When Worlds Collide

[Fox of Spades]

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."

 

[Xyvian]

The Human Realm: Farmer's Market

​

"It sounds... fun. A lot more fun than living where I do," Celeste gave a smile as she tied the red silken scarf around her neck awkwardly, before glancing to the holiday. "And celebrating the holidays also sounds... fun. I've never really gotten to. I grew up in an orphanage and things weren't great. Then father adopted me and I've spent the majority of my years just being taught everything I would have missed," The demigod shrugged somewhat before playing with the edge of the fabric of her dress, almost fidgety. "But... Independence Day sounds nice... A celebration of freedom. I like it - I wish I could celebrate it too," There it was again, that wistful look, the strange tinge of emptiness. But the brunette quickly snapped out of it as she listened to Tyree's question and grinned.

"The Reaper exaggerates. I wouldn't say it's ninety percent... Maybe more like seventy?" Celeste smirked somewhat before waving her hand dismissively. "I kid, I kid. Honestly, a lot of the time, people are working, but we believe in keeping a sense of camaraderie. Seeing each other in a casual place with good food, good wine and good music... It's like a big reunion between close friends," The demigod then gave a shrug. "But, it's always the same these days. Dionysus' specialties are all lined up - Spiced Ale, a Fruity Red Wine and Honey Mead. Ares will brag about his latest conquests. Hades and Persephone will show up late and spend the rest of the evening in a corner somewhere being lovey-dovey," Celeste let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "It's become all so predictable and boring - I want something interesting, or at the very least something different. Being a Demigod is interesting but I don't feel like I'm so much a God. More like a--" Before Celeste could say anymore, a voice interrupted her, and she turned to see Halloween, bleeding and limping towards them.

"Alice!" She ran over, eyes widening as she moved towards the other holiday. Halloween stumbled, telling them the sins had attacked once everyone had left. Of course, that was always their plan from the beginning. The injured holiday then fell to her knees, and the crowd looked on - One person even called out saying they'd call nine-one-one. "Wait, there's no need to do that - She's our friend. We'll get her to hospital," Celeste quickly covered the human side of things - If it came to light just what was going on, there would be a panic. And then Balance, well, he would get sicker. And even if the brunette disliked the old man and his rules, she didn't want him to die. "Tyree, you carry Alice. If we get back home, we can maybe catch them leaving," Celeste murmured, keeping her voice low as the crowd still watched.

---

The Human Realm: The Streets of Essex

​

"I-It's not about that! It's about your blatant disregard for my privacy!" Birthday almost couldn't believe how this God was acting. It only got worse as he ruffled her hair, the cotton candy curls getting out of place as he messed it up. She shot up a glare his way, but of course, this was only more fuel for him to keep going. The Greek God of Death leaned down to her ear and whispered, suggesting she might send such photos to Tyree, of all people.She swatted at the space next to her ear, shooing him away from her as he stepped back, smiling like had hadn't done anything wrong, and Layla couldn't help but glare harder.

"No! Funnily enough, I'm not interested in a relationship with anyone, thank you very much so you can shove it!" Her words had less impact due to the way her cheeks were still red from the sheer suggestion she might have naughty photos on her phone, and her fluffy messed up hair sticking up when the God of Death has so condescendingly pet her, treating this all like a game made her look even more ruffled than ever. Layla could only be slightly relieved though that it was her having to deal with this, and not someone like Celeste or, heaven forbid, Nina.

There was still a smugness about Thanatos that hadn't been shaken, even if he was acting like a frat boy oaf. "You're incredibly crude..." She grumbled, before walking on ahead and taking a moment to calm herself. She knew quite well that Thanatos was acting this way to make her squirm - Well she would give him no such satisfaction. It was no wonder that he wasn't a full fledged reaper like Coffyn--

Birthday cut her own thought off, sighing a little as she did. No, it was wrong of her to simply judge like that. She would be no better than Harmony if she thought like that. Even so, she knew she had to push through this attitude of Thanatos's. She couldn't let him walk all over her liked that, and she simply pointed to the nearby park.

"That family park looks quite busy - I'm sure we can find someone who might have seen Lilith there. As you said, humans are quite helpful, so we'll do it your way and show them her photo," Layla began to lead the way, before turning back to glance at Thanatos. "Oh and keep your words clean, yes? After all, if you act inappropriate in front of the many innocent children, what ever would the parents say?" Birthday couldn't help but smirk a little before continuing to walk over to the entrance to the city park.

---

The Human Realm: The Hall of Justice

​

"Right... Let's follow after them," Nina nodded, grasping Ferris' hand tightly as she let him lead her after the Jury Duty people. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that they weren't supposed to be here, that the pair of them were out of place. And of course they were - Ferris was wearing his usual attire that was covered in splotches of neon paint from pranks played on their fellow holidays. And she herself was still in her colourful baking attire that stood out like a sore thumb in a room full of people wearing suits of dusty greys, dingy browns and dull blacks. Both of them stood out. But they followed them, taking a seat in one of the side boxes of what appeared to be the court room the security guard had mentioned. They had a view of what was going on - But that didn't mean it made sense.

It didn't take long for another man, this time wearing a dreary mauve colour, entered the room, greeting the judge warmly. He brought alongside him, a man, wearing handcuffs who was seated at one of the nearby tables, and not too long after, a loud clack was heard. A man in a black cloak had made his way to the front seat, and was now rapping what appeared to be a tiny hammer.

"Order, order - That means silence! If the Jury could straighten up and listen. The trial today is to prove whether Lysander Diaz is guilty or innocent of murder. The prosecution may start it's examination," The Judge nodded towards the Prosecutor, waiting for them to begin. Meanwhile, Nina's eyes were filled with confusion. Guilty? Innocent? Murder? Just what had they gotten themselves into?!

---

The Human Realm: Jasper's House

​

"..." Francis listened to what his friend was saying, considering her words. Normally he'd make some sort of snide remark aimed at himself, but there was something about the tone of Alice's voice, the way she smiled softly as opposed to her toothy grin, and coupled with the atmosphere around them... He couldn't bring himself to do it. The sincerity in the way she insisted he wasn't to blame, and that he was just trying to be a good friend. That if he wasn't there, she and Thanatos would have ended up in the box. Well, he had to agree with that last part - Thanatos liked running his mouth and Alice was uncharacteristically silent when the Reaper was involved.

"You're not wrong. Thanatos would have ran his mouth till Coffyn had finally had enough, then you'd both be in The Box... I couldn't let that happen," Francis allowed himself to perk up, just a little bit. "If you were trapped, Nina would cry. And Ferris, as scared as he gets, would no doubt throw a paint balloon at the Reaper, in your honor. You know he would. Then we'd all be screwed," A small smile made its way onto his lips as the worry he felt began to melt away. "But, you're my friend, Alice, and you know I couldn't let you go off with Thanatos of all people and get hurt... That'd be unforgivable," He paused before leaning over - What was he doing? He didn't know. But he put an arm around the spirit of Halloween, and brought her closer, hugging her for a moment.

"Thanks, Alice. I feel... better now," There was a strange, peaceful look on Francis' face, but internally, he was shaken - What compelled him to just reach out and hug his closest friend just now? They'd both always been the type not get so mushy about things like this. But the dire situation that all of them were in, it'd awakened a different sort of tension in the air. That they might not make it through this unscathed, and if he didn't hug her now, maybe he wouldn't get to hug her later. And if he didn't... Well the butterflies in his stomach which fluttered as he held her would surely regret it, as would he. But he quickly snapped out of it, moving away as a slightly flustered, embarrassed look appeared on his face and a shy smile. His eyes went pink and he began to speak.

"I-I... Sorry, I just... Is it weird that I felt like hugging you? God, it's a good thing Ferris isn't here, he'd turn this into a group hug..." Friday gave a soft, nervous chuckle. "Uh, maybe we should just... not tell the others I did that. Nina and Ferris will end up badgering me for hugs if they knew," ...Not that they didn't already, but they knew better than to just hug him out of the blue. So... Why did he hug Alice so suddenly? He didn't really understand... But he didn't need to. Not yet.

---

The Human Realm: Espresso Express

​

"Yes, I read about that - It's fascinating to hear more about the history behind the books too," Laura nodded as he spoke about Emily Bronte, putting her phone number into his contacts as she spoke. She smiled and handed the phone back. "You can text me any time - But my phone's weird so if it doesn't go through, just give it a bit of time..." It was a good excuse, at least, to keep him from wondering why his messages might not reach her if she happened to need to go back to the Underworld or Tartarus. Not that she wanted to go back, not right now. She looked up as he suggested a book swap and smiled.

"I'd really like that, Russel. Really, I would, but I do need to go back to Ash and Ember after this," She smiled a little, almost sadly so as she gently placed Wolf Leader in front of him. There was something about this student that made it almost incredibly easy for her to get distracted from her mission. "We have to find somewhere to stay or find some money or something. Otherwise we'll have to leave," She sighed a little. "I was hoping to be staying the dorms tonight after officially enrolling but... That won't be possible," The blonde sighed. Where were they going to stay? There were a few abandoned places in the wilderness that she could think of that would provide them shelter, but would be too far away if the sins struck again.

"It's a shame. You're fun to be around. I haven't talked liked this with someone in the longest time..." At that point, the waiter brought them their food and drink, serving it to them before walking away. Laura picked up the coffee cup and stared at it, stirring absent-mindedly as she ended up in her own thoughts. They could go to a pawn shop and try to sell those ancient coins that Ash had in his pocket, but they might not be worth much. Enough for a few nights in a sketchy motel, probably. She could go to her brother - Roland knew she was alive, in a sense. But seeing her again might make Balance sicker. She was, after all, supposed to be dead. She wished Hades had a better plan for them than just haphazardly throwing them into the Human Realm.

 

[Fox of Spades]

The Human Realm: Espresso Express

"Hah, right back at you, Laura." Russel beamed, obviously happy she'd enjoyed nerding out over books as much as he had. "You're fun to talk to as well. Steve always falls asleep whenever I try to get him into the classics, so I'm looking forward to seeing you again. Books over coffee, not bad right?" He stopped himself for awhile, realizing his invitation almost made it sound like he was asking her out on a date. "Um, for class of course, since you're going to be a literature student too. We lit kids gotta stick together after all." Yeah, lame save, Russel. "I'll introduce you to the rest of the gang as well. We've got a nice book club running and we usually meet on the weekends."

The conversation came to an end when the food finally arrived.

"And hey, I can walk you back to your brother's house. It's the least I can do after you've showed me your book collection and lent me Wolf Leader." She was obviously busy with the move and everything, but Russel genuinely wanted to see her again.

---

The Human Realm: Jasper's House

"Ferris would!" Alice chuckled in an attempt to defuse the growing tension. "He's a softy, but he can be brave where it counts." Alice pointed to her chest, right above her heart. "Nina too. Two of them cry when the going gets tough, sure. But they're not quitters." And that was true, two years ago, when they ended up stranded in Essex, they had to rely on each other. She'd been a bit of a jerk to Ferris and Nina back then, but they'd grown a lot in the past two years. She and Francis had grown too. They were practically talking about their feelings, two years ago, they would have bottled this all up and continued without so much as addressing the elephant in the room.

Alice wasn't sure if she liked this new them, but she did feel closer to Nina, Ferris, and Francis.

Uncharacteristically, Francis continued to ramble. He was acting strange. She was acting strange. Still, when he told her he was feeling better. Alice flashed him a smile. "Glad the pep talk helped—" Silence as Francis did what she'd stopped herself from doing. He pulled her into a hug, and for a brief moment Alice allowed herself to hug him back. It was a sudden reaction to what he'd done, but the moment she'd done so, felt the same whirling of butterflies in her stomach. When Francis pulled away, she was just as embarrassed.

"N-Nah," she answered without so much as thinking. "I mean, it's been a reaaaaly long and stressful day, right?" Could Francis tell he was just as flustered and embarrassed as he was. She was good at keeping a poker face, and she hoped he didn't see through it. "We don't have to tell anyone." A pause. Alice didn't quite understand why she was so shaken. Ferris and Nina hugged her all the time. No matter. "Hey, we should rest up while we can. We'll be no use to the rest of them if we're all knackered out, yeah?" Alice stood up to move away. "Night, Francis."

---

The Human Realm: Farmer's Market

Alice looked really hurt. This was bad, this was very, very bad. Tyree's felt his heart thudding in his chest and his stomach flip-flopping in his belly. If she was hurt this badly, then what about Francis who'd failed to escape or Valentines who'd been gone for hours. The worst possible outcome muddled his thoughts. "Alice, just hold on!" Without so much as thinking twice, Independence Day reached for his fallen friend and picked her up into his arms. Everyone was staring at them, and others had whipped out their phones despite Celeste's reassurance.

"We need to get out of here, Celeste." Tyree hissed.

At best, they'd leave before an ambulance was called. At worst, someone would think they were suspicious and call the police.

"T-Ty, you... you have to hurry," Alice gasped. "F-Francis, he... he might be hurt."

Tyree couldn't do anything else besides share a look of horror with Celeste. His friends were hurt and he was here and unable to do anything. He began to run faster. "Just hold on, Alice! We're going to save Francis and Valenties!"

---

He was crude, huh?

"And yet, the ladies still love me." He was all teeth when he smiled at her, almost predatory. "And you, you're still blushing pretty badly, Holiday." Thanatos allowed his words to sink in but stopped there. He was content, he'd ruffled her feathers and gotten them to do things his way. "Of course, of course, no need to tell me twice. Mom's love me." And with that, he made his way toward the park and asked the nice lady feeding the pigeons if she'd seen Valentines. He and Layla repeated the plan over and over again, but no matter how many they'd asked, the answer would always be the same. No one had seen Valentines. At that point, it was clear, she'd never come to this area.

"She most likely never set foot here," he said. "We should move on to another place."

---

The Human Realm: Hall of Justice

​

Murder.

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as the puzzle pieces finally fell into place. This was just like the witch trials! He gulped, did that mean Nina and him, and all the other suit-wearing men and women, would decide the handcuffed man's fate? No, no, no. It didn't sit well with Ferris and he locked eyes with Nina in hopes of communicating that they should leave. Ferris didn't understand it fully, but if it wasn't clear earlier, then it was clear as day now: they weren't supposed to be here.

"Nina," Ferris whispered. "We should go."

"Quiet," a man from the jury snapped.

Ferris melted back into his seat at the scolding but kept his eyes locked onto his girlfriend's. The judge's voice was pretty much background noise at this point. The defendant and the prosecution had their counsels introduced, and soon enough, the judge was asking questions. All around them, the other members of the jury, were writing down notes.

"Nina," Ferris whispered again. "We should leave." He took her hand and, without thinking twice, stood up to leave.

 

[Xyvian]

The Human Realm: Farmer's Market → Streets of Essex

​

Things were quickly getting out of hand - The humans were ignoring her and Halloween looked worse for wear. Nodding in agreement, the Demigod quickly pointed to the nearby alley, cutting through it with Tyree and quickly making another turn. Right now, it was important the humans didn't know which way they went. Another twist, another turn, and the pair were back to the road leading towards Jasper's home, having lost the humans several streets ago. However, Celeste's mind was focused on a different problem - The enemy. If the sins were there, it was important to be prepared. What would Father do, in this situation? Celeste thought back to her many lessons, arms folded as she stood still and no longer rushing.

"Tyree. Stop," Her tone was no longer light and cheery - It was fierce, demanding the spirit hold still. She approached and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Calm yourself - Breathe in, then out. And again. If we both rush in there, panicked and scatterbrained, we won't be of any help," She explained before looking to Alice. "Put her down for now and we'll check her out - I can use a little magic if the wound is extremely bad," Celeste waited for Tyree to oblige her request before kneeling by Alice.

"Whilst I check... Halloween, I'm going to need you to tell me exactly what happened. I know it's tough but we need details. How badly are you hurt? How many were there? Did they actually take Friday away or is he still fighting?"

---

The Human Realm: Essex Park

​

"I'd think you were telling lies, but unfortunately I've seen many stupid birthday girls who date many guys like you," With a roll of her eyes, Birthday strode after the God of Death, who started with the questioning. Surprisingly, he wasn't running his mouth when he said they loved him, as most of the humans were more than happy to answer his question about Lilith. Unfortunately, they turned up no leads.

"I agree with you," Layla gestured to one of the nearby maps of the park, pointing to where they were. "We've already made it to the other side and nobody has seen no hide nor hair of Lilith, so we should probably leave out this exit here," Birthday pointed to the exit to the near left of them. "According to the map on my phone, that'll put us at an apartment complex as well as quite a few local shops so we can ask around from there--" The pink haired girl's words were cut off by a loud honk, and she quickly turned to see where it had come from. Standing mere inches away from the pair of them was a goose, wings spread menacingly as it honked at them again. And several more were behind it, stepping forward at the two of them and flapping their wings angrily as they blocked the way to the nearest exit.

"Thanatos... I think it's time we leave, wouldn't you agree?" She spoke quietly, slowly putting her phone away and securing it in her pocket. They would have to run. She'd seen many human celebrations in outdoor parks go south because of geese getting almost territorial about their homes. She only hoped Thanatos wouldn't do something boneheaded like try to chase them off.

---

The Human Realm: Hall of Justice

​

Oh dear. Saying they were a Jury Member was a bad idea as well, it seemed, given the situation they were in. She shrunk in her seat as well as one of the Jury snapped at them to be quiet, and she huddled closer to her boyfriend. She was scared, having to decide a man's fate when she had no idea who he was or why he did it... Or even if he did it. As Ferris whispered to her that they should leave, she nodded, and as quietly and as sneakily as possibly, she went to the exit - Where one of the Jury Members quickly grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Hey - Where are you going? You're supposed to be listening..." He hissed.

"W-We..." Before Nina could respond, there was another smack of the judge's gavel, interrupting the case at hand and the Judge spoke once more.

"Members of the Jury, is there a problem?!" He snapped, glaring daggers are the group of humans. As all eyes began to leer towards Nina and Ferris, the brunette shook her head.

"N-No, Sir... We... We just got really nervous and were finding it hard to follow everything..." Nina's voice was beginning to tremble now and she was honestly scared of the consequences - Not just for her and Ferris but for the man in handcuffs. What would happen to him if they did something wrong? The Judge meanwhile, let out a long sigh. It was pretty clear that the two were harmless but also incredibly nervous.

"First time in court huh? Fine. We'll repeat the opening statements again - Please take your seats and pay attention this time," The Judge gestured for the prosecution to start again, and Nina took her seat once more, gripping onto Ferris's hand tightly. How were they going to escape this room? Would they ever? It seemed like the more they tried, the more trouble they would be in. But if they didn't, they'd have to make a decision on whether or not this human was guilty of murder. And what if they were wrong? It was too much pressure... Nina looked to her boyfriend with a pleading expression, even though she knew he was just as helpless as she was. What were they going to do...?

 

[Fox of Spades]

Human Realm: Streets of Essex

Calming down was easier said than done. Alice, Francis, everyone - they were more than just fellow Holidays, they were his friends, they were his family. And yet, panicking would in no way save them. The soles of his boots dug into asphalt as he came to a stop in one of winding alleyways. Celeste was right, and through his own fog of panic, he respected her clearheaded nature more than ever. He stopped, took a deep breath, and gently placed Alice on the ground before them. He held her hand firmly. "H-Hey, hey, you'll be okay."

Halloween's face as scrunched up in pain, and it was clear by the grimace she wore that things were bad. She didn't respond to Celeste immediately as if she were trying to talk through the searing-burning feeling that ran up her side. "I-I don't know," came the quick and panicked response. And if Celeste were to check on Halloween's wounds, she would find long claw-like scratches on the girl's torso. "Deceit... deceit turned into a wolf and," a dramatic pause as she began to gasp for air. "All three of the sins were there, Friday..." she began to tear up as she recounted the story. "Friday was knocked unconscious. He was hurt... hurt really bad."

---

Human Realm: Essex Park

Their plans to promptly exit the scene were dashed by... a bunch of stupid birds? Thanatos arched up his eyebrows at birthday and smirked. Really? God, how embarrassing this probably was for her. A Holiday of life being scared off by birds? "You gotta be kidding me." Ignoring his partner's suggestion, he grinned brightly and walked toward the Geese. Thanatos spent most of his time on earth in big cities - to be specific in local bars or clubs - so he had yet to face the wrath of a flock of angry Geese.

"Yo birds, get out of the way."

The birds responded in unison. All the geese began to spread their wings even higher as they honked loudly in unison. They charged, each of them throwing themselves at the unlucky pair. It was a flurry of chaotic flapping and pecking.

Thanatos, who'd been so proud earlier, fell to the ground as several geese began to attack his precious face.

"Help!" His scream was far from cool or dignified. "Holiday, fucking help me now!"

---

The Human Realm: Hall of Justice

Ferris locked eyes with Nina and tried to comfort her in what little ways he could. There wasn't much he could say to her in the midst of it all, but he hoped Nina got the message behind the look he'd tossed her way. After what had happened earlier, it looked like they had to stay - that much was clear. Ferris frowned deeply and tried to think. In his naive and childlike mind, this led to the only logical conclusion: honesty. If they told the judge they didn't belong here, he'd have to let them leave, right? He seemed like a nice guy.

Yes, the sooner they left, the sooner they'd be able to help Valentines.

Ferris shot his hand up into the air.

"Yes?" The judge asked. It was clear that he was starting to get very irritated with the pair.

"There's been a mistake." Ferris said. "We're not members of the jury. We... we were just trying to find our friend."

The entire room broke into harsh whispers and the judge's face crumpled inwards - as if he'd just been force-fed a particularly rotten fruit.

"You're disrupting the hearing," the judge snarled.

"We're just looking for our missing friend," Ferris pressed on.

Sometimes honesty was definitely not the best policy, but Ferris had yet to understand that.

 

[Xyvian]

The Human Realm: Streets of Essex

​

It wasn't looking good. If Alice was right, then all three sins had attacked them and hurt Francis badly. But something didn't sit right with the brunette. If all three had attacked, why hadn't any of them chased down Alice? There was something strange going on here. Aside from the fear that the Deadly Sins could come attacking them at any second now, Celeste knew she had to remain calm and focused. The Demigod knelt beside Halloween and she started checking the wounds - Claw marks, definitely Deceit's handiwork. Celeste frowned. Were they trying to kill them? Could it be possible that he was out of cold-blooded murder rather than just usurping Balance? There wouldn't be any worlds left for him to cause problems in if he kept this up.

That was a problem for later though. For now, Celeste had to break some rules, at least to heal Halloween. If she was injured, storming in after three sins to save Friday would be a colossal failure. It could even lead to them getting captured too. The Demigod held her hands above the wound, a green glow appearing at her fingertips. "Tyree. Keep an eye for humans. I don't want to get caught doing this," A orb encircled Alice's wounds, ticking softly as if rewinding time back to when the wounds were not inflicted. Or rather, that was what would have happened if the spell failed. Celeste frowned and tried a second time, only for the same results.

"...It's not working?" The Demigod's confused expression soon grew dark and grim. "...Tyree, may I talk to you in private?" She asked, glancing to the side. She had a bad feeling about this - Her rewind had never failed her before. So why now?

---

The Human Realm: Essex Park → Someone's Garden

​

Just as she feared, the Greek God of Death decided to antagonise the incredibly territorial creatures by trying to shoo them away. And thus, they charged. Not just at Thanatos, but at Birthday too. Feathers obscured her vision, but she'd have to be deaf to miss the screaming from the Prideful God as he practically begged her to help with the issue. If Alice and Tyree were here, they would never let him live it down. She, however, was far too old for petty squabbles, and after wading her way through the few geese separating the pair - And drawing their anger towards her in doing so - Layla knelt down and helped Thanatos up, grabbing him by the hand.

"C'mon, we're leaving!" She didn't wait for him to disagree or protest, she just started running, pushing through the feathered wings that beat at the two of them as they moved, wincing at the pecking but trying to remain strong. They kept on following as she rushed off the path, honking angrily at the two spirits who ended up on a wall. Now what? Well the geese were getting closer. Letting go of Thanatos, Layla climbed the nearest tree, sitting on the branch out the creature's reach, though she held her hand out to pull Thanatos up. The volatile birds kept honking in protest, unable to fly due to clipped wings, though stayed at the base of the tree, leaving them trapped up there.

"...You okay?" Layla looked to Thanatos, finally catching her breath. She was sure they both looked worse for wear - She herself looked completely ruffled, with her hair fluffed up and one pigtail loosened, her clothes rumpled and creased from the attack, as well as several feathers stuck in her pink locks

---

The Human Realm: Hall of Justice

​

"H-He's right, we were just looking for our friend," Nina agreed with Ferris, hoping the crowd would see reason. That they were just lost, that it was just a little misunderstanding. She just wanted to find Lilith and get out of here. The judge's gaze, however, hardened more as they both spoke up again, at which point he smacked the gavel once more, loud enough to get the riled up crowd to stop talking before he pointed at the two.

"Now listen here, I've been as understanding as I possibly can but any more outbursts, and I will declare you two in contempt of court!" His voice was raised, as he shot another angry look at the pair.

"B-But...! We aren't Jury Members! We can't decide this man's fate, we have to find our friend - We didn't mean to interrupt but we're really not supposed to be here, sir!" Nina tried to explain, though she desperately looked to Ferris for help. "We were just passing through, we just want to find Lili and be on our way," Shrove Tuesday was on the verge of tears as the Judge seemed to ignore what they were saying. All he seemed to care about was that they were interrupting the court. But didn't he understand this was all a mistake? If they just heard them out, surely they'd get it, right?

 

[Fox of Spades]

The Human Realm: Back Alley

"Talk now?" Tyree frowned deeply. "Alice needs our help. We'll take later, Celeste." The usually level-headed Holiday was obviously sinking into a pit of panic. Similar to his fellow Holidays, he wasn't exactly used to stressful or violent situations. The Holiday Realm - was by far - the most peaceful of all the existing realms. Ignoring Celeste, Tyree continued to kneel beside his friend. This was very bad. "Why isn't your magic working?"

"Maybe because of this."

"Alice?"

A distorted smile graced "Halloween's" pained features, before the girl on the ground began to writhe and twist and before Tyree and Celeste's eyes. Suddenly, Alice was no longer Alice. Deceit took on one of her favorite forms - that of a giant, slobbering werewolf.

"What..."

Noticing that Tyree was still rather stunned, Deceit pounced on Celeste and too the demi-god into her arms. She picked Celeste up with ease then threw back her arms in preparation to slam Celeste into the hard concrete beneath their feet. If Celeste didn't do anything, and if Tyree didn't shake himself out of his stupor, she'd be a little more than mangled limbs and broken bones smeared across the cement.

---

The Human Realm: Essex Park

Birthday didn't have to call him twice, as soon as she helped him up, he ran after her to escape the terrible pecking and honking. He'd never seen birds as aggressive as these and his cheeks burned hotly at the fact that he was retreating from them of all creatures. He could smooth talk his way out of arguments with Zeus and Dionysus, could jut his chin at an angry reaper - and yet - birds were causing him to tuck tail and flee. Even his ears were burning at the realization. It made Thanatos angry, and it made him even angrier when he began scaling a tree after Birthday just to get away from the flurry of feathers and death below them. What the absolute hell?

He didn't take Birthday's hand when she held it out to him. He'd already lost enough pride for one day. Still, he didn't last out at her or say anything snappy. He merely clung to the tree with his head hung low.

Yeah, she was going to let him have it now, wasn't she?

When the teasing never came, he looked up and arched his eyebrows at the Holiday. "Yeah... yeah, of course I'm okay. They're just birds." Of course, she wouldn't get any thanks from him. "Tell anyone else about this and you're dead. Understand, Holiday?" He stopped there. The closest thing to a thank you was his silence. "You look like shit though." Smooth. "Anyway, if we scale toward that branch over there." Thanatos nodded to one of the longest branches that grew above and past the boundaries of a white picket fence. "We'll be able to get in there." Thanathos shimmied toward the edge of the branch then hopped the fence. "C'mon, Holiday."

He waited for Birthday to follow before realizing they had jumped into the middle of kid's birthday party.

"Oh, hello." A woman in her thirties greeted, a parent or an aunt probably. "Are you guys the entertainment?"

Judging by the way she was arching her eyebrow, she would shoo them away if he said no. "Yes," Thanatos deadpanned before pushing Birthday in front of him as if she were the sacrificial lamb who'd save them from the slaughter. "Yes, we are."

---

The Human Realm: Hall of Justice

​

"Please, we won't bother you any more if you let us leave." Ferris hardened his gaze, at least as much as someone as cheerful as Ferris could. However, he was still a wilting flower when placed beside the judge's overwhelming presence. When the judge merely glared at them, Ferris stood up, took Nina by the hand and proceeded to leave. If they stayed he had a feeling things wouldn't go so well.

"Guards, take them away for now. We have a hearing to attend to."

"What no!" Ferris prepared to leave with Nina in tow, but they were stopped by two burly men in blue uniforms. They wore badges on their shirts. Slowly, one of them took Ferris by the arm while the other took Nina. The Holidays were separated and the guards began dragging them off. "No! We have to find our friend. Where are you taking us?"

"We'll let them out after the hearing," the judge added as he waved them off.

 

[Xyvian]

The Human Realm: Back Alley

​

Tyree had frowned and basically told her they would talk later. Celeste couldn't help but inwardly curse - Of course he didn't get the hint, he was a holiday. He was used to peace and love and friendship and yadda yadda yadda... Olympus was nothing like that. Chronos, her father, taught her so. There's always someone who wants what you have, even if you don't know what it is. It was the same right now - The Deadly Sins wanted to capture them for some reason, but they had no idea why. So they needed to be alert and aware at all times. Celeste simply glared at Tyree as he asked her why her magic wasn't working, ready to clap back at him about that, but it was too late. The Alice they had been looking after began to shift, changing into the form of a werewolf and Celeste quickly dragged Tyree back from the immediate vicinity of the Deadly Sin. However, he was still shocked into a stupor, and the creature lunged for her, picking her up with ease.

"Shit! Tyree, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Celeste called, feeling herself being hoisted up from the ground. But she couldn't rely on him to immediately do something. Father taught her that too - Never rely on anybody. She grit her teeth and pushed her hands together, clapping them together. She knew her father would kill her for this. She knew Balance would get sicker and the Reaper would be mad and Chronos would probably treat her like a child and forbid her from leaving her room for a year. But desperate times called for desperate measures. The Demi-God then struck Deceit, slapping her against the arm - Physically, it did not hurt, but suddenly, time ground to a halt for the sin. Her body would not move an inch, frozen in time. Celeste wiggled and tried to escape, but the vice-like grip of Deceit's monstrous form was too much. She snapped her fingers towards Tyree, hoping to get his attention.

"Tyree! Goddammit, we don't have long so either get me out of here or I'm gonna be made into a sidewalk pancake!" She hissed, gesturing to the paws holding her captive. "She won't be frozen for very long, and also every second she is, Balance is gonna get worse. So c'mon!"

---

The Human Realm: Essex Park → Someone's Garden

​

"You wouldn't be able to kill me if you tried, Thanatos. But regardless, I'm no gossip girl, no one's going to hear about this," Birthday sighed. He couldn't even say a simple thank you? Just how warped was his ego? He commented on how bad she appeared in more crude terms and Layla frowned, fixing her hair and picking out some of the feathers. "So do you," She muttered, but chose to keep her mouth mostly shut. God he couldn't help himself could he? He beckoned her to follow him, as he hopped a fence into some human's backyard. She wanted to tell him no, that was trespassing, but he was already gone and the geese were still around.

Sighing, she followed after him and dropped down next to him. Where they were immediately confronted by a thirty-year old woman, asking them if they were the entertainment. Layla was about to explain how they were outrunning the geese and would be on their way, but Thanatos quickly answered for them, shoving her in front of them. Well, now she had to lie for them. Probably better this way - Thanatos would have been mortified if she mentioned the geese so quickly after saying she wouldn't tell anyone, and she was probably a more competent liar.

"Exactly, we just wanted to make an entrance. I... Am Layla, the Magnificent - And this here, is my assistant, Th--" Oh she couldn't well call him Thanatos in front of kids and adults, could she? "Th... Theo. Theo, Master of the Unforeseen," She hated how she sounded right now, but she had to play a part, so she flipped back her slightly ruffled pink hair and delivered a confident smirk. "We shall need some time to prepare the show, so please, continue with the party - Me and Theo shall use our magical ways to bring you an unforgettable show!" Her words seemed to work, as the woman went off to go inform the others who they were. Layla couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief before looking towards Thanatos.

"Play along. We'll do a magic show, human-world style... If we can't slip away before then, that is," Layla muttered, crossing her arms. "And... Remember, you're Theo here. Thanatos, God of Death, is not a kid-friendly name for an entertainer,"

---

The Human Realm: Hall of Justice → Jail Cell

​

Nina grasped Ferris by the hand tightly, her own fingers trembling with fear at how the judge glared at them. Please, just let us leave... She couldn't help but hope. If they just left, they wouldn't bother them anymore, they could move on and look for Valentine's Day somewhere else and things would be fine! ...But they weren't. The Judge ordered them to be taken away, and Ferris tried to leave with Nina in tow, but there was no way past the security guards blocking their path. Roughly, they picked the holidays up, separating the pair from each other and forcing them to let go of the other.

"W-Wait! No! Ferris!" Nina wriggled as she was being carried ahead of April Fool's. She heard the Judge say something about letting them out after the hearing - How long would that be?! "Please let us go! We just want to leave, we'll be no bother, please! We have to find our friend! Ferris!" Shrove Tuesday felt very scared and panicky as she could no longer see Ferris, the Guard walking ahead and bringing her down a set of stairs. Where were they being taken to? How would they escape and find Lilith? But if they escaped, they would cause more problems for everybody. Nina began to sob, as she was unceremoniously dropped in a jail cell, and Ferris was also shoved in shortly after. There was a click of a lock, and the guards walked away, leaving the two colourful holidays alone in a dreary dark room.

"F-Ferris..." Nina sobbed, trying to wipe away her tears. "W-Why wouldn't they just let us go? We didn't do anything..."

 

[Fox of Spades]

The Human Realm: The Streets of Essex

​

Deceit giggled, but the sound coming from the maw of the large wolf-like creature, was distorted and gravelly - more animal than human. Deceit had slipped too far into character, and Celeste's quick-thinking, she would have ended up as nothing more than a crimson smear on the streets of Essex. Deceit froze in mid-slam, Celeste trapped in her palm like an animal merely waiting for its hunter to return.

Tyree gaped, the cogs and gears in his head working overtime to help him process what had happened.

Deceit had tricked them. But then... were Alice and Francis okay? Or had they actually been taken. Fear and panic threatened to take hold of him, but the urgency in Celeste's voice pierced through the veil. Celeste. She'd nearly died and he'd done nothing.

Without so much as saying a word, Independence Day sprung into action.Tyree grabbed at the wolf's paws, pulling with all his weight until Celeste was finally able to wriggle free. "We can't fight her here. Balance will be in big trouble if we do." It was time to be useful. Tyree grabbed Celeste by the arm and began to run. "We need to shake her off." A pause to look at Celeste. "I... I'm sorry. I froze. Are you, are you okay? We need to move fast?" He'd wait for her response, and if she gave him the okay, he'd start to run. "Where should we go? We can't bring her to the crowd." Deceit had proven to be a ticking time bomb. Compared to Greed and Pride, she seemed to be okay with taking wild chances.

---

The Human Realm: Someone's Garden

​

Thanatos arched his eyebrows and smirked. Huh, so the Holiday wasn't half-bad at lying. It was amusing to listen to, but he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at the name she'd given him. Theo. How... mundane. Fitting of humans. "Yes, my partner and I have a lot of tricks to prepare. We'll need some time to discuss among ourselves." Birthday did a far better job talking to the woman, but Thanatos tried to at least contribute. He bowed, all polite and dapper. "Magicians never reveal their secrets, we'll be with you shortly!"

As soon as the woman was out of earshot though, Thanatos went back to scowling.

"She's gone. We can slip away now. That, or we can say we gotta go - company emergency. One of our fellow magicians lost his hand doing some stunt or something?" A pause as he looked at Layla, dead serious. "We're not performing for a bunch of snotty kids."

---

The Human Realm: Jail Cell

​

The door to their cell closed with an audible click, signalling that it had been locked by the guards outside. It was dark and cramped, and Nina... she was crying. Ferris gulped. He didn't know what to say to make it better. "Nina," he called out. He tried to keep his voice leveled for her, but April Fools was expressive, and the worry and fear shone through the forced bravado. "Hey, it... things are going to be okay." Ferris turned away from the door to pull his crying girlfriend into a warm embrace. "They... they said they'd let us out after the hearing. It'll be fine. They'll let us out later and then we'll go find Valentines." He stiffened. They never said when the hearing would end. The other Holidays didn't know they were here. There was a possibility they'd be locked inside for a long time. Bad thoughts were racing in Ferris' head and he wondered if Nina could tell how hard he was trying to keep it together. He wasn't brave, at least not in the same sense as Alice or Francis.

Ferris continued to hold Nina tight.

"We can look around the cell while we wait, there might be some sort of way out." Ferris doubted it, but it was the only encouraging thing he could think to say. He pulled away from the hug and tried to smile. "Let's try, okay?"

 

[Xyvian]

The Human Realm: Streets of Essex

​

Finally, the holiday had snapped out of it, pulling at the claws of the Deadly Sin and freeing Celeste in turn. She wriggled out of the small opening created and fell to the ground, though quickly jumped back on her feet and turned back to Deceit - The wolfish creature was still frozen, and she could, in theory, keep her in place for as long as she kept her mind clear on her magic spell. But to do so would only break Balance's spirit more. Whilst she pondered over this, the blonde grabbed at her arm and started to make haste. Celeste stumbled as she got pulled away from the scene, Independence Day pausing a few feet away from Deceit where he looked almost apologetic. It wasn't an emotion she was used to dealing with as her one friend in her realm was hardly the type to be sincere or soft.

"...Sorry? ...A-Apology accepted. I'm fine," She confirmed, though lightly confused by his tone. Thankfully, he swiftly turned the conversation was back to what was important. She lightly peeled his fingers away from her arm before finally speaking. "My magic cannot hold forever. I have to stop channeling the spell or else we're directly hurting the World Balance. Time Stops are powerful but it's a double edged sword. Because of how potent it is, it's more damaging," The Demigod quickly searched their surroundings, and sighed in relief as she spotted the road they had not too long ago driven down with Roland.

"We're fortunate - We can run back to the house and fight her there. We can also confirm Halloween and Friday's whereabouts, and if they are present, it's four against one," Celeste met Tyree's gaze as she spoke rather strategically. For being a friend of Thanatos, she was surprisingly serious and tactical. "We'll have to bolt as soon as she spots us - We need to lure her out of here after all so it's imperative she doesn't lose sight of us. And when we fight her... We're going to have to avoid using our magic. We'll have to find a method of incapacitating her on the fly when we're there. Got it?" She waited for his confirmation before raising her hand. "I'm gonna release her now... So be ready to get her attention," After warning him, Celeste snapped her fingers, and the sin was released from being frozen in time's prison.

"Oi, over here! You great big brute!" She called, hoping for Deceit to look in their direction.

The Human Realm: Someone's Garden

​

"Watch what you say," Layla hissed as Thanatos decided to brazenly insult the kids that, whilst loud and playing among themselves, were not out of earshot. The pink haired holiday glanced to make sure that none of them had heard the spirit of Death and then turned back to him. "Keep your voice down, idiot... The lady we talked to is absolutely the type to make a scene if we make a single one of these kids cry. That's the last thing we need right now," Birthday's voice was hushed but there was an urgency to her tone. Normally, she would not be opposed to at least putting on a little show. It would fall within her responsibilities as a spirit of celebrating birthdays but... Well, her company was the polar opposite of her. Her a spirit of life and happiness, and him a spirit of death and decay. Not to mention his arrogant ego and impatient attitude. It would be bad for them to linger and put on the show they were promising.

"But, I agree. We should leave - There's no way I'm performing any sort of birthday magic show with you. We're just not the right people to perform an act that requires co-operation. You're night and I'm day. It wouldn't work," She sighed and pointed to the sliding glass door that was open by the porch. "We should be able to sneak out through the front door if we hurry," Layla beckoned for Thanatos to follow her. The parents were fairly preoccupied talking to themselves or watching the children play, so they had a chance. However, as they stepped past the glass door, the pair would bump into the lady from before.

"Um, excuse me, but what are you doing?" She questioned, raising her eyebrow at the two of them. "Shouldn't you be preparing to perform?"

"W-We were going to set up our show indoors," Layla was quick to answer, but she looked a little more thrown off as the woman's gaze narrowed at the pair of them.

"Don't speak such nonsense. It's such a lovely sunny day and we rarely have those. You'll be doing your entertaining outside, thank you very much," Her glare was aimed mostly at Layla as she looked down her nose at the two 'entertainers'. "Off you go now. Shoo. I'll be along in a minute and then you can start your show," The woman made a motion of shooing both Layla and Thanatos, and once they were back on the porch, she shut the sliding door behind them, sealing them with their fate.

The Human Realm: Jail Cell

​

Sniffling, Nina buried her face into Ferris' shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her into his loving embrace. She could tell by his tone as he called her name that he too, was afraid and didn't know what was happening. April Fool's Day was not known for his courage, unless it came to pranking Francis when he least expected it. But still, he tried to put on a brave face for her, to comfort her and ease her fear. She whimpered as he held her, his body tensing despite the words he spoke, still trying to keep it together. After a bit of time passed, he pulled back a little to meet her gaze, giving her a weak smile. Shrove Tuesday listened to him before placing her hand on his cheek and did her best to give him a smile back.

"...Thank you, Ferris. Y-You're right... We should be able to find a way out. A-And..." Nina gulped as she looked around the dingy cell. It was clearly only for one person, with a single bed with thin sheets and a small pillow. A singular glance around the empty small room didn't fill her with hope, but she tried to remain strong. If Ferris could hold it together... She had to try too. "I-If there's no way out, they'll come free us... They said they would. I'm sure that hearing thingy won't go on forever. Besides..." Nina hesitated before her voice went quieter, just on the off chance someone else could hear them.

"We're Holidays. If push comes to shove, you have your magic and I have mine. I-I know we shouldn't use it but... Alice and Francis would scold us if they knew we got locked up and didn't do anything about it,"