived, please take your seats and the bailiff will be here shortly to set things in motion."
The people who'd been pouring over cases rose to their feet and nodded.
"Well," Ferris was obviously very lost. "We should follow them for now, Nina." He grabbed her hand and began to walk.
The Human Realm: Jasper's House
Francis didn't blame her, and that alone, took some of the weight off Alice's shoulders. "Thanks, Francis." She smiled at him when he placed a hand on her shoulder - not the signature toothy grin Halloween was known for, but a more somber and contented smile. "Two years have gone by and we're still drowning in chaos. I bet we're the Reaper's favorite Holidays by far." Of course, she meant his least favorite. Francis, Ferris, Nina, and her, no other Holiday she knew of had caused as much havoc as they had in the past two years.
Of course, it wasn't their fault Balance was dying, they just had a tendency to get swept up in the chaos of it all.
"And Francis," she looked at him, scanning his eyes for some sort of clue regarding how he felt. "You shouldn't blame yourself either. Like I said earlier, you were being a good friend. Thanatos and I would have ended up in the box without you. Thank you." Alice stopped herself there. Something in the atmosphere had shifted, she didn't know what, but it was there. A part of her wanted to give Francis a hug, but she didn't.
The Human Realm: Espresso Express
"One can never have enough pancakes," he joked. "And ah, the macchiatto, good choice. I'll have the sardine pasta and an americano." He nodded to Laura. "I'll place in our order for us." Russel disappeared as he walked over to the cashier and ordered their meals. He paid for the both of them then returned to his seat just in time for another round of fanboying over classic literature.
"Mhm, it's a masterpiece. A dark look into both the superficial nature of society and the supremacy of youth and beauty. Dorian was a tortured soul - horrible person," Russel laughed. "But he did try to redeem himself at the very end. It's amazing how Wilde gets you to sympathize with him. Especially at the end when he realizes he wants to try and better himself in some day. It's out there but relatable, tell your friend he's missing out. I mean, I wasn't expecting to get into it, but it just sucked me in."
Laura showed him her other books and Russel was the picture of excited kid in a candy shop.
"Wuthering Heights, a great revenge story. Also, the anti-victorian novel. Did you know it was pretty controversial in its time? Emily Bronte got a lot of heat for writing the novel, but now it's a classic." Russel ran his own fingers above the book's cover. "I'd love to borrow Wolf Leader. I've got a bit of a collection back at my boarding house as well. If you'd like you can come over and borrow a book. It'll be like a book swap."
She reminded him that they didn't have each other's numbers and he laughed.
"Oh right! Lemme give you my number." He did so and asked her for her own. "Also, if you're stuck in town for awhile. I wouldn't mind hanging out." Russel grinned at her. "Since you're planning on taking up lit at the uni anyway, I feel like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future. I'd be more than happy to show you and your friends around."
"Hey, you grew up here." Tyree shrugged. "That counts for something. If anything, you've got way more experience in cities than I have." He listened to Celeste talk about her life before, about her father and being whisked away to Greece. Yeah, she was okay. He wondered if she missed the freedom or if she enjoyed her new life as a demi-God amid the lavish lifestyle of those who inhabited Olympus. The way she talked about freedom made Tyree believed she missed it, their was a wistfulness to the way she talked about cities. He was just about to ask Celeste a question when she paused in front of a street vendor, purchased a rather nice looking red scarf, and then asked about Valentines Day.
Their exchange was brief but confirmed that Lilith had indeed been in the area not too long ago.
"Thanks, sir," Tyree said as he followed Celeste deeper into the crowd of shoppers. "Andddd, being a Holiday, where do I start? It's not much different from being a Greek Spirit, I guess. We're each in charge of a specific Holiday, and our job consists of traveling to earth on those specific days and spreading the spirit of said day." It was harder to put into words than he thought. No one had really asked him what being a Holiday was like, then again, his friend circle was composed of other Holidays - that was just things were. "We stay in the Holiday Realm 99 percent of the time. It's nice there. It's a lot more colorful than earth. Sometimes things get monotonous, but that's just the way things are."
Tyree smiled. "Don't get me wrong. I love being a Holiday. When Independence Day rolls around, I get to spread the Patriotism in whatever country I'm in. There's different customs everywhere. In the US, they light up the sky with fireworks and grill hot dogs in the park, in Singapore they have the National Day Parade, in the Philippines they re-enact the first unfurling of the flag, and it's different everywhere." There was a pause as they walked on. "What's it like being a Demi-God, and do you guys party 90 percent of the time like the Reaper says you do?"
Unbeknownst to the duo, someone was trailing them.
Oh my, Greed and Pride would be so proud of her if she returned with Celeste and Tyree in hand. More importantly, Chaos and Aria would be happy and forgive them for their prior slip-up. Orignally, the plan was to have Deceit patrol the surrounding area - the area around where Valentines had been found - as a bird. She'd gotten lucky and seen the Holidays boarding Roland's van from the sky. Once the van was out of sight, she snooped around a little and realized that Halloween and Friday the 13th had been left by their lonesome.
She'd contemplated going after the two in the house, but decided there would be more merit in following the van. She was even more delighted when she noticed the Holidays splitting into smaller groups of two - now was her chance to strike. She could be a reckless spitfire like Pride and Greed always said, but if there was one thing she wasn't, it was stupid. The boys really ought to give her more credit.
Those were the reasons why she morphed into spitting image of Halloween - except with a grisly wound on her left abdomen.
Deceit smiled as she pressed her hands against her side, smiled as a deceitful crimson began seeping through her clothes and fingers. She walked into the crowd, pleased to hear the shocked gasps of the onlookers surrounding her. "T-Ty, Celeste," she called out.
Tyree was the first to turn around and he felt his insides turn to ice.
"The sins... they attacked the house." She pretended to almost stumble face-first into the ground. "They took Francis." Once the bomb had been dropped, she allowed herself to fall to her knees on the cobblestone road. All eyes were on them.
The Holiday was getting all worked up over her phone, and Thanthos savored every moment of her struggle. He broke into a grin as she chastised him. "Hey, if you don't have any naughty pics in your phone, then you have nothing to worry 'bout, right?" He ruffled her hair, condescendingly. "The way you're acting up, makes me think you've got a secret folder or something." He bent down so he could whisper in her ear, something that seemed to drive the girls he was flirting with mad. Of course, he wasn't flirting with the Holiday, he just wanted to see her squirm. "What? You send them to that blonde friend of yours? The one with the goggles? Bet he likes those."
Thanatos pulled away and smiled brightly, like he hadn't just said what he had. "Just kidding of course, no need to blush, Holiday." He straightened up, feeling superior for once. "Soo, we just gonna stand here and get all flustered over secret folders or what?" He held out his hand and gestured to the interconnecting streets before them. "Ladies first."
"You're right, Nina. It looks like something really important." He remembered the funeral. Jack O'Lantern and his family had worn suits similar to the ones the humans were wearing now. It had been a somber event, and even the best cake and funniest jokes did little to lift Roland's spirit. They made their way up to the steps, and Nina handled the conversation with the guard. Ferris smiled, partly nervous and partly grateful that his girlfriend had gotten them inside the building without so much as a complication. If anything, they looked like young adults who were nervous about their first time on Jury Duty, a little lost, but not in the least bit suspicious - at least for now.
When they finally met the rest of the Jury, Nina asked him a question.
"I have no idea," he answered, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "It seems important though, they're all reading something. Tell you what, Nina." Ferris beamed. "I'll go ask them, I'm sure they'll be willing to help us. Maybe they've even seen Valentines Day—"
Ferris was interrupted by a man in a black robe, he wore a suit underneath and had a look of utter seriousness on his face. "Good morning, everyone. The judge has just arrived, please take your seats and the bailiff will be here shortly to set things in motion."
The people who'd been pouring over cases rose to their feet and nodded.
"Well," Ferris was obviously very lost. "We should follow them for now, Nina." He grabbed her hand and began to walk.
The Human Realm: Jasper's House
Francis didn't blame her, and that alone, took some of the weight off Alice's shoulders. "Thanks, Francis." She smiled at him when he placed a hand on her shoulder - not the signature toothy grin Halloween was known for, but a more somber and contented smile. "Two years have gone by and we're still drowning in chaos. I bet we're the Reaper's favorite Holidays by far." Of course, she meant his least favorite. Francis, Ferris, Nina, and her, no other Holiday she knew of had caused as much havoc as they had in the past two years.
Of course, it wasn't their fault Balance was dying, they just had a tendency to get swept up in the chaos of it all.
"And Francis," she looked at him, scanning his eyes for some sort of clue regarding how he felt. "You shouldn't blame yourself either. Like I said earlier, you were being a good friend. Thanatos and I would have ended up in the box without you. Thank you." Alice stopped herself there. Something in the atmosphere had shifted, she didn't know what, but it was there. A part of her wanted to give Francis a hug, but she didn't.
"Mhm, it's a masterpiece. A dark look into both the superficial nature of society and the supremacy of youth and beauty. Dorian was a tortured soul - horrible person," Russel laughed. "But he did try to redeem himself at the very end. It's amazing how Wilde gets you to sympathize with him. Especially at the end when he realizes he wants to try and better himself in some day. It's out there but relatable, tell your friend he's missing out. I mean, I wasn't expecting to get into it, but it just sucked me in."
Laura showed him her other books and Russel was the picture of excited kid in a candy shop.
"Wuthering Heights, a great revenge story. Also, the anti-victorian novel. Did you know it was pretty controversial in its time? Emily Bronte got a lot of heat for writing the novel, but now it's a classic." Russel ran his own fingers above the book's cover. "I'd love to borrow Wolf Leader. I've got a bit of a collection back at my boarding house as well. If you'd like you can come over and borrow a book. It'll be like a book swap."
She reminded him that they didn't have each other's numbers and he laughed.
"Oh right! Lemme give you my number." He did so and asked her for her own. "Also, if you're stuck in town for awhile. I wouldn't mind hanging out." Russel grinned at her. "Since you're planning on taking up lit at the uni anyway, I feel like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future. I'd be more than happy to show you and your friends around."